Spring was giving way to summer, and though it was still early morning, the sun beat down with surprising intensity. Amidst the heat, a lone adventurer hurried through the streets of the City of Emocion.
He wore leather armor designed for mobility, with a sheathed sword dangling from his hip. At a glance, his somewhat timid expression made him seem like nothing more than an ordinary warrior, the sort one could find in any guild hall. However, anyone who happened to look up would have been struck by a sight far from ordinary: a majestic Icebird with a body length exceeding one meter was soaring leisurely through the sky above him.
Naturally, few people going about their daily lives bothered to look up at the heavens; consequently, almost no one noticed the creature's presence.
A handful of soldiers from the Guard Force did spot the avian, but since it was a Tamed Monster properly registered with the guild, they remained silent. A few others were simply captivated by the sight of the friendly Icebird, Shen, as it drifted through the air.
Accompanied by his partner in the sky, Hendeka ran through the city toward his destination.
Despite his light equipment, the fact that he could maintain a steady run while clad in leather armor proved he was indeed a capable adventurer. He navigated the streets until his destination finally came into view. Among the many weapon shops in the City of Emocion, he had chosen the one recommended by his innkeeper.
"A bow, please!" Hendeka shouted the moment he stepped inside.
The few customers present—likely fellow adventurers—and the shopkeeper, a middle-aged man in his forties, all turned to stare at him, startled by the sudden outburst.
Hendeka quickly realized he had made a scene. Blushing furiously, he hurried toward the counter where the shopkeeper stood.
"Um, excuse me... I'd like to buy a bow, if possible."
"Huh? Ah, well, I'm running a business here, so I don't mind selling you one. What's your budget?"
"Let's see... about 3 silver coins, please."
The shopkeeper's brows rose. "At that price, you aren't going to get anything high-quality, you know."
"Yes, that's fine. I only need it to last for a single battle. Also, I'll need arrows to go with it."
"Suit yourself. I won't turn down a sale. Wait right here."
The shopkeeper disappeared into the back of the store. Hendeka waited, feeling the weight of the other adventurers' gazes. He remained flushed with embarrassment, a state that lasted until the shopkeeper returned with a bow and a quiver of arrows.
"Well... that was incredibly embarrassing, but at least I have a bow and arrows now. I need to get my intuition back immediately."
"Kiki!"
Hendeka muttered to himself as he looked around a corner of the training ground built into the guild's basement. Land was at a premium in a port city, which likely explained the subterranean facility. Beside him, Shen let out a chirping cry of encouragement.
"I have to hand it to the local guild. I didn't expect them to have a specialized facility for bow practice."
Perhaps because bows were effective against pirates and sea-dwelling monsters, the City of Emocion's guild training ground featured a dedicated area for archery—though it was a relatively simple setup.
Hendeka drew the bow, narrowed his eyes at a target made of earth magic, and released.
With a sharp shuu sound, the arrow sliced through the air and struck the earth target... directly in its right leg.
"Hmm. As I thought, I'm rusty. It’s been too long."
Sighing, he notched another arrow and drew the string taut once more.
The sound of the arrow cutting the air echoed again, but this time it struck the target's left arm.
He had hunted with a bow since childhood, but after years without touching one, a decline in skill was inevitable. If anything, the fact that he could hit the target at all after such a long hiatus suggested he possessed a natural talent for the weapon.
He continued to draw and fire, one arrow after another. By the time he exhausted his supply of practice arrows—saving his better ones for the actual battle—the earth target in front of him was riddled with shafts, making it look like a hedgehog covered in earthen thorns.
A few arrows had landed in the head and the center of the torso where he had actually aimed, but Hendeka knew those were mostly lucky flukes. He pulled the arrows from the earth, walked back to his mark, and began the process all over again.
"Ki, kikiki!"
Shen continued to cheer for its master. Nearby, other adventurers practicing with swords or bows began to cast impressed glances at Hendeka, moved by his single-minded dedication to his training.
"Are these enough potions?"
"I think so. We don't know the full extent of the Lemures' power, so it’s better to have a surplus. Based on what Rei told us, the only confirmed attack is the Seawater Spear, right? Even if we force it onto land, we don't know if that's water magic or a racial ability. It probably won't be completely neutralized, though its power should drop significantly compared to when it's in the ocean."
Under the clear sky, two adventurers walked through the streets of the City of Emocion.
One was Egret, who carried a massive pole-axe on his back; the other was his partner, Miroir.
The two were out purchasing supplies for tomorrow's battle with the Lemures. They had been entrusted with this task because they were the most experienced adventurers in the party.
"What else do we need?" Egret asked.
"It’s a sea monster, isn't it? That means it might use paralysis or poison. We should get medicine for those. Remember that giant turtle monster we fought on that beach a while back?"
Egret searched his memory and nodded. "Oh, that really sturdy one? We had a hell of a time with him. Every time he got into trouble, he’d tuck his head and legs into his shell and start spraying poison liquid everywhere."
"Exactly. We ended up fighting a C-Rank monster for a pittance of a request fee because the fishermen begged us. We have to prepare for the Lemures to have similar tricks. We need countermeasures."
"Now that you mention it... are the fishermen around here not having trouble with other monsters?"
"They should be fine for now. The city is crawling with adventurers looking for the Lemures. If anything pops up, a subjugation request is issued immediately. Besides, fishermen can usually handle low-level threats themselves. It’s rare for a two-meter turtle monster to come that close to shore. If they couldn't handle the basics, they wouldn't be able to make a living on the water."
"I see," Egret said, his shoulders slumping slightly. To him, the more opportunities to fight strong enemies, the better—even if they were already scheduled to face the Lemures, a monster currently terrorizing the entire region, the very next day.
As they browsed through various item and weapon shops, Egret’s brow suddenly furrowed with displeasure.
"Egret?" Miroir asked, immediately sensing the change in her partner. She followed his gaze to a narrow alleyway where about five men were standing.
The men didn't seem to care that they had been noticed. When Egret’s eyes met theirs, they didn't flinch. If anything, they stared back with provocative glares.
Egret and Miroir were unaware of it, but these five were among the adventurers who had clashed with goblins on the highway the day before. They were also the same group that had lost their boat to a Lemures attack after trying to use Rei as a decoy. Having only been in the city for five days, Egret and Miroir knew nothing of the local drama. Unfortunately for the thugs, they also had no idea they were picking a fight with a pair of skilled B-Rank adventurers.
"Sigh... honestly. Just don't take too long," Miroir said. She brushed her hand against the grip of her whip, ready to draw it at a moment's notice, as she followed Egret toward the men.
"You've been staring at us for a while," Egret said. "Do you have business with us?"
A bearded man who appeared to be the representative of the group let out a vulgar smirk. "Yeah, we've got something to discuss. It's a bit crowded here. Why don't you come into the back with us?"
"Sure. Let's do that. It'll save us both the trouble," Egret replied.
An ordinary person might have been cowed by the aura of violence these men projected. Even a low-rank adventurer would have hesitated. But Egret lived for combat, and his partner frequently described him as a muscle-brain who didn't overthink things. He followed the men into the alley with a ferocious smile.
They reached a dead end in less than a minute. The bearded leader turned around, and the other adventurers fanned out to block the exit, surrounding the pair.
"Now that we're all settled," Egret said, "what was this talk about?"
"It’s simple. We want you to call out that bratty adventurer, Rei. Bring him here. And make sure he leaves that Gryphon behind."
Egret snorted. "Let me guess. You're jealous because Rei is the only one actually making a profit right now?"
"Shut up! Our boat sank, and we're at the end of our rope. That Rei kid is definitely hiding something. You're going to call him out for us, whether you like it or not."
Miroir chimed in with a sigh. "Look, what do you even plan to do with him? Rei is an Alias Holder despite being Rank C. There's no way people like you could possibly handle him."
"Hah! Without that Gryphon, a kid like that is easy pickings!"
They clearly believed Rei had only gained fame through the power of his companion, Seto. To someone who had seen Rei’s small stature, his slender frame, and his apprentice-like robes, it was an easy mistake to make. Of course, anyone who had actually seen him in battle would have known better.
(No, that's not it,) Miroir thought, her estimation of the men dropping even lower. (These guys have just deluded themselves into believing their own convenient fantasies. There’s no way they’d be this arrogant if they’d ever actually seen that great scythe in action.)
She turned to her partner. "You can handle this. But don't make too much of a scene. Keep the damage to simple bone fractures."
"You got it!"
Egret didn't even reach for the pole-axe on his back. Instead, he clenched his fists and charged.
A few minutes later, the residents of the city watched as a group of adventurers limped out of the alleyway, nursing several broken limbs.
"Seto!"
"Guruuu!"
At Rei’s command, Seto banked sharply and beat its wings.
An instant later, the tip of a Seawater Spear erupted from the surface of the ocean, piercing the exact spot where Seto had been a second before.
The Lemures seemed to have anticipated the dodge, as nearly ten more Seawater Spears rose from the water simultaneously, converging on the Gryphon from all sides.
"Flying Slash!"
Rei swung the Death Scythe, releasing a wave of compressed air that sliced through several of the spears before they could close in.
"Gurulululuuu!"
Seizing the opening, Seto let out a sharp cry and flapped its wings, soaring out of the encirclement.
"Phew. It keeps repeating the same patterns. Either its range of attacks is limited, or it's just plain stupid... and I still don't know why it's so obsessed with attacking only Seto."
Rei glanced briefly at the ships departing the harbor before returning his focus to the water.
"I made sure to turn down any requests for tomorrow. As long as we get through today, everything should be fine... hopefully."
Rei muttered to himself as more than ten Seawater Spears began to form once again.
The day of preparation for the decisive battle drew to a close.