After going to an all-you-can-eat hot pot meal at Philiana’s invitation, we departed for the next country.
He was walking with a lantern, his footsteps crunching. Sharin, who had been sitting next to me, stood up. Walking alone at this hour, could it be an assassin who had heard about us?
“Hey, what are you doing out at this hour?”
The person who appeared was an old Satyr. He must be from this area.
“Um, we’re traveling as a local club.”
“Oh, but it’s dangerous around here, wolves come out.”
I could tell everyone let out a sigh of relief. It seemed he was genuinely from the area. He must have come to check on us, camping by the roadside.
“I’m sorry for camping without permission. We’ll move if we’re bothering you.”
“Ah, no, no, it’s fine. But lately, they say a three-headed monster has been appearing, so be careful.”
A three-headed monster? Is there something else around? Could it be that the Dark Elves released it to stop us?
“Excuse me, what kind of creature is that?”
“Hmm, the Guard Wings are investigating. Apparently, an acquaintance of mine saw an animal this big in the forest the other day.”
Saying this, the old man spread his arms wide. A Guard Wing investigation team? In that case, perhaps we could leave this problem to them.
“I thought you guys were some kind of investigation team too. You’ve got swords.”
“Ah, this is for self-defense. Not everywhere is peaceful.”
The old man left, telling us to be careful. Karubene sighed “Hmph” as he watched him go.
“Now a three-headed monster. What, a dragon with three heads?”
“Let’s not stray too far from civilization. The forest is dangerous.”
As Philiana said, we should take this well-maintained, wide road. Although, “well-maintained” just means there’s little grass and it’s flat. Still, it’s much easier than going through the forest.
The next morning, we started walking again in the direction the old man had gone. After a short while, houses began to appear here and there. He must live around here. A Harpy woman watering a flower bed outside turned towards us.
“Oh, are you guys from the Guard Wing too?”
“Hello, no, we’re travelers.”
“Oh, I see. Be careful, everyone. There’s a rumor about an incredibly large monster appearing around here. It has a wolf’s head, a boar’s body, and six legs.”
What kind of monster could that be? He said it had three heads, but six legs?
“Ah, speak of the devil, it’s them.”
In the direction the woman was looking, two young Harpies stood. Wait a minute, could the investigation team really be just these two…? There’s no way. They were discussing something. I glanced at Sharin. She shrugged her shoulders slightly.
It would be best to leave without speaking to them. It’s not good to meddle.
“Thank you. We’ll be on our way then.”
“Be careful.”
Seeing us off, the woman watched as we walked through the settlement. Then, the two Guard Wing members noticed us. One of them, a young man wearing a hat with feather ornaments, came towards us.
“Hello. We are investigators dispatched from the Guard Wing. Sorry to stop you, but you’re not residents of this area, are you?”
“Hello. We’re a local club. We’re on a bit of a trip.”
The other young man was observing us from a distance.
“I see. In that case, you shouldn’t wander too far. You’ve heard the rumors, haven’t you?”
“Yes, the three-headed monster, right? What does it actually look like?”
“About that… can you promise not to try and find it?”
Of course, I nodded. Even if asked, I wouldn’t go looking for it.
“Have you heard of a creature called a Chimera? It’s an animal with a very strange appearance. It has the heads of a lion, a goat, and a snake.”
Hmm, Chimera. I think I’ve heard of it. In a game I played a long time ago… No, it was too long ago, I can’t remember. I can’t imagine what kind of creature it is, but I know it’s something terrible.
“Is it near here?”
“Yes, that’s what we’ve heard. We came to confirm if it’s true. Where are you heading?”
I showed him the map and pointed to our next destination.
“Ah, the land of the Centaurs. You should be safe once you get there, but there are many wild animals around here. Be very careful going forward.”
“Yes, thank you.”
He adjusted his hat and returned to his companion.
“The land of the Centaurs, I’m looking forward to it. I’d like to see royalty, just like Piyo-chan.”
So, next is Philiana’s country. I’m also looking forward to seeing what it’s like.
After we passed the settlement and there were no more people in sight, Elana emerged from our luggage.
“A Chimera, they really exist? I thought someone had made it up.”
“Is that what it looks like?”
“Yes, it looks like different animals were forcefully put together.”
It’s a bit intriguing, but I promised not to look for it. We should hurry to a safe place before we encounter it.
