Chapter 4: 404 Not Found
It was a nightmare.
A nightmare, indeed, but—
I was glad it was just a nightmare.
I was drenched in sweat, my throat parched. The sound of my heart raced like a drum.
I took a moment to calm myself, sipping some water to soothe my throat. With a bit of time left before morning, I tried to slip back into bed. However, no matter how hard I tried, sleep eluded me.
Since then, I had been unable to sleep, and before I knew it, the meeting time had arrived. I showed up a bit sleep-deprived, yawning as I reached the gathering spot.
The sky remained overcast, just as it had been for the past few days. The dull gray sky, heavy with humidity, seemed ready to unleash a downpour at any moment, and the humidity only increased, becoming palpable.
Alongside Miro and Deete, the same members as before, we relied on Miro’s Presence Detection Skill as we set out to hunt the Fog.
Even while fighting, part of my mind couldn’t help but dwell on the nightmare from yesterday.
Should I consult someone about it? But if I were to say, “I had a dream where someone suffered terribly,” I could already imagine the response: “So what? It was just a dream. Isn’t that a bit inappropriate?”
So what should I do… The answer eluded me no matter how much I thought about it.
Miro, the spearman, dashed forward, skillfully wielding his spear to sweep away the Fog with ease. Just like yesterday, he took the lead, dispersing the Fog and turning to me with a beaming smile, puffing out his chest in pride. He radiated an aura that seemed to demand praise, much like a large dog seeking attention.
Suddenly, I was reminded of my sister, Hikaru. Whenever she scored well on a test or had a successful day in her club activities, she would always be the first to report it to me.
I recalled her standing before me with a perfect test paper, beaming with pride, and it made me feel a bit nostalgic. Yes, in moments like this—
“You’ve mastered using your spear as if it were an extension of your body. More than anything, your swift attacks that leave no room for counterattacks were impressive.”
When I praised him, Miro shyly brushed his hair back.
“Is that so…? Well, I must say… being praised like that feels pretty good…”
As we exchanged words, Deete, with her glasses and braided hair, shot us a sidelong glance, her expression one of mild annoyance. Though she was somewhat difficult to communicate with, her skills in battling the Fog were undeniably impressive.
During the hunt, there was a moment when her position allowed her to see both the Fog and Miro overlapping. It seemed challenging for her to aim at the Fog, but she executed a precise pinpoint shot with her Intermediate Water Magic, Ice Lancer, taking down the Fog beautifully. It was a feat that could only be accomplished with considerable training.
“Deete, your precise shot with Ice Lancer was remarkable. Many mages think that as long as they can use powerful Intermediate Magic, that’s enough… but your efforts really show.”
“W-what? Even if you praise me, I can’t offer anything in return!!”
Seeing such talent on display—my worries momentarily set aside—I felt it was time for me, as the elder, to show a good example.
I snapped my cheeks to gather my focus and pumped myself up. I was quite the cash cow when it came to motivation.
After a while, we spotted a group of Fog (more than seven of them), and seizing the opportunity, I unleashed my spell, Rain, showering them with radiant light.
Once I confirmed their annihilation, I turned to face the others.
“You can praise me, you know?” I thought, looking at them with a grin. But then Deete spoke up.
“Wasn’t that a waste of Mana? By defeating the enemy with an appropriate amount of Mana, you can conserve your energy. In that regard, your method just now, Row-san—”
Her critique hit the mark.
“And considering the amount of magic you just used, it wouldn’t be surprising if you ran out of Mana soon. So for the future, it might be wise to think a bit more about your fighting style—”
While her points were valid, they didn’t apply to me. Far from running out of Mana, with the Rain spell, I could do the same thing a thousand times over.
When I conveyed this, she responded as if explaining to a slow learner.
“That’s a ridiculous joke. Let’s be realistic; only someone like the Saintess or the Sage would have that kind of Mana capacity.”
“That’s why I can do it too. I’m serious. I don’t lie.”
In response to my rebuttal, she spoke as if trying to enlighten a dim-witted child.
“This isn’t the time for such foolish jokes. We’re tackling the Fog together as a trio. Your arrogance and thoughtless actions could endanger not just you, but also Miro-kun…”
Sniff, sniff. Why… why do you say such things? Why don’t you trust me?
And then it hit me, wait a minute! “Miro-kun too…?”
!?
Aha! I see now! Oh, I get it. I finally connected the dots.
The era of the painfully oblivious protagonist, who is either too dense or cowardly to notice anything, has long since passed. Now is the age of the perceptive male lead.
As the representative of the perceptive male, I was sharp enough to suspect that if the gazes of the opposite genders even slightly intertwined, I would think, “Could they be…?” And if a girl lightly touched my shoulder, I’d wonder, “Does she have feelings for me?”
If that were the case, then as the only adult here, it was my duty to help nurture their healthy growth and solidify their bond.
“I understand, Deete. From now on, I’ll be more thoughtful in my approach. As expected of the best mage in the Berserga Mercenary Corps… right, Miro?”
What can I say? Helping with romance is what being an adult is all about. I sensed her flustered demeanor, but that was just my imagination.
“Y-yeah, that’s right. There’s no doubt about Deete-chan’s abilities.”
You dense fool!
Seeing Miro’s hesitant response, I resolved to continue promoting Deete’s strengths.
Behind us, Deete blushed, waving her hands in a flustered manner, humbly saying, “Please stop…” but I had no intention of stopping.
There’s no need for a life veteran to hold back.
“To think such a lovely young lady not only possesses great skills but also remains calm and collected, excelling at battle analysis… it’s truly wonderful. Right, Miro? You think so too, don’t you?”
As the saying goes, children shouldn’t hesitate to rely on adults, so I would take charge of everything.
For the next few days, we continued our hunts without change. Miro and Deete and I discussed strategies and assigned roles, making for a fruitful time.
However, as the days passed, I began to notice something concerning.
First, the usually cheerful Sensei had been showing signs of deep contemplation more frequently.
This change began the day after she had a conversation with the Elf Guildmaster—Pulmy-san.
I interacted with Sensei as usual, but whenever I saw her alone, she would let out a troubled “Hmm…” and ruffle her hair with both hands. When I asked, “What’s wrong…?” she would snap back to reality with a startled, “Huh!?” and then say, “Oh, it’s nothing…” in a manner that was completely uncharacteristic of her.
Additionally, there was one instance where the Fog manifested with a physical presence. Although our party didn’t encounter it directly, I heard that among the group of Fog, a Corpse Person and a Bone Warrior (collectively referred to as such due to their varied weaponry) had been confirmed.
The Fog taking on a physical form alongside the Corpse Person and Bone Warrior was consistent with the explanation Sensei had given us before.
However, according to Sensei and Anon, the manifestation of monsters was occurring far too quickly compared to the last time we faced the Sealed Domain.
However, it remains unclear how this will affect us in the future, so ultimately, what we must do won’t change.
What we can do is simply to search and destroy the Fog as soon as we find it.
There was one more thing that concerned me. It had been weighing on my mind lately. The weather had been terrible recently, and if it started to rain, our burden would undoubtedly increase. We need to take that into consideration and discuss it further.