"...That's why we came to the forest that I heard about at the guild, which is a purveyor for new hunters around here..." (Mile)
It's Mile's usual explanatory line, but no one bothered with it anymore.
Previously, Reina said, "Every time, who are you explaining this to?", but...
"When we get serious, we don't have to test anything before, so we're going to simulate hunting as a normal rookie hunter. Since Reina-san is in the forest, fire magic is of course strictly prohibited, but other magic should only be used at the level of a D-E rank magician. Even when Reina-san entered the hunter training school, she was able to use fire magic at the same level as C-rank, but I think the power of other magic is fine at that time. Mavis-san has also been training since she was a child and receiving guidance from her father and older brother, so her ability at the time he entered school was at the bottom of the C rank. So, since then, she has become a little more restrained... Pauline-san is prohibited from using hot magic. Both spicy and heat..." (Mile)
When she said hot, it meant things like raising the body temperature of the prey to defeat it...like the one that defeated the escort hunter when she took back his family's store...or the kind that threw boiling water.
"And unless you think you're going to get hurt or something unexpected happens, please remain bound until I say, 'Operation finished.'" (Mile)
Mile said that, then Reina asked.
"…What kind of restraints are you going to put on you?" (Reina)
"Ah, I won't be participating in the hunt. I'll be observing everyone's battles and focusing on verification work." (Mile)
That's certainly better.
Mile was probably not very good at hunting, and as a researcher, this role would suit Mile.
Thinking so, Reina and the others were satisfied with Mile's explanation.
"Then, let's start the operation!" (Mile)
Then, at Mile's command, the hunt of Crimson Vow as a new hunter began.
"Hmm, I don't see much prey..." (Mile)
Mile said so, and it's understandable. This was the case everywhere, including the forest near the city that was popular with new hunters.
The lack of dangerous high-rank monsters meant that there was not enough food for them to breed, that was, animals and low-rank monsters, and if it was close to the city, there were fewer animals and low-rank monsters hunted down by new hunters.
The reason Mile and her group were able to hunt a decent amount of prey even in their usual hunting grounds was because Mile used search magic.
Mile didn't really want to use that kind of "Magic to spoil everyone," but she still used it in moderation because she didn't want to go hunting and get "no results."
...But, of course, she didn't use any search magic this time.
Ordinary new hunters couldn't use something like that...
"A horned rabbit, 15 meters toward 1 o’clock…" (Mavis)
Finally, Mavis found the prey.
Spotting a small horned rabbit 15 meters away in the undergrowth of a forest was an extremely difficult task.
Usually, the horned rabbit noticed it before the humans did, and either ran away or hid by burrowing into the grass or soft soil.
Mavis appeared to have a natural instinct for finding prey.
...And her eyesight...
"Mavis-san and Reina-san, please!" (Mile)
The two nodded at Mile's instructions.
Four people fighting a horned rabbit was too much force, and Mile had the role of observation for verification purposes.
...And there was no way that Pauline, who was said to have "a lack of athletic ability," could keep up with the speed of the horned rabbit's movements.
"Alright, let's go, Reina!" (Mavis)
"Roger that!" (Reina)
Reina and Mavis approached the horned rabbit quietly so as it not to notice them.
Reina had already chanted and held a spell that released ice debris in her head, and Mavis had drawn her sword and was ready to attack at any time.
But…….
"Oh, it ran away!"
Reina's ice shards, which she fired immediately, missed.
In this situation, there would be no way to catch up with the horned rabbit, which ran quickly through the underbrush.
She probably should have released the ice debris earlier while the horned rabbit was stationary, but that's just a matter of fact.
"No, it can run away...huh?"
……slow.
The Horned Rabbit's escape legs were much slower than normal.
"Is it hurt? Alright, we can catch up! Let's go, Reina!" (Mavis)
"Leave it to me!" (Reina)
Reina and Mavis said as they chased after the horned rabbit.
Since the prey already knew, there was no problem in shouting.
"Ah, it's gone..." (Pauline)
"It has disappeared. Now we have to verify this..." (Mile)
While Pauline and Mile were saying this, Reina and Mavis came running back at full speed without making a sound and looking desperate.
And just like that, it passed Pauline and Mile and drove off.
"What in the world happened...?" (Mile)
Mile let out a cry of surprise, and Pauline stared in the direction Mavis and the others came back with a shocked look on her face.
What they both saw...
Horned rabbit.
Horned rabbit, horned rabbit.
Horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit.
Horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horn rabbit, horn rabbit, horn rabbit, horn rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit, horned rabbit...
It was a flock of dozens of horned rabbits.
It charged towards them at full speed, with its sharp end facing towards them...
If Mile got serious, she could blow them away that easily.
However, even though she'd told everyone that, if she ended up "Go beyond being a rookie hunter and fighting seriously," she felt like she'd "lost" and she didn't like it.
That too, against a horned rabbit...
And Pauline seemed to think the same way.
What should they do now, given the constraints of acting within the scope of a normal rookie hunter?
A blow from a horned rabbit could easily penetrate leather armor.
If they were not careful, even a C-rank hunter could be caught unawares and seriously injured.
So, what measures should the two of them take now?
"Run away!"
Mile and Pauline followed Mavis and Reina as fast as they could.
Yes, just like Mavis and Reina chose, "escape" was the only option...
Translator's Note
It's like the opening scene of the anime, which is about 2-3 years before this chapter was originally published, and exactly only Mavis and Reina who did the attack while Mile and Pauline observed them from behind.