Chapter 205: The Kukkoro Male Knight and a New Discovery

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I had finished questioning Uru and training the new recruits. While working on countermeasures against the Elves as much as I could, I was growing impatient inside. If I wanted to take the initiative away from the cunning Elf elder, Lady Dalaiya, the way we were doing things now was clearly not enough. The disadvantage we faced in information warfare was especially painful.

However, gathering intel from the surface had already hit a dead end. The only remaining hope for a breakthrough was the Rana Volcano Exploration Flight Team. Even so, the Liseben Peninsula was surprisingly vast. I worried that getting results so quickly might be difficult, but…

“Let me begin with the conclusion. We were able to discover what appears to be the Rana Volcano.”

It was the day before the scheduled meeting with Lady Dalaiya. I welcomed back the wyvern rider and the Star Guide who had returned from the exploratory flight, and finally received the long-awaited report. …It had only been two days since the exploration started. Wasn’t that ridiculously fast?

In any case, I needed to hear the details. I invited the rider and the Star Guide to the meeting room in the lord’s manor. I had an attendant prepare herbal tea mixed generously with honey and served it to the two of them. Even in warm Liseben, the air above the clouds was unexpectedly cold. First, I wanted them to warm up.

“…I’m astonished, Star Guide-sama. To think you would discover it in such a short time. I was expecting it to take at least a week.”

“It was nothing remarkable.”

The Star Guide—wearing round glasses and a Star Guide’s uniform (a black and white robe that resembled a cleric’s garb from my previous world)—puffed out her flat chest proudly. She had been dispatched from the observatory nearest to Liseben territory, and I’d heard she was an acquaintance of Bishop Fiorenza.

“Volcanoes are not structures that suddenly sprout up from nothing. Volcanic activity greatly affects the surrounding terrain and soil, so if you take those into account while searching, they are not difficult to locate.”

“I see.”

When it came to geology, I was a complete amateur. Volcanoes and such were far outside my field. I couldn’t help letting out a sound of admiration, and the round-glassed Star Guide straightened proudly again.

“Some people criticize Star Guides as those who only stare at the sky, but that is a misconception. While celestial observation is important, one cannot conduct accurate surveying without proper knowledge of the terrain as well.”

“I see. My apologies for underestimating you.”

At the Star Guide’s ever-rising pride, Sonia cut in sharply.

“By the way, I believe I lent you my camera. Were you able to take proper photographs?”

“Yes, of course.”

Smiling pleasantly, the Star Guide returned the camera hanging from her neck to Sonia. …That said, this device was nowhere near as convenient as a modern digital camera. To view the photos, proper development was necessary.

Naturally, the moment the flight team returned, we collected the dry plates (the equivalent of film in a film camera) and ordered an emergency development. When I glanced at a nearby technician, she nodded and laid several photographs on the conference table.

“Oh, so this is the Rana Volcano.”

The photo showed an impressively massive mountain. It wasn’t dignified like Mount Fuji. Its shape was complex, like part of a mountain range, and the upper half of the mountain had collapsed into a crater. A typical caldera volcano. If compared to mountains in Japan, Mount Aso would be closest. The caldera was filled with a great amount of water, and steam was clearly rising. Volcanic activity appeared to still be ongoing.

“The surrounding forest was dusted white with ash. Small-scale ash emissions likely continue even now.”

“To think such a massive volcano existed in Liseben… If so, the story that a great eruption once drove all the Elves on the peninsula to near extinction may indeed have some credibility.”

Gilberto leaned in with a serious expression to examine the photos, when another caught her eye and made her freeze. It showed a blurred, dark shape. Looking closely, it resembled a large bird.

“…May I ask, is this perhaps a Crow Beastkin?”

“Yes. While we were circling near the volcano to take photographs, we were attacked by around ten Crow Beastkin.”

“I would have preferred if you had told us that before the volcano part, Star Guide-sama…”

I couldn’t help but interject. We were searching for the Rana Volcano primarily to find clues that would lead us to the Elves. Considering Uru’s relationship with Lady Dalaiya, if the Crow Beastkin were there, the Elves were likely nearby as well.

“Ah! My apologies. I was so focused on the volcano that it completely slipped my mind. Being attacked by Beastkin barbarians during unexplored-land surveying is hardly unusual.”

As I felt a headache coming on, the rider muttered quietly, “She’s been like this the whole time…” It seemed this Star Guide was the type who became far more focused on her research subjects than on people. Well, that wasn’t uncommon among scholar-types…

“Were you able to get away safely from the attack?”

Neither the Star Guide nor the rider seemed injured, but I asked just in case. You never knew.

“Yes, of course. Wyverns are far faster than any Crow Beastkin. As long as we focused on evasion, they were not especially frightening opponents.”

“No enemy craft can catch us, huh? As expected of Galea’s proud Wyvern Cavalry.”

The wyvern rider thumped her chest confidently, and I let out a sigh of relief. Wyverns and their riders were a key military force for us, and on a personal level, I wanted to avoid injuries or deaths among my subordinates whenever possible. They needed to return safely.

“Then you successfully dropped the package, I assume?”

“Yes, we dropped it without issue. The parachute opened properly as well, so unless those Crow Beastkin are exceptionally incompetent, they should retrieve it.”

Before the mission, I had given the rider a large cloth sack outfitted with a parachute, instructing her, “If you encounter Elves or Crow Beastkin, drop this.” Inside were military rations: biscuits, dried beans, cheese.

The intel indicating that the Elven nation faced a severe food shortage was likely true. So I planned to use food as a peace offering to initiate contact with the Elves in a non-hostile manner.

“Good, good. I’m sorry, but please continue flying around the Rana Volcano area starting tomorrow. And if the Crow Beastkin appears, drop more relief supplies. Rotate this mission among the other wyvern riders for the time being.”

“Understood, My Lord.”

“I’m counting on you. But don’t push yourselves. If you feel danger, retreat immediately. I can’t afford to lose you in a place like this.”

After emphasizing that point, I thought through our next steps. Were the wyvern riders dealing with the Crow Beastkin of New Elfenia Empire? That seemed the most likely, but it could be a different faction. Confirming that would be phase two of the operation…

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