The kingdom’s capital.
An emergency meeting was underway at the kingdom’s adventurers’ guild.
“This is quite disconcerting. A fire dragon, of all things.”
“What if the fire dragon is trying to change its territory? That would be a big problem, wouldn’t it?”
Buzz, buzz.
The guild master of the royal capital’s adventurers’ guild spoke.
“Everyone, calm down. Nothing is certain yet. We’re gathering information from various angles about recent changes, so let’s monitor the situation for now.”
One executive expressed doubt with a puzzled face.
“Strange things are happening within the kingdom too. There are unbelievable rumors circulating about the remote small city of Alburton. They say miraculous events are occurring there.”
“I’ve heard those rumors well myself.”
“So you’ve heard something too, Guild Master.”
“There was a report that adventurer achievements in Alburton have noticeably increased recently. To verify the facts, Vitus headed to Alburton.”
“Vitus? Why assign that to a top adventurer like him?”
“I didn’t send him. He volunteered to go himself.”
The executives gathered at the guild looked a bit surprised, then their eyes sparkled with curiosity.
They thought: Vitus volunteering for the request must mean there’s something in Alburton that piqued his interest.
“So, has there been a report from Vitus?”
The guild master shook his head.
“Not yet.”
The guild master found that part puzzling too. It had been over a week since Vitus left.
Given his travel speed, he should have arrived in Alburton with time to spare. If something happened on the way, news would have come through informants already.
There were two possibilities: He arrived in Alburton but the situation is complicated and he’s still investigating, or he’s deliberately not contacting us.
Either way, it hinted that something suspicious was definitely happening in Alburton.
“…We’ll get answers soon if we wait.”
The guild master swallowed his words. Right now, besides that, there was a bigger issue along with the fire dragon’s appearance.
“More importantly, isn’t there something we need to pay attention to?”
The executives exchanged glances.
“What else is left?”
“…The man who appeared riding the fire dragon.”
In contrast to the guild master’s serious reaction, the executives burst into laughter.
“Ah, you don’t actually believe that, do you?”
“It’s just the empire making a fuss.”
“Yes. They’re probably using this fire dragon opportunity to elevate the status of their dragon knights.”
“Rumors are always exaggerated and inflated.”
Perhaps they were right. The empire, longing to reclaim its old glory, could certainly exaggerate and fabricate rumors.
But.
“What if the one riding the fire dragon really exists, and it’s related to the fire dragon’s movements….”
A faint tremor mixed into the guild master’s voice.
“If such a person truly exists… depending on their purpose, it could lead to a major catastrophe.”
The atmosphere in the meeting room sank in an instant. It was due to fear of what might possibly happen.
If that person held any grudge against the kingdom, the kingdom would fall into an unprecedented abyss.
The guild master’s eyes sharpened.
“We’ve gathered now to prepare in advance for any potential threats. So we must listen to all information and act cautiously.”
The kingdom was facing a grave crisis.
“Achoo!”
I scratched my nose while spreading dragon fertilizer on the field.
“Did you catch a cold?”
“Maybe because I slept cold last night?”
“Stop working for now. I’ll make you a warm cup of honey water, so drink it and rest.”
“Thanks.”
I took the warm honey tea Elenia brewed for me and sat on a rock.
Basking in the cloudless, clear autumn sky and the gentle sunlight, I felt drowsiness creeping in.
“It’s so peaceful.”
Today, the world felt especially peaceful.
But.
“Huh?”
Peaceful my ass.
“What the hell!!”
This time, carrots had disappeared in clumps here and there.
Indeed, it wasn’t just my imagination last time. There’s definitely a culprit acting intentionally.
I was planning to make curry for breakfast, but now my mood is ruined.
“This is definitely suspicious.”
“I need to set a trap.”
I got to work right away.
I placed carrots as bait in a basket and made a trap that closes automatically when the bait is touched.
“I’ll place this in the carrot field and watch for a few days.”
And I harvested all the remaining carrots and stored them in the ice cave.
If the trap does its job, the culprit’s face will be revealed soon.
But I think I underestimated the guy too much.
The next morning.
“…What is this?”
This time, other crops had disappeared too.
“This is driving me crazy.”
The trap I made so painstakingly became useless. Could it be a creature smart enough to recognize a trap?
Or maybe the trap is ridiculously small compared to the culprit.
“Then changing the trap won’t help either….”
“If you’re really curious about the culprit, how about staking out?”
“Staking out?”
“If you know who the culprit is, wouldn’t it be easier to come up with countermeasures?”
“That makes sense.”
Right now, there’s too little information to devise a proper plan.
“Alright. I’ll stake out tonight!”
After sunset in the evening.
I hid in the bushes and carefully watched the field.
“Will the guy show up?”
Elenia, perched on my shoulder, said.
“We can only hope. If you’re tired, go inside and rest first.”
“Yawn… I can’t miss a good show.”
Dorori had gone home early, but Elenia was insisting she couldn’t miss an interesting scene.
Her eyelids already heavy with fatigue, she struggled to shake off sleep.
Rustle, rustle.
“Huh? What’s that sound?”
“Where, where?”
“Shh….”
I put a finger to my lips and held my breath.
I perked up my ears and listened to the sound. It was coming from the field.
We watched the field intently.
Shake, shake.
One radish trembled its leaves. It moved side to side like a roly-poly, as if trying to escape the ground.
Pop!
Then it suddenly disappeared underground in an instant.
“…Wh-what was that?”
I ran straight to the field. Elenia hurriedly followed and asked.
“What happened? Did you see the culprit?”
“N-no, it’s just. It sank into the ground?”
Only a hole remained where the radish had been. The radish had vanished underground in the blink of an eye.
No wonder there were no traces around the field; it had never come above ground in the first place.
“Since it moves underground, the trap was useless.”
“This is troublesome. We can’t block the entire underground, can we?”
Elenia yawned and rubbed her eyes.
“…Yawn.”
“You worked hard. Let’s think about the rest tomorrow and head in.”
“Yeah, we should.”
Elenia flew into the house unsteadily, drunk with sleep.
I turned to head inside too, but the hole kept bothering me.
“…What could it be?”
Curiosity filled my mind.
The next morning.
“Floating Island, do you know anything?”
Ding.
[Unknown. It is an undiscovered creature.]
The Floating Island has an encyclopedia.
Information about occasionally appearing new creatures can be checked through the ‘Floating Island Creature Guide.’
But a creature not registered in the Floating Island’s data. It did say the underground ecosystem has changed a lot.
“…A new mole?”
In farms, moles along with rats often mess up crops. But there’s no way moles would appear on the Floating Island.
“What are you thinking so deeply about?”
Elenia said, dipping her hand into the honey jar and sucking on it.
“Aren’t you curious? It’s an unregistered creature. This is a huge discovery.”
“Are you thinking of writing a creature guide or something?”
“Why not? I could do it. They say exotic animal encyclopedias are bestsellers even in the royal capital. Who knows? Maybe a Floating Island animal guide would be a hit?”
Adventurers’ thrilling stories stimulate curiosity about the unknown. Everyone has a romance for travel and exploration.
But I’m the only one permitted to explore the Floating Island, aren’t I?
My chest swelled with grandeur in an instant.
“Anyway, first I need to catch the guy. That’s how I can write a journal or guide.”
Whatever it is, I can’t let it keep messing up the field. It will damage the crops.
“But how do I catch it?”
The trap was useless, and the stakeout failed.
“It’s not easy. To catch a guy moving underground, you’d have to dig up the ground.”
“I’ll have to use the last resort.”
Even if I reveal the culprit right now, someone might steal crops again in the future.
So first, I need to strengthen the fundamental defenses.
“Floating Island, I want to enhance security so crops aren’t stolen. Is that possible?”
Ding.
[Checking if security can be enhanced.]
[Enhancing security requires 2 points.]
[Current Growth Points: 2]
[Do you wish to implement?]
“Please!”
Ding.
[Executing implementation to enhance security.]
Flash!
A strong light filled the field. I closed my eyes against the blinding light.
As the light gradually subsided, something stood tall in the middle of the field.
Ding.
[Scarecrow implemented.]
[Guardian of the field. Blocks intruders within a 100m radius.]
Elenia flew to the scarecrow and examined it from all sides.
“I thought it looked familiar— the scarecrow resembles your face exactly.”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
I tilted my head and approached the scarecrow. It really did look a lot like my face.
Not just the face, but the height, body, and even the clothes were very similar. At a glance, one could mistake it for me.
“Indeed, he’s handsome. Take care of things.”
I brushed off the dust that had settled on the scarecrow’s shoulder.
Scarecrows, shaped like humans to chase away beasts coveting grains, are very familiar to farmers.
“Will a scarecrow work on a guy that moves underground?”
“Let’s believe in it. Since the Floating Island implemented it, it won’t be an ordinary scarecrow.”
“I suppose so?”
It cost 2 points, so it must not be ordinary.
Even though it’s just standing still, it looks so reliable. I left the field to the scarecrow and turned away.
“Whatever animal it is. Just get caught.”
With that, I burned with determination toward the unknown animal.
“Ugh! Aaaargh!”
Meanwhile, that same morning in the beastkin village.
Alek was kicking his bed blankets repeatedly.
The fact that he had shown a tail-wagging demeanor to a human merchant filled him with shame, escalating to self-loathing.
But.
Gulp.
‘It was tender, though.’
The problem was that he couldn’t stop thinking about that human merchant and his food.