Chapter 166
Chapter 166. Signs of Unrest
The peaceful passage of time made it hard to believe this was supposedly a dangerous forest recommended for C-rank or higher.
It almost felt like being near the labyrinth.
Under the dappled sunlight filtering through the canopy, we waited idly for Quid's return.
About two hours later, perhaps?
Phil had curled up sleepily but suddenly raised his head and tapped my arm with his tail.
He must have detected Quid.
I gave a slight nod and pretended not to notice, but soon my [Presence Detection] picked up something too. Sahars noticed shortly after and began preparing.
"Is that Jisero's retrieval force?"
What [Presence Detection] caught was a group of twenty beastmen, including Quid. Garneles supposedly has over a hundred, but I assume most are labor types.
They're not exactly lacking in combat strength, but—
"The village is always short-handed. Excess combatants are limited."
"Then I guess it can't be helped."
When Quid and the others appeared shortly after, I quickly cast [Appraisal].
The results almost made me grimace.
It's not unexpected, but… how should I interpret this?
The beastmen were a scouting unit.
Their abilities were like a weaker version of Quid's, roughly equivalent to lower C-rank adventurers. In a way, they vaguely reminded me of Oze from my Riedwald days.
If we were to plan a strategy, it'd involve using mobility to harass Garneles while Phil, Sahars, Quid, and I handled the stronger individuals.
Whether aiming for mutual destruction or due to lack of manpower, the logic holds.
They might also be hiding powerful magic tools, but we can't even guess unless they're used. Either way, they don't seem to be attacking immediately.
Holding my backpack, I asked Quid:
"Should we discuss things?"
"Let's move out. It'll take three to four days to reach Jisero. We'll have plenty of time to talk."
"Understood."
With nineteen additional beastmen, we set off for Jisero.
Quid took the lead, followed by half the beastmen, with Sahars and me in the middle and the rest bringing up the rear.
Soon after departing, I noticed two things.
We'd been heading south before, but now we were moving southwest.
From the labyrinth's perspective, the beastmen's village lies south, while Jisero is roughly south-southwest.
The other was Phil's behavior.
He used to wander around freely, but now he refused to leave my side.
If he was wary of unfamiliar beastmen, he could've left the formation. Staying close meant he was trying to protect me.
I appreciate the sentiment, but—do I really look that weak?
Smiling wryly, I glanced down at Phil.
Come to think of it, when we first met, he was protecting his siblings too.
His childhood experiences might have shaped his personality.
By the way, I never saw those siblings again after reuniting with him.
With Phil around, I doubt they'd get hurt, and Riedwald's adventurers were cautious of Hunter Fitches. Hunter Fitches don't usually form packs. They probably grew up safely and went their separate ways.
With Phil guarding me, we advanced through the Deep Forest.
Quid was extremely cautious, detouring whenever he sensed monsters or found traces of them, sometimes halting the march to send out scouts.
The other beastmen were well-trained too, following orders with discipline like a real army.
Thanks to that, though it took time, we ended the first day without a single battle.
We made camp under thick, protruding roots as walls until morning.
While beastmen with life magic refilled waterskins, others fanned out under Quid's orders to secure the perimeter.
I sat down casually, filled a small dish with [Pure Water] to reward Phil's concern, and gnawed on the now-familiar smoky bear meat.
So far, the beastmen showed no suspicious behavior.
There was tension in the air, but that could just be due to the forest expedition and the impending fight with Garneles.
Also, while their stats were around lower C-rank, their levels were high from living in the Deep Forest. Quid was even over level thirty. If a group with that much experience planned to ambush us, they'd hide their tension better.
Soon, the beastmen returned, reporting no dangerous monsters nearby.
As we ate dinner, Quid briefly explained the plan.
The goal was to retake Jisero.
To do that, Garneles had to be exterminated or driven out, but their nest hadn't been found yet. Since Garneles nest in shallow waters, it's likely somewhere in the lake.
First, we'd use Jisero's ruins as a base to search for the nest. Once found, we'd attack immediately.
After the briefing, the beastmen left a few on watch and began resting.
Since everyone but me had [Night Vision], there was no campfire. As dusk deepened, I relied solely on [Presence Detection] and hearing.
If a fight broke out, I'd have to activate [Light].
As a side note, Phil has natural night vision.
As a biological trait, it doesn't require magical assistance, but interestingly, it still interacts with ambient mana.
This world is saturated with mana. Swinging a sword imbues the surrounding mana with slashing properties, while a mace imparts blunt force.
Most dissipate quickly, but when clashing, they interfere with other mana, aiding in acquiring [Slash Resistance] or [Blunt Resistance].
That's why simulated battles make skill acquisition harder, and falling from heights won't grant [Blunt Resistance].
Elfimia once complained how tiring [Mana Sight] was, but with all that flying around, no wonder.
Anyway, since skills often supplement traits, my malfunctioning [Beast Tranfsformation] probably can't acquire [Night Vision].
The spell [Night Vision] solves that, but if May hadn't digested it, Yunek's [Night Vision] might still be there.
Absentmindedly, I reached up and touched my own ear.
The soft fur's texture.
He'd acquired several skills beyond [Beast Tranfsformation] and [Night Vision].
If he'd lived, how much stronger could he have become?
Lying on the blanket, I pictured the boy who died too young.
◇◇◇◇
The sun had fully set, leaving only the hazy moonlight to filter into the Deep Forest.
I seemed to be deemed untrustworthy, as I was excused from watch under the pretext of conserving stamina.
Taking the offer at face value, I sprawled out while the beastmen, with little chatter, left a few on watch and slept.
The wind rustled through the dark trees, the sound of leaves unending.
Listening, I kept my eyes closed and gauged my surroundings.
At first, unfamiliar beastmen were on watch, but they were relieved after a while.
Around midnight, Quid moved.
He rose quietly and gently woke Sahars.
After a hushed exchange, the two left camp together.
Phil, curled beside me, stirred and pricked his ears in their direction.
I wanted to do the same, but they knew beastmen hearing well and had moved out of earshot.
The watchers weren't paying me attention, but getting up would draw notice.
Pondering, I decided to test [Concentration Boost].
Closing my eyes, I focused my hearing toward Sahars and the others.
Gradually filtering out the rustling leaves and creatures' breaths, the conversation grew clearer.
"—isn't right."
The first words were Sahars's.
Quid sighed in response.
"If you hold off the Hunter Fitch, we can take down the guardian. Isn't this the perfect chance?"
"Don't be stupid. That boy, Alter—I can't gauge his limits. Even with all of us, we might be slaughtered."
Quid scoffed at Sahars's warning.
"Did you learn jokes from humans? I heard you were rigid."
"Say what you want. I won't help. Do it yourself if you're so eager. The white beast included."
The moment "white beast" was mentioned, I heard Quid grit his teeth.
After that, their conversation ended.
So, instead of waiting for mutual destruction, he's considering killing us here.
Mostly as I predicted, but assassinating the guardian wasn't part of the plan.
Either way, Phil's intimidation at our first meeting still holds. With Sahars refusing to cooperate, they won't attack.
Deactivating [Concentration Boost], I stretched as if half-asleep.
Then I rolled over and brought my face close to Phil's.
"We're safe for now. Let's take turns resting. You go first."
But his white tail moved as if refusing, touching my forehead.
After a brief hesitation, I nodded silently and left watch to him, drifting into real sleep.
I dozed lightly until late at night when I tried to take over, but Phil refused again.
In the end, we both stayed vaguely awake until dawn, when the beastmen roused.
With no choice, I got up, prepared water for Phil with [Pure Water], and tossed some bear meat into my mouth.
As soon as I stood after packing, Phil leaped onto my shoulder and fell asleep.
For a moment, I was puzzled—then understood.
Knowing he was feared, he'd planned to sleep on my shoulder all along.
Feeling eyes on me, I glanced over to see Quid looking away with a bitter expression.
Phil could rest easy, and I could lower my guard. A bit warm, though.
"We're moving out."
"Yeah, got it."
At Sahars's call, I started walking.
Day two of the Jisero retrieval had begun.
The formation matched yesterday's, with Sahars and me in the center, flanked by beastmen.
Scouts were sent periodically to avoid monster encounters.
With little else to do, I chatted with Sahars and used [Earth Bolt] to shoot down birds for Phil during breaks.
Normally, I'd hide my cards, but Sahars must've heard things by now.
Incidentally, I doubt he believes in spirit magic. In his life, he's never met a user or even heard rumors.
With Phil on my shoulder, we ended day two.
Phil kept watch at night, and day three began with him on my shoulder again.
Perhaps due to Sahars's refusal, Quid made no moves.
By midday on day three, we couldn't avoid a fight with three orcs.
Since Jisero was near, the beastmen seemed to want warm-up.
Sahars, Phil, and I kept our distance and watched.
Despite the numbers, the beastmen were impressive.
In the empire, orcs are seen as brute-force monsters.
But in the Deep Forest, they're weaker and have adapted their tactics.
Unprepared adventurers would be flustered, but these beastmen grew up here.
They outmaneuvered the orcs' clumsy coordination with polished teamwork.
The stat difference wasn't huge—it was the unquantifiable skill gap.
I thought I wouldn't be needed—until I narrowed my eyes.
A presence in the distance.
Phil noticed too, his red eyes turning that way.
Unclear, but… likely humans or beastmen.
For a moment, I suspected an ambush, but the presence was moving away.
An ambush wouldn't retreat, so adventurers?
Exchanging glances with Phil, I muttered:
"Humans are here."
Sahars's gaze snapped toward the direction, probing.
Still wary, he looked at me.
"Far?"
"Barely within [Presence Detection]. What now?"
"Approaching is risky… but I'd like to confirm."
"Agreed."
Nodding, I lifted Phil from my shoulder.
"Can you scout ahead? We might be noticed."
Phil wagged his tail, slipped from my grip, and vanished upon landing.
Sahars, stunned, called Quid over.
Though busy commanding, the fight's outcome was clear.
Quid summoned two beastmen after hearing Sahars's explanation.
They eyed me skeptically.
"Humans, really?"
"Likely. That's what we're checking."
"Fine. Let's go."
I took the lead, followed by Sahars and the two beastmen.
Phil was far ahead but left traces for tracking.
Soon, he doubled back and stopped, signaling his limit.
Quid's beastmen were skilled—noticing the presence before the versatile Sahars.
They exchanged surprised nods, but at this distance, only numbers and species were clear.
Phil, however, was right there.
"This is as far as we go."
"But…"
The beastmen hesitated, but Sahars backed me.
"Enough. We've confirmed humans. No need to risk more."
With that, we had to withdraw.
Still, Phil's limit was based on the beastmen's abilities. I think he could've gone closer.
But pushing it would've been trouble.
"I'll be right back."
"You're approaching!?"
I silenced the loud beastman with a look.
"Quiet. They'll hear. I don't need to get close."
"Then—"
"Sorry, but I'd rather not show my hand."
"So you won't go closer?"
"Promise."
Before they could protest, I left.
Moving parallel to the presence, I leaped onto a boulder, then tree branches.
Soon, I found a good spot.
An ancient tree towered above the others, its crown offering a view.
Shadows obscured the figures, but glimpses were possible.
Creating an improvised telescope, Phil watched the floating water orb curiously.
"Don't pounce."
Adjusting the lens, I activated [Appraisal] the moment visibility allowed.
The statuses flashed briefly, but I pieced together fragments in my mind.
Three people.
Adventurers—warrior, scout, and mage by skills and gear.
The standout was a mage named Renart.
Specializing in lightning magic, he had intermediate [Lightning Spear], plus [Dispel Magic] and [Danger Sense].
A cut above the others. Probably the leader.
[Danger Sense] was rare.
Those who learn it solo often have [Danger Sense] potential, which usually manifests first. For him to have the spell suggests a magic book.
Affording intermediate spells—especially rare ones like [Danger Sense]—means connections. Definitely a B-rank or higher party.
"I thought the strong had abandoned Fasden. Yet remnants remain."
Muttering, I shook my head.
No—even with May's influence, monsters still roamed south and east of Fasden. Adventurers I'd met said the southwest was infested. They left because hunting grounds grew distant.
With steady guard work, they'd manage. [Danger Sense] was perfect for that.
Curious, Phil hopped onto my shoulder to peer at the orb.
I explained they were likely adventurers and their strength.
As visibility worsened, I dispelled the telescope and returned.
I summarized the intel for Sahars.
"Worth coming this far?"
"Can't say for sure, but the mage stood out. Probably B-rank."
Describing their builds and gear, Sahars pondered before murmuring:
"Not certain, but…"
"Any hunches help. Even if wrong."
"Vaguely matches a man named Renart. Leader of Azure Thunder, a skilled mage. Was C-rank when I was enslaved, but—"
"Talented enough to reach B-rank if things went well."
Nodding, I'd already matched the name.
No doubt—they were Azure Thunder.
If Viscount Fasden was searching for the beastmen village, he'd hire adventurers.
I'm not afraid, but that mage gave off a strong vibe.
Renart of Azure Thunder. I'll remember that.