"Whoa, whoa... anything goes, huh? That guy is..."
I watched Elna fight a short distance away, my face contorting. Elna was battling a pack of over thirty Bloodhounds, monstrous wolf-like creatures with a reddish-black hue. They were pack animals, and a group of five or more would be classified as an A-rank mission. A pack of thirty or more would be equivalent to an AAA-rank mission, a particularly troublesome foe.
However, Elna was undaunted by their numbers, kicking the Bloodhounds away one by one. Even high-ranking adventurers would be surprised.
In just a few minutes, Elna had decimated the pack of Bloodhounds and recorded her victory with a crystal-shaped magical device. This information would be immediately transmitted to the headquarters in Keel and reported to the people. In the interim report, we were far ahead. Elna had already defeated an AAA-rank monster and an equivalent number of Bloodhounds.
Given the nature of the festival, a single massive monster could turn the tables, but our lead was undeniable.
"Al! I see monsters over there! I'm going to chase them!"
"No, I'm tired today. Why don't we rest in the nearby town?"
"What are you saying? We're going to win, right?"
"I never declared that..."
It wouldn't do to let Elna and the knights go ahead on their own.
The emperor's children, who had set out with the knights, wore wristbands that were magical devices. The captain of the knight squad also wore the same device, and they would break if the distance between them exceeded a certain limit, about one kilometer. This made it impossible for the knights to act alone.
The knights of Crista were not subject to this restriction, but when they discovered a monster, they had to obtain permission from Crista, who was in Keel, via long-distance magical communication. They were allowed to defend themselves if attacked, but it was rare for a monster to attack fully armed knights.
Perhaps due to this long-distance communication handicap, the knights of Crista had yet to achieve any results. The monsters would escape before they received a response.
In the end, it was the right choice to move forward with the knights.
"You're fine, but the others are tired. It's the first day, so there's no need to push it. The festival lasts three days, so let's take it easy."
"You..."
"Hey? I'm supposed to be your temporary lord, right? Are you going to disobey my orders?"
"Ugh... I understand. I'll follow your orders..."
"Good. Let's move to the nearby town."
With that, we moved to a nearby town. The town was also in a festive mood, and the inn the emperor had arranged for us welcomed us warmly. The entire eastern region was involved in the festival. The mere presence of the royal family and famous knights in the town was enough to cause a stir. In this case, the town was buzzing because Elna had arrived, but it was better to have a reason to celebrate.
"It's a wild party, isn't it?"
"That's the emperor's intention. The festival is meant to ease the discontent in the east."