Chapter 19

Ardis waited for Ardis to return, and then Ted and the others of "Morning Star of the White Night" set out from Tria.

"To think they even prepared a carriage for us..."

It was hard to tell whether Ardis was impressed or exasperated as he muttered.

Indeed, rescue operations are always a race against time. This is especially true if the search area is the Kosus Forest. If they leave Tria in the morning, they can reach the entrance of the forest before dusk, given Ardis and the others' pace.

However, if they do so, they will have to spend the night outside the forest for safety, and the search will begin the next day. This would further reduce the already low chances of survival. Therefore, they decided to take the carriage arranged by the academy to the entrance of the forest.

A carriage is not cheap. Even renting one is not something ordinary people or mercenaries can afford easily. The fact that the client was willing to spend the money without hesitation made them feel the seriousness of the request. As Norris said, there might be noble children among the students.

"Anyway, it's a relief that we can enter the forest today. Plus, being able to sleep on the way is a bonus."

The carriage, which is already faster than walking, was moving at a brisk pace. The horses were being pushed to their limits, which could potentially damage their legs, but they were willing to take that risk.

"Hey, don't fall asleep yet, Ardis. There are things we need to discuss beforehand."

Orphelia warned Ardis, who looked like he was about to lie down.

"Given all this, I'd like to do something to help the students... somehow..."

Ted trailed off at the end of his sentence.

Thanks to the carriage's speed, they should be able to reach the forest by mid-afternoon. At least they can start the search half a day earlier than if they had walked, which is a significant difference.

However, the forest is vast. While they can guess the point where the students entered the forest, searching a large forest without any clues would be unlikely to find them in just two or three days.

"Well, how are we going to search?"

In the carriage that was shaking violently, Ted started the discussion.

"Right, the students formed a party by themselves, right?"

"Yeah, it seems to be five of the top students."

"Really, they're just half-baked... They shouldn't have entered the forest without knowing their own strength."

"But, Ted, they are apparently outstanding students, head and shoulders above the rest. Being young, it's natural for them to be overconfident."

"Hmph. No matter how outstanding they are, they're still chicks. Even if there's one capable chick among a bunch of bad chicks, they're still just chicks."

"True, but..."

Norris laughed and agreed, clearly not genuinely defending the students. This was in stark contrast to Ted, who, despite his complaints, was genuinely concerned for the students' safety.

"Orphelia, can't you use your magic to find them?"

"You make it sound so easy. If there was such a convenient magic, no one would have to struggle. Hey, Ardis."

"…If the students are still alive, there's a chance I can find them."

Orphelia's face twitched as she squeezed out her words in response to Ardis's answer.

"…I'm not surprised anymore. By the way, how would you find them?"

"The creatures in this forest, except for the small ones, don't form groups. At most, they're in pairs. If I detect five human-sized clusters of magic, it's likely to be a mercenary party or the students, assuming the students are all still alive."

However, there is another problem. To perform a magic search, a thin layer of magic must be spread over the search area.

This change is usually imperceptible to humans, but creatures sensitive to magic might detect it, potentially attracting them.

(Well, if that happens, we can just fight them off. After all, there's nothing particularly strong in this forest.)

Ardis explained this possibility, but surprisingly, Ted and the others weren't too concerned.

"It's better to search a wide area at once, even if there's some risk, rather than searching blindly. If we attract monsters, we'll deal with them then."

"Right, we can just fight them off."

Orphelia stated her opinion, and Ted agreed.

"By the way, Ardis, how wide an area can you search at once?"

Norris asked for confirmation.

"I've never measured it, but I think I can manage a radius of about 500 meters."

"Ah, I see. Now I finally understand why sneak attacks don't work on you."

Ted said with a dry laugh.

"Well, once we arrive at the forest, we'll have Ardis do the magic search... The question is where to start."

Even if Ardis can search a 500-meter radius, it's a small area compared to the size of the forest. They need to have a rough idea of where to start to have any hope of finding them.

"Do you know where they entered the forest?"

"It's not confirmed, but..."

Ardis asked, and Norris provided the information he had gathered in Tria.

"The students also gathered information about the forest in Tria. Some mercenaries were asked to sell them maps."

It seems they had done some preparation, such as gathering information and obtaining maps.

"Did no one try to stop them? Really."

"Everyone tried to stop them, but the leader, a boy, wouldn't listen. Well, in the end, it's their own responsibility."

As Norris said, the path chosen by mercenaries is based on personal responsibility. They probably gave a warning because the students were involved, but no one had the right to stop them if they insisted on going.

"Here's the map they bought from the students."

Norris took a piece of paper from his pocket and spread it on the carriage's cargo area.

"The students' official purpose is 'training,' but in reality, it's probably more about 'gaining prestige.'"

Ardis agreed with this.

After all, if it was just training, there would be no need to go to the Kosus Forest. There are plenty of places around the capital where wild animals and monsters live, and there's no need to travel all the way to Tria. The students probably wanted the prestige of surviving training in a dangerous place, a feat even veteran mercenaries can't guarantee.

(How ridiculous.)

It was the kind of thing that pampered young people, who had grown up in the safety of the academy, would think of.

"In that case, they probably won't be satisfied with just fighting on the outskirts of the forest. They'll probably head straight for the interior."

Norris's finger traced the map, starting from the point closest to Tria and moving towards the center of the forest.

"What do you think, Orphelia?"

"Well... Assuming they haven't all been wiped out, they probably aren't on the outskirts. If they fought the 'Dual Sword Beast' on the outskirts, they wouldn't feel the need to stay there, whether they won or lost."

The Dual Sword Beast is a creature found in forests across the continent, including Kosus, with a body length of about 80 centimeters. It has six legs and uses two developed fangs, which make up a third of its body length, to attack. These fangs resemble two scimitar swords, hence the name.

The force of the fangs is very strong, capable of easily severing a human leg. Its body is covered in a hard, black outer shell, making it resistant to physical attacks.

However, it is relatively docile for a carnivore. It won't attack unless provoked, and a competent mercenary can handle it without much trouble.

Of course, it is still a formidable opponent for a new mercenary. In a way, it serves as a good benchmark for measuring a new mercenary's capabilities. To operate in the forest, one must have the skill to easily dispatch a Dual Sword Beast.

Orphelia closed her red eyes and thought for a moment before speaking.

"Possible scenarios include: they gained confidence after defeating the beasts on the outskirts and ventured deeper into the forest, where they encountered a powerful enemy and couldn't return. Or they reached the interior without encountering any beasts. Something like that?"

Ardis agreed with her.

"Right. The route on this map avoids the territories of the beasts. It's convenient for reaching the interior of the forest without encountering troublesome minor enemies, but if they follow this route, they'll enter the territory of the 'Lactor' without encountering many beasts."

"Skipping the Dual Sword Beasts and the cloud of beasts and going straight to the Lactor? That's a harsh fate for the chicks."

"Well, we can only search assuming they survived by luck. Let's follow this route and have Ardis perform the magic search at intervals. Once we enter the Lactor's territory, we'll discuss the next steps. How does that sound?"

Everyone agreed with Norris's proposal.

"Then, let's discuss what to do when we find the chicks—"

Just as Ted was about to discuss the details, his body shook unnaturally.

"What's going on?"

Before he could ponder the unexpected situation, the sound of the horses neighing echoed, and everyone's bodies tilted forward as the carriage came to an abrupt stop.