Chapter 104
It took quite some time to reach the point marked on the map.
All that was visible were green meadows, fluffy clouds floating over low hills, and occasional cork trees. Just these three things.
This was the border region of the Soderton circulatory system. They said that upon proper entry, forests so dense they appeared black and rocky cliffs would spread out.
After walking for a long while, I arrived at the meeting point around dusk.
A lone tree rose from a round meadow. Luna sat demurely leaning against it.
I approached slowly so as not to startle her.
Just then, a bird flew to Luna.
A blue bird perched on the back of her hand and tilted its head, looking up at her face.
She raised her arm, brought her face close, and met its eyes. They communed as if she had raised it for a long time.
I had to stop walking. It was like a scene from a painting. I had never seen a wild bird voluntarily fly to a person and commune like this.
Perhaps this was what special talent unreachable through effort and technique looked like.
Luna sensed my gaze while communing and slowly turned her head. The bird fluttered away into the distance.
Unable to contain my curiosity, I asked, "Did you... talk with the bird?"
Luna shook her head.
"Birds can't speak."
Ah, right. What a foolish question.
The communion looked so natural that I thought they must have been communicating somehow. It was just instinctive.
I hurriedly changed the subject.
"Did you wait long?"
She shook her head again.
An awkward air flowed briefly. While Trisha was the type to pour out words if left alone, Luna restrained her emotional expression and barely made everyday conversation.
What should I do?
I'd have to work hard at making conversation.
"You didn't eat on the ship."
She nodded.
That meant she had been hungry since morning until now.
Oh dear.
This was my fault for telling her not to pack food, yet she showed no complaints or difficulty.
"Wait a moment."
We'd postpone wilderness experience until tomorrow; for now, I needed to fill Luna's stomach with civilized food. I felt guilty for starving someone who was already weak from just lying in bed.
I cut down some branches and gathered kindling in a suitable spot. Luna understood my intention and sat in front of it, lighting the gathered firewood with magic.
Our teamwork matched perfectly even without explicit conversation.
And from beyond the hill, a pack of silver wolves the size of bulls cautiously approached while watching me. I knew about them from earlier conversations. These were Luna's spirits.
One of them had a flat stone in its mouth, which it quietly placed beside me before running away.
I was trying to understand why it brought it when I noticed Luna sitting properly on a similar stone and realized. They were being considerate so we wouldn't sit on bare ground.
"I told the children about you beforehand but they're still afraid of you. Please understand."
Of course, I should understand. They were valuable beings. Thanks to Luna's spirits, we wouldn't need to stay up all night doing a night watch. The spirits were monitoring an area far wider than what could be seen with the naked eye.
Luna alone easily fulfilled the role of two or three team members...
Incredible.
I skewered the sausages Trisha had given me and grilled them close to the fire. Fire and food were excellent at erasing the silent atmosphere.
I handed Luna a properly cooked sausage.
She shook her head.
"You first."
"I already ate. Eat now since we'll move a lot tomorrow."
"..."
Luna firmly gripped the skewer with both hands. Perhaps unfamiliar with this method having used only forks and knives her whole life, she blew on it and awkwardly bit off a fingernail-sized piece from the end.
Watching quietly, noble modesty seemed to permeate her every gesture. Like someone from a different world than me.
And yet I planned to live like a primitive tribe for a week with such a delicate and precious girl?
Her bright clothes would get dirty and her body would be overworked until everything ached.
Am I doing the right thing?
Before I knew it, the sun had set and darkness was gradually falling.
Unlike my worries, Luna's expression held serenity. She took another bite of sausage and said softly, "...Delicious."
She couldn't take her eyes off the small burning campfire. A faint smile played around her lips as if she liked this camp atmosphere.
"Tomorrow will be a bit hard."
Though it broke the mood, I had to say it. Our destination was different from others, and the journey would be several times more arduous.
"It's fine."
Yet Luna's smile didn't fade.
***
When I opened my eyes, Luna was already up, quietly brushing her hair in the morning sunlight.
She had somehow changed into new clothes. This time a pure white dress. And her previous clothes were nowhere to be seen, as if buried in the ground.
Where did it come from when she didn’t even bring luggage?
Did she send spirits on errands?
"...Did you sleep well?"
When I greeted her, Luna turned to me and answered, "Yes. Thanks to you."
"...?"
Thanks to me? What did I do during the night...?
Setting aside idle talk, I got up quickly and stretched. After getting Luna's permission, I discarded the clothes I wore before putting on the mask and changed into different ones. It was to prevent others from recognizing me after wearing the mask.
When I finished preparing to some extent, Luna stopped brushing her hair and stood up.
Just like before, she sensed my intentions and prepared to act before I spoke.
I felt almost sorry for how well she accommodated me.
I retrieved the Maladirut I had planted in the ground before sleeping and transformed the Yggdrasil sapling into a wooden sword, tucking it at my waist.
"Shall we head out?"
Luna nodded and followed behind me.
Now we had to move in earnest.
One could enter by consuming flora and fauna from the circulatory system to become part of it. But changing just ingredients for a few days wouldn't solve everything.
In a week, one might somehow enter the early to middle stages of the circulatory system, but it was far from enough to reach the heart. That would take at least living here for several months.
So the method chosen to shorten adaptation time was hunting creatures at the top of the food chain.
According to Zverev, circulatory system energy accumulates up the food chain from small animals, concentrating most in apex predators before returning to the earth.
My plan was to steal circulatory system energy by hunting the strongest beasts.
For that reason, our destination was where others wouldn't go—the dangerous zone where apex predators lived.
***
Clang!
The sword in hand flew far and stuck in the ground.
The last one also couldn't withstand her sword and rolled on the ground, overwhelmed by force.
"Damn it, damn it."
All group members fell helplessly to an openly incoming surprise attack.
A plunderer group composed of three top-ranked Combat Department students and one Alchemy student was completely devastated without putting up proper resistance.
A black-haired girl standing calmly upright in the center of those sprawled on the ground was none other than Sion Izarel.
As rumored, her skill was indeed monstrous. Amazingly, she defeated them without even drawing her magic sword or artifacts, not breaking a single sweat. It was unimaginable what she'd be like using her full ability.
A being who plundered plunderers. Sion played above others' heads.
The fallen group members' expressions twisted. They had been powerful enough to match any other team. They hadn't thought they'd crumble so easily.
The man who had last crossed swords with her said, "Damn... what do you want? Are you here for revenge after we plundered other innocent groups?"
Sion put away her sword with an indifferent expression and said, "No. Jerky."
"...What?"
She didn't repeat herself.
The group leader watched her carefully and spoke tentatively, "If it's jerky... in that bag over there..."
At that, Sion went to where the luggage was gathered and started randomly searching. She threw dried fruit, water bottles, bread, and other food onto the dirt. Then, she picked up a bundle of jerky, and put one piece in her mouth and the rest in her pocket.
She didn't forget to say thanks.
"I'll enjoy it."
"..."
"Ah, haven't seen a masked man by any chance?"
"...No. Haven't seen him."
"I see."
Sion left immediately, leaving them behind.
The plunderer group members' jaws dropped in astonishment watching her.
"What? She attacked us because of jerky?"
"Well, rather than that, maybe we just had bad luck running into her and she took the jerky while she was at it."
All their preparations for ambush were useless against Sion.
"Right, we just had bad luck. They said there's no answer when you meet the three disasters of the joint class."
Even plunderer students who ranked among the strong had those they needed to especially guard against. Sion Izarel, Gale Varianne, and the masked stranger.
One watched Sion walking away and said, "She's going northwest? Is she heading to the dangerous zone?"
Where great beasts driven mad by excessive mana lived. The professors had especially emphasized its dangers.
They continued talking one by one.
"Well, isn't she looking for that masked guy?"
It was now an open secret that Sion had been chasing the masked stranger after a certain incident during the entrance exam.
"Probably. I think it's a thousand blessings I haven't met that masked pervert."
"I get Sion and Gale, but why is the masked pervert dangerous?"
"Someone overheard Combat Department professors talking. They said he ambushed Sion while she was fighting a golem at the peak. Then, he groped the injured Sion's thigh and ran away. He's truly insane."
"What? Wasn't it that he treated her leg after fighting the golem together? That's what everyone thought."
"Hey, think about it. Would she hunt him with such hostility if he treated her? There's no reason to wear a mask unless he's a pervert."
As if everyone's thoughts aligned, they all fixed their gazes on Sion's lower body as she walked away. She always wore shorts exposing skin below mid-thigh for operating acceleration artifacts attached to her ankles.
Those watching her retreating figure gulped. As rumors always expand in the retelling, it was impossible to know which was true.
If nothing else, they could instinctively sense that the dangerous zone was somewhere they absolutely must not go no matter what.