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“Alright, this is as far as I’ll see you off. Just try not to die in some boring way.”
“Okay… Off we go!”
“Hey, my stomach kinda hurts today. Can’t we reschedule…?”
“No way, Mr. Nova. Let’s give it our best together!”

The next morning, I saw them off at the carriage prepared just outside the city walls.

It was, to put it kindly, a well-worn antique; less generously, it was a beat-up old carriage. Most likely, it was something a merchant had used extensively and sold off for a cheap price.

Apparently, the plan was for it to hold together for the one-way trip—that is, they weren’t expecting them to return.

“But man, in the end, I couldn’t master a Unique Magecraft.”
“That was anticipated. I figured it’d be nice if you did, but I wasn’t counting on it from the start.”
“So what was all our trouble for?”
“It’s about your attitude. When you try to take on the impossible, you end up putting in a life-or-death effort. You at least learned how to navigate dangerous situations, right?”
“Yeah, thanks to… thanks to you, Master.”
“I’ve told you many times: the power of dragons is incomparable to mine. Never let your guard down; in fact, you can’t be too cautious.”
“Understood! …But, Master, we don’t know the first thing about handling a carriage!”
“As I thought. That’s why I called in some help. Don’t worry; just get in.”

I faced the puzzled Momo and gestured to the carriage.

Someone was already sitting there, having boarded ahead of them. The Saint had called on them, so naturally, they were well-prepared.

“Ugh… Why… Why do I have to go through this…?!”
“…Huh? Master, isn’t that…?”
“Ah, yes. She’s the one who tried to kidnap Stell. Like Nova, she’s here to atone for her crimes and has graciously agreed to join you.”
“Who in their right mind would willingly come on this death tour?! Look at these shackles—they explode if I break the contract!”
“Oh, I have the same ones.”

Poking her head out from the carriage, the teary-eyed, dark-skinned girl lashed out in frustration.

She was one of the assassins who had previously schemed during the Umravolf family incident, and she was also a wizard capable of wielding Unique Magecraft.

“Her name is Kusuf, apparently. Feel free to put her to work as you like—her unique magecraft should come in handy.”
“Oh, that’s the one that lets her burrow into the ground! Nice to meet you, Ms. Kusuf!”
“Why’s this kid so damn enthusiastic?! She’s the one least involved in this mess!”
“Grumble all you want, but if you dawdle too long, that bracelet of yours will see it as slacking.”
“Damn it! Why am I stuck with this? Hurry up and get in, you idiots!!”
“You’re one of the idiots too, brat! Sis, make sure to pick up my bones!”
“If there are bones left.”
“ “That’s terrifying to hear!” ”

They hadn’t known each other long, yet these two already made quite the duo.

“Master, we’re off! Oh, and I’d love curry for dinner!”
“I’ll let the guild staff know. Now, go and die without regret.”
“Yes, I’ll give it my all, life or death!”

With the reins in the assassin girl’s hands, the creaky old carriage started moving.

Roughly calculated, it would take them about three hours to reach the mountain. The investigation likely wouldn’t wrap up in just a day or two.

I wasn’t sure what ‘curry’ was exactly, but perhaps the guild staff could arrange it.

“…Well, I’ll think about it once they get back.”

I could already picture Momo excitedly shouting, “I’m starving!”

It was strange. Even though they were heading into the perilous dragon’s nest, I couldn’t imagine a future where she didn’t make it out alive.

“At least I won’t be distracted by needless worry. I can focus on what I need to do.”

I took a sealed envelope from my breast pocket.

Now then, just what business could the head of the Umravolf family have with me at this point?

――――――――…………
――――……
――…

“…Hey, we’re here. You still alive?”
“Zzz… Wha!? A-Are we here already!?”
“Don’t sleep! It took us over three full hours to get here!”

This pink-haired woman… had she been sleeping the whole time while I was out here, huffing and puffing, guiding the horse? Unbelievable. She must have a few screws loose, that’s the only explanation.

Come to think of it, this nutcase was the reason I failed when I tried to kidnap that noble’s kid. Damn it, she’s infuriating.

“S-Sorry! I’ll get ready right away… whoa, that’s a big mountain!”
“Watching you, missy, somehow I’m finding a strange kind of peace.”
“I wanna go home! Why am I stuck with these weirdos!?”

One’s a happy-go-lucky pink-haired idiot, and the other’s a middle-aged wizard who’s at least a bit more competent than the pinky but still lower-ranked than me. And now, the three of us have to march into a dragon’s nest and figure out “why the wyverns attacked the ship carrying the saint.”

This is hopeless, utterly hopeless. I’ve really misjudged when to bow out of this job. I’m going to die here.

“Aw, don’t be so uptight. I’ve already reached the ‘acceptance’ phase myself. Want some jerky?”
“I can’t give up! Unlike you, I’m still young! And stop eating the emergency rations without permission!”
“It’s fine, it’s not like it… well, it does run out, but hey, there’s a mountain here—we could just hunt for something to eat, right?”
“Hey, old man, are you really a wizard? There’s no sign of any beasts at all.”
“…You serious?”

The sight of that mountain made me feel sick—that mountain was already dead. It was a sharp, exposed ridge with barely any greenery. The soil wasn’t rich, but there should’ve been some wildlife establishing a simple ecosystem. And yet, not even a wyvern’s presence could be felt—there was no sign of anything moving at all. There hadn’t even been so much as a breeze, even though we were near the ominous sea, which should at least be stirring.

If this isn’t unsettling, I don’t know what is. Unless they were a complete idiot, anyone would recognize this as a serious anomaly.

“Is that so…? I have no idea what’s going on.”
“Honestly, I only realized it after you pointed it out. Situational awareness has never been my strong suit.”
“There are only complete idiots here…!!”

To be frank, I wanted nothing more than to cut off my wrist along with this cursed bracelet and flee, but I doubted the Astraea folks would have left any escape routes like that. I had no choice but to press on, to climb this ominous mountain that was setting off every alarm in my body.

Right, the three of us weren’t chosen to work together. These two were just meat shields, sacrificial pawns, human offerings—all to ensure that I’d make it back alive!

“Alright, I’m gonna scout ahead for a bit! Be back soon!”
“Huh?”

Before I could even devise a plan to outmaneuver the other two, the pink-haired idiot had already dashed off. She bounded and leapt with an inhuman speed, quickly shrinking to the size of a speck in the distance. Was she fearless, or just suicidal?

“H-Hey… shouldn’t we stop her?”
“Nah, even if we yelled, would she even hear us at this point?”
“Guess that’s true, but still…”

The old man’s response was indifferent, like he’d already expected this outcome. Weren’t these two supposed to be teammates? No, she’s as good as dead. There’s no way she’ll make it back. And now my calculations are all off—how am I supposed to handle one person bailing on us this early?

“Aaaand I’m back!”
“Wo—Whoa! A ghost!?”
“I’m not a ghost! I’m Momo!”

In under a minute, the idiot was back, just as she’d said she’d be.

Sure, she said she’d be quick, but this was ridiculous. It’s better than her dying, but without any results, what was the point of her taking such a risk?

“Welcome back, missy. See anything?”
“Yes. I did, but, um…”
“What is it? If you saw something, tell us—it could be life or death here.”
“Well, uh… how should I put it… It was dead.”
“Dead? Who?”
“………I think it was the dragon. Just up ahead.”

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