The Hunter of the Wastes (1)
The next morning, in the square of Steinbrücke.
Clop-clop—
“Oh, the carriage is here.”
“Finally.”
A single carriage approached from the distance and came to a stop.
What is this ominous feeling…?
It’s just an ordinary carriage… so why does my body reject it?
“Welcome! Oh, aren’t you the young ladies from yesterday?”
Ah.
It was the coachman who had brought us here yesterday.
A wave of unease washed over me.
“Oh! We meet again!”
Brita stepped forward to greet him.
“You know each other?”
“Yeah. He’s the one who gave us a ride here yesterday.”
“I… really didn’t expect to see you again here.”
I truly hadn’t. I never imagined running into this coachman again in this place.
“Haha! I’m in charge of the route to Weisenthal today. Starting the morning with such lovely young ladies really lifts my spirits!”
“Hehe… thank you.”
Soleil lowered her head shyly.
“Hm? Is this little lady coming along too?”
“That’s right! Wait… little lady?! I’m a proper mage, you know!”
“Ah… haha! My apologies, Miss Mage!”
The coachman laughed awkwardly.
Hmm… isn’t she a little lady, though?
I glanced sideways at Soleil.
“…Is something the matter, Miss Krimhild?”
“No, nothing.”
“By the way… this carriage was built as a two-seater, so it might be quite uncomfortable. Will that be all right?”
At the coachman’s words, I peeked inside the carriage.
Hmm… we could probably squeeze Brita in there somehow.
I glanced sideways at Brita this time.
“What’s with that look?”
“Try sitting with your legs together.”
“Ugh… I can sit like a proper young lady from a rich family, you know.”
“You’re a woman too. What’s the problem?”
“Haa… fine.”
Creak— thud—
Brita opened the carriage door and sat down at the very edge.
What? There’s actually enough room?
I could have sworn it felt completely packed when the two of us rode it last time.
“Looks good! Haha! Hop in, everyone! I’ll get you there in no time!”
The coachman, seeing the empty space, laughed heartily and returned to his seat.
“Miss Brita, are you uncomfortable?”
“It’s… tolerable. Just get in already.”
“All right. Excuse me, then.”
Tap—
Soleil climbed in after her.
…
It’s chilly.
My legs feel heavy.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and get in.”
“…I’m coming.”
Step— step—
I climbed into the carriage last, moving slowly.
“Are you feeling unwell? If you’re not feeling good, I can take a look.”
“It’s not that I’m sick. It’s just… no, it’s nothing.”
If my premonition is correct… I’ll find out soon enough.
“Um… please let me know if you start feeling ill.”
And that premonition… turned out to be exactly right.
Clop-clop— clack— clack— clatter—
The carriage… raced forward at an insane speed.
The trees around us were so blurred they were barely recognizable.
“Kyahaha! Today’s ride is refreshing too! Haha!”
“Hahaha! Hold on tight, ladies!”
“Huuueeeeng—!!!! It’s waaaay too faaaast!!!!”
“…”
I pressed my head against the window and closed my eyes.
Ha. Life.
Maybe I should just try to sleep like this.
Rattle— thump—
“Kyaaak! I-Is this really okaaay??”
“Hahaha! I’ve been driving on these roads for twenty years! It’s fine, it’s fine!”
…Sleeping was clearly not an option.
“Haha! Isn’t this fun?”
“Where exactly is the fun!!!!”
“…”
Where indeed.
With Soleil beside me, tears glistening in her eyes from fear,
Brita laughing beside her as if she were having the time of her life,
and the coachman driving like a madman in front,
I… simply kept my eyes closed, unable to fall asleep.
Haa…
Weisenthal, the academic city.
A place packed with the largest-scale academic and educational institutions in all of Adelgard.
A city where people who pursue knowledge gather to cultivate their scholarship.
The city overflowed with vitality from countless people, yet a faint shadow also lingered over it.
“Thanks again for riding with me! Ladies!”
“Wow! Thanks a lot!”
“Th-Thank you…”
“…Thank you.”
With Soleil looking half out of her mind
and me beside her with my eyes half-open, we bid the coachman farewell.
“What’s wrong with you two?”
“It’s… finally over…”
“Yeah…”
Our reasons were different… but we could still sympathize with each other.
She was probably thinking the same thing.
I won’t be riding a carriage again for a while.
Truly.
“So where do we go from here?”
Brita looked around.
Buildings rose like trees, making the city look like a vast forest.
Beside the wide main road branched countless smaller streets and alleys like twigs,
and the tall, imposing buildings blocked any view of what lay ahead.
“Seriously… how can you not know a single thing about where anything is?”
“Right? This place is perfect for getting lost.”
Swish—
“What? Why are you looking at me?”
“No reason.”
“You… what does that mean?”
“…”
“I don’t get lost, okay? How long do you think I’ve been a mercenary? Wait… were you talking about yourself?”
“No. I just heard that cats tend to get lost in unfamiliar places.”
“What the hell, you little—??”
Swish— swish—
“Ugh… my head. This way, please.”
Soleil, who had been shaking her head vigorously, waved us over.
It would be easier to just leave it to the local.
“Yeah. Let’s go, Brita.”
“Hey! What did you mean by that! Hey! Hey!!”
“Um… are you two fighting?”
“No, she’s always like this.”
“Hey!!!!”
West Weisenthal, Café House Street.
A street lined with cafés around a grand, majestic library.
It was impeccably maintained to match the refined atmosphere,
and the fragrant scents of tea and coffee gently wafted through the air.
“This whole area is just tea houses.”
Brita looked around with curious eyes.
“A lot of students come here. They study at the library and then come out for coffee.”
“Hmm…”
I glanced around briefly.
“Hey, hey, did you finish the assignment? Let me see yours~”
“You didn’t do it again?”
“I had a drinking appointment yesterday.”
“You’re probably the only one who drinks right before an exam.”
“Come on, a person needs to take it easy sometimes.”
“Ugh, you idiot.”
Hmm…
“Actually… I’ve been waiting for someone like you for a long time.”
“R-Really?”
“Just kidding.”
“Hic… you’re so mean!!”
Splash—
The woman dumped water on the man sitting across from her.
Hmm…
So there really are people who talk like that.
“Ah, we’re here!”
“Whoa… it really is huge.”
I looked up at the library.
The Altwissen Library.
The grand library boasting the longest history in the city.
If anywhere could help, it would be here. Maybe I could find information about Gram.
Possibly even something about that windless zone, if I was lucky.
Tap— tap—
We followed Soleil inside.
“What? The director isn’t here? Since when?”
Soleil raised her voice in surprise.
“Actually… he went to the western plains. Some students who often visited went missing, so he headed out to investigate.”
One of the librarians answered with a troubled expression.
“You know how the director is… He went alone even though it’s dangerous. We’ve lost all contact with him since then.”
Another librarian continued.
“What?? That can’t be… The director went to such a dangerous place by himself…”
Soleil’s eyes trembled with anxiety.
“The western plains… you mean that windless zone?”
“Yes, that’s correct. If I may ask, who are you two…?”
“We came to look up some materials. We need to do some research.”
“What exactly are you looking for? If you tell us, we can help you find it in the reading room.”
“It probably isn’t the kind of material you’d find there.”
“For materials in the deep archives… the director’s permission is required. But as you’ve heard, the situation is like this now… I’m sorry.”
“Would it be possible if we brought the director back?”
“Pardon?”
The librarians and Soleil all stared at us in shock.
“We just have to go get him. Why are you all so surprised?”
Brita asked with her hands on her hips.
“That’s not a place you can just wander into! It’s dangerous!”
“We were planning to go there anyway. We’ll look for him on the way.”
“Uh…”
The two librarians stood there speechless, completely stunned.
“U-Um… I have a favor to ask.”
Soleil turned to us with tears welling in her eyes.
“The director is my benefactor… I have to go find him! I’ll guide the way, so please… help me!”
She clasped her small hands tightly together and pressed them to her chest.
That was how precious this person was to her.
“They said it’s dangerous. You stay here and leave it to us.”
I tried to dissuade her.
“We’d like to stop you too… but someone has to go with you.”
One of the librarians stepped forward to explain.
“I can tell you two are strong. However… to return from that place, you’ll need a special tool.”
“A tool?”
“This.”
The librarian took out a compass the size of a palm and showed it to us.
“This compass runs on mana and points toward a designated location.”
“Mana? You can use that too.”
“It’s different from that.”
My magic is specialized for combat.
Shaping wind into blades or barriers.
It has nothing to do with operating devices like this.
In other words, we would need someone skilled at handling mana to come with us.
“But… why do we even need something like this? Can’t we just retrace our steps?”
Brita voiced her doubt.
She was right. No matter how vast the plains were, people didn’t usually need a compass to find their way back.
Was there some kind of power at work in that space?
“In that place… you lose your sense of direction.”
“Huh? You lose your direction?”
“Everything looks the same, and eerie cries echo from all around.”
The librarian paused to catch his breath before continuing.
“By the time you come to your senses, you have no idea where you are… That’s why a tool like this is necessary.”
Just hearing the explanation made it hard to understand.
But the fact that the librarians were trying to stop just the two of us from going told me there was definitely something to it.
“…”
Soleil looked up at us without saying a word.
I gently patted her head.
“Are you really sure about this?”
“Yes. I’m confident in my mana manipulation!”
Her tears had already dried, and she answered with a confident expression.
If she was this determined… it would be hard to stop her.
“All right. I understand.”
“Thank you so much!”
“Good. Now that everything’s decided, let’s get moving.”
Brita adjusted the axe at her side.
“Soleil, and you two… please return safely. And take care of the director.”
The two librarians bowed their heads.
“Hmm?”
When we stepped outside and looked at the western sky,
thick, dark clouds had suddenly begun to gather.
“That’s it. There’s no doubt the windless zone has appeared.”
“Ha! So it’s here.”
I’d heard it appeared intermittently, but I never expected it to show up at this exact moment…
Seeing it in person made it clear.
It was Void.
A faint flow of void mana drifted across the entire plain.
“Everyone be careful once we enter the plains. Void is spread all over it.”
“That thing again.”
“Is that… the Void?”
“What, you know about it too?”
Brita looked at Soleil with surprise.
“Yes. I only knew about it from books… I didn’t expect to see it in person.”
She swallowed dryly and continued.
“If that really is it… we’ll have to be even more careful.”
A hint of tension crossed her face.
“Well, there’s no harm in being careful. Let’s go!”
“Yes! Let’s go!”
“Let’s move.”
Back in Windenstadt, it had taken the form of fog on the mountain.
And that thing with the tentacles… what was his name again?
Anyway, we had faced that insane bastard.
This time it was a windless zone spread across the plains.
Let’s see… just what kind of monster is running wild out there.