Daybreak.
With the waning moonlight, the eastern sky began to lit up. Ken, Yue, Shia and Riveria, these four people completed their travel preparations, and soon they would leave the "Water Fairy Inn." In their hands were packaged riceballs that could be eaten as they move. Even though it was still early in the morning, no one wore unpleasant faces as Foss prepared their breakfast. It was just as expected of a high-class inn. Its management was admired even by Ken and his party, as they thanked him without reserve once they received the breakfast.
Within the morning mist, Ken and his party faced towards Ur's northern gate. There was a highway that stretched from this place to the northern mountain range area. It would take at least a full day by horse, but they would arrive in two to three hours using the light runner.
With sounds of activity beginning to resound inside the buildings, they advanced towards the northern gate, and could finally see the gate. He narrowed his eyes because he could sense signs of people near the northern gate. They didn't move or anything, but only hung around the gate.
What he saw through the morning mist… … were Aiko and the six students.
"… … Although I can guess 'and already know' what you want, let me hear it anyway… … What are you doing?"
Ken and his party looked at Aiko and the students with half-opened eyes. For a moment, Aiko twitched from the pressure in the atmosphere, but she still faced Ken with a firm attitude. After having a discussion, the students; Sonobe Yuka, Miyazaki Nana, Tamai Atsushi and Aikawa Noboru, drew near Aiko.
"You're here to work right? we'll come with you" (Sonobe Yuka)
"Do you know what my work is?" (Ken)
"Not exactly but Foss-san said you're here to solve the weird situation in the mountains and that you're from the Fuhuren guild" (Miyazaki)
"... the original quest is to search for an important individual gone missing in those mountains"
"Then the more the merrier, and it will be easier " (Aikawa)
"No. I am okay with you going wherever. But, I refuse to go together."
"Wh-Why?" (Sonobe)
"Simply because our pace is different. I don't want to match your slow speed. So can you tell me why you're really here?"
"I was about to tell you what happened yesterday... ...do you remember Shimizu Yukitosh?" (Aiko)
"Yes, his class was dark mage right?"
'And he will soon be the first inmate at my prison '
"... He was one of the students who volunteered to be my bodyguard along with the others but a few days ago he went missing. Believing him not to be so weak to be done in by most people of this world, we've asked around this and nearby towns for his whereabouts but..."
"The information about Shimizu cannot to obtained further from these parts so... ... we want to tag along and search the northern mountains" (Tamai)
"... I don't care about him or whatever you want to do but I can't have you moving slowly behind "
Ken pours mana in the treasure trove and a large a large magic circle opens a space in which a large object appears from. The object was the newly made Light carriage that looked like a Toyota HiAce which was made to contain more than the runner could carry.
"C-cool... ... so damn cool"(Aikawa)
"So it's finally completed..."(Yue)
"Aaha! this was what you were thinking so hard about. That's amazing ~" (Shia)
"... ..." (Riveria)
Since it was daybreak the lines along the vehicle shone with bright orange color. They enter from behind since there were no side doors and they're amazed at the interior. There's a passageway in the middle leading to the front of the driver's seat with seats for two on each side. Ken sits behind the wheel with a smile and excitement to meet a certain someone.
_____
They moved forward on the road expanding straight into the northern mountain range area using the HiAce like Light carriage. Even though the highway was a bad road, thanks to the suspension and terrain manipulation feature it shared with other Light vehicles, most of the impact was nulled.
For the seating inside the vehicle, Ken naturally sat in the driver's seat, while Aiko sat at his side and Yue was next to her. Aiko sat beside Ken for the sake of hearing his story. Although Aiko seemed to not have told it to the other students, she wanted to hear about it sooner.
Originally, the seat next to Ken belonged to Yue, but Yue already knew the contents of the story Ken would tell, so reluctantly, she gave her seat to Aiko. But, Aiko and Yue were small, so there was still a considerable amount of space in the seat.
Shia sat comfortably between the two female students but was not enjoying the experience as much. She had been placed between Sonobe and Nana for a while now, and they interrogated her about her relationship with Ken. Love between different races in another world was something female high schoolers wouldn't miss hearing. They were so curious that they repeatedly asked Shia, and the flustered Shia tried her best to answer their questions with Riveria who sat beside them like a cool mature lady listens to their conversation.
The boys decided to sit behind the car to analyze and discuss how cool the car and weapon sitting on a cylinder elevator is. The sonic cannon was to be elevated to an opening in the top Incase of an attack.
On the other side, Ken and Aiko's conversation also reached its climax. Having heard everything from Ken including the possibility of Hagime being betrayed by his own classmate, Aiko sits there unfocused with a lot she needed to process.
------
The northern mountain range area.
Several mountains extended with altitudes ranging from 1000 to 8000 meters. Plants and trees were somehow able to grow there. It was a mysterious place with a scattered environment. The colour would make one remember the mountains of Japan in autumn, and the other area was filled with trees with fresh green leaves, just like in mid-summer, but there were also places with withered trees in contrast.
Moreover, even if one could see past the mountain range, another mountain range stretched out beyond it. There were more and more of them to the north. Currently four such mountain ranges were confirmed, and beyond that was a completely unknown area.
Ken and the others stopped the light carriage at the foot of the mountain, and were charmed by the artistic display of nature's magnificent colors for a while. One of the girls let out a "Ho~".
Ken also wanted to slowly appreciate this, so he put the four-wheeler back into the "Treasure Box", and pulled out certain things in its stead.
"This... this is amazing but how are you going to find anything here?" (Sonobe)
Those were, imitation models of 360° rotating boomerang hover ball which spanned 30 cm each, and a rectangular glass pad with a small crystal embedded on it.
Ken holds the pad, took out two identical models, and slowly threw them into the air. With that, one would assume they'd fall due to gravity. However, these orbs were floating in place. Aiko and the students let out an "Ah".
The two hovering orbs began to rotate on their spots and flew towards the mountain.
"Umm, those are…."
Having seen the model orbs flying away without any sound, Aiko represented the other students and inquired something of him.
Ken answered her with "god's eye", and just like the vehicles and gun, they were items that were out of place in this different world.
{A/N: Description and features will be in the auxiliary chapters}
With [Parallel thinking] controlling these devices was a piece of cake. This time, he took out the Third eye because, being able to search from the air is useful, since the scope of search was too vast. Granting [Hivemind] to these models means whatever the the third eye sees can be view on the iPad(eyePad) and other devices.
Having watched the third eye fly far away, Aiko and the students tried to stop being surprised by Ken's actions, however, it was a vow that might never be fulfilled.
Ken and the party were able to navigate the mountains faster through the mapping feature of the third eye and soon reached the sixth mountain. On this mountain, Ken through the third eye found a river that has been branched unnaturally.
They decided to move upstream along the river bank, and the further they move the more unnatural things became until they found signs of battle... a short one at that, looking at the arrangements of the corpses.
"... they don't add up according to the details of our quest. One body is missing" (Yue)
"It looks that way... let's keep moving forward "
About a meter ahead, Aiko and the bodyguard students demanded to rest for they couldn't keep up with the group of 'monsters'. But Ken objects and indicates the waterfall ahead being a good place to rest.
"Ken, I can sense something behind the waterfall " (Yue)
"The heat sensors of the third eye says the same"
Aiko and her bodyguards who were resting had ''!!?'' floating above their heads as they couldn't process what was going on when Yue used the wind wall spell to part the waterfall allowing the party to enter the cave behind.
In there they find someone looking blue laying unconscious. Ken manages to wake him with a shock and asks him whether he's the target to sure since things might change, to which he confirms he is Will Cudeta but immediately shouts alert and demands they leave before the monstrosity comes back. Ken knocks him quiet and for caution sake(not) asked him to narrate wat happened which Will did until...
GROWL! ROAR!!
Letting out a low groan, with its whole body covered in jet-black scales, its golden eyes glared at them in mid-air while fluttering its wings… … it was the "Dragon."