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Thud. Splash.

Those sounds came from to her right.

“Huh?” Myril wondered, turning her gaze in that direction.

There stood Tadd, looking completely bewildered.

He had been pinned to the ground, his chest pierced by the sharp claws of the giant snow lizard’s hind legs.

“Haa… ga…”

Breath and red liquid leaked from Tadd’s mouth.

The Great Snow Lizard, leaping with its powerful hind legs, had instantly reached Myril and the others—who had been standing a safe distance away—and, using the momentum from its charge and descent, pierced Tadd’s chest—his heart—with the claws on its hind legs.

The giant snow lizard shifted its position atop Tadd’s body. As a result, its claws dug even deeper into Tadd’s chest, and something red splattered onto the surrounding snow.

Immediately after a grating “scratch” reached Myril’s ears, she heard a “whoosh” as if something were cutting through the air, followed by a “thud” as if something had been struck.

The Great Snow Lizard, trampling Tadd’s body without a second thought, flipped itself over and lashed out with its long, supple, whip-like tail, striking Korlan, who had been standing next to Tadd.

Korlan, violently struck by the tail, was sent flying without even a chance to cry out, slamming into a nearby tree with his back. He slid down the trunk and collapsed at the base of the tree.

Only then did Myril finally come to her senses.

“R-run!!”

She shouted at Gans, who was still unharmed.

The light of life had already gone out of Tadd. No human could survive having their heart pierced by such sharp claws.

The same was true for Korlan, who had been blown away. His neck, as he lay collapsed at the base of the tree, was twisted at an unnatural angle.

It was a ruthless decision, but Myril chose to prioritize her own life and that of Gans, who was still unharmed.

The giant snow lizard standing before them now was no opponent they could defeat, even if they joined forces. Therefore, their only remaining option was to flee.

Gritting her teeth at the reality that she couldn’t even recover her comrade’s body, Myril ordered Gans to flee. As she did so, she activated her trump card: her magic.

The duration of her magic was extremely short. However, while it was active, her physical abilities, attack power, and defense increased dramatically.

Using these enhanced abilities, she would act as a decoy to let Gans escape. Then, when the opportunity arose, she would flee as well.

That was the plan Myril had devised in an instant. But that plan was quickly derailed.

Gans disobeyed Myril’s orders and rushed over to where their fallen comrade lay.

“H-hey, Korlan!! Tadd!! A-are you okay!?”

──No, Gans!! Run away!!

Myril screamed with a voice that wasn’t quite a scream, but it didn’t reach Gans.

Gans frantically ran toward his comrades. But he never made it to them.

A shadow fell over the running Gans.

When Gans noticed this and looked up, the sole of the Great Snow Lizard’s foot was closing in right before his eyes.

“……Eh?”

A dazed voice escaped Gans’ lips. At the same moment, his head was kicked by the Great Snow Lizard’s hind leg, and as he was pinned between the ground and the leg, his head squished like a ripe fruit.

—Ah… ah…

Myril could do nothing but stare at the scene in a daze.

When the Great Snow Lizard turned its crimson eyes toward Myril, something inside her snapped.

──……Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…………!!

Screaming inwardly, a frenzied Myril charged at the Great Snow Lizard.

Her speed, enhanced by magic, rivaled even that of the Great Snow Lizard.

In the blink of an eye, she closed the distance between them and slammed both hands into the Great Snow Lizard with all her might.

Under normal circumstances, it would have been difficult for her to slice through the Great Snow Lizard’s scales. But with her attack power boosted by magic and driven by her frenzy, her strike cleanly sliced through the Great Snow Lizard’s scales.

Crimson streaks ran across the Great Snow Lizard’s white body, and pitch-black blood gushed forcefully from the wounds.

At the same time, the Great Snow Lizard let out an agonized roar.

Driven by rage, Myril continued to swing her arms wildly.

When her anger subsided and she regained her composure, the Great Snow Lizard was nowhere to be seen. Had it fled, wary of the power she’d gained through magic, or had she unconsciously run away from it herself?

Before she knew it, Myril was trudging through the snow-covered forest, completely naked. It seemed she had exhausted her magical power without realizing it.

Having lost all her companions and equipment, Myril walked aimlessly through the snow, completely naked.

Unable to bear the cold any longer, she wrapped her arms around herself—and at that moment, she heard a beast’s roar from somewhere.

Was it the roar of the Great Snow Lizard, burning with wounded rage, or was it the roar of some other beast?

Myril couldn’t tell, but the moment she heard the roar, a wave of panic swept through her body.

Now that she had no equipment, no magic, and had lost all her companions, she had no way to defend herself.

Overcome by the fear of being attacked by a beast, Myril began to run without even checking which direction she was heading.

Naked, through the snow-covered forest.

.

“…Please… take me with you… so I can avenge my comrades… No, I don’t think I can avenge them myself… So, at least let me be there to see that giant snow lizard defeated… Please… I beg you.”

Myril bowed her head deeply as she spoke. But she quickly raised her head and stared intently at Tatsumi and the others.

Myril’s eyes were wet with tears. Yet, they held a steadfast conviction.

Upon seeing this, Calcedonia and Juddock turned to Tatsumi.

“……What do you think, husband?”
“……What do you say, Tatsumi-pie?”

Faced with the same question from both of them, Tatsumi furrowed his brow.

If they took her along as she was, there would certainly be benefits.

She did have experience—albeit limited—fighting the Great Snow Lizard that had turned into a fiend. Moreover, she had even managed to wound it.

That experience and her combat ability would surely come in handy at some point, and she wouldn’t simply be a burden.

Besides, even if he refused to let her come along now, she would surely go after the Snow Lizard on her own.

In that case, it would be better to keep her under their command. That was Tatsumi’s decision.

“All right, Myril-san. Come with us. But you must absolutely follow our orders. Never act on your own or rush ahead. Those are the conditions.”
“I got it… No, I understand. Um…”

Myril tilted her head. Come to think of it, Tatsumi realized they hadn’t introduced themselves yet.

“I’m Tatsumi… Tatsumi Yamagata. And this is—”
“—I’m Calcedonia Yamagata. Nice to meet you, Miss Myril.”

Caledonia interrupted Tatsumi mid-sentence and introduced herself with a beaming smile. The fact that she slyly included “Yamagata” in her name might have been a subtle way of putting Myril in her place.

Struggling to stifle a laugh at Caledonia’s behavior, Juddock followed suit.

“…I’m Juddock. I’m a Shade, just as you can see. Nice to meet you, Myril-chan.”

Myril’s eyes widened in surprise at the sight of Juddock snapping one eye shut.

“Well then, we’re going to get ready, so please rest a little longer until then, Myril-san.”
“Just call me Myril. It seems we’re about the same age anyway.”
“I see. Then you can call me Tatsumi, too.”
“In that case, please call me Calcie.”
“Of course, you can just call me Juddock, too.”

The four of them agreed on new ways to address each other. They set out to fulfill their respective objectives.

Eru, watching them from a short distance away, smiled happily, even though she felt a bit out of place.

“Looks like they’re shaping up to be quite a good team. I’m actually looking forward to seeing what the future holds for them.”

The loss of Myril’s comrades was certainly a tragedy.

However—and this might sound cold—as long as you’re in the business of hunting mabeasts, it’s something everyone has to be prepared for to some extent.

Eru hoped that Myril would overcome this tragedy and grow as a mabeast hunter.

And her presence would surely serve as a positive inspiration for the novice mabeast hunters, Tatsumi and Juddock.

Looking forward to seeing how they’ll perform in the future, Eru also set about making her own preparations.

Now that a fiend had appeared near the capital, she, too, intended to lend a hand in defeating them.

On her way to her room to make those preparations,

Suddenly, a question crossed her mind.

“…………Come to think of it, what kind of magic does Myril-san use? What school does it belong to?”

.

The existence of the fiend had been reported to Giuseppe by Tatsumi.

Giuseppe officially ordered Tatsumi and Calcedonia to defeat this mabeast.

Among the temple’s higher-ups, there were indeed some who objected to pairing Calcedonia—who possessed great skill, a proven track record, and a stellar reputation as an exorcist—with an unknown, ordinary mabeast hunter.

However, once it became known that Tatsumi was among those partnering with Calcedonia, those voices naturally grew quieter.

As the second “Heaven” mage in history and Calcedonia’s fiancé—and having received direct instruction from Giuseppe, he is now regarded as a direct disciple of the Pontiff—Tatsumi’s name is already well-known not only throughout the Temple of Savaiv but also in other temples and even parts of the Kingdom of Largofili.

Tatsumi, the “Heaven” mage most effective against Specters, and Calcedonia, renowned as the “Holy Maiden.” If these two were to team up, no one would dare object.

To begin with, this fiend extermination mission is a direct order from the Supreme Pontiff himself. It is impossible for anyone—even the king—to object to this.

Officially, Tatsumi and Calcedonia have received the Supreme Pontiff’s orders, while Juddock and Myril are their hired hands.

However, neither Juddock nor Myril has the slightest intention of settling for the role of mere hired hands. The two will fight side by side with Tatsumi and Calcedonia against the Great Snow Lizard.

Furthermore, Eru has also joined Tatsumi’s party.

Eru’s role is focused primarily on reconnaissance rather than serving as a combatant against the Great Snow Lizard.

Currently, the fiend in question is believed to be lurking in the forest near the capital. However, no one knows its exact hiding place, and if the forest were searched on a large scale using tactics like a human wave, the mabeast—whose intelligence has increased due to being possessed by a specter—would quickly flee far from the capital.

That was precisely why Giuseppe ordered only Tatsumi and Calcedonia to carry out this mabeast hunt.

If other exorcists from the Temple of Savaiv, or exorcists from other temples, were to join forces and set out to hunt the fiend, it would flee immediately.

Therefore, based on past experience, the most effective method for subduing fiends is to do so with a small group.

Following Eru’s suggestion, they decided to rely on spirits to locate the mabeast.

Spirit users can communicate with spirits. Eru’s plan was to use the spirits of the forest trees and snow to track down the Great Snow Lizard’s whereabouts.

Spirits are everywhere. It’s easy to assume that if you ask them, you’ll find out almost anything instantly—but that’s not actually the case.

This is because there is a significant difference between the minds of spirits and those of humans—including demi-humans.

In particular, spirits have a very vague concept of time. They have only a rough distinction between “the present” and “the past”—spirits have no concept of “the future.”

For example, suppose you ask a spirit, “Are there snow lizards in the forest?” and receive the answer, “I’ve seen one before.”

However, the snow lizard the spirit refers to as “one I’ve seen before” might actually be one it saw about ten years ago.

Furthermore, spirits cannot distinguish between great snow lizards and ordinary ones. To them, they are simply “large white lizards,” and their perception of size is considerably more vague than that of humans.

For these reasons, the utmost care is required when asking questions of spirits.

One must choose words that spirits can easily understand and carefully analyze what they say.

However, Eru—the founder of spirit magic—would likely be able to overcome these challenges and gather useful information from the spirits.

Thus, an operation to hunt mabeasts unfolded, drawing in Tatsumi and Calcedonia, as well as Eru, Juddock, and Myril.