Chapter 21
"Y-you're going north?"
"A-alone?"
This time, even Edward stuttered.
"Yeah. I'm going alone."
"What are you going to do there?"
Bolio asked with a serious face.
"I need to resolve the cause of this situation."
Kain's answer was clear.
It was so devoid of hesitation and so clear that it left Bolio speechless.
Bolio clenched his fist tightly.
"Kain. It might sound funny coming from me, the one who said you could take down a Snow Bear, but even so, going out there alone is too dangerous. It's not just one Snow Bear; multiple could appear at once."
"Y-yeah. Going that deep alone is too risky."
"That's right! Kain, reconsider. How bad must it be for Bolio to be worried about you?"
At Edward's words, Bolio glared at him sideways.
"I wasn't worried, okay? Think about it. If our strongest asset recklessly goes ahead and dies, we might have to retreat immediately, mission or not. And have you forgotten the conditions Bederman set? It's true I came to make a contribution, but this is specifically a mission given to 'Kain'. We're just accompanying him. In other words, if this guy dies, the mission ends right there."
"Come to think of it..."
Clearly, Richter Bederman had promised rewards if 'Kain' caught a sufficient number of Snow Rabbits and accurately identified the cause of this situation.
Blake Siers had absolutely refused to send Kain alone, so they were only exceptionally allowed to accompany him.
Of course, from a moral standpoint, it might seem like just completing the mission would be enough, but everyone here already knew that the Bederman clan head wasn't so easy to deal with.
"S-so that's why Kain has been catching Snow Rabbits all by himself since earlier..."
"That's right. Kain's the one who needs to catch a lot of Snow Rabbits."
Edward lightly slapped his palm with his fist, as if he had finally understood.
"Hey, have you been planning to go alone since earlier?"
But Kain shook his head.
"It's not that. I intended to bring you along if possible. If we fought a Snow Bear together in a real battle, your skills could also improve. There's no reason for me to leave you behind unnecessarily."
He was sincere.
Why wouldn't Kain take the opportunity to improve his disciples' skills if it presented itself?
Kain looked at the three of them with an utterly calm gaze.
"The reason I've decided to go alone is because it's the safest option. It's actually more dangerous to bring you along."
Bolio's expression twisted at those words.
"Are you treating us like baggage now?"
"Think what you want. But my decision won't change."
"Kain...!"
Bolio unclenched his fist.
Whoosh!
Mana emanating from his heart surged onto Bolio's palm.
Of course, he had no intention of attacking Kain after coming all the way here.
However, Bolio intended to show his maximum power to gain recognition.
To prove that he was at least not a hindrance to Kain.
But, at that moment.
"......!"
Whoosh!
Just as they thought Kain seemed to briefly lower his stance, Kain's figure suddenly vanished from Bolio's sight.
"Over here."
At Kain's voice from behind, the three of them turned around simultaneously.
"K-Kain?"
"When did he...?"
"What did you just do...?"
Kain opened his mouth without a change in expression.
"I briefly enhanced my body with mana to move. With this, even in the worst-case scenario, I can at least escape on my own. But with this, I can't bring all of you with me to escape. Do you understand now?"
"......"
Bolio closed his mouth.
"Good if you understand."
In fact, the speed he had just shown was the maximum Kain could achieve, and it would be impossible to escape while maintaining that speed even if they did need to flee.
'But rather than explaining all that in detail, it's better to firmly break their will here.'
Knowing one's own abilities accurately and not being reckless is also an important virtue for surviving as a mage.
In his previous life, Kain had seen countless mages lose their lives by being intoxicated by their own skills or by challenging overly strong enemies in an attempt to improve quickly.
'And anyway, there's no way I'll ever need to run.'
Kain took out the map and marked the places where the Snow Rabbits were likely using as temporary shelters.
"I've marked everything. It's not certain, so if they're not there, just assume they aren't and continue searching without going too far. Try not to move your base from here if possible. We might get separated."
As Kain handed over the map, Edward silently accepted it.
After a moment, Edward opened his mouth.
"Then when will you be back, Kain?"
"I'll try to be back within two days, before sunset."
"When are you leaving?"
"I'm leaving now."
"The sun's setting?"
Outside, the sun had already gone down, and it was getting dark.
Edward said with a worried voice.
"It's not just that we won't be able to see, but it'll be hard because of the cold. It's been getting noticeably colder since earlier."
At those words, Kain chuckled.
"It's alright. The sooner I go and come back, the less you guys will suffer. This much cold is nothing... hiccup."
"......?"
"......?"
"........"
"Ahem."
Kain cleared his throat.
'How much have I neglected my physical training...? To be this frail.'
Reluctantly, Kain decided to leave the next morning.
***
"Kain, you do have a human side to you after all. I thought you wouldn't bleed a single drop even if I pricked you with a needle."
As Bolio subtly teased him, Kain replied dryly,
"There is also a method to rapidly cool the wound site to prevent bleeding."
"...Are you doing that on purpose?"
Kain continued, unfazed.
"The reason I've decided to stay is also for your condition tomorrow. Having one more person on night watch will allow you to rest more soundly."
"You need to rest soundly too."
"I only need to take short naps by myself. That's what I'll actually do tomorrow."
"Then couldn't you just take short naps by yourself tonight and stand night watch for us?"
"Naturally, the night watch will proceed fairly according to the rules."
"Tch."
The disciples going on missions were provided with small boundary alert artifacts.
By injecting mana, if an intruder enters a narrow range for a certain period of time, it would emit a sound to signal the intrusion.
However, in real combat, there was a risk of malfunction, and mana had to be injected at regular intervals, so it was the rule to take turns standing night watch as well.
'The only exceptions are when you're on a solo mission or when you need to move independently away from your companions.'
At that time, they would take turns taking short naps and injecting mana each time they woke up.
Usually, two artifacts were provided in case even small groups got separated, so Kain planned to take one of them and utilize it that way.
Soon, Kain and the others decided on the night watch order and took turns sleeping.
"Kain, it's your turn."
"Alright."
Kain, who woke up immediately at Fohn's careful call, took a seat near the cave entrance.
Then, he quietly concentrated his mind and began to sense the flow of the ley lines.
It was to accurately pinpoint the location of the Snow Blossom Ice Crystal, which he had narrowed down to two or three places earlier.
'It's easier to read the flow in various ways at night, when the unnecessary ambient energy subsides.'
Although he had made a rough excuse earlier, this was also a reason why Kain had actually decided to spend tonight here.
'The flow definitely feels clearer than before.'
The ambiguous directions had become uniformly aligned, and those flows were moving around a single axis.
The more he concentrated his mind, the clearer the blurry image became.
Quiet and regular breathing sounds, and white breaths appeared and dissipated repeatedly for a long time.
And how much time had passed?
'It seems I've found it after all.'
Kain gave a faint smile.
***
Kain finished preparing to leave right at dawn the next day.
"Kain. You're really going to come back safely, right?"
"You, you should come back if it seems too dangerous. The Clan Head said so too."
"If you die, I'll kill you, Kain."
"Don't worry. I'll be back by noon the day after tomorrow."
If they had left yesterday, he would have set the time for dusk tomorrow, but since they had stayed here overnight, he added that much time.
"What if you don't come back by noon the day after tomorrow?"
"Don't look for me and return to the clan. It will mean something has happened."
"Kain!"
"That's only considering the worst-case scenario. I'll do my best to make sure that doesn't happen, so I hope you guys will also do your best in your positions."
As Kain spoke seriously, Edward, Fohn, and Bolio reluctantly nodded.
Seeing that their expressions weren't very good, Kain added an explanation.
"The task I've given you isn't just something to pass the time. After I resolve the mission, the Snow Rabbits that were hiding in the outskirts will flock back to reclaim their territory. By then, I'll have used quite a lot of mana, and if too many Snow Rabbits swarm in, even I could be in danger."
"Ah-ha...! So we're playing a role in preventing that in advance!"
Only then did the expressions of the three, who perfectly understood that their task was truly helpful to the mission, brighten noticeably.
"Alright. Then, be careful and come back safely, Kain!"
"Yeah. See you later."
Kain immediately set off.
Having pinpointed the location of the Snow Blossom Ice Crystal while on night watch last night, the route was practically predetermined.
Kain quickly moved away from the cave, and Edward, Fohn, and Bolio set out to catch Snow Rabbits as soon as they had seen Kain off.
'It's quiet.'
Crunch, crunch!
Kain, who had been pushing through the snow in similar scenery for quite some time, looked around.
'Even if the Snow Rabbits have been driven out to the outskirts, it's strange for it to be this quiet.'
Not even a small wild animal was visible.
Kain slowed his pace and began to observe the surrounding trees.
'As expected.'
Thick claw marks were clearly left on a large birch tree covered in snow.
The deeper he went into the wooded area, the more frequently and abundantly the claw marks appeared.
'In other words, there's a Snow Bear nearby.'
Snow Bear.
A bear-shaped monster with fur and hide as white as snow.
Contrary to its appearance, it was good at climbing terrain, especially trees, and often ambushed prey by hiding on snow-covered trees.
Rustle.
"Yeah. Just like that."
Without even lifting his head, Kain channeled mana into his legs and kicked off the tree directly in front of him.
