The King of the Plains Returns

Traveling smoothly from there, we arrived at the city of Aquarius slightly ahead of schedule.

Originally renowned as a city of water, rivers flowed everywhere.

It looked completely different from before. Nothing like a place that had suffered through drought.

It was thriving now. The energy here made you feel certain it would be fine.

Alexia seemed pleased seeing this too.

Having your homeland flourish was a good feeling.

We stopped here to resupply.

Arriving early meant we didn't need much, but travel was stressful and exhausting.

We'd rest in the city and recover.

With our large group, staying at an inn was out of the question, so we'd set up camp near the city for the night.

"I'm going to go talk to people for a bit."

"Got it."

Alexia said this and headed off.

With recovery progressing, she must have felt there was no need for restraint now.

From what I'd seen last time, her concerns had seemed excessive anyway.

We bathed in the city and did laundry.

Just being able to do this made a huge difference in how you felt.

After finishing the chores, Alexia returned after a while.

Her expression was bright.

"It seems a duke is serving as acting lord now. Though with the succession dispute causing chaos, it's just in name."

"So that baron was never found."

"Whether he's being sheltered or was eliminated… Either way, it's good for this place. Though it's complicated that it only came about because my parents and I are gone."

"Don't put yourself down. You were the one who went to help."

"… You're right. Taxes have been lowered too, apparently. This place will thrive."

After a slightly melancholic look, Alexia smiled.

The baron who had once tried to forcibly crystallize the Water Elemental had fled the city when his scheme failed.

What happened to him after that, no one knew.

Who he'd been trying to send it to, there was no longer any way to know.

But it was Alexia who'd decided to take action back then.

As a result, the Water Elemental was safely freed, and part of it now lived with Azu.

At that, Azu covered her right eye.

"My right eye is reacting. The Water Elementals are probably gathering."

"Those little ones?"

Alexia was a descendant of the nobility that had long governed this place.

This land was where Water Elementals dwelled, and they had coexisted together.

Enough to be called the city of water.

Masses of water began appearing around us.

They started floating around Alexia. She extended her hand as if welcoming them.

The scene was somewhat fantastical and beautiful.

Orleans was transfixed for a moment.

It must have been her first time seeing elementals other than Fire Elementals.

Perhaps thanks to the Water Elementals' blessing, no monsters approached, and we passed the night in camp peacefully.

Alexia bid farewell to the Water Elementals, and we departed from Aquarius.

From Aquarius to Ateil, there was also a road Alexia had made.

Using this road would make things considerably easier.

I'd been wary of bandits appearing again, but there was no sign of them.

This was around where we'd rescued Orleans.

With the succession dispute throwing the country into turmoil, I'd expected there might be more, but perhaps it was the opposite.

If forces were being gathered, those who'd been bandits might have become soldiers with regular meals.

I gazed at the Empire's plains as we drove the wagons.

A few wagons had trouble due to poor maintenance, but we handled it with emergency repairs.

Having the dexterous Finn around was a help.

She dealt with minor issues easily.

"I understand wanting to save money, but don't skimp on equipment. You should get repairs done when we arrive. You probably won't make it on the return trip."

"I had done maintenance, but… I'll do that."

A common mistake for merchants short on money and experience.

Judging by how he seemed to be barely keeping his wagon going, it couldn't be helped.

This job should give him some breathing room.

From Aquarius to Ateil still took a while.

We couldn't afford to slow down too much.

Traveling with just ourselves wouldn't be so nerve-wracking, but knowing there were people following my lead made me tense.

This caravan was a one-time thing for me, but those who did this regularly must have nerves of steel.

Just as we were nearing our destination, I spotted monsters heading our way.

… A lot of them.

We were being surrounded.

I immediately had Elza create a barrier and sent Azu and Finn to the front.

"Aren't those…"

"They look familiar."

The approaching monsters were black, wolf-like creatures.

Something similar had happened when we'd traveled to Spartia.

Which meant there was probably a boss leading these wolves.

Azu and the others scattered the approaching wolves.

These kinds of monsters were no longer any threat to them now.

The only thing to fear was the boss.

A werewolf-like monster.

And sure enough, it appeared.

The Etoroki, the monster known as the King of the Plains.

It seemed slightly smaller than the one we'd seen before.

Individual variation, or perhaps younger.

Last time, we'd defeated it with help from Spartian warriors, but I couldn't expect such assistance again.

This time, I'd have to rely on the grown Azu and the others.

"Sorry to bother you while you're being all tense, but…"

Finn looked at me with exasperation.

Watching them, I'd thought they might struggle, but Finn showed no such concern.

"If it's alive, it's just prey to me. Giants and dragons aside, something like this is nothing."

Saying this, she gripped crystal daggers in both hands and stepped forward.