‘Night shift allowaaaance!’

The lead Ptero is asking for a night shift allowance.

“Of course, I’ll give you the allowance, so just send three available Pteros to the back of ‘Chelsea Center’, near the cliff!”

I gave detailed instructions about the people waiting there to be picked up, and even the destination where they should take those people.

I thought it would be resolved if I just gave them the night shift allowance, but the Ptero came up with another opinion.

―Kyaak, kyaaaak! Kyaak!

‘But! We want the human woman to come along too!’

They added that I must accompany them since this was their first deployment.

“Okay, I understand for now. Then, can you send just one Ptero here? I need to move quietly. Let’s meet up halfway!”

―Kyaaak!

The lead Ptero said he would come personally.

I ended the communication with the Ptero after giving the location of the log cabin.

I contacted the Guildmaster to inform him that they would fly to the Center, and that I would have to secretly go to the scene as well.

When I said that’s what the lead Ptero wanted, the Guildmaster reluctantly agreed to my accompaniment.

“…It can’t be helped, as you say, darling, but please be very careful. Fortunately, the ones you should avoid meeting aren’t being deployed.”

The Guildmaster’s words made sense.

Since the three ruffians, ah, no, the three men from Chelsea Center weren’t being deployed due to their probation, it didn’t seem like anything dangerous would happen.

‘It’ll be fine if I just watch quietly from a distance.’

I was very curious about what impact today’s flight would have.

***

On a dark night after sunset, there was only one place emitting light in the pitch-black Pandora Forest.

From afar, it looked like a fireworks display, but in reality, it was a battlefield with incessant bombings.

The battlefield was in chaos due to the appearance of ‘Moth’, an S-class moth monster.

The giant moth kept spreading scale powder by fully extending its wings.

Excessive inhalation of this powder could cause fatal damage to the respiratory system.

With the three core members of Alan’s Knights on probation, a few A-class Espers remaining at Chelsea Center had been deployed.

The Espers couldn’t easily approach Moth due to the lethal powder.

“Cover your mouth and nose and fall back!”

As the A-class Esper in charge of today’s mission shouted, the rest of the Espers retreated.

‘…If we had telekinesis that could blow away the powder, it would have been much easier.’

The person in charge naturally thought of Baron. The one with strong telekinesis who could even control the wind at will.

He wondered if he should contact the Center now and ask them to deploy Baron, who was on probation.

If not that, he wished at least a barrier-type Esper from the Center would come.

If they could create a barrier, they might be able to approach Moth.

They were unprepared for dealing with a moth-type monster as it was their first encounter.

Perhaps they had relied too much on Baron and Lambert until now.

Those two had been able to handle any monster that appeared without much trouble.

And when even they were in crisis, Benjamin, who seemed uninterested in Center affairs, suddenly appeared and resolved the urgent situation.

So maybe they had taken everything for granted.

The person in charge unconsciously bit his lower lip.

At this rate, it seemed most of the Espers would get injured or even lose their lives.

He hoped anyone would come to save them from this crisis.

It was at that moment, in the midst of this seemingly hopeless situation, that the cry of a bird was heard.

―Kyaaaaaaak!

Following that, the eyes of the deployed Espers and guides turned to the back.

What they faced were large birds flapping their crimson wings, driving away the scale powder.

The identity of these birds was the Pteros sent by Yerena.

The Pteros were flapping their wings at a distance safe from Moth’s attacks, but due to their large wingspan, they were effective in driving away the scale powder.

They couldn’t miss this brief moment when the scale powder disappeared.

The voice of the person in charge, who had been gripped by despair, rang out loudly.

“Attack with all your might now!”

Although it was unclear whether these suddenly appearing monsters were allies or enemies, dealing with Moth first was the right move.

The hesitant Espers sprang forward and unleashed attacks on Moth.

Without its scale powder, Moth was nothing more than an ordinary monster.

Various wounds began to appear on Moth’s body, and its painful cries echoed through the forest.

―Kiiiaak!

Taking advantage of Moth’s hesitation, the Pteros landed on the ground.

The eyes of the Espers and guides who had been providing support from the rear naturally turned towards the Pteros.

Simultaneously, their eyes widened in surprise.

“……!”

On the backs of the Pteros were the barrier-type Espers and supporting guides that the person in charge had wished for.

At that moment, an Esper read aloud the letters engraved on the bird’s saddle.

“Jinjijo Transportation?”

It was the moment when ‘Jinjijo Transportation’ was finally revealed to the world.

***

I watched the activities of the other Pteros from a distance from the battlefield, along with the lead Ptero who had carried me.

After dropping off the Center’s Espers and guides, the Pteros didn’t leave immediately, but stood there, continuously flapping their wings.

‘Even though it must be scary, they keep driving away the scale powder.’

I was moved by their reliable appearance, feeling a lump in my throat.

I also thought it was a good decision to propose the transportation business to the Pteros.

I really liked these righteous creatures.

Soon after, Moth’s face split vertically. It was done by an Esper wielding a longsword.

Slicing monsters was something Lambert often did…

Lambert came to mind suddenly, but it wasn’t that I missed him.

Rather, I highly valued the Center’s Espers who had brilliantly handled an S-class monster even in the absence of the three men.

Although not as strong as the three men, the fact that they could handle a formidable monster by helping each other held great significance for me, who had been dismissed as useless.

Moth’s body fell with a death cry.

It was the end of Moth, who had troubled many Espers.

I climbed onto the lead Ptero’s back before people could discover me.

“Let’s go back. Our job is done.”

The lead Ptero made a sound to signal retreat to his companions.

―Gyaaaak!

It meant let’s go back.

As soon as we took off, the rest of the Pteros near Moth also adorned the sky.

The crimson wings of the Pteros flapping in unison were like flowers blooming in the night sky.

Not only I, but everyone was watching this beautiful sight.

The eyes of the Espers and guides at the battlefield didn’t leave us.

They showed no interest in Moth’s carcass.

I pulled down the hood I was wearing.

Of course, the distance between the ground and the sky was quite far, so there was no way my face could be seen, but I did it just in case.

“Good job. Let’s depart!”

At my words, the Pteros lined up and flew straight ahead.

My shoulders rose high, feeling that the status of Jinjijo Transportation had improved.

Bless’s laughter, seemingly representing my feelings, was heard with perfect timing.

―Kyu, kyu, kyu.

The sound of the one laughing ‘Kuk.kuk.kuk.’ was pleasant to hear.

Immediately understanding the owner’s feelings! Such a clever one.

I also smiled wickedly like him and tightly hugged the neck of the lead Ptero, who was gradually increasing speed.

The high-speed flight was not scary at all, but only enjoyable.

“Let’s ride excitingly!”

Even the Pteros started to cry as if they were singing, seemingly excited.

***

The Pteros that appeared in the middle of the night and the ‘Jinjijo Transportation’ written on the saddles they wore were still a topic of conversation the next day.

Not only the people who were at the battlefield last night, but everyone who came to work at the Center was curious about Jinjijo Transportation.

Where did this company suddenly appear from, what kind of relationship did it have with Chelsea Center, how did they train wild Pteros, and who was the person who disappeared riding what seemed to be the leader Ptero…

On one side, some were claiming that the transportation company was connected to Duncan.

The evidence was that the Pteros appeared knowing the exact location where the monster appeared and that they carried Espers and guides on their backs.

But Duncan remained silent, not saying a word.

With the silence of the only person who knew the truth, rumors spread uncontrollably, becoming distorted and exaggerated.

And those rumors reached the ears of the three men who were on probation.