Trails with Cuddle-Cuddle Osbon
Translator: Tsukii
Editor: Helen
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Author Note:
Merry Christmas! Here’s a chapter update.
Please forgive me though, since the place they are in is filled with salt, instead of snow. 1
Thank you for the typo reports as always.
Chapter 049 – Fufufu, son. It’s the June Field Study⑦ [A]
The next day was the third and final day of the field study in North Ambria.
After discussing it with Sara last night, they decided to find time between the tasks they had to complete to search for the area where Rean’s clone had disappeared.
That said, perhaps out of Toval’s consideration, the tasks on the final day had higher degree of freedom…… or, rather were more vague.
Aside from the usual wanted monster, there were also investigations to find unidentified monsters as well as searches for residents who had been spirited away.
“Toval-san, what do you mean by ‘spirited away’?”
“Apparently, it has affected both the residents and the Northern Jaegers who went to search for them. They are literally disappearing before anyone realizes it.”
“Shouldn’t this have been a task issued on day one?”
“It actually only came to light yesterday. I don’t know what on earth happened, but I have a guess where it might be.”
“The place where my clone disappeared, right?”
“Exactly. If your clone disappeared after being attacked then it seems likely that it wasn’t spirited away, but rather kidnapped.”
“It could be an unidentified monster, a person who kidnapped them…… or it could be a monster that the organization trained on its own.”
“But why would they want to kidnap the people of North Ambria……?”
“Maybe it’s because it’s a place where it’s not surprising when refugees and people starving to death suddenly disappear.”
“That’s……”
Everyone went silent at Fie’s words.
As bracers, Sara and Toval couldn’t deny that such people existed.
Unfortunately, there was no shortage of secret organizations in Zemuria that wished to conduct experiments on humans.
If they used North Ambria as a base and continued to kidnap refugees without anyone knowing, the rationale behind it actually wasn’t puzzling.
“I’ll go along with you this time. If it’s a large-scale organization, it’s better to have more people.”
“You’re right, it would be helpful if you could come as an insurance measure.”
After the discussion was over, Group B + instructor + bracer, a total of six people had taken care of the wanted monsters for the day, and began to move towards the point where the clone had disappeared yesterday.
Along the way, Toval provided them with the remaining photographs and other documents of the people spirited away.
Since the Salt Pale Incident, civilization in North Ambria had collapsed and family registers had lost most of their meaning, so even having documents that could confirm their identity was a blessing.
After all, it was only because a person with a good-background had been spirited away that they were able to realize and tap into this development.
In addition, for some reason, Celine was accompanying them this time.
The official reason was that if Toval went along with them, there would be no one to look after Celine.
Sara was initially reluctant to let Celine accompany them due to the possibility of combat, but after seeing how Celine’s behavior over the past few months during the field study had never caused any trouble for the other students, Sare reluctantly allowed Celine to accompany the group.
Even Sara had to admit that at this point, Celine was just a small classmate of Class VII.
But the ultimate reason for bringing her along was because Celine herself wanted to go.
(“But is it really okay, Celine? You could just sleep inside the instructor’s house.”)
[“I felt the spiritual veins acting up again yesterday. I don’t know if it’s the effect of the fight between you and the Palatinate Awakener, or the effect of the Salt Pale, but it’s bothering me. Maybe it will help me think out the true identity of the mysterious monster, but it might not help with the spirited away case.”]
(“If that’s the case, I understand. But if it’s dangerous, please teleport away to escape, okay?”)
[“There’s no way I will be the only one running away.”]
(“If a push comes to a shove, even if Emma can’t help, Celine is the only one who can bring Roselia-san or others for reinforcement.”)
[“It won’t reach the point where Roselia has to go…… but the fact that I can’t say for sure is troubling, considering the progress of your field studies.”]
As Rean continued to have encounters with Aurelia, McBurn, and the Jaeger King + Palatinate Divine Knight over a short period of time, which were normally impossible, it made Celine sigh, thinking that things wouldn’t be easy that day either.
Eventually, Group B reached the point where the clone had disappeared.
It was the site of the Salt Pale disaster, a salt plain covered in white.
“As far as I can see, there’s nothing to see here in particular.”
“But all of this is salt, right?”
“When I actually look at it, it really makes one wonder what this really is.”
Fie and the others muttered as they looked at the earth that had turned into salt.
Sara’s teeth chattered without meaning as she saw the scene where people and buildings alike had been turned to salt, without distinction.
Rean noticed this and brought up the topic.
“Is it okay to touch this salt now?”
“Eh? Well…… it’s been over twenty years since the disaster first occurred, and there are places with a similar situation as this place, but there have been no reports of anyone turning into salt because they stepped in there.”
“Then I won’t hesitate.”
Rean took the initiative and stepped onto the salty earth. He already knew that nothing would happen since his clones had already touched it, so he didn’t hesitate.
Group B was making a fuss behind him, but the salt at their feet only left prints of Rean’s shoes and nothing else happened.
When they had finally managed to breathe a sigh of relief after realizing this, the three closed in on Rean and began to lecture him about his lack of crisis management.
Toval gave a wry laugh at that, but interjected at the perfect moment to interrupt them.
“I know you’re worried, but standing still here won’t get you anywhere. Rean, where did your clone disappear to?”
“It’s a little further ahead. It looks to be in the remains of a building that you can see ahead from here.”
The remains of a building were objects that still retained their shape but most of them had turned to salt.
Before their eyes were something incomprehensible, not a natural ruin, but a building made of salt.
It seemed like that the slightest touch would cause it to collapse instantly, like a building with its supports pulled out.
Rean naturally gathered the power of ogre to his eyes and opened his spiritual sight.
Then, he saw something that looked like a fluctuation, near the building.
“Wait, there’s something there. Is that a…… vortex?”
“Seriously? I can’t see anything, though……”
After hearing Toval’s words, Rean tried to point out the location.
But before he could, a dull pain rang through his heart.
“Guh……”
Group B turned their attention to Rean, who had suddenly crouched down. Celine then called out to him.
[“Something’s coming, prepare yourself!”]
“! Everyone, ready your weapons!”
Hearing Celine’s voice, Rean immediately gave orders and their tactical links were established.
At the fall of his words, Sara and the others reflexively readied their weapons and at the same time…… an earthquake shook the ground beneath their feet, nay, the whole plot of land around them.
At the same time, something appeared out of thin air.
Its physique was almost ten arge, surpassing even Panzer Soldat and Divine Knight, and it was also enormous, covered in thick flesh.
Its skin had a reptilian texture, and its entire body was covered in blades…… or rather, spear-like protrusions, making its entire body the product of a lethal weapon.
[“Hou, it looks like a dinosaur.”]
Dinosaur?
[“Think of it as a type of dragon.”]
So it’s a monster?
While Rean was talking with Osbon, Elliot and Machias were thrown into a state of shock by the monster’s sudden appearance.
Fie, who was used to the situation, held Elliot while Sara held Machias and responded to the dinosaur’s movement.
“It’s coming!”
As Toval yelled, the dinosaur approached.
Blades pierced out of its head and it’s body glittered in the sunlight as it charged toward them with a deadly force.
“Tch!”
“Take this!”
“Crimson Slash!”
Toval’s Arts, Sara’s bullets, and Rean’s Crimson Slash were all fired at the same time as they dodged, all at a faster speed.
But the dinosaur intercepted the oncoming threat with an array of blades growing from its body.
“Wha, wha, wha……”
“Does it have intelligence?”
“At the very least, it could understand that we are launching an attack.”
“Are you okay, Elliot?”
“Y-Yes. Thank you, Fie.”
[“That’s a Cryptid?! Why is it here……?”]
Celine seemed to know something, but the dinosaur…… the Cryptid didn’t give Rean the leisure to listen.
As it sunk its skin deep into itself, an image of a wall of spears appeared in Rean’s mind.
“There are projectiles!”
Because a tactical link was deployed, everyone was able to grasp Rean’s movement in advance and avoid the projectiles fired by the Cryptid, with Sara and Machias intercepting them with their guns instead.
The blades seemed to have been reloaded immediately after being fired, making it clear that the enemy fired the blades like a gun.
“We can’t get close carelessly……!”
“It’s okay! Come, Power of Ashen…… Loa Valimar!”
As if to drown out Elliot’s anguished scream, Rean summoned Loa Valimar.
The Power of Ashen was transmitted to the deployed tactical link, granting it the Brave Order of protection, “Iron Will.”
Elliot and Sara, aware of the power of the Brave Order, explained the force that was enveloping them.
“Geez, he is really capable of a lot of things……!”
Toval grumbled at the protective wall that surrounded him, but he was grateful for its benefits and continued using his Arts at high-speed.
As a fellow Arts user, Elliot was amazed at the speed of Toval’s movements. In the time it took Elliot to fire one Arts, Toval had already successfully executed a consecutive series of Arts.
“We can’t fall behind! Machias, back me up!”
“You’re too fast, Instructor!”
Thanks to “Iron Will,” Sara had switched to close-quarters combat, and Machias was there to support her.
Despite using an orbal shotgun, as part of the field study in April and the training he had been doing since Rean’s birthday, Machias had mastered shooting techniques that wouldn’t hit the vanguard.
“Fie!”
“Hm!”
Rean and Fie conjured their clones and used them to attack or occasionally gain the attention of the Cryptid.
Fie’s naturally high evasion ability, combined with the protection of the Brave Order, prevented any accidents, allowing her to demonstrate solid defensive power with her counter. 2
Rean’s clones that had substance, which could be considered a cheating technique that could be used to attack as decoy, continued to reduce the number of flying blades shot by the Cryptids by firing Crimson Slash at them.
With the team’s tactics proving effective, the battle-hardened Sara and Toval realized that the Cryptid had accumulated a considerable amount of damage.
“Everyone, I’m going to use a big move, so I need you to buy me some time and hold it back!”
““Roger!””
Toval prepared to launch Arts.
Everyone realized that since Toval was capable of high-speed chanting yet needed to take so long to prepare, he must be using a fairly high-level Arts.
Rean removed the link from Fie and Elliot filled the gap.
After releasing the link, Rean focused on controlling Loa Valimar and held back the Cryptid under the guise of a great monster battle.
Even so, the Cryptid’s physical strength was greater than Loa Valimar, and just as it was about to shake it off, Group B and Sara concentrated their attacks to resist it.
And so, Toval’s Arts was complete.
“Eat this…… Cross Crusade!”
As he said this, a cross of light appeared around the Cryptid.
The sympathetic light formed a cross, and was released into the heavens as a pillar.
The accumulated damage was pushed out all at once, and the Cryptid disappeared into the light.
Once they confirmed that the battle was over, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
“T-Thanks goodness…… we managed to win somehow.”
“Aah…… But what on earth was that?”
“I think that would be a Cryptid.”
Toward the confused Elliot and others, Rean thought that he would cover it up later, saying that he had learnt of it from a craftsman —— Gandolf, at Schmidt’s classroom.
It was said that Cryptids were supposedly creatures that weren’t supposed to appear in the Zemuria dimension, but appeared due to disturbances in the spiritual veins.
“Disturbances in the spiritual veins……”
“Considering the damage done by the Salt Pale in North Ambria, that might be possible, but……”
“I think we should ask someone who knows about it.”
“Someone who knows about it?”
“Yes.”
After saying that, Rean looked in a certain direction.
There was nothing there, just a vast expanse of salt land—— it happened the moment they thought so.
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