I didn't want to run into Lucia no matter what, not right now.
'Just perform my role well.'
His attitude and bad reputation bothered me, but the ultimate goal was to provide protection anyway.
If I do that well, reputation might not matter so much.
'Yes, that's it.'
...Banshee rationalized, making a deliberate effort.
Despite the lingering unease, she quickly turned her head away.
And deliberately turned her horse in the opposite direction.
She gripped the reins tightly and galloped forward.
Struggling to hold back the gaze that kept drifting backward.
I slammed the spear down.
Thwack!
Screeeech!
With a piercing scream, the body of the writhing monster slumped lifelessly.
Rebil, who approached from a distance, clicked his tongue and bent down to pick up the monster's corpse.
Then, putting it into a pouch provided by the Duke's mansion, he said.
"This is like catching a baby. Don't get cocky, it's nothing special."
I never got cocky.
Knowing that speaking up would only backfire, I just stared at him silently. He snorted, "Hmph!" and walked ahead.
Looking at his disgruntled back, I wondered if I should ask for a replacement guard right now, but soon shook my head.
'No need to get caught up in something unnecessary.'
If they latch onto the request for a guard replacement and accuse me of being 'lacking in leadership,' it could become a hassle.
More than that...
I looked at the monster pouch tied to Rebil's saddle.
Even at a glance, the pouch looked quite heavy.
All of them were monsters I had hunted.
'As Rebil said, the monsters are too weak than I thought.'
They were fast, but not fast enough that I couldn't catch up.
Moreover, their movements were almost linear, making it easy to predict their path.
Their teeth were threatening, but if I attacked first, they weren't that dangerous.
Rebil's attitude was poor, but there were no situations dangerous enough for him to step in.
Everything was too easy.
'...Something's wrong.'
I frowned slightly as I looked at the overflowing monster pouch.
'I heard Estio struggled quite a bit.'
Although Estio wasn't a magical prodigy like Banshee or as magically talented as Miracle, he still possessed outstanding swordsmanship and exceptional strategic skills.
I was nervous because I heard Estio had a hard time hunting monsters, but it was so easy that it felt anticlimactic.
'There must be a trap somewhere.'
For example, they might have hidden higher-level monsters.
In any case.
'Don't let my guard down.'
Assuming the test will be easy just because it's easier than expected is arrogance.
That being said.
I paused to look around.
I've been feeling this since a while ago...
'Was this forest always this quiet?'
Even if they only released lower-level monsters, it was eerily quiet.
'This forest is usually home to many small animals.'
The Maze Forest is inherently untouched by humans, so many small animals have settled there.
Birds, rabbits, squirrels, frogs, etc...
Considering it's winter and the lower-level monsters hunt animals, it might not be that strange, but...
'Even so, not seeing a single bird is odd.'
Even lower-level monsters can't catch flying birds.
Even if we exclude other birds.
'It's strange not to see even a Moomoo bird.'
Moomoo birds are migratory birds that live in warm southern regions, and they come to the Maze Forest of Rodbel in winter to spend the season.
'It must be because the forest is warm due to the warmth magic.'
Now, in early winter, is when the Moomoo birds are actively migrating.
But...
'I don't see them.'
I can't see any Moomoo birds anywhere.
If that were all, I could think that their migration was delayed, but.
I looked up at the trees.
Moomoo birds' distinctive lattice-stacked nests were visible everywhere.
Moomoo birds have a habit of destroying their nests where they stayed during the winter when they migrate, so as not to leave traces for predators.
But right now, the fact that the Moomoo bird nests remain intact means...
'They had to flee so urgently that they couldn't destroy their nests...'
It's a well-known fact that Moomoo birds have a superior ability to sense danger compared to other animals.
That's why some villages in the countryside predict disasters by tracking the movements of Moomoo birds.
'Lower-level monsters wouldn't have made them abandon their nests and flee...'
I quickly ran towards Rebil, who was far ahead.
"Sir Rebil!"
"...? What is it?"
He turned to me with his usual grumpy expression.
I didn't mind and said.
"Something seems wrong."
"Wrong?"
He furrowed his brow and asked back.
I nodded.
And explained the reason.
"I don't see any Moomoo birds."
"...Huh? What don't you see?"
He chuckled and asked back.
I explained with a serious face.
"Moomoo birds. Originally, Moomoo birds should be seen in this forest around this time, but there are nests but no birds. Something dangerous enough to make them abandon their nests must be in this forest-"
"Ha, listen."
"...".
He sighed deeply, supported his forehead with his hand as if he was tired, and looked at me.
His eyes, which did not hide contempt, shone sharply.
"Does this look like a children's game to you, lady?"
His voice was terribly cold.
"Are you making a mockery of this test by spouting nonsense about Moomoo birds or whatever!"
Rebil Weed shouted.
No, this was practically a tantrum.
He was now bursting out with the emotions that had built up because I hadn't listened to him earlier.
'I expected this.'
I didn't even expect him to listen to me seriously.
"Yes? Am I wrong!"
But I didn't expect him to be so unreasonable.
'He realized that I wouldn't speak well of him to Aen.'
Now that he knew he didn't need to impress me anymore, he was expressing his emotions to his heart's content.
I quietly looked at Rebil Weed, who was raging, and fell into thought.
'What should I do.'
Rebil Weed dismissed my words as nonsense, but I was confident in my thoughts.
That there was something dangerous lurking in this forest.
'I need to tell someone else.'
Rebil, whose animosity towards me had reached its peak, wasn't even listening to me, but it would be different with someone else.
At least Aen or Rigrin would listen to me.
I had to go outside the forest to meet them.
I looked at the monster pouch with a regretful gaze.
'I wanted to hunt a little more.'
I kept thinking about the purpose of monster hunting.
It's true that it's about proving Rodbel's spirit, as it is known.
But for that, the number of lower-level monsters released was high and the time given was long.
So.
I wondered if there was another purpose hidden.'
I couldn't guarantee that my thoughts were correct, but I wanted to explore more thoroughly.
But...
'It's better than ignoring the danger and forcing the test.'
And I had definitely hunted lower-level monsters.
I had already passed the public passing score.
It can't be helped.
I made a decision and approached Rebil Weed again, who was already far away.
"Sir Rebil Weed."
"What is it now."
He asked back with a sarcastic attitude.
I wasn't bothered by his attitude.
Because this was originally familiar to me.
And I had been trying to change that.
The servants had also become cautious because of the Duke's orders and the attitudes of Aen and Rigrin towards me, but.
Even if the Knights were inside the Duke's residence, they were practically in a different area.
'Still, the atmosphere of the Magic Knights has become much milder.'
After being confirmed as Aen's official disciple, the lessons were held in the training grounds of the 1st Magic Knights.
The Magic Knights, who were uncomfortable with me at first, felt more comfortable over time.
'Maybe Aen worked hard behind the scenes too.'
Hoping I wouldn't get hurt.
Thanks to this, the resistance towards me within the 1st Magic Knights had disappeared a lot, but.
'That's limited to the 1st Magic Knights.'
The other knights still felt uncomfortable with me.
So, I wasn't particularly angry or upset by Rebil Weed's prickly attitude, but.
'Even so, he's being too uncooperative.'
He was clearly here as my escort knight.
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