第１７８１堀：海軍も色々お手伝い (Part2)

第１７８１堀：海軍も色々お手伝い (Part2)

"It truly is a wasteland, just as the name implies. Yuki was wary of the nations residing in these southern lands, but this hardly looks like a place where one could easily settle."

Setting aside the monsters that sustain themselves on magical energy, it is difficult to imagine any human surviving in such an environment.

『That’s true. By the way, can you see any monsters?』

"Monsters? Oh, now that you mention it..."

I check the feeds from the other available drones and familiars once more, but...

"There aren't any."

It’s strange. Or perhaps, I wonder?

I don't know the exact altitude of the drones, but they should be high enough to survey tens of kilometers at a glance. Yet, I cannot spot a single monster—or anything moving at all. Is this a matter of resolution? The phenomenon where things become unrecognizable at too great a distance?

『Exactly. Dressa, you see it too, right? It’s been a full day since we left the southern town, and we haven't encountered a single monster.』

"Huh?"

Tori’s words catch me off guard, and a cry of surprise escapes my lips.

"What's wrong?"

Hiiro, noticing my reaction, abandons her administrative duties and trots over.

『Oh, Hiiro is there too.』

"I sure am~. Big Sister Tori. And Big Sister Vili."

『Don't call us that as if we were an afterthought. And don't abandon your work just because you weren't called.』

"I didn't abandon it~. My superior officer let out a cry of surprise, so as a subordinate, I have to go check on the situation~."

『Ugh, you’re far too good at making excuses...』

"Big Brother taught me."

Yes, Yuki is certainly skilled at those kinds of clever excuses. But, well, that’s neither here nor there.

"It’s fine. Hiiro is doing her job well enough. Besides, since you’re here, why don't you take a look at this?"

"What’s this~? Just scenery? Footage of Earth’s great outdoors?"

Without an explanation, it does look like nothing more than landscape footage. Lately, Yuki has been providing us with such videos to help us study the various environments of Earth, since we’ve been traveling to so many different places. I’ve seen them too—especially the oceanic regions. It was a shock to learn that even on Earth, there are strange places like frozen seas, areas of perpetual fog, and unexplored waters.

『No. This is the place where we are right now.』

"Whoa, that’s amazing. It’s like the Grand Cany-on~."

Indeed, as Hiiro says, it does bear a resemblance. Though, there aren't many canyons to speak of; it’s mostly flat-topped mountains rising sporadically from the earth.

『Sigh, you are all being too optimistic. Shall we put the issue of the missing monsters aside for now?』

"Eh? There are no monsters? I thought the whole point was that they were swarming this way?"

『Yes, that was the case. There were plenty of monsters when we left the southern town, but about four hours in, they vanished completely. I’m still scouting from the air, but... Hiiro, from your perspective, do you see any monsters?』

"Hmm. I don't see any monsters either~."

It seems even through Hiiro’s eyes, no monsters can be confirmed. That being the case...

"It’s only been a day since we started moving, right?"

『Yeah, that’s right.』

"Then it’s too early to draw conclusions. They might only move during the morning, at night, or perhaps when it rains or gets foggy."

『I see. So there might be a trigger for their movement.』

"Besides, the whole reason the monsters were heading north in the first place was because something happened, right? It’s been quite a while since then; it wouldn't be strange if the monsters in this area have already finished migrating into the southern towns or the forests."

The threat of monsters approaching the town of O-e was, surprisingly, several months ago. It wouldn't be odd for that flow to have ceased by now.

『That’s one way to look at it. Well, I’ll keep investigating that.』

『Understood. Now, regarding where to build the fortress...』

"In that case, how about on top of that mountain?"

"Well, it would certainly be easy to defend against enemies... though building the fortress and moving personnel up there would be quite the ordeal."

Even if we were to build a road up to the summit, the struggle of climbing it would be immense. I suppose I’ll leave that headache to Yuki and the others. We will begin by establishing contact from the sea and starting the development of a path. It will also serve as a test to see just how far these drones can be utilized.

Now, will we finally be able to grasp the full picture of this world?