Chapter 66

The next morning, they left the town early.

Hikaru entered the mountain path from an entrance close to the town, accompanied by Ravia.

He intended to climb the mountain throughout the day.

He planned to descend by evening and return to Scallarzard the next day. He would likely be able to attend the academy the day after tomorrow or the day after that.

The mountain had little greenery, with low shrubs that looked half-dead.

Occasionally, there were patches of green in sunken areas. They might be alpine plants. Hikaru checked to see if they were rare medicinal herbs.

Hikaru always had "Magic Detection" active. When he sensed magic, he would deactivate the detection and confirm with his naked eye. There were things that couldn't be seen without the naked eye. This was also a form of training.

Monsters—or rather, animals—appeared very rarely. They were usually deer or rodents.

"Phew— I'm a bit tired already."

"Huff, huff, huff... Really. But I feel like I've gained some stamina."

The place where they stopped was just a clearing with a tree stump, but it served as a resting spot.

They sat down side by side.

The "stamina" Ravia mentioned was probably due to the Soul Board "Stamina" 1 that Hikaru had used to escape in the "Ancient Divine People's Underground Street."

"Did you get trained in the dungeon?"

"Actually, I increased your stamina ability."

Ravia blinked her eyes.

"That's amazing... You can do that?"

She said it with a sigh of admiration.

To Hikaru, it was a function of the Soul Board, not a sign of his own superiority.

But Ravia saw it differently.

In this world, there was originally the concept of "occupation," which was inseparable from one's abilities. Hikaru's Soul Board was directly linked to his own evaluation.

"Hikaru, look. We can see the town from yesterday clearly."

Turning around, they saw a small town spread out below.

A small town along the road.

The mountain trail was there, but it was desolate.

In this world, mountain climbing as a leisure activity did not exist. People climbed mountains only when necessary.

Those who picked mountain vegetables, those who had business on the other side of the mountain, those who hunted animals, and so on.

"! Ravia, get down!!"

Hikaru's "Intuition" kicked in.

He grabbed Ravia's hand and crouched down, activating "Group Concealment."

A small black dot appeared in the blue sky.

It remained a small black dot for a while.

But—

"Is that... a bird?"

"It's a Lesser Wyvern."

It was a genuine monster.

Especially dragons considered humans as prey, and it was recommended to eliminate them upon discovery.

(Lucky.)

If there was a sighting of a Lesser Wyvern, an "extermination request" would immediately be sent to the Adventurer's Guild. Hikaru hadn't expected to encounter a dragon in these mountains.

The Wyvern was flying toward them.

It hadn't noticed Hikaru and Ravia, who were lying on the ground, hidden by their cloaks.

Even if they stood up, they probably wouldn't have been noticed with "Group Concealment" active, but Hikaru wanted to be extra cautious.

Monsters might have something that surpassed human "Intuition."

The Wyvern descended beyond a ridge not far from them.

"...Hikaru? It looks like 'Let's go there' is written on your face?"

"Does it look that way?"

"Yes. It's strange. We were supposed to collect magic ore and magic fossils from the mines, right? Hikaru, you can see magic, so it's advantageous, right?"

"Well... yeah."

Standing up and placing her hands on her hips, Ravia smiled.

"You're going to get the 'Dragon Kidney Flower' leaves, right?"

"...You got it."

Lesser Wyverns and other dragons were known to like the scent of the "Dragon Kidney Flower." Some even brought seeds to plant near their nests—though this was limited to higher-level dragons.

Thus, if you found a dragon and observed its behavior, you could quickly locate the "Dragon Kidney Flower." Of course, there was the risk of being discovered by the dragon.

"You figured it out well."

"There were plenty of other good collection requests nearby, but you specifically chose this mountain where you have a record of collecting 'Dragon Kidney Flower' leaves. I thought you might have had this in mind from the beginning."

"...I appreciate your insight."

"But why? Did you suddenly decide to save the dean? I don't think it's necessary to save such a rude dean."

"Hmm... Well, that's true, but..."

There was a reason.

After talking with the green-haired League, Hikaru learned that this confederation was established on a delicate balance of seven small countries.

Tsubura, the dean's hometown, was particularly small, and the dean's downfall would be very bad.

Handing over the "Dragon Kidney Flower" leaves wouldn't significantly improve the situation. But League needed it, and if he was serious, Hikaru thought it might be worth betting on him.

For the balance of this country.

He had explained this to Ravia as well.

"Hikaru... Why would you do something that doesn't benefit you?"

"I'm going to be in this world for a long time. I want to make this world, where I spend time with you, a little better. So, it's a rather selfish reason."

"Hikaru..."

Ravia took Hikaru's hand and squeezed it.

"I'll help too."

"Thank you. ...But we'll have to see when we get back to town. We need to confirm if he has properly become a disciple of Teacher Kotobi."

"You're going to see if he's serious about changing this country and if he has the resolve."

"Exactly."

Hikaru felt unusually positive about facing this world.

It was because he had told Ravia everything, and she had accepted it.

If it would benefit her, he was willing to do anything, and he wouldn't hesitate to eliminate elements that could disrupt the peace of this world.

"Well, let's go after the Lesser Wyvern, then."

Hikaru and Ravia crossed the hill.

Then—far down the slope, there was a lush green area.

The Lesser Wyvern was lying there.

"...Is it sleeping?"

"It seems so."

"Ravia, can you wait behind that rock?"

"You're going alone?"

"It's easier alone. Ravia, keep 'Stealth' active while hiding. But if I give the signal, use your most powerful magic."

"...Understood."

Sending Ravia to hide behind the rock, Hikaru descended the slope alone.

There were many small stones, and he almost slipped. Stones rolled down from under his feet.

If the stones hit the Lesser Wyvern, it would be a problem, so he adjusted his angle as he moved forward.

He turned back.

Ravia should be watching from behind the rock, but Hikaru couldn't see her. "Stealth" was active. If he squinted, he could see her. It felt as if his mind had automatically considered her part of the scenery.

(That's how it looks. It's reassuring.)

The fact that he could see her when he focused probably meant it was only a level 1 effect.

In any case, Hikaru approached the Lesser Wyvern.

As he got closer, he could see its size.

Its body was as large as a school bus.

It had enormous wings.

(And this is considered low-level...)

Ordinary Wyverns or Dragons were probably even larger.

Moreover, the dragon he saw in the "Ancient Divine People's Underground Street"—"Dragon" and "Wyrm" were clearly distinguished, with the snake-like, coiling creatures called "Dragons" and the lizard-like, winged creatures called "Wyrms."

"—Zzz... Grrr..."

It seemed to be truly sleeping.

A foul smell wafted over.

The Lesser Wyvern's mouth was wet with red. It had eaten something.

Under its body—Dragon Kidney Flowers were growing.

Blood-red flowers with petals that curled and flared, an unusual flower.

The leaves spread out along the ground.

(This should be easy.)

Hikaru approached the Lesser Wyvern—

Hikaru, you're setting a flag.