Should we say it was completely unexpected? An Ran had absolutely no clue about the appearance of the chimera.
Or rather, he simply didn't understand why chimeras existed.
That's true. After all, even from my perspective, he has absolutely no talent for practicing magic. His studies are mostly in areas such as urban management, economic operations, and human resource management. He is completely clueless about the knowledge related to mages, let alone understanding why chimeras exist or what the appearance of chimeras on his territory means.
In his eyes, it might be like eating hot pot and singing songs while fantasizing about the bright future of the city's development. Suddenly, he turns his head and finds that the ancient tree he planted behind his house for shade is gone. Then, in the next blink, he sees that a huge horde of beasts is about to block his door. Before things have calmed down, he sees that a chimera suddenly appears out of the sky, and a little mage passes by and fires a light cannon, uprooting the ground in front of his house.
If it were me, I'd have a headache too.
Perhaps all he can do is look up at the sky and cry out "Mommy!" three times, hoping that a divine being will descend from heaven to save him from his dire situation.
Okay, that's a bit difficult. Maybe I should first think about where to get a nice, presentable box to pack myself and all my belongings and take it with me.
Running away is merely a delaying tactic, and fighting is simply a desperate resistance. But compared to the former, the latter is at least more respectable, saving one from being gossiped about later.
...Then this guy came up with a trick. He used the pre-arranged celebration to bring in some of the forces from other cities, using the competition and rewards as bait to drive them to work for him.
As it turned out, most of the people who were brought in didn't feel any aversion; in fact, they were quite happy to have this stage to showcase their abilities and were eager to sign up. Some even risked their lives to compete, resulting in fights between them right in front of monsters. I don't know whether to say they had no sense of crisis or were too competitive—I only learned this from Hikari by chance.
According to her, after the city lord announced changes to the way tickets for the sword fighting tournament were obtained and the ranking method for the main competition, a large portion of the injured people that the Healing Hall is currently receiving are those who could have avoided being injured, but were careless along the way, or those who arrogantly challenged monsters far beyond their abilities and were crippled by a single claw and barely survived.
The rescue team has already started whispering about whether they should keep a team on standby to provide support.
It's really a headache.
By the way, I just remembered that this celebration competition actually has award categories, including but not limited to: making a reasonable request to the city lord of the Sacred Tree Fortress, submitting a challenge to a Sword Saint to spar or offer guidance, a certain amount of wealth and weapons, support for the construction of large-scale magical facilities... etc. In short, it covers everything as long as it can be done with Anran's wealth or face.
Then, Miyuki suddenly walked past me from behind and casually said, "I just want to spar," leaving me speechless for a long time before I could even ask her the question I was about to ask.
As for Hiro? I didn't see my friend's familiar figure among the evacuees. But as far as I know, that carefree and restless guy is probably fine and is probably having some fun somewhere right now.
"Ah, I feel like I still need to make a trip to the academy."
After being forced to rest for half a day and night, I finally broke free from a pile of complicated information casually sent to me by Anran, and walked into the small garden that came with the Healing Hall. I squinted and looked up at the bright sun hanging in the azure sky, and let out a long breath.
Vibrant flowers bloom within a small space. Unlike the surrounding buildings, the small building, constructed entirely of white jade, casts a small, dim shadow in the garden as the sunlight moves. This shadow stops precisely near the center line of the garden, dividing this vibrant little world into two perfectly balanced halves of light and shadow.
People who had recovered somewhat strolled slowly along the paths, supported by their loved ones. After a while, they sat on the stone benches placed around the flower beds. Their faces showed little sorrow; instead, they were full of enthusiasm and eager to leave and show off their skills.
"Hmm? What's wrong, Mr. Yumi?"
Just then, Hikari, who had been busy all morning, was passing by the corridor with a fruit platter when she heard me talking to myself. She was busy chewing on the half-eaten pear she had stuffed into her mouth when she came over and sat down nearby.
She turned slightly, resting half her face on my shoulder, tilting her head to peek at the paper document I was holding. Strands of her light golden hair brushed past my ear, gathered slightly on my shoulder and then fell back down, releasing a faint fragrance that drifted on the breeze, followed by the sweet, juicy scent of a pear that had been bitten into.
"Hmm, I don't understand."
The little idiot's eyes barely touched the words for a few seconds before turning into spiraling mosquito coils, with wisps of white smoke even rising from her forehead. So I quickly moved the document away from my hand, and only then did I see the girl shaking her head vigorously, giving me a dizzy look: "What is this? So many words, I'm so dizzy."
I was somewhat amused and exasperated: "It's just a list of currently registered mages in the city. I originally intended to confirm through official channels whether the person I was looking for might be on it."
"But the information here might not be complete. After all, it's just a registration form given upon entering the city. There are always some wild mages who still uphold the old laws and adhere to the principle of secrecy, keeping a low profile and unwilling to reveal themselves easily. Therefore, it's possible that they didn't choose to write down their full identities. Even if you find all those people and use an identification spell on them, it won't be of any use. 'The truth revealed by the hidden part of the truth is also the truth,' even if it might lead to the wrong conclusion."
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