Having concluded our encounter with the bear "without incident," we navigated the mountain slowly, soothing Yuta-san, who still hadn't quite regained his composure.
I couldn't exactly go racing through the wilderness while carrying a semi-panicked civilian on my back. Even if it took a bit more time, we had to get Yuta-san to calm down first.
"It’s okay now, Yuta-san. There's no sign of the bear following us."
"R-Really? It won't come back?"
"Yeah. It was a reasonable bear, so I was able to talk some sense into it. Even if we take the same path back, I don't think it’ll attack us."
Talk some sense into it... right, let’s go with that. Man, I was glad that bear was so "reasonable."
Listening to the exchange between Yuji and Yuta-san, I repeated the words "successful persuasion" over and over in my head like a mantra. It was important to reinforce the narrative—even if it was just a total escape from reality.
"Phew, that was a shock. I knew the documents mentioned bears, but I never thought one would actually appear right in front of us..."
"Haha, quite the ordeal, wasn't it? But this has always been territory for beasts like that. If suspicious characters like us wander into their home, they’re bound to come take a look out of caution. I’m just glad the one we met today was such a reasonable guy."
"Haha, 'reasonable,' huh... I wonder if the bear really understood you?"
"Who knows? But it seemed to grasp the difference in our strength. As long as we don't pick a fight, I don't think it'll attack. Even a bear doesn't want to get hurt in a fight it can't win."
When Yuji casually touched upon the difference in their combat potential, Yuta-san’s eyes widened in brief surprise. From a civilian's perspective, Yuji was basically claiming that a bear of that size was no threat at all. To a regular person, encountering a bear usually meant a life-threatening struggle where they stood no chance.
To speak so confidently against such a predator... from an ordinary person's point of view, you’d have to be a reckless idiot or completely insane. In our case, however, the confidence was backed by a wealth of experience.
"Doesn't want to get hurt... I see."
"Yeah. We don't have any desire to kill things unnecessarily, but frankly, it’s difficult to suppress a bear without injuring it at all. I think we could manage, but there's no reason for us to shoulder the risk of getting hurt ourselves just to be gentle."
"I suppose that makes sense. You wouldn't want to risk an injury unless there was a very good reason for it."
Exactly. Though, the risk of injury Yuji was referring to was mostly the risk of Yuta-san getting hurt by some fluke—like the bear lunging, Yuta-san panicking, and then falling over and breaking a bone.
Wait, us? You think we’d get injured by a non-monster bear while we’re on guard and protecting a client? If we ever committed a blunder like that, all three of us would be sent back for re-education under Juzo-san and Genya-san.
"Right. More importantly, Yuta-san, are you feeling better?"
"Thanks, I'm doing much better now. I’m the senior here; I should have been more composed, but I’ve shown you nothing but a pathetic display."
"Well, anyone would panic if they suddenly walked into a situation like that. As explorers, we’re used to this kind of thing from the dungeons. It’s just a gap in experience, not age, so please don't let it bother you."
"It’s kind of you to say that."
Yuta-san gave a sheepish look and offered his thanks, though he averted his eyes in embarrassment.
Honestly, he really didn't need to worry. For a civilian, his reaction was perfectly normal.
"In that case, since you've settled down, we’re going to pick up the pace. Are you ready?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Lead the way."
"Understood. Here we go."
With Yuta-san's approval, we accelerated.
I’d heard that the path ahead was basically a cliff, but I wondered just how bad it actually was. If it was just a steep slope we could descend...
After crossing the summit and descending slightly, the target mountain came into full view. It wasn't particularly high, but it was a lush, green peak overgrown with trees. Developing it would require clearing a fair amount of timber to create level ground... yeah, it looked like a promising piece of land.
"That's the property over there."
"Yeah. Hardly anyone sets foot on that mountain these days, so it'll need work, but it’s a good spot. It might be a bit of a hassle, but selling the timber alone could probably recoup some of the purchase price. Though, please don't turn it into a bald mountain; we have to consider disaster prevention and the ecosystem."
"True. The idea of offsetting the cost is attractive, but causing a landslide by over-logging would be counterproductive. If we do sell the timber, we’ll consult with experts first."
Considering the risks of clear-cutting—soil erosion, landslides, and the loss of natural resources leading to animal encroachment in nearby areas—it wasn't something amateurs should mess with lightly. If an investigation proved a disaster was caused by a landowner's thoughtless logging, the resulting damages could be astronomical.
"Right. Regardless of that... do you think you can make it?"
"..."
In response to Yuta-san's question, the three of us looked down at our feet in silence. From our position near the summit, we had a clear view of the neighboring mountain, which meant there were no obstacles in front of us.
In other words, the area at our feet was where the contour lines on the map were at their tightest—a landscape that could only be described as a cliff.
"Yuji, can you handle this?"
"The slope isn't completely vertical, and there are rocky outcroppings for footholds, so it’s not impossible, but..."
"The issue is carrying someone, right?"
"Yeah. If I were going down alone, I'd manage easily enough..."
The slope wasn't quite a vertical precipice—closer to the angle of a dam wall, perhaps. Still, the incline surely exceeded forty-five degrees. Fortunately, unlike a smooth dam, the surface was jagged with exposed rock, so we wouldn't be hurting for footholds.
The real problem wasn't the cliff itself, but the fact that Yuji had Yuta-san on his back. Carrying another person makes maintaining balance incredibly difficult. If Yuta-san were to panic and flail while we were halfway down, Yuji might lose his footing.
"...So, if you were alone, you could actually descend this?"
"Yes. It's steep, but there's plenty to step on. If I were on my own, I wouldn't have any trouble getting down."
"I see... People can actually descend this cliff."
Yuta-san peered over Yuji's shoulder at the drop, muttering as if he were trying to swallow a hard truth.
"...What do you want to do? If you're game, Yuta-san, we can try it. But you’ll have to trust me and just let your body go limp—basically, just cling to me."
"..."
Yuta-san looked back and forth between the cliff and Yuji. Then, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and spoke with newfound clarity.
"Go down the cliff. If you say it can be done, then my job is to verify—to prove—that an explorer can navigate this terrain. Besides, given everything that’s happened so far, if you say it’s okay, then I trust you."
"...Understood. If you're going that far, the only answer I can give is 'leave it to me.'"
Though our time together had been short, since Yuta-san was entrusting us with his safety with an expression of resolve, we had to deliver. It was just a steep hill, after all. No problem.
With Yuta-san's decision made, we began our preparations.
"Daiki, you pick the route. With your Appraisal Analysis, you’ll be able to spot the most solid footholds. We’ll follow your lead."
"Got it. I'll find the easiest path down."
"Then I’ll provide backup for Hirose-kun. I'm sure he'll be fine, but we need a safety net just in case."
"I don't plan on needing it, but I'll count on you if things go sideways."
"Leave it to me."
We quickly assigned roles while readying our equipment.
"I might be baggage, but I don't want to be a hindrance. Secure me so I can't move."
"Understood. I'm going to tie you down pretty tight."
"Do what you have to do."
To keep the center of gravity from shifting, we used rope to lash Yuta-san’s limbs to Yuji’s torso. Even if he tried to stay still, an instinctive flinch could be disastrous. It was safer to fix him in place from the start.
Once everyone was ready, we stood at the brink of the drop.
"We’re going down now. We’ll be moving fast, so you’re going to feel a constant sensation of falling. You might get a bit nauseous, but please try to stay as still as possible."
"Got it. I'll keep my eyes shut and endure it. Don't worry about me."
"Understood. Here we go. Daiki, Hiiragi-san, let's do this."
"Route is mine."
"I've got your back."
"Alright. Let's move."
With that, I took the lead and stepped off the edge of the cliff.
Despite my initial nerves about our first cliff descent, it proved surprisingly effortless in practice. Even Yuta-san, who had been bracing himself with his eyes shut tight, looked a bit bewildered to have arrived so soon once he realized we were on level ground.
Yeah, I wonder what all that tension before the drop was for.
"That wasn't actually too hard once we got going."
"Haha, maybe for you. I never dreamed we’d get down from there so easily..."
As Yuji untied him, Yuta-san looked back up at the cliff with a dry laugh. Looking at it from below, it was easy to see why. From this angle, it looked like a formidable, towering wall of rock. To think we had practically fallen down it in less than a minute...
Even as one of the people who did it, I was impressed we made it down unscathed.
"Well, we made it, so it's best not to overthink it. Still, if other explorers were to try this, I think they’d need some practice first. It worked out today because Daiki led the way, but without knowing how to judge footholds or handle a collapse, doing this on the fly would be brutal. Without proper preparation, you’d be lucky to get away with just an injury."
"That’s a fair point. I’ll make sure to note that. Though, it sounds like this only worked because Kokonoe-kun was here..."
"Daiki has good eyes. Even in the dungeons, he’s a master at spotting traps at a glance."
"Heh, 'good eyes,' huh? Excellent observation skills, then. It’s true that thanks to his lead, not a single foothold gave way."
Yuta-san seemed to be misinterpreting things, but it wasn't a bad misunderstanding to have. I’d let it serve as a convenient cover for my Appraisal Analysis skill.
"Something like that. Alright, ropes are off. Let's head out. We're almost at the site."
"Yeah. Now that we’ve cleared the cliff, the rest of the way is fairly smooth."
"Oh? Back at the office, didn't you say the terrain would stay rugged?"
"That was assuming we took the long way around the cliff. If you can just drop down like that, it doesn't really apply. Though, we can't exactly climb back up the same way, so I guess we’ll have to take the long road on the return trip..."
Could we climb it? Probably. It wouldn't be the same path we took down, but with our jumping power... yeah, it was doable. However, since this was a survey, we should probably check the bypass route too.
Keeping the fact that we could probably just scale the wall to ourselves, we discussed the return trip briefly with Yuta-san before heading toward our final destination.
"We’re almost there... actually, we're already on the property."
"Wait, really?"
"Yeah. The midpoint between the base of that cliff and the base of the next mountain marks the boundary. When I said we were almost there, I meant the clearing where the old work hut used to be. It’s just up ahead before we start the ascent."
"I see."
Guided by Yuta-san, we walked a short distance until we emerged into a cleared space overgrown with weeds. This was presumably the clearing where the hut had stood. Years of neglect had erased any traces of the building; it was now just an empty plateau where no trees grew.
However... something was hiding there.