Side-Hilde
A Four Directions Array?
To think such a magic circle exists.
In Earth, we have the concept of Sacred Beasts that protect the four cardinal directions, and Lord Yamato and Mako taught me that these are used even in large cities. I never imagined that Bestia would have such a magic circle.
“Well, I don’t think it’s a proper magic circle,”
“It’s not even rudimentary; it’s more of a hobbyist’s creation, wouldn’t you say?”
Lord Yamato and Mako say such things, but I don’t mind.
It must have been incorporated by Kazushi and Yukari so they wouldn’t forget their homeland. We simply respect it.
“Shall we go, then?”
“Yes.”
After resting for about thirty minutes, we departed from the Safe Area.
As the name suggests, the Safe Area is located in the center of Bestia.
From here, it’s the northern district. However, the closer we get to White Demon Castle, the more high-class residences, including Noble’s Mansions, appear. In Bestia, security would be quite strict, and many back alleys and side streets would be regulated.
But this is a Labyrinth, so I don’t know how much of it is recreated. Moreover, I don’t even know if it’s a residential area.
If it were a residential area, especially a noble district, attacks might decrease. However, Noble’s Mansions are all larger than Guilds, so I can’t help but feel that the number of Demi-humans attacking us at once might increase.
“Yamato! That thing!”
About five minutes after leaving the Safe Area, Flam, who was monitoring from the observation deck, raised her voice.
But there was no helping it.
“Garum? It’s appearing here?”
Lord Yamato reacted as well.
Garum are monsters classified under Wolf Species, with a Monster Rank of S-N, which is quite high.
They are said to inhabit forests, and I’ve heard they are common in Valentia, especially in the Gagun Great Forest.
“Ta-ah!”
There was only one Garum that appeared, but it was sliced in half by Mana’s Sterling Divider.
The reason Lord Yamato and Flam were surprised was that a Garum, which should live in the forest, had appeared. Wing Crest would not be outmatched by a mere Garum.
“I never thought I’d see a Garum here.”
“It’s a monster that should live in Valentia.”
“Yes. Though I’ve never seen one before, either.”
Prim, who is from Valentia, had also never seen a Garum.
No, at that time, Prim was Normal Class, so even as a Winged Tribe, she couldn’t handle S-N rank monsters.
Now, High Class individuals who can defeat S-rank monsters on their own are beginning to appear, but it’s still difficult even then without possessing weapons made of Alloy.
“Still, I wonder why only one of them appeared?”
“Ah, that’s simple. Garum are monsters that don’t form packs and act alone.”
“Is that so?”
Lord Yamato answered Athena’s question, but I didn’t know that either.
Prim and Mana also told me that Garum are basically solitary monsters and almost never appear in groups of two or more.
It seems they have appeared in groups of about five in Labyrinths, but that was only by chance or when individuals of superior species led them.
“Huh? They don’t form packs, yet they lead packs?”
“I don’t fully understand that either, but it seems that higher-ranking individuals can lead multiple lower-ranking ones. It’s only been observed in Labyrinths, but it’s said that superior or rare species led normal species.”
“In that case, they even coordinate their attacks, and normal species are treated as one rank higher, according to the materials I bought at the Hunter’s Guild.”
Lydia and Mako had also looked through the monster ecology recorded in their materials.
As Hunters, it’s natural, but there are also many Hunters who don’t research monsters and needlessly lose their lives.
Well, if it’s only their own lives, it can be considered their own fault, but I’ve heard that if other Raids are nearby, some Hunters push their monsters onto them to save themselves.
If discovered, it ranges from minor offenses to criminal slavery, or capital punishment for severe cases. However, the Hunters who had monsters pushed onto them don’t infrequently get wiped out, and since they rarely speak of it, proving it is quite difficult.
“If we can interrogate them using Healing, we can prove it, but in most cases, it’s accidental, so it’s difficult to prosecute.”
“There are also cases where they successfully escape and as a result, another Raid is attacked.”
As expected, Mina and Marquis Rica, who are Orders, seem to know well about such matters, but does the outcome change depending on whether it was intentional?
“There was also a story about someone taking on monsters to help, only to be defeated. Well, that story was nothing but a tragedy.”
“Ah, that story.”
I also know the story that Lord Yamato and Mana mentioned.
After all, that story happened in Torencia when my mother was the Queen.
A rookie Hunter who had just registered in Krater, overestimating their abilities, had stepped into the Golud Great Glacier.
For a while, they didn’t encounter any monsters, but after walking for several hours, they encountered several Icicle Tigers and immediately engaged in combat.
I recall they were B-rank Hunters, but at that rank level, they couldn’t handle the Icicle Tigers.
However, as their companions were being defeated one after another, one of them fled out of self-preservation.
The Icicle Tigers, having preyed on the other rookie Hunters, of course, pursued the fleeing Hunter.
Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate for that Hunter, they managed to escape near Krater, but there they were caught by the Icicle Tigers. Just as they were about to be finished off, they were saved by a Raid belonging to G-rank Hunters.
And that Raid, in exchange for taking on the Icicle Tigers, asked the Saber`s Guild and the Hunter`s Guild for reinforcements.
The rookie Hunter also agreed and headed for Krater, but upon arriving in Krater, they were so relieved that they forgot about the request for reinforcements and went straight to a brothel to calm their excited emotions.
The Raid, which had taken on the Icicle Tigers, continued to fight, not expecting the Hunter to do such a thing.
However, even with G-rank Hunters, facing several G-rank monsters simultaneously was not just difficult but nearly impossible at the time.
The Raid fought for a while without casualties, but as they were defeated one by one, the leader, a G-rank Hunter, made a decision and sent a young Hunter to run to Krater.
Upon receiving the report, the Saber`s Guild and the Hunter`s Guild immediately organized a subjugation team and rushed to their aid. What the subjugation team witnessed there was the sight of Icicle Tigers sharing and devouring the Hunters whose lives had been extinguished.
I heard that the Hunter who ran as a messenger burst into tears on the spot.
The subjugation of the Icicle Tigers also resulted in the deaths of several people.
After returning to Krater, the Saber immediately apprehended the rookie Hunter and interrogated them using Healing.
It was then that it was revealed that he had only recently registered as a Hunter, that there were other companions, and that he had been entrusted with a reinforcement request from the Raid belonging to the defeated G-rank Hunters.
This rookie Hunter was charged with national disturbance and sentenced to death.
It was natural, considering the many casualties, including his own life being saved, his companions being sacrificed, the Raid that saved him, and the fact that he ultimately ignored the reinforcement request entrusted to him.
If the G-rank Hunters hadn’t put their lives on the line to lure the Icicle Tigers and send a companion Hunter as a messenger, the city of Krater might have been destroyed.
“Oh, was that story in the Hunter’s Guild textbook?”
“Ah. The Hunter who served as the messenger at that time apparently conveyed the aftermath to the Hunter’s Guild so that such a tragedy would not be repeated.”
That G-rank Hunter was a disciple of Certina, who became my great-grandmother.
Therefore, the story reached the Grand Hunter’s Master and was recorded in the textbook as a lesson. The Hunter who served as the messenger became the Guild Master of Krater’s Hunter’s Guild a few years ago and is now rigorously training rookie Hunters.
“So that’s who it was.”
“Yes. I was also surprised when I learned about it later.”
Everyone in Wing Crest has met Carlos Espada, the Guild Master of Krater’s Hunter’s Guild.
Although only the Hunter’s Alliance participated in the Slume Lord subjugation battle, he was summoned to the Saber’s Guild Krater branch to convey that information. Carlos also suffered a severe wound, losing his left arm due to the Slume Lord, and was later healed by Sayuri’s Extra Healing.
Sayuri is Mana and Yuri’s great-grandmother and the only O-rank Healer of Helios Orb.
Therefore, Lord Yamato accompanied me to Krater as a guard and healed not only Carlos but also Certina’s familiar, Klara.
Lord Yamato must have learned about Carlos’s past at that time, just like Mako.
“So, if a Monster Train were to occur, I should just die on the spot?”
“It depends on the situation. Some monsters don’t leave their territory, so if you’re being chased by them, you just need to run until you leave their territory.”
“Besides, most of the ones who cause Monster Trains are idiots who overestimate their own abilities. If the rescuers judge that they can’t defeat the monsters, they won’t be blamed for not helping.”
“Even if you don’t help, you have an obligation to report it to the nearest Hunter’s Guild.”
“However, for us, the option of not helping is not available.”
Athena, which refers to running away with monsters in tow, is the term for Monster Train. Lord Yamato, Mana, Lydia, and Flam discuss how to deal with it.
It is said that if they can escape beyond their territory, they can often be saved.
Of course, they are often chased beyond their territory, so it’s a matter of luck.
The rescuers also face damage if the monsters are clearly superior in strength, so there is no obligation to force themselves to help.
In such cases, it is highly likely to be high-ranking monsters that require the organization of a subjugation team, so reporting to the Hunter’s Guild is mandatory, and failure to do so will result in punishment.
However, for Wing Crest, with ten members belonging to Ancient Class, the option of not helping, as Flam said, is not an option.
After all, they are the only Raid with subjugation achievements even on Demise Species, so they could probably defeat even O-rank monsters.
Conversely, if monsters that Wing Crest cannot help appear, it raises doubts as to whether even all the Ancient Classes gathered could defeat them.
Still, even if they were to help, it wouldn’t be without problems.
“Ah, we had that kind of problem too.”
“For those kinds of people, even helping them can cause problems.”
Rudia and Lydia also seemed to have noticed that problem.
Hunters who cause Monster Trains, as mentioned before, are often those who overestimate their own abilities or misjudge the strength of monsters, and are not uncommon to be habitual offenders of disruptive behavior.
Therefore, they attempt to flee without regard for those around them, but if they are carelessly helped, they may complain.
The rescuers help not only out of goodwill but also to prevent damage to towns and villages, but for such individuals, it is irrelevant.
The Hunter’s Guild, Order’s Guild, and Saber’s Guild also conduct interrogation surveys with the Guild Master’s presence in some cases, as there is a possibility of additional casualties. However, for the rescuers, it is a nuisance.
Moreover, it is said that the reputation of the rescuers can also be damaged, so the damage to their reputation is considerable.
“That happens too…”
“Yeah. And yet, if we don’t help them, while they might be fine, the damage to those around them will be significant. That’s why we can’t choose not to help.”
“If there are any idiots who say such things, we’ll just capture them and hand them over to the Order’s Guild or Saber’s Guild.”
A Raid like Wing Crest would not feel much pain from a little damage to their reputation.
Their credit is high not only with the Guilds but also with the country. They have achieved significant results in conquering two high-difficulty Labyrinths and in the recent war.
Furthermore, with ten members belonging to the Ancient Class, it can be said that there are no Hunters who would openly complain.
Although their inexperience is a drawback, it doesn’t seem like it would be a major problem.
“Yamato, it’s Demi-humans this time. Those are Amazones.”
“As expected.”
While discussing Monster Trains, we continued to advance, defeating Garums.
Terra Garums of G-U rank and Stella Garums of P-R rank also appeared, but they were defeated without any problems.
As expected, Luna Garums of M-I rank and Sol Garums of A-C rank do not seem to be present.
The names of Demise Species and O-A rank monsters are unknown.
As we were advancing, defeating those Garums, we received a report of Amazones appearing when we entered the noble district. We should assume that the area from here on is an Amazones nest.
Just from what we can see, we can spot groups of Amazones of B-N rank, Venus Amazones of S-U rank, and Virgo Amazones of G-R rank.
Although they are treated as one rank higher within the Labyrinth, their ranks do not change. Therefore, we should consider the presence of Amazones Princesses of P-I rank.
The Amazones are rushing towards us, so we must face them properly.
