第１０３３堀：大山脈の冒険 (Part1)
**Chapter 1033: Adventure in the Great Mountain Range**
**Adventure in the Great Mountain Range**
**Side: Aslin**
"Igu-chan, Fe-chan, I’m counting on you!"
"“Understood. Leave it to us.”"
With a respectful reply, the two of them soared into the sky, shrinking into tiny specks in the blink of an eye.
There, now the aerial surveillance is taken care of.
Just as I thought that, I heard a hollow laugh from behind me.
"A-ahahaha... Um, Lady Aslin? That... what was that super-large monster that just flew off?"
When I turned around, I saw that Shou-onee-chan had a look of utter astonishment on her face.
"You mean Igu-chan and Fe-chan?"
"Yes. I believe that is what you called them."
"Yep, they’re my friends."
That’s right, my friends.
Since they can fly, they’re perfect for aerial reconnaissance and support.
Drones are only good for scouting, but these two can do anything.
"Ah... friends, you say? Well..."
But my answer didn't seem to satisfy Shou-onee-chan; she was stammering, clearly at a loss for words.
"Aslin, Shou is asking about the monster's species and strength. She’s wondering if it’s really safe to let them go off on their own."
"Ah."
Yeah, Labyris-chan is right.
I suppose it’s natural to be worried if you don’t know how strong they are. Shou-onee-chan is just kind like that.
"Let’s see, their strength is... wait, how strong are they? They’re weaker than Steve and the others, right?"
"Indeed. They are about the level of a company commander."
"My apologies. I cannot even fathom the true strength of Master Steve, so... well... how would they fare against the wyverns of our military?"
"Hmm, if I recall, the wyverns of Zurable are around level 70, right?"
"Yes, somewhere around there."
"If that’s the case, Igu-chan and Fe-chan are over level 500, so I don’t think they’d lose in terms of stats."
"Five hundred? F-five hundred!?"
Huh? Why is she so surprised?
I didn't think that was a particularly unusual level.
Big Brother always says that everything depends on how you do it, and I’ve been practicing that properly. Levels are just for show, after all.
"Shou. I think you know this without me saying it, but keep Aslin’s direct subordinates a secret, okay?"
"Y-yes! Of course!"
I was wondering why she was so shocked, but then Milly-onee-chan told Shou-onee-chan to keep it a secret.
That’s right. It’s a secret that these guys are usually hanging around me.
It would surprise everyone too much.
"However, I knew Lady Aslin was a talented Monster Tamer, but to think you raised such powerful monsters..."
"I raised them. Firia helped out, too."
"Raised them? That’s impossible... to think such outrageous monsters could be raised."
"Yes, it sounds like a lie, doesn't it? But think about it carefully. Do you really think monsters, for whom power is everything, would obediently listen to a mere girl?"
"In other words, that means Lady Aslin is even stronger than those monsters..."
"Well, you might not believe it right away, but it’s the truth. Anyway, now that Aslin’s subordinates have taken to the sky, we should get going. Standing around here won't get us anywhere."
"...You’re right. Standing here won't get us anywhere."
"Then, let’s go."
"Yeah. Let’s go!"
"Let’s go!"
Shou-onee-chan still looks confused, but there’s no point in just standing here, so we set off.
It’s just a path where we walk briskly through the forest.
But I can tell that not many people have been through here in a long time.
There’s a path of sorts, but it’s completely overgrown with weeds.
"As the Guild Master said, it really seems like no one has entered here for quite a long time."
"Well, apparently, even just stepping in a little bit causes swarms of monsters to rush toward the town. People probably don't want to risk it."
"Large mountains and forests like this aren't just dangerous because of monsters; the damage from wild beasts is also significant. When traveling to the Lancer Magic Academy in the center of the If Continent, wild beasts are actually more of a threat than bandits."
Oh, I’ve heard about that from Milly-onee-chan and Tori-onee-chan.
Adventurers don't just hunt monsters; they also hunt down particularly ferocious animals.
Especially bears—they’re stronger than some monsters, so they’re quite a challenge for rookie adventurers.
"Yes. Because of both the damage from beasts and monsters, no effort has been put into developing this Great Mountain Range. As I mentioned earlier, if you carelessly violate the territory of monsters or beasts, they would often swarm the town."
"Well, the Zurable Empire and the local lords probably didn't have the luxury to deal with that anyway."
"Yes. Maintaining that town and the guild as a frontline is all they can manage. Budgets and manpower are limited, after all."
"That’s true. Developing land takes more manpower and budget than you’d think."
"My, judging by that, has Agil also done that kind of development work?"
"Well, I am a General, after all. I was ordered to do it as part of gaining command experience. Though, it wasn't land development, but rather road maintenance. Still, building a new road is a huge hassle. Cutting down trees, digging up roots—it never seems to end."
As we talked about development while heading deeper into the forest, the remnants of the path became even harder to follow.
From here on, we wouldn't be able to walk properly unless we started cutting through the grass and trees.
"Ugh, it’s in the way. Aslin, let’s do it together."
"Okay. Milly-onee-chan, Agil-onee-chan, Labyris-chan, is that okay?"
I made sure to check with everyone if it was alright.
"Yes, go ahead. If anything shows up, we’ll deal with it."
"That’s right. It’s easier for us than sneaking around."
"It’ll make the return trip easier, too, so I think it’s fine. We have personnel back in town for defense, so there’s no problem."
"Eh? Wait a minute, what are you..."
Shou-onee-chan looked like she had no idea what we were talking about, but this is one of those things you have to see to understand.
This is how we do it...
"Here we go!"
"Let’s go!"
We drew our blades, keeping them low and sheathed at our hips in a ready stance.
"“Horizontal Slash!”"
Yes. We succeeded this time.
Thanks to Taizo-ojichan, Terutora-san, and Arwin-san.
"Hah? Eh? When did you take out your swords and draw them?"
Shou-onee-chan’s question served as the signal.
*Swish.*
First, the grass spreading out before us fell to the ground.
"Heh. You’ve improved, haven't you?"
"Well, I doubt Taizo-san, Terutora-san, or Arwin-san ever imagined their techniques would be used for weeding."