kscans

Chapter 227 - The Emeraldas Mountains

Representatives from various countries arrived one after another, but about one in every ten groups had a unique skill holder or someone with a concealed weapon. The witch and her disciples made these individuals disappear one by one, until finally, the representative from America arrived.

"This is the last one. America... seems to be fine."

The witch glanced at her disciples, but the three of them showed no reaction.

"That's everyone. Well, there were fewer ejections than I thought."

Sakurai said with a laugh. But to be honest, I thought the same thing. I had expected not half, but perhaps thirty or forty percent to violate the rules.

"That's a good thing, isn't it? Well then, let's begin the briefing."

The witch said this and surveyed the representatives from each country. I took the voice recorder out of my pocket and started recording.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming today. We will now begin the briefing. We will be taking questions, but we will not accept any that are unrelated to this briefing. Also, due to time constraints, please be aware that we may not be able to answer every question. Any unanswered questions should be directed to the Guild at a later date. Now, let us begin the explanation."

The witch said this, looked toward the Emeraldas Mountains, and pointed.

"What you see over there is the Emeraldas Mountains. I do not know the elevation or other details. However, there are no strange gases or poisons, so please rest assured. The range of this area is that mountain range and the surrounding two kilometers. Also, according to the King of Frontier, minerals such as gold can be mined in those mountains. And they remain untouched."

I had heard that before, but if she is accepting payment in gold, why not just manage a mine herself?

"Next, regarding the monsters that appear here. Many types of monsters appear here. Primarily Slimes, Goblins, and Skeletons, but on rare occasions, Sand Dragons also appear. But it is truly rare."

S-Sand Dragons!? I have never heard of such a monster, but is a dragon safe?

As I grew uneasy, the representatives from each country also began to stir.

"Hm? What is the matter?"

The witch tilted her head upon seeing the reactions of the representatives.

"Eleanor-kun, I believe everyone is concerned about the Sand Dragon. The Sand Dragon is a monster that has not been confirmed by the Guild. What kind of monster is it?"

I decided to ask on behalf of everyone.

"Ah... I see. The Sand Dragon has 'dragon' in its name, but it is not a dragon. It is a large lizard. Of course, it does not breathe fire, nor does it use magic."

Is it something like a Komodo Dragon?

"Its size?"

"...About five or six meters."

The witch said in a small voice, averting her eyes.

"Five or six meters!?"

The murmuring among the representatives grew louder.

"What about the danger? Does it have poison or..."

"...No poison, I think."

The witch would not look at me at all.

"Eleanor, just be honest. Should I say it for you?"

The short-haired disciple said to the witch with an exasperated look.

"You do it."

The witch said this to her disciple and turned to look at the Emeraldas Mountains.

"Hah... The Sand Dragon has no poison. However, it is a monster that camouflages itself as the ground or rocks. It is not fast, but it is a hunter that ambushes its prey."

So a giant, five or six-meter lizard camouflages itself and lies in wait. The danger level is immense...

"Excuse me, is there a way to deal with it?"

One of the representatives raised his hand and asked.

"You should throw a rock at any suspicious spots. It will react to that. Even though it's camouflaged, it's not like it's invisible. The Sand Dragon's large size is its weakness, so it's easy to spot. Be wary of any large rocks."

Indeed, even if it is camouflaged, its size would leave some unnaturalness.

"What does the Sand Dragon drop?"

"It drops an item called Dragon Scale. It's actually a lizard, but it's a pretty good material, so you should make some armor with it."

"Hoh...!"

Upon hearing 'Dragon Scale', the representatives from each country grew excited. 'Dragon Scale' was an item they had never heard of, so their reaction was natural. There was risk, but there seemed to be a corresponding reward.

Meanwhile, the witch had stopped speaking entirely... Not only that, but she was now staring at the Emeraldas Mountains with Yokokawa, whispering to each other.

"It is important not to panic if you encounter a Sand Dragon. A common mistake is to spot a Sand Dragon, panic, and flee, only to be caught by another Sand Dragon hiding elsewhere."

A common mistake? Sand Dragons do not appear in the areas leased from Frontier, so how could it be common? This girl named Arc is definitely from Frontier...

"Do you like mountain climbing?"

"I do not. Therefore, I will not be coming here."

"I don't like it either. Mireille Road is the place to be."

The witch was now completely ignoring her duties. Are you not the one who is supposed to be explaining?

"How many of them are there?"

"There are not that many, so it might be difficult to hunt them specifically..."

"Hmm..."

"What about at night?"

"The Sand Dragons are sleeping. But they are sometimes awake, so be careful. It's more dangerous at night because of the poor visibility."

This group over here is getting lively...

"Oh, a bird."

"Is that not a dragon?"

"No, it is a bird."

"Eleanor-sama, that is a Great Eagle."

"See!"

"Wow, Lydia-chan, you have good eyes, just like Nanaka-san."

Another one joined in...

"Ahem! Eleanor-kun, what about the briefing?"

I decided to get things back on track.

"Arc should be fine... She knows more about it anyway."

"Well, is that so? She seems to be surrounded..."

The girl named Arc was surrounded by the representatives and being bombarded with questions.

"What a terrible sight. A group of old men surrounding a little girl... Well, she'll be fine."

A master who is not kind to her disciple.

After that, the girl named Arc continued to answer the representatives' questions, and the main role of the briefing shifted from the witch to her disciple.

"Hey, Eleanor, aren't you supposed to be the one explaining?"

Arc, surrounded by the representatives, raised her hand and asked the witch.

"I wonder if there are any ruins in that mountain?"

"Something like the underground ruin from before?"

"Exactly."

Incredible... These people have finally started to ignore Arc completely...

"Eleanor-sama, this area receives little rain, and crops do not grow. Therefore, I do not believe people have ever lived here."

Ah... I have a feeling this Lydia girl is also from Frontier.

"I see... Well, maybe that's why the King gave it to me."

"People settle where there are rivers and forests. That is the same for us and the people of Feire."

Feire? Is that what they call our world? Well, at least it is certain that the girl named Lydia is from Frontier...

"Hey! I think we're about out of time, aren't we?"

Arc, undeterred, called out to the witch.

"Maybe I should ask the King for a summer retreat."

"That sounds wonderful."

"Hmm... I think an isolated island somewhere would be nice, so we should negotiate for that."

These people are definitely unique skill holders. They are far too laid-back...

"Hey!"

"What a noisy child. Director-san, let's wrap it up here."

"Indeed."

At this rate, we will lose all control.

"Arc, come here."

As the witch said that, Arc appeared beside her.

Eh? She appeared suddenly! A unique skill!?

"Hah... I'm tired."

Arc held her throat.

"I'll get you some juice later... Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes the briefing. If you have any further questions, please contact the Guild. To return, simply pass through the gate, and you will be back at your original gate."

As the witch said this and pointed to the gate, the representatives from each country began to file through it.

"They went back more obediently than I thought."

The witch tilted her head.

"That is because the ones who broke the rules were ejected. They have followed the rules this far. If they cause trouble on the way back and get ejected, they will not be able to return to their countries."

Sakurai explained to the perplexed witch.

"I see... Satsuki-san, Director-san, you two should head back first as well."

"Right. Director, let's go."

Sakurai prompted me.

"Understood."

I passed through the gate with Sakurai, thinking that I had learned far too many things I did not wish to know.