"Lady Artemis… something feels off."
On the night of the seventh day, the familia gathered around the campfire. After checking on the injured members, Letsa returned and spoke in a low voice.
"What did you find, Letsa?" Artemis rose from the stump she'd been sitting on, instantly alert.
"Ah—no, it's not an immediate emergency, Lady Artemis." Realizing her wording sounded too alarming, Letsa quickly clarified. "It's just… the situation doesn't feel right. There are too many monsters. An abnormal number."
"In the first three days, things were still within normal expectations," she continued. "But after that, the frequency of attacks clearly increased—whether small groups or single monsters. We're a large party. Under normal circumstances, lone monsters wouldn't throw themselves at us. Yet they keep charging anyway."
"Monsters may not have human intelligence, but they do understand basic strength." Letsa frowned. "That's what makes it so strange."
"Could it be because we've gone deeper into the Tree Sea?" Duncan asked.
"It shouldn't be," Letsa said, shaking her head. "Compared to our search two months ago, we're roughly in the same region. Last time, we had to turn back because of supplies, but even then we didn't see this many attacks."
"So something deeper inside has changed," Artemis said after a moment's thought, voice measured. "And it's pushing monsters outward—forcing those that lived closer to the perimeter to migrate further out."
"That's my suspicion," Letsa replied.
"…Letsa," Artemis asked, "how did the guild's scheduled contact go?"
"On the fourth day, we sent our report using the temporary magic item the guild lent us." Letsa answered. "They said it's a Hermes Familia device—it can deliver a letter within a day. But we haven't received a reply yet."
"What about supplies?"
"We stocked plenty of food and water, so we're fine there." Letsa's expression tightened. "But our healing potions are being consumed faster than expected. Risha has already started treating the wounded with herbs to conserve the potion supply. Weapon wear is manageable… and thanks to Duncan, the troublesome Great Bears and Stone Giants have been cleared quickly. Progress overall has been smooth."
"…Then we keep moving," Artemis decided after weighing it all. "We still have enough strength. Supplies are sufficient. Circling around here accomplishes nothing. And we've entered a contract with Duncan—turning back now would violate it."
Her gaze swept across the camp.
"We'll slow our pace. If we sense real danger, we withdraw immediately."
No one objected. Artemis's children followed her orders without hesitation. Perhaps there were familias where members disobeyed their deity—but not here. Not under Artemis.
The repeated monster tides had caused trouble, but the upside was obvious: the profits were several times higher than before. In particular, among the three potential Level 3 monsters Duncan had slain, a Great Bear and a Stone Giant had both dropped materials.
Besides the pelts, the Stone Giant's drop was a blue mana gem.
Among all drops, the most expensive were those usable in forging weapons—and among weapons, mage implements were the most costly. The current rumor for "most expensive weapon" in Orario belonged to an elven royal bloodline mage.
Alfia, however, had once dismissed that sort of thing with a cold snort, calling it "winning by weapon advantage." Yet Duncan had caught something odd in her tone—a faint dissonance that didn't match her usual contempt.
In the year Duncan had spent with her, he had never once seen Alfia draw her own weapon. As she'd put it: weapons slowed chanting; a true mage had no need of them. Later, Chaldeo had quietly explained that her weapon had been destroyed in an old battle—and after she and he withdrew from the front lines, she'd never bothered to replace it.
A mana gem like that—something that could be mounted into a staff to amplify magic—varied in value depending on its purity, attribute, and type. But one thing was universal: any uncut, original mana gem worth less than ten million valis was almost certainly fake.
With Duncan's combat performance and the two valuable drops, the way people addressed him kept shifting—"Little Duncan," then "Mr. Duncan," then simply "Duncan" once they grew familiar. But the moment that mana gem appeared, the title "Mr." returned immediately.
"Could you all stop being so shamelessly opportunistic?" Letsa muttered, pressing a palm to her forehead. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment—mortified that she was captain of this bunch. A child could be this polite and restrained, while her girls, grown as they were, still acted like this.
"What does it matter?" Ranti grinned, draping an arm around Duncan like they'd been friends forever. "Duncan's already close with us. Our bond isn't going to change because of one gem, right?"
"Then hand the gem back to Duncan," someone teased.
"I don't mind," Ranti said, then glanced guiltily toward Lya, who was tallying the haul. "But Lya would probably hang me from a tree and beat me."
That wasn't an idle joke. In Artemis Familia, finances were largely handled by Lya, a Level 2. She managed trading negotiations and supply allocation—real authority. And because she was serious by nature, even Ranti didn't dare push her too far.
Truthfully, Duncan's generosity wasn't only kindness.
One reason was practical: he needed Artemis Familia as allies. If they chose to stop searching and withdraw, he would be trapped in an impossible situation.
Another reason was obvious to anyone who had survived long enough in the Tree Sea: something deeper ahead was moving. If something truly had changed, Duncan alone could not handle it—neither in combat endurance nor in resting safely. The difference between adventuring alone and adventuring with a full party was night and day.
And finally—most importantly—he needed the materials required to redeem that pendant. He still didn't know the value of those materials. The only thing he could do was ensure Artemis Familia gained enough benefit along the way, so that when the time came, no resentment would be born from unequal exchange.
From what he'd seen over these days, Artemis and her children didn't seem like the sort to begrudge him.
But contracts only last when both sides profit.
And when Alfia and Chaldeo's lives were on the scales, Duncan refused to allow even the smallest seed of risk to remain.
....
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