“Sir Jonas, are you not keen on trying the portable warm air circulator?”
Jonas opened his jacket for the grizzled veteran to see. “I am already wearing two of them—both settings on medium for the one on my back, and both settings on low for the one on my front. It is extremely comfortable.”
After tying the units to their backs, the other Beast Hunters had begun putting the ventilators on other parts, searching for their favorite spots.
“Eugh, it shoots my armor stink back up at me!”
Dahlia whipped around to see who was suffering—a youth with navy hair, now sniffing himself.
“Did you not properly air it out last time you used it, Dorino?”
“You cannot blame the magical tool for your own lack of maintenance.”
“Hey, it ain’t my fault for sweating easily either!” Dorino snapped back at Volf and Randolph, despite the fact that both were being quite calm and reasonable.
“Maybe you need to spend more time in the bath.”
“Since body odor is a concern, I recommend you wash thoroughly with deodorizing soap.”
“You jerks are just saying I stink in a roundabout way.”
Dahlia recalled that horrifying memory of Volf saying he had found her by her scent; she’d be running away if she had to listen to people talk about how she stank. “Um, it’s only natural that your armor smells like sweat, since you’re so active! Let me bring you a deodorizer for leather and fabrics next time I go to the castle. Using zephyricloth in the fall and winter should also help combat this problem.”
“You’re a lifesaver, Ms. Dahlia!” Dorino beamed like he’d finally seen a light at the end of the tunnel, giving her relief too.
“Oh, here comes the cauldron!” Volf had his gaze on a large object shrouded in gray cloth, now being set down on a sheet of waterproof cloth.
“What is it for?”
“The big catch.” The gray cloth was pulled off to reveal a great silver cauldron that looked more like a bathtub; it was actually larger than the bathtub in the Green Tower.
“The plan is to roast the armored crab legs and boil the body for soup. I hope the one we get will be too big to fit in there, though!” The green-haired youth, Kirk, was bouncing with excitement; Dahlia could but smile too.
The group moved up the craggy hill. Some knights were behind the pack guarding the carriage, though Dahlia was traveling on horseback. She hadn’t yet mastered riding on her own, so an older knight was leading her horse while she sat on a beginner’s saddle, which had a handle. Dahlia had planned to walk alongside everyone else, but she was very grateful for what she got instead—this way, she wouldn’t slow down the squad, who were all hustling up the hillside. As Marcella could not join the knights’ march, he was to help out by the riverside. Filling in as bodyguard was Jonas, who followed Dahlia on his own horse. The ascent was sandy and muddy—it was impressive how the knights and the horses seemed impervious to the rough terrain.
Finally, they reached a shallow valley with little greenery but lots of sand. It was flanked by boulders of all sizes, but there wasn’t even a trace of an armored crab around here.
“Now we wait. Griswald, Randolph, you two are up.”
“At once, sir.”
“Aye, sir.”
Griswald and Randolph donned scarlet armor and equipped themselves with a pair of spears. Each then headed toward a rocky tract. Rushing to intercept monsters was the role of the Scarlet Armors—was the vice-captain a Scarlet Armor for the day? Or was he an armored crab specialist?
Grato, who was beside Dahlia, must’ve seen the puzzlement on her face. “I should have explained, Rossetti—armored crabs turn red when they are in combat or emergencies, and so they will recognize the approaching Scarlet Armors as enemies. Furthermore, the crabs only fight when they have a size advantage; otherwise, they hide. Hence, with those two out there, we are sure to find a very large specimen.”
“Huh?” The captain’s explanation elicited a squeak from her. Griswald and Randolph were both just over two meters tall, and they had the bulk to go with their height too. If Dahlia were to encounter a crab her size, it would be a wise bet that she’d hightail it out of there immediately. She couldn’t imagine what an armored crab larger than those two would be like.
“The cast’s leader will likely be the one to respond when those two encroach upon its territory. It is critical that we not reduce the crabs’ numbers, so we take only males above a certain size.” Armored crabs might have been monsters, but they were treasured for their meat and materials, so it was Grato’s responsibility to ensure they were not overhunted. No matter the world, being a leader was a lot of responsibility.
Griswald and Randolph clashed the tips of their spears, and in response to the cacophony, there came the clacking of claws.
“Ah, there it comes.”
“That is an armored crab?” How a creature of that size and color could have remained hidden for so long was a mystery. It towered over the two knights, giving Dahlia a novel but very confusing perspective. The shape was like a hybrid of the snow crab and the red king crab of Terra. The sharp spines on its carapace were like pillars, and its legs were thick and very long.
“It looks like a fine specimen. One that big should feed all of us with leftovers.”
Hearing Grato sounding so pleased, she fought to keep her composure. The monster hardly looked delicious; hell, if anything, she was afraid she would end up as food for it. The crab’s peculiar eyes goggled this way as it snipped its claws menacingly, sending a shiver down Dahlia’s spine.
“This is— Ah, Volf, how about you?”
“Right away, sir!” He lifted the broadsword at his side and, for a split second, glanced at her.
“Be careful” was what she would have loved to say if she could speak. On instinct, she extended her right arm, dropping the notepad she was holding. She scrambled to pick it up, but by the time she raised her head, Volf’s back was receding into the distance. Right. This is work for Volf the Beast Hunter. His steps were sure-footed as he dashed toward a monster that made her knees weak. He might get hurt, he might die—as she saw him off, Dahlia bit the inside of her lip so as to keep her anxiety to herself alone. She could not stop him; the little she could do was to give him her support and pray that he returned unharmed.
“There you are, Volf!”