Chapter 39
"By the way, what are we subjugating today? Is it a request? Or is it a skirmish?"
Shara asked this at the edge of the Demonlands, in the grassland area.
The Demonlands can be roughly divided into three layers: the grassland part closest to human territory, the forest part further in, and the deepest part even further beyond.
Though it's divided into three layers, even the forest part hasn't been fully explored, so it's effectively just two layers.
By the way, a skirmish is a term used to gloss over the act of adventurers hunting random monsters to earn their daily bread.
"There weren't any good requests at the Guild, so"
Erika said with a smile, in the same casual tone as if commenting on how nice the weather is today.
"Let's hunt a designated target today."
"Huh?"
Shara looked at my face.
"Huh?"
I just found out about this too, so don't give me that look.
*
A designated target, as the name suggests, refers to a monster that the Adventurer's Guild has listed as a permanent request for subjugation.
It's also commonly called something like the 'Lord' of an area.
That's because most monsters have a general habitat, a rough area where they tend to appear.
These designated targets, however, are said to drift in from other regions and settle down, which is why they're called that.
They move as if asserting their territory.
In other words, they are the lord of their territory.
Since they can push aside other monsters to claim their territory, they are naturally more dangerous or stronger than regular individuals.
Despite that, they rarely move from their territory, which saves the trouble of searching for them, but of course, average adventurers are likely to be defeated if they face one.
The Adventurer's Guild designates them more to prevent inexperienced adventurers from unknowingly encountering them, rather than insisting they must be subjugated at all costs.
After all, since they don't move from their territory, they often end up being ignored for long periods.
This time, we're planning to hunt one such long-ignored designated target in the grassland.
"Are you serious?"
Shara's face had turned pale.
"Yes, I'm serious."
Shara looked at me as if pleading for help, but I just shrugged and ignored her.
"Do you know what it is?"
"It's a Forest Dragon, isn't it? Despite being called a Forest Dragon, it's quite careless to set up its territory in the grassland."
"Normally, a monster like that would be handled by the knight orders!"
Unable to hold back, Shara shouted.
"Is that so?"
"I wonder? In Faltarl, the knight orders wouldn't even bother with something like a Forest Dragon."
As I answered Erika's question, Shara shouted that the Faltarl Kingdom is way too much like the Demonlands!
"You don't need to worry so much. I'm here, and Shin is here too. If it gets dangerous, we can just run away, right?"
"I absolutely hate the idea of playing a life-or-death game of tag!"
Seeing Shara shouting noisily, Erika laughed with amusement.
Perhaps it's refreshing and fun for her, since there weren't any people at the academy who would shout their emotions so openly like this?
If Shara, the sister, can make Erika smile like this, then I can tolerate having her around.
Though it does feel lonely to be mostly ignored.
"Ah, we're here."
Shara muttered that with a face that looked like she was about to cry.
The form of a Forest Dragon lying atop a low hill came into view.
"It's big, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it's a bit big."
"It's way too big!"
I had thought it wouldn't be an ordinary Forest Dragon since it's a designated target.
It's about the size of a small house.
"Shall we give it a go, then?"
There was no trace of tension in Erika's voice.