The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
Chapter 402: Go Ahead
(TL:By Rafael,valhallatls.blogspot.com)
What is Elfin-san thinking right now?
Suddenly, Lin and Monica appeared… and then disappeared with Finia and me. What does she think about all this?
She’s probably furious.
She must be thinking that I schemed this whole thing—having Lin and Monica hide in the dungeon in advance to cheat somehow. I bet that’s the conclusion she’s come to.
It’s only natural to think that way when two people are found in a dungeon no one is supposed to enter. Honestly, where did those two even come from...?
Well, I’ll think about that later.
For now, Elfin-san—and likely the rest of the Phoenix Tribe—must believe I’m in cahoots with Lin and Monica. To clear that suspicion, I have to capture those two.
Also… they’re bound to be up to no good again, so I need to put a stop to that as well.
"B-but, um… what are we going to do? We don’t even know where we are…"
"Oof…"
The two of them look dejected, but there’s a way.
"If we take the time, we can get back to the Phoenix Tribe’s village."
By forming provisional contracts with numerous animals, we can use a search-party strategy to find the village. It might take some time, but we’d definitely locate it.
But right now, we don’t have that kind of time. Lin and Monica could make their next move at any moment, and—more than anything else—I’m worried about Kanade and Chiffon, who’ve been taken hostage.
So, we’ll go with another approach.
"Instead of returning to the Phoenix Tribe’s village, let’s find Lin and Monica first."
"Eh… um, isn’t that going to be difficult too…?"
"No. Tracking those two isn’t hard—in fact, it’ll be pretty easy."
I doubt they’re still lingering near the Phoenix Tribe’s village. They must have left to rest their bodies and prepare for their next move. They’re probably camping out somewhere.
When camping, fire is essential—not just for warmth, but also to keep animals and monsters at bay.
"Only humans use fire. In this situation, the only ones who’d be using fire outdoors are Lin and Monica. We just need to find that."
"I-I see… but how will we do that?"
"Well, I’ll need a bit of help for this. On our way to the Phoenix Tribe’s village, I noticed them, so there should be some around here too… Oh, there it is."
I spot a bright red bird and call it over, forming a provisional contract with it.
"What is that…?"
"This little guy is called a Hidorii. See how it’s all fiery red? That’s why it’s called Hidorii."
"I-I see…"
"It has an interesting trait—it rests near warm places. Its body temperature is naturally low, so it instinctively seeks out heat sources. It’s said to have a remarkable ability to detect heat, capable of finding sources several kilometers away."
"Oh, so that means…"
Understanding my plan, Finia nods in agreement.
"Exactly. First, we’ll have it call its friends…"
At the sound of its unique cry, about ten more Hidorii birds appear. I form provisional contracts with all of them.
"Alright, I’m counting on you."
The birds take flight simultaneously, the sound of their wings flapping echoing in the air.
A dozen or so Hidorii begin flying in circles above us, probably searching for heat sources. After a while, about half of them fly off in different directions, while the rest head together in one particular direction.
"Let’s follow that group."
"Y-yes!"
"Woof!"
――――――――――
For a while, I ran through unfamiliar terrain.
Even though I had the power from my contract with Kanade, I was starting to get out of breath. The Hidorii, however, kept flying straight ahead without paying me any mind.
If Lin and Monica aren’t there, I swear I’ll cry.
Praying that this isn’t a mistake, I continued following the Hidorii.
"I-Is that human really up ahead?"
Finia was riding on Sakura.
Sakura, seemingly with infinite stamina, didn’t show the slightest sign of fatigue.
"Five birds are responding, so I want to believe they’re heading toward a fire. But if it turns out to just be a forest fire or something, I might actually cry."
"Th-That’s possible too…?"
"If it were a forest fire, we’d be able to spot the smoke from far away, so I don’t think that’s the case. Wait. Stop."
"Huh…?"
Realizing something, I immediately ducked into the nearby bushes.
Finia looked confused, but Sakura seemed to understand what I meant and quietly followed me into the thicket.
"W-What’s wrong…?"
"Quiet… Look, over there."
Ahead of us, I spotted a campfire.
I didn’t see anyone around, but the fire was still burning.
They were probably just temporarily away from the site.
"A-A campfire!"
"Alright. Looks like we found the right place."
"W-What are we going to do…?"
"We’ll wait for Lin and Monica to come back… No, before that, let’s set up a little trap."
"A trap?"
――――――――――
"Ahahaha! The Phoenix Tribe? The Fang Wolf Tribe? Those guys are ridiculously easy to fool!"
"Hehe, it went perfectly, didn’t it?"
Lin and Monica had now moved on to visit the Fang Wolf Tribe’s village.
There, using Monica’s powers, they disguised themselves as members of the Phoenix Tribe and summoned monsters to attack.
The Fang Wolf Tribe fell for it completely, growing even more hostile toward the Phoenix Tribe.
If they repeated this trick with both tribes, it wouldn’t take long before a full-scale conflict erupted.
They’d fight and destroy each other…
And when only one side remained, it would be easy to crush them.
It was simple work.
Not only that, but it was incredibly enjoyable.
Seeing two of the strongest tribes dancing in the palm of their hands was so absurdly amusing that Lin and Monica could hardly contain their laughter.
"Ahh… but I’m a little tired from all that teleporting and summoning."
"Then let’s take a break. I left everything as it was, so we can camp right away."
"Honestly, I’d prefer a proper bed, but I guess I can’t afford to be picky."
Lin and Monica returned to their campsite.
There, they warmed themselves by the fire and rested at their leisure.
The comforting atmosphere made them start to doze off, their eyelids growing heavier and heavier.
"…Huh?!"
A sudden pricking sensation jolted them awake.
But their bodies refused to move, and with no strength left, they collapsed to the ground.
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