Act 1: Departure

Act 1:
Departure

 

I NOW UNDERSTOOD how the power of the Saint worked and could call on it whenever I pleased. Unfortunately, the secret to using it made me cringe.

I never would have guessed that the key component was thinking about Knight Commander Albert Hawke! And I had to do so every single time I wanted to use the magic. Was this some form of hot guy-based humiliation?!

The very thought made me scream internally, which was all I could do since I couldn’t possibly scream externally about it. However, I could at least be grateful that I had finally been able to make some headway with my herb-growing experiments due to this discovery—especially after I had been at a standstill for such a long time.

By experiments, I mean the ones I was conducting to grow medicinal herbs that couldn’t be grown without a special cultivation technique—in other words, a blessing, which I’d never seen as an agricultural prerequisite before, let me tell you. These blessings had sounded like something the Saint might be able to do, but because I had been unable to freely use my Saintly power before, my investigation had ground to a halt. However, now I was in much brighter spirits.

I’d gone to the brewery at once to tell Corinna that I wanted to explore the use of blessings. She organized everything I needed for the experiment, and we headed to the fields behind the castle together. Once everything was set up, I got to work.

I was enthusiastic about it, but the experiments themselves were actually quite simple. I blessed the soil in the pots that had been prepared for me, then planted some seeds. Nothing to it. All I had to do after that was wait to see whether the finicky plants would actually grow or not.

After I planted several varieties of seed, we were just about to make our way back to the brewery when Leo approached us. I assumed he had just happened to be passing by, but that wasn’t the case. It turned out that he had actually sought me out in order to ask me to join his mercenary company.

Don’t get me wrong—I liked being needed. However, I had no intentions of staying in Klausner’s Domain forever, so I had to decline.

Just as I was about to reject Leo’s offer, Albert showed up on the scene. I couldn’t help but gasp when I saw him. He seemed different from normal, seething an aura worthy of his nickname: the Ice Knight. He stared at Leo with a frigid gaze.

You see, in his enthusiasm, Leo had grabbed my shoulders. Albert probably thought Leo and I were fighting.

Once I hastily explained the situation, the intensity of Albert’s aura lessened slightly.

Then, as we were explaining why I wouldn’t be joining the mercenaries, something seemed to occur to Leo. He stared at me in surprise. “Hold up. Are you the Saint?”

At his flabbergasted expression, I realized my error. I smiled awkwardly. “Oops, did I not tell you?”

“No, you sure as hell didn’t! Ow!”

Indeed, I hadn’t… In fact, I think I had only told him my name.

I smiled in an attempt to try to hide my mortification, but Leo’s astonishment had already earned him a smack from Corinna.

“Allow me to introduce myself formally. I am Sei Takanashi, the Saint.” To be clear, I was cringing on the inside as I said it. It still feels weird to call myself that! Do I have to say I’m “the Saint” every time I introduce myself from now on? I would really rather not…

Leo seemed to feel a bit awkward, too, since he gave a weird, “How thoughtful of you.” It made Corinna shoot him an irritable look.

What was that supposed to mean?!

“So you see, the Saint cannot join your mercenary company. Was there anything else you wanted to ask her?” Albert asked, covering for the lull in our conversation.

“Uh, no…”

“Then I believe you’re done here. I have business with her as well.” Although Albert’s expression had softened compared to how it looked when he arrived on the scene, his studiously blank face still made him appear far sterner than usual. I think he even sounded sharper.

Leo sensed the same. Although he seemed like he had something to say, he opted to back down for the moment and left us with a bow.

“Well, I should be getting back to the brewery then.” Corinna started off, leaving me behind.

“Huh?” I looked at her in surprise.

Corinna turned back. “You two have something to discuss, don’t you?”

I guess. “Business with her” and all that.

Corinna knew me well enough to realize I had forgotten Albert’s words until that very moment. She sighed as she started back to the castle.

Albert and I now stood alone in the fields.

“Were you in the middle of something?” Albert asked as I absentmindedly watched Corinna walking away.

I looked up to find him studying the pots on the rack. His expression had become apologetic—completely different from the blank look he had worn seconds before.

“Oh, no, we just finished, actually,” I assured him.

Now he looked relieved. “What are you growing? Or perhaps I needn’t ask.”

“Herbs.”

“I knew it.”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” I pouted, making him laugh.

But it went without saying that between me and Corinna, who was the head alchemist of the brewery, the only things either of us would be planting were, well, herbs. But I knew he’d also pegged me for an absolute herb fanatic.

“Oh yeah, didn’t you say you needed to talk to me?” I asked.

“Ah, that’s right. Why don’t we take this somewhere else rather than continuing to stand around here like this?”

What did he want to talk about? It couldn’t be a quick question if he was suggesting we go elsewhere. In that case, it was probably better to go inside so we could relax as we talked. I followed after him at his prompting.

For some reason, Albert wanted to talk about Leo along the way. Not that I had anything much to say about the guy. The most we had interacted was saying hello when we passed each other and some small talk here and there. However, when Albert asked what kind of small talk, I couldn’t really give an answer. “Potions, I guess?”

That made a smile cross Albert’s lips.

“Oh, I met the other mercenaries recently, and they all praised my potions, too.”

“Is that so?” Albert laughed at hearing this. When I asked why he was laughing, he smiled. “I was just remembering the time the Third Order asked the institute to make our potions as well.”

Now that he mentioned it, his knights had showered me with pretty much the same reactions as the mercenaries had. Remembering that made me smile, too.

As we chatted, Albert’s aura slowly returned to normal. I was relieved to not be stuck walking in silence with him while he was in an awful mood, like the one he’d been in just a few moments before. Being alone with him while he was in such a state would have been mentally taxing in the extreme.

“Leonhardt seemed eager to recruit you. Has he asked you to join his company before?”

“No, that was the first time.”

“Was it now?” Albert put a hand to his chin and dropped his gaze, pondering. However, he didn’t seem to come up with an answer to whatever question he had, since his brows furrowed. “Do you have any recollection of what might have prompted him?”

“You mean why he asked me to join?” Well, that I did know. “I, ah, I healed the mercenaries with my magic when they got back from their expedition the other day. I think that must be it.”

“With your magic, you say?”

“Yes. At first, I was just going to give them potions from the brewery, but they said it’d be a waste, so I figured I’d just go for the magic option.”

Albert’s brows remained furrowed as he stared fixedly at me. Uh-oh. Was this reproach?

Uh, I guess I shouldn’t have done that, huh? I slowly looked away up toward nothing in particular and heard him sigh loudly.

I’m really sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused! I apologized in my mind.

By then, we had arrived at our destination. Albert had brought me to the Third Order’s quarters in Klausner’s Domain. We entered Albert’s office, and he invited me to take a seat on one of the sofas.

Oh… Has he asked me here to talk about joining an expedition then? After a short pause, I finally spoke. “So, what did you want to discuss?”

“Our plans going forward.”

“You mean going on an expedition?”

“Yes. We’ve completed the first stage and finished our survey of the area, so I think it’s about time to begin our full-scale operation.”

It was finally time. As he dove into the subject, my mind switched into work mode. I reflexively straightened my posture.

I had heard reports from the knights early on, but they had continued their investigations since. Yesterday, they had finally finished their general survey. Albert proceeded to review everything they had learned about the monster situation around the domain.

To wit, there had been no change in the local monster population. There were about as many here now as there had been around the capital before I cleansed the miasma. According to locals, there were actually more monsters than there had been in the last generation. However, the mercenaries felt that in the last month or so, the number had lessened. One guy said specifically that the number of monsters had decreased since the arrival of the Third Order.

I suspected I knew what had precipitated this change.

“It sounds similar to what happened at the capital,” Albert said.

“It sure does.”

The only thing I could do was return his wry smile with one of my own. Merely by bringing me to Klausner’s Domain, we had already begun to thin the monstrous herd.

Now the problem was determining the strength of the local fiends. They were by and large of higher rank than the ones in the capital. To be clear, the higher the rank, the stronger the monster.

Honestly, it all sounded like one of the role-playing games I had played back in Japan. In those games, the farther you got from the starting town, the stronger the monsters you encountered. Was it the same here in this world? Did monster strength correlate to distance from the capital?

Yeah, right. Jokes aside, even if we were up against the same number of monsters, if they were of higher rank, then we were bound to face new difficulties during these expeditions. Sure, the royal knights selected only the most promising elite warriors to join their orders, and sure, the Third Order had many such strong fighters in their ranks, but it had been years since any of them had faced monsters away from the capital.

Furthermore, the types of monsters in Klausner’s Domain differed from those near the capital, so the Third Order needed to come up with new tactics to deal with them. Naturally, Albert approached everything with caution, but it seemed to me they were seeing a lot more injuries than they had during the capital expeditions. And potions had their limits, especially with the increased number of casualties. That was where magic came in.

“I’m guessing you want me to join the next expedition then?”

“Yes, and I’m sorry for that. There will be some mages with us as well, but not many people can use Healing Magic.”

“It’s all right, I don’t mind. I was planning to participate anyway,” I said. After all, my main occupation was theoretically monster slayer. Potion making was just a hobby.

“We looked into the limits of how far we can range from the domain and still return by sunset, but at present, we have yet to find the swamp. And though the monsters we’ve met are strong, I doubt we’ll have to take on swarms of them all at once like we did back in the western forest.”

“The swamp?”

“Yes, like that black swamp we found near the capital. We suspect one of those might be the cause for the increase in monsters here as well.”

It made sense that we’d be looking for it, then. When we’d first arrived in Klausner’s Domain, I hadn’t been able to use the Saint’s magic at will, so to tell the truth, I had been a bit apprehensive about what to do if we did find another one.

But things were different now. I wasn’t an expert yet, but I could summon my golden magic when I had to. Now we just had to figure out where to deploy me. After all, all the monsters near the capital had disappeared when I cleansed the last miasma swamp. I was sure the problems looming over Klausner’s Domain would disappear if only we could locate this one.

Never mind the fact that what I had to do in order to use this magic was extremely, shall we say, distressing.

As I had that thought, my mind blanked out a bit.

“Something the matter?” Albert asked.

“Huh?”

“Your face looks a bit red. Are you feeling all right?”

“Oh, uh, no, I’m fine!” I wildly shook my head back and forth.

I managed to somehow escape danger with these vehement declarations. No way could I tell Albert the reason for my blushing.

 

***

 

Only minutes after the sun rose, the brewery filled with the sound of clinking apparatuses. Sometimes I could hear the alchemists talking, but for the most part, everyone quietly focused on their work. I contributed to the quiet, making potions in silence.

It had been a few days since I talked to Albert, and tomorrow was the big day. We would finally commence our full-scale monster-slaying expedition.

Although I would be with the knights and mercenaries, that didn’t mean they wouldn’t need potions. Best to be prepared, you know? So we would bring potions like always. Therefore, I was busy getting them ready.

“I’ve heard the rumors, but you really aren’t your average alchemist, are you?” an exasperated voice said from behind me, making me jump in surprise.

I turned toward the voice to find Leo looking as exasperated as he sounded. How long had he been there? Usually whenever he came to the brewery, he announced his presence with a bang. Today, I hadn’t noticed any such entrance. It seemed I had been too absorbed in my work.

I put that matter aside for now—he’d said something that concerned me. “What rumors?”

“The ones about how the new alchemist can make a ton of potions.” Leo looked at the potions lining my desk. It was the same kind of look that Jude, Johan, and Corinna had all worn when they first saw how many I could make.

I felt a bit embarrassed and couldn’t help but smile sheepishly. “And where did you hear about that?”

“From your friends in the brewery, of course. And my guys as well.”

“Your mercenaries have been talking about me, too?”

“They come here all the time to pick up potions, don’t they? One saw you making them the other day.”

Had everybody in the domain seen me at work now? It wasn’t like I was trying to hide or anything, yet somehow I felt like I had been caught with my hand in the cookie jar.

I smiled a bit stiffly, but Leo seemed to mistake my mood, as he was quick to bow. “Oh, my apologies. From here on out, I shall be more mindful of the manner in which I speak in your presence.”

“Huh?”

“Wait, did I get it wrong?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re not thinking that I should speak to you in a way that, uh, would better befit your status as the Saint?”

“I was thinking no such thing. Please, really, talk to me like you would to anyone else. In fact, at this point, it would be way more uncomfortable if you changed it up—I mean, we’ve spoken casually ever since we met.”

Oh boy, had I looked irritated or something? He couldn’t have been more wrong. It would have been one thing if he’d been all polite with me from the beginning, but if he suddenly got all stiff after we’d already established a rapport, I’d probably just up and die. I didn’t mind his informal tone, for one. For another, if Leo started humbling himself before me, I’d feel like he was trying to put some distance between us, and the thought of that just made me a bit sad.

“I see. If that’s how it is, then I’ll keep up like I always have,” he said.

“Please do.”

“To be honest, it makes things easier for me. I’m not the best with all that polite speech.” Leo grinned.

His smile was infectious, making a smile spread across my face, too. While I was relieved that he wouldn’t start getting weird with me, I pressed him about these so-called rumors.

According to him, the first eyewitness from his company had made a huge deal about how the new alchemist could make an unusual number of potions. The mercenary had described exactly what he had seen, but no one had believed him at first. That only made sense. The typical alchemist could only make ten mid-grade potions a day, whereas I made them one after another until vials covered every inch of my desk.

However, the mercenary insisted that he spoke truth, so the skeptics took turns coming to the brewery under the pretense of picking up more potions. That explained why it seemed like the mercenaries always sent a different guy to retrieve their order.

In any case, the first eyewitness’s report was soon confirmed by his peers.

“Did you come to confirm the rumor for yourself then?” I asked.

“Uh, well, yeah.”

I had already assumed as much, but for some reason, Leo got all evasive about it. Did he have something else on his mind? I looked up at him inquisitively.

Leo scratched his head before reluctantly asking, “Are these potions for the knights?”

“Yes. I already finished the batch for the mercenaries.”

“I see. Wait, that’s not what I—”

So he wasn’t worried about that either, huh? He seemed hesitant to say anything else, so I went back to my brewing while I waited for him to speak.

“Uh, so, are you going to join the next expedition?” he finally asked, a profoundly hesitant look on his face.

“Yes, I will. That’s why I came here from the capital, after all.”

“You’ll be with the Third Order, right?”

“Yes.” I glanced up at him, wondering why he would ask that. I saw real worry in his eyes. “What’s the matter?” I asked.

“Um, it’s just, I was wondering if you’ll be all right.”

“All right?”

“During the expedition.”

“Huh?”

“I know you’ve gone into forests for other business, but I can’t help but worry.”

“You mean about our military strength?”

“Uh, something like that.”

I tilted my head to the side as I tried to puzzle this out. Thankfully, Leo tentatively explained his concerns, often pausing between thoughts.

He knew about my previous venture into Ghoshe Forest, which was located to the west of the capital—he had heard rumors about that as well. He had also heard Albert talk a bit about what had happened during that expedition. Therefore, Leo knew I would be acting in a supporting role for the knights, just like an ordinary mage of the assembly.

However, the strength differential between the monsters found in Klausner’s forests versus the ones in Ghoshe was nothing to sniff at. Despite my prior expedition experience, Leo was deeply concerned about my going along on the next one.

While there were fewer monsters stalking Klausner’s Domain than there had been even a month ago, they were still numerous. Furthermore, their numbers had only decreased near the central city. The outlying farmlands and meadows still crawled with beasts, and the forests farther from the city hadn’t seen any such decrease at all.

Usually, in this world, the monsters that appeared in forests were stronger than the ones that roamed the flatlands. Between that and the fact that all the fiends native to Klausner’s Domain were stronger than the ones near the capital, Leo had a point.

All in all, Leo feared that this expedition would be much harder on me than the last one I’d joined. His worry was only natural.

“I can’t make any claims, seeing as I haven’t gone into the local forests yet, but I don’t think we’ll go straight for the heart of the forest right away. I should be fine,” I assured him.

“The monsters at the heart of the forest are far stronger than those on the fringe. If you said they were heading straight into the depths, then I would’ve stopped them—knights or no.”

“Yeah, me too!”

“Good. But if it’s as you say and they’re going to take it slow and see how things go… You sure you’ll be okay?”

“I’m sure. Believe it or not, I’m actually pretty strong,” I joked with a smile, prompting Leo to respond in kind.

“Oh yeah? You seem pretty confident about that.”

To be serious, even just talking in terms of base levels, I could claim I’m stronger than anyone here. Not that I’d ever say that out loud. “In any case, although I’m going, I’ll principally be there to support the combatants. I won’t be out on the front lines or anything. The knights will be there to protect me.”

“I see. I guess I shouldn’t have worried then.”

“I’m grateful for your concern, though. Thank you.”

We talked a bit more before Leo went back on his way.

As you might expect from the head of a mercenary company, Leo was really good at taking care of people. I could tell as much from the fact that he came all the way out to the brewery purely out of concern for me. And he did all that even though I wasn’t part of his company.

 

***

 

Early the next morning, Albert and I headed for Lord Klausner’s office. As I would be joining the expeditions starting that day, Lord Klausner wanted to have a formal word before we departed. While he greeted me in a noble manner, the rest of what he had to say pretty much boiled down to “Be careful out there, and come back in one piece.”

Based on what Albert had told me before, we would ease our way into the forest, so I really wasn’t that worried.

As we headed to the courtyard where the Third Order was gathering, we talked through our next steps. Good thing we did, too, because I just barely managed to avoid a panic-inducing scenario.

“Are we just going to assemble and head out?” I asked.

“That’s right. We’ll leave after I say a few words to the knights.”

“Is there anything I need to do?”

“Hmm? Would you like to give a rousing speech?”

“Nope! I would much rather not.”

No way could I give a speech like that in front of a ton of people. I really hated any kind of attention, honestly.

Admittedly, that had probably been a joke. I noticed Albert’s shoulders quiver a bit after I turned him down. He covered his mouth with his fist and looked like he was holding back a hearty laugh.

Recently, he’d been treating me a lot like Johan did. I supposed they were childhood friends, so maybe they shared a sense of humor.

I glared at him reflexively, and Albert was unable to stop himself this time—he chuckled quietly.

When we arrived at the rendezvous point, the number of people overwhelmed me. There were way more than usual. Probably because this time the knights would be joined by the mercenaries.

However, this would be the only time we gathered en masse, as this would be the Saint’s first expedition in Klausner’s Domain. I was to be formally introduced. Not only that, the mercenaries would be coming along as well.

I had to pass by the mercenary company to get to the carriage that had been prepared for me, but they didn’t start staring at me in wonder or anything. After all, I had my head covered with the hood of my robe, which was the same kind the other mages wore. Another mage happened to be walking near me, so I probably just looked like I was with her.

“Here.” Albert proffered his hand before I got into the carriage.

I stared at it for a moment. Then I shifted my gaze up to his face to find him smiling at me in such a way that he almost seemed to sparkle.

Uh… Oh, right, he’s trying to be my escort.

“Thank you.” I smiled somewhat nervously as I slowly placed my fingertips on top of his palm. Eek. I’m still really not used to this type of thing.

I had ridden on horseback with Albert back in the capital many times, and we were close enough that we were on joking terms. I always thought I was used to being around him, but touching his hand even for reasons like this still made me nervous.

It was almost like he read my mind, because the moment I got into the carriage and started to pull my hand back, he suddenly squeezed my fingertips. It was only for a second, but it was a strong enough attack to make me blush.

I sat down in the carriage and looked back at Albert to pout at him a bit. He smiled at me as if to say “Got you!”

Guilty as charged, huh?

The doors to the carriage closed, and Albert made his way to stand with his knights, where he called them to order and laid out the day’s plan. Soon after, we set off.

 

Things are the same as always. My cheeks still feel a bit hot, but I’m sure they’ll cool down soon, right? Right now, I need to focus on the expedition, I thought as I watched the scenery go by from inside the carriage.

About an hour into the journey, Albert rode his horse over to the carriage. “Sei, it won’t be long before we arrive.”

I stretched my back where I sat and reached for my bag that I had set aside. Just as I finished checking through it to make sure I had my knife—in case of an emergency—and all the potions I wanted tucked inside, we arrived.

Just as he did when I climbed into the carriage, Albert came to assist me in getting out as well.

Upon my release, I was overcome with a sense of freedom and stretched with a loud groan.

“Hah. You tired?” he asked.

“No, just feeling a bit stiff from sitting for so long.” Not to mention, stretching inside the carriage hadn’t gotten all the kinks out. The way Albert laughed made me feel a bit self-conscious, though. “A-anyway, we’re finally here! I’ve never been in this forest before, so I’m kind of looking forward to it.”

“You mean you’re looking forward to seeing what kind of herbs grow here?”

“Exactly! Ah, I mean…”

“I suspected as much. It’ll be tough to keep an eye out when we’re on the move, but we can look around a bit when we stop for a break. I’ll accompany you.”

“Oh, I couldn’t possibly trouble you so.”

I tried to change the subject, but it was too late.

What was that about focusing on the expedition, Sei? Ack, I let my guard down in front of him again. And is it really okay for me to get this distracted when we’re about to go into the forest? Knowing myself, I’m a bit worried.

As I fretted about my own tendencies, Albert’s head raised and his demeanor stiffened.

I looked up and noticed someone approaching us. “Leo?”

“Hey there!”

I’d known the mercenaries were accompanying us, but it turned out Leo was among them. Made sense to me, as he was their captain.

Albert’s eyes got a funny look as Leo waved at me.

Uh, is it because he thinks Leo is acting improperly toward the Saint? While manners were important and all, I personally didn’t want people to get all formal with me, so I also didn’t really want Albert to make a big deal about it. I probably needed to tell him that either way.

As I glanced between the two of them, Leo turned to Albert and bowed his head slightly. “I look forward to working with you today.”

“The feeling is mutual. While my knights and I conducted preliminary surveys of the area, I acknowledge that you and your men are far more familiar with the forest.”

“Thank you for your kind words,” said Leo. “And I look forward to working with you today as well, Lady Saint.”

“Huh?” I looked at Leo in surprise. What was he calling me now?

Leo’s eyes darted toward Albert for a moment.

Ah, I see… I mustered a smile. “And I look forward to working with you as well. However, I don’t much care for all this pomp, so I would feel far more comfortable if you continued to treat me as you have.”

Albert hesitated. “If it’s as she wishes, I won’t argue.”

“Thank you. It shall be as you wish,” Leo replied.

Leo doesn’t come off as the attentive type, but he’s surprisingly adept at navigating social situations. I gave him a mental thumbs up for helping smooth that moment over.

“I’ll see ya later then.” Leo gallantly turned on his heel.

He sure can code switch quickly. I couldn’t help but smile. I glanced up at Albert, who was looking back at me with a soft expression.

“We’ll take a short break before we head in,” Albert said.

“All right. It looks like they’re boiling water over there. Shall I make some tea for us?”

“No, I believe my retainer will prepare it. Let’s enjoy a cup together.”

“Yes, let’s!”

While the forest was close to the city, we had traveled some distance, so it was best to rest before we actually moved out. Luckily, it turned out Albert was right—his retainer had made us some tea. Not only that, the man had set out a pair of folding stools as well.

I sat, and while Albert and I chatted, everyone else finished getting themselves ready to go. It wasn’t long before I was handing my cup back to the retainer, and we quickly cleaned up our rest stop. Then, everyone followed after us as we proceeded to enter the forest.

At first glance, the vegetation in the forests of Klausner’s Domain didn’t look all that different from the kind found in the capital. However, upon closer inspection, I noticed all sorts of flora I hadn’t seen in the capital’s forests—and they grew all over the place.

“Whatcha looking at?” Leo asked as he walked next to me.

“There are some herbs I’ve never seen before,” I said.

“Herbs? But you’re not an alchemist, right?”

“I am a researcher at the Research Institute of Medicinal Flora.”

“I thought you were supposed to be the Saint.”

“I am, but I prefer to think of that as a side gig.”

Leo burst out laughing. Aw, come on, I’d just told him what I wished were true!

The knights had split up into squads like they had during our expedition into Ghoshe Forest. The mercenaries had joined two of those squads, one of which was the one I had also joined. Actually, all but one of Leo’s mercenaries were up ahead with the vanguard, so he was the only one with our group.

So there I was, Leo on my right and Albert on my left.

“Hey, now. Is it really okay for you to be saying that?” Leo asked quietly, nodding subtly toward Albert.

“Oh, yes, no worries.” At least, I wanted to think so. I held myself back from saying anything more.

“It’s fine. She’s entitled to see her position how she likes,” Albert said before I could.

I almost started laughing, but I didn’t. Frankly, I deserve a lot of kudos for that.

After we had been walking for a bit, Leo frowned. “This is strange.”

“What is?” I asked, tilting my head.

“There’s a damn sight fewer monsters than I expected.”

“Oh?”

The knights had said nearly the exact same thing a few times before, back in the capital. I hadn’t seen the decrease personally, so I couldn’t confirm, but the monster population near the capital had dwindled after the Saint Summoning Ritual. I suspected it was the same case here in Klausner’s Domain.

Meanwhile, Albert looked like his own suspicions had been confirmed. “So there really are fewer then?”

“Yes. I heard your surveys encountered a minimal number as well. We are indeed seeing fewer than we had in the past,” Leo replied.

“We witnessed a similar phenomenon back in the capital.”

“Huh.”

Leo continued to treat Albert like a noble, just like he had from the start. I guess that meant he only spoke so casually to me on account of my explicit request, which had come personally from me, the Saint. Oof, the gossipy types were bound to talk about this.

However, the conversation reminded me that in the first forest I went to, Saul Forest, which was located to the south of the capital, had been just like this. We hadn’t seen any monsters at all when we went herb picking.

Notably, as one would expect from a forest said to have powerful monsters, we did run into a couple. However, the frequency of these encounters remained markedly low.

Of course, we all knew the reason for that. I just wished my two companions would stop looking at me!