Fort Polruin (Part 2)
"I am quite confident when it comes to scouting."
The very first to react to my words was none other than Sierra.
Sierra leaned her face close to mine, her eyes narrowing in a squint.
"Even if you say you're confident... No, I mean, how exactly are you confident...?"
The man holding the paper couldn't easily brush off my answer either. He stroked his chin, muttering to himself in disbelief.
"He won't even be able to read a map like this. Didn't he just wander into the wrong place?"
The other man scratching his head reacted in much the same way.
Suddenly, the beastkin woman who had been leaning back on the sofa perked up her ears and stood up.
"I think I've figured out the answer!"
Her eyes were sparkling with excitement.
"The answer?"
"It's probably more nonsense. It's Yakuna, after all."
"It is not nonsense! Just listen to me first, you idiot!"
The beastkin woman, whose name was Yakuna, finally smacked the back of the head of the man who was teasing her.
"Ugh..."
Shaking her hand out, Yakuna spoke up.
"We are Night Patrol Team 1."
"And what about it...?"
The man rubbing his head stared blankly at Yakuna.
"It's pitch black! Aside from me, isn't it true that none of you can see a damn thing anyway?"
"...Ohh!!"
The man let out a somewhat dim-witted exclamation of realization.
Aside from her, huh...
Yakuna was a beastkin. Since beastkin tended to have highly pronounced individual traits and characteristics, it wasn't surprising that she had excellent night vision. In fact, she might possess a field of vision similar to mine when using my Night Vision skill.
Soon after, the man holding the paper cleared his throat.
"Ahem. Well, it's not like we can't see anything at all, but it's true that securing a clear line of sight is difficult..."
"I'm telling you, it's fine. We just have to guide him around, right? If he can't read the map, it just means less work for us, which is great."
Yakuna chided them in a frustrated tone.
At any rate, they were recruits. Since they were in a position where they had to follow orders from above without question, their doubts didn't last very long.
"I'm Yakuna. I'll be in your care for a while, okay?"
Ceasing her glaring at the men, Yakuna approached Kaen and me, introducing herself in a lively voice.
Ultimately, unable to resist her energetic pace, the others also shared their names. The man holding the paper was Rooster, and the man who had been smacked on the head by Yakuna was Buckland.
He's a pretty good actor.
The Demon God worshipper had blended into the patrol team without a single hint of awkwardness. It was clear he hadn't managed to infiltrate Fort Polruin by mere luck.
Once the introductions were finally over, Kaen, who had been standing hesitantly beside me, spoke up cautiously.
"What should we do now?"
"Sleep, obviously," Rooster replied succinctly.
"Yaaawn... We couldn't even sleep properly because we were waiting for you guys to arrive."
Yakuna let out a wide yawn right after. Buckland simply muttered, "I'm going to sleep," and headed into his room first.
Kaen let out a soft "Ah" at their fluid, natural actions.
It was incredibly simple. Since they were a night patrol team, they slept during the day and worked at night. While I was perfectly fine even without sleeping for a few days thanks to my bracelet, Kaen, who loved her sleep, seemed like she would benefit from getting some rest now.
"Whew... Is everyone ready?" Rooster asked, exhaling a frosty breath.
It wasn't as if sleep would suddenly wash over them just because it was daytime, so they hadn't been able to sleep. While my mind was perfectly clear, Kaen, who also hadn't slept, was tying her hair up with a half-dazed expression.
Finally, Yakuna stepped out of the temporary quarters and shouted, "Night Patrol Team 1, commencing patrol!"
With that, we began to move out slowly.
Along the way, a guard standing at the castle gates looked back and forth between me and the others, murmuring in confusion, "Isn't that Night Patrol Team 1?" but he let us pass without saying anything further.
We immediately left Fort Polruin and headed toward the nearby snowy mountain. Rooster explained that the snowy mountain was the designated area for Patrol Team 1.
In the north, the snow was still falling relentlessly. It was supposed to be a dark night, but my Night Vision skill was working perfectly. As I felt every time, I could actually see more clearly now than during the day.
We waded through the deep snow piling up on the ground and eventually arrived at the snowy mountain. A massive block of ice halfway up the mountain caught my eye.
That was the block of ice where the Lich was sealed.
Glancing at the Demon God worshipper, I saw him staring intently at the block of ice as well. I caught a fleeting glimpse of an ecstatic... and rather disgusting expression on his face. He probably assumed that neither I nor the others could see him.
My brow furrowed. Of course, he couldn't see me frowning. After all, my eyes were covered by my blindfold.
Having arrived at the snowy mountain, we had to get to work. The patrol team's duties were quite complex. Since a war wasn't actively raging at this very moment, it wasn't the kind of scouting meant to gather intelligence on an enemy. It was closer to security or a routine patrol.
Our tasks consisted of checking the barriers installed throughout the mountain for any abnormalities and monitoring the movements of the dangerous monsters residing there. Apparently, there was a building at the peak of the mountain constructed to track the movements of the demon race.
Of course, Rooster mentioned that we wouldn't be going that far. It seemed such a crucial task was not something to be entrusted to Academy cadets who were merely here for a brief field study.
We decided to split up to inspect the barriers more quickly. Yakuna insisted on taking me with her. Her reasoning was that since I claimed I could at least remember the paths I walked, she would have less to teach me.
Thus, Kaen naturally ended up paired with Rooster and Buckland. Although Kaen had unexpectedly gone with the Demon God worshipper, I wasn't particularly worried since he was weaker than her. Furthermore, since he hadn't resurrected the Lich yet, nothing would happen to Kaen.
I need to share some information with Kaen too...
I had already decided how to utilize Kaen. I figured a simple task would be better for her than dealing with something as convoluted as a disguised Demon God worshipper. The location where the incident would take place was a bit... questionable, but surely Kaen would understand.
We are adults, after all.
Pondering over Kaen, I followed Yakuna. Perhaps she truly lacked confidence in teaching, as she didn't really explain anything to me. Yakuna didn't even pull out a map, seemingly having memorized all the locations where the barriers were installed.
She scaled the snowy mountain rapidly with the nimble movements characteristic of the beastkin. I kept pace with her. It wasn't overwhelming; it was an easy enough speed to match by slightly reinforcing my body with mana.
A faint light gleamed in Yakuna's eyes as she scanned our surroundings.
"Miss Yakuna, is your night vision particularly sharp? Given what you said earlier during the day..."
"Uh, yeah, it is..."
As she answered, Yakuna's tail swished gently.
Her animal ears and tail were covered in jet-black fur. It looked exceptionally soft, reminding me of how she had been carefully brushing her tail with a comb back at the quarters.
"I know that beastkin usually have highly developed senses or specific physical traits. It seems your eyes are your specialty, Miss Yakuna."
"They're my proud eyes, inherited from my parents! With these, I can see perfectly fine even in the darkest places."
Yakuna turned around to look at me, smiling brightly.
Even though she was smiling broadly enough to show her teeth, I couldn't sense any true happiness from her expression.
Perhaps the reason she volunteered for the Allied Forces is...
I decided to stop my train of thought right there. It wasn't appropriate to pry, nor was it right to make reckless assumptions.
Scouting with Yakuna was essentially just following her around. After all, I had to keep my hands off the task of inspecting the barriers, which could be considered the most important part of the job.
"Alright, done! You kept up so well that we finished checking the barriers in no time. We might actually get to rest a bit!"
Yakuna spoke in an excited voice after finishing the final barrier check. She seemed to find it quite fascinating that I had managed to keep up with her pace.
"Don't we still have the monsters to check?"
When I asked her, seeing how thrilled she was, Yakuna waved her hand dismissively.
"Monsters are nothing to worry about."
The cadet named Zeto, who had been assigned to Night Patrol Team 1, was a blind man with a thick bandage wrapped around his eyes. At first, it was hard to understand him when he said, "I am quite confident when it comes to scouting."
However, after observing him by my side, he certainly had the right to be confident. I couldn't help but think that Zeto might possess senses even more beast-like than mine, a beastkin.
I had eyes that could see clearly in the dark night. And since Zeto was blind, he was unaffected by the darkness. While it was fascinating how easily he kept up with my speed, a poignant thought crossed my mind.
To him, whether it's day or night, it must always feel pitch black...
It was ironic. I could see brightly whether it was day or night, while he was the exact opposite.
Just then, Zeto, who was walking beside me, spoke up.
"Miss Yakuna, you mentioned earlier that we only need to briefly check the monsters, correct?"
"Yeah, the monsters around here are sluggish, so they barely even move."
I replied, reassuring Zeto.
I was planning to go rest in a nearby cave since we finished early, though.
Was Zeto more meticulous than he let on?
At that moment, Zeto muttered something significant in a low voice.
"Then, by any chance... are there also monsters with exceptionally large bodies?"
"Large bodies? Ah, if you mean a huge one..."
There was a Yeti. But as long as you don't provoke it first, it doesn't get violent...
I was certainly planning to answer that way.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
If only it weren't for the heavy footsteps of a Yeti echoing from the distance. The Yeti must have been running, as the approaching footsteps grew louder at a terrifying speed.
Shhhring!
Zeto finally drew his sword, running his fingers along the flat of the blade. Strangely, he was holding the sword in a reverse grip.
I need to move...
My body had frozen the moment I heard the Yeti's footsteps. I couldn't take a single step, utterly paralyzed.
Crash!!!
Soon, a furious Yeti burst through, shattering a nearby tree.
"Rroooaaar!!!"
As the Yeti roared, Zeto swung his sword toward it.
But the blade didn't reach. He had swung his sword into empty air.
"Zeto...!!!"
I barely managed to part my lips and scream.
Had he misjudged the distance?
The Yeti, completely untouched by the swing, charged relentlessly toward Zeto, who stood directly in its path, at a ferocious speed.
What do I do in a situation like this...
Against a Yeti, my archery skills wouldn't do a damn thing. I wouldn't even be able to scratch its thick hide. Zeto, an Academy cadet, was bound to be stronger, but... after swinging his sword into the air once, he stood frozen in place.
Had he gone into shock after realizing his mistake?
If things continued like this, a visiting cadet might lose his life because of my carelessness.
"No...!!"
Throwing caution to the wind, I lunged forward and shoved Zeto out of the way just a split second before the Yeti could collide with him.
Screeech—!
As I tumbled to the ground while wrapping my arms around Zeto, a bizarre sound echoed from beside us.
It was a strange, grinding sound... as if something was being shredded.
"Ngh..."
Sprawled on top of Zeto, I immediately turned my head to look where the Yeti should be.
...The Yeti was standing still.
However, its head, which should have been firmly attached to its shoulders, was nowhere to be seen.
Thud!
A moment later, the beast's massive head fell to the ground further away, letting out a heavy thud.
I couldn't comprehend what had just happened.
Zeto, who was pinned beneath me, asked in a perfectly calm voice,
"So, what kind of monster did you say the large one was?"
"A... Yeti..."