We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Lily is a hard worker.
Even though the land had turned to scorched earth, remnants of the great forest that had been here a little while ago remained.
Great trees that looked like pillars of black charcoal. The ground was covered in deep ash, the remains of fallen leaves and withered flowers and grass that had burned.
Among these vestiges of the forest, the charred corpses of giants and mimicho lay in disarray.
“Elnea, what are we going to do?”
“For now, let’s search for survivors. Without regard for whether they are giants or mimicho.”
“Understood. I’ll check the south and west.”
“Then I’ll take the north and east.”
Carly and I split up to investigate the burned-out forest.
We carefully advanced, bypassing the scorched but still standing great trees.
We called out, searching for any survivors, and didn’t forget to sense for their presence.
Once we finished searching one area, we used spatial jumps to move. Then, we searched again for survivors. This is how Carly and I surveyed the burned forest.
However, the result was apparent from the start.
Survivors: None.
As evening approached, I rejoined Carly at the spot where we had first landed.
Considering Carly’s report, it seemed the burned area was about the size of the Armēdo Kingdom’s capital.
Yet, not a single survivor was found within it.
Perhaps those who survived this great forest fire had already left this place.
“For now, let’s call it a day. We should rest tonight.”
“Yes. Well then, shall we move?”
“The burned forest extends from a relatively close location on the west side. Let’s retreat there.”
So, Carly and I moved west.
We couldn’t possibly make camp in a place that had become a scorched wasteland with charred corpses scattered about.
Our investigation would continue after seeing tomorrow’s sun.
As Carly suggested, we moved west via spatial jump and returned to the great forest that had escaped the flames.
The smell of burning still drifted on the wind, even deep into the great forest, but the scenery of the forest itself soothed my heart.
With a wild boar we hunted during our travels as a souvenir, Carly and I searched for a suitable place to camp. We found a good spot at the base of a large tree, and built a fire, taking care not to let it spread.
While Carly skillfully dismantled the boar, I took the opportunity to meditate.
Ares-chan, who was still assimilated with me, kept prompting, “Food, food.” I couldn’t refuse the yojo’s demands.
Carly retrieved a portable pot from her supplies and made boar stew using wild herbs from around us and some of our own provisions.
It was what you’d call “manly cooking.”
The taste couldn’t compare to Mistral’s cooking, naturally, but the hearty seasoning ignited my appetite, which had been dulled by hunger.
Carly and I wolfed down the boar stew.
“So, what do we do from tomorrow? Are we still planning to find and contact the giants as planned?”
“No, before that, let’s investigate the burned forest a bit more.”
“That’s right. The way it burned is too unnatural. Even if we meet the giants, it might be better to understand the details of that fire.”
The results of our investigation were quite strange.
The burned forest and the adjacent forest that had escaped the flames were clearly demarcated.
While the burning areas had turned the great trees to charcoal, the unburned areas showed no signs of scorching, not even on the tips of the dead grass. Moreover, the two distinct characteristics were clearly separated as if drawn with a clean line.
“And one more thing. There was something that bothered me. It seemed that the places where the corpses were scattered and where they weren’t were intermittent.”
“Ah, I felt that too. Even if the forest burned while the giants and mimicho were fighting, it would be strange, wouldn’t it?”
“If they were fighting, the same race should have been acting in groups.”
“But the charred bodies, both giants and mimicho, were clustered together or isolated.”
It didn’t seem like they had simply gotten separated from their companions while fleeing the flames.
After all, where there were no corpses, there were absolutely no charred bodies of either race, and conversely, where corpses lay scattered, there were bodies of both giants and mimicho.
“…It’s as if both the giants and the mimicho got lost in the forest?”
“The forest began to burn while they were fighting, and both fled, but fell victim to a Bewildering Technique. Is that what Elnea thinks?”
“I don’t know if they fell victim to a Bewildering Technique, but at least I don’t think this fire was natural.”
Then, who exactly burned the forest and killed the giants and mimicho?
The number of bodies was well over a hundred giants. Around twenty mimicho were also victims.
The Bewildering Technique is a common tactic of the mimicho, but currently, no Bewildering Technique is in effect in this great forest. Thanks to that, Carly and I were able to investigate without getting lost.
However, it seems possible to cast a Bewildering Technique in a localized area.
So, did the mimicho warriors cast a Bewildering Technique to defeat the giants?
But if so, they would have killed their own comrades as well. Moreover, setting fire to the forest they so carefully protected is something an ordinary mimicho would never consider.
Then, did the giants set fire to the forest?
The giants are capable of something like that. However, the damage was greater to the giants.
One could argue that the mimicho, in their desperation, cast a Bewildering Technique and took the giants with them, but it still felt off.
“For the mimicho to fall victim to their own Bewildering Technique is unthinkable.”
That was Carly’s view, and I could only nod in agreement.
“So, this fire is peculiar, isn’t it?”
“It is… This might be what we were worried about happening.”
Without voicing our concerns, Carly and I finished the remaining boar stew and spent the night resting in turns.
The next morning.
I woke to the biting cold.
It was winter, and although we had dressed warmly to avoid freezing, it was still cold when we weren’t moving.
I stretched, exhaling white breath, and warmed my chilled body. I confirmed today’s plan while sipping the warm tea Carly had made.
“Let’s search for survivors once more. After that, I intend to bury the deceased.”
“You’re going to bury the giants too?”
“Yes. Without distinction.”
“Understood, I’ll help.”
And so, we began our work.
To ensure we didn’t miss anything, we switched our investigation directions today. I took the south and west, and Carly took the north and east.
However, the result was unchanged from the previous day.
No survivors.
I tried to sense for anyone hiding in the surrounding, unburned forest, but it yielded nothing.
Did the giants retreat to the east?
Did the mimicho retreat to the nearest village?
In any case, Carly and I were the only ones active in the vicinity of the burned forest.
Large carnivorous birds flew in the sky, perhaps attracted by the charred corpses.
Occasionally, a large magic beast bird also appeared.
I was startled when one of those great birds of prey attacked me as I moved across the land, now devoid of the forest canopy that once blocked the view from the sky.
After all, Lily, extending a giant foreleg from my shadow, slammed into the great bird and knocked it down.
That great bird chose the wrong target.
After confirming once more that there were no survivors, Carly and I changed our approach to bury the bodies.
We found a hill with a good vantage point and decided to gather the remains there for collective burial.
Both the mimicho and the giants would be buried together.
Carly showed some reluctance, but I believe that the deceased should be mourned regardless of their race.
I began digging the burial pits on the hilltop.
Carly went to the western forest, saying she would find flowers to offer to the deceased mimicho.
Lily was tasked with transporting the bodies from various parts of the burned forest. Carly and I couldn’t carry the giants, who were several times larger than humans. Moreover, given the wide area, carrying each body individually would take days.
I felt bad about giving Lily such an unpleasant task. But it seems that dragons don’t have particular emotional attachments to human corpses.
Perhaps it’s a difference in races?
Regardless, the second day since we descended into the scorched wasteland passed like this.
“Lily, could you go and call Mistral and everyone else?”
“Coming right away, leave it to me!”
And the third day.
At the Yorttenitos Kingdom’s fort, Yun should be awakening from his weakened state around now. If so, it would be an opportunity to rendezvous with Mistral and the others who were looking after him.
Since we were far away, and Ares-chan remained assimilated with me, Lily’s flight was the only way to quickly inform them of our location.
Oh, and that persistent presence and gaze that clings to me hasn’t disappeared yet.
It felt creepy to have all my actions seemingly watched.
Perhaps due to this, Ares-chan has retreated completely inside me.
Speaking of which, I had intended to ask about the spirits. But at this rate, it seems it will be some time later.
At any rate, starting today, I will be acting separately from Lily.
I believe she will return soon, though.
The burial had been progressed by Lily gathering the remains of the mimicho and giants on the hill yesterday, so Carly and I could proceed with the rest.
We worked together to bury the deceased in the pit I had dug on the hilltop.
Carly offered a flower to each of the mimicho.
She apparently wanted to send them off with a proper ritual, but as a warrior, it seemed she was not good at such things. Nevertheless, Carly’s efforts to see them off as best she could showed her kindness. She usually projects an aura like a sharp blade, but she’s a good person at heart.
Unfortunately, the burial work did not conclude on this day alone.
We were unexpectedly delayed, but this was important work. We couldn’t simply ignore the pathetic corpses before us.
As evening fell, Carly and I stopped working and decided to return to our campsite, where we had been camping for the past two nights.
“Boar stew again tonight will be monotonous. Let’s gather some vegetables and make a stew.”
“That sounds good!”
“Then, let’s go back and check what we’re missing.”
“I’m hungry!”
“Would you like to cook, Elnea?”
“Hahaha…”
Of course, I can cook for myself. But I want to eat Carly’s hearty, “manly” cooking!
‘Lazy, lazy.’
Grrr, Ares-chan’s muttering is just my imagination.
We moved across the soot-stained land by spatial jump and entered the deep forest, then proceeded further to our campsite.
My hunger was unbearable, but it was just a little longer.
Honestly, seeing the burned corpses made me feel a bit resistant, even to boar meat. However, if I were to be picky in a place like this, I wouldn’t have the strength when it mattered. Carly knew this, which is why she had been hunting and preparing boar since the first day.
At least it wasn’t grilled meat.
Imagining tonight’s meal, I moved through the forest by spatial jump.
Suddenly, Carly stopped.
“Elnea…”
“D-did you…?”
“I’m lost.”
“I knew it!”
It’s not like the mimicho get lost in the forest, so no need for such comments. It was impossible for Carly, who had traveled this route many times, to get lost.
“Could it be a Bewildering Technique?”
“Most likely.”
I had also started to feel a sense of unease. We should have arrived at the campsite long ago, and I had noticed strange changes in the scenery during our spatial jumps.
Carly scanned her surroundings warily.
To me, it looked like a normal forest when not in transit, but Carly was sensitive to the changes.
“…Who’s there!”
And Carly’s sharp voice cut into the bushes.
With a rustle, the bushes moved. A person emerged, parting the foliage with both hands.
A petite woman with long black hair.
“Y-Yun!?”
Carly exclaimed in surprise at the unexpected appearance.
“Why are you here alone?”
“I apologize if I surprised you. But I am not alone.”
“What?”
“You two have also fallen victim to a Bewildering Technique, haven’t you? I am the same. I was with Mistral until just now, but it seems we got separated.”
“…Is that true?”
“What’s the point of lying? If you don’t believe me, I will simply go my own way and search for Mistral again.”
Carly hesitated, unsure how to judge, and looked at me.
“It would be a waste to separate again after finally meeting up. If we both fell victim to a Bewildering Technique, I think it’s better to act together.”
With that said, I took Yun’s hand and smiled.
