The Hunter

The carriage headed east.

The season was approaching winter, and in this high-latitude region, winter was quickly closing in.

"I'm glad we bought those furs."

"Why do humans live in such cold places anyway?"

The girls, bundled up in fluffy furs, huddled together for warmth. Though thanks to magic, they didn't actually feel that cold.

"I mean, if it's already this cold around here, how cold is Garhart going to be?"

Kukuri grumbled on and on. The driver's seat had cold-weather measures applied to it, but they still had to take turns or it would be unbearable.

"I'll take over."

At Gantz's words, Kukuri obediently complied and climbed into the covered carriage.

"It's not cold at all in here."

"Well, I have cold resistance."

Sei and Lavi were resistant to natural climate changes, perhaps due to their resistances and racial traits.

Conversely, Laila the elf and Gantz the dwarf were affected by their environment, so Laila was weak to both extreme heat and cold, while Gantz was weak to cold.

Halflings, as a traveling race, were surprisingly resilient to any environment.

 

*

 

Several days after the monster stampede, a banquet was held at the palace, and Sei's group was delayed once again.

Mei made what predictions she could and returned to Earth, while Ria brushed off the generals' petitions and returned to the dwarven village.

Having finally departed, the party was now heading toward Rada, a town in Istria.

 

*

 

Rada was a typical town where adventurers gathered, located near a forest inhabited by monsters.

Istria had many monster-inhabited forests, and these forests were also home to ordinary wild animals.

And because it was a cold region, many of the creatures were large-bodied. Monsters that should have been ferocious were instead killed by wild animals—something that would normally be rare, but happened frequently here.

"It would have been nice if we could use Forest Walk…"

Laila's Forest Walk could only shorten distances by traveling through forests in straight lines.

Rada was positioned almost directly straight from Istria's capital, but most of the roads in between passed through farmland, making the spell useless.

The terrain was also uneven, so Lavi's teleportation couldn't be used either. How inconvenient.

"Still, we've gotten pretty close."

Sei said, looking at the map. The town of Rada would probably appear on his Map soon.

The carriage proceeded along a gently sloping road, and eventually the town's walls came into view.

"We made it!"

Laila leaned out of the carriage and let out a cheer, defying the cold.

 

*

 

No paperwork was required to enter the town.

Sei had been issued a travel permit directly from the king.

It was valid anywhere in Istria, but… since Rada was their final destination in the country, they would only use it once.

"… Still, he's not in town right now."

There was no hero response within Sei's Map range.

"If he's an adventurer, he's probably in the forest. Let's just head to a human inn for now."

"You don't need to specify 'human'—there are only human inns here."

Responding to Laila's words with a wry smile, Sei directed the carriage toward the upscale inn the gate guards had recommended.

 

*

 

"Now then, about what we do from here."

"Can't we just wait? It's cold outside."

Laila said this from her spot on the bed.

"That's true, but considering the worst-case possibility…"

The map Labyrinth had given them was a single world map.

This had its drawbacks—namely, it was impossible to tell if the target had moved only slightly or couldn't move at all.

"Well, we need to determine whether they're in danger, so I'll go scout a bit."

"Will you be okay alone?"

Mako asked, though she clearly didn't want to go outside either.

"I'll tag along. Who knows what might happen."

Kukuri's shrewdness in never missing a story was truly admirable.

 

*

 

Sei and Kukuri made their way into the forest spreading to the south.

"Come to think of it, this is a rare combination."

"You usually go with Mako."

They had been traveling together for quite a while now, but thinking about it, this might be one of the few times he'd been alone with just Kukuri.

"After you're done finding heroes, you're going back to your original world, right?"

"Yeah, that's the agreement."

"Think you could take me along?"

At Kukuri's words, Sei stopped in his tracks.

 

*

 

"Even among halflings, I've never heard of anyone going to another world. And from what I've seen of you and Mako, it seems like a peaceful place."

"That's not possible. The Return Stone only works for people from Earth. And besides…"

Sei shrugged at Kukuri, who had turned to face him.

"There's no way to come back here. My world only has humans, so it would be tough for a halfling to live there. And the world isn't exactly peaceful either. My country just happens to be exceptionally peaceful."

"Then at least tell me what kind of world it is."

"Sure. The city I lived in was a fairly large one, and I was going to school there…"

Kukuri listened intently as Sei described the other world.

 

*

 

"Found them. A hero."

At the edge of his deployed Map, a response finally appeared.

It seemed to be a party of humans and beastkin. That made sense—beastkin with long fur would find it comfortable living in the northern regions. They'd also find it easier to operate in forests.

"What do you want to do? Make contact?"

"Well…"

If Mako were here, they would approach. But frankly speaking, this hero was a dud.

The Gift they possessed was called "Unerring." It allowed them to always hit their target with weapon or magic attacks.

"Ah, that sounds really useful for hunting."

"But it only makes things hit. If he had a penetration skill or something, it would be different, but it's completely useless against immortal people like me."

In the end, they decided to make contact. They could always talk with Mako later, and since the hero's movement speed was slow, Sei thought there might be some problem.

 

*

 

That made sense, Sei thought.

The party of six was dragging a massive bear monster on a sled. That would certainly slow them down.

"Hey there, hello."

When Sei and Kukuri emerged and called out to them, the men briefly went on guard.

"What's this? This isn't a place for little girls. What do you want?"

"I only have business with Seiji Mitsuishi-kun over there."

"With me?"

The boy called Seiji was a tall young man with a sturdy build.

"… I don't know you. Who are you?"

"Ah, maybe it would make sense if I said I'm an acquaintance of Mako Tsubaki-san. I've come from Earth to bring you back."

Seiji dropped his load with a thud and stared at Sei with eyes full of surprise.

"I-I can go back…?"

"Let's save the details for when we're back in town. I'll help out."

Saying that, Sei touched the monster's corpse and stored it in his Infinite Storage.

"M-magic!?"

"Should I store the sled too?"

"Y-yeah, please."

When the beastkin who appeared to be the leader nodded, Sei stored that as well.

 

*

 

On the way back, Sei conversed with Seiji in Japanese.

"I usually go by Sei too. This is confusing."

Starting with those words, their exchange remained pleasant throughout.

As expected, Seiji had apparently been transferred near the Rada forest.

He registered at the adventurer's guild for the time being and took on requests for the time being.

"And so those 'for the time being' days just kept passing."

The Unerring Gift seemed plain at first glance, but it was quite effective for living as an ordinary adventurer.

His usual weapon was a crossbow. He carried a sword and spear to face monsters.

His first strike would be an arrow fired from maximum range, almost certainly hitting the monster's vital point.

If that killed the monster, good. If not, he would continue attacking. Close combat was a last resort.

If a monster got close without him noticing, he would use his spear. If even that wasn't enough, he'd use his sword or the short blade at the back of his waist.

By steadily hunting monsters solo like that, he naturally attracted attention.

Within the mixed party of beastkin and humans, Seiji had become valued as a long-range attacker.

 

*

 

"In the early days, I couldn't even butcher monsters, you know. A lot of prey I'd managed to kill went to waste. Fortunately, I met some good people and gradually gained experience, but…"

Even with Unerring, it was meaningless if he couldn't find prey. He seemed to have struggled quite a bit.

"I was thinking of making a name for myself as an adventurer and eventually becoming an explorer, but…"

Can I really go back? Seiji murmured wistfully.

"What has Tsubaki-san been up to? Is she not with you?"

"She's sleeping at the inn because it's cold. Well, when my master and I picked her up, that was probably her toughest time."

"Ah, she's a big eater after all. It must have been hard without food."

"That Gift turned out to have incredible potential. She's immortal now, and she even killed a god, albeit a lesser one."

"A god…? Like an evil god?"

"No, nowhere near an evil god's level—it was a god about 100 meters tall."

"100 meters… Isn't that so big that hitting vital points wouldn't even matter?"

 

*

 

"Mitsuishi-kun, long time no see."

"Tsubaki-san… somehow you seem different?"

"Well, a lot has happened. So, did you hear the details from Sei?"

"Mostly. I agree to the return. But I'd like you to wait just a little."

At his response, Mako glanced toward Sei.

"He says he wants to take down a big game. As a memento."

"Eh? You mean exterminate a monster?"

"Yeah, a monster called a Red Bear."

There was a monster in this area called an Ice Dragon.

Of course, it wasn't a true dragon, just a subspecies. But its combat power was extremely high—not something ordinary adventurers could handle.

But the Red Bear surpassed even that, standing at the top of the ecosystem. Any adventurer who defeated one would be praised by everyone in town.

 

*

 

"We don't have much time to wait around. Do you know where it is?"

"Yeah, I've located its den. But I just couldn't take that final step."

"The Red Bear… about two hours' walk into the southern forest?"

"Yeah… you can tell that? Is that your Gift?"

"One of them, let's say… Still, it's strong. Level 120? It'd be safer to give up. Actually, you'll almost certainly die."

Seiji's level was 58, and even the highest-leveled beastkin among his companions was only 63.

"You can tell that much too? But even if it's strong, a monster is still a monster. If we plan carefully and fight smart, I think there's a chance."

"… I don't think this level difference can be overcome that easily. But well, even if you end up a corpse, you can still be sent back, so it's not a problem…"

Sei sighed and continued.

"We'll come along. But unless things get absolutely dangerous, we won't interfere."

"So you'll be backup forces. It'd be a bit reassuring to have Tsubaki-san there."

In truth, for the current Mako, a monster of that level could be killed instantly.

 

*

 

"So, who wants to come along?"

"I'll go. I want to see this Red Bear hunt."

Kukuri was in, and Gantz joined as well. He didn't like the cold, but apparently he was dissatisfied that they hadn't fought any strong enemies recently.

"Alright, I haven't seen a bear before either, so I'd like to go."

That was Laila.

"Of course I'm coming."

And there was no way the clingy Lavi would stay behind alone.

And so, Sei's entire party became chaperones for the Red Bear extermination.