Chapter 7

The sun had already passed its zenith. However, the target of this mission I was about to undertake wasn't that far away, so I should arrive in plenty of time. Whistling a tune, I walked around to the back of the guild, heading towards the rental area for 'Runners.'

"Isn't it a good day to set out again? Don't you think so?"

"Yes... I suppose so."

"In fact, in my hometown, we borrow rabbits for long trips. This is the first time I've used an inorganic life form as a Runner."

I spoke cheerfully, but somehow Amu seemed to be in even worse spirits than before.

However, everything had gone smoothly up to this point. Ms. Saya was very kind, the facilities at the Raven City guild were well-maintained, and I had the wonderful fortune of meeting Amu. The foreign town's streets were very stimulating to my curiosity, and the items in the shop attached to the guild were all new and interesting. And then—my ring sold for more than I expected.

There were challenges, but I could think about those gradually. The shed at the rental area was lined with sleek, silver dinosaur-shaped magical machines.

'Runner' is the general term for the vehicles lent out by the guild.

For explorers who often go on long trips, securing a means of transportation is essential. Therefore, many explorers who cannot secure their own transportation end up renting guild-trained vehicles. The types of vehicles vary by country, but in Raven City, they seem to be inorganic life forms (incidentally, in the kingdom, they were Slip Rabbits). Slip Rabbits, with their large, round eyes and long, comfortable fur, are wonderful, but this beautiful, refined form is also impressive.

I handed over the rental ticket I received from Ms. Saya and left the procedures to Amu. Amu looked at the rental ticket and widened her eyes.

"You got the fastest one?"

"I asked for it."

"Wh-What!? There's such a system!?"

I didn't know if there was such a system, but I just asked, and they considered it. It seems Amu isn't very good at such negotiations. The fact that she could even get this far shows the difference in racial abilities.

Soon, Amu brought a Runner.

It was about two meters tall, closely resembling a dinosaur, and its streamlined body clearly indicated it was specialized for running. Its eyes revealed a deep intelligence.

"Amu, what's this one's name?"

"Wh-What!? Name!? U-Uh... it's called Safari, apparently."

Amu hurriedly checked the rental ticket and told me. It was rather presumptuous to try to use its power without even knowing its name. I met Safari's eyes and greeted it with a smile.

"Safari, thank you for your help today. My name is Phil Garden."

"!?"

Safari's head twitched. Amu, wide-eyed, looked at me, suddenly using polite language.

Inorganic life forms are very different from organic life forms. Their skeletons are made of metal, their cores are the pinnacle of mechanical engineering, and their brains are just a few centimeters of chips.

Therefore, while organic life forms of the reptilian type may not have human-level intelligence, the same cannot be said for inorganic life forms that look the same. Appearances can be deceiving.

I bowed, maintaining eye contact, and spoke slowly.

"I have a bit of a situation and need to complete the extermination of fifteen D703 Ant models and obtain fifteen sets of antennas, which are the proof of extermination, by today. Could you lend me your strength? I need you to transport us to the Crock Plain, where the D703 Ant models are active, and back."

"!? Phil... that's..."

"Amu, be quiet."

I stopped Amu from speaking. I was talking to Safari now.

Safari seemed to be considering my words, closing its eyes in thought before slowly opening them again.

"...How long will it take?"

"The Runner talked!?"

Amu's mouth opened and closed, looking at Safari as if it were something unbelievable. Of course it would talk. The language ability of magical machines can be 'added on.' It would be strange to think they can't converse.

"Well... let's see, the travel time to the Crock Plain, with a buffer, is about two hours round trip, and the extermination time is about three hours, so I would need about five hours in total."

"That won't work. The Crock Plain is at least two hundred kilometers away. It takes two and a half hours one way."

"I see..."

I took the rental ticket from Amu and checked the basic performance. Indeed, it was listed as eighty kilometers per hour.

Two and a half hours one way, five hours round trip. Considering the extermination time, it would take at least eight hours... too long.

I observed Safari's body again.

The dull metal legs were designed for speed, the silver claws for gripping uneven terrain. The fluid lines from head to tail and the scale-like patterns covering the body. Small thrusters were located at the heels of the legs, and the entire body was designed for running.

The body of an inorganic life form is a mass of information. After confirming this, I nodded slightly.

Amu, look at me. Observation is a source of power. Negotiation is—done like this.

"Safari, you are of the lineage of the mechanical dragon Lux, right?"

"!?! ...What are you talking about..."

Safari's eyes widened.

There are two main types of inorganic life forms.

One is created by the hands of their makers. The other is generated without human intervention through the species preservation function possessed by some magical machines. Ms. Saya was the former, and Safari's structure was clearly the latter. Such beings are often referred to as the lineage of a higher individual.

I don't know the details, but the procurement officer of this guild who hired Safari as a Runner must be quite skilled.

"Mechanical dragon Lux Draglar. One of the five existing L-class inorganic life forms, and the oldest inorganic life form that is the ancestor of the thirty-two mechanical dragon species scattered around the world. Among them, you are a mechanical dragon specialized in speed. Am I wrong?"

"...So what if I am?"

It was observing me with a piercing gaze. I stated it as a matter of fact.

"If so, your specifications should not be at the level of eighty kilometers per hour. The basic performance of the Lux lineage, even the slowest tortoise dragon, is about one hundred and twenty-five kilometers per hour. It's impossible for you, who are specialized in speed, to be inferior to that. The holes designed at the back of your legs are thrusters, right? Depending on the attachments and wear and tear, you should be able to go five times faster than a tortoise dragon... no, even more. Isn't that right?"

Knowledge and interaction start with interest in the subject. You can't know something if you don't try to understand it.

Safari looked at my face as if appraising me for a while, then nodded vigorously.

"Hmm... Phil, are you a mechanical mage? You seem to have studied well. ...Indeed, as you say, I am a sprint dragon of the Lux Draglar lineage, and my basic performance is about eight times that of a slow tortoise dragon—over one thousand kilometers per hour. However, there is one thing you are forgetting."

"What is it?"

Safari made a crooked smile for the first time.

"The fact that I have to carry you and that woman on my back, not just myself."

I see... indeed, I hadn't considered that point. I smiled and replied.

"Ah, I see, I did forget that... how fast can you go with passengers? An hour and a half round trip?"

"...Phil, you did say earlier that this is your first time using an inorganic life form as a Runner, right? Alright, I'll show you the specifications of a Lux lineage sprint dragon... Let's say about thirty minutes."

What an incredible speed. I patted Amu's shoulder to quiet her muttering about the two and a half hours and added a request to Safari.

"Please drive safely. Speed up after we leave the city..."

"...Understood."

§

True to its pride in speed, Safari's movement was incredibly fast.

The scenery flashed by, but the vibrations barely reached my back. It was probably designed that way, but the performance of the Runner was far superior to that of Raven City.

Outside the city, a wilderness spread out. Mechanical debris was scattered everywhere, and abandoned factories stretched as far as the eye could see.

While Amu was gathering supplies, I had already gathered some basic information.

The ecosystem around Raven City is completely dominated by inorganic life forms. Magical machines mimicking animals and plants each have their own territories and have completely eliminated other species. The abandoned factories scattered throughout the wilderness were once created by these magical machines for 'reproduction' and were destroyed by explorers.

It's a truly mysterious place. Normally, magical machines created by humans would not leave management and venture into the wild unless there was an accident. For them to spread to the point of altering the ecosystem is hard to believe.

Magical machines are powerful, but on the other hand, the metal parts that can be obtained from their corpses are expensive, which is one reason explorers gather here.

It's a troublesome land, but if I were to say that, the kingdom was also a difficult place for me. I am no longer a beginner explorer.

If I can identify their characteristics and act carefully, I should be able to get through.

The only problem was the new, strong companion sitting behind me, Amu Nightmare.

Amu hadn't spoken a word since we left the city. The eloquence she showed when persuading me was gone, and only a trembling, negative aura was pressing against me.

The 'aura of fear' that pollutes the minds of others is instinctively emitted by malignant spirit species. However, it is also something that can be easily suppressed in normal times. If she couldn't control it, she would have been caught long ago.

The fact that it is not being controlled indicates—mental instability.

Spirit species have a very wide range of power fluctuations due to emotional instability. That's why I paid careful attention to Alice's mental care even after making her a slave.

Amu's aura, though weak, was getting stronger as we moved.

Her current condition is—quite bad. It is far below my rather lenient expectations.

"Hey, look, Amu. There's a giant machine. Some models apparently have a cockpit, so maybe we can ride it?"

"Y-Yes... I suppose so..."

I spoke a few times in a bright voice, but her responses were indifferent, and I could sense suppressed fear in her voice.

This is educational. This is what a malignant spirit species looks like when it descends into human territory.

Alice was originally a monster—a foe of humanity. For better or worse, she once radiated a strong light. They are at their strongest when they oppose the world.

But Amu is different. This child is—a failure.

She is... too weak. She is not unintelligent, and her race is impeccable, but her will is weak.

Nightmares are not a species that should decline. This child must have failed to seize every opportunity and ended up here by drifting along.

Calling her a bargain is an overestimation; she is useless.

Of course—not as is.

"Safari, please stop here for a moment."

"...Understood."

I stopped Safari a little before the location I had set as my target.

Amu slowly and laboriously got off. Safari didn't argue with my words because it understood my intention, but Amu didn't say anything because she probably didn't realize that this location was outside the target monster's territory. As a former explorer, this was too sloppy.

I had noticed that Amu was completely hesitant from the moment I saw her waiting at the meeting place.

Her complexion was poor, and her arms were trembling. She didn't even have the presence of mind to notice.

The combat record of Amu Nightmare (spirit species and elemental species generally do not have second names, so the species name is added) that I received from Ms. Saya was terrible. She had not succeeded in a single mission recently and was on the verge of losing her explorer's license. Moreover, she had even neglected to submit a plan, which was recommended.

It seems she had become an F-class explorer like she was when she was in a party. Frankly, she has no redeeming qualities.

She is a complete accident. Her only high point is her racial rank, and calling her a bargain is a stretch.

Ms. Saya's warning makes sense. If we proceed with the extermination as is, it will surely fail. That's not good.

I originally intended to start after she calmed down a bit, but—some adjustment is necessary.

Fortunately, compared to life forms and elemental species, adjusting a spirit species is quick and easy.

I sat on the remains of a metal box lying nearby.

"Safari, could you keep watch for a moment?"

"Phil Garden. I am a Runner; anything else is outside my duty. I refuse."

"It won't take long, please."

"Ugh..."

I called Amu. She approached hesitantly, looking around.

"We don't see them yet. We should look for them—"

"Amu Nightmare. There's something you should tell me, right?"

I smiled thinly and looked at Amu firmly.