“Would you two mind if we stopped by that village to gather some information?”
As Elias posed the question, both Luke and Reina nodded in agreement. Thus, they proceeded to visit the farming village and speak with the locals.
The sudden arrival of knights startled the villagers at first, but once Elias explained that they were conducting a routine investigation, they readily cooperated.
The first person they questioned was a farmer. When asked if he had seen any monsters, he responded,
“Hmm… I’ve spotted small ones in the forest every now and then. But we’re told to run away immediately if we see any, so I don’t know much beyond that.”
“I see… We fought the Magic Beast Alder during the recent expedition. Did anything change around here because of it?”
“Ah, yeah, we heard about that. But nothing’s changed in the village.”
“Understood. Thank you for your time.”
After thanking the farmer, Elias moved on to interview other villagers. However, the responses they received were all similar—no signs of major changes or noteworthy disturbances.
“Hmm… Looks like everything is completely peaceful,” Elias concluded.
“It’s safe to say that the defeat of Alder hasn’t caused any notable shifts,” Luke added.
Elias nodded in agreement.
“Alright, let’s head back. Sorry if this trip felt a little dull.”
“Not at all,” Luke said. “Hearing your insights has been educational, and investigations like this help maintain peace. It’s meaningful work.”
Reina also nodded in agreement. Seeing their enthusiasm, Elias felt satisfied with the outcome of this excursion.
(This was a good chance to build rapport. I should keep interacting with them, maybe train together as well.)
While the full extent of their growth remained uncertain, Elias planned to continue evaluating and guiding them.
Just as they were about to leave the village, however—
“Excuse me, knights!”
A woman called out to them.
“Would you mind listening to my concerns?”
Elias turned to her and asked,
“…What seems to be the issue?”
The woman hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“There’s a small mountain a bit northeast of here. It’s not quite within the active frontier development zones, but it’s nearby.”
Hearing this, Elias glanced at Luke.
“Do you know the place?”
“It’s likely Mount Nanan—a small, forested hill,” Luke answered.
“Yes, that’s the one. About halfway up the mountain, there’s a small cave,” the woman continued.
A cave?
Elias nodded slightly and asked,
“Is there something inside the cave?”
“Some of us go to Mount Nanan to gather wild nuts and berries,” she explained. “We usually don’t go far beyond the entrance, so there’s never been an issue… But recently, some villagers claimed they heard voices coming from inside the cave.”
“So, you think a monster might be living there?”
“It’s only a possibility, but… yes.”
Elias took a moment to survey the village.
He saw people chatting casually in the background—no signs of widespread concern or fear.
“Are others in the village worried about this as well?”
“Not really,” the woman admitted. “Since Mount Nanan is a bit far from the village, most people don’t go there often.”
“I see… We’ll check it out and see what we find.”
Hearing that, the woman expressed her gratitude before departing.
Elias turned to Luke and Reina.
“A cave on a remote mountain… It’s possible that miasma has settled there. But if we’re just scouting with detection magic, it won’t be too much trouble.”
“I understand,” Luke replied.
“I agree,” Reina added.
Since both of them were on board, they decided to head toward Mount Nanan.
As they traveled, Luke voiced a concern.
“If there really was a monster in that cave, wouldn’t someone have spotted it by now?”
“The ‘voices’ the woman mentioned could be a trick of the wind, or any number of natural causes,” Elias reasoned.
“In other words,” he continued, “we can’t assume it’s a monster just based on sound alone.
If we want to be sure, we’ll need to use magic detection.”
Luke nodded before asking another question.
“If there is a monster, why has no one seen it until now?”
“Cave-dwelling monsters tend to have certain traits. For example—if it’s sensitive to sunlight, it might never leave the cave during the day,” Elias explained.
“People rarely venture deep into the mountains at night, so if it only comes out after dark, it makes sense that no one has seen it yet.”
“But even if it only moves at night, wouldn’t someone have spotted it near the base of the mountain?”
“That depends,” Elias said.
“If it remains inside the mountain’s range, rather than venturing close to human settlements, it’s entirely possible it’s gone undetected.”
“Investigations like this are rare, and people generally don’t patrol uninhabited areas,” he added.
(Monsters that have survived for a long time in such conditions tend to be stronger than average… but considering this is within human territory, it likely isn’t anything too dangerous… right?)
Luke then asked,
“What level of threat do you expect?”
Elias crossed his arms, considering the question.
“A monster’s power depends on how long it has lived and how much magic it has absorbed over time.
If this thing has been in the cave for years, it could be stronger than expected.”
“But at this point, it’s impossible to gauge its threat level,” Elias admitted.
“For now, let’s focus on scouting.
If we do find a monster, we’ll discuss our approach before engaging.
We also need to report our findings to Noque.”
Hearing this, both Luke and Reina nodded in agreement.