Chapter 240: The Suspicious Grassland
The day after I responded to Amagio Salmon’s request for a little more time.
“Ma’am, we have an urgent situation that requires your attention.”
“Hmm…? An emergency, you say?”
In the living space, Commander Eve was deep in thought, when RINGO approached her with the news.
“It’s not an immediate issue, but I would appreciate it if you could address it as soon as possible.”
If RINGO was saying that, it meant there was something pressing at hand. While the exchange with Amagio was important, it wasn’t something that needed to be decided today or tomorrow. However, leaving it unresolved for a week was certainly not an option.
“Understood. Should I head to the command room?”
“Yes, Ma’am. The Sisters have already been notified, so they should all be gathering.”
Along with the original Five Sisters, Asahi was also present at The Tree today. It would be a rare occasion for everyone to be together.
“Okay. It’s a good thing we prepared a seat for Asahi.”
Initially, the command room only had a seat for the Commander, but now it was equipped with seating and consoles for all six Sisters. Although the Androids didn’t require physical control panels, it was a matter of aesthetics.
Once everyone was seated quietly in the command room, RINGO projected satellite images onto the main screen.
“This image was captured at 10:32 this morning. And this one was taken 22 minutes later. We regularly monitor the area above the Demon Forest, primarily for Wyvern surveillance.”
The first image clearly showed a Wyvern in the center. However, the second image revealed no sign of the creature.
“Did it fly out of the capture range?”
“The cruising speed of a Wyvern is less than 150 km/h. In 22 minutes, it could cover approximately 50 km. Our reconnaissance satellites monitor a radius of several hundred kilometers, so it’s abnormal for a Wyvern in the air to go unrecorded.”
“I see…”
The reason RINGO had rushed to report became clear. A Wyvern that should have been present had suddenly vanished. The disappearance of such a massive and unpredictable flying creature posed a serious problem.
“We tracked the flight path of the Wyvern. It seems this individual has expanded its territory and was flying in an area it had never traversed before.”
“Commander, could it be that another Threat Creature has emerged? You know, like a gigantic mouth bursting out from the ground to devour it!”
“Ugh… please, no.”
Asahi spoke with hopeful exaggeration, while Eve grimaced at the thought. The battle against the Wyvern had been intense, and facing a Threat Creature capable of swallowing it whole was something they wanted to avoid at all costs.
“Ma’am, Asahi’s speculation isn’t entirely off the mark. Please take a look at this.”
But alas, RINGO displayed a new image. It appeared to be an enlarged satellite image with filters applied.
“…A grassland within the forest? And that sparkle… is that a Wyvern?!”
A relatively large grassland spread out within the Demon Forest. The scale was adjusted for better understanding, allowing them to gauge its size.
And at the edge of that grassland, there it lay.
The mark of a crash on the ground. A dirt-colored trail led to the massive body that had likely created it.
A Wyvern.
“Wait, are you saying it crashed? No wonder it went missing. I can’t believe you found it…”
“The Wyvern reflects visible light, so it was quickly identified through analysis. Its position also matches that of the lost individual.”
Immediately, multiple images were analyzed, and a 3D representation of the crashed Wyvern was created.
“Analysis complete. External injuries were found on the abdomen. Since this is the only noticeable wound, we believe this to be the fatal injury.”
“Seriously? So there was an attack that shot down the Wyvern?”
“Yes, Ma’am. That is highly likely.”
Eve stared in shock at the projected 3D image. In just 22 minutes, that Wyvern had apparently been shot down. Moreover, the identity of the attacker remained unknown. At least, the reconnaissance satellite images had not captured anything that could have attacked the Wyvern.
“Should we dispatch an Information Gathering Terminal, Commander?”
“Ma’am, if it’s an aerial unit, it won’t take much time.”
Prompted by Utsugi and Erika, Eve considered the proposal.
They decided to send a large transport aircraft equipped with variable rotor capabilities. It could hover in the air, making it ideal for the investigation.
“Alright. Let’s send it out. If we leave it like this, nothing will progress. It’s a bit scary, but it’s a necessary expense if something happens.”
After adding a few conditions to the proposal, Eve pressed the execution button.
The enhancements included reinforcements for accompanying machines and the establishment of a backup line. This was to ensure that even if the survey machine was shot down, they could monitor everything from a safe distance.
“Now then, I’ll leave the operation to Utsugi and Erika.”
◇◇◇◇
“Why is there suddenly a grassland in the middle of the forest?” Eve murmured as she watched the incoming footage.
“There are several possible reasons, but essentially, it’s due to the inability of trees to grow in that area.”
“…Ah, I see. It’s an environment where trees can’t grow. But why is that?”
In the forest, a grassland appeared abruptly. Normally, trees would gradually grow and eventually blend into the surrounding forest.
The fact that they weren’t growing raised questions.
“It could be a swamp where trees can’t thrive. Perhaps the ground is regularly disturbed by some natural phenomenon. Or maybe toxic gas is seeping out, allowing only specific species to thrive. Those are some possibilities.”
For instance, underground water could erupt every two years, mixing everything up. In such a case, only plants that could grow within two years would be found.
“Well, whatever the case, it’s an environment that differs from the surroundings. We’ve dispatched the survey machine, but is this really something we should investigate?”
“…It’s like stirring the bushes to draw out a snake.”
“Hmmm. It’s outside our territory, but if that Wyvern has a natural enemy, it’s better to know about it. Well, either way, we’ve already sent it out, so it’s fine.”
Approximately two hours after the survey machine took off, it arrived at the site, about 800 km from the nearest runway.
“First, we’ll survey the perimeter, then approach the Wyvern’s carcass.”
“Beginning the turn now~”
“Ground scanning commencing~”
The survey machine reduced its speed and banked to circle the outer edge of the grassland. The stout body, laden with survey equipment, began to slowly turn.
Behind it, at a distance of about 3 km, an accompanying machine kept watch.
“There are no unusual reactions.”
“I’ll increase the transmission strength~”
To estimate the terrain and the composition of materials, the sensors on the survey machine emitted composite waves of multiple frequencies toward the ground. By analyzing the reflected waves, they could gather a wealth of data beyond visible light.
“…It doesn’t seem strange at first glance.”
“Looks like ordinary ground?”
The data sent back was immediately analyzed by The Core. As they reviewed the results, Utsugi and Erika exchanged puzzled glances.
The reason the grassland remained a grassland was not evident from the composition of the ground.
“Well, whatever. Next, let’s check the Wyvern…”
Just as they decided to continue circling and approach the Wyvern’s carcass after a few dozen seconds of unsatisfactory initial analysis, it happened.
“High-temperature reaction detected!”
“Radiated electromagnetic waves detected, high output!”
Utsugi and Erika screamed in alarm.
“Wha—”
And then, as Eve watched, the survey machine exploded in a flash from a distance of 3 km.