Preparing for the Hunt

They'd made the rounds through most of the notable shops.

Perhaps thanks to the gifts, the three slaves had been in good spirits the whole time.

Azu in particular seemed almost giddy.

Every time she walked, the earrings Yohane had given her swayed and caught his eye.

She shone brighter than anyone else at the seaside.

A miraculous girl in whom grace and beauty coexisted in equal measure, the kind that stole every gaze she passed.

Whenever he looked her way, she'd turn to him with a smile.

Each time, it drove home that this slave was his.

She'd come so far… People really do grow.

Even adults gain wisdom simply by learning what they didn't know before.

For a child, the pace of growth, both physical and mental, was on a completely different level compared to an adult.

Few people would have predicted this outcome upon seeing Azu for the first time.

Even Yohane hadn't.

It had taken ample resources, the girl's own effort, and a fair bit of luck to reach this point.

"It's fun and all, but coming to the beach without actually getting in the water feels like something's missing."

"Yeah. What if we just went in and tried to lure it out?"

"It's not guaranteed to show up, so how long do you plan on waiting?"

Alexia said with exasperation. It would be quite the drawn-out strategy.

"Too bad. You're right, there's no point if it doesn't come while it's still light out."

"We can't fight at night without good night vision."

Elza's shoulders slumped. Seeing that, Azu tried her best to cheer her up.

They gazed out from a spot along the coast, set back a bit from the water.

The sea was vast. Countless creatures lived within that enormous expanse of saltwater.

Maybe it was the clear air, but it felt like they could see impossibly far into the distance.

With an ocean this vast, it wasn't strange at all that a monster that enormous could exist.

A Kraken, perhaps.

On land, large monsters needed food proportional to their size, limiting their habitats. But in the sea, size imposed no such restriction on movement, so those constraints didn't apply.

A massive monster that appeared and vanished at will—no matter how you looked at it, that was a serious nuisance.

If they failed to subjugate it, it would end up being brought to the Adventurer's Guild.

And if that happened, the chance to challenge it solo would be lost.

The reward would be split evenly at best. At worst, it'd be distributed based on contribution.

Whether or not that Kraken's materials were actually worth anything, ideally they'd take it down here.

As if mocking that very thought, the sea swelled in the distance.

The Kraken.

It was impossible to tell whether it was observing them or had simply surfaced.

Alexia reflexively prepared a spell, but the creature submerged again almost immediately.

"It got away. That was too far, wasn't it."

She dispersed the spell she'd been readying.

The distance was too great; even if she'd fired, it wouldn't have dealt any damage.

"With something that big moving that fast, anyone besides Azu-chan would be at a disadvantage."

"If it were on land, I could burn it to my heart's content."

"True. But I don't think that's a realistic ask."

Aware of the poor matchup, Alexia was in a slightly sour mood.

Even if they tried to fight with weapons, her battle axe lacked finesse for this.

Elza's matchup was neither particularly good nor bad, but no matter how strong she was, bringing down something that massive with a mace would be a tall order.

Just as Yohane sighed and thought "good grief," a summons arrived.

Apparently, they'd located the Kraken's lair.

They headed over immediately, and Zukashi greeted them as though he'd been waiting impatiently.

"I scattered bait in several spots, and it went for one of them. I've confirmed it grabbed a large haul and moved it here."

He spread out a map of the surrounding area, with several locations marked. One was circled in red.

It was a small island with nothing but a cave.

Supposedly small enough that a lap around the whole thing wouldn't take long.

"Krakens don't eat their food on the spot. They carry it back to their territory and eat at their leisure. I'd been narrowing down locations one by one, but I'm glad we've finally pinpointed it."

You couldn't even begin an extermination without knowing where to look.

This island's cave was the creature's den.

"It should use this spot for eating and sleeping. If you wait here, you're guaranteed an encounter. The problem is making sure it can't escape even if you do manage to defeat it…"

Zukashi trailed off and looked at Azu and the others.

He probably didn't fully trust their abilities yet.

The fact that he was moving forward with the plan anyway meant he'd judged that a failure wouldn't cost him anything.

"I can't say squid behavior applies to this thing, but I think this should put it into a frenzied state."

He handed over a small bottle filled with liquid.

"What is this?"

"A chemical used in squid fishing. I can't disclose the ingredients, but it's non-toxic to humans. Shouldn't be a concern if you've got a priestess with you."

Yohane held the small bottle up to the light and examined it.

A purple liquid shimmered through the glass.

"Understood. We'll use it if needed."

"Please do. As proof of the kill, bring back some body part. Or I'll go out to confirm the carcass myself. Payment comes after that. I believe we've settled on an amount befitting the danger."

The subjugation reward was thirty gold coins.

Additionally, all spoils of battle would belong to them.

That said, it was essentially an empty promise since there was no telling if there'd be anything.

Thirty gold coins was effectively the full reward.

Not bad at all. It wouldn't count toward their Adventurer's Guild record, but jobs paying thirty gold coins in a single day were hard to come by.

"Of course we'll take it. We'd like to enjoy the ocean some more anyway."

"Much appreciated."

He shook hands with Zukashi and signed the parchment commission.

He'd checked the document's contents just to be safe. No discrepancies.

"Alright, I'm counting on you. If you need anything, I'll arrange it."

"Thank you. A boat, first of all."

"We'll provide one. No charge."

With that, Zukashi sent a young man running to arrange a boat.

"Master, you'd just be in the way, so please stay here and wait."

"Yeah, I know."

He handed the glass vial to Azu.

He'd accompanied them during the Fire Dragon hunt, but he was well aware he hadn't been any help.

Better to focus on preparation and see them off. That was the best approach.

For Yohane, the real battlefield was always in the preparation.