The captain suddenly went mad upon seeing the card given to him by the mage.
I don’t understand the meaning of the picture on the card. I only know that things have gotten very bad.
“Shouldn’t we go?”
“It seems so. Everyone, let’s go.”
Sharin woke up the members who were packing their luggage.
“Wait, what did you guys do!”
“N-nothing. That’s what happened when I handed them the card.”
“The card?! Where is it?”
“I knew it. Without proof, it’s only natural to think I poisoned the captain or something. The priority is to escape in this chaos.”
Just then, Sharin started sniffing the air.
“What’s this strange smell?”
At the same time, the ground began to shake violently. This feeling is…
“Everyone, run! The Earthworms are coming! Scatter!”
I grabbed Piyo and Pauline and ran as fast as I could. The Naga escorts also quickly evacuated with the rampaging captain. The next moment, their camp was swallowed by a swarm of Earthworms and disappeared without a trace.
“What is this!”
“They came out of nowhere!”
With their trusted captain incapacitated, the Naga escorts fell into a panic. They ran in all directions, screaming.
“Tch, Arisugawa, are you alright?”
“Yeah, but why all of a sudden?”
“I don’t understand either. But that man must have done something. I have to find him. He knows about Sylvie.”
“Right, what if she’s in danger too? But if she escapes into this forest, I won’t be able to catch her. He’s a Naga. Right, Nina can….” As I was thinking this, I heard the captain’s voice, who had regained his composure.
“You guys, don’t lose your heads! Hey, get in formation!”
I immediately ran to him. I heard Sharin calling from behind, but there was no time to stop now. I flipped my cloak and pushed my way through the excited Earthworms, threatening them with water.
“You! It’s dangerous, escape from here!”
“Ah, Captain, it’s him! He’s the culprit behind this incident!”
I could hear the voices of the squad members from behind. Damn it, it’s so noisy, and the Earthworms are roaring behind me.
“Just listen to me! I’ll ask directly, do you know the man with the card? You became strange after he gave you the card.”
“Card? What is that?”
I also described the man’s appearance: bandaged arm, long hair tied back, green eyes.
“That’s Anakra from another unit’s mage. Why would he… Ah! Dangerous!”
The captain pulled me back. Where I had been standing, an Earthworm’s head was sticking out of the ground.
“Let’s retreat for now! Everyone move this way!”
When the whistle blew, the attention of the scattered escorts was drawn to the sound all at once. I parted ways with my companions and was escorted away by the captain. I’m sure everyone else also escaped in the opposite direction.
The Earthworms didn’t pursue us and instead ravaged the land where the camp once stood for a while. Even from a distance, the sounds could still be heard.
“Is everyone alright? Take a headcount. I have something to discuss with you.”
I was pulled away from the crowd, my arm still being held.
“I apologize for grabbing you so roughly. I just want to ask about Anakra, um….”
“I’m Hiroaki. I was asked by you to hand over the card. That’s all.”
The captain tapped his chin thoughtfully. But I told him the card was lost.
“What kind of person is he?”
“He has a suspicious aura, but I heard he’s a skilled magician. One thing that bothers me is, I don’t mean to discriminate, but there are rumors that his parents are… well, a Dark Harpy and a Basilisk.”
“What a strange combination. They must hate the Naga tribe.”
“He might have held a grudge against us. Nevertheless, this is unforgivable. I will find him and stop him. It seems those Earthworms are excited by a special scent. The scholar who accompanied us said so.”
“Did they even call a zoologist? The Harpy woman sitting with her knees hugged in the back must be her. She’s the only one wearing a lab coat.”
“Stay with us today. We’ll look for your companions tomorrow.”
“Right, the sun has already set. I want to go back, but I don’t know when we’ll be attacked again. We’re safer in a large group.”
At night, a fire was lit, and the escorts took turns keeping watch. I wrapped myself in my cloak and decided to sleep. It seemed safe for now.
I wonder how much time had passed. Suddenly, I woke up to utter darkness. The sharp smell of charcoal stung my nose. “Huh? Where did the guards go?” I rubbed my sleepy eyes and stood up, looking around. I couldn’t see anything because of the lack of light. All I could hear were the sounds of birds and insects.
I should ask the captain about this. Hmm, what’s this? There’s a card lying on the ground. “Huh? It was here all along? Now I have proof that it wasn’t me.” Well, what was drawn on it?
I crouched down and turned the card over. It depicted a Centaur knight.
