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Having arrived in Maritat late at night, we decided to cross the mountains right away.
According to Oswald-kun, there are apparently border guards, so he thought it would be better to slip out of the kingdom under cover of darkness.
Fortunately, everyone—myself included—has good night vision. We have no trouble seeing even in the dark.
However, crossing a mountain is no easy feat. This is especially true for a mountain left in its natural state, with no trails or facilities for hikers.
Many of the slopes were steep, and the ground was uneven—some places had sunken pits, while others were raised. To make matters worse, the soil was soft and slippery.
It seemed Maritat was located on a mountain straddling the border, so it probably wasn’t a place people visited casually. It was no wonder there were no trails.
We agreed that crossing the mountain while still riding Behaki would be too difficult, so Kuzuha-chan and I dismounted and made our way through the mountains.

“Arje-san, please watch your step.”
“Thank you, Kuzuha-chan.”
“If your clothes get caught on a tree branch and tear, I’ll mend them properly later, so please don’t hesitate to let me know.”

Kuzuha-chan, who had returned to her human form, was leading the way.
She seemed quite accustomed to mountain hiking and climbed with ease. Whenever she found a relatively gentle slope, she would go up ahead and motion for us to follow.
Following her instructions, we were gradually making our way up the mountain.

“Is Behaki-san going to be okay?”
“Are you okay, Behaki?”
“A slope like this is no problem.”
“He says it’s no problem.”
“That’s a relief. Still… it’s taking longer than I expected.”

Saying that, Kuzuha-chan looked up at the sky.
As if drawn by her movement, I looked up too and saw a soft vermilion hue in the sky.
It was a pale light, neither orange nor red, signaling the approach of dawn.

There probably wasn’t much time left before the sun fully rose.

“Dawn is breaking, huh?”
“It seems so. That said, staying here until night falls again would be too dangerous. Let’s head down as soon as possible.”
“I suppose so… Sorry, I’m walking so slowly.”

The reason it’s taking so long is clearly me.
It’s not like I was sleeping. I was a little disappointed when I realized we probably couldn’t cross the mountain while I was still riding Behaki, but I know it can’t be helped. It would be dangerous to force it and risk falling.
It feels like a hassle, and I’m doing it reluctantly, but I’m trying my best to walk properly.

That said, it’s not like I’m used to mountain climbing.
When we first started climbing Maritat, Kuzuha-chan was moving along so effortlessly that I tried to walk just as casually—and I almost fell.
It’s a different kind of difficulty from walking in the forest. The forest where we met Oswald-kun and the others was, like Maritat, unpaved and had tree roots, but it was still relatively flat and the ground was harder than here. Mountains are harder to walk on.

…Crossing mountains is surprisingly tough, huh.

I considered the option of turning into mist to move forward, but that’s even slower than walking, and it’s pretty tiring.
That said, flying as a bat is also a problem. I can’t just leave Behaki and Kuzuha behind and go ahead on my own.
As a result, I ended up being the one holding everyone back the most.

“Please don’t worry about it.”
“Hmm, but…kyah.”
“Oops… look, that’s dangerous.”

Just now, I stumbled slightly, but managed to steady myself as Kuzuha-chan took my hand.
Kuzuha-chan seems unfazed and is smiling at me, but I feel a little bad for causing her trouble.
However, my apology was just rejected. Rather than apologizing again, I should probably say this instead.

“Thank you, Kuzuha-chan.”
“You’re welcome. Are you two not feeling tired?”
“Behaki, are you tired?”
“Ah. No need to worry.”
“He says he’s fine. I’m fine too.”
“I see. We’re near the summit here, so the descent should go a bit faster. You two, please hang in there a little longer.”

Just as we were about to start the descent, following Kuzuha-chan’s lead, I suddenly sensed something odd in the air.
It wasn’t the scent of trees, nor the smell of soil. It wasn’t the scent of an animal either.
It was a scent I knew well, yet one that felt out of place here—in the mountains.
This sweet scent was the smell of a human.

“……It stinks like humans, doesn’t it?”

Kuzuha-chan turned to face me and said that, clearly grimacing.
Judging by her use of the word “stink,” human body odor must be somewhat unpleasant to her.
In contrast, I find this scent “sweet and pleasant.” I suppose it’s because I’m a vampire.
I found the difference in how Kuzuha-chan and I perceive the same scent a bit amusing, but I don’t have the luxury of dwelling on it.
The fact that this scent is wafting over means there’s a human nearby.

“They’re coming from over there… straight toward us.”
“What should we do, Arje-san?”
“Hmm… Behaki, please hand your gear over to me. If it comes down to it, Behaki, act like a wild horse, and Kuzuha-chan, leave your luggage somewhere and turn into a fox. I’ll just blend into the shadows and wait it out.”
“Understood.”
“Got it!”
“Let’s push forward as far as we can to buy some distance. It’d be better if we can create some distance.”

We could have waited for them to pass by, but it’d be a hassle if more people showed up. It’s better to head down early.
Since they both nodded in agreement, we set off immediately.
I retrieved the saddle and reins from Behaki and stored them in the Blood Box. Quickening our pace, we began our descent down the mountain.
Descending the slope carefully, I glanced behind me toward the source of the human scent.

“…!”

My eyes didn’t miss the clearly abnormal reflection of light coming from the gaps between the trees where the morning sun was streaming through.
I’d rather just laze around, but if necessary, I react and move quickly. My body is built with that in mind. The detection of the anomaly was instantaneous, and the response was immediate.
Something was clearly flying toward me. Realizing this, my body moved.

“Haft…!”

I pulled a sword from the Blood Box and drew it in the style of iaido.
I had learned the basics of sword handling in my previous life. That’s because the Kuon household teaches such things to their children.
A sharp clang rang out as I knocked the incoming object away. I made it just in time.

……That was close.

My movements were clumsy to begin with, and I hadn’t practiced in years.
I didn’t think I did very well myself. It felt like I’d just relied on speed to force my way through.
As proof of that, even though I blocked the attack, my foot caught on the slope and I fell. The fallen leaves and soft soil cushioned my fall, but I still hit my butt.

“Ouch!”
“Arje-san!?”
“I’m fine. More importantly…”

The object that flew at me was a blade, and its trajectory was low. In other words, it was launched to crush my leg.
There’s only one reason they’d do something like that.
Our opponent is definitely targeting us.

I take Kuzuha-chan’s outstretched hand and stand up. I wanted to brush the fallen leaves off my butt, but it doesn’t look like I have time for that.
The scent is getting stronger and stronger. Compared to a moment ago, they’re clearly closing in faster.
Their movements were nimble, weaving through the trees. They weren’t as fast as Chrome, but there was one thing that set them apart from her.
These precise movements clearly belonged to someone accustomed to rough terrain. They weren’t relying on raw physical ability; they were using technique to gain speed.
Upon careful observation, I realized there were three of them.
And then, all three emerged from separate gaps between the trees.
Even though they had sprung from different locations, they went out of their way to gather in the same spot and strike their respective poses.
I recognized that look. In voices I’d heard before, the three began their catchphrase.

“I am Chihuahua the Chain Sickle!”
“I am Dachshund the Bomb!”
“And I am Terrier the Throwing Knives!”
“““Together, we are the Terrier Bandit Gang!!”””

I’ve seen a similar scene before. Precisely because I’ve seen it, there’s only one thing I can say.
Pointing in turn at the bald guy still wearing his cape, the one with the nose hair sticking out as usual, and the guy in shorts who, for some reason, was shamelessly exposing his leg hair,

“The performers are here…!”
““‘Who the hell are you calling performers, you jerk!!!’””

The expected response echoed through the mountains.