There exist certain dangerous places in this world that one should avoid as much as possible.
Treasure Hunters tend to forget this, but for your average traveler, mountains and forests outside of a nation's management are at the very top of that list.
Unmaintained mountains and forests contain abundant food sources, as well as precious resources that would fetch a high price if brought back to town. However, the dangers lurking within are more than enough to outweigh those benefits. There's a reason the items found there trade for such high prices.
Monsters. Carnivorous wildlife and harsh terrain are troublesome too, but they pale in comparison to the former's danger.
Unlike plains easily within human sight, mountains and forests far from town are beyond the reach of human eyes, and any particularly nasty monster that happens to be discovered near civilization is immediately designated as a priority extermination target — while meanwhile establishing its own ecosystem in the wild.
Furthermore, ley lines — the pathways of mana material — frequently run beneath mountains and forests, and there are research findings suggesting that monsters inhabiting those areas tend to grow far more powerful than their ordinary counterparts.
The Galet Mountain Range existed within imperial territory, but it was land that had seen almost no human intervention.
The few paths that did exist were made in the distant past and had been left unmaintained for ages, barely wide enough for a single carriage to pass through.
Compared to a proper highway, the ground was so uneven that you could tell just by sitting still inside the carriage that this was the kind of road people called "rough."
Amid the violent shaking, I retreated into a bit of escapism, thinking that this road would probably disappear and cease to exist someday too.
Outside the carriage, shouts were flying back and forth. With the curtains drawn, I couldn't see what was happening out there, but I could tell they were fighting monsters.
Strange monster cries and screams of pain reached my ears, and the carriage lurched violently. Horses whinnied, and metallic sounds overlaid it all.
Riz flopped lazily onto her back, rubbing her exposed belly, and flashed a completely unbothered grin.
"Hey, hey, Klein-chan! What should we say to those guys next? Got any good provocations? Something that'd make them wanna come flying at us right away! Let's brainstorm together!"
Incidentally, the reason Treasure Hunters tend to forget how dangerous forests and mountains are is because the places they regularly explore — treasure halls — are even more dangerous. They're one of the most perilous places in existence.
Compared to the Phantoms that appear in near-infinite numbers and in most cases leave nothing behind when defeated, Monsters — which leave behind flesh and blood that can be turned into money once you beat them — are probably the lesser evil. I can see the logic, but I wouldn't say "lesser evil" so much as "both warrant caution."
I shifted my gaze from Riz, who was rolling around without a care in the world, to Citry, who was sitting beside me.
"Hey... is it really okay out there?"
"I believe so. The layer is still quite shallow. Is something worrying you?"
Citry had been sitting primly with her hands on her knees, smiling away, but she adopted a brief contemplative expression before answering.
"...Huh. Well, if you say so..."
I nodded sagely while furrowing my brow.
It had been a few hours since we changed course, and I was already beginning to doubt my own judgment.
...Are there way too many monsters on this road?
The only one who might have understood how I felt — Tino — had clutched her knees and bowed her head sometime around when the first battle started, and now she just trembled in sync with the carriage's vibrations, refusing to even look at me.
The ceaseless sounds of combat and screaming were, to put it mildly, not great for one's mental well-being. I was doing my best just to keep up appearances that I was fine.
The Galet Mountain Range seemed to harbor far more monsters than I had imagined.
The carriage came to frequent abrupt stops, and judging from the shouts and screams audible from outside, three guards were clearly not enough.
But I had anticipated that monsters might appear in mountains and forests. The numbers seemed a bit high, but well, I had at least considered that possibility to some degree.
What was most unexpected for me was...
Watching Riz rolling around lazily, pressing her cheek against my knee like a spoiled child.
Watching Citry reading her book with a cheerful smile.
Watching Tino hugging her knees, lost in her own world.
...Hey, why aren't any of you fighting?
Sure, we had hired guards, but it was obvious they were understaffed. And Riz was undeniably stronger than those guards. Citry was a backliner too, but that certainly didn't mean she couldn't fight.
The reason I'd chosen the mountain road over Arnold's route was because I thought that with them along, our safety was guaranteed.
The usual Riz would never just sit around quietly while there was this much commotion outside the carriage.
I'd been wondering when she'd make her move, but before I knew it, I'd missed my chance to say something. Was there some reason?
The carriage lurched again, and faint shouts that sounded like insults drifted in from outside.
...I've been thinking this for a while, but those escort guys... aren't they pitiful?
Even if there was some kind of intent behind it all, from my perspective as a regular person, this was deeply uncomfortable.
But since nobody had said anything, maybe I was the only one who didn't understand the situation.
After a moment of hesitation, I steeled myself and asked Citry to confirm.
"...Hey, Citry. About what's going on outside..."
"Yes! It's a great efficiency boost being able to run a performance test on all three of them at the same time! You really are something, Klein-san!"
She gave me a bashful smile and gave a completely off-the-mark response.
Maybe that attitude was correct for an Alchemist, and I had to admire her pursuit of efficiency, but this was too much.
"...I mean, that might be their job, but... what if they die?"
"Hm? Well, let's see..."
Well, Hunters are always shoulder to shoulder with death, but this situation was a bit much.
Citry looked troubled for a few seconds, then pressed a finger to her lip and tilted her head.
"Find... the next ones?"
"Seems like you don't really get what I'm trying to say..."
"Eh...? I-I'm sorry. Um... was there perhaps some other use for them?"
"..."
I looked away from Citry and her peculiar sensibilities and turned to Riz, who was rolling about on the floor.
Her light pink irises, clear and unclouded, gazed up at me with curiosity. She was in her usual combat outfit, and the "Origin of the Heavens" she always had equipped on her outstretched feet gleamed dully.
"What? Why are you looking at me so much...? Oh, do you want to rub my tummy? Go ahead~"
Riz traced her fingertip across her prominently exposed sun-kissed skin... but I wasn't going to rub it.
I asked straight out.
"...Riz, don't you want to fight?"
"Hmm... well of course I want to fight! Lying around is nice, but staying like this makes my body go all soft."
Then why don't you— Without getting up, Riz raised her head slightly, rested it on my lap, and smiled.
"But... I'm being patient. Violence is forbidden, right? Aren't I being good? Hey, am I being good? Good or not?"
...Ah, right. I belatedly recalled something I'd said a few days ago.
No, I had indeed forbidden violence. I had forbidden intensive training too.
But still... that was for the purpose of enjoying the vacation — and while part of the reason I'd invited Riz and the others along was because I wanted to travel together, a good half of their role was as guards.
"...No, fighting monsters is an exception."
"...Huh?"
Riz's eyes went wide.
The "violence forbidden" rule I'd established referred to violence against people.
In other words, what I had really wanted to prohibit was simply: picking fights. Don't go picking fights with civilians, Hunters, or students — that's what I'd said.
Of course I wanted them to enjoy the vacation, and of course I wanted them to avoid danger as much as possible, but being attacked by a large number of monsters (and presumably at a disadvantage), leaving everything to a small number of hired guards while relaxing inside the carriage — no matter how you looked at it, that went against the whole point.
Not just Riz, but even Citry — which was unusual — was looking at me with a bewildered expression.
Well, I probably hadn't explained myself enough, but come on, just use common sense... Hm? Could it be that Riz had thought I told her not to resist even when attacked by monsters? No way. What kind of kink would that be?
Tino timidly raised her head and stared at me. Putting aside my own shortcomings, I declared in as hard-boiled a manner as I could manage.
"Subjugating monsters isn't violence. It's extermination. Right?"
As if to prove the correctness of my words, the carriage came to a halt and shook violently once more. Riz's eyes lit up.
"!! Klein-chan, I love you! I'm heading out!"
She'd apparently been holding back all this time — she forgot to bring Tino along as usual and bolted out instantly.
Just the act of moving made the carriage groan loudly, and then from outside came a voice just as foul-mouthed as the insults they'd been taking until now.
"Oi, you shitty fodder! Stop dragging your ass and fall back! Just protect the horses!"
"...Klein-san, I'm sorry. My sister seems to have... built up quite a bit of frustration."
The sounds coming from outside grew incomparably more intense than before. Riz must have been letting loose with everything she had.
Citry looked a little embarrassed. Well, I had given a weird order too...
"Um... would it be alright if I went outside to check on things as well? There might be materials to gather... and there are certain materials that rarely appear when you're not there, Klein-san."
"Sure, of course. Go ahead."
Citry gave a small bow, then bounded out of the carriage with a demeanor just as spirited as her sister's.
Now, things outside should quiet down soon. I yawned and found myself face to face with a pale Tino.
"Mastaa... perhaps... the real deal starts now?"
"Hm? No, it's not like there's a 'real deal' or anything... But yeah, Tino, you really should get some sleep soon. It'd be a problem if something happened."
"!? ...Yes..."
With a trembling voice, Tino hugged her knees tighter and closed her eyes.
Was that posture really okay? Tino always seemed to hold back in all sorts of ways around me.
There should be something among the luggage that I could drape over her.
With the unceasing sounds of combat outside as my BGM, I reached for the pile of luggage stacked in the corner.
But seriously... what kind of materials only show up when I'm not around?
In the end, Riz and the others never came back inside the carriage — not until the sun had set and Citry determined we'd reached a suitable spot to camp for the night.