“A monster that appears riding the lightning?”

I gathered in the library lobby to strategize with Hiss.

“Yes. Considerable damage occurs due to Elding during the rainy season.”

Elding was another monster I was hearing of for the first time. If I had known, I would have stolen and read Kirian’s monster encyclopedia instead of romance novels.

As if reading my thoughts, Hiss handed me a thick book. It was the monster encyclopedia that Kirian always pulled out while I was reading romance novels in the library.

I occasionally mumbled, “This must be interesting,” as I read. Peeking over my shoulder, there always seemed to be a horrifying picture of a monster spread out.

“Refer to this.”

Hiss kindly found the section where Elding appeared and opened it for me.

“Eeugh. How many teeth does it have?”

The inside of Elding’s mouth, looking like Gollum from Lord of the Rings, was filled with massive teeth like rusted knives.

Its bulging eyes were tinged with bloodred, and its bluish skin was all wrinkled.

“The monster itself is not very threatening.”

Hiss pointed at Elding’s blue hide.

“It’s not covered with scales, so it’s easier to pierce than it looks. It’s also only about the size of an adult male. The problem is that it’s hard to predict where it will appear.”

I quickly skimmed through the encyclopedia.

‘It appears riding lightning to hunt its prey in an instant. It often tears roofs or windows of buildings to attack people inside.’

“In the case of a solidly built castle, it’s relatively safe, but commoners’ houses are often affected.”

I scratched my head.

“How have you handled it so far?”

“People have formed militias or the lord has supported monster extermination squads. If a signal is sounded from a house under attack, it can be dealt with immediately.”

“Does the extermination squad easily catch Elding?”

Hiss shook his head.

“It’s rare for Elding to die by human hands. It rides the lightning and disappears again. It’s best to just threaten it enough to drive it away.”

Hiss leaned back in his chair, cracking his knuckles.

“Probably the discussion at the state council will be about expanding support troops. It always has been.”

I frowned.

“It won’t be a fundamental solution.”

Hiss shrugged.

“That’s the reality of the kingdom that doesn’t receive the protection of the Istira duchy.”

A bitter smile flitted across his lips and disappeared.

“The empire will be unique. A place free from monsters.”

(This is a time separator.)

For several days, even after combing through all the encyclopedias and books about Elding, there was no significant gain.

Most of it was a repetition of the same content.

Sudden attacks using lightning. A monstrous strength that could even tear down buildings with sharp teeth and claws. On the other hand, easytopenetrate outer skin.

Unable to find useful information even after ransacking the entire library, I finally went to Kirian.

Kirian, who had enrolled early in the academy for sword training, seemed to mingle more with the academy’s gardeners than duel with other students these days.

Even now, he was pruning a tree on a ladder. With each snip, not one branch but several fell neatly onto a pile below, too quick to discern the principle behind the action.

I stared at Kirian, who was pruning the tree effortlessly with his talent, with weary eyes.

If he was going to prune trees in the duke’s estate, why did he come to the academy? I thought but waited without a word for Kirian to come down from the tree.

“Weren’t you busy these days, sister?”

Kirian, who had landed lightly in front of me, asked.

“Do you have something going on?”

“Have you ever caught Elding?”

I asked bluntly.

“Elding?”

Kirian tilted his head slightly.

“Yeah. The monster that appears riding the lightning.”

Kirian smiled ambiguously.

“I’ve caught it.”

Of course. I should have come to Kirian from the beginning.

“How did you catch it?”

As Kirian slowly opened his mouth, my anticipation naturally rose.

“Do you want me to tell you how to hunt Elding?”

“Yes!”
There must be some secret method. A secret method passed down only in the House of Istira. If only I could somehow extract it.

I waited for Kirian’s answer with a sinister smile in my heart.

“If you go to the place where the lightning will strike in advance, you can catch it easily.”

Kirian answered calmly.

I quickly took out my notebook and began to write.

“Lightning…… falls at…… in advance……”

I stopped writing. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

When I glanced at Kirian again, he was smiling slyly. My eyes narrowed spontaneously.

“How do you know where the lightning will strike in advance?”

Kirian slightly tilted his head, as if he didn’t understand.

“You see it when the lightning strikes.”

“So.”

I slowly discarded one common sense after another and organized my thoughts.

“You see the light when the lightning first appears, then run to that spot before it falls?”

“Yes.”

“Faster than lightning.”

“Yes.”