Chapter 8

The rain fell more intensely, pounding down like it was striking the earth.

Muddy footprints, seemingly belonging to an injured person, were scattered here and there. It would be faster to follow Rio’s instructions rather than trace these footprints.

Rio skillfully stepped over the roots protruding from the ground, running through without falling behind Fuhrau and the others.

Even though entry into the mountain had been prohibited due to the appearance of evil beasts, this mountain was originally one of the living areas for Rio and his companions. They often entered to gather wild vegetables and mushrooms.

However, the deeper parts of the mountain were home to many dangerous beasts, so children rarely ventured in. But Rio, having often accompanied his father, Bald, on hunting trips, knew the terrain in detail.

Additionally, Rio’s self-taught swordsmanship aimed to be swift and agile, making his movements naturally light.

"Almost at the Three Ponds!"

He called out to Fuhrau, who was leading the way.

The destination, the Three Ponds, was just ahead, but the mud was even worse in this area.

Rio was particularly cautious of the trees around him, especially those with hollows where weasels might hide.

Suddenly, the view opened up, and Fuhrau, who was leading, immediately readied his weapon and looked around.

The scenery was blurred by the heavy rain.

This place, called the Three Ponds, had only one large pond, contrary to its name, and was an unremarkable location.

Originally, there were three large trees surrounding the pond, but they had been destroyed by lightning or strong winds before Rio was born. The only remaining large tree should have been on the opposite bank, but due to the heavy rain, it was hard to see.

"There are signs of a battle. They moved on."

Fuhrau pointed to a fallen tree trunk by the pond, where several branches were embedded. This matched the information that the evil weasel used a magic to shoot branches at high speed.

No sounds of battle could be heard from the surroundings. Based on the battle traces and footprints, Rio visualized the terrain around them.

"Probably, my father and the others are heading for the cave deeper in. There are no trees around, so it’s hard for the evil beasts to hide, and the branches they shoot won’t fall into the cave. The ground isn’t muddy, so there’s no worry about unstable footing."

"Does your father expect reinforcements?"

"My father knows that the Adventurer Guild will send investigators. If they hold out in the cave for two days, the dojo master, Rakudo, will return from town. But they probably only have minimal food, so they set the limit at two days."

"You’re surprisingly calm for a kid..."

"I’ve been thinking about it the whole time. I’ll guide you to the cave."

"Thanks."

Rio and the others started running again, descending the mountain slope. Despite the speed that could easily cause them to slip in the mud, Fuhrau, who was leading, chose the undergrowth with firmly rooted roots to avoid stepping in the mud as much as possible.

As an adventurer, Fuhrau had a high ability to choose his footing. Rio followed, taking cues from Fuhrau’s choices.

They quickly descended the slope, and the destination cave came into view.

"--- Found it!"

Fuhrau raised his voice so it could be heard inside the cave and accelerated.

A weasel, perched at the entrance of the cave with a branch in its mouth, noticed Fuhrau and leaped away.

The evil weasel looked exactly like a regular weasel, but its eyes held a dark, negative emotion that made one’s heart feel cold just by looking at it.

Rio moved to a blind spot created by Fuhrau and slipped into the cave. Fuhrau, noticing Rio’s movement at the corner of his eye, smiled and nodded in approval.

Leaving the extermination of the evil weasel to Fuhrau and the others, Rio ran into the cave. Since it was a straight cave, there was no risk of getting lost.

"Father, are you okay!?"

Seeing the group in a combat stance, Rio called out.

The figures stirred in surprise.

"Rio? Why are you here!?"

"I brought the adventurers for rescue. They’re fighting outside the cave right now."

"I see. We’re saved."

The group slowly moved, seemingly relieved. Seeing Bald, who was unharmed, at the front, Rio let out a sigh of relief.

"It looks like no one is injured."

"Yeah, we’re fine..."

Bald chuckled. From the fact that Rio had brought the adventurers, he probably deduced that the injured had already been taken to the village.

As they moved towards the cave entrance, a female adventurer slipped in.

Glancing at Rio and the others, the female adventurer turned her back, placed her hand on the ground, and chanted.

"--- The great words of the king echo, Resounding Cave."

Immediately after her unique incantation, a wall of earth rose around the cave entrance, forming a dome.

"Stay inside the cave! If we don’t capture that evil weasel here, we’ll lose it for sure."

Despite casting a large-scale spell, the female adventurer showed no signs of fatigue. She took a throwing net from her bag and headed out of the cave.

The female adventurer ran straight towards the evil weasel, while Fuhrau and another adventurer circled around to the side, driving the weasel towards the wall of the dome created by the spell.

Without exchanging words, the three showed excellent coordination, and the evil weasel looked around for an escape route.

The female adventurer threw her net at the weasel. Seeing the net spread over its head, the weasel realized it had no escape and ran straight towards the female adventurer.

The weasel bit the branch it was holding, and as the broken branch fell from its mouth, it seemed to be caught by an invisible hand, stopping in mid-air and pointing its sharp end at the female adventurer.

Immediately, the branch was shot at the female adventurer at high speed.

Before the branch could reach her, it was deeply impaled by a sword sheath thrown from the side.

"--- Now!"

As Fuhrau called out, the female adventurer stepped deeply into the weasel’s range and slashed horizontally with her dagger.

The weasel, caught off guard and unable to react, had its head severed, which rolled in the mud.

The earth dome disappeared, and Fuhrau and the others looked around, on guard.

"For now, we’re safe. We should consider whether to descend the mountain or meet up with Kari."

Fuhrau looked at Bald, who was standing next to Rio.

Bald and his group were unharmed and seemed to have enough stamina left, as they had been prepared for a siege in the cave.

Bald glanced at Rio with a troubled expression but looked up at the sky and made a decision.

"I want to search for the children now. If we descend the mountain, the search will have to wait until tomorrow."

"That’s true. With this heavy rain, a child without proper equipment won’t last until tomorrow. They could be attacked by beasts while they’re weak."

Fuhrau also looked at Rio but didn’t seem as worried as Bald.

Fuhrau walked up to Rio and peered at him.

"Is the child we’re searching for as calm or as brave as this kid?"

"Unlike Rio, the child goes to the dojo, so they should be brave. They’re a top student and can use a sword to some extent. They should be able to deter medium-sized beasts, at least."

Bald’s response made Rio look dissatisfied. Finding Rio’s reaction amusing, Fuhrau laughed and ruffled Rio’s hair roughly.

"Don’t make that face. I don’t know about the child we’re searching for, but Rio, you’re impressive. Just being level-headed has made us feel much more at ease. Your decision to enter the cave first was also a good one."

Fuhrau released Rio’s head and turned back to Bald.

"Do you have any idea where the child might be?"

"We’ve already searched the open areas. There are no clues. But whether or not they’ve met up with Kari, they must be taking shelter somewhere. Since they’re not in this cave, they’re probably at the giant tree on the other side of the mountain, where children often make secret bases."

"Wow, I feel like a kid again. Take me there. I’ll guard you."

With little time before nightfall, Fuhrau asked Bald to lead the way, trying to keep the mood light and avoid rushing.

"This way."

As Bald and Fuhrau started moving, Rio glanced back at the dead evil weasel.

No matter how many times he saw it, it looked just like a regular weasel.

"Something feels off..."

Muttering, Rio couldn’t pinpoint what was bothering him and turned his gaze away from the corpse.

Bald led the group towards the back of the mountain. They probably decided to search the back while moving, as it was less familiar than the front.

A flash of lightning blinded his eyes, followed by a thunderclap.

Bald looked up at the mountain peak.

"The rain is at its peak. The clouds are hitting the mountain, so it will continue to rain heavily for a while."

Bald’s assessment was agreed upon by the villagers, including Rio. The three adventurers, unfamiliar with the area, looked displeased.

"We’ve defeated the evil weasel, but the investigation is still pending."

"What kind of investigation?"

When Rio asked, Fuhrau answered willingly.

"Mainly the impact caused by the evil weasel. This time, the weasel’s magic isn’t too severe, but sometimes it can change the terrain or subordinate other animals. In the worst case, with a magic that adds toxicity, the mountain can be off-limits for years. Some villages have disappeared because of this."

"Wow..."

"That’s the typical reaction. Even without magic, evil weasels can disrupt the ecosystem. Carnivores, scared by the evil weasel, might attack humans out of hunger, even if they usually don’t."

"Is the ecosystem survey the main focus this time?"

"Yeah. We want to meet Kari, who knows the original state of this mountain, for that purpose."

Fuhrau said this with a nostalgic look.

From Fuhrau’s reactions so far, it seemed he knew Kari.

"Hey, Kari’s active days—"

As Rio started to ask, he noticed something odd about his footing and looked down.

Hidden by the weeds, water was trickling on the ground. A young branch with leaves was caught on the hem of Rio’s pants, carried by the thin stream.

With such heavy rain, it wasn’t unusual for water to flow anywhere.

However, the wind wasn’t strong, so it was strange for the branch to be carried here.

Rio looked up and scanned the surroundings. This area was a small, sunken valley, where a river had once flowed. Remnants of the river, such as rounded stones, were scattered around.

"Father, this used to be a river, right? We should get out of here—"

Rio’s words were drowned out by a thunderclap, only catching the attention of Bald and the others.

However, Bald seemed to realize the danger of the location from the word "river."

As Bald looked up at the upstream, two large stones, the size of a man’s fist, rolled down from upstream.

"--- Everyone, run!"

Bald shouted.

Being experienced in the mountains, they moved quickly.

Without a word, everyone ran up the valley.

However, the difference in physical abilities was evident.

"--- Rio!"

Bald extended his hand to Rio, who was clearly lagging behind.

As Rio reached out with his right hand to grab it, something flew from upstream.

Recognizing the flying object at the corner of his eye, Rio quickly pulled his hand back. A turtle-like object sped between Rio and Bald.

Anticipating the next flying object, Rio instinctively looked upstream.

"Oh..."

He saw a muddy torrent, pushing trees, stones, and mud in front of it, rushing towards them at high speed.