Seeker 140

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Chapter 140. Departure

We traveled on horseback to the village closest to Dragon Valley. 

Aria-san had mastered riding art, and somehow, even though neither I nor Kazane-san and Yuzuki had any experience, we managed to handle the horses. 

It seemed to be part of our seeker abilities.

We left the horses in the village and continued our journey on foot from there. We ventured into the rugged wilderness, far from civilization. 

Along the way, we didn't encounter any monsters, and the first day of our journey went smoothly.

We continued our travel during daylight and began preparing for camping as dusk approached. 

Aria-san, surprisingly skilled, efficiently took care of tasks like building a campfire and setting up tents. 

On the other hand, Kazane-san, Yuzuki, and I, urban dwellers from the modern world, were a bit clumsy. 

While following Aria-san's instructions with puzzled expressions, we managed to prepare for the night in one way or another.

By the time darkness had fully set in, we gathered around the campfire to have dinner. 

The women prepared a splendid meal using dried meat, cheese, vegetables, and dried fruits. 

While I could cook basic dishes, I doubted my ability to create such a sophisticated meal with limited ingredients.

"Here you go, Daichi-kun. Say 'aahhh'."

Just like the other day, Kazane-san fed me a bite of her cooking. 

It was embarrassing, but the atmosphere didn't allow for resistance.

"Ah, aaahhh... munch munch..."

"How is it? Delicious?"

"Yes, it's delicious."

I thought we didn't need to go to such lengths to intimidate Aria-san, but I felt a bit happy and went along with it. 

It felt very much like a romantic situation. Kazane rarely did this sort of thing unless it was just the two of us, so I decided to savor the moment.

In this situation, with a campfire in front of us, Kazane nestled up to my left side. 

On the opposite side, Yuzuki sat, and for some reason, she also aimed her spoon toward me, full of soup.

"Senpai, from me too, aaahhh."

"Well, I understand with Kazane-san, but why you too?"

"What's the matter? Can't accept food from me, but you can from Kazane?"

"Which group are you even from? Besides, the positions with Kazane-san and Yuzuki..."

"Munch! Shut up! Senpai, just open up and say 'aahhh'!"

She forcefully inserted the spoon into my mouth. 

What's with her? Is this the rebellious phase? 

Well, she's always been a bit like that. It's more of a "dere" phase... the little sister's tsundere period?

"Come on, Hotaru-chan, that's enough."

Kazane-san chuckled and scolded her while patting her head.

"I understand how you feel, Hotaru-chan. Come here. Onee-san will give you some attention."

"Ugh, Kazane-oneesan, heehee."

Yuzuki hugged on Kazane-san. 

Kazane-san held her and began to pat her head like she was comforting a child. What's going on here?

By the way, Aria-san was watching us from the other side of the campfire, looking a bit downcast. 

It made me feel like we were subjecting her to loneliness, and I felt a bit apologetic.

Alright... let's involve Aria-san in the conversation somehow... I've got it.

"Aria-san, could you please confirm the path ahead once again? Today, we'll take turns standing watch while resting here. We'll depart tomorrow morning and aim to enter the Dragon Valley by noon. Is that correct?"

"Yes, that's right. To reach the depths of the valley, our destination, we need to pass through Wyvern territory, an area where Vampire Bats also appear, and then proceed through a cave."

"And the purpose of going to the depths of Dragon Valley is to find the medicinal herbs we need. However, there's a..."

"Yes, an Aerial Dragon is said to be waiting there."

"So, that's our goal."

The route is straightforward. 

The key is whether we can overcome the monsters we encounter. 

At this point, Kaede interjects with a question.

"By the way, Senpai, Wyverns, and Aerial Dragons fly, right? I'm mainly focused on magic attacks, so it's not a big deal for me. But for you and Kazane-san, isn't it difficult to fight them?"

"Well, you have a point. They're different from low-flying types like Killer Wasps. So they can be quite troublesome."

As Yuzuki suggested, for me, using [Triple Thrust] as the main source of firepower, and for Kazane-san, who relies on dual-wielding daggers for physical attacks, monsters with flying capabilities are a poor match.

Close-range attacks won't reach if the enemy is airborne. While both Kazane-san and I can use magic attacks to some extent, they are much less potent when compared to physical attacks. 

If the opponent remains in the air and attacks from there, we might have to rely on Kaede's magic.

"But Wyverns don't have ranged attacks either."

Kazane-san stands up, gently pushing Yuzuki aside. 

She tosses a piece of cheese into the air and swiftly draws 2 daggers from her waist sheath. 

As the cheese falls, she swings her short swords with a swift motion, slicing the cheese into fine pieces that land neatly on a prepared plate.

"They can't attack from above either, so that's our target. Daichi-kun, say 'aah.'"

"Ah, aaah... munch munch"

Kazane-san, squatting after sheathed her short swords, uses her fingers to pick up a piece of cheese and feed it to me.

Playing along, I take a bite of the cheese and nibble her fingers a bit.

Kazane-san playfully licks her fingers and smiles mischievously. A natural-born succubus, perhaps?

"But the problem is the Aerial Dragon. It has a special attack called Wind Breath. Though it seems it can't use it repeatedly."

"Yes. There's a cooldown time after using it, so it can only perform close-range attacks during that period."

Dragons have an attack called Breath, where they spew out a breath weapon. 

This attack is equivalent to a magic attack and allows long-distance strikes in addition to sweeping a wide area.

It's a troublesome ability, no doubt. However, it seems they couldn't unleash Breath attacks in rapid succession. 

After using it once, there's about a 20 seconds cooldown period, leaving an opening for us.

"Also, there's one more important point for this mission."

"An important point? Is it that 'monsters won't flee'?" 

Kazane-san guesses correctly.

 

"Exactly. No matter how dire the situation is, once a monster enters combat mode, it charges at us like a berserker. This works in our favor this time."

"Monsters won't be able to fly away, so it's easier for us to deal with them."

If they flee, we won't be able to complete the mission. 

We can't let 30,000 experience points slip through our fingers. 

On the other hand, Aria-san tilts her head.

"…? But if they did run away, wouldn't that be great?"

"Oh, well… Either way, it's a pointless assumption."

"Indeed. I've never heard of monsters running away."

"Could they possibly retreat temporarily after using Breath to cool down?"

"I don't know, but let's hope that's not the case." 

If that were to happen, we would likely have to focus on healing ourselves during the monster's cooldown period. 

In that case, it might turn into a frustrating battle.

As we discuss our strategy around the campfire and finish our meal, we wrap ourselves in blankets and settle in for sleep. 

We take turns to keep watch while resting throughout the night. 

But we are not attacked by any monsters.

Morning arrives, and we prepare to depart. 

We have 94 days left until our return to the original world.