The tornado dissipated before the eyes of Rei and his companions.
Infused with lightning, the vortex possessed a level of power that could rightfully be called high-level wind magic. More impressive than the spell itself, however, was the fact that Elena remained remarkably fresh after unleashing such a devastating attack.
As she held her whip-sword at the ready, prepared for any further complications, she appeared to Rei’s eyes to be perfectly capable of continuing the fight.
(I suppose she really is the Princess General.)
While voicing his silent admiration, Rei gripped his Death Scythe, remaining alert for any emergency.
A short distance away, Kyuste pulled his magic spear from the ground where it had been embedded, while Vel kept his bow drawn with an arrow notched, both scanning the area for remaining threats.
As the tornado finally faded, Elena spoke in a voice audible only to Rei.
"Rei, are you familiar with that monster?"
"No, it’s the first time I've ever seen one. However, my experience as an adventurer isn’t exactly vast, so it’s possible I simply haven’t heard of it. And you, Lady Elena?"
"No, it is new to me as well. But for a creature to possess that much strength... rumors of it should have spread."
"Its ability to blend into the scenery—if it used that to stage an ambush, ordinary adventurers would likely become literal prey without ever noticing it. Perhaps that’s why word never got out? Besides, that thing was plenty strong even in a head-on fight."
"Likely so. How would you rank it?"
"At the very least, among those I’ve fought... I’d say it was Orc King-class."
"The Orc King-class of B-Rank monsters? My impression was similar. I would place it at B-Rank or higher but less than A-Rank."
As they spoke, their eyes remained fixed on the spot where the lightning tornado had finally vanished. All that remained was the Mantis corpse, its body shredded by the winds and scorched by the lightning.
"We managed to do it, then," Elena said, letting out a sigh of relief.
Beside her, Rei lowered his Death Scythe. Kyuste and Vel followed suit, the tension finally bleeding out of the group.
In the quiet moment following the battle, Elena began to issue orders.
"Kyuste, treat Ara with recovery magic. Vel, you retrieve the Mantis magic stone—"
Elena’s voice cut off abruptly.
"Lady Elena!" Kyuste’s voice rang out, filled with shock.
The three of them instinctively looked toward Kyuste, then followed his frantic gaze.
"...What?" Rei’s voice leaked out in a whisper.
Under normal circumstances, the Mantis corpse killed by Elena's magic should have been lying right there. Technically, the corpse was still present—but only for the time being.
"It’s melting?"
Just as Rei muttered those words, the massive Mantis corpse, over four meters in length, began to dissolve. Fine bubbles hissed from every part of its body as it rapidly lost its form. The process wasn't instantaneous, but it was far too fast for anyone to intervene.
A piercing, acrid odor that stung the nostrils drifted from the remains. As the liquid flowing from the corpse touched the grass, the greenery turned brown and dissolved instantly.
"What on earth is happening?" Elena asked, her voice stunned. No one present could offer an answer.
Kyuste kept a wide berth around the dissolving remains as he moved toward Elena.
"Lady Elena. I don't know what that thing was, but this smell cannot be good for our health. We should leave this place immediately."
"Mm, you’re right. I wanted to take at least a piece of Mantis meat back for investigation, but..."
Elena watched with regret as the last of the creature vanished. Not even a single scrap was left, and the corrosive liquid had already dissipated, leaving only the lingering, pungent scent. Even that would soon be scattered by the wind.
Elena knit her brows. She felt a profound sense of wrongness. However, there was no way to investigate the cause without a body. Staying here would be a waste of time.
"We’re departing. Kyuste, get Ara into the carriage."
"As you wish." Kyuste lifted the unconscious knight from the ground.
"Vel, check the carriage for any damage."
"On it," Vel replied with his usual casual tone, heading for the driver's seat.
"Rei, keep watch with Seto. We don't know if that Mantis was alone."
"Understood."
Rei nodded and moved away from the carriage with Seto, focusing his senses on the surrounding plains.
"Guruuu."
Seto stood by his master’s side, equally vigilant.
As he listened for the slightest sound, Rei reflected on what he had just seen.
(That Mantis... it doesn't fit the definition of a monster at all.)
Normally, a monster didn't just dissolve into nothing the moment it died. Whether they were called magic beasts or monsters, they were still living creatures.
(Yet that thing vanished as if it were erasing its own existence... Wait. Erasing its existence? Does that mean someone wanted to hide the fact that it was even there?)
His thoughts were interrupted as a presence approached from behind. He turned to see Vel waving a hand.
"The carriage is fine. We're ready to move. Lady Elena says to come back," Vel reported. He looked somewhat exhausted; even for him, the fight against the Mantis had been taxing.
Rei nodded and walked back to the carriage with Seto.
"Hey, Rei. You’re an adventurer, right? What did you make of that Mantis?" Vel asked as they walked.
Rei gave a small shake of his head. "I've got nothing. At the very least, no monster I know melts like that the moment it dies."
"Right? I've fought plenty of monsters, but I've never seen one dissolve the second it was finished."
"...I’m not even sure if that thing was a monster."
"Eh?"
Rei’s mumble was too soft for Vel to catch. Rei pretended not to hear Vel’s follow-up question as he climbed back toward the carriage.
"You're here. Let's move. This is an abnormal situation, even without evidence. There should be a guild branch office near the dungeon entrance, right?"
"Yes. According to the intel we have, there's one there," Ara replied. She had regained consciousness, though she looked hesitant and shamed.
"Ah, Lord Rei... I apologize for being a burden." She bowed her head deeply the moment she saw him.
Rei gave a wry smile, realizing she was humiliated by being the only one knocked out.
"Don't worry about it. That thing was B-Rank monster level at the very least. Without any prior knowledge, anyone would have struggled to deal with it."
"But still..."
Ara was pure-hearted, though perhaps a bit too headstrong, and her failure weighed heavily on her. In truth, that Mantis had been a total outlier—it could turn transparent and use Flying Slash with four different limbs. Rei certainly couldn't find it in himself to blame her.
"Think of it this way, Ara. Because you proved how dangerous it was with your own body, we were able to prevent any further casualties," Elena said, her voice firm.
"Lady Elena..."
"Honestly, where is your usual spirit? You're the mood maker of this group; if you're moping, it ruins the atmosphere. If you made a mistake, then just make up for it next time. The Ara I know is more positive than this, and that's the part of you I find so likable."
"Yes, I understand! I'll make sure to be of use to you next time, Lady Elena!"
Basking in her mistress's encouragement, Ara recovered with reflexive speed. Elena smiled softly as she watched her knight's mood flip.
"Ara, could you prepare some black tea? For everyone."
"Yes, right away!" Ara headed toward the magic item kitchenette.
"You two are quite close," Rei noted.
"Hmm? Ah, I suppose it looks that way. I'm a bit of an oddity—a Duke's Daughter who spends her life at war. I don't have many female friends. There are plenty of nobles who want to use me, but few who adore me as purely as Ara does. She is irreplaceable to me. ...Though, don't think I keep her around just for sentiment. You know how skilled she is."
Rei thought back to their first meeting in the City of Gilm. While her strikes weren't exceptionally fast or sharp, her raw, Herculean Strength was incredible. Her blows were the definition of a one-hit kill.
"True. That kind of power is a massive advantage in close combat."
"Yes. But as a knight who holds my trust, she needs to grow stronger. If she could fix her headstrong tendencies, I would have no complaints."
As they talked, Ara returned and set steaming cups of black tea before them.
"Thank you for waiting. Here is the tea."
"Good work. Now, everyone, listen. Regarding that Mantis... what did you think?"
At Elena’s prompt, Rei, Ara, and Kyuste all looked grave. Surprisingly, Kyuste was the first to speak. He took a sip of tea and glanced at his magic spear.
"It wasn't an opponent I could have handled alone. Looking back, I feel like I was more of a burden to Lady Elena than an asset."
"I feel the same," Ara added with a wry smile. "I was out of the fight before I could even do anything."
"The combat power was high, but that transparency was the real problem," Rei said. "It could wait perfectly still until we were right on top of it. Even Seto and I were slow to notice it. For some reason, Seto couldn't even pick up its scent. If it caught a normal group by surprise with that first strike, it would be over."
"I agree," Kyuste said, his tone still a bit stiff when addressing Rei, though he didn't ignore him this time. "That transparency was a nightmare. I only blocked that first strike by sheer luck."
"It also had a carapace that was hard to pierce, and it could launch wind slashes similar to Rei’s," Kyuste added.
"But the most abnormal part was after it died," Elena noted. "A creature that dissolves its own body to erase its existence... that's no normal monster. Rei, you were a mage's apprentice. Does anything come to mind?"
Rei quickly pivoted to the fake identity he had established. He needed to provide an answer that fit the facts without revealing his true nature.
"Give me a moment. Let me see if I can recall anything my master said."
He pretended to think, drawing on the vast stores of Zephyle's knowledge. After a few seconds, he found a likely explanation.
"I can't say for sure, but... there is one theory that would explain what happened to that Mantis."
Everyone leaned in, surprised that he actually had an answer.
"What is it?" Elena asked.
"What if that Mantis was an artificial lifeform created through alchemy? If it was, the alchemist might have built in a mechanism for evidence destruction. If it was killed, it would dissolve to ensure that the creator's alchemical techniques wouldn't be leaked or stolen from the corpse."
"...I'm not an expert on alchemy, but is that really possible?"
"I can only say it's a possibility. My master didn't teach me much about the practical side of alchemy. I just remember him mentioning that such self-erasing creations existed."
"Well, it's a better lead than nothing," Elena said. "Once we reach the dungeon, we'll report the encounter to the guild branch office."
They discussed the Mantis a bit longer, but without a corpse to examine, they couldn't reach any definitive conclusions beyond Rei's theory.
By that evening, the luxury carriage finally pulled into the village that had sprouted around the entrance to the dungeon.