Chapter 18
"What were you guys thinking, saying you'd follow me?"
Inside the East Wing's storage room.
Kain, who had been silently packing his things, asked Bolio, Edward, and Fohn.
Fohn, meeting Kain's gaze, subtly avoided it and said,
"W-what do you mean? Would it have been better if we hadn't v-volunteered?"
At those words, Edward said to Fohn,
"He's probably just asking what was on our minds, literally. He always talks like that."
Kain nodded.
"Edward's right. I appreciate you volunteering."
At those words, Fohn's expression brightened.
"W-well, the reason is, you seemed really eager to go, Kain... And you also looked c-confident."
"Yeah. And even though Bederman is looking down on you, we've already seen your skills for sure."
Edward grinned.
However, Kain shook his head.
"Even so, the snowy mountains are not a place to take lightly. We don't know what variables might be lurking. For you guys, it would have been a better decision not to volunteer for this."
If Edward and Fohn had accurately grasped Kain's true abilities and made their decision, it might have been the right one.
But if they had made their judgment based only on what they had seen of him so far, it was a naive decision.
And Kain actually wouldn't have resented them at all if they hadn't volunteered. That would have been the natural decision.
But at Kain's words, Edward grinned again.
"What's this, Kain? Are you worried about us?"
"It's not that I'm worried..."
"Thanks. But we didn't come here just to be carried along. We've diligently practiced what you taught us, and we're quite confident in our own way. Right, Fohn?"
"Y-yeah. We can do well too."
Edward and Fohn lightly bumped fists.
"Honestly, I was more surprised when Bolio volunteered. That… Bolio of all people would volunteer to help Kain!"
At those words, Bolio, who had been packing his things, turned around sharply.
"What are you talking about? Why would I help Kain?"
"Huh? Isn't that why you volunteered?"
"Of course not. If this mission succeeds, the support funds that were cut because of Kain will be restored. It seems like quite a large sum, and just getting that back would be a huge help to the Clan."
Bolio continued, putting one more sausage in his bag.
"If I go along and prove that I've contributed and achieved results, then the Clan Head's and the instructors' evaluation of me will go up."
"Ah-ha!"
"And, more than anything, I need practical experience right now to surpass that guy Kain again. If I went with other guys and only Kain gained practical experience and came back, it would be harder to close the gap. That's why I volunteered."
"O-oh, so that was the reason."
Bolio looked dumbfounded at Edward and Fohn's answers.
"Didn't you guys make this much calculation and then raise your hands? You didn't really raise your hands just to help Kain, did you?"
"Yeah. So...?"
"Uh-huh. Y-yeah, that's right."
"...You guys are really something."
"Th-thanks."
"That wasn't a compliment, you brats!"
***
Under everyone's watchful eyes.
Kain, Edward, Fohn, and Bolio said goodbye to Blake Siers, who had come to see them off at the North Gate.
"We'll be back, Clan Head."
"Yes. Always remember that your lives come first. There are times when you need to know when to retreat."
"We will keep that in mind."
Wayne Siers, who was behind them, also came forward and took Edward's and Fohn's hands.
He was Edward's and Fohn's father, and he had almost collapsed in surprise when Edward and Fohn had raised their hands earlier.
-E-Edward and Fohn, why...? Ugh.
-Honey, get a hold of yourself! Our boys are finally going to gain practical experience on their own two feet!
If his wife, Celine Siers, hadn't been beside him, he would have collapsed right there.
"Boys, please be careful. Okay?"
"Don't worry, Father. We've practiced hard."
"Y-yeah. Nothing will happen."
Edward and Fohn reassured Wayne and then bowed.
Bolio watched them and adjusted his backpack.
Creak!
As the North Gate opened, the high snowy mountains, with swirling snow and biting wind, appeared before them.
The four, having finished their preparations, began to walk towards the snowy mountains.
***
Unlike the northwest side where Snow Leopards mainly resided, the northeast side of the snowy mountains, where Kain was currently heading, had quite irregular terrain and many high altitudes.
'It's a good environment for agile Snow Rabbits to run wild.'
Kain moved forward, breaking through the newly fallen snow that sank deeply with each step.
"Kain, how far have we come? It feels like we've gone quite a ways, but there's no end in sight."
At Edward's question, Kain stopped for a moment and took out a map.
"Our current location is around here. Our primary destination is that small cave over there, as I said earlier. That way has a steep incline, so we'll cross over here and move along the gentlest path possible."
"Ooh... wow, Kain. I thought you hadn't been to the snowy mountains much, but you're surprisingly knowledgeable?"
"Y-yeah, as expected of Kain. So reliable."
"...That's information you guys could easily deduce yourselves, if you just knew how to read a map."
He had set the primary destination as the highest peak among the nearby ones.
The reason for deliberately choosing a high altitude wasn't just for safety; it was because the high ground was the most suitable place to accurately grasp the flow of mana in the snowy mountains, the ley lines.
'If the reason the Snow Rabbits are running wild isn't just the breeding season, we might find clues in the flow of the ley lines.'
Kain planned to decide on the next destination based on the results of checking the mana flow there.
'No matter how I think about it, it feels unsettling.'
Kain recalled the unpleasant smile Richter had shown him at the end.
'He said they were attacked by Snow Rabbits on the way here.
If they found out something then but deliberately didn't tell us...
"Whoa! Kain! Over there!"
While he was thinking that, Edward pointed ahead.
"It looked like something just moved..."
"Good eye. Something's moving over there too."
"Gasp!"
"Everyone, prepare for battle. It looks like there are quite a few of them."
Thud thud thud!
As if on cue, the snow piled up on the upper slopes began to collapse towards them.
'No, the snow isn't collapsing.'
It wasn't snow, but a large group of Snow Rabbits rapidly rolling and sliding down towards them.
"Squeak!"
"Squeak!"
Edward shouted, belatedly realizing it was a group of Snow Rabbits.
"Crazy! Are all of those Snow Rabbits?"
"W-where should we attack first..."
Just then, Bolio shouted.
"You idiots! Instead of being surprised, think about using your magic even once more!"
Bolio extended his hand forward and unleashed the mana he had been accumulating as if exploding it.
"Fire Ball!"
Whoosh!
A full ten Fire Balls instantly began to grow in size in the air.
They were smaller than the Fire Ball he had summoned during his fight with Kain last time, but the number had increased, and the density of each one was also higher.
'Kain, I tried training the way you told me.'
-Even if you reduce the number of Fire Balls a little, focus on maintaining the overall flow of mana until the end.
At first, he had reduced the number as Kain had said and focused on each one, increasing their density.
'Trying to change my habits almost drove me crazy at first...'
Once he reached a point where he could maintain a stable density, it became easier to increase the number afterward, as long as he had enough mana.
'Ten is honestly a bit of an overreach for now.'
But when there were this many enemies, it wasn't the time to be picky.
"Haaaaap!"
The ten Fire Balls flew towards the group of Snow Rabbits rushing down like an avalanche.
Boom boom boom boom!
"Squeeeak!"
"Squeak...!"
The muscular Snow Rabbits that were hit directly screamed and fell down, charred black.
The Snow Rabbits caught in the explosions rolled on the snowfield with their bodies on fire, tangling with the surrounding Snow Rabbits.
"Nice one, Bolio! I can't lose either. Fire Needle!"
"Fire Needle...!"
Edward and Fohn also summoned their confident Fire Needles.
'Just like Kain taught us...'
'Just do as well as we did in practice...!'
Whoosh!
Edward and Fohn, each summoning five Fire Needles, fired their magic forward.
'Accelerate while maintaining the axis...'
'Rotate it in one direction...!'
Wheeeeeeze!
Tiny Fire Needles.
They gained speed with the rotation and pierced the chests of the Snow Rabbits.
Thwack. Shatter.
They continued to rotate, twisting through the pectoral muscles, piercing and tearing apart the hearts.
"Screeeech..."
That wasn't the end of it.
The Fire Needle, having pierced the Snow Rabbit's heart and devoured the mana gushing forth, burning its way completely through the rabbit's back, then impaled the head of the Snow Rabbit directly behind it.
"Y-yes!"
He hadn't intended to pierce through the head in one go, but in any case, the Fire Needles that Edward and Fohn had shot were taking down more than two Snow Rabbits with a single hit.
"What? They're better than I thought?"
Bolio, not wanting to be outdone, poured out more Fire Balls.
His magic, combining the advantage of his abundant mana and efficient training methods, crushed the Snow Rabbits indiscriminately.
Boom boom boom boom!
'How's that, Kain! At this rate, I'm at least on par with you...!'
Taking a brief breather after unleashing a barrage, Bolio glanced at Kain and frowned.
'Huh?'
Kain wasn't extending his hand towards the approaching Snow Rabbits but was reaching diagonally towards the sky.
'What's he doing?'
Even the Snow Rabbits in the direction Kain was looking were still unharmed and had already come nearly halfway.
"Kain! What are you doing! Hurry..."
And at that moment.
Kain opened his eyes, which had been closed.
Only then did Bolio raise his head and confirm the magic Kain was casting.
"N-no way..."
Bolio doubted his own eyes.
Above Kain's head, in the snowy mountain sky, countless red lines, easily numbering in the dozens by sight, floated.
Kain calmly watched the Snow Rabbits charging madly towards him.
'Snow Rabbits look like rabbits, but they are much larger and more muscular, so you need a certain amount of firepower to pierce them head-on.'
Of course, for someone of Kain's skill level, piercing them head-on wasn't a problem at all.
However, with such a large number, it would naturally take a lot of effort to pierce them one by one from the front.
But Snow Rabbits had one fatal weakness.
'That's their crown.'
Due to the Snow Rabbit's physical structure, with a slight gap between its skull bones, if you accurately pierced its crown with magic, you could finish it in one shot with relatively little power.
'Even with Fire Needles that are this small and short.'
Kain glared.
Like tiny, fine raindrops.
But the tips were sharper than honed spears: dozens of Fire Needles.
He controlled every single one of them with just his mental power, delicately setting their landing points like a conductor handling a grand instrument.
"Squeak!"
"Squeak!"
Pat pat pat!
The Snow Rabbits he hadn't deliberately touched to avoid creating variables in their movement.
Above the heads of those charging straight ahead.
"Coordinates locked. Descend."
With Kain's gesture, the brightly burning red raindrops fell all at once with a pattering sound.
