Central Continent, slightly to the south.
The surroundings overflow with greenery.
A clear river flows nearby.
In such a well-situated place, there is a certain town.
Reasonably wide.
With a reasonable number of people.
Many possess kind hearts; it is a warm town.
Its name is Horizon.
A town for adventurers, visited by many adventurers.
――――――――――
« Haa ! »
« Tei ! »
A short distance out of town, a young male and female adventurer could be seen.
The man held a longsword, stepping forward to fight the monster.
The woman held a staff, supporting from the rear with magic.
Perfectly synchronized coordination.
Goblins were no match; despite the numerical disadvantage, they were swiftly routed.
« Fuu. »
Having exterminated the enemies, the man sheathed his longsword.
Then he relaxed his shoulders and let out a breath.
Seeing that, the woman puffed out her cheeks.
« Hey, the search isn't over yet! »
« If they were enemies, I beat them all, right? »
« There might be some hiding. Carelessness is the greatest enemy. »
« You're such a worrywart… »
« That's not true. Adventurers are better off cautious. That person said so too. »
« That's… »
« I'll run a detection, so don't let your guard down. »
« Yeah, yeah. »
The woman readied her staff again and released magical power into the surroundings.
A standard detection method.
If something reacts to this magical power, enemies are present.
If not, no enemies.
Truly simple.
The result was…
« Eh… N-no way… »
« What? What's wrong? »
« U-up there! »
« Up? »
The man looked up at the sky as told… but it was too late.
« Guruaaaaaah!!! »
A massive body descended.
A griffon — eagle's wings and upper body, lion's lower body.
It seemed to have timed a sudden glide; the two could not react in time.
« Th-this… guah!? »
« Kyaa!? »
The griffon's attack was fast and heavy.
The two couldn't dodge and were blown away.
The only fortune was that they barely managed to guard in time.
Though blown away, they avoided fatal wounds.
Just that.
Not fatal, yet injured enough to be unable to move immediately.
Naturally, they couldn't flee either.
The griffon seemed to understand that, advancing slowly.
« Ah… ah… »
« Ku, kuso… in a place like this… »
Despair painted their faces.
Nothing could be done.
They could only be killed here.
Resigned, they tried to close their eyes… at that moment…
« Stop. »
A third party's voice resonated.