August arrived.
Fiel’s summer, or rather Amister’s summer, was quite comfortable, as the humidity wasn’t as high as Japan’s, and temperatures rarely exceeded 30 degrees Celsius even at their hottest.
The same was true for Olden Island, which I was scheduled to develop. While its humidity was higher than Fiel’s, it was still nowhere near as muggy as Japan.
Therefore, even though we were starting development preparations today, the heat was only slightly noticeable and not particularly bothersome.
*Fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh!*
“Even so, ‘development preparations’ means starting with land reclamation, and I still need to request ships from the Trader’s Guild,” I muttered.
“Specifying the shipping route is one thing, but there’s also the issue of the Br Mountains,” Prim added.
That was exactly the problem.
Olden Island was an island floating in the Nadal Sea and belonged to Amister. However, it was off the shipping routes for vessels sailing the Nadal Sea, and with the Br Mountains sprawling along the opposite shore, overland access was also difficult.
My plan was to either tunnel through the Br Mountains or to collapse a section of it, and then build a bridge to Olden Island. Today, we were here to conduct a final confirmation for that very purpose. the expedition consisted of eight people: myself, Prim, Flam, Lydia, Ludia, Athena, Mako, and Eos. Mana was in Fiel, Hilde was in Deseo, and Rika was working in Memoria. Yuri and Aria were at the academy. Mina was pregnant, so hunting was out of the question.
*Jijijijijiji!*
“Tunneling, right? We’re abandoning that plan, aren’t we?” Ludia asked.
“Information from the Hunter’s Guild in Emosion suggests there are quite a few monsters that burrow into the ground,” I replied.
The Br Mountains were home to creatures like the Hole Dog, which lived in burrows, as well as many insectoid monsters. Particularly during this season, it was the time when the larvae of the Cicada species, essentially magical cicadas, emerged from the ground to become adults.
Insectoid monsters, like those on Earth, were classified into those that underwent complete metamorphosis and those that underwent incomplete metamorphosis. The Cicada species, along with the Beetle and Moth species, underwent complete metamorphosis. The Hopper species I hunted on Olden Island previously underwent incomplete metamorphosis. Monsters that underwent incomplete metamorphosis didn’t burrow underground, so they were sometimes hunted, but those that underwent complete metamorphosis spent their larval stages underground and were rarely preyed upon.
However, beetle and bee larvae were famous delicacies and were occasionally hunted. Larvae were generally considered one rank lower than normal monsters of their corresponding rank. Despite having few offensive capabilities and soft bodies, they were said to be as easy to defeat as T-rank monsters once unearthed.
As the Kanji for “cicada” suggests, the Cicada species produced deafeningly loud noises. Furthermore, this sound could even be repurposed as wind-elemental magic. Consequently, there were virtually no hunters entering the Br Mountains during this period.
Frankly, I didn’t want to be here either, but for the development of the Fraydlancia Baronetcy, it was necessary to collapse a section of the Br Mountains to create a path and build a bridge to Olden Island. So, despite the extreme noise, I intended to bear with it and conduct our survey and assess any potential environmental impact. My ears had also improved since evolving to Element Class, making it truly arduous.
I really didn’t want to come at this time, but complete metamorphosis monsters were bound to mature in summer, and many species hibernated in winter. This meant summer generally had more formidable monsters than winter. Therefore, I had no choice but to come, partly to ascertain the upper limit of the Br Mountains’ monstrous inhabitants.
*Jahō, jahō, jahō!*
“Be quiet!”
As magical creatures, the Cicadas attacked us the moment they spotted us. Their loud chirping was truly grating. Ludia, enraged, unleashed a Flair Grapple, her gauntlet sword wreathed in Blading, and cleaved one in two. I couldn’t agree with her more.
“B-N rank Soldat Cicada and S-U rank Army Cicada. It seems there are no rare species yet,” Athena observed.
“Well, we’re still at the foothills, and on the Emosion side, too,” Prim replied.
“True. On the Nadal Sea side, it wouldn’t be surprising to find even abnormal species, let alone rare ones. Oh, but Cicadas only have normal species as larvae, don’t they?” Ludia mused.
“That’s what they say. I believe it’s thought that individuals that accumulate mana during their larval stage have a higher chance of evolving,” I recalled.
Cicada larvae were considered C-N rank and metamorphosed through a pupal stage. Earth’s cicadas didn’t seem to have a pupal stage, which was strange given that they did on Helios Orb. However, the pupae burrowed even deeper underground than the larvae before molting, making their shed skins supposedly harder to find than the larvae themselves. Research using MARS had revealed that Cicada larvae used the mana accumulated during the pupal stage to create a cocoon and then emerged as adults within about a year, something the Scholar’s Guild had apparently published.
How they accumulated mana remained unknown. However, the Nadal Sea side was still a largely untouched, dangerous region, so it wouldn’t be surprising to find even abnormal species there.
Traversing the Br Mountains amidst this deafening noise was demoralizing, but I steeled myself and prepared to proceed.
***
**Side: Prim**
We, who were here for the development of the Fraydlancia Baronetcy, had lunch at the mountain peak and then descended towards the Nadal Sea side. As the Hunter’s Guild in Emosion had warned, insectoid monsters were abundant, but there were also quite a variety of beast-type monsters. However, only two or three species were suitable for consumption, and monsters of S-rank and G-rank were spotted here and there. Furthermore, many Br Mountain monsters tended to move in packs, making it a suicide mission for Normal Class hunters to come alone.
“Yeah, definitely no tunnels,” I stated.
“Agreed. Insectoids mostly burrow underground, and there are even bothersome monsters like Hole Dogs. Digging a tunnel carelessly would lead to a catastrophe,” Mako concurred.
Mako and Yamato had been hesitant about digging tunnels from the start, but today’s investigation completely dissuaded them. However, their reasoning was sound, and I didn’t think we should force it. Honestly, tunnels on Helios Orb seemed quite difficult to construct.
“So, we’ll be using Engraving Divine Artifacts to carve out a section of the Br Mountains?” Athena inquired.
“That would be the safest approach,” I confirmed.
Considering the geography of Olden Island, if we weren’t tunneling, this was the only way. The Br Mountains were a range of peaks reaching around 2,000 meters in elevation, with the highest summit at 2,500 meters. Normally, carving through such mountains would be impossible, but with the Engraving Divine Artifacts held by Yamato and Mako, it was feasible.
Using the mythic-class Engraving Magic, Tuatha Dé Danann, from Blau Solaris and Agatholam would require Brother Rai’s approval. However, since it was for the development of the Fraydlancia Baronetcy, and both Yamato and Mako had his strong trust, I believed permission would be granted. The main issue was determining which part of the Br Mountains to excavate. Well, that was somewhat decided by the need to build a road to Olden Island.
“Hah!” **Clang!*** “Another Army Cicada…” I grumbled.
“No, there are rare species mixed in this time! Take this!” Athena shouted as she dealt with an attacking Army Cicada.
While she was dealing with it, Flam unleashed a Tidal Blaster, admonishing Athena. The monster Flam had defeated appeared to be a G-R rank Mercenary Cicada. Mercenary Cicadas were considered rare, but they were said to be more abundant than other monsters. It was said that for every one you saw, there were ten, and past statistics confirmed at least five. This was a common tendency among insectoid monsters, but particularly prevalent in Mercenary Cicadas. The larval stage of Cicadas was exceptionally long compared to other insectoids, lasting for several years, which was believed to be the reason for their abundance.
“This is truly troublesome,” Flam muttered.
“This won’t do as just a mountain path!” I declared.
“Indeed. I was considering something like a gorge, but in the mountainous regions, we need to widen it considerably to avoid unnecessary casualties,” Mako added.
“Yes. We need to ensure at least 100 meters in the mountainous regions, or it won’t function as a road,” Flam stated.
I agreed. Many of the insectoid monsters inhabiting the Br Mountains could fly, so we needed to maintain a considerable distance to avoid constant attacks. While we couldn’t eliminate all monster attacks, if they happened too frequently, no one would use the road. If the road wasn’t used, people wouldn’t come to Olden Island beyond it, rendering the development meaningless and leading to its decline. If that happened, not only Yamato but also Tsubaki, who was likely to inherit the Fraydlancia Baronetcy, would be in a predicament and could even face punishment.
“We haven’t decided the specifics yet, but I intend to completely bisect the Br Mountains. It will be larger in scale than planned, but safety is paramount,” I announced.
“It’s complete environmental destruction, but considering safety, it seems inevitable,” Mako said with a hint of reluctance.
I agreed that it was the safest option and would likely reduce monster damage. Of course, we couldn’t completely eliminate monster damage, but even a slight reduction would contribute to people’s safety.
“We’ll definitely need Emperor Reinhardt’s permission, but since we can’t rule out the presence of troublesome monsters, we must thoroughly investigate before proceeding,” Mako stated.
“Indeed. It’s no exaggeration to say that no hunters venture deep into the Br Mountains. Therefore, we must consider the possibility of abnormal or even catastrophe species,” I replied.
“True,” Flam added.
Due to the emergence of the Divine Emperor, who had transformed into a Demon Race, several individuals on the Philia Continent had recently evolved into new Demise Species. As a ripple effect, abnormal and catastrophe species were also increasing, so we had to assume the Br Mountains were no exception.
As if on cue, a P-I rank Legion Cicada appeared.
“Annoying!”
This Legion Cicada, enraged by the incessant noise, was struck by several of Yamato’s Ice Edge Javelins, riddled with holes, and plummeted to the ground.
“Yamato, Cicada abdomens are popular as soundproofing material, so be careful when defeating them!” Flam warned.
“Ah, right.”
I had forgotten that Cicadas made excellent soundproofing material. Cicadas lived in forests, and they were quite common in the Valentia region. Soldat Cicadas were B-N rank monsters, so their lifespan as soundproofing material was only about two years. Thus, there was a consistent demand for them. The durability and effectiveness of the material increased proportionally with the monster’s rank, making high-rank Cicadas quite sought after. However, if the abdomen was damaged, it couldn’t be used as soundproofing material, making hunts that prioritized materials challenging, and the danger level increased proportionally with the monster’s rank. Mercenary Cicada soundproofing was apparently used in the dance halls of several royal castles, including Amagi Castle, while Legion Cicada soundproofing had never been used.
“Is that so? In that case, should we offer this as tribute?” Flam asked.
“Huh? Oh, Flam, you defeated one too?”
Indeed. And by piercing its head with a Tidal Blaster, the abdomen remained perfectly intact. Yes, this would be well-received.
“Ah, I messed up…” Yamato lamented.
“Given the current situation, and since there were two, there are probably a few more, right?” I said.
“Probably. Also, although Legion Cicadas have been hunted several times, this is the first instance of defeating one as an abnormal species with an intact abdomen. Since Flam defeated the first one, and we didn’t receive a specific request, we can just be careful next time,” Yamato reasoned.
“We will,” I confirmed.
Yamato looked a bit dejected, but Mako and I were there to support him. Yamato was quick to recover, and this would be a valuable experience. For the next Legion Cicada, he would hunt it in a way that allowed the abdomen to be salvaged as material. Besides, this was for the development of Olden Island and, by extension, the Fraydlancia Baronetcy. Yamato had no time to dwell on his mistake. Since my daughter with him, Tsubaki, was slated to be the next Fraydlancia Baronet, we had to work hard on development for her sake, Father.
