2nd day of the Quest.
Even if something happened the previous night, the morning would come. Even if he didn’t want to meet, as long the request was in process he had to meet them face to face.
「「「……」」」
Hence the atmosphere within the carriage was frankly the worst.
The person Hayate couldn’t forgive was Sylvana and that was actually appearing in his attitude in reality.
On the other hand he had less anger towards Victoria. Without knowing what to from now onwards after something like that happened, a strange atmosphere was flowing among them.
「Hayate-kun, did something happen?」
「No……」
「But, it seems, somewhat……」
「It’s nothing」
Aria and Kiruru also worried about him, but he couldn’t do anything but deceive them.
「……」
Sherry also seemed to want to speak something, but she remained silent all the time. That was also way of worry towards him.
Soon enough the carriage arrived at the destination and same as yesterday, it went away after leaving Hayate and others.
「We will investigate the valley via different route than yesterday. The goal is to discover those Chimeras nest」
The Chimera were those regenerative Demonic Beasts which had an appearance of various animals mixed into one. It was possible that they were residing somewhere within this valley while making a nest.
Normally, the Demonic Beasts attack people indiscriminately as soon as they are born, but in rare cases, some attack humans in a planned manner while making a place as their base point. Most of the Demonic Beasts that act as latter had high intelligence.
「Let’s move out」
They had planned to investigate the caves and dens made due to the slope of mountains. According to Sylvana, this place had many caves reaching way down in the ground. The probability of nests being there was high.
For starters, Hayate and others looked around dens with comparatively shallow bottom.
「Do the Demonic Beasts even make nests? According to the impressions I got from stories tend to say that they attack humans based on their instincts」
Whilst confirming each and every den, Hayate asked Aria.
「That depends. There sure are Demonic Beasts that attack humans purely based on their instincts. Taking the numerous witness reports this time into consideration, there’s no doubt that those Chimeras had been using this mountain as their base point over a long period of time. But of course the appearances reported are too different for concluding the Demonic Beasts as the same species」
「Certainly they all had high regenerative ability, but just based on appearances they didn’t seem similar」
The Demonic Beasts were living things having an unidentified and mysterious source of origin, but there had been no precedential report of a species of Demonic Beasts having differences per individual.
There was one more point of worry, Aria spoke……
「There is a city at a distance easily covered by walking, there is also an mountain road for convenience, but there has been no reports of any casualties appearing due to it and that is weird……but I feel some sort of strange aim……although I don’t understand it clearly」
Having meagre information, even her words became ambiguous.
Naturally, Aria had reported about her doubt to Slyvana……however, it had been decided to continue on with the investigation of the Demonic Beast.
That is probably because of me……
There was no doubt that this was only because of ulterior motives of Verde Family for stopping Hayate in the mansion to the last date of Quest, and attacking at the best chance.
Though after the incident from yesterday, it would now be difficult for Victoria to seduce Hayate anymore. At least in the assertiveness of her will. In that case the person he needed to guard against the most would be Sylvana.
「……」
Even by peeking at her face, she was having her ever sour look, that made others not know what she was thinking……and it made him perplexed in response.
But well she is at the seat of head family, then the「decision of family」would mean the decision of Sylvana……then did she order Victoria to do things like this?
He thought that he would never be able to forgive that.
「We will investigate this cave next」
The group having finished the investigation of shallow dens in the surroundings, finally stepped into a slightly deep cave, as per Sylvana’s command.
「It’s unexpectedly bright?」
「Looks like plants emitting light are growing en masse here」
Looking after being told, there were faintly glowing things sticking on the walls and ceiling of the cave. Apparently thanks to those things the light source of guaranteed.
Relying on the light, he looked around in the cave that seemed like a natural cave rather than one created artificially. Hence there was no path that could be called a path, rather there was a rugged ground path made from rain water scraping off the ground. Hence they could only walk on that.
「So there are differences in levels. Sherry, your hand」
「Oh, thanks」
「Aria and Aria too」
「Thank you very much」
「Thank you」
Hayate descended below first and lend his hands to three girls.
「Victoria」
「Yes……Onee-sama」
Sylvana also did the same as him, but the act of sisters seemed awkward.
Like that they kept on walking nearly an hour within the cave.
From the footprints left on the moss present within the cave it could be surmised some beast had come and gone from here, but it couldn’t be concluded if it was of Chimera.
「We will take a rest for a while here」
Hayate and others stopped walking on Sylvana’s command, and gave relief to their legs by sitting down.
「Pretty wide, this place. Almost like auditorium of the Academy」
「You’re right. It almost seems like one will die if going down that hole」
In the dead centre of the open space Sherry pointed, there sure was a pretty big hole. He peeked inside it, but it was too dark inside for being able to see anything. It was pretty deep, it seems.
That moment Hayate discovered Victoria sitting alone in the corner of that open space.
「……Sorry, Sherry. I’m going to Victoria’s place」
「Hmm. Are you worrying that much about Victoria-san?」
「Ah! no, it don’t mean in some different sense……」
Hayate mumbled as if finding correct words.
Worrying about Victoria here could probably be meddlesome. Rather he was being targeted by Verde Family, he should actually be increasing the distance from here in that case.
But……still……
How the heck can I leave Victoria in that state.
The sensation seeming like a rising urge from the bottom on heart inadvertently moved Hayate’s legs to face towards Victoria. He couldn’t control that.
He racked his brain for finding a way to get the unexplainable sensation into words……but abruptly, Sherry heaved a sigh.
「Well fine. Go now」
「Is it fine?」
She wasn’t informed correctly, but still she was able to sense that something occurred between Hayate and those sisters. So why was she still allowing him to go to them?
「If I stopped you from going right now, it will be the same as me rejecting the you I fell in love」
「……!」
Once before, there was time when Hayate had saved Sherry while being stimulated by the exactly same sensation he was feeling right now.
「Sorry」
「It’s fine. This is the weakness of falling in love」
「～～～」
The line was embarrassing enough to make him blush, even though he was the listener.
Hayate rushed towards Victoria, for talking it out with her and also for escaping from embarrassment.
「Yo!」
「……」
No reply.
He sat beside her without minding it.
The silence continued for a while, but soon enough Victoria broke it first.
「……What do you want?」
She asked curtly.
Hayate hesitated, wanting to get on main point after talking with roundabout topics; however, he decided to go straightforward here.
「Why did you accept that absurd order?」
「That……is the decision of family after all」
「But the Victoria I know would definitely turn that down? She would start swinging the whip with a deep red face」
「Just what sort of character am I inside your mind!?」
Seeing Hayate talking with exaggerated gestures, Victoria unintentionally raised her voice.
She seemed surprised soon enough and returned her vision down……and started talking intermittently.
「I don’t want to disappoint Onee-sama」
「Your sister?」
「Yea……Onee-sama is the one truly fit for the name of Verde Family. She is strong, full of wisdom, harsh on herself, and never runs away from the responsibilities she is shouldering. She had been in the Chivalric Order of country before she became the family head, she had defeated numerous Demonic Beasts, sometimes even saved various people by putting her life on line. Compared to her I am…….」
No one knew the popular and honour student called Victoria had such a complex within her.
It alone represented how big of an existence Sylvana was to her.
「No matter how much I work hard, I can’t win in anything against Onee-sama. ……That’s why I thought to become strong at least. Becoming strong, I wanted to conquer the『Walpurgis Night』that even Onee-sama wasn’t able to do」
「……You wanted win against your sister?」
「That is wrong──」
Rejecting Hayate’s words, Victoria showed a smile seeming too sad.
「──I wanted to see Onee-sama’s face right from front, boldly. I wanted to puff up my chest saying I was her sister……Onee-sama is my idol after all」
Victoria looked up at the ceiling of the cave.
「But, from Onee-sama’s point of view, I’m just a worthless existence」
「……Something like that is」
「If it was impossible, do you think she would order me to do something like this……?」
「……」
「I thought if seeing the ability in the examination before, she would probably take down the decision, but it didn’t happen」
She didn’t wanted to disappoint her sister, wanted to accomplish her sister’s order……however, being ordered something like that, she was feeling deeply, truly deeply hurt……holding these two conflicting emotions, Victoria had been doing her work till now.
He finally grasped the reason behind her strange actions recently.
「……」
As expected he wasn’t able to forgive Sylvana.
Was this an act she should’ve done to her little sister, Victoria, who idolizes her so much?
Hayate stood up. He wanted to speak out to Sylvana for stopping her from forcing Victoria, but── at that moment.
*bizz*
「!?」
This chill is!
Hayate shifted his focus towards the deep part of the cave at once.
There weren’t many plants casting light, hence it was dark.
「Gahgahgahgahh!」
From inside that darkness, Chimer appeared in great quantities.
「All hands, assemble!」
「Kuh!」
Although he thought badly of Sylvana, she was still the leader of this team currently. He also had to protect Sherry, so abiding by her command, he gathered in a single place with others.
「! They’re big than the ones from before!」
The opponents were Chimera with an appearance of big bird and monkey with thorny arms.
The beak of the Chimeras opened not in the shape of「一」but in four side like「十」, inside it the sharp fangs were lined in rows. The Chimera of monkey had faces on the face side and tail side, it looked all the more grotesque.
Just how much of a haphazard existence are Demonic Beasts! Are they seriously from the same species? Holy shit, they’re scary!
It felt like he lost his appetite just by looking at them.
But……leaving aside their grotesque appearance, as an enemy, they weren’t too big of a deal to Hayate and Sylvana.
「O Flame!」
「Magika Aqua Javelin」
Their attacks terminated the Chimera with certainty, leaving no space to regenerate from.
The bothering point would be the numbers of enemies. No matter how many they killed, new ones kept on appearing from inside the cave.
「Kuh! This place was their nest, eh!」
「To get the right place so fast, we’re truly lucky and unlucky」
Sherry replied with light words to shouting Hayate.
They couldn’t be said to have the superiority, but they sure weren’t inferior. After all, Hayate held a『Seele』, while Sylvana had the experience of appearing in the『Brynhildr Cup』.
They couldn’t see the end of this wave, but if they kept on defeating them all, they would surely stop coming at some point……
Gagagahhh!
Gagagahhh!
Suddenly Hayate’s ears heard a strange noise completely different than that of fighting.
「？」
Thinking what it was, Hayate tried to looked out to find the identity of that strange sound.
At that time.
「Gahgahgahgahgahh!」
The monkey Chimeras were swinging their hands and smashing the ground of cave.
That was already digging rather than smashing, and the strange sound was of the stone being scraped off.
「!?」
At that point Hayate realized that they all had been facing their back towards the big hole located right in the middle of the open space.
If the ground they were standing on were to break──
「O……」
「Magika……」
──Hayate and Sylvana acted at once after realizing the aim of the Chimeras.
But, the enemies were a second faster. *kaboom*!! The foothold crumbled.
「Hayate-san!」
「Hayate-kun!」
Maybe as a blessing in disguise, Kiruru and Aria barely escaped the range of collapse.
The people dragged below were Hayate and Sherry, and Victoria and Sylvana.
Need to save Sherry……!
Hayate forcibly grabbed Sherry’s hand and threw her towards Kiruru and Aria.
Similarly, Sylvana thrust away Victoria to the ground that didn’t crumble.
Two were saved, two lost their chances of escape.
「Hayate!」
「Onee-sama!」
Hayate kept on falling towards the bottom of the hole along with collapsing ground while hearing the voice of Sherry and Victoria that seemed to becoming more distant.
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