I met a member of the Guard Wing who came to investigate a creature called a Chimera.
The same scenery continued after I parted ways with the Guard Wing youths.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of things await us once we reach the next country,” Philiana said.
“You’re probably just looking forward to the food, aren’t you?”
“That’s not true. I also plan on having the horseshoes serviced. There are specialized shops, you know.”
So, Philiana was wearing horseshoes. I hadn’t even considered it because I wasn’t wearing any. I wondered if it would be better to have them after all.
While I was thinking about such things, someone appeared from the side of the road. And not just one person. Was this finally an assassin ambushing us? They were wearing clothes that looked like sportswear and carrying backpacks. They didn’t seem to be armed. One of them noticed us.
“Ah, hello. Are you all here to look for it too?”
“Hello. Look for what?”
I wondered if they weren’t talking about a Chimera.
“A creature called a Chimera. A mythical beast with three heads.”
As they said this, they showed us black and white photos and drawings. As the Guard Wing youth had said, the pictures showed a creature with a strange appearance. I see, so it’s some kind of research group for unidentified creatures. “Don’t get involved based on mere curiosity.”
“I understand, but the forest is dangerous, so please be careful.”
“Yes, we are well aware. We are working to protect this wonderful creature.”
What did they say?! It would have been better if they were just an unidentified creature research group. Protect this monster? Excuse me, but it feels like *we* are the ones who should be protected. For starters, what are they protecting it from? It clearly has the head of a lion, a predator.
“Are there any hunters chasing this creature?”
“Yes, we heard that the Guard Wing issued an extermination order. We must find and protect it before they do, or this precious species will be killed.”
Protect it, but how? It doesn’t look like a tranquilizer gun would work. Everyone standing behind me had a troubled look on their faces.
“Well then, we’re off.”
“Ah, wait a moment.”
The protection group disappeared back into the forest. The area around the Flower Harpy’s country was mostly grassland, but as we moved away, the trees gradually increased. It was probably land that hadn’t been developed yet. The wide road continued, so there was no problem.
“They’ve gone, but will they be okay, I wonder?” Piyo peered through the trees with a worried expression.
“Well, they’ll probably be fine. They seemed knowledgeable about the forest. Come on, let’s go.”
“Wait up a second.”
Just as I started to walk, the two Guard Wing members from earlier ran up from behind.
“Did you happen to see a group calling themselves a creature protection organization around here earlier?”
“Yes, they went into the forest.”
The youth with the hat let out a sigh.
“Honestly, I warned them it was dangerous. There’s no helping it. We’ll escort you safely at least. From here on, there will be more nature. And it’s a long way to the next settlement, so we’ll accompany you to a safe place.”
We were grateful that they offered to escort us. As he said, the area in front of us was overgrown with greenery and there were many slopes. In such terrain, it was impossible to know from where an attack might come.
“What are those people…?”
“Ah, the protection group. It seems they originally protected abandoned cats and dogs. But recently, they’ve started getting involved in the protection of wild animals and livestock issues.”
There are people doing that kind of work in every world, I suppose. I don’t have pets, but it’s good that fewer animals are being euthanized.
“Sorry, I didn’t introduce myself earlier. I’m Heiring, and this is Aerin.”
“I’m Hiroaki.”
The youth with the hat seemed to be named Heiring. Since they were going to escort us, I had a lot of questions.
“Is that Chimera creature really that terrifying?”
“Well, normally they live much deeper in the mountains. They rarely come down to populated areas. But for some reason I don’t know… they seem to be coming this far. They have a bizarre appearance, but they are classified as animals, not spirits.”
He also told us that there were already injured people.
“The residents of this area are terrified. They are on a completely different level of strength compared to bears or wolves. This is all I know. Aerin researched this information.”
The other youth following behind us bowed his head sheepishly.
“Are you two a unit that hunts these kinds of animals?”
“No, we don’t have a fixed mission. In a bad way, you could say we’re handymen. We do everything from searching for people to gathering information.”
I suppose an organization needs people who can move freely. We walked for a while longer, and as he said, it was still a long way to the next destination, and the forest continued.
“Let’s take a short break. You two, rest with Aerin. I’ll go look for any traces in the surroundings.”
With that, Heiring entered the forest, leaving Aerin behind.
