Chapter 100

Jahn, the intermediary, brought a job offer to Aldis.

The name that came out of his mouth was that of the monster 'Four-Winged Feather,' which Aldis had once slain.

"What could he want with that island now? According to what Cesare told me, it's just an ordinary island, isn't it?"

Aldis voiced his doubts frankly.

"Yeah, that's right. We don't have any business with the island itself. The problem is that there have been reports of large monsters being sighted on the island again, despite Aldis having slain the Four-Winged Feather."

"You don't think... they're casting doubt on whether I really slew the Four-Winged Feather, do you?"

"Don't worry. While some people do have such thoughts, most don't. The prevailing opinion is that a large monster from elsewhere has moved in and settled on the island after the Four-Winged Feather was gone. Still, we can't know for sure until we check it out, right?"

"So it's a request for an investigation?"

"Exactly. Ideally, we would send soldiers from the royal army to investigate, but since it's an island where the Four-Winged Feather once lived, if there's a monster as powerful as it, it would just be a waste of soldiers' lives."

Still, fifty gold coins is an unusually high reward for an investigation.

"Is there something fishy about this request?"

"Requests from the government to mercenaries are rarely without some ulterior motive. Besides, Aldis, you're not the type to worry about such things, are you?"

Jahn shrugged and said it bluntly.

"From what the official said, it seems they expect a high possibility of combat during the investigation. They probably think it would be fine if you could slay the monster while you're at it. Considering the fifty gold coins include the slaying, it doesn't seem particularly high, does it?"

Indeed, as Jahn said, if they encounter a monster, there's a high chance of a battle. Whether they slay it or flee, the difficulty level on an isolated island where no support can be expected is much higher. Unlike Aldis, who can fly, ordinary mercenaries would have to go by boat. The fifty gold coins might be a price that takes this into account.

"If it's fifty gold coins including the slaying... it's not an unreasonable amount."

"Right? Besides, among the mercenaries currently in the capital, only Aldis can handle this job. It's a bit too much for the others."

Indeed, arranging a boat, going to the island, identifying the monster, and returning is a task beyond the capabilities of ordinary mercenaries.

Finding a ship owner willing to take them to the island is unlikely. Even though the Four-Winged Feather has been slain, its terror is not easily forgotten by those who live by the sea.

In Aldis's case, there's no need to arrange a boat, and he can escape if necessary.

"Alright. I was thinking of earning some money by slaying something anyway. I'll take this job."

After a few seconds of contemplation, Aldis decided to accept the request.

He then started eating the meal that had been brought, while Jahn explained the details of the request. After finishing the details, Jahn raised his hand lightly and said, "Well, I'll leave it to you," before leaving the inn.

"This is the slaying request you wanted, Rona. I don't know how strong it is, but at least the reward seems to be substantial."

"I hope it's a worthy opponent. How strong was the Four-Winged Feather?"

"Hmm, I don't really remember. I think it was weaker than Neduro."

"Is that all? It would be nice if there were a hundred of them."

Rona said this casually and returned to her meal. Out of the five servings, more than half had already disappeared.

"You... If the country falls, there won't be any rewards. Besides, if the people selling at the market stalls are gone, having money won't do you any good."

"It's fine, it's fine. I can take care of a hundred in two or three minutes."

"That's not the point..."

Aldis couldn't help but sigh.

The next morning, Aldis and Rona had breakfast at the Inn Seisaragitei and moved to a deserted beach on foot. From there, they took off and flew south, with fishing boats returning from the sea below them.

After a few minutes, they arrived at the southern island where the Four-Winged Feather once lived.

"Is this the island?"

"Yeah."

Rona was looking down at the island where Aldis had once gone to slay the Four-Winged Feather. It was a small piece of land that could be walked around in half a day, but the entire island was covered in green trees, teeming with life.

It looked no different from when he had last seen it. The absence of the monster known as the Four-Winged Feather wouldn't change the island's appearance immediately.

"Hey, Aldis, do you notice something?"

"Yeah, this is a bit unexpected."

The request was to investigate the island. If a new monster had settled there, they were to identify it and report its danger level to the country. If it was a dangerous monster, they could slay it as well. Aldis had come with a light heart.

However, it seemed the opponent was not something that could be easily dealt with.

"Where did it come from? A monster with such strong magic power?"

Even from a great height, they could feel a magic power far stronger than that of the Four-Winged Feather.

"Hey, can I attack now?"

Rona urged, unable to wait. Her fluffy tail was wagging, not because of the wind.

"Why is the slaying assumed? The request was for an investigation. If there's no need to fight, that's fine too."

"Aww, that's no fun."

While holding back the dissatisfied Rona, Aldis approached the source of the magic power.

A monster like the Four-Winged Feather could have been dealt with during the investigation, but the magic power they were feeling now was not something that could be handled as a side task. First, they needed to cautiously observe the situation. Aldis and Rona landed on the island's shore and began to close the distance on foot.

Aldis thought they would encounter the target monster in about thirty minutes, given the size of the island.

However, after an hour had passed—

"That's strange."

Aldis tilted his head. Despite walking straight toward the source of the magic power since landing, they had not yet reached it.

The target was not moving at high speed, but the distance was not closing. When they tried to approach from the right, it moved to the left, and when they tried from the left, it moved to the right, maintaining a certain distance. The magic power seemed to be responding to Aldis's movements, as if trying to avoid being caught, moving smoothly around the island.

"Maybe it knows our position...?"

After this happened several times, Aldis had to consider the possibility. The target might have the ability to detect magic power and was using it to avoid dangerous enemies—Aldis and Rona.

The fact that they were moving slowly to avoid provoking the target was also a reason the distance was not closing.

If there were more of them, they could set up a net and gradually narrow the perimeter, but unfortunately, only Aldis and Rona were present. This way, they would just waste time. Aldis began to think about approaching more forcefully, and at almost the same time, Rona's patience reached its limit.

"Ah, come on! This is so annoying! Stop running around like this!"

With that, she charged toward the source of the magic power.

"Hey, wait! Rona, stop!"

Aldis hurried after her. The magic power, presumably from the monster, seemed startled by Rona's sudden approach and began to flee at high speed.

However, its speed was slower compared to Rona's full power. Moreover, this was an isolated island surrounded by the sea. There was no place to run forever. Even if it tried to hide, Rona could detect its location with her magic power.

Aldis followed Rona's back as she approached the monster.

"Take this!"

Rona, with her golden fur-covered ears twitching, formed two colorless blades with her magic.

The blades, prioritizing power, flew straight into the forest, cutting down trees in their path, but their power hardly diminished as they headed toward the monster's location.

The power was not something an ordinary monster could withstand. It was strong enough to reduce the Four-Winged Feather to mere flesh.

"Hey! This is an investigation!"

The job was to investigate. If it ended up being a slaying, that was fine, but eliminating the target without even seeing it would be a problem. The country would not accept "I slew it, but I don't know what it was."

At least the head should remain. Aldis's wish was unexpectedly granted in a different way.

Just before Rona's magic blades hit, the monster's magic power suddenly expanded, and a strong magic barrier formed around it. The blades, with their formidable power, shattered upon impact with the barrier.

"Huh? No way?"

Aldis could hear Rona's voice, filled with confusion.

Rona probably wasn't using her full power, but even so, her attack had an abnormal level of power. She likely didn't expect it to be blocked head-on.

Aldis immediately raised his alert level. The monster's magic power didn't seem that great, but it was clearly not an easy opponent. Judging by appearance alone could lead to a painful counterattack.

"Then how about this!"

Rona, whose first attack was blocked, launched a continuous barrage of blades.

The density and power of the blades were such that even Aldis would have a hard time dodging them. It seemed impossible for a monster to defend against such an attack, which cut down the surrounding trees and then produced an unexpected reaction.

"Stop it! I don't want to be hurt!"

A weak voice came from the center of the damage. The sound of blades being deflected by the magic barrier followed in quick succession.

"Huh?"

Rona, who launched the attack, was also surprised by the unexpected reaction.

As the dust and scattered leaves cleared, the source of the voice finally revealed itself.

There was a four-legged beast covered in black fur. Its face and skeletal structure resembled a wolf, but its size was clearly different. It was about seven meters long, with a large jaw capable of swallowing a human whole.

"Please... don't kill me... Please help me..."

The voice, trembling and weak, came from the sharp teeth of the beast. Despite the strong aura of a powerful being, the beast was on its knees, begging for its life, a pitiful sight.