107 - - Southbound Route No. 3

After that, Bettina and her group were attacked by a flock of black-bellied eagles every time they moved on to a new valley.

However, the group survived the first battle without incident, and thanks to Tali's vigilance and Godin's calm instructions, they made it to the safety of the valley before nightfall.

It was hard to believe that it was their first day.

"Are you sure you want to eat that?"

"Yes, it's a very tasty looking thigh.

"If you don't want ......, I'll take it for you."

"...... give me some, Tapa."

"Well, I'll have one too."

"Okay, I'll eat it!　You just eat it. Oh, it's surprisingly light and tasty."

Bettina, while elegantly biting into the fatty leg of the black eagle, glares at her guide who is taking part in the meal.

"Don't guides bring their own food?

No, I've brought my own. But I'd much rather eat this than bread covered in sand. Yes, this is delicious.

"I'm glad you're pleased, Mr. Garudo."

"I never thought I'd be able to eat food like this in a place like this. I'm surprised you brought it here.

The guide, who had left his discretion somewhere else, exclaims in admiration in front of the full-scale cooking utensils spread out next to the tent.

"This is all thanks to Tali-sama's wind speed team," he said. We are always grateful for your help."

"...... you can count on me as much as you want, Mr. Godin."

"I see, so you can even lighten your luggage if you master the art. And that's not all."

The is not merely a magical technique to generate a tailwind, but in fact it can manipulate the direction of the wind in any desired direction.

Garudo had seen through the skillful way in which the wind wielder had changed the direction of the wind as the monsters flew by.

The fact that the speed of the black-bellied eagles was slower than usual due to the headwind slowing them down was a great, albeit humble, accomplishment.

"Well, thanks for the food. Well, see you tomorrow.

Good night.

After the meal, the group retired to their tents.

Bettina, Godin, and Tapa, however, took turns on the night watch.

Tali was the only one to make a high pitched noise, as he was too tired to recover his magical powers.

On the second day, again, Bettina's choice of canyon was made, and the route we would take would be determined at random.

We were able to continue for a considerable distance in the morning without any problems.

When the sun was almost overhead, the group reached a point where the rocky mountains were just out of sight.

"It looks like we're almost there."

"...... but the valley is divided into three parts."

"...... looks like it could go through any of them."

Then it's obvious. It's straight here!

Bettina pointed to the valley in front of them with a broad smile.

They continued on in silence, and soon the end of the valley began to appear in the distance.

"I guess we've moved the last piece to the wrong place..." said Bettina. She's got no clue, that young lady."

Garudo shrugged his head as the wind suddenly began to blow violently.

He softly slows his steps and ducks into a ledge of the wall behind him.

Almost at the same time, a rasping cry echoed down to the valley floor.

Something big is coming!

Tali's warning is immediately proven.

A shadow so large that it blocked out the sun swept across the ground beneath her feet.

Next comes another shrill, high-pitched scream, followed by a strong gust of wind.

Then, with a sound like the fluttering of a giant flag, the great shadow swoops down to the valley floor.

The huge flying object quickly closes in directly in front of them.

It leaps lightly over Godan, who stands in the lead, and passes over the three men on the ground at a furious pace.

Godan, still in mid-air, moves a few paces before slamming violently into a side wall, his red armor making a creaking sound.

"Did you see ......?"

"I saw ......!"

"Are you okay?　GODDAN. What was that?

"I'm fine, miss."

At the moment of impact, he seemed to have killed the momentum by kicking the ground.

The butler stood up calmly and observed the sky above with his shield at the ready.

"What do you see?　Master Tapa, Master Tali."

"......Yes, definitely. It's a beast of the wind."

Usually, beast-type monsters are some kind of animal that has been transformed by a miasma.

On rare occasions, however, a beast that has been strongly influenced by a spirit may turn into a monster with an outlandish appearance.

These are special beasts with the names of wind and thunder.

The monster I mentioned earlier, called a wind beast, also had a peculiar appearance.

Its head was that of a bird of prey and it had two large wings.

The body, however, was clearly that of a four-legged beast.

Around its neck, it had a mane of spiny feathers.

The bird-like cry of the beast sounded again.

Without a pause, the air shook, and a huge body clad in wind descended.

It was more than twice as tall as Godan and more than four times as long.

With the overwhelming difference in weight, the wind beast easily blows away the shieldmen running in front of it again.

"Whoo!"　

"Ouch!"

And that's not all.

As it passed over the stooping twins, it sent the spiny feathers of its neck flying.

One of the sharp feathers, up to the elbow, pierced Tapa's thigh, and in no time at all, the lower garment was stained red.

Tali, who was also hit by a feather at the shoulder, her face contorted in pain.

Bettina, who was the only one unharmed by the thorn feathers sliding off her white scaled armor, her red eyes flashed with anger at the sight of her companions.

"How dare you!"

"...... can't allow that."

"...... we'll make sure we get you."

"It's going to be tough to retreat from here."

Standing up, Godan looks ahead and back the way he came from and makes a calm decision.

There is no way we can afford to run through the valley against that monster.

"I can manage to beat the assault, but not the flying feathers..."

"...... arrows can't reach it."

"Likewise, the sword seemed to cut through the air."

"...... perhaps it is cloaked in wind."

Can you manage that?

"...... is coming."

Quickly binding their wounds, the twins parted and clung to each wall.

A moment later, with a yell, Godan, shield at the ready, rushes forward.

Bettina follows behind him, bending down as if sliding on the ground.

In the clash of shields and beaks, the wind beast prevailed.

Once again, Godan flies through the air and easily falls to the ground.

Bettina, whose white blade was blocked by a wall of air, was blown away by the wind pressure and hit the wall hard, emitting a short scream.

The twins seemed to be too busy dealing with the flying thorn blades.

They tried to shoot them down with arrows and daggers, but the monsters themselves were completely unharmed.

Garudo silently watched the struggling party through the gap in his shield.

It would be impossible to stop the movement of that giant flying in the sky without a big obstacle.

And even if he could stop or slow them down, the wind armor covering their bodies would not be able to withstand a half-hearted attack.

A type of archers would work, but I doubt if a wind wielder who can support them would be able to use them.

The more dominant the spirit is, the better.

It is safe to say that a will not work at all.

At least if Bettina, the swordsman, had more powerful skills, she might have been able to do something.

Observing them at the mercy of the huge beast's power, the guide watches for the right moment to jump out of the way.

They are still playing, but if the wind beast gets serious, it will enter a vicious mode of unleashing its spiny blades all at once.

As Garudo lifts his shield in disappointment, he suddenly hears a conversation between the lady and the butler.

"It seems that we are done here, miss. I'm sorry."

"...... Well, I don't blame you."

The guide stopped moving as if mesmerized by the sight of the beautiful woman's lips lifting wide as she said these words.