Beyond the walls of Fortuna stretched vast lands known as the Wild Vilelands. This name was used to refer to the great woods and series of mountains and plains all around Fortuna, up until the distant north where the Whispering Woods began.

This region of Altear earned its name because of the many hostile races and creatures that inhabited these areas. Many scouts earned their living exploring these forests and mountains, slaying whatever monsters they encountered. South of Fortuna rose the Frostback Summit, an icy mountain biome that was incredibly cold and inaccessible. Beyond that was a grey mystery, but apparently there was a race of demi-humans that occupied the area after the mountains.

Altear made up a single half of the greater nation of Valentia. There existed another independent kingdom in Valentia called Elysia, which was to the west. Long ago, Altear and Elysia were once under a single kingdom and governed by two demigods, named Lucilla and Rhaegal.

The two of them were siblings who had fought each other bitterly for an age on account of their differing views on how to rule. Lucilla was passionate in her belief that mankind should be left to their own devices, without the two of them getting involved and forcing their ideals on them, but her brother was of the opinion that they were to be ruled over with absolute dominion. After centuries of conflict, the two siblings eventually decided on a divine accord that would see the kingdom of Valentia split in half. Lucilla would have regulation over the east and Rhaegal would oversee the west. With this agreement reached, the strife between the two God siblings ended. For a time.

Lucilla, who ruled over the eastern kingdom of Altear, saw her people thrive under her guidance. She wanted the best for Altearans, and so they were blessed with fertile lands by the Goddess. Their land didn’t experience war or famine, and the kingdom of Altear was a joyous and prosperous place as a result.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, in the distant west, Rhaegal ruled over his people with fear and hardship. The people of Elysia were raised on the harsh teachings of their war-god. In contrast to Altear, their lands were brutal and often barren. The Elysians were brought up without love but a fierce belief that conquering was what they lived for. As a result, the Elysian army grew into one of the fiercest armies in the world. They even raided neighbouring kingdoms constantly and were more than often successful.

Over one hundred years ago, the divine accord between the two kingdoms was broken. Elysia, in an attempt to conquer their neighbours, invaded the kingdom of Altear. This attack was led by King Olgierd II in the name of Rhaegal. Olgierd believed that Altear belonged to the one true god and sought to unify Valentia like the days of yore, but this time under his singular rule.

A vicious war that lasted years broke out between the kingdoms, with Altear desperately trying to defend against their invaders. It was painfully clear which of the two armies was stronger, however. The Elysians had grown cold to human emotions, which had become their strength, whereas the people of Altear had become spoiled by Lucilla's blessings. And so Altear looked powerless to avoid defeat.

That was until Lucilla herself descended to defend her people and her land. Having grown anguished of watching her beloved people suffer, she aimed to put an end to the war. Her brother, however, did not want it to end when victory was so close, and so the two renewed their age-old conflict once more.

The battle ended with Lucilla getting the better of her brother Rhaegal. At the sight of their god falling, the Elysians lost all hope and retreated back to their kingdom, and the war ended as a victory for Altear.

Lucilla was gravely injured after the battle and not long after disappeared without a trace. Reports claim that she had returned back to the planet and the only remnants of her was the magic that flowed throughout the kingdom of Altear. Magic that many of her followers harnessed and used, and continued to exist to this day. Some believed that Lucilla was gone for good, while others were certain that she was still watching over them. But nobody knew for sure.

Incidentally, all of this was explained to them by Mahiro. He’d found out a lot of information regarding Altear and its history, so much so that Keisuke was envious of how capable he was. Keisuke doubted that he would have acquired such information on his own. At least, not quickly as Mahiro did. He was really on top of things.

“So, apparently there are wild animals that inhabit the forests,” Mahiro went on to explain as they walked down a main path quite a fair way from the city of Fortuna. “There are wolves, goblins, even rabid dogs. Oh, and Slimes.”

“S-slimes?” Fumiko pulled her staff closer and looked around frantically. “What are those?”

“I’m not quite sure, either. Apparently, they’re small, gooey creatures that attack you on sight. I heard they aren’t very strong, just annoying.”

Slimes? Keisuke didn’t entirely know what they were, but he got a faint idea just from the name. “They sound gross.”

“Tell me about it,” Mahiro chuckled. He looked down at the map he’d gotten from Lucy at the guild hall. “The farmstead we’re looking for should be nearby.”

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They were currently searching for the owner of the farm who had issued the request. According to Lucy, they had to meet with the quest giver and gather details regarding the quest first before acting on it. This wasn’t always the case or necessary, but it helped beginners like them to get a better understanding of what to do.

There were many different types of quests. This one was a simple “Hunt” quest. A search and destroy, as Lucy phrased it.

“Is that it over there?” Fumiko pointed to a rather large farm on the outskirts of the forest.

“Ah, yes. That must be it. Nice job, Fumiko-chan,” said Mahiro. Fumiko's face turned pink at the sudden appraisal.

They walked up to the small house in the centre of the farm and knocked on the door.

“Yes? Who is it?” a voice inside answered. It was an old man's voice.

Mahiro replied, “Sorry to bother you, but we’re scouts from the Recon Corps. We came to ask you about a request? A wolf?”

The door opened. A balding, elderly man in a grey tunic appeared from inside. “Yes, finally!" he exclaimed. "I put that request up weeks ago but no one has been coming. Please, come in!”

“Sorry, but we don’t want to impose on you,” said Mahiro.

“It's no big deal!” The old man waved them in. “I never get visitors, so I don’t mind at all. Are you thirsty? I have some sweet milk that I made myself.”

An expression of genuine glee brightened the old man’s face when they eventually agreed. He must’ve really never had any visitors. He lived quite a fair way from the city, so that made sense.

The old man brought three wooden cups of iced milk sweetened with honey. Keisuke took one and drank politely. It was pleasantly cold and sweet, much to his tastes.

“Delicious,” Fumiko whispered.

“Isn’t it?” The old man smiled. “It's from one of my oldest cows. There’s more if you like.”

“Um, Fumiko? You have some milk on your lip.” Keisuke pointed out.

“E-eh?” She quickly wiped her mouth with her sleeve. “Th-thank you…”

“My name is Mahiro. This is Keisuke and Fumiko, my companions.”

“I see, I see. Quite the youngsters you are. My name is Joseph.”

“Nice to meet you, Joseph-san,” Mahiro said and bowed his head respectfully. Keisuke and Fumiko followed his lead. “We came here regarding the notice you put up at the scout’s guild.”

Joseph took a seat and sighed gravely. “Ah, yes, that pesky wolf. It’s been bothering me for three weeks now. I sent that notice the first week and I only got a reply now."

“Sorry about that.” Mahiro bowed his head again. “We’re here to try and take care of it now. Could you tell us more about it?”

Keisuke noticed how they’d mostly let Mahiro do all the talking for them. It wasn’t decided or anything, but it was as though he was the group's leader. Even though there was no hierarchy, was it fine for him to let Mahiro take up all that burden by himself?

It’s probably fine, he thought. Keisuke knew he didn’t have it in him to take over the reins like Mahiro did. If everything was left up to him, they would have still been in Fortuna right now. So, it was probably for the best that Mahiro led them.

Fumiko must have felt the same because she was also very quiet and merely listened to things they said. She was the shy type so she probably felt like she would get in everyone’s way if she said anything.

“Yes, well, it first came three weeks ago,” Joseph explained. “I managed to fend it off some days but on others I would fall asleep and it would manage to get one of my animals. Recently it’s started coming every day. If this keeps up, then I won’t have any livestock left...”

“Is it just one?”

Joseph nodded his head. “Aye. It’s just the one. Which is strange because the nearby woods are home to packs of wolves. So, it must’ve been kicked out of its pack for whatever reason. It must be struggling for food. I feel sorry for it, but...”

“Poor thing...” Fumiko seemed to feel genuine sympathy for the wolf.

Mahiro thought about it. “Well, we’re going to have to deal with it. Any thoughts, Keisuke-kun?”

“If it’s just one, then we could probably handle it, right...?” Keisuke said, although he wasn't convinced. A wolf was a dangerous animal regardless of if it was on its own or not.

“Yes, you should be right. Don’t worry, Joseph-san, we’ll deal with this wolf for you.”

Joseph clapped his hands in relief. “Thank you! Finally, my animals will rest at ease at night.”

“Do you have any clues as to how we might find it? It’s a big forest and searching for one wolf would be an issue...”

“Well, it only ever comes here at night. Other than that, I don’t know much.”

“At night, huh…”

“We could wait here?” Keisuke suggested. “Joseph said it’s been coming by every night, right? Maybe we could use that to our advantage? “

“Oh, that’s a great idea! Joseph-san, do you mind if we wait here until nightfall?”

“No, not at all!” Joseph said, clearly excited that they would be spending more time with him. “Please, help yourselves to some more milk.”

And so, they decided that they would wait until nightfall.