The day after hearing about the Unbris from Marina, Rei, Vihera, and Set—the two people and one creature—flew through the sky as planned, searching for its form.
Since they only knew that it was a black, mist-like entity, they hadn't expected to find it immediately. Unsurprisingly, they hadn't spotted it yet.
They were making full use of Set's sharp five senses—particularly his hearing, smell, and vision—but even so, they could not find the Unbris.
(Apparently its body is made of mist, so I doubt it makes any sound when moving. And since it's mist, I doubt it has a smell either. If that's the case, the most useful sense would be vision. It's a shame I can't put the sense of smell that just leveled up to good use.)
However, just because it was mist didn't mean it had absolutely no smell, so Rei held onto a faint hope that perhaps…
"Gruu!"
Though it probably wasn't responding to Rei's thoughts, Set suddenly purred.
What is it? Rei followed Set's gaze and saw a pack of Cobolts and Goblins moving side by side in friendly formation.
"Troublesome. So different monster packs really are cooperating with each other now. I would've liked to have more information about this."
According to what Marina had told him, there was no record of monsters of different species cooperating during the incident that had occurred three hundred years ago at the Valley of a Hundred Demons in the Bestia Empire.
Whether that was because no such thing had actually happened, or because it had occurred but simply wasn't recorded—that much was unclear.
But Rei quickly shook his head, dismissing the latter possibility.
Three hundred years was an enormously long time for humans.
But for long-lived races such as Elves, it would feel like only a short while ago.
If that were the case, it wouldn't be strange for some information to remain about the Valley of a Hundred Demons incident, or for someone to still remember it directly.
(Could it be that Elves weren't present at the Valley of a Hundred Demons back then? It's not like the Bestia Empire discriminates against Elves or Beastmen or anything.)
For example, when Rei had gone to the Bestia Empire to participate in the Fighting Tournament held there, he had seen many Beastmen, and Elves as well.
After all, in the main tournament, Rei had fought an A-Rank adventurer who was an Elf and an Alias Holder.
In a country where Elves and Beastmen were discriminated against, that never would have happened.
However, this was where Rei's perspective was somewhat narrow.
Even within a single country, it was fairly common for Elves and Beastmen to face no discrimination near the capital while still being ostracized in rural areas.
The Bestia Empire's territory was vast, and customs varied greatly by region.
Given that the nation had been built by successively invading and annexing surrounding small countries, it was only natural that local customs would differ.
"Rei, what are you going to do?" Vihera asked, hanging from Set's front leg.
Rei's reply was extremely brief yet concise.
"Burn them."
Fortunately, there were no adventurers, merchants, travelers, or any monsters other than the Goblins and Cobolts in the vicinity.
The area where the monster pack was walking was mostly grassland, with scarcely any flammable trees.
Having made that judgment, Rei drew Death Scythe from the Misty Ring and began to chant.
Oh flame, with my magic power as the source of your strength, become arrows that burn all to ash and rain down ceaselessly, like a storm, never-ending.
That incantation was a further enhanced version of one Rei had used before.
Normally, it would produce about fifty Flame Arrows, but the number of Flame Arrows now floating around Rei was close to five hundred.
The countless Flame Arrows hovering around Set, Rei, and Vihera bared their scorching fangs as Rei activated the spell.
"Shower of Flame Arrows!"
With those words, Death Scythe was swung downward, and at Rei's command, the Flame Arrows rained straight down toward the ground.
Since they had been flying at their usual altitude of one hundred meters, the Goblins and Cobolts advancing on the ground hadn't noticed Rei and his party in the sky at all.
Additionally, because the summer sun was still high, missing the brightness of the Flame Arrows was a significant factor.
If there had been an individual among them with the ability to sense magic, it would have been a different story, but unfortunately, only ordinary Goblins and Cobolts were present.
There was no sign of any individual possessing such an ability.
As a result, the Goblins and Cobolts were caught completely off guard, unable to even defend against the countless Flame Arrows raining down from above.
Pierced by Flame Arrows, the Goblins and Cobolts had their bodies catch fire one after another.
Still, the luckier individuals survived—using allies as shields or happening to be in spots where no Flame Arrows fell.
But that good fortune turned to despair in the next instant.
Oh flame, your power is my power. Burn with my magic at my will and scorch my enemies. Your nature is spreading conflagration, hellfire. Using my magic as kindling, increase your inferno.
As he chanted the incantation, Fireballs materialized around Rei.
Their number was ten.
Each one radiated intense heat, possessing such ferocity that merely approaching one without touching it might be enough to incinerate a person.
"Ten Fireballs!"
Those ten Fireballs rained down onto the ground like a final blow upon the spell's activation.
The Goblins and Cobolts that had barely survived the Flame Arrows were instantly engulfed in flames from head to toe as the Fireballs fell from the sky, burning alive.
Furthermore, the Fireballs that struck the ground naturally exploded, scattering Explosive Flames in all directions.
The Goblins and Cobolts that had been damaged by the Flame Arrows but had survived with only injuries were consumed by those Explosive Flames.
A few minutes—no, in reality, the attack had lasted only about a minute—but that alone was enough to effortlessly annihilate the pack of Goblins and Cobolts, a group of over a hundred monsters.
The one who had accomplished this was Rei, straddling Set as they flew through the sky.
Without even descending to the ground, he had incinerated the monster pack with an ease that could truly be called effortless.
For the Goblins and Cobolts that had been attacked, it was undoubtedly an event they couldn't comprehend at all.
"Are you not going to collect the materials?"
"I've already obtained Magic Stones from both Goblin Leaders and Cobolt Leaders. After that, it's just a matter of getting Magic Stones and Subjugation Proof Parts to sell… but the profit isn't worth the effort. Besides, from the looks of it, the Magic Stones have been burned too."
What remained on the ground were the charred, carbonized corpses of Goblins and Cobolts.
Whether by luck or not, there were probably a few surviving individuals, but it was certain they would lose their lives before long.
(No, having most of your body burned away and still surviving… can you really call that lucky?)
If they had potions or Recovery Magic, it would be a different story, but there was no way Goblins or Cobolts possessed such things.
In other words, the Goblins and Cobolts currently surviving would suffer in agony until the very brink of death.
Furthermore, even before that, an adventurer who had seen the scene from afar might come, or monsters or beasts might attack the dying Goblins and Cobolts as prey.
Considering all that, they could hardly be called lucky.
"Well, anyway, what we're doing today isn't defeating monster packs—it's searching for the Unbris."
Even as he said that, it went without saying that if Rei encountered an unknown monster, he would undoubtedly take action to obtain its Magic Stone.
Conversely, that meant he had no particular desire for the Magic Stones of monsters he had already defeated before.
"True… whether or not you capture it is another matter, though."
She must have recalled what Rei had said yesterday. Vihera muttered quietly.
Those who had suffered from this incident were not many, but they undoubtedly existed.
For such people, the existence of the Unbris—the cause behind the creation of these massive packs—was something they could never forgive.
If Rei actually did such a thing, there was a high probability he would be blamed by those around him.
Vihera didn't want to see such a sight.
(Besides, it's not like Rei would just let someone do something to him. If someone tried, he'd definitely strike back.)
At worst, there was even a possibility he could no longer stay in Gilm.
Thinking about it that way, her honest feeling was that she wanted Rei to give up on capturing the Unbris.
"…Still, it's nowhere to be found. If it really is black mist, you'd think it'd be fairly noticeable while flying through the sky."
"You think so? Even if it's easier to spot from the air, if it's hiding in a grove or a forest… or even blending into a grassland, wouldn't it be hard to find right away?"
What came from Vihera's mouth was an undeniable truth.
Given that the opponent was a mist-like entity, it was reasonable to assume it could take any shape.
If it moved by weaving through the grass on the ground, even Set would have difficulty finding it.
No matter how good its eyes were, if it couldn't see the target in the first place, it was meaningless.
"If only it emitted magic power…" Rei murmured earnestly.
The Unbris was an entity born from a magical anomaly.
As such, he had initially thought that if there was someone with the ability to sense magic power, they could find it immediately.
But that idea, which Rei had voiced as a passing thought, was swiftly shot down by Vihera.
When the incident had occurred three hundred years ago at the Valley of a Hundred Demons, those who had investigated how the Unbris came into being naturally reasoned that since it was an entity born from a magical anomaly, anyone with the ability to sense magic could find it immediately.
People who possessed such abilities were inherently few, but given the Unbris's nature of producing High-ranking Species one after another, it couldn't be left alone, and many individuals with magic-sensing abilities were gathered.
But no matter how they deployed those people, they ultimately could not find the Unbris.
High concealment ability, born from the fact that it was created by a magical anomaly.
Because of that, finding the Unbris was extremely difficult.
They had no choice but to confirm it visually, yet its body was made of mist.
If that was the case, finding it would be exceedingly difficult.
"Well, what should we really do?"
"Gururu."
Set purred as if agreeing with Rei's words, but if anything, the one who found searching for the Unbris more tedious was probably Set rather than Rei.
After all, the protagonist of this search was Set, with his sharp five senses and wings.
"Ah, Rei. Look down there."
At Vihera's words, Rei directed his gaze to the ground and saw a group of three that he recognized… all too well.
Given that they were flying at an altitude of one hundred meters, the people below shouldn't have been able to spot Set… but for some reason, one of the three suddenly began looking around as if sensing something.
Then, after scanning the surroundings for about ten seconds, that person suddenly looked up toward the sky, clearly spotted Set—who should have appeared no larger than a grain of rice from that height—and waved enthusiastically.
"…What do we do?"
"We have to go down. Plus, I want information, too. …Still, you could really tell it was Mirene and her group from this distance?"
Indeed, the person on the ground waving at them—or more precisely, waving at Set—was Mirene, who led the C-Rank party Scorching Wind.
"I'm using magic to enhance my vision. It's a skill I've been practicing lately."
"If you're using magic to enhance something, wouldn't Body Strengthening be better?"
Vihera fought in close combat, so wouldn't Body Strengthening serve her better than Visual Strengthening? Rei suggested, but Vihera shook her head… then, remembering that she was hanging from Set's front leg, she spoke up.
"I'm having enough trouble with just Visual Strengthening. Body Strengthening is still way beyond me. I'm practicing so I can strengthen my five senses in order, one at a time."
Rei trained in Twin Spear Style, while Set and Death Scythe grew stronger by absorbing Magic Stones.
Vihera, who loved battle, didn't want to be left behind by the man she loved.
That was why she had developed skills like Magic Impact Palm, and now she was honing herself to progress even further beyond that.
Of course, she would never voice the reason—that she didn't want to be left behind by Rei.
As a matter of feminine pride, she wanted Rei to see only her good qualities, if possible.
And sure enough, Rei accepted Vihera's words without any particular suspicion.
"I see. Well then, for now… let's land. If we ignore Mirene like this, it could cause all sorts of trouble next time we meet."
"Probably."
Vihera also knew just how deeply Mirene felt about Set.
Thinking of Mirene's personality, she could only agree with Rei's words with a smile.