"What shall we do……"
The reason why monsters were strong around here was not because of their physical ability but because of their intelligence.
Crimson Vow came to this conclusion as a result of their own research...
"It's no use telling the guild master. For the people here, that's probably normal, so things like, 'I got trapped by a horned rabbit!' or 'Orcs and ogres are in pairs. (Two-man cell)!’ But they’ll just say, ‘What’s the point?’" (Mile)
"Ah, I guess that's normal... If that's the case, it won't be recognized as abnormal..." (Mavis)
"…………" (Reina + Pauline)
Reina and Pauline were silent after hearing Mile's and Mavis's point.
"But why? Why are the monsters around here so smart? Also, since when did this happen...?" (Pauline)
"…………" (Other 3)
No one could answer Pauline's questions.
Then, Mile suddenly appeared...
"I can imagine that monsters that came from a different dimension a long time ago spread all over the world, degenerated and became weaker in this slim world, and in fact, the monsters of the old continent and the monsters that invaded this time their physical abilities were distinctly different...and their intelligence was not much different. On the other hand, the monsters in this continent, where there is a battle with the human species, have a little more wisdom. Therefore, I don't think that the monsters of the New Continent retain their old abilities. So, all I can think of is…" (Mile)
"Does that mean they've gotten smarter since they came here?" (Reina)
As expected of Reina, she was quick to understand.
"And it wasn’t that long ago…" (Mile)
"Huh? How do you know that?" (Pauline)
Mavis answered Pauline's questions.
"If monsters have been so smart since ancient times, the human species on this continent would have been extinct long ago, or they would just be surviving in areas where there are few monsters." (Mavis)
"Oh, I see……" (Pauline)
Yes, if there had been a large number of intelligent monsters living there, even if they were far below the brain power of humans, the human species would have been overwhelmed by the monsters and would have lost its domination on this continent.
A large, strong body.
Mighty power.
Excellent physical strength.
Strong fertility.
And there were also individuals who could use magic.
The reason humans had an advantage over such monsters in the Old Continent was because the monsters were stupid and uncooperative.
However, if the monsters gained even the slightest bit of wisdom...
"And it didn’t happen all of a sudden."
"Ah……"
As Mile and Mavis said, if it had happened suddenly, there would have been an uproar, and there was no way the guild master wouldn't have told them about it.
So, in other words, it would have progressed gradually over decades or centuries, and no one would have noticed the change.
And even now, there was a possibility that monsters were becoming smarter little by little...
"……" (All CV)
As if they realized this, the four of them fell silent with serious looks on their faces.
"But, there's nothing to worry about! They've managed to get by so far, so it's not like things will change in the next few years or decades. Also, even if monsters evolve and become smarter, we humans will also evolve and become smarter. With better weapons and armor, stronger walls, and an increased population, humans will be able to overwhelm monsters!"
"That's right. I think we should just trust in the future human species and live the present to the fullest."
"...If you say so, I guess that's right. Even if we don’t care about everything, we can just leave it to this continent, the world, and the future human species as a whole. As one of them, we should just do what we have to do. Besides, there’s nothing we can do about it..."
"Yes. For now, let's take it easy as planned!"
"Ooh!" (All CV)
The members of the Crimson Vow decided to put the question of monster strength on hold for the time being.
"...Also, it's fine to take it easy, but being F rank is a bit... Well then, aside from being able to hunt on our own as a regular quest, isn't it impossible to accept a subjugation type as a regular quest? Of course, requesting an escort is out of the question. In other words, when we go out, we can take a request for escort so that we can travel and earn money at the same time, or when we are attacked, we can be given a ride in a carriage for free on the condition that we help..."
"We can't do that... And if that's the case, we'll have to either walk all the way to the capital or pay to take a ride on a horse-drawn carriage..."
"…………" (All CV)
Even though everyone didn't have much money, they felt strongly against the idea of paying to ride in a horse-drawn carriage.
...Yes, up until now, horse-drawn carriages were something they had to do by accepting an escort request and getting paid to ride, so even though they rationally thought, "Why not just pay to ride?", for some reason they didn't want to do that.
All humans were like that.
"...Let's think of a better way. Until then, we'll stay here for a while..." (Pauline)
Reina and the others nodded at Pauline's suggestion.
"……ah!" (Mile)
"Wh-what happened all of a sudden..." (Reina)
Reina was startled by Mile's sudden voice and became a little displeased.
However, Mile's words that followed made her freeze.
"I forgot to check Reina-san and Pauline-san's aptitude for storage magic..." (Mile)
"Ah!!" (Reina + Pauline)
This time Reina and Pauline spoke up.
"Well, I forgot that super important thing ... Oh, oh, I'm disqualified from the merchant!" (Pauline)
"I was so confused... I knew so deeply how important it was for a hunter to learn storage magic, but I can’t believe I forgot the first thing I needed to check..." (Reina)
Pauline and Reina looked like they couldn't believe it.
"I-I can’t help it. I came to a new place and was busy, and a lot of things happened all at once... Anyway, let's check tomorrow. No matter how good the storage magic is, it's dangerous to experiment with magic inside the inn..." (Mile)
That was a valid point, so Pauline and Reina reluctantly nodded.
Actually, they probably wanted to try it right away.
However, they didn't know what would happen if they failed at the high-level magic of controlling subspace.
Perhaps it was because they were both excellent magicians that they were unable to refute Mile's points.
"Please don’t make that face! It’s scary! Anyway, let's go to the nearby forest tomorrow and do some checking." (Mile)
"…………" (Reina + Pauline)
Reina and Pauline had a hard time sleeping tonight, thinking about tomorrow.
Author's Note
Notice!
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Translation Note
If you have read the LN (English version) Volume 18, that just published recently, feel free to skip until chapter 594 (~7 weeks from now).