For the next few days, they just continued walking in the direction the herd of cactuars departed in. But, they didn't even see a single cactuar, much less a herd.
“The last time I came, there were ones travelling in ones or twos. The cactuars of the steppes aren't all going somewhere, are they?”
The Cactuar stopped and looked up at Snow. It looked like it was asking, “can I really get back to my friends?," so Snow hurriedly nodded with an “It's going to be fine."
“We've only just started looking, right? Can't be rushing things,”
Unexpectedly, a shadow passed over the ground. It was either a mystic bird or a pterosaur type monster. Fang's words replayed in his mind. “If you hear wings flapping or a shadow suddenly passes overhead, get outta the way. Don't just stand there and look around. ‘Cause ya won't make it. The birds flying ‘round here are totally different from the ones on Cocoon.”
As Snow jumped out of the way according to Fang's suggestions, he remembered the cactuar. It was just as he thought, “It's covered in needles but I have no choice but to pick it up and run, I can't just leave it and run off by myself.“
The cactuar moved as if to get around his outstretched hands. Oh right. The moment he realized, ”Oh, its movement speed is a lot higher than a human's,” a bird cry akin to a scream echoed.
Just as he turned around, going against Fang's advice, an amphisbaena was flying away, crippled. It seemed it looked as if it was struggling midair because it was hit by the needles shot by the cactuar. The cactuar turned toward the amphisbaena as if to protect Snow.
“Were you... protecting me?”
The cactuar had stopped earlier because it saw the skies over Snow's shoulder. Perhaps it was because of its sharp monster senses that it could feel the presence of the pterosaur.
“Thanks,”
Out of the blue, it came to him. The world is vast. The place he was standing at was but one point in this vast world, and field of vision was pitifully narrow.
When he last travelled here, monsters were monsters that were meant to be killed on sight. Both on Old Bodhum and New Bodum, monsters were targets for extermination. But, amongst the many monsters, there were ones who regarded humans as companions and protected them like this.
“A misconception could have put us at at odds, huh.”
He was reminded of Rygdea's words, “misconceptions are scary things." What had they been talking about then?
P110-111
After he parted ways with Hope, he had gone right on to visit Rygdea, so he was certain he was talking about the abnormality that was about to start somewhere.
But, Rygdea said that completely out of the context of the conversation. So as a result, only the impression of something sudden and bizarre remained, and he had forgotten what they had been talking about right before.
“Misconceptions are scary things.”
Snow remained silent for a moment, unsure what had been said to him. Perhaps that confusion had gotten through to Rygdea, as he suddenly said, “Sorry. I'm just talking to myself” and abruptly took control of the conversation.
“You said you didn't have clues to go by, right? But Gran Pulse is much too vast to search at random.”
“And so,” said Rygdea as he looked meaningfully at Snow.
“Leave searching the inside of Cocoon and the area around the Gran Pulse residential quarters to the cavalry. You just have to get the rest. I'd say it narrows your search area but they are the frontier lands of Gran Pulse. It's not known what you'll find.”
The more people help you have, the faster person finding and information gathering goes. If the cavalry is helping then it should all work out fine. But, he didn't think something so nebulous would be enough to mobilize the cavalry. Even an amateur like himself knew that.
“Are you sure? It's not like there's any conclusive evidence yet. Whether it's about Lightning or the abnormality,”
“The feeling is mutual. ‘Cause I've a favor to ask of you too.”
“A favor?”
“A search for the remnants of PSICOM. As you know, the truth about the massacre conducted under the name of the Purge and then they were chased out of Cocoon.”
It wasn't just the leaders of the old/former Sanctum that had lost their original status as a result of the establishment of a new government. PSICOM, the so-called implementation unit, had also been disbanded. Not only that, but they could no longer live on Cocoon or the Gran Pulse residential areas either. This was because there was the risk of retaliation by the residents.
“It's highly possible that they're hiding out in the frontier lands of Gran Pulse.”
“There's no need to hunt down their remnants is there? They were acting based on orders from the higher-ups. If they've run off already then they're of no danger anymore. Just let ‘em be.”
It's not that he didn't have anything against the PSICOM that massacred the residents of Bodhum. But, what point would there be in bringing up the past again when everyone who is still alive is trying their hardest to move on. As Snow said this, Rygdea shook his head exaggeratedly, to say “you've got it all wrong."
“I'm not talking about hunting them down. Just searching for them. Don't get those two mixed up.”
“So, I just have to search for them”
“Well, it's more like I want to know where they're heading,”
Rygdea had said he wanted information along the lines of whether the former PSICOM soldiers who resented simply the fact they were chased out of Cocoon were plotting an armed reprisal, or if they hadn't, whether the number of malcontents were on the rise.
P112-113
“They are big bad PSICOM, after all, right? I'd want to run if we were in a shootout with them too. If it looks like they're making threatening moves, then we have to beat them to the punch.
“Beat them to the punch?”
“Nevermind. I had no intention of taking the conversation in such a foreboding direction. It's ‘cause I want to deal with everything as quietly as possible that I need information.”
He chose to believe Rygdea's words of wanting to deal with things as quietly as possible. To Snow's answer of “I'll take the job,” Rygdea replied, “As will I. And now it's mutual,” and gave a wink...
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