Too Easy a Victory
Exploration (2)
Kuheong—!!
"Just die already!!"
Milia roared the words as she brought her halberd down on the monster's head, silencing its final, agonized cry. A sickening crack of shattering bone rang out as the axe blade sank deep into the creature's crown, and black blood sprayed in every direction.
Grrrrr…
The monster's growl faded with every passing second. The violet light in its eyes dimmed, then went out completely. Its massive body swayed once, then collapsed with a heavy thud.
"Haa… what a nuisance."
"You're not hurt anywhere, are you, My Lady?"
Milia wiped the blood from her cheek with a short sigh. Schwarz stepped closer as he asked.
"I'm fine. What about you?"
"I'm all right as well."
He brushed the blood from his hands with a calm nod.
"A-amazing… both of you… to take down a monster like that so quickly…"
"Hmm…"
A guard who had been hiding in the corner let out a voice full of awe. Milia, however, only stared down at the corpse with an unsettled look.
"What's wrong?"
"Didn't you feel something off?"
Schwarz tilted his head at her reaction. Milia narrowed her eyes at the fallen monster.
"So it wasn't just me."
"It was too easy, wasn't it?"
Schwarz nodded. Milia answered with a low hum of agreement.
Unlike the creatures they had faced back in the Count's territory, the monster lying before them had possessed no regenerative ability at all. Every abomination they had fought until now had displayed absurd healing powers. Compared to those, this one had been almost pitiful.
They could have chalked it up to their own growth, but barely a month had passed since the incident in Barenberg. From everything they had experienced so far, something was definitely wrong.
"There's an old saying, you know. If things go too smoothly, it means there's a trap waiting."
"I was thinking the same thing. There's no way this ends so easily…"
Schwarz answered Milia's uneasy expression and began scanning their surroundings, checking for anything they might have missed. No matter how carefully he looked, though, he found no other traces.
"Well? Find anything?"
"No. It's clean."
He shook his head and let out a short breath.
"Guess for now we have no choice but to head back."
"It seems so."
Lingering here any longer didn't seem likely to turn up new clues. Moving on was the wiser choice.
"I'll leave the cleanup to you. That all right?"
"Yes, ma'am! Understood!"
Leaving Schwarz behind with a nod, Milia spoke to the soldier. He snapped a sharp salute in reply.
"Let's head to the guard station first. There might be new information waiting for us."
"Yes, My Lady."
Milia returned the salute with a light nod and started walking. Schwarz fell into step behind her, retracing the path they had come.
A short while later, at the guard headquarters building.
"That many monsters have been found?"
"Yes. Fortunately, the soldiers managed to eliminate them all before any major damage occurred."
Milia's eyes widened as she asked. The captain of the guard nodded. At the same time, she turned her gaze to the map spread across the desk.
A full map of Bianca Arca.
Dozens of marks dotted its surface—locations where monsters of the same type they had just slain had been discovered. The middle of residential districts. The slums. The harbor. And more. The positions themselves shared no consistent pattern; they were scattered completely at random.
Looking at it like this… there really are a lot of them.
Schwarz let out a low hum as he studied the marked spots.
"Any other unusual reports?"
"No. Nothing further has been reported by the men."
"Nngh…"
The captain answered, and Milia narrowed her eyes at the map crowded with marks. No matter how long she stared, nothing resembling a clue presented itself.
"It's strange. Really strange. This is nothing like before."
Compared to the incidents in the Count's territory and Barenberg, everything was unfolding far too easily. She could have dismissed it as overthinking, yet her instincts were screaming that something was still out there.
"Haa… maybe I've been focusing too hard. My head hurts."
"Then how about resting somewhere for a little while?"
Stewing over an unsolvable problem would get them nowhere. There was an old saying about taking the long way around when you were in a hurry. A short break to clear their heads might open up a new path.
"I suppose you're right. May we borrow this map?"
"Of course. Take it."
Milia asked with a short sigh. The captain nodded, and Schwarz carefully folded the map from the desk and slipped it into his inner pocket.
"We'll be heading back for now. If anything new comes up, please come find us at our lodgings."
"Understood. Take care."
The captain bowed as Milia turned. The two of them left the headquarters and stepped out into the street, where the blazing sun beat down mercilessly.
"Whew… it's so hot. I could really go for something cold to drink."
"Then let's find a café nearby."
Schwarz answered while she fanned herself, scanning the area. Spotting a small café not far away, he led her toward it.
"Welcome!"
A cheerful chime announced their entrance. The server greeted them with a bright smile. They headed upstairs and took seats on the terrace overlooking the street below.
"What would you like to order?"
A moment later the server returned with a menu and set it on the table.
"I'll have the blue lemonade. You?"
"I'll have the same."
"Two blue lemonades, coming right up!"
Schwarz handed the menu back. The server beamed and hurried downstairs with quick little steps.
Once she was gone, Milia let out a short sigh and turned her gaze to the window.
"Is it still bothering you?"
"Of course it is. If I could, I'd track that bastard down and beat him black and blue."
"I feel the same way."
The one who had ruined their long-awaited vacation. That grudge would not be settled lightly.
"Well… we'd have to catch him first, though."
"My head hurts just thinking about it…"
Milia gave a small, wry smile. Schwarz frowned and pressed a hand to his throbbing forehead. A single solid lead would have been nice, but right now they had nothing at all.
"Your lemonades are ready!"
Just then the server came back up the stairs and set two ice-cold glasses of lemonade in front of them.
"Shall we toast?"
"Gladly."
As soon as the server left, Milia lifted her glass with a smiling glance. Schwarz nodded and raised his own, beads of cold water already forming on the surface.
Clink!
Their glasses met with a clear, bright ring. They brought the straws to their lips and shared a faint smile as they tasted the lemonade.
"Ugh… so sour!!"
"Still, drinking something cold like this feels like it's cooling my head down a little."
Milia stuck out her tongue at the sharp citrus bite. Schwarz smiled faintly at the sight. In this sweltering heat, where even standing still made sweat run and deep thought quickly overheated the mind, the cold, refreshing lemonade was like rain after a long drought.
They were savoring that brief rest when—
"Huh…?"
Schwarz, gazing out the window, spotted someone walking along the street. His eyes narrowed with sudden recognition.
"What is it?"
"No… that man…"
Milia tilted her head at his reaction. Schwarz answered while tilting his own head in puzzlement, his gaze locked on the figure below.
A somewhat thin build. A face that suggested he was past his prime. Brown hair matted as if he hadn't washed it properly in days…
It was the very same illegal immigrant from Dead Man's Port—the one Schwarz had subdued at the immigration office on the day they first arrived in the Riel Coalition.
"My Lady, would you wait here just a moment?"
"What? What is it? What's going on?"
Milia stared in confusion as Schwarz rose from his seat. There was no time to explain.
"I'll be right back!"
"What!? Wait—Schwarz!"
He vaulted over the railing and dropped to the street below. Milia's startled voice chased after him.