We walked through the current of Adventurers, asking guards for directions while

sometimes bumping into people, as we made our way to the guild.

“There are so many people here… We might get separated.”

“Do you want me to hold your hand?”

“Don’t be stupid, I’m not a child.”

Damn it… I glare as Daniela laughs mockingly at me.

“Ah, but maybe I am close to a child, considering your age.”

“I ought to punch you for that.”

It was a surprisingly short trip, as long as you followed the main road and didn’t take
any detours. We looked up at the giant building in front of us and saw a sign that read:
Grand Guild.

I suppose it meant that this was not just any guild. Perhaps it was an elite facility with
welfare and other benefits. Even the gate was extravagant with its double doors. Each
side was draped with a hanging banner with an insignia on it. A dragon, sword and
shield and… was that a shoe? Did they represent the grand guild then? Fighting,
protecting, and exploring?

“Well, let’s go in.”

“Even I am feeling a little nervous now…”

“So you still get nervous even when you’ve lived so long.”

“You should not tease me too much. My revenge will come at night, and you will cry in
defeat.”
“You better not. I’m not a fan of anything painful.”

We joked as I opened the doors.

“Ahh… it’s big.”

It was large, like a hotel you would find in the city. The ceiling was open all the way to
the third floor, and a giant magic illumination device was hanging in the center. I stared
up with a stupefied look. Daniela suddenly jabbed me in the ribs.

Oh, right. First impressions were important. We couldn’t let others take us for fools.

I looked at the front to see that there was a row of counters. The resting rooms and
dining hall were on the left and right. We could hear pleasant laughter and music
coming from the dining hall. And a number of Adventurers were talking in the resting
area. Hmm, the atmosphere here was nice. As was fitting for a place named the Grand
Guild, there was a notable absence of Adventurers with bad behavior. Their
management was competent or the instructors were. But if the later was the case, we
would probably be hearing from the guild master at some point.

The counters had the usual signs reading: Registration, Accept Quest, Rewards,
Questions and Other, plus two new ones: Request and Convert.

Requests were usually done at Other, so they must have separated them to decrease
the workload. As for Convert, it was apparently to convert materials from monsters
into money.

There were quite a lot of people lined up at that counter, but each counter here had
two lines with two guild workers, which made things move faster.

“Alright, we better update these status cards first.”

“I suppose we should go to ‘Other’ then?”

“Well, it’s ‘Questions’ as well, so we’ll find out something either way.”

“That is true. We should go then.”

And so we took our positions in the ‘Questions and Other’ line. No one tried to cut in
or bother Daniela. It really was peaceful. But kind of boring, to be honest.
Encountering trouble gave you something to talk about. Matsumoto was hogging all
of it with his protagonist qualities. Poor guy.

“You two are next.”

Oh, the person in front of us was finished. Daniela and I took out our status cards and
walked up to the counter.

“Excuse me, we would like to have our status cards updated.”

“Yes, very good. Please hand them over.”

“Here.”

We put the two cards on the tray.

“Asagi and Daniela. It will be finished in ten minutes, so please wait in the room over
there.”

We were politely directed over to a room that had a sign reading ‘Waiting Room.’ The
walls were made of glass so you could see inside. It was just like a smoking room.

“Alright. Thank you.”

The guild worker bowed slowly and Daniela and I headed for the smoking… the
Waiting Room. We could see that there were several other Adventurers waiting inside.
Oh, someone would definitely try to talk to us. Yeah, right. Haha. I’m not Matsumoto.

“Excuse me.”

“…”

We opened the door with a word so it wouldn’t be awkward. The Adventurers who
were sitting looked up to see who we were, but they quickly looked away without
much interest. The floor was apparently much more engaging. All of the chairs were
occupied, so I would not be able to join them in their stare-down with the floor. And
so we leaned against the wall and waited for the time to pass.

—-
It really was boring. Daniela was wearing her mask and staying very still. She usually
put on her mask when we first arrive in a new town. But she also tended to take it off
the next today, so it might have been some kind of defensive instinct of hers. I kind of
wanted a mask like that for myself… Oh, but then I could just wear the hood on this
poncho. And so I tried putting the hood on. Deep over my eyes.

“…”

“…Hey, you. It’s stuffy enough here without you doing that.”

“…Oh, sorry.”

Another Adventurer who was killing time next to me complained. Damn it, this was
embarrassing. I shouldn’t have bothered.

Were ten minutes always this long? Daniela was so still, and no one else was talking.
Was there another rule besides having to stare at the floor? I never heard about having
to keep quiet as well.

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

It was no use, I can’t bear it. To kill the time and for a little practice, I begin to play with
a little water magic on the palm of my hand. And then I tried making it into an ice
statue that looked like Daniela. First, I carved the finer details out with magic, then
added the clothes with a different layer. It was a highly detailed figure. Even the mask
could be taken off. Her eyes underneath were tightly shut in a sage expression.

Hmm, it came out quite nice. I could probably sell this if it wasn’t made of ice… I
thought as placed the completed figure at Daniela’s feet and smiled. If I had more time,
I would make more and line them up so they became progressively smaller.

And then I leaned back on the wall and looked up. Everyone was now looking at me
with wide eyes.

“…Wh-what is it?”

“You, did you make that with magic…?”

“Yes… I was bored…”

“Are you serious…”

Those who had been staring at the floor were now looking back and forth at Daniela
and the figure with the same intensity. That looked painful for their necks…

“So, so you can use ice magic?”

“I’m pretty good with it, I think… but I’m a fighter in training, not a magician.”

“So you can fight close-quarters as well…”

Hey, you. Would you want to form a party?”

The Adventurers suddenly gathered around me with invitations of their own. Was I
really that capable?

“I’ll pay you! Would you go with me to the dungeons?”

“My party is trying to hunt the lord of the lake. It would be awfully helpful to have ice
magic.”

“Uh, I, umm…”

Desperate faces crowded around me. This was such an unexpected development, that
I didn’t know how to respond.

“Hey.”

And she raised her voice. My favorite elf, who had been still as a statue a moment ago.
The Adventurers looked shocked, as if the furniture had suddenly started talking.
Daniela continued flatly.
“That is my partner. And I have no intention of losing him.”

Damn, she was cool… My heart skipped a beat.

“I see, sorry.”

“It was ill-mannered of me. Beg your pardon.”

Perhaps they were better disciplined here, because the Adventurers backed off
quickly. That was a relief, but at the same time, I had no idea that I was considered to
be valuable personnel. I was pretty capable, apparently.

I had unexpectedly discovered my worth and fallen a little harder for Daniela. The rest
of the ten minutes passed quickly, and we left the smoking room to go back to the
counter.
“Thank you for your patience. Your status cards have finished updating.”

“Thanks.”

The cards we received looked roughly the same. I handed Daniela hers and turned my
mine over to see the back. It was just an ordinary card.

“So, what is different with this one?”

“These new cards contain much more information. Such as the level of your skills and
the general skills that were not shown before. Your alias is also displayed.”

“Skill level!”

That was information I had been wanting. That was good…!

“You should look through it when you have the time. Please come again if you have any
questions.”

“Yes, Thank you.”

“May you have luck and protection on your adventures.”

With that said, the explanation was over, and we moved away from the counter. We
walked over to a corner and both of us immediately checked are statuses.

“I wonder how much has changed. I haven’t checked it for a while. This is going to be
fun.”

“My skill level… I have never cared about it before. But now that it is available, I do feel
curious.”

“Well, let’s take a look. Status open.”

“Status open.”

◇◇◇◇

Name: Asagi Kamiyashiro

Race: Human

Job: Adventurer(Rank: B)

Alias: Silvergreen

LV: 65

HP: 632/632

MP: 600/600

STR: 308 VIT: 305

AGI: 684 DEX: 331

INT: 304 LUK: 29

Skills: Jack of all Trades, Master of None(-), Legs of the Forest Wolf(-), Single-handed
Sword (7/10), Shortsword(6/10), Spear(2/10), Bow(2/10), Greatsword(2/10),
Presence Detection(6/10), Night Eyes(3/10)

Magic: Ice Magic(8/10), Water Magic(7/10), Fire Magic(2/10)

Quests: None

Party: Daniela Villesilf

Equipment: Armor

Head – None

Torso – Ice Dragon Breastplate

Arms – Ice Dragon Gauntlets

Legs – Ice Dragon Legguards

Feet – Accel Panther Boots

Weapons – Glampanzer

Ashikirimaru

Schwarz Tempest

Clothes – Wind Dragon Poncho

Wind Dragon Waist Mantle

Wind Dragon Trousers

Accessories – None

◇◇◇◇

Name: Daniela Villesilf

Race: Light Elf

Job: Adventurer(Rank: B)

Alias: Lightwind

LV: 79

HP: 943/943

MP: 638/638

STR: 436 VIT: 351

AGI: 348 DEX: 461

INT: 427 LUK: 31

Skills: Fresh Green Eye(-), Presence Detection(8/10), Single Handed Sword(8/10),

Bow(8/10), Shortsword(6/10), Spear(3/10)

Magic: Wind Magic(10/10), Water Magic(6/10), Earth Magic(6/10)

Quests: None

Party: Asagi Kamiyashiro

Equipment: Head – Mask of the Forest People

Body – Light Armor of the Forest People

Arms – Patchwolf Gloves

Legs – Steel Claw Leggings

Feet – Forest Lizard Leather Boots

Weapons – Rapier of the Tree of Life and Death

Bow of the Tree of Life and Death

Accessories – Cape of the Forest People

Pendant of the Forest People

◇◇◇◇

Hmm… hm… I see, yes, I see…

“The amount of new information is hurting my eyes…”

“So the maximum skill level is ten…”

Yes, the skill levels stopped at 10. But it seemed like unique skills didn’t even have
levels, so ‘Jack of all Trades, Master of None’ could never be raised. There was no
‘Master of All.’

As the smaller skills were also displayed now, I could get a better idea of my
proficiency with different weapons. The single-handed sword that was my main
weapon, had gone up quite a bit. My sub-weapon, the shortsword as well. The bow
and spear were still low, as I had barely used them. I meant to raise my skill with the
greatsword next, hopefully reaching the same level as the shortsword at least.

Well, seems like that’s it for things to check.

We left the guild now that we were finished, and went out into the large street. The
next thing to do was to look for an inn. Looking for an inn has mostly been a smooth
experience, but we didn’t know anyone here, and so we decided to go and look around.

There was no free information office. In fact, most of the buildings here seemed to be
selling armor and weapons. You could hear the hammering of metal and lively shouts
echoing from all directions. Quite fitting for the adventure city.

“Hey, Daniela.”

“What, Asagi?”

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“I was waiting for you to ask.”

We were tired of walking and incredibly hungry. This town apparently had a street
stall district, and many of the people on the streets were carrying food. This was our
chance. I won’t have to make any food. Cooking skill? I had no interest in skills that
weren’t displayed on my status card. No, I wasn’t feeling bitter about it!

“I smell something very good coming from over there.”

“If you think so, it’s probably true.”

“You are not wrong, but why do I feel like you’re mocking me?”
“It’s a compliment. Now, let’s go.”

We turned at a crossroad and entered a street that was just as wide as the one we had
been in. And just as Daniela had said, it was tightly packed with food stalls. A large
variety of smells assaulted our noses and stomachs.

“Alright, let us start from this side and work our way down.”

“Yeah, we should decide after we have seen everything first.”

“What are you on about? We are going start buying from this side.”

“What kind of stupid bastard are you?”

The screws in this one always tended to become a little loose when she was hungry…
I had to hold her hand tightly and keep an eye on her, or her wallet would become
completely empty.

“This looks good.”

“Yes, we should start with some meat.”

“Ah, you have good taste, young lady! It is five silvers for a skewer!”

“I will take two.”

“Much obliged!”

She was buying stuff already. Well, it did look good.

“Thanks.”

“Oh?”

“What? But, isn’t that for…”

“They were meant for me… but if you really want it… I suppose I have no choice.”

“Thank you!!”
She really was a mess when hungry. Well, no one was perfect. And damn, this stuff was
good…

She continued to show off her unfortunate characteristics after that. And I sipped
some fruit water and walked around with her. We forgot about finding an inn until the
sun had started to set, and while we frantically searched the area, we could not find
one. And so we had ended up sitting by a fountain in the central plaza, wondering what
to do, when an old man approached us. On closer inspection, he was the man who had
sold us the meat skewers.

“Oh, if it isn’t the couple from earlier. What’s wrong? You look troubled.”

“Ah, well… we were a bit distracted by buying food and… forgot to search for an inn…”

“You what? How in the…”

He looked at us with exasperation. It really was quite pathetic.

“Well, you should have asked me! We have an inn!”

“What!?”

Daniela grabbed the old man by the shoulders.

“Is that the truth?”

“Of course it is. My son runs the place now. I am sure he can spare you a room if I ask.”

“Really! Please let us stay! Please!”

“Leave it to me!”

Ah… god, so we would not have to spend the night in the cold streets after all. This was
due to our daily good deeds wasn’t it… not that I could remember doing anything.

In any case, after a long while, we were able to find an inn to stay at.

You really never knew when you would have chance encounters like these. Regardless
of what town we were in, we would always be saved by such encounters. By people.
You should live every day with gratitude. I had not forgotten this important trick to
living, and so I thanked the old man, and the three of us marched off to the inn.
The food stall man cum innkeeper led us through the main street and turned into a
quiet alley. There were not many Adventurers here. I had assumed that there would
be other traveling Adventurers at this inn and was a little disappointed.

“And here we are.”

“Oh…”

The building we stopped at was, well, impressive. It was large and had fancy engravings
from corner to corner. It looked expensive.

“It is a beautiful building.”

“Thank you, uh…”

“Ah, I am Daniela. This is Asagi.”

“Name’s Veiken. Nice to meet you!”

We walked through the opened door and were greeted by an entrance that was
unusually illuminated by indirect lighting devices. There was a counter to the left
where a man was scribbling something before he looked up to see us.

“Welcome. Are you looking for a room?”

“Ah, Vegun. I brought customers! Treat them well!”

“Father… get out of my way. You are hurting the business…”

The man named Vegun sighed as he looked at his father. Veiken shrugged and looked
away. He had said that his son took over the business, but it looked like he still had
some concerns.
“My name’s Asagi, and this is Daniela. We came at Veiken’s recommendation.”

“I am terribly sorry about him…”

“Oh, no. We were in trouble, as we could not find an inn. He was a great help. We will
likely be staying for a while, if you can accommodate us.”

“Yes, it can be difficult to find an inn in this town… Thank you. Rooms… ah… There is
only one room available, would that be alright?”

Veiken had not been wrong about there being one room. Well, it wasn’t really a
problem for me and Daniela.

“Yes, that’s fine. And… would it be possible to stay for at least two weeks?”

“Certainly. That will be two gold pieces and twenty silvers. Your room is on the third
floor, the furthest in the back. Here is your key. Welcome to the Lamb’s Hoof. I hope
that you enjoy your stay.”

I pulled out my wallet from the hollow bag and counted the money carefully before
lining them on the counter. Vegun counted them again before pulling a key off of the
wall and handing it to us. The key had a ‘310’ marked on it. I suppose there were ten
rooms per floor. That was quite a lot… It didn’t seem that big from the outside. I
thought to myself as we turned to thank Veiken, who was folding his arms as he
scrutinized his son at work.

“Veiken, you really saved us. Thank you.”

“Bah, I’m sure you’ll return the favor. But it’s nothing!”

“I shall eat at your stall again.”

“Aye, Miss Daniela. I will be waiting!”

He was a nice guy. And I had Daniela’s sense of smell to thank. You never knew where
it would lead you, so it was not to be underestimated.

We left the counter behind us and crossed the carpeted floor to the stairs. Even the
stairs here were carpeted. It was comfortable and added a sense of luxury.
We walked up the stairs to the third floor together and reached the room that was the
furthest in the back. The windows in the hallway showed that night had completely
fallen now, and lantern lights were flickering all over town. It was the beginning of a
Replant night. It would likely be very fun to go out there during this hour, once we
grew a little more familiar with the place.

“Here we are.”

“I do wonder what it will look like.”

“Yeah… Okay, now to open it.”

I push in the key, open the lock and turn the knob. I always felt excitement when
opening the door of an inn in a new town. I slowly opened the door and we peered
inside.

“Ohh…”

“This is quite…”

The interior could best be described as that of a luxury hotel. First, it was very big. As
was the bed. It was big, but not overwhelming. Because the room was big enough to
match it. With a bed this big, sleeping alongside Daniela would not be a problem. Yes,
no matter how much she flailed around in her sleep, I will have plenty of room to
escape.

Beyond the bed was what appeared to be a glass table with a metal frame. I did not
like how fragile it looked… The chairs were made of wood but were padded with soft
cushions. They had nice armrests as well, promising a high level of comfort.

“Asagi, there is a door here.”

“A what?”

I looked around as Daniela called to me. Indeed, there was a door in the wall that
connected the entrance to the room. Daniela cautiously opened it.

“Well, that is a…”

“…This is too good to be true.”

It was a bathing room. There was a huge bathtub waiting for us. The floor was made
of polished marble, and the whole room looked very clean. There was even soap. Had
I gone back to Japan?

I left the bathing room and looked at the bedroom again. There was a large window
that directly faced the entrance, and you could see the rest of the city from it. The view
really was nice from the third floor…

—-

“This place is incredible…”

“As luck would have it, we do have enough money. But I would have been quite angry
with Veikin right now if we were in a less stable position.”

“Damn right.”

We sat down together and looked at the ceiling. It was pure white and without a single
stain. That meant… I would not be able to count the stains as I fell asleep.

I turned my head to the side and saw that there was a shelf near the entrance, and it
was lined with the usual security devices.

They really were everywhere…

“Two gold pieces and twenty silvers for two weeks… That’s around fifteen silvers for
a day. It really is quite expensive.”

“However, seeing it now… and considering it is for both of us, seven silvers and fifty
coppers is a fair enough price.”

“Yeah, I couldn’t stay here alone…”

Still, we really did not have infinite funds. A lot of the money used for the wyverns
went into my armor. And the reward money for the kobolds and assault kobold went
into buying supplies and replacing my cursed equipment. We had enough money to
stay here for a month,

but we would have to start making money again soon, if we wanted to rely on it in an
emergency.
“We’ll have to start making money soon.”

“There are so many Adventurers here. We might have to fight for the best jobs.”

“At least we can convert materials. Maybe we can just make money on random hunting
quests.”

“But I would not be surprised if they have become scarce from so much hunting”.

Monsters occurred naturally in the world, and there was no danger of extinction.
However, if so many Adventurers in this town were hunting them at once, they would
just be fighting over who got them when they respawned. Well, the Adventurers here
did seem pretty well behaved… But we were still new here and didn’t really know how
things worked. We would have to ask around at the guild later.

With that decided, I decided to take a bath.

There was a faucet-like magic device near the bathtub. I tried turning it, expecting a
gush of hot water, but nothing came out. Hmm… how did this thing work? I tilt my
head to the side and a small box catches my eye. There were stones inside, blue and
red. And also a metal tool. Even more confusing. How was I supposed to use these?

I thought about it for a moment… and inspected the faucet. There was a dent inside
that I had assumed was part of the design, but I now realized that it was the same size
as the stones. It wasn’t hard to figure the rest out. I placed the blue stone in and tried
turning the valve. The once unresponsive faucet was now gushing.

“Yes…!”

The blue stone was water ore. But who wants that? This red one was likely fire ore.
And it would give me the hot water that I craved.

“Alright… there… wha!? Whooah!!”

It breathed fire!! Why!?

“You idiot!! What are you doing!”

Daniela heard my scream of terror and rushed into the room and closed the valve. The
fire vanished and all you could see was a slightly blackened bathtub.
“Just a little panic…”

“I am the one who panicked… what are you… how in the…”

“But water came out and… who wouldn’t think the fire ore would result in hot water…”

“This is how you use this thing.”

Daniela picked up the tool that was in the box and started hammering the ore into
small pieces. Ahhh, that’s what the tool is for… Then she mixed the grains and put them
into the hole and turned the valve. Steaming hot water now poured from the faucet.

“Huh…”

“Really… You are not from here, so of course, you would not know. You must ask me
for help before you hurt yourself.”

“My bad. I’ll be careful next time.”

“I hope so. You do realize that it would be quite costly to pay for destroying such a
large bathtub?”

“I know, I know.”

So, we just crushed all of the ore and put it in. Does that mean it can only be used once…?

“Hey, Asagi.”

“What, Daniela?”

“Should we go in together, like back in Alessa?”

“…Yes.”

This really was a day for overheating.

The next morning.

I woke up shivering in the cold after having been robbed of my blanket. Next to me lay
a happy, very warm and sound asleep Daniela. I had a momentary urge to take the
blanket back, but I lost the will to do that after seeing her carefree expression.

And so I changed into my usual outdoor clothes and washed my face. I only woke
Daniela up after brushing my teeth and fixing myself up. She stared dumbly with half-
open eyes and sat with crossed legs on the bed. It reminded me of how I used to act
before getting up to go to work.

“It’s a nice day again… The town is beautiful, and the room was great. Don’t you think,
Daniela?”

I said as I looked around. Daniela had fallen back from her sitting position and was
attempting to go back to sleep. But life was not so easy. And we were supposed to go
and check the guild quests!

“Come on, get up. We’re going to the guild. We’ll be late.”

“Uh…”

She shook her head in disagreement and buried her face in the pillow. She really was
terrible at this…

“Do you want me to leave you behind? I would, you know?”

“…I will go after you, you go on ahead…”

“Hahhhh…”

I did want us to go together… oh, well. I scribbled a little note just in case and placed
it on the glass table. Then I slid just the Glampanzer into my belt and left the room.
I greeted the other guests as I made my way down the stairs and to Vegun at the front
desk.

He noticed me as I came walking, and greeted me politely.

“Good morning, Mister Asagi.”

“Good morning. I’m off to the guild.”

“I see. And the key?”

“My partner is still sleeping…”

I had left the key near the door. On the shelf with the security devices.

“Ah, then I will have someone lock it from the outside.”

“That’s very kind of you.”

“It’s nothing. Have a good day.”

“Thank you.”

And with that, I went out into the sunlight. There weren’t that many people in sight
until I reached the main road, but once I was there, there were large crowds of people.
I noted how energetic they seemed in the morning as I walked towards the guild. I also
took note of the many Adventurers I started to see. Some wore light leather armor,
others were huge and covered in full plate armor, and there were women who wore
hoods and carried staffs. It was like an Adventurer showcase. I’ve been to a couple of
guilds now, but I’ve never seen so many Adventurers before. But this was Adventure
City.

Adventurers crowded the area near the guild. I feel like this was the first time I was
seeing a real crowd of people since coming to this world. Many of them were holding
something that looked like paper. Was it for quests? If it was, most of the lucrative ones
were probably gone by now. With that thought in mind, I frantically entered the guild
and checked the quest board. My shoulders dropped. There was almost nothing left
on the board.

“Damn… really…”
We were way too late… I hadn’t imagined that things would be this competitive. I
thought that they would try to keep things a little more satisfying for everyone… I
suppose it was the true Adventurers who rose to the top in this struggle. In that case,
Daniela had no chance at all. I bet she was still sleeping right now.

“Well, might as well check these…”

If it came to it, I would just have to collect herbs again. I actually enjoyed it in a way. It
was easy to mindlessly collect things.

“Okay…”

I looked at the sad quests that had been left. Goblin extermination, Grass wolf hunting,
Lost pet, Poisonous herb gathering… poisonous herbs? And what would you do with
poisonous herbs…?

“There is nothing here that’s worth a damn…”

All of them were bad. The goblin one… was really the only one that allowed you to
make extra on top of the reward money.

Oh, well. I will just have to bear it for one day… And so my hand stretches out for the
notice. Just then, another hand stretched towards it.

—-

“Hm?”

“Hm?”

I follow the arm and see a boy who is looking at me. He looked like the most typical
sort of newcomer.

“Hey, you! How dare you try and steal my quest!”

“Uh, no. That would be you. There wasn’t even anyone here when I arrived.”

“Shut up! Get out of my way!”

It seemed that I had no luck with children. Well, as irritating as this was, I was an adult.
I suppose I could allow the new kid his first quest…

“Ah, very well. Good luck out there.”

“Sure, you cowardly old man.”

My ears twitched.

“…Hey, what did you call me?”

“I said you were a cowardly old man.”

I could feel my temples convulsing.

“Now look here, I won’t let anyone call me an old man!”

“Shut up, geezer! I’m not going to talk to some beggar who can’t even afford armor!”

“You f*cking little shit! You’re dead!”

I had no money, but I did have armor! My fists were clenched as I was overcome with
the urge to put him in his place with a good punch. But then another figure interrupted
us.

“Hey, you two. No fighting inside of the guild.”

“Oh?”

“You really want to do this, don’t you?”

I probably looked like the hated bastard Adventurer now, but I had my pride. I was a
young man who had yet to reach thirty. Clearly, not an old man. And I had to make this
kid understand that. But this huge guy who came in… I take a better look at his face…
Was I remembering things wrong? I knew that face.

“Hey… you’re…”

“Are you, Gardo?”

“Asagi!?”
That stern face. That huge frame. There was no mistake, he was the Adventurer I had
known back in Fhiraldo.

“It’s been a while!”

“Yes, but what are you doing here, Gardo?”

“Well, why wouldn’t I be? Every Adventurer wants to come to Adventure City!”

“I wouldn’t know. But you look great. What happened to Ness?”

“Ah, he’s having his breakfast in the dining hall over there. But that reminds me,
where’s Daniela?”

“She’s sleeping at our inn. She’s the worst in the morn-!?”

As I was talking, something kicked me in the back of my leg. Who the hell would do
such a thing, I think with hatred as I glare at the likely culprit.

“You two! How dare you ignore me!”

“This kid…”

He had his hands on his hips and stood proudly as I glared.

“You seem to have your hands full, Asagi. But that’s nothing new for you, is it?”

“You make me sound like the hero of some story… damn, that hurt…”

“Do not ignore me!”

What was it with kids these days… they were the easily pissed off generation… I was
just starting to feel a sense of fear as I looked at the little shit, who was nothing more
than the most incomprehensible of creatures, when a guild worker approached us to
see what was happening. It was really too late.

“What is the matter?”

“This kid is kicking me. He even tried to steal my notice from the quest board. Then he
went berserk.”
“Ahh.”

The guild worker looked at the kid who stood behind us and let out a deep sigh.

“It is you again…”

“Shut up! How dare you look at me like that. You’re nothing but a guild worker!”

An Adventurer who defied guild workers. What was going on here? What was wrong
with children these days?

“To the contrary, the guild master has told us all to treat his son exactly as we would
any other Adventurer.”

“What!? Are you suggesting that I am equal to those mediocre Adventurers over there!?”

He thrust a finger at us to make his meaning unmistakable. Mediocre… I, wait…? I just

heard something important.

“Son? The guild master’s son?”

“Yes. This is Cline Mavis’ son, Penrose Mavis.”

“Hmph!”

The son folded his arms and grunted with a look of self-importance.

“He is also Rank G.”

“That’s not necessary!”

So the guild master’s son was an impressive little… rock.

“Young Penrose, if you insist on being the cause of further trouble, we can always strip
you of your membership. What will it be?”

“Tsk…”

While he may have been the guild master’s son, he was also an Adventurer. And so he
was not permitted to break the rules. Or so the guild worker said. Penrose seemed to
be of the opinion that being the son of the guild master made him superior, but the
rest of the world was not so naive. The world was not kind. And he was quickly
defeated in the face of this possibility. There also seemed to be a hidden threat behind
the words. There would be no second chances after this. This guild worker was not to
be played with.

“Damn it… Why, why is this happening to me…!”

Young Penrose didn’t seem remorseful at all. He glared at the floor with rage. As for
me, I was standing next to Gardo as the guild worker explained things to us. ‘As you
can see, he is this way, so please be careful with how you handle him.’ It seemed a little
strange for the guild master’s own son to be treated as a problem child, but apparently,
the guild master himself was having trouble. And so the other workers were told to be
severe. Was there ever a more annoying creature? And how was I supposed to prevent
something like this? I didn’t want to be around this place. I would leave.

“There weren’t even any good quests, so I’m leaving. What about you, Gardo?”

“I found a good one, so I’ll be going with Ness. I’ll tell him that we met.”

Gardo must have gotten up early for that. If only… I bet it’s going to pay well too.

“Well then, we should have dinner together. With the money you’ll be making, of
course.”

“Bastard! I’m not exactly rich over here!… Oh, alright. The Anthill is cheap, but good.”
“The Anthill? That’s an odd name.”

“Their meat is stacked like an anthill. It’s crazy.”

“Hmm, Daniela will be pleased.”

And with that settled, we had secured our dinner. And it had been a while since I met
Gardo, so it wasn’t a terrible morning. Now then, I might as well explore the town a
little… Daniela would have surely gotten up by now. Maybe we can go on a date!

“Hey, wait. You mediocre Adventurer.”

“Eh?”

Young Penrose called after me as I was about to leave.

“Let’s stop calling people mediocre.”

“Shut up! You’ve really inconvenienced me today! I demand an apology!”

“What? I’m the one who had to suffer. There were no good quests, and I had the likes
of you trying to pick a fight.”

“Who cares about that! You can help me on my quest! Then I might forgive you!”

What the… Was this guy crazy?”

“You know, as a G ranker, you are not likely to succeed in any hunting quest. Those
start at F rank.”

“That means nothing to me. I said I would do it, and so I will.”

“Well, you better go and do it then. Leave me out it.”

I turned around and headed for the door. I didn’t have time to play with the little shit.
And I definitely didn’t need his forgiveness. And who knows what other problems
would arise? It had nothing to do with me.

I quickly moved towards the exit. I was making plans about what I would do next and
throwing out any thought of the little shit from my mind. But when I opened the door,
it was me who was thrown out.

“What!?”

The sudden impact on my back threw me off the floor and I went rolling outside of the
guild. My face hit the dirt. The suddenness of it all baffled me as I turned around.

Ah, what a surprise… His foot was still extended out as he stood there.

“Hmph. That is what happens when people ignore me. Mediocre Adventurer.”

“Alright…”

I was completely out of patience now. I didn’t do anything to deserve this. I’d have to
give him a lesson on how to behave around people. Of course, with my fists.

“You shouldn’t be so disrespectful to adults.”

“I obey adults. If they are superior to me.”

“Oh? Then let’s hear it. What kind of adult is superior?”

Penrose snorted under my glare and proceeded to explain it to me.

“First, they must be an Adventurer. Challenge danger, brave the unknown and leave
great results. A man has to leave town and go on an adventure. Travel, make money,
carry strong weapons, and wear quality armor. Adventurers with cheap clothing like
you are a laughing stock! And an adventurer should strive to have an alias! Yes, that is
the dream. That is a guild rule that everyone knows. Though, someone as mediocre as
you would never come close to getting one! Do you understand now? Strong weapons,
strong armor. A second name. A brave and curious Adventurer is a truly superior
adult!”

—-

He folded his arms and looked up at me as he lectured. I see, I see. So that was his idea
of superiority… Right, right. Very well. Next, I will give him a lesson of what that really
means.

“Wait here for ten minutes.”

“What?”

“I’m telling you to wait for ten minutes.”

“Why should I?”

I looked down at him.

“Because I am about to teach you what a superior adult really is.”

“…Hmph. Fine. But when you fail to live up to your promise, I’ll have you stripped of
your Adventurer’s membership. I swear it, on my name, Penrose Mavis. I will!”

“Yeah, sure. But if I turn out to be this ‘superior adult’ you talk of, then you will
apologize. I’m sorry. I was wrong. With your head grinding the dirt!”

“Hah, that is what will happen to you! You will pound your head to the floor and say, ‘I
am sorry, I was so very wrong. Please return my membership.’ And I will refuse!”

We cursed each other loudly.

“Alright, wait here.”

“Get out of here. These are the last minutes of your life as an Adventurer. You better
enjoy them.”

He didn’t know when to shut up. I’d make him apologize for it.

I turned my back on the guild and ran into a back alley. And then I went behind the
back alley and activated Legs of the Forest Wolf, stepped on air and jumped to the top
of a roof. Once I confirmed the direction, I made a beeline for the Lamb’s Hoof.

It didn’t take longer than a minute. I pushed the doors open, announced my name at
the front and accepted the keys to room 310. Then I dashed up the steps to my room.

“Ahh!”

Daniela had had just come out of the bath and now frantically covered her breasts.

“…Oh, it’s just you, Asagi.”

She sighed with relief and put her hands on her hips.

“Don’t you want to put some clothes on?”

“There is no point in doing so now. But, why are you in such a rush? You did say that
you were going to the guild, but…”

“Yeah, I went to the guild alright. And there was a little incident. I could use your help
too.”

“Fine. What should I do?”

Daniela agreed immediately without asking the reason. She really was cool.

“Just change into full battle gear for now. And, we’re going to the guild. I’ll explain as
we run.”

“Understood!”

We both began to change at full speed. I took out our gear from the hollow bag and
handed Daniela hers. I also took my clothes off and put on the wind dragon clothes.
Daniela had it easy as she had nothing to take off first. But we were quick, and it only
took five minutes until we were done.

Then we flew out of the room and dashed out of the building before realizing that we
had forgotten to lock the door. Damn it, what a stupid time loss. I ran back up the stairs,
apologizing all the while to the other guests. Then I gave the keys to the front desk and
rolled out the Lambs Inn, picked up Daniela and vaulted into the air with Legs of the
Forest Wolf.

“So, why are we in such a hurry?”

Daniela asked with slightly flushed cheeks as she looked up at me. I condensed the
story in order to fit within the time constraints. Sorry, Gardo.

“…So that is what happened. So, I thought I’d teach him a little lesson.”

“Huh… Asagi, is that really something a ‘good adult’ would do?”

“…”
It hit me then. Daniela was right. I had been so enraged that I hadn’t been able to
realize it myself.

“However, that is only true in a general sense.”

“What?”

“He called my Asagi mediocre. Blood must be shed.”

“Well, let’s not go that far.”

Then we’ll really be stripped of our membership. We talked like this until we arrived.
We now stood on top of the closest building to the guild house. Penrose was still
standing there with his arms crossed. There were other Adventurers around him now.
Oh? I was puzzled at first, but they were likely spectators who had heard his verbal
assaults. They now stood around him in a semicircle. Perfect.

“Daniela, we’re going down there with wind magic. Follow my lead when we land. This
is the plan…”

“…Hehe… I see… yes, very good.”

“Alright, let’s begin!”

I took out the dark blue greatsword and removed it from its sheath. I gripped the
handle as we stood side by side and jumped from the roof. Then I used Legs of the
Forest Wolf and Daniela used wind magic to kill our momentum as we landed with
victorious grins in the center of the half circle.
I used Legs of the Forest Wolf, and Daniela used wind magic as we slowly descended
to the ground in front of the guild. The spectators gasped at our sudden aerial arrival,
but our business was with Penrose alone. We wouldn’t be dealing with anyone else.

“Kept you waiting, huh?”

“Wha-… you…!”

Penrose looked at me and then at my new companion and took a step back.

“I never did introduce myself. I’m Asagi Kamiyashiro. A ‘C’ Rank Adventurer. They call
me Silvergreen.”

“And I am Daniela Villesilf. I am Asagi’s partner and a ‘B’ Rank Adventurer, also known
as Lightwind. I heard that you did Asagi quite the favor. I have come to thank you, little
boy.”

“What, you… you have an alias…? And… you are… the… Silvergreen…!? And…
Lightwind…!”

I don’t know if I was ‘the’ Silvergreen, but how many could there be? No one else would
want such an embarrassing name, surely. Honestly, I didn’t even want such a title, but
here it was actually useful for once. I imagined Bordow’s laugh as I cursed him and
thrust my greatsword, Schwarz Tempest into the ground.

“This is the last greatsword crafted by a blacksmith with blue magic and was made by
the bones of the legendary monster, the tempest whale. There is nothing else like it in
this world.”

“My rapier is made from the core of the tree of life and death and has been passed on
by the light elves. There is nothing else like it in this world.”

She pulled the sword out of its sheath and brandished it like a knight.
“Kk…”

“Would you like to hear about my armor as well?”

“Damn it…!”

Penrose finally fell to his knees. I had won…! I pulled out my sheath from the hollow
bag and placed the sword inside before returning it to the bag. Daniela also resheathed
her sword and folded her arms in front of her.

“Tha-that’s Silvergreen…”

“The one who killed a wyvern solo in spite of still being a D Rank Adventurer?”

“I heard that Lightwind and Silvergreen suppressed a stampede.”

“But… This seems a little immature?”

“He is an impressive Adventurer if you look at the results, but…”

“But Penrose has been a pain in the ass. I am honestly grateful…”

There seemed to be a mixed reaction, but I ignored them. Knocking Penrose down a
peg like this was bound to make everyone happy.

“Do you get it now? Don’t judge people based on appearances.”

“Grr…”

“Indeed, it’s important to respect excellent Adventurers. However, that does not mean
you should look down on those who are not. There are many who deserve respect who
are not Adventurers, and there are many that you owe debts, even if you don’t realize
it. You’ll never be much of an adult if you continue to bite in every direction.”

“Ugh… So… I was… wrong…”

Penrose had a look of intense regret.

“Yes.”
“Tsk…”

Then I walked up to him and looked him in the eyes.

“However, it’s a mistake that can be fixed.”

“…”

“Just do better from now on.”

“…I… was wrong…”

“Yeah. Well, I wasn’t being very mature either. Sorry.”

I grabbed his hand and made him stand up. The other Adventurers nodded with warm
looks of approval.

“Penrose! Let’s go hunt goblins together when your rank goes up!”

“I’ll go too!”

“So will I!”

“I don’t have an alias, but I’m no slouch either!”

Penrose looked surprised as he turned to see the other adults around him. They were
all smiling. I could see that his eyes were slowly filling with tears.

“See, they say that they’ll go with you. Don’t you have something to say?”

“…Yes!”

We stepped aside to allow him to pass. Penrose wiped at his eyes with his sleeve and
stood in front of the Adventurers. He looked at each face before lowering his head.

—-

“I am sorry for all of the trouble I have caused! From now on, I will strive to become a
great Adventurer!”
The Adventurers went silent for a moment. Then they erupted into applause and
cheering. With this, Penrose was likely to be able to become a good Adventurer one
day. The little shit would be gone, and a different G rank Adventurer would be born.

As Penrose stood there bashfully, I placed a hand on his head and stood next to him.

“We should get going then.”

“Going? But where?”

“Where? To kill some goblins of course.”

“You are really going to go with me!?”

“Why not. We’re already prepared.”

“Yes! Thank you, Asagi!”

He had become honest at the turn of a hat. Really, children were such strange little
creatures. I watched Penrose as he ran off to get his gear. And I smiled in a way that I
rarely did.

Penrose became a temporary addition to our party. And we accepted the goblin
hunting request, with me as the party leader. The guild worker behind the counter
looked astonished at the sight of Penrose, but a few of the others seemed to have heard
about what had happened, and they smiled with good humor.

“Please leave it to us.”

“Very well. We would not normally allow a G Ranker to do it, but since you two will be
with him, I will allow it. Please give me your status cards.”

We took out our status cards and placed them on the tray. The cards were inserted
into the machine to record the quest information. This was done to all three cards
before they were returned to us on the tray. I accepted them and confirmed that it had
been recorded. Yes, perfect.

“Now you have accepted the quest. There are many goblins in the forest to the west of
the town. Please be careful.”

“Thank you. We’ll be off then.”

“Yes, may you have luck and protection on your adventure.”

With those parting words said, I said my thanks and walked away. We moved to a
corner to discuss our plan of attack.

“Now, we’re going to kill some goblins. They’re small fry, but they can be strong as
well. You’ll die if you let your guard down. Do you understand? Penrose.”

“Yes. I have trained for this day. I won’t make a mess of it.”

“We’ll start by attacking lone goblins. And when you’re used to it, we’ll attack a pack
of them.”

“Understood!”

The brief meeting was over in a minute. Well, there wasn’t really a lot to discuss when
it came to goblins…

“But one thing. Penrose, from what I can see, your weapon is a one-handed sword.”

Daniela said as she looked at the sword strapped to Penrose’s waist.

“Is that not too long for you?”

It was. I had noticed it myself. The blade of his sword was a little longer than was usual.
Longer than the Glampanzer even.

“Ah, this was specially ordered. My reach is not as long as an adult, and so the blade
needs to make up for it.”

“I see. But can you really handle it? A long sword will pull you when you swing.”

“I have trained to be able to deal with that. It was difficult at first, but I can handle it
now. Don’t worry about me.”

“If you say so. We shall do something if necessary. Well, Asagi will.”
“Me? I guess I will then.”

I looked at them to ask if there was anything else, but they shook their heads. Then
there was nothing to do but set out. Our path lay to the west. A forest. Today’s target
was goblins.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Yes!”

He was enthusiastic at least. Daniela and I might have to help a little to prevent his
excitement from getting the best of him, but goblins weren’t much of a foe, to begin
with.

We bought something to eat for lunch at a street stall before leaving through the west
gate. Several people who recognized Penrose looked at us with astonishment, but he
didn’t seem to mind and kept walking. Perhaps he meant to show that he had changed
through his actions from now on. At the end of the day, he seemed to be pretty serious.
He said he’d been training, so maybe he was just the type to confront things that
benefited him with everything that he had.

In that case, we could help him grow in the right direction.

Perhaps Presence Detection would be a good place to start?

And so we found ourselves in the forest. Everywhere you looked, it was trees, trees,
trees. And some bushes. And fallen leaves.

“They tend to hide behind bushes, like the ones you can see over there.”

“I know that much. But I haven’t seen any yet.”

Well, this was his first time out. We wanted to start off with a single target, and so I
used Presence Detection to search for a goblin that had separated from its group, and
we followed it.

There were apparently three types of monsters that lived in this forest. The first were
the goblins which we were about to hunt. They were typical goblins that you could
find anywhere else. They attacked you with wooden spears or other blades dropped
by humans. And they didn’t seem to take care of them, as the blades were always
rusted. But then again, they were a surprisingly great source of extra income if you
were a G Ranker. I told all of this to Penrose.

“I see… iron is iron, I suppose.”

“Exactly. The blacksmiths will be happy to take them off of your hands. And they’ll be
much more likely to make you good weapons if they like you. So you can’t go wrong.”

Penrose nodded eagerly. I didn’t have anyone to teach me when I started out and
suffered a lot for it. It must be nice to have an older Adventurer help you out. I could
only hope that Penrose would do the same for someone else once he became a
veteran…

Now, as for the second type of monster that lurked in the forest. This was the forest
wolf. They were the same type that were in Lambrusen. But there they had lived on
the opposite side of the forest to the goblins. This had to do with the mana that
Beowulf emitted, but Beowulf was not here. In other words, there was no mana that
one liked and the other hated. Goblins and forest wolves coexisted in this forest. Well,
that was most forests, I guess. Penrose knew about it already, and it was apparently
common knowledge in most countries. I was the only one who was extra careful about
it. I had to be wary of the possibility that both would attack at the same time, or I might
panic and make mistakes when it did happen.

“I heard from father that it was Beowulf who gave Silvergreen the power of the wind.”

“That’s supposed to be confidential. Don’t tell anyone, alright?”

I was a little exasperated at Bordow’s loose tongue, but perhaps saying that much
would prevent any further sniffing around. But I was still pissed off…

“Everyone else thinks it’s just a unique skill.”

“I understand!”

The now honest Penrose said.

“By the way, Penrose.”

“What, Miss Daniela?”

“How old are you?”

This was rare. Daniela bringing up age… I’m not sure if it was a hole she really wanted
to dig.

“I will be twelve this year! A fine adult.”

“Adulthood starts at fifteen. You still have a ways to go.”

Daniela said as she tousled his hair. I didn’t see her being sociable often, but it was nice
seeing Penrose settle in as a party member. After all, this morning she had said
something about ‘blood needing to be shed’…

“And how old are you, Miss Daniela? Are you an adult?”

“Haha, Penrose. Daniela is-”

“Asagi.”
“…-a brilliant adult, and uh, you would do good to learn from her on how to be an
Adventurer.”

“Oh? I understand!”

A stare that was colder than my ice magic was directed at me. Letting your guard down
was a path to death. I learned a new trick to surviving.

The third monster is a woman who cares about her age.

Now, enough of that foolishness. There was a goblin behind the bushes up ahead. We
silently looked and saw that it was standing with its back to us, and he held a spear
that was thrust into the ground. This one had probably been abandoned by the others.
The ones who were no good at hunting had no choice but to gather seeds from the
ground. There was a feeling of sadness in that back that faced us, but life was much
the same for us. And so I thought that we should get this over with quickly. It was time
to hunt.

“There are no other goblins around. We have just one enemy. His weapon is just a
wooden spear, however, that will still kill you if it pierces your throat, so be careful. Do
you understand?”

As this was his first real fight, Penrose was too nervous to do anything but nod.
Looking at the longsword he was holding, I could tell that he was gripping the handle
too hard, but at least he wasn’t taking this lightly. A certain amount of nervousness
was good. Besides, the extreme nervousness you feel would eventually go away once
you’ve fought a couple times.

“Alright, go get him!”

I push his back, and he runs off like a bullet. His feet were firm on the ground, and he
was careful not to allow the leaves to cause him to slip.

He was behind the goblin in a flash and swung the longsword out. It struck a good
blow and the centrifugal force helped to take the goblin’s head off with a clean cut.
Once the fountain of blood subsided, the goblin’s body crumpled onto the leaves.
“You did well! Splendid!”

“Hah… hah…!”

Penrose was breathing hard, but his face wore a big smile. I tousled his hair after he
returned to us, and we waited for him to catch his breath before walking to the goblin.
I looked at the motionless and headless goblin and saw how clean the cut was. He must
have trained a lot to be able to do that. It would not take him too long to rise from his
current G rank. So he was gemstone after all.

“Well, that was an ambush. You just swing your sword on a still target. Pretty easy,
huh?”

“Yes… But, I can still feel the sensation of cutting… in my hands…”

His tight fists were shaking. This was the first time he had taken a life. It carried quite
a weight for someone who was only twelve years old.

“And you should not ever forget that sensation. It is when you forget it, that you will
fall from man to beast.”

“Miss Daniela…”

“To take a life. Taking and living. Do not forget it. Penrose, you are able to live because
of others.”

“…I understand. I will keep this feeling with me.”

That’s right… there was a time when I had forgotten it myself. Back in the mines. I had
seen myself as an ugly, cold creature that did nothing but kill. Perhaps that was what
it felt like to fall into beasthood…

—-

“A very important person once told me that unnecessary killing is evil. It’s one of the
most important rules for me as I live.”

“Unnecessary killing… Yes, I understand, Asagi. I will become a great Adventurer like
you two. I want to follow my father and become the best guild master in the empire!”
Oh, guild master, huh? Well, I could only pray that he would be better than a certain
guild master that I was acquainted with.

“…Hm? What is it? Daniela?”

“…It is nothing.”

Daniela was blushing as she stepped behind me… Oh, it must have been because of
what I just said. How cute. Well, we were still on the battlefield. We’ll continue this at
night. But for now, it was off to the next goblin.

“Can you see it?”

“Yes.”

“Now try closing your eyes and just feel its presence. See it, while your eyes are still
closed.”

“…Yes, I will try.”

He was practicing Presence Detection now. It was just like when Daniela taught me. At
the time, Daniela was in a terrible mood due to an unforeseen disaster, but she was
instructing him in an easy to understand way now. It really was important to
understand the feel of it.

“I think… that I can see it.”

“That is fine for now. As long as you do not forget that feeling, it will slowly start to
sharpen.”

“I understand.”

“Good… now go and get it.”

“Yes!”

Penrose opened his eyes and caught sight of the goblin as he brandished his sword. I
pushed him forward and he ran. At the same time, I launched a small chunk of ice at
the goblin.

“Grrgah!”

“!?”

The goblin howled with pain as it struck the back of his head. Then he turned to look
at us. The unexpected attack caused Penrose to look over his shoulder as well, but
there was no time for that. The goblin assumed that the attack had come from Penrose,
and he shouted and charged forward. A rusted short sword swung wildly in his hand
as he dashed.

“GYAGGAHH!”

“Wo-woah!”

Penrose frantically held up his sword and blocked the blade that came down on him.
While holding his sword in front of him, he took several steps back and shouted at me.

“What was that! You did not say anything about doing that!”

“Battles don’t always play out in the way you discussed them. An Adventurer should
be able to deal with the unexpected.”

“Tsk…!”

While he was clearly irritated by this, he seemed to also understand. He held the
sword high and ran forward again. Then he pulled the sword back and used his body
as a spring to swing it up over his head and fall down in an arch over the goblin. This
attack had the most obvious trajectory in my eyes, but this goblin was unable to deal
with it. It would not move back. Instead, it held its arms up over its face and was cut
down. It really was different when you had some prior training.

“…That was… dirty of you.”

“Dirty? What are you saying? That has nothing to do with combat. A great Adventurer
should be able to swiftly react and deal with any unexpected situation.”

Daniela thundered in my defense as Penrose voiced his grievances. His shoulders

slumped at this, but he had actually dealt with it admirably. Defense, reversal, the
attack after fully understanding the situation. As far as I could see, he had done well.

“Were it I, I would have not have stopped when he noticed my presence. I would have
closed in at a speed that he could not react to, and gut him before he could let out a
scream.”

“…”

Well, there was that way too, I guess. Goblins too would try to understand the
situation. And that would be the time to act.

“However, I will say that you were not wrong either. It increases other dangers, but it
is still safer.”

“Other dangers?”

I had been listening quietly until now, but this part puzzled me. Daniela looked at me
and sighed.

“Asagi. Are you really an Adventurer? It is obvious once you think about it.”

“Oh, you’ve gone and said it now… but, wait a second. I’ll think about it with Penrose.”

“I do not know either…”

“Well, sometimes you need two heads to find the answer.”

Penrose and I sat down on a fallen tree trunk and thought. Not this, not that. We
pondered until we became hungry, and so the three of us decided to eat the street stall
food that we had bought. We traded ideas as we ate, and Daniela provided hints. When
we realized that the answer was ‘that he would call the others,’ I realized that I had
been depending on Presence Detection far too much. I see, I still had a way to go then.
Through teaching Penrose and being taught by Daniela, I felt that I had grown a little
on my way to becoming a ‘Great Adventurer.’
After lunch, Penrose continued to practice using Presence Detection, as we destroyed
small groups of goblins. I tried to stick to goblins that carried weapons. It was never
too late to learn to fear a blade. Apparently, it was his father, the guild master who
taught him to use a sword, but he was going up against monsters now. They weren’t
teaching him, they were trying to kill him. They wouldn’t play by any book, and the
only will that existed behind their every wild swing was a desire to end his life. But
Penrose showed no signs of letting his guard down. He didn’t allow them to surprise
him and handled the attacks well. Having a good tutor really made a difference. As I
watched him, the rays of the setting sun began to disturb my vision.

It was time to end the hunt and return to Replant.

“Thank you for helping me today!”

“Yeah, you did well. You had the basics down already. Having the guild master teach
you is a great advantage.”

“My father is the best!”

He really did like his father… Well, perhaps he was that great of a father then.

“Alright, we’ll report to the guild and disband.”

“Yes…”

Penrose looked a little sad as he held his hands behind his head. But then he laughed
when I tousled his hair. Kids were the best when they were being honest.

We entered through the western gate and headed straight for the guild house. The
town was starting to light up with glimmering lanterns. There was an excitement in
the air as if to say that things were just getting started. I considered taking Daniela out
and eating somewhere after disbanding… and then realized I had forgotten about
Gardo and Ness. I had to tell Daniela about that.
“We are here.”

I looked up at Penrose’s voice. Thinking while you’re walking made the time pass so
quickly. It took me by surprise.

We opened the door and went inside. It was crowded with other Adventurers who had
finished their quests for the day. See how many monsters I killed! I just thought of an
amazing trick! Etcetera. It was a bit rowdy, but no one bothered us. There was always
a level of etiquette that was maintained here. Wonderful.

But there was one that was different. A slender man with long blond hair that was
bound in the back was running around the room as if searching for someone. The
other Adventurers who noticed him cast suspicious glances his way. After a while, the
unsuccessful blond-haired man raised his voice with a look of despair.

“Where are you!? Are you here!?”

The others began to murmur. But their faces showed no concern. If anything they
looked exasperated and annoyed.

“Where are you? Penrose!?”

Oh? Now there was a familiar name. I turned and saw that he who should have been
next to me was now in the far corner and chatting pleasantly with Daniela.

“Hey, Penrose…”

“PENROOOOSE!!”

Just as I was about to call him over, the man with blond hair howled and rushed past
me.

“Ah, father!”

“Penrose! You! Goblin slaying…!”

“Yes, I went with Asagi and Miss Daniela.”

“Ah, ahhh, but that is so dangerous!”

So the blond man was his father… In other words, this man was the Empire’s finest
guild master(according to his son). Honestly, he looked like a pushover…

“The master is looking for his son again…”

“He deserves a medal for doting…”

A pair of Adventurers muttered next to me. I see, so this was just the usual for them.
That made sense. Their face expressions. This happened all of the time.

“Asagi and Daniela, you say? You mean that famous pair on the rise?”

“Yes! They were with me, and so I was fine!”

It was time to go…

Well, as much as I hated the complications that were likely to arise, I had to at least
make a report after taking his son with us.

“Pardon me, but are you the guild master?”

“Mm, yes… Ah, and you must be the young Asagi?”

“Yes, Asagi Kamiyashiro.”

“Thank you for taking care of my son… I never dreamed that he would go on a hunting
quest while still being G rank, and I acted a fool. I am sorry.”

“No, Daniela and I enjoyed his company.”

“That is a relief. Hmm, perhaps we could talk in the back room? I would like to hear
more.”

“Uh, sure.”

I shot a glance at Daniela and she nodded. Penrose also looked happy to be able to be
with us longer. And so all three of us followed the guild master out of the hall. People
stared at us as we left, but I felt like I’ve been caring about that too much recently.
Maybe it was important to just think, ‘stare if you want,’ sometimes…
 2

“Ah, I have not introduced myself yet. I am Cline Mavis. The guild master. It is a
pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“I am Silvergreen, Asagi Kamiyashiro.”

“Lightwind, Daniela Villesilf.”

“Please sit down. There is a lot that I want to ask.”

We started by telling him of the day’s events. Of course, that meant the incident at the
quest board. Penrose’s shoulders slumped as he sat in self-reflection and so I tousled
his hair. After that, I told him about how we had revealed that we were Silvergreen and
Lightwind in order to humble him, and then we decided to hunt goblins together.

“…and so we started to teach him how to use Presence Detection. Penrose, see if it
appears in your status.”

“Ah, yes. Status Open… Ah! It is there! Presence Detection!”

“All of this in just one day… I cannot thank you enough.”

“Ah, it was just done along the way.”

A guild worker came in and served us some fruit water. I glanced over at Daniela, who
was eating a snack for some reason. Wait, there were four wrappers. Was that
supposed to be for all of us?

“I and everyone else knows that I am a doting parent… but I have spoiled him for too
long as well.”

“You have. Well, for now, he is sorry and wants to learn to grow. I believe that he will
move forward in the right direction from now on. That’s what he told me, you know?
He will be the best guild master in the empire, just like his father.”

“Ahahaha… Indeed, Replant’s Adventurers Guild is one of the most highly esteemed in
the empire. It is a good thing to aspire to.”

“Is that why it is the Grand Guild?”

“Yes. It is the guild that brings all of the other branches together. Though, our actual
headquarters is in a different place.”

I see. I didn’t know that. So this slender man, huh? He must have something in him
that is not visible to the eye. I wasn’t a warrior myself, so I had no institution for
actually being able to tell if someone was good. So I could only judge by a person’s
general physique. This guy was thin, that guy was muscular. And so I tried to stay
cautious, regardless of how people looked.

“By the way, Master Cline…”

“Hm? What is it?”

“You said you were a doting parent. And it seems like you are very fond of telling your
child stories. Stories of other Adventurers.”

“Ah, yes. The world is filled with all sorts of Adventurers. My son was very happy when
I told him of you two.”

Yes, that’s just the problem.

“And how much did Bordow tell you?”

“About you? Well, you were gifted with an enchantment from an abnormally evolved
creature… and… oh…”

“Yes. It would be very inconvenient for me if word of that spread.”

I could not help being worried about this point. Such stories might make children
happy, but this one could have consequences.

“After all, it could result in us being pursued…”

“I-I-I am sorry! It was just… I had never heard of such a thing before, and…!”

“No, no. It is mostly Bordow’s fault. That man is the root of this problem.”

“Yes, he is a little… However, the league of guild masters are all in agreement that he’s
‘Amazing! A fine Adventurer!’ I do not think that you have to worry too much. Though,
perhaps you have little reason to believe me now…”
League of guild masters… And this was the Grand Guild that connected everything.
And he said something about a separate headquarters. Still, were there any leaders
that were more proper for the…

“I am treating it as a unique skill and I can make any number of explanations for it.
Perhaps it is just that I am being paranoid. Please don’t worry too much about it. It is
entirely Bordow’s doing.”

“Thank you… Uh, but, do you really hate Bordow that much?”

“I hate him just the right amount!”

That man has done too much already. You could even say that my life as an Adventurer
has gone wrong because of him. I would have my revenge one day. I said as much to
Cline before we finished our talk and disbanded. Daniela was half asleep, but jumped
at the words, ‘we should be going.’ She was like a child who hated being in class.
Penrose was sleeping as well, he must have been very tired. Listening to adults talk
was boring.

“Perhaps you might help my son again some time?’

“Sure. It gave me a lot to think about and was stimulating.”

“I am glad to hear that. But please do avoid any dangerous places? And come home
early, as he must be back by six. I would not want him to to be back so late like today.
I must tell this to Penrose as well. But that goes for you too, Asagi. It is not good to be
out there so late. The night is filled with danger, and it would be best to return to your
inn. Also…”

“Alright, let’s go, Daniela.”

“Yes.”

“Hey, wait! I am not finished ta-”

I closed the door and the conversation was ended. Seriously, that man should put his
energy into something more useful.

As we walked down the hallway, I told Daniela about Gardo and Ness. She had
remembered them too and looked pleased to be able to see them again. Well, maybe
she was pleased because I mentioned the Anthill restaurant. You never knew with her…
While we ended up being a little late due to the doting master’s talking and getting
lost, we were able to safely arrive at the Anthill.

The place was crowded with people, which gave me an idea of just how popular it was.
Each table here had a magic stove installed in it, and everyone could cook their own
meat how they like it. The Anthill was a barbecue house.

“Ho! Asagi! Over here!”

It was a noisy place, but there was one voice that was louder than the rest, that came
from someone who was bigger than the rest. Of course, it was Gardo. Next to him was
an underweight man that looked very preoccupied with his meat. It was Ness.

“Sorry that we’re late.”

“I thought you wouldn’t come.”

I pulled out a chair for Daniela and took a seat as well. There was a huge pile of meat
in front of us that looked just like an anthill. So that’s why it was called the Anthill… I
was drooling by just looking at it.

“Ho! Asagi! It’s been a while!”

“You look good too, Ness. How have you been?”

“The best!!”

He gave me a thumbs up with his usual foolish grin. I stuck my thumb up as well and
we bumped fists.

“It is good to see that you two are doing well.”

“And you haven’t changed at all, Daniela.”

“I am always doing well. But even more so when there is meat nearby.”

“Yes, nothing in the world matters if you have meat.”

It seemed that Gardo and Daniela had something in common. Don’t exclude me!

We quickly got started by placing the wire mesh over the magic stove. The wonderful
sizzling sounds reached my ears. Once the meat was placed on it, it was the beginning
of a full orchestra. Wonderful.

“Ah, so how long has it been since we separated in Fhiraldo?”

Ness asked nostalgically as he poked at the meat. Hmm… I wasn’t keeping track…

“I think it has been nearly two months?”

“Damn it, I have no idea.”

“You… what are you, a child?”

Daniela was better at such things. She could be careless one moment, and then shrewd
the next.

“Two months… I don’t know if that is long or not. I don’t see you for a while, and
suddenly you have aliases…”

“Well, Ness. I didn’t want it. It’s just that the guild master in Spiris is an idiot.”

“Spiris… ah. Redflame Bordow.”

“Redflame? I didn’t know that he was called that.”

Redflame. He should really be called Loosetongue Bordow. But I suppose it was

because of his red hair and red armor. That was quite the eyesore.

“There is one legendary story about Redflame. A long time ago, he killed a red dragon,
alone.”

“A red dragon? Are they strong?”

“Strong? Why, they say that any monster whose name includes its color is of the
strongest order of monsters.”

Hmm… that’s news to me. So, looking at my equipment that was made of ice dragon
armor, did that mean there was a rank above it that was blue dragon? Or was that for
water attributes…

“No, the advanced type above the ice dragon is the icicle dragon. And above that, you
have the white dragons.”

“Ah, white. So blue dragons are for water.”

“Yes. Water dragons, aqua dragons, and blue dragons.”

You always learned something new from veterans. And I didn’t have much opportunity
to study under Daniela… ah, the meat’s ready. I secured my share of the meat before
creating a second orchestra with some new meat. Then I threw the cooked meat into
my mouth. Hmm, the fat of the fresh meat combined with it beautifully. It was hot, but
the heat itself was delicious…

“I heard that Silvergreen used dragon armor?”

“Don’t call me that. But, yes, it is.”

“Mmmm,*chewing*… Asagi’s armor was bought cheaply, thanks to the price collapsing
after the Hero suppressed a stampede.”

Daniela added as she stuffed her cheeks with meat. Yes, it was all thanks to Matsumoto.

“Ah, I heard about that. It was a stampede that occurred near the north of Lambrusen,
wasn’t it? I remember because it was dragons.”

“Yeah, that. It was stopped because a Hero just happened to be there. And so a lot of
materials entered the market at once. I was able to buy the stuff at a fourth of the
original price. But it was still expensive.”

“Still, dragon armor is excellent. I’m quite jealous.”

“It really is. It’s comfortable, and has special effects.”

It had great ventilation and was light and durable. It was of a quality that I was used
to in Japan. And while I wore it often, it showed no sign of getting worn out. The person
who made it was great, and so were the materials. Still, I would take care of it. I hereby
ban any oil from splashing onto me.

“You can just use the cleaning spell to get rid of the oil from the meat. Though, there
are not many who can do it.”

“Ah, that magic thing. It really is useful. It got rid of the blood on my clothes.”

“That must have been a very skilled user then. That would be quite difficult to do.”

“Really? That person was in the same line as us and started yelling. She made it sound
like it was the easiest trick in the book.”

I just call her Fan #1. I had no idea what she was doing now… But, I guess she ended
up being a nice person?

—-

Like that, we talked about the past, even though not much time had actually passed.
But we enjoyed acting nostalgic. And that happiness of reuniting must have increased
our appetites because the meat kept coming and our cups kept refilling. And then
Gardo started to talk about their own journey.

The two of them had left Fhiraldo shortly after we did. They were headed for the
capital of Lambrusen, Sousoleil. They had also considered going to Spiris but then they
heard that that was where we were headed. But they didn’t want to meet us again so
soon and had taken a different direction. And that was the capital of Sousoleil. It was
north of Fhiraldo and northwest of Spiris. In any case, they thought it would be
awkward to meet us, and so they went to the capital’s grand guild to work.

They lived in the capital for a while, until they had enough of that, and decided to make
the Adventure City Replant of the Flugelnian Empire their next destination. It was a
place they had always wanted to visit. They arrived one week before we did. And it
had taken them a while, as they stopped by many places along the way. We, on the
other hand, tended to move in a straight line unless we encountered trouble or
anything else that was irregular… But perhaps we could take little detours on our next
trip.
“…And that’s how we arrived in the Adventure City.”

“I see… Uh, Ness, aren’t you drinking a little too much?”

“Ehhh? Asagi, you… are you… suggesting that… I am… too… drunk?”

“Not suggesting, I’m saying it. Slow down.”

“Don’t be an idiot, I, I’m just getting… started… here… uhhh…”

Uhh… Is it? This guy was always like this… I looked at Gardo, hoping he would do
something, but he looked like he was fighting hard to stay awake. Hey, hey. These guys
were going to go to sleep on us.

“Where are they staying…?”

“Even if we have no choice but to take them, we do not know where…”

“Well, we can’t just leave them here.”

I shook Ness and tried to get the name of their inn out of him, but he just groaned
uncomfortably. As for Gardo, he was fast asleep. Damn it, what the hell were we
supposed to do…

“Ah… ah, that’s it. Maybe we can ask the guild?”

“Some places do require Adventurers to report their locations… but not everyone does
it.”

“I’m not sure what we could do if that were the case. We’ll just have to pray that they
are the diligent types.”

We could go and ask. But I didn’t want to ask Daniela to run all the way there, this late
at night. She was stronger than me, but she was also bloated. At worst, she would
vomit all over the place. Alright, I guess it was time for moderate-eater Asagi to go for
a jog.

“Daniela. There was a park on the way here, remember? Could you wait there?”

“That is fine, but how will we carry these two?”

“I have an idea.”

First, we needed to pay. They were supposed to be treating us tonight, but maybe this
was divine punishment for that time in Fhiraldo when I had let a drunken Ness pay for
me. This bill ended up being much higher, but I paid it and then we dragged Gardo and
Ness out of the restaurant. It was very dark outside, and blond women could be seen
in lascivious outfits as they tried to attract customers. I looked at them with a little
surprise, until Daniela gave me a painful kick in the ass. Well then, I was all amped up.
It was time to get this done and over with.

“Here… hmm… yes… there!”

“Ooh…!”

I imagined it with Jack of all Trades, Master of None. And with a little help from my
specialty, ice magic, I was able to create a kind of ice trolley. I probably used too much
magic in making it, but the wheels seemed to be turning fine. It should at least allow
us to transport them to the park.

“Asagi, you seem to be getting more detached from the world.”

“Ah, stop it. I’m immune to flattery.”

“No, it was sarcasm.”

“…”

Are you trying to say that I’m weird!

I grumbled as we dumped Gardo and Ness onto the trolley and pulled them to the
park. Then I used Legs of the Forest Wolf to jump onto a roof and headed for the guild.

In spite of it being so late, the guild was glimmering with lights. I felt like I was entering
a convenience store at midnight when I opened the doors. There were quite a few
Adventurers inside too, and they looked like they were ready to work. Were they going
to hunt some nocturnal monster? I’m more of an ‘early to bed, early to rise’ Adventurer
myself. Besides, I still remember those nocturnal blood apes. Yes, I would not be
participating in whatever these guys were doing… Oh, I better do what I came to do. I
headed for the ‘Questions and Other’ counter and waited in the short line. It didn’t
take nearly as long as during the afternoon, and I was quickly able to ask about Gardo
and Ness.

“Excuse me, but the Adventurers who we were drinking with decided to pass out. I’d
like to know where they are staying, if you have that information.”

“I see. Do you know their names?”

“Gardo and Ness. They form a party.”

“I will see what I can do. It will take about ten minutes, so please wait in the waiting
room.”

“…Yes, thank you.”

That smoking room again… Oh well, might as well go…

I waited for what felt like a very long ten minutes. I was so bored that I nearly collapsed
after a wave of drowsiness hit me. But I bore it until the guild worker called me and
told me the name and location of their inn. Thankfully, they actually were the diligent
types… Even now, Daniela was forced to take care of those two messy old men. We
needed to throw them back into their inn as soon as possible so we could get some
sleep. The fun with Daniela would have to wait.
“Hahh…”

Spirits join the night wind as they playfully fly around me. It is just the perfect degree
of coolness for my heated body, and I cannot help but smile. The spirits laugh too. They
fly around and eventually rise into the sky where they disappear.

“Asagi looked so happy today…”

I recalled our little dinner party. That scene, where we reunited with Gardo and Ness,
old acquaintances from Fhiraldo. Asagi had laughed and enjoyed himself so much as
we ate. Sometimes he would act serious when Ness teased him, but he always smiled,
and then he would look slightly embarrassed when Gardo commended him. Those
smiles felt so genuine.

These two, who were now dozing off in front of me, do not know that Asagi has killed
people.

I had to deal with that bandit’s head. It was on the first day of our arrival.

After Asagi finished playing with fire in the bathing room, I invited him to come in with
me. And we bathed together. I gave his body a good scrubbing and then some. And he
ended up quite exhausted and fell asleep right after. Just as I had intended. I do feel
guilty about that, but I had my reasons.

It was midnight. Asagi had sunk into our bed. I slipped out alone and poked his cheek,
but he did not respond. His eyebrows were somewhat tense, perhaps he was still
feeling the aftermath, but he looked cute when asleep. I attempted to unknit those
eyebrows of his, and he rolled onto his other side in annoyance. I chuckled.

And so I took the root of Asagi’s recent problems with me and left the room. The head
of the bandit that was wrapped in many layers of cloth. It was now stuffed in a bag so
that no one could see it. And like that, I went out into Replant’s night. My destination
was, of course, the guardhouse. There were diners on the way that were still open even
at midnight, but I did not feel like stopping. In a way, I had forced this action upon him,
and that had resulted in a deep, deep wound. With the root of that in my vision, I could
hardly work up an appetite.

I saw a guard on patrol on the street, and so I asked for the location of the guardhouse.
I had acted before actually finding out where I needed to go. Of course, I might have
dealt with this at the gate that we first entered from, but these sort of things were best
taken to the central guardhouse. As ultimately, some of the work required you to
contact the central guardhouse.

The patrolling guard had initially mistaken me for a lady of the night and given me a
contemptuous look, but a murderous glare caused him to jump back in surprise and
point his spear at me. Hmm. Shoddy, but at least somewhat disciplined. This one might
just barely be reliable.

“Excuse me, but there is something I need to ask you.”

“Fi-first, you will stop looking at me like that…!”

“Ah, forgive me. Someone was looking at me with foul eyes, and I could not help it.”

“Fffo-for that I will apologize…! But…”

He looked like he was ready to faint. And so I fixed him with a gentler stare and asked
him where I might find the central guardhouse. When he was able to breathe easy
again, he said that he would take me to it. But he backed off when I flatly refused and
said that I would have no problem finding it if I knew where to go. It helped that he
understood what I was capable of.

With the hefty bag in my hand, I opened the door to the guardhouse. There was a clerk
there who looked at me through sleepy eyes, but he jumped up after hearing what my
business was and ran to the back to call his superior officer.

“I am in charge of Replant’s central guard house at night. You can call me Assam. I
heard that you have some important business here. What is it?”

“I am Daniela. We suppressed a certain bandit ambush the other day. And I have here
brought the head of their leader. I would like for it to be inspected.”
“Hmm… it is in that bag then? Leave it here. You must wait in the back room until we
are finished.”

“I understand.”

I handed over the bag, and the captain… Assam, led me to a room in the back. Hmm. It
reminded me of that room in Fhiraldo that I had to share with Asagi. One table. Two
chairs. One bed. Bars over the window. A plain room. I sat down in the chair and stared
up at the ceiling. I thought of Asagi.

Hardly any time had passed since the incident with the bandits, and there was a
shadow behind his smiles. Sometimes I would see a sadness in his eyes as he sighed.
He seemed to have found heart again after that night we spent with Marie Elle, but the
wound was still there. And it would take some time for it to heal. I could have made
him feel good, and then we could have had slowly talked about it, but I wanted to be
rid of this head, the cause of it all, first.

That was what I thought… But it seems that Asagi was able to relax a lot because of
those two. I had seen it as a role that I had to fill. But for his sake, I am fine with the
outcome. Well, I had been making my own plans while at the guardhouse, thinking of
ways to cheer him up. But I was rather hopeless, as my thoughts quickly turned to
more carnal ideas. I still had a lot to learn.

“Miss Daniela.”

Assam said with a knock on the door. I frantically shook the indecent thoughts out of
my head.

“Come in.”

It actually took me some time before I could say that, but thankfully, I had returned to
normal by then.

“We have finished inspecting the head. I will need a word with you.”
“Here?”

“No, there is an inspection room upstairs.”

“I understand.”

I got up and fixed the chair before following him out of the room. We climbed the stairs
that were four rooms down and reached the second floor. The room in the center of
this floor was where we were going. When we entered, I was greeted by the head of
the man I killed and Asagi had beheaded. It was not pleasant, and I sighed and folded
my arms.

“So, who is that?”

“This man was a former Adventurer who had been terrorizing the lands around
Replant. His name was Gargan Zeera. A former garnet. “

Hmm… garnet. A ‘C’ rank Adventurer. The same rank as Asagi was now. Well, Asagi
was still stronger.

“He had been imprisoned in the past for repeated acts of violence and robbery. But it
wasn’t until he forced himself on a woman that he was sent to the mines. However…”

“He escaped then?”

“Indeed.”

To call the management of those mines careless, would be an understatement. It was

hardly surprising that people had escaped from there. If you found a way to remove
your shackles, there was little other people could do to distinguish you. After all, this
one was a C ranker. That meant a level of accomplishment.

“And then he began his life as a bandit.”

“Indeed. We have sent our men out after every attack, but he has always managed to
escape. These bandits were living in the forest.”

“The forest?”

That was the blood apes’ territory. It seemed insane to live in there. However, it must
have been true, if they were always able to escape into the forest. But I could not
understand why they were not attacked.

“So, that is who we killed.”

“Aye, I cannot thank you enough. We have suffered many times because of him.”

“You have my sympathy. We buried his men in a corner of the forest. As well as their
victim.”

“I have read the report. A girl returned alone…”

“Not alone. She arrived with me and my partner.”

“That is right. I thank you again, for saving a citizen, and for killing the bandit.”

He bowed, as did the guard who had been inspecting the head. I nodded back. My
business here was finished.

“Of course, there was a price put on Gargan’s head. It had gone up, not only due to his
strength, but due to his repeated crimes. And so the bounty is now ten pieces of gold.”

“Hmm… I will not say no to a full purse.”

Money was money. We needed it to continue our journey, and so I would take it. That
is something I learned in my many years of traveling.

“Then please confirm the amount.”

A purse of gold coins was brought and the guard emptied it on the table for me to
count.

“…Yes, ten gold pieces. Thank you.”

“Thank you for everything that you have done.”

“No, it was only by chance.”

We had merely come upon them while exiting the forest. I was sad that we could not
save Marie Elle’s father, but we were able to save her. I was sure that her father, who
had died defending her, would be happy that she survived.

I put the purse away in my pocket and left the guard house. The wind felt much colder
now on my way back to the inn. Now, things were finished… no, not really. Business-
wise, it was. I was rid of the head. But Asagi’s heart was still bleeding. And I thought
of little else as I walked back. This time I made no detours and remained deep in
thought until I arrived.

I returned to the room and sank back under the covers. Asagi was groaning in his
sleep. Perhaps I was tired of thinking too much, because I quickly fell asleep. And while
I still felt a little tired, I woke up very alert the next morning… Thought absolutely no
one, but me. Asagi told me this later, but he had tried to wake me up, but I had kept
sleeping. So that was why he wasn’t there when I got up. And so I absentmindedly
enjoyed a morning bath… That was when Asagi had burst into the room. The rest
hardly needs to be explained. We scolded an arrogant child, hunted together, talked to
an annoying parent and dined on meat.

“I have to tell Asagi about it…”

About the head, of course. I sigh again and look up at the night sky. Spirits of the wind
flit in the air overhead. ‘Fresh Green Eye’ allows me to see these spirits often. One of
them catches my eyes and it waves happily as it descends.

Suddenly, it looks away from me and in a different direction. I follow its gaze and see
Asagi, a pleasant wind of silver and green swirls around his feet. The wind spirits seem
to appreciate it as well, and they clap and cheer. I felt bad that Asagi could not see
them. I could not imagine not being able to see these adorable spirits.

The one that descended now lands on my shoulder. It points towards Asagi with
excitement, but I put a finger in front of my lips and signal for it to be quiet. The spirit
mimics the gesture and we both laugh.

Now, Silvergreen is coming. I whisper secrets to the spirit and prepare to greet him.
“Kept you waiting, huh?”

“Were you cursed to repeat that every time?

Well, maybe I was.

“I found out where these guys are staying. Thankfully, they actually reported it…”

“Perhaps we should do the same… But let us go.”

Daniela stood up from the bench. I grabbed the handle of the trolley and pulled it while
we walked. It was a little difficult to do so while carrying the hollow bag, and so
Daniela carried it for me. We were headed for the ‘Lizard’s Tail.’ It was both an inn and
an ale house. Kind of like that place we stayed at in the mining town of Alessa. They
were often cheap, but had great value. But we had been looking specifically for a
standalone inn, as we meant to stay here for a while, but we might have found an inn
sooner if we had been less particular… This was the Adventure City, after all. There
were probably a lot of exciting, slightly dangerous places.

Pulling a wheeled cart of ice tended to draw attention on the larger streets, and so we
entered a back alley. I just thought it would be cruel to display them like this to the
world. Well, there were still people in the back alleys, and so drunken Adventurers still
pointed and laughed. But at least Daniela could stop them dead with a glare.

The Lizard’s Tail was mercifully close to the park. The night seemed to just be getting
started there, as boisterous laughter echoed from inside. I wasn’t sure how anyone
would be able to sleep in there, but then again, Gardo and Ness looked drunk enough
to be assured a deep sleep until the morning.

“I’ll go and call someone.”

“I leave it to you.”

I didn’t think she would go even if I asked her, and so I went up and put my hand on
the door… tripped, and fell through. There was a large bang and everyone’s eyes
focused on me. I was startled for a second but refused to allow it to show on my face.
Still, it wasn’t as if I didn’t care at all, and so I shot them a quick glance. They seemed
to be mostly Adventurers.

When I reached the bar counter, the bartender gave me a look that clearly suggested
he was not amused by my entrance. But I had business here, so I took a seat at the
counter.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Mister, this is a bar. Aren’t you going to buy a drink?”

“Oh, I’m not a customer.”

“Eh!?”

He-hey, relax now… I’m not a customer, but I do have business here.

“The thing is, I got two of your customers and-”

“You…”

“And I…”

I was about to say that I wanted him to take them away, but the sounds of chairs
screeching over the floor stopped me. I looked behind me to see the other customers
staring at me.

“Uh, what…”

“Ahh, I was just thinking about how Gardo and Ness are late.”

“Yes, and so…”

“You bastard… what did you do to them?”

“What? I just had dinner with both… of them…”

“You strangled both of them? You…!”

The threatening face on him was intimidating, and he wasn’t listening to what I was
saying. Wait, did he just say strangle?

“Get him! We must avenge them!!”

“Wha!?”

The others stood up, unsheathed their swords and took a step forward. Are you
kidding!? I stood up frantically, but there was nowhere to move. Daniela still had the
hollow bag. My only option to resist was… I felt a chill run down my back, and I threw
myself to the side without thinking. The crash of splintering wood sounded behind me
then, and I looked to see the bartender’s fist had gone through the counter. What kind
of brass knuckles… Even the others seemed to stop with surprise at this. This was my
chance!

I flattened my palms on the floor and allowed my magic to flow into the floor.
Everything from the entrance to the stairs in the back was under my control, and I
froze it in an instant. Just like that time in the mines with the kobolds. Now that I think
of it, I hadn’t given a name to this trick yet. I’ll go with Ice Binder. It’s simple.

I pulled my hands off of the floor and exhaled a pale white breath. Everyone in the bar
had ice crawling up to their boots, and they were fixed to the floor.

“Damn, what is…”

“It-it’s cold…!

“What kind of magic!?”

“Who are you! Where did you come from!?”

I can’t answer so many questions at once! Damn it, this is why hate drunkards. They
were always a pain when I worked the night shift. Ah… just thinking about it was
annoying me.

“Alright, I’ve had enough! I’m the one who brought Gardo and Ness here. And yet you
pull out your swords on me without listening! I’ll tear you up!”

“Oh? They’re alive?”

“But didn’t you say that you abducted them?”

“Ah… I thought that you…”

They were finally starting to understand, and they sighed in relief. And maybe it was
because they were relieved, that one of them pointed an accusing finger at me.

“Hey, you! Then why didn’t you tell us sooner!”

“Huh!? I would have if you didn’t try and attack me! Screw you!”

I shouted, and they fell silent.

It seemed safe enough now, and so I deactivated the magic, and the ice immediately
cracked and disappeared. And the room returned to its original temperature. Damn it.
Talk about a little excitement and danger.

“Anyway, if you can just take the two drunkards off my hands?”

“Ah… yes, of course. Pardon.”

Even the bartender looked apologetic with his slanted eyebrows and lowered face.
This was all starting to feel very comical, but I was so tired and just wanted to get some
sleep.

“Hey, Daniela.”

I called to Daniela, who was supposed to be waiting by the trolley. But there was no
answer.

“Daniela?”

Worried, I went outside to see what had happened. Daniela was sitting on the side of
the trolley and talking with someone. Though, I could not actually see anyone there.

—-
“Daniela.”

“…Hm? Ah, Asagi. Things sounded a little rowdy in there. Is everything well?”

“You could have come and helped me if you were worried.”

“As if it was anything that you could not handle.”

Well, I appreciated her confidence at least.

“I finally got through to them, and they said that they’ll take them off our hands.”

“Ah, splendid.”

Daniela grabbed Ness, and I dragged Gardo into the building. The drunkards inside
saw that they were sleeping and sighed in relief. Damned stupid idiots.

“Here. Take them to their rooms or something.”

“Yes. Thank you for bringing them back. What’s your name?”

“Asagi.”

I said to the bartender.

“Asagi, eh? That name does sound familiar… I’ll tell them that you brought them back,
when they wake up.”

“Yeah, thanks. Well, we’ll be leaving now.”

“Thanks again. Stop by for a drink next time. It’ll be on the house, of course.”

“If the opportunity arises.”

Daniela’s head turned when she heard ‘on the house,’ but I pretended that I didn’t hear
it and left the building. Then I deactivated the magic that coursed through the trolley,
and it too vanished as if being sucked into the ground.

This was quite a night. We returned, exhausted to our own inn and slept until midday
of the following day.
The next day, we had a breakfast that was really a lunch at a street stall and decided
to explore more of Replant. The town was knitted with intersecting streets, and
Daniela had declared that we would surely find interesting stores if we looked around.

And so with grilled skewers in hand, we walked through the streets and wandered
from alley to alley. If we happened to become hungry, we would enter a random place
and then continue walking afterward. If we were thirsty, there were plenty of vendors
in street corners that sold fruit water to quench our thirst with. It was the most
peaceful day.

We spent the entire day exploring… well, half a day. Who was it, that said we needed
to make money? We did no such thing and returned to the inn on our tired feet.

“Hah… I haven’t enjoyed such a carefree day in quite a while.”

“A stark contrast to yesterday.”

“Yeah.”

“And the bandits…”

“…Ah, right…”

The word ‘bandit’ immediately took me back to that day. I had come to terms with it
in my own way, but it could still throb, like an old wound.

“Hey, Daniela.”

“What, Asagi?”

“That head… we obviously don’t have it anymore… Did you?”

We were sitting together on the bed. I looked her in the eyes as I asked. Her expression
didn’t change as she nodded.

“Aye, I did.”

“When?”

“On our first night here. While you were sleeping. I delivered it to the guardhouse.”
“Daniela… is that why you got me wasted?”

“Do not complain. You were clearly enjoying it.”

“It’s not like I can help it, you idiot.”

Wait, that’s not what I wanted to talk about.

“That head was from the leader of a group of bandits who were terrorizing these lands.
A former C Rank Adventurer. His name was Gargan Zeera.”

That name definitely reeked of… something…

“He had repeated acts of violence and thievery during his Adventurer days. And he
was finally sent to work in the mines after attacking a woman.”

“So how was he… Ah, the mines. Yes, it would not be too hard to escape from that place.”

“And that is what happened. He escaped and continued to ravage the area until we
destroyed them. That is what I heard.”

“I see…”

It was hardly senseless killing. This didn’t make me feel particularly great about it all
of a sudden… but I did feel lighter. The men we killed were evil. We were righteous.
Yes. But was that all there was to it? I didn’t know.

“Asagi. This may sound cold, but there is little point in dwelling on it. A life does not
carry the same weight here as it does in your world. Even if every life is equal, the
price is cheap. Bad people must die so the good can live.”

“It’s not that different. It was only peaceful where I lived, but countless people died
daily in other places. This only troubles me because I did it. Here.”

I pointed at the center of my chest.

“Well… I suppose it would. But that is what it is. I can only tell you that it is something
that you must get used to. But it will not feel good.”

“Yeah, it doesn’t. But you’ll help me, right? So I don’t fall apart?”
“Hehe. Are you underestimating me then? I will do more than keep you together.”

“Hey, wha…”

Daniela put one hand on my shoulder and the other around my waist as she pushed
me onto the bed before I could complain. Well, maybe I could count the stains on the
ceiling… no, it was pure white. A beautiful ceiling.

There was no use trying to keep quiet when Daniela held you in her hands. She was
becoming almost frightening recently. I might have to put more points into AGI soon.
“Hey, Daniela.”

“What is it, Asagi?”

Our usual back and forth started on the bed in the morning.

“Yesterday, when I came out of the store to call you. It looked like you were talking
with someone. Was someone else there?”

“Ah, I was speaking with the wind spirits that time. You know, like, ‘it is quite chilly
today.’”

“Huh. I see.”

So that’s why it looked like there was no one there.

Daniela was able to see these wind spirits through her ‘Fresh Green Eye’ skill. And I
suppose being able to see them meant being able to talk with them.

“Actually, no. You must have a high affinity with them first. I am an elf, a resident of the
forest. Well, I was raised in the plains, but my ancestors were from the forest.”

“Hmm… is that right.”

“That is right.”

So she had just inherited that affinity?

“What are these spirits anyway?”

“It is said that they are beings born from the mana from the dragon vein. Attributes
change depending on the mana in the area, and so the dragon vein’s attributes also
change depending on the location. And so the spirits have different attributes as well.”
“So… ice spirits in cold places. Fire spirits in hot places… like that?”

“Yes. I have heard that there are people who specialize in studying spirits, but I have
yet to meet any.”

Well, the world was a big place. Not even Daniela had reached every corner. I would
need a weapon known as knowledge in order to continue with her. Now that I think of
it, there was so much about magic that I didn’t know. After all, it’s something that I
never had before.

“Since we’re here, why don’t you teach me a little about magic today?”

“It is not as if I know everything, but I will tell you what I do know.

And so Master Daniela’s magic class began.

We ate breakfast in the inn’s dining hall and then returned to our room. I sat on the
opposite side of the table to her and pulled out some parchment and a pen.

“So, magic. Explaining magic is very difficult for me. It is a skill, a phenomenon that is
so natural for me. It is like teaching someone to breathe.”

“The ‘don’t think, just feel’ thing, I suppose.”

“Something like that.”

It was easy to imagine it. Games and movies had it all the time. As long as you could
imagine it, you would be able to realize it. Still, I didn’t understand how it worked.

“There are three things to keep in mind with magic. The first is the presence of magic
power in you. You cannot use magic without it. But I have never seen someone who
had none at all.”

Well, for a moment I had thought that I was one. I wasn’t from here after all. And I
seriously thought that that was just how it was.

“The other thing is attributes. There are seven general attributes, fire, water, ice, earth,
thunder, wind and dimension. And then there is also void. It is with one of these eight
attributes that magic can be used.”

“Can anyone have this void attribute?”

The others all had to do with what you could imagine. The heat when I was stabbed in
the stomach. The coldness of losing sensation in my limbs. The flow of blood that
rejected my wish to continue living. All of that existed in me as the fire, ice and water
attributes.

And what if I had not had that experience? Maybe then I would have only had the void
attribute.

“You could say that the void attribute is in everyone, or in no one. No matter who you
are, you will have an internal image of things. And if that image leans towards an
attribute, then the void attribute will become a zero. However, there are rare people
who are especially suited to the void attribute alone.”

“Like that Adventurer in front of the gate.”

“Indeed. That was impressive void magic. Usually, you would not be able to remove
such stains completely. Removing mud is usually about all you can do.”

Who was she anyway? The only thing I knew for sure, was that she was fan number one.

And that she used void magic.

“The Hero, Yasushi Matsumoto was good with light magic. This is an attribute that was
said to have existed in ancient times. There was even shadow magic back then.

“Was? So it doesn’t exist anymore?”

“That is the case. These were attributes that occurred in a Hero long ago. Some of the
Hero’s descendants were able to use it, but that line has long been extinguished.”

“Matsumoto sure was lucky, being a Hero and all.”

“Does he have the light attribute because he is a Hero, or is he a Hero because he has
the light attribute… Well, those who wish to know should find out for themselves.”

Yeah. His protagonist compensations had nothing to do with me.

“Well, that is what I know about attributes. The last thing to keep in mind is the ability
to imagine. If you can correctly imagine the phenomenon that the rules of magic will
achieve, then you will be able to use it perfectly. But if you cannot do that…”

“You chant.”

“Correct. It is the first thing that they teach you in magic school. I have never enrolled
myself, but I heard this from one who did. If you wish to unleash a fireball, you must
say these words, ‘Gather around my palm, O laws of fire. Gather and fly, fireball.’”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything more embarrassing.”

“I agree completely. You would look like such a novice. This is why everyone tries their
hardest to be able to cast spells by imagining them. But casting without any form of
chanting is difficult. Most will have to at least say the name of the spell while casting.”

In other words, you had to say ‘fireball’ to launch one. Complete silence was nice but
saying the name was kind of cool too. At least, the kid in me still thinks so…

—-

“I do have one question.”

“What?”

“Do my spells, Ice Sword, Ice Arrow, Upside-down Icicle and Ice Bind have official
names?”

“Indeed, they do. But, Asagi, you clearly have no talent for naming things.”

“Seriously?”

What’s wrong with keeping it simple!

“Frost Sword, Icicle Inverse and Frostheim.”

“What’s the difference between ice and frost?”

“Mastering levels. Frost is harder to learn. And there is a ‘Winter’ level above frost.
That is the most advanced level.”
“And uh, icicle?”

“Yes, that complicates things. Aside from general names, there are original names that
someone, somewhere have coined. There used to be many of these until the schools
of magic were established and the names unified.”

“I see… So basically, none of that even matters.”

“You could say that. It is much more important to imagine it correctly.”

“And none of my spells were original. I’m quite sad about that.”

Sad, but at least I learned that my naming scheme was perfectly fine. I was relieved. I
guess? But perhaps I would use official names if I ever had to say them out loud. That
would make things easier for everyone!

“Ah, we have gone off course. This is all because of your naming sensibilities, Asagi.”

“I guess, but so what? And do you have to diss me like that?”

“I think you understand the principles. Now, let’s move on to the use of magic.”

“Hey.”

Daniela forced a cough and stuck up two fingers.

“There are two types of magic.”

“Huh?”

“Or it might be more accurate to say that there are two ways of using magic. Magic
occurs when power flows into mana and the image in your brain creates a
phenomenon. The amount of magic also comes into play, but we will talk about that
later. Magic can be activated by using your own power and mana alone, or you can use
a medium of some kind.”

“A medium?”

“Yes. Like using a nearby flame for fire magic.”

So you can create a fireball from nothing, or use the fire from a torch or bonfire.

“So, what is my ice magic being made from?”

“Either the moisture in the air or you are creating it out of mana. I believe you are
using them separately without really thinking about it.”

“Hmm… I wonder which I was doing for the ice magic in the bar yesterday?”

“You used magic in the bar?”

Daniela hadn’t seen it, because she was too busy talking to invisible people outside.
And so I told her.

“Hmm… it must have been mana then.”

“How do you know?”

“Did you not say that the ice cracked and disappeared? That was because the mana
was returned to the air. If you had used moisture, it would have remained ice, even
after the mana left it.”

“Oh, right.”

So, ice magic was magic that ‘robbed heat’ as a method for freezing. Taking away heat
made it sound like the fire attribute, but I suppose it was just a matter of how you
framed it in your mind.

You used mana and magic power to rob something of heat. And once you did this, only
frozen moisture remained.

If you just converted mana into ice, then the ice would crumble and return to normal
mana once the flow of magic stopped… I wrote all of this down and nodded.

“Magic is hard.”

“No, it is easy. You can do most things if you can just imagine it.”

“You’re exaggerating.”
“Well, the amount of magic also limits you. You may be able to imagine that the world
has become encrusted in ice, but that will never happen if you do not have the magic
to do it.”

“How extreme.”

“But easy to grasp, no?”

“I guess.”

This world allowed you to do a lot more than I had thought. If you could imagine it,
anyway. As we came from worlds with fantasy works, films and games, Matsumoto
and I have a headstart in a way. Many of the residents of this world saw the different
phenomenon as mysteries. They did not know what the speed of light was, for
instance.

Daniela had a weapon known as knowledge, which she acquired through many years
of living. I could only see it as a gift, that she was able to reach something close to
modern people in just three hundred years…

“Phew… I am tired. I think it is time to go eat.”

“We just ate a moment ago…”

But Master Daniela declared that it was time for a food break, and so we went out into
the city streets. Then we found a nice park to walk in as we snacked on some of
Veiken’s meat skewers. This was the park that Daniela waited in last night. And so we
ate here and the lesson continued.
“Well, now you have the basics. There is really only a little more that I can teach you.”

Said Master Daniela, two meat skewers in her hands.

“I will tell you a little more about attributes then. As it is an attribute, there is something
you need to follow.”

“Ah, I know about that. Opposite attributes, right?”

“You are correct, but it is wrong.”

“Eh?”

She was waving the skewers like a pointer, and so I snatched a piece of meat off from
one of them and ate it.

“…”

“So?”

“Not opposing, but anti-attribute.”

Daniela said bluntly and with a hateful expression. But I was really only getting some
revenge for her insults about my naming sensibilities.

“Not opposing?”

“The weakness of fire is water and ice. The weakness of water is lightning and ice. The
weakness of ice is fire and water. The weakness of lightning is earth. The weakness of
earth is wind. The weakness of wind is earth. But the dimension attribute can only be
dealt with by the dimension attribute.”
“Doesn’t seem very even. And ice’s weakness is water?”

“If the water’s temperature can be maintained, the ice will melt.”

Uh, well, I suppose so. But my gaming brain doesn’t really… But I could see ice being a
weakness to water. I thought of it in terms of my own attributes…

“Earth, wind and lightning have fewer weaknesses, huh?”

“Yes. There is no balance there, and so they are not opposing. However, there are some
who believe that the triangle of fire, ice and water, and the inverted triangle of earth,
wind, and lightning create a hexagram that means balance. And the space of the
hexagon that surrounds the triangle and inverted triangle is…”

“The dimension attribute.”

Yes, Daniela nodded. She used her finished skewer to draw the hexagram on the
ground, and then surrounded it in a circle.

“And the space that is outside of the circled hexagram. This is the void attribute. Some
call this the hexagram theory.”

“This is getting annoying…”

My head was starting to feel quite full…

“Well, none of this is important to remember. Magic is the strongest when you can
visualize it well, and charge it with power.”

“But Daniela, ice can’t beat fire.”

“You can, if the amount of power put into it is greater. However, it will usually take up
to three times as much.”

“So, it’s basically suicide!”

In other words, magic was a skill that required thought, and there would be
consequences to using brute force. I would have to dodge, run or use physical strength.

“But on that note, it is possible to have magic of equal amounts clash and cancel each
other out. If one is higher, it will override it and gain control. The volume of magic is
the deciding factor.”

“So, it’s just brute force after all.”

“No, this is actually a difficult skill. In the event that you cannot control the overridden
magic, the mana within both sides will clash, causing it to run wild, due to the
repulsion, and the mana in the area will vanish. This means that the mana inside of
your body will also be taken away.”

“What the hell.”

So the mana on both sides repel each other and are both annihilated… and this affects
your body as well. Magic was difficult.

“And so there will be no problem if you can crush your opponent with overwhelming
magic power, and grab it and control it.”

“I hope you know just how much damage you are doing to my opinion of magic?”

Leaving her meathead advice aside, I start to consider it by myself.

Magic is realized with power, attributes, and imagination. Magic can be created
through mana or through the use of a medium. You can deal with an opponent’s magic
through an anti-attribute.

That was all I needed to know, I think.

“…Ah, that’s right.”

“What is it?”

“Hitting magic that was created from mana with anti-attribute magic, can cancel it if
done correctly, right?”

“Yes. If the amount of power is equal. If it is higher, than it will override it and the mana
will combine with yours, enhancing your magic.”

So that’s how overriding works… wait.

“Well, magic made from a medium contains material that isn’t mana, right? So what
happens then?”

“You mean like ice made from the moisture in the air or controlling the earth?”

“Yeah. Doesn’t it return to its normal form when the flow of magic is stopped?”

“It does. However, when you are using it for magic, the medium may turn ‘magical.’”

“Magical?”

“It will turn into a state that is very close to mana. In this state, it is possible to cancel
each other out. But not override.”

“Because the material will remain after taking the mana?”

“Correct.”

—-

Alright. So if I was fighting while using water magic with a medium, and my opponent
used lightning magic in an attempt to override it. When the attempt is successful, and
the water molecules are integrated by the lightning magic, it will no longer be actual
lightning magic.

“The water attribute mana from the medium will be taken, and the mana integrated
into the lightning magic. The result; their magic will be enhanced. The water that was
from the medium will be thrown to the side, and then Asagi dies.”

“Why are you killing me! Damn it… well, I think I get how it works for the most part.
The only thing I still don’t get is the spirits.”

I leaned back into the bench and pretended like I could see the spirits dancing in the
sky with the wind.

“So, what is the relationship between the spirits and magic?”

“Ah, spirits are capable of boosting your magic.”

“Are you serious!”

“They can boost it, but if your magic is depleted, then you will enter a state of
hibernation, and be returned to the dragon vein. So it is not something to abuse.”

These spirits were impressive… So, was Daniela’s wind magic enhanced by the spirits?

“I only recently discovered this, but my wind magic proficiency is a 10. I believe that
is the maximum level, but the spirits can help you reach one level higher.”

“Damn…”

That’s basically a cheat…

“Well, it will cost you its value in magic, and furthermore, it is not something that I can
visualize. The strongest wind magic. Do you know what it is?”

“Hmm… wind, eh? Something scary that involves wind would be a tornado. And
nothing trumps a natural disaster.”

“I could create a tornado if I felt like it.”

“Damn…”

That is a cheat…

“See? You cannot think of something that exceeds a tornado, can you?”

“I guess… Seems like a waste of a gift, if only your imagination is stopping you…”

Having a flexible imagination was important in using magic. Legs of the Forest Wolf
wasn’t just a means to travel fast, you could create a whirlwind by jumping. Who
knows what I would be able to do if I harnessed my ability to visualize.

“Phew… That is about all, I think. I believe I told you everything I know.”

“Thanks. With the basics down, this jack of all trades and master of none will make a
great magician of himself!”

“Do not hurt yourself. There are countless stories of magic going out of control, and
whole towns disappearing.”
“…”

That afternoon, I decided in my heart that magic should be used while following the
instructions.

After that, I practiced visualizing with Daniela. Most of the time was spent with me
saying, ‘wait, is this the strongest?’ concerning uses for magic, and Daniela shooting
me down, but it was very stimulating.

My current methods for fighting were the magic recorded on my status and swords.
In combination with my AGI, the question was just how far I could take my own power.
With repeated combat, repeated reflection, and lots of training, I wanted to take my
unique skill one rank above. Master of none, master of none. It didn’t seem too
impressive, but it was just a matter of how I used it. I wanted to believe that I could
manage it in a good way.

And so the next morning, we returned to the guild. Daniela looked tired, but I was
pumped. I was anxious to try the new techniques I had fantasized about before going
to bed.

The front of the guild was filled with hot-blooded Adventurers. But none of them
bothered us. This was a civilized place.

“Ho, if it isn’t Asagi.”

“Hm? Ah, Gardo. Morning.”

“Morning…”

As tired as she was, Daniela was at least able to greet people, which was a relief. Gardo
raised a hand and casually walked up towards us. Hmm, Ness wasn’t with him.

“Ah, he’s still sleeping…”

“He is? That’s too bad…”

“I wish I could sleep as well…”

You’ve slept enough. As I glared at her, she turned away, stifling a yawn. She had some
nerve…

“No domestic quarrels in front of me, now. Look, the guild is about to open.”

“You hear that, Daniela? Let’s go.”

“I want to return to the inn… My bed is calling to me.”

“The quests are calling to you. Let’s go.”

Daniela continued to mumble as I pulled her towards the door with Gardo. We lined
up with the others and charged into the door that opened with the rising of the sun.
We were headed for the quest board. I wanted a hunting quest. We pushed and shoved
our way forward.

It was just another morning in Replant.

It was insane. So this was the real early morning struggle for quests…

We pushed our way through the Adventurers, who had all but turned into beasts, as
we targeted the hunting quests, trying to grab the notices as if grasping at straws. I
was able to snatch a few of them. I would have wondered where all of the civilized
behavior had gone, but there was no time. In fact, I learned from them as I lunged for
the sheets. For once, I was very jealous of Gardo’s huge frame.

Later, I would hear that this was quite the famous sight in Replant. The blitz struggle.
A time for Adventurers to turn into monsters. I’m not sure I liked it.

“Hah… damn it, that was tiring…”

“Ughh…”

Daniela had willingly dropped out of the race and was waiting on a chair by the wall. I
sat down next to her and inspected the three sheets as I rested.

“Let’s see what we have here…? Goblin Hunting… nope. Blood Ape Hunting… double
nope. Investigation of the Southern Valley… this one isn’t even hunting. Damn it…”

They were all bad. This was worse than those gacha machines.

“Hahhh…”

“Hmm… Asagi, what is it…?”

Daniela opened her eyes and looked at me with a sleepy expression.

“Uh, it’s just that the quests I tried so hard to get were awful… I don’t even know what
to do.”

“Hmm… hhhhaahhh… hmm… Alright, let me see.”

She yawned, finally allowing herself to stay awake. Then she inspected the quests I
had brought.

“I see. You wanted a hunting quest, so these are no good.”

“Right? We can’t go hunting goblins at this point, and I’m sick of those blood apes. And
investigating a valley? What for?”

“It says, ‘increasing sightings of mysterious shadows.’”

“Mysterious shadows, sure.”

It would be fine if it were monsters. But it could also be bandits.

“What do you think we should do?”

“Well, doing nothing is not an option. And this investigation quest comes with a hefty
reward. I think we have little choice, we must accept this one.”

“Hhhhh… well, if you insist.”

I guess I won’t be able to test my new tricks using ice and speed any time soon… I
wanted to test them before I forget. But I wasn’t likely to get a chance, if we were just
investigating some valley. Unless there was trouble, anyway.

I got up from the chair and stuck the blood ape and goblin quests back on the board.
It was just like all the other notices that were still stuck to it. Wrinkled and messily
returned. All these unwanted quests…

“Yes, so you want to accept this quest?”

“Yes.”

I slid the sheet and our status cards onto the counter. We had done this so many times
that it felt like second nature. I guess I had really gotten used to this life now.

“‘Investigation of the Southern Valley.’ Thank you. Recently, there have been multiple
sighting of something strange moving in the valley. We want you to confirm whether
it is a monster or bandits.”

“Not hunting?”

“Yes, just the investigation. But you can never be certain that you will not be attacked,
so you must go fully prepared.”

“I understand.”

“Good. You have now accepted the quest. May you have luck and protection on your
adventures.”

I put away my status card and handed Daniela hers. Now, it was off to investigate. I
was bummed that it wasn’t a hunting quest, but perhaps this was one of the charms of
being an Adventurer. Encounters with the unknown. Will it be a demon, or a snake…

I separated with Daniela and went out to buy the supplies necessary for our
investigation. I was to meet her at the southern gate when I was finished, but until
then, it was a rare solo excursion.

First, I go to the clothes store. I needed to restock on scraps of cloth after we used
them all during the bandit attack. Cloth could be used for anything. You could sit on it
or use it to wipe away dirt. It could be used to bind wounds if you are hurt. You could
never have too much clean cloth. I had gone around to a number of shops, buying these
in Spiris, but we were almost out of them now. So it was a good time to buy them so
we’d be prepared during an emergency. And so I entered a random clothing store.

“Hello?”

I called the clerk in the back. A friendly looking elderly woman appeared.

“Hello. Oh, what is it, young man? Those are fine clothes you are wearing. I hope that
I can find something that suits you.”

“Ahaha. Well, the Paw Clothes and Accessories shop make some great stuff.”

“Oh, this is from that store? I’ve heard rumor of this place in Lambrusen. Let me see!”
The old woman crouched and looked carefully at my clothes. Well… I was trying to buy
strips of cloth here. But then again, I had to advertise for Nick, just a little.

“Hmm, yes… Ahh, dragons. That’s quite impressive, young man.”

“I got it on sale.”

“Well, if that’s your story! Sorry, for coming at you so suddenly. Alright, so what were
you looking for?”

“I want extra strips or scraps of cloth. As much as you can give me.”

“Ah, well, I have plenty of that, don’t you worry! Think of it as an apology!”

She winked. A very charming old lady. And very nice.

She came back with a whole armful of cloth. But it fit right into the hollow bag without
any trouble. My lovely vintage bag.

—-

“That’s a nice bag you have there. And what a cute decoration.”

“Yes, they are from a man and young girl who helped me a lot.”

“Hehe. You must be a very kind Adventurer, then.”

Well, this was embarrassing. I wasn’t used to being complimented. But I didn’t hate it
either.

“Here’s the money.”

“Thank you! Have a good day!”

“Thank you, and you too.”

I bowed before leaving as the old woman waved. It was a random store I found, but
things had gone well. Somehow, the streets seemed more beautiful as I walked now,
remembering the compliment. This must be because of all my good deeds. I will
continue to do what I can.
Next was food supplies. I could cook simple dishes, but it would be good to keep things
simple for this little investigation, and so I went to the street stall district. I wasn’t
being lazy! I swear.

“Now… what should I choose…”

“Hm? If it isn’t Asagi.”

As I scanned the stalls, a voice called from behind me. I turned around to see the
arrogant child. The Adventurer, Penrose was standing there with meat skewers in both
hands. Hm, deja vu.

“Ah, Penrose. That looks good. Give it here.”

“Get your thieving hands away from me!”

How stingy. But I suppose Adventurers should not take meat from children. It was
positively criminal.

“Breakfast?”

“Yes. I accepted a herb gathering quest. I am setting out as soon as I finish this.”

“Solo?”

“No. I formed a party as well!”

Oh… Who would want to party with… Well, yes, he did have a change of heart. It was
not surprising that some might have seen the promise in him. And really, I was happy
for him.

“We scattered for now, while we eat.”

“I see. What kind of people are they?”

“Close to my age. I did want to fight with adults before, but then I realized something
when I was with you and Miss Daniela. It is too early. I slowed you down, and was very
nervous… And so I wanted to team up with people my own age.”

Hmm… so that’s what he was thinking. But, he was actually quite good. Still, a children’s
party, huh? Young boys and girls who dreamed of becoming Adventurers… That
sounded fun.

“That’s great. But don’t go anywhere dangerous, alright?”

“I know!”

“Oh, and here’s some advice from a veteran. They like it when you pick the herbs
carefully by digging up the roots. It’s pointless if you just tear them out of the ground.”

“Alright!”

Ah, he was such a good kid now… your father’s proud of you. I thought amusedly to
myself, when a group of boys and a girl in leather armor gathered around. There were
five of them including Penrose. So this was Replants boy scouts. Well, there was a girl
too, but she looked a little tomboyish…

“Hey, Pen. You still eating? Let’s go already!”

Oh, this girl was quite spirited…

“Hm? What’s your problem old man? Is there something on my face?”

“What did you call me?”

“He-he-hey-hey! Kikka, that’s Asagi’s forbidden word…!”

“What? Hey, wait… Asagi? The Asagi?”

I heard that unpardonable word, but I suppose I’ll ignore because of Penrose’s
intercession… I sigh and move on.

“I don’t know what other Asagi’s are around, but I’m Asagi, yes. Nice to meet you.”

I offer my right hand and she grips it tightly. Surprisingly strong. And covered in
blisters. She must practice with the sword a lot.

“Silvergreen! Wow! Nice to meet you!”

“The real one? Really?”

“Woah, but he looks so average.”

“Asagi is amazing. He can fly.”

“Okay, you’re exaggerating now.”

The children crowded around me excitedly. Their unreserved opinions flew in the air,
and I looked up awkwardly at the sky. Ah, the weather was nice…

“Phew…”

“Ahaha, excuse us. We surprised you.”

“No, it’s fine. I wasn’t expecting to be recognized so much.”

I brushed it off as the children bowed apologetically. I could only chuckle uncomfortably
at the thought of all the bad rumors they must have heard.

“Ah, we need to complete the quest!”

“Oh, right. I forgot!”

The kids remembered that they were supposed to be going on a quest after eating, and
they frantically picked up their belongings. I was supposed to be preparing for ours as
well. Oof… I stand up heavily. Maybe I was an old man.

“I’ve got a quest to be going to as well. You guys be careful now.”

“We will!”

I nodded at their reply, and walked away with my veteran aura. So those little runts
were working hard. I couldn’t laze around then. Alright, I needed to hurry up and buy
some food, then head for the south gate!
The south gate where I was to meet up with Daniela was crowded with other
Adventurers. For a second, I wondered if they were going to investigate the area too,
but from what I could hear, they were just on a hunting quest. I could hear ‘orcs’ being
said several times.

But more importantly, where’s Daniela? Where’d the lovely girlfriend go…

“Asagi.”

“Woah!?”

I jumped at the sudden voice from behind me and turned around to see the familiar
face.

“Don’t scare me like that… Do you want to kill me?”

“You walked right past me, so I stopped you.”

Oh. I hadn’t even seen her. Maybe I was too focused on trying to hear what the others
were saying. In any case, we were reunited again, and so we started to walk towards
the gate. Even now, I could hear them going on about orcs.

“They say that orcs have appeared on the other side of the valley.”

Daniela began.

“Five days ago. A village was ravaged by them. An Adventurer who was visiting home
discovered the site and quickly came back and asked the guild for help.”

“So they’re going out to deal with the orcs?”

“It seems like it.”

I see… So that’s why there were so many of them. The number of orcs must be pretty
bad. I fought against the orcs a while ago, but the thought of going against a horde of
them made me shiver.

“Did you hear anything interesting about the valley itself?”

“A few things about these mysterious shadows. First of all, sightings only started to
increase one week ago. The valley is usually shrouded in mist, but the mist had thinned
that day, and a merchant who was crossing the bridge saw several wriggling figures.”

“A misty valley, huh? Isn’t it likely to be mist goblins?”

“Apparently, not. Because mist goblins do not show themselves when the mist is thin.
And the merchant claimed that these figures were ‘large.’”

Large… The mist goblins were quite small.

“And they never investigated it until now?”

“The orc attack was reported just two days later. The guild had to assemble a party to
hunt down the orcs, and the investigation was delayed. But there have been other
sightings in the meantime.”

“I see, and those guys are what they assembled.”

“Yes. As an Adventurer’s City, Replant has a sizable fighting force. And so their
connections with the empire’s military is kept at a minimum. So the army will not be
involved here. At most, there may be someone for sending messages.”

I looked around us as I listened to Daniela, and saw that there really were only
Adventurers here. No one was dressed in a military uniform. Not that I even knew
what the empire’s uniforms looked like…

We were now just in front of the large gate. We told the gatekeeper that we were going
to investigate the valley, and showed him our status cards. We didn’t have resident
cards, because we weren’t Replant citizens. When that was finished, we were allowed
through. We thanked him and went on our way.

Flatlands spread out beyond the south gate. There were a few trees here and there,
but it was mostly a clear, unobstructed view. There was a rocky area that could be seen
near the horizon. The village that had been attacked by orcs would be somewhere over
there.

“It is a five days journey to that village. And three days to the valley.”

“That’s far…”

“Well, we will take it easy. We are not going to be slaying any orcs.”

True. I turned around and saw the noisy clanging of the Adventurers party behind us.
I highly doubted they would even make it in five days. And I didn’t like the idea of a
large group of them tailing us. And so Daniela and I decided to gain some distance
from them, by walking faster than we normally would.

And so we were able to arrive a whole day early. Two days after leaving Replant.

“So this is the valley.”

“It really is shrouded in mist…”

We stood above and looked down into the valley. The mist was so thick that you could
not see the valley floor.

“Well, Daniela. Let’s move as planned.”

“Understood.”

Daniela prepared to use her magic. A jade colored magic. Wind attribute. She also used
the power of the wind spirits to enhance it further.

This was what we decided to do upon reaching the valley. First, Daniel would use her
wind magic to blow away the mist. Now that I knew that Daniela could cause a
tornado, I would fully rely on that. Daniela had been out buying potions while I was
getting the other supplies, and there were also potions that replenished your magic if
you ran out. I didn’t think we would be using them so early on, but then again, we came
up with this idea because of the potions.

We assumed that whatever it was that was wriggling on the valley floor, did not have
the ability to fly. And so we thought of a bold plan to ‘blast the mist away and use Legs
of the Forest Wolf to move to the center and expose it.’

“Alright, here we go. Support me.”

“Leave it to me!”

“Hey!? Where are you touching, you idiot!”

I was so pumped up that I had made an error. I quickly fixed it, and Daniela coughed
before stretching both arms out towards the valley and unleashing all of the stored up
magic.

“Galestorm!”

As it was a great spell, she shouted the name as she activated it. The strongest wind
magic were these ‘gale’ types, and it was actually difficult to cast them with just saying
the name. But that’s Master Daniela for you.

The jade tornado that she created moved along the rim of the valley, it’s point directed
down toward the mist. Daniela’s outstretched arms moved to the side, and the tornado
began to move in that same direction. I watched as the mist was pulled in by the strong
winds, and the valley slowly became clearer. I wanted to move forward to get a closer
look, but I had to stay here and support Daniela.

After only a few minutes, the galestorm had completely cleared the valley floor of all
mist. Daniela was drained of magic, and she collapsed on the ground, her face eerily
pale. And so I quickly opened a magic recovery potion and brought it to her lips.
Daniela drank it slowly and sighed. But she had no strength to stand, and so she lay,
her head on my lap, and rested.

“Ahh… I would recover much faster if this was the lap of an adorable girl…”

“Sorry, only ugly boys here.”

She was at least well enough to crack a joke. I brushed away her sweat covered hair
from her face and she smiled. Her silvery hair was thin and soft. It was straight and
felt like a luxurious cloth. Daniela’s hair was on the short side for a woman, but it
wasn’t because of the trouble of taking care of it. It was short for ease of movement.
She actually cared about it a lot.
“Now that I think of it, your hair is quite different.”

“It is?”

It was in this world, anyway. As a modern man… it wasn’t too unusual. I suppose you
would call ‘asymmetrical.’ Women in this world generally kept it short or long and tied
it up.

“I looked in the mirror after cutting my own hair once, and I like the results enough to
keep it.”

“Is that right.”

Oh, so she was just incapable of cutting straight… Maybe she cut one side too short
and kept trying to fix it by cutting the other side. I could imagine her frantically
fighting with the scissors already. Thinking about her look of shock when she looked
in the mirror was enough to make me start laughing.

“What is so funny?”

“Hehe, uh, it’s nothing.”

“Hmph… you are mocking me!”

I stroke her hair as she scowls at me. Then she immediately closes her eyes quietly
and relaxes. Too easy.

We rested like this for a few minutes until the potion’s effect had fully kicked in, and
Daniela felt better. I felt a slight feeling of remorse when her weight left my lap, but
then I picked her up and activated Legs of the Forest Wolf, jumped, and hovered over
the edge.

“Hmm, I did a fairly good job.”

“I doubt anyone’s ever had such a clear view of this place.”

The mist was completely gone now, thanks to Daniela’s magic. It was impressive. But
from what we could see here, there was nothing unusual lurking below.

“Well, let’s go down a little.”

“Do not descend to the floor. We should investigate while looking down from above.”

“I know, I know.”

Slowly, I allow myself to fall towards the center. The valley seemed much bigger when
we were this close. And it was deep. We were already below ground level. When I
looked up, I could see the sky getting narrower as the valley walls pushed in. Still, it
was clear and blue.
Now, what could be happening at the base of this valley? We were here to find out…

“There doesn’t seem to be anything here.”

“No figures as far as I can see.”

We were getting further from the hang bridge, but nothing really caught our eyes.

This valley cut diagonally through the land between Replant and the craggy rocks.
Even the hang bridge where we arrived at was set up diagonally. Looking forward at
the southern rocky area, it started from the back on the left and came up front to the
right. Or you could say it slashed through the earth from the southeast to the
northwest.

And we were here to investigate the base due to sightings of eerie shadows, but there
was not even a hint of it that we could find. What did this mean? Where did these
shadows go?

“Why don’t we just go down there and look?”

“It will be dangerous… but it seems we have no choice… Asagi, go slowly.”

“Understood.”

I adjusted Legs of the Forest Wolf and started to descend. As the floor of the valley
came closer, we could see it much clearer.

“Ah.”

“Hm? What?”
Daniela raised her voice and pointed, and so I stopped in the air. I stare hard at where
she is pointing… But, I can’t see anything.

“You cannot see? Look, there is a footprint.”

“Really?”

I tried hard to see it, but could not make anything out. And it was kind of dark as well.

“I don’t know.”

“Well, we could get closer…”

Daniela sighed, and I felt a little bad as we moved closer. I continued to squint and also
scan the area with Presence Detection. When we were three meters away, I finally saw
it.

“See, can you see it?”

“…”

There was a single footprint that was mostly covered in the shadow of a rock. How the
hell was I supposed to see that!

“Sort of.”

“Truly? Well, in time.”

“How many years, I wonder…”

“Hey, we will not talk about that here.”

Daniela scowled and poked me in the throat. It was oddly irritating and I didn’t
appreciate it.

We landed next to the footprint. It was much easier to see from this angle and distance.
Daniela knelt down and began to inspect it.

“Hm… Asagi, look at this.”

“What?”

“This is not the print of a boot. A barefoot.”

“I can see that.”

As far as I could see, it was pressed hard into the ground before twisting to the left.
The toes may have slipped in the ground, obscuring the shape, but it was clearly not
the shape of a shoe. And there was something that looked like a big toe. This appeared
to be a right foot.

“And look at this.”

“Hm?… Is this, a hand?”

There was what looked like a handprint slightly apart from the footprint. This…

“So, someone slipped here. The mist is very thick, after all. Perhaps they bumped into
this boulder.”

“And that’s why their foot dug into the ground as they tried to catch themselves with
their hand?”

“That is likely…”

Daniela said as she continued to look around. But it seemed that she didn’t find what
she was looking for, and so she stood up and brushed the dust off of her knees.

“Barefooted and walks on two feet. A humanoid. It seems that this must be the figure
that the merchant saw from the bridge.”

“Yeah. But who would be down in a place like this… Were they headed over there?”

The footprint and handprint were pointing towards the northeast. In other words,
there must be something in that direction.

“Let us go then. Prepare your sword, just in case.”

“Understood. I don’t know if there’s enough space for my greatsword though…”

I put Schwarz Tempest back into the hollow bag and unsheathed the Glampanzer, that
hung on my belt. It had a comfortable weight that I was accustomed to. I’m sure my
raised stats helped also. Now, if only my skill with it had gone up too.

Daniela unsheathed her rapier and we nodded at each other before moving forward.

“If only I had Nighteyes…”

I smirked as Daniela grumbled. She was not able to acquire this skill because of Fresh
Green Eye, which was a different skill that affected eyesight. And so I stood in the lead
as we explored.

I feel like we’ve moved quite a bit since discovering the footprint. Partway, the valley
split into two sides. One side led to the southeast, and the other turned to the right
and continued south. Looking up, you could see that the path to the south was
eventually covered by earth. Maybe it was a path made by wind and rain over time…

I talked about it with Daniela, and we decided to continue, and then turn back after a
while if no more footprints were discovered. First, we would go down the southeast
path. After half an hour of walking, we had still not found any footprints or traces of
something being dropped. I felt like there may be something if we continued just a
little further, but Daniela insisted we turn back and try the route to the south.

The south path was very dark, and the ceiling came down lower until it was as low as
three meters. Until the ceiling had come down so low, it had been difficult to walk due
to all the fallen trees and boulders, but the path became shockingly smooth after that.
Just as I was starting to wonder about this, Daniela called to me with an alert
expression.

“This path, does it not seem familiar?”

“Huh?”

“Remember, the mines that we entered together. The depths.”

“…Ah!”

The mines we descended into in Spiris. Deep down, there was a maze-like dungeon
created by monsters called hole moles.

I looked at the walls again. And think back to those mines. And yes, these walls looked
familiar, like they too had been carved by something. I had not noticed it until it was
pointed out, but now it seemed obvious. This was a cave carved and dug by hole moles.

“So, they’re the ones who dug this…? Wait, Daniela, but that footprint and handprint
looked human.”

—-

“Aye, this cave was likely dug by hole moles. But that may not be who is using this cave.
Just like it was the last time.”

“…You mean there’s some other abnormally evolved creature down here?”

“I am not sure yet…”

A chill ran down my spine. An advanced monster. There was another one down in this
hole?

“We can only hope that it is not the case.”

“Seriously.”

But we had to continue on in order to find proof. I squinted and looked ahead. Daniela
spread the effect of Presence Detection. We relied on each other’s strength as we kept
moving.

The height of the tunnel remained the same, but it began to twist and wind just like in
the mines. However, it was one single path. We would have to be careful of an ambush
from both sides. It was difficult to fight when there was nowhere to run. But I left that
to Daniela, as I used Nighteyes to search for objects or traces of movement.

Perhaps it was the tenseness or the darkness, but my perception of time was starting
to get hazy. And so I don’t know how long it took when we finally found a hole in the
side of the wall. Unlike the rest of the tunnel, it was around two meters high. When we
looked inside, we could see that it slowly continued upwards.

“Do you think something went up there?”

“Yes, very likely.”

“It seems pretty big for a humanoid. Maybe an orc.”

I mutter.

“Wait, what did you say?”

“Huh? Maybe an orc?”

“…I see… no, wait… hmmm… :”

It seemed that something was bothering her, and she stopped to think. I wanted to ask
her what was going through her mind, but was afraid to disperse any ideas as they
came together. And so I used Presence Detection in her place and checked to see if
anything was close by.

After around five minutes of thinking, Daniela raised her face. There was a ferocious
look of triumph in her smile.

“Realize anything, Master Daniela?”

“Aye, young Asagi. Everything.”

“That’s my master.”

Daniela took my bag and pulled out the four barrier tools from it. She placed them
behind us, in front of us and then put one in the side tunnel. Then she took the last one
and placed it even deeper into the tunnel. Then she pulled out some of the cloth I had
bought the other day and laid it on the floor.

“…Well, now that we’re relaxing, I would like to hear your thoughts.”

“In a moment. Let us drink some water. It will be even more relaxing if we drink while
talking.”

I wanted to ask if we should really be letting our guard down like this, but I suppose
she wouldn’t be doing this without a good reason. She had even taken the lantern out
now and was telling me to light it. I did so with a magic igniting tool and she asked,
‘What? You aren’t going to use your magic?’ But I kind of hated using fire magic.
After that, I took out our cup and used magic to pull the moisture out of the air to
collect inside of them. The concentration required for this was pretty much the
opposite of relaxing…

“Alright, we’re all set up now. Let’s hear it.”

“Aye, very well then. First, about this cave.”

I tipped the cup into my mouth and took a sip; waiting for her to continue.

“This cave is connected to an orc nest.”

“Wh-what?!”

“…But is it really so surprising?”

“No, I just thought you’d enjoy a big reaction.”

“I do not require such consideration.”

“Sorry…”

Daniela took a sip, moistened her lips and continued.

“The handprint and footprint were from an orc. It goes down to the south because that
is where its purpose lies.”

“And what is in the south?”

“Do you remember what we talked about at the south gate in Replant?”

I put my cup on the ground and folded my arms.

“About orcs? Ah, a village was attacked around five days ago. In the south… ah…”

“You understand?”

Daniela smirked.

“The orcs came through here to get close to this southern village. That way, they can
hide from the eyes of Adventurers. I believe that this tunnel will lead to a place that is
close to that village.”

“Right… They were seen one week ago, and then the village was attacked two days
later. But weren’t there sightings after that as well?”

“They could be reinforcements… or they were on their way back after the assault.”

We weren’t sure which it was, but it would make sense if the sightings of them were
during their return trip.

“Seems a little crafty for orcs, though?”

“Well, that could be where the abnormally evolved being comes in.”

“Ahhh… damn it…”

This hole right here was a road for intelligent orcs then.

“So, what should we do?”

“Let us follow this tunnel to the village. There, we will join the party of Adventurers
and together, annihilate the orcs along with their leader.”

Daniela was smiling so viciously because she had already thought of our next move
and how it would play out… Well, it would definitely be great to fight alongside the
Adventurers, rather than alone. And now that I understood it all, I could not help but
have the same smile that Daniela was wearing.
“I said it was an orc nest, did I?”

“Yeah.”

“That was a lie.”

“A lie…”

Daniela said after we had finished our water and lunch.

“More accurately, it would be their frontline base. It should be up ahead. The nest is
likely on the other side, beyond the hanging bridge. And that would make it quite far.”

“I see. You wouldn’t want to fight right after walking a long way. Perhaps normal orcs
wouldn’t care, but an evolved being might be cautious of such things.”

I had an idea of their intelligence through my interactions with Beowulf and the
assault kobold. I didn’t know how this orc would be, but they were hiding in the mist
as they moved. It wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.

“Well, we’re done resting now. We should move on.”

“Yes. I will gather the barrier tools.”

As Daniela got up to collect them, I put away the other things we had been using. I just
had to toss them into the hollow bag and it was finished. Daniela put the barrier tools
in and we extinguished the lantern’s fire. All set.

“Alright, but let’s be careful.”

“Yes.”

I used Nighteyes and Daniela used Presence Detection as we moved up the gently
rising tunnel. While faint, I could feel a current in the air. A chilly breeze brushed
against my cheek.

“Are there wind spirits here?”

“No, I do not see any. It must be some other spirits, considering where we are. Maybe
they are telling you what lies beyond here?”

“How considerate of them.”

I couldn’t see them, but would they help? They must have hated that this path was
even made here. They were living here quietly until someone stomped into their
homes with their filthy shoes. Of course, they were annoyed.

“So, intelligent orcs can make hole moles obey them?”

“It is hard to believe… But this hole was dug perfectly to fit their purpose, so it must
be true. Perhaps they lured it with food.”

“What do those things even eat?”

“Ore. And even rocks if they are hungry enough.”

“Right…”

So that’s why there were no remains of dug up dirt anywhere. I guess they never ran
out of food then?

“Ah, so that’s why it’s ore.”

“They give it as a reward for digging.”

And so they used these hole moles to dig a tunnel near the village. And they even made
a base nearby as well… I wonder what kind of ore they were giving to make them work
so much. And also, what was so special about this village to make them go to such
lengths?

“I was not able to learn much about this village. But I did learn two things.”

“Oh?”
“The first is that is was a village of women.”

“A paradise for orcs.”

“And for you as well, I presume?”

Don’t be silly. I don’t need anyone else but you.

“Hm… well, as for the other thing…”

“Yeah?”

“There are ruins near this village. It is supposed to be an ancient temple.”

“Ruins?”

I immediately thought back to the ancient elven ruins… But Daniela shook her head.

“This one is different. There was nothing inside of it. The village would have developed
a lot more had those ruins had had any value to researchers, but many years of
searching had brought up nothing. It is just an old, withered carcass.”

“Hmmm… So it is just a boring village.”

“Even with the women?”

“I’m not an orc. But I can be one for you.”

“I, I see… hehe.”

I wonder if there are any other couples who would fool around in a dark subterranean
hole like us in existence? I highly doubted it.

After about half an hour of climbing upwards. We came out into an open area. I quietly
peeked inside, but there were no signs of anyone being there. I turned around but
Daniela shook her head to signify that Presence Detection had not found anyone. I try
using it too, just in case, but the result was the same. There were no traps on the floor
or in the walls. This was a completely empty space.

“So this is the base you were talking about.”

“I believe so. Look over there.”

Daniela lit the lantern and walked in front of me as she carefully checked for traps. As
I followed her, a wooden chest appeared under the light. I gulped and then used my
sword to knock it over. Nothing happened. The wooden lid had just fallen off. We
approached it slowly and Daniela shined her light into it. I gasped.

—-

Inside, it was painted with blood.

“Wh-what is…??”

“Hmm… They must have kept their food in here.”

“What? Food…?”

“Aye. They would have put animals they killed inside of here.”

“Ahh… it’s animal blood then… I was afraid it was going to be dismembered people
that had been inside…”

“It is your imagination that is frightening.”

I calmed my breathing and then used Nighteyes to scan the rest of the area. There were
several other wooden boxes lying around. The others contained the bones of animals,
which proved that they indeed had been used to store food.

Aside from that, there were bloody swords and broken shields lying around as well.
They were likely damaged equipment that had been abandoned after the fight. I
picked some up for inspection and saw that they were shoddily made. Equipment that
the attacks of villagers could have easily penetrated. Even if it was a village of women,
there would have been warriors. I hoped they were still alive…

“Let us hurry on.”

“Yeah, alright. I can see another hole over there. That’s probably the path that leads to
the surface.”

I pointed at the hole that I discovered through Nighteyes, and the two of us entered it.
We continued to be wary of traps, but there was nothing. If it were me, I would have
anticipated humans entering this place and set up traps, but I guess the orcs had not
thought that far ahead.

“They were likely just told to rest here and organize before striking the village. I doubt
they were able to think further than that.”

“So you’re saying the abnormally evolved being stayed in the nest?”

“It is not unusual for leaders to do that. Leaving the hard work to capable subordinates.”

I see… Well, we were certainly gaining a clearer picture of these enemies.

This orc who had evolved, had decided to attack a village while evading the eyes of
humans. He gave the order to his underlings, who advanced through the valley and
used the hole moles to get close to the village. Once they rested at the base, they would
attack in full strength. The captured women would be taken back through the mist and
to their nest.

And two days before the village was attacked, in other words, nine days ago, they were
seen moving through the valley. And two days later, seven days ago from today, the
village was attacked. They were seen moving through the mist several times after that
as well. Which meant that it took multiple trips to bring the stolen goods and women
back with them.

The women were likely suffering under their hands even now. Now that I had a clear
picture, the rage began to boil inside of me. These people had nothing to do with me,
but the fact that there were victims was frustrating to think about. There was nothing
right about humans submitting to monsters.

Perhaps there were some good ones. But the truth of the matter was that this attack
happened, and so these orcs were ‘evil.’

“There are no traps. Let us move quickly from here on.”

“Alright. Daniela, hold onto me. I’m going to run!”

Daniela nodded as I picked her up and activated Legs of the Forest Wolf. By adjusting
my current skills, I would be able to move through the dark tunnel without bumping
into any walls.
Once I was ready, I charged, and in the blink of an eye, we burst out into the open air
of the surface.

We landed on flat ground after coming out of the hole. There was just enough rocks,
trees and bushes in the area to hide us. No one would see us unless they came close…

The sky was a gradation of red and blue that showed it was almost evening. We had
gone down in the morning, so quite some time had passed. It must have rained too, as
the leaves and grass glistened wetly on the ground.

“The village… I do not know which direction. Let us look from above.”

“Alright, hold tight!”

I kicked the ground and launched myself into the air. I was getting used to using this
skill… The silver and green wind went well with my magic.

We looked down from above and saw burned houses towards the north. I see. This
tunnel was dug so they could attack the village from the back. Considering that there
would be visitors from Replant, the entrance would have been made towards the
north side. People wouldn’t visit from the rocky mountains anyway. And so creating a
path between the mountains and the village would make their assault so much easier.
Crafty bastards…

“Can you see anyone?”

“Hmm… wait a moment, yes, several of them. They are… searching through the houses,
I think. They are likely the Adventurers.”

“I guess we should go join them then.”

With our plan of action decided, we made a straight line towards the southern village,
like a comet over a sunset sky.
One thing we realized once we came closer, was that the entire village had been
burned. It was horrible… pillaging, abducting and arson…

It seemed so thorough for orcs. No, it would have been ordered. But there was
something surprising about that level of leadership.

“Hey!”

I descended near the center of the burned down village while carrying Daniela. We
made ourselves known by calling out to them, but they still reached for their weapons
with surprise.

“Who are you! Where did you come from!?”

“Wai-, we’re not enemies! Don’t attack us!”

“They look suspicious…”

They gave us murderous glares. I put Daniela on the ground and dropped my sword
before raising my hands in the air. It was to show that I wouldn’t resist, but I wasn’t
sure it would get through to them…

“We have no intention of harming you!”

“How do we know you aren’t just trying to lower our guards!?”

“Believe us!”

The other Adventurers who had been inspecting the houses heard the commotion and
gathered around. There were several among them who I had seen near the south gate.
Perhaps they would understand.

“What, what’s going on?”

“Please listen to us! We did not come to hurt you!”

“Hm? Ah, why if it isn’t Silvergreen. I have met him at the guild. He’s no enemy.”

Oh, so there was someone who recognized me. Great!

“Oh? But I don’t remember you being part of the hunting party?”

“Indeed, I didn’t see him during our journey here…”

“But I do remember seeing him at the gate. Him and Lightwind.”

More and more sightings were brought up. At this point, the Adventurers who were
still cautious finally decided to listen. Their hands moved away from their swords.

“So it looks like you are not enemies.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry for surprising you. Thank you for believing us.”

“No, it is just… this village… it has put us on edge. I am sorry.”

I was offered a conciliatory hand and we shook on it. At least it had ended quickly. One
wrong move and we might have been attacked. The Adventurer who had been the
most suspicious then introduced himself.

“I’m Virgil. I was given command of this party. A Jade.”

“Asagi. Garnet. We came here to investigate the southern valley.”

The Adventurer called Virgil tilted his head.

“The southern valley. You mean that valley that is on the way here? Then why are you
here now?”

“That’s what we came to talk to you about. If you could gather all your men.”

“Your face suggests that this is an emergency… very well. I will do that!”

I thanked Virgil and then Daniela and I went over what needed to be said. The hole
leading to this village, the base, information from witnesses, the orc nest. Daniela
wanted to hurry up and relate all of this so we could move, but there were so many
people. I doubted things would move along smoothly. I guess it depended on this
Virgil’s ability as a leader…

10 minutes later, all of the Adventurers from the party gathered around upon hearing
Virgil’s order. There were thirty in all. With this many men… I wonder, but we really
had no idea how big the orc party was. Even if we were all strong as individuals, the
power of united orcs was still unknown.

“First of all, thank you for gathering here.”

Daniela said as she took one step forward and scanned the group of men.

“I am Daniela. A Jade. Also known by the name, Lightwind. This is Asagi, my partner.”

“Hi.”

As I gave a curt bow, I could hear the rumbling of the crowd. The quiet mutterings of
‘Lightwind’ and ‘Silvergreen’ were proof of just how much this horrible name had
spread.

“We were out investigating the southern valley. I am sure you have all heard rumors
of it? When the mists become thin, strange figures are known to appear.”

The listening Adventurers started to nod and ask each other about the rumors. This
stalled things, and so I coughed loudly to regain their attention.

“Here is our conclusion. Those figures were orcs.”

“Do you have proof?”

—-

Virgil asked as the other Adventurers began to talk uneasily amongst themselves.

“Yeah. There’s an underground tunnel behind this village that is hidden behind trees
and rocks. Beyond it is a base that was used by the orcs.”
“A base, you say? But you are talking about orcs?”

The Adventurers questioned as if this was hard to believe. Daniela raised her voice.

“We have a report concerning that as well. We cannot be certain yet, but we believe
that there is an abnormally evolved orc among them. It should be thought of as a
subspecies, different than your average orc. And these tend to have the intelligence to
match humans. In other words, moving through the valley’s fog, preparing a base from
which to attack, these were part of this being’s strategy!”

It was a succession of things that had never happened before, and the mouths of the
Adventurers closed. Either they were processing the information or they were
dumbstruck… From what I could see, it looked like a little of both. Unsurprisingly,
Virgil raised a hand first and spoke.

“Let us say that this is all true, could we win against such orcs? We investigated this
village ruin, and cannot believe that this was the work of orcs. They took only what
was valuable, killed the elderly they had no use for, and set fire to the houses. It is a
tragedy, and I would be much more likely to believe you, had you said it was bandits.”

The others all nodded. Indeed, it would be hard for them to believe it was the work of
orcs. However, it would make perfect sense if an evolved orc was behind it. Beowulf
was intelligent enough to erase his presence and ambush us at night. He was powerful
and cunning to the point where I was convinced that I would die. The assault kobold
had used its knowledge in an attempt to build a kingdom. He had a speed that humans
could not keep up with, and I could not dodge the attacks of his claws. He had planned
for a stampede in secret and continued to haunt me after death. I had made peace with
Beowulf, but the same could not be said for that assault kobold.

But that was how intelligent and powerful these monsters were. As we had faced them,
it made perfect sense to us. But it was hard to make the Adventurers understand.

“But, that is the power of these abnormally evolved beings. Monsters with high
intelligence are not so different from us. If anything, as monsters, they are much more
dangerous than any human.”

“…You seem very confident about it. Are you?”

“Yes. There is no doubt that it is the work of orcs. And we believe there must be an
evolved orc behind it all, judging by the situation. But we have yet to confirm it. That
must come next.”

“So, you are saying that we must go and investigate their colony?”

“That is what I am saying.”

They wouldn’t believe us without evidence. Our words may have been based off prior
experience, but a report from an actual witness would carry more weight.

“And so, if there are any Adventurers here who are skilled scouts, we would like their
help! Daniela’s detection abilities and my skills will support you!”

I say as I look at them. As this was an orc extermination quest, most of them were
heavy warrior types, but surely there were some with light equipment that could help
scout?

Right then, one Adventurer pushed his way forward from the crowd of men and came
forth. He was scrawny and wore light armor.

Clearly a scout type. The Adventurer smiled lightheartedly and said,

“Scouting? That’s my specialty!”

He said with overflowing confidence. Well, it was Ness.

“Ness. Why didn’t you say anything if you were here!”

“Ehehe. We thought we’d spectate to see how much you’ve grown. It was Gardo’s idea.”

He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. Gardo was behind the group of
Adventurers and waving amusedly. Huh. I felt like a kid during a parent’s observation
day.

“Ness, can you go then?”

“Aye, leave it to me!”

Virgil asked him. Ness hit his fist into his palm as a show of his eagerness. Now that I
think of it, I’ve never gone on a quest with Ness or Gardo before.
“What about you, Gardo?”

“Look at me. I’m not cut out for scouting. But I do have a knack for killing orcs. I’m sure
that’ll come in handy in the end?”

Gardo waded through the Adventurers like Ness, and like Ness, he answered us
confidently. A reliable pair they were.

“Alright, so we have Ness as our head scout, but we need a few more. I’d like to search
a wide area.”

“I’ll choose some men for you then. But that is enough talk for now. It’s almost nightfall.
We’ve set up camp nearby, so we will move over there.”

I looked up at the sky and saw that a thick shadow was covering the sunset sky. It
would lose the battle soon and turn into complete darkness. Several of the
Adventurers were preparing torches now. I took out our own lantern from the bag and
lit it. Now that we were ready, it was off to their campsite. We would talk in more detail
there, and then return to the base once the sun had risen again. And then we would
start moving.

Our destination, the orc colony. Our goal, hunting down the abnormally evolved being
and the annihilation of the orcs.
After that, we visited the camp that the Adventurer’s had set up. It was a short distance
away from the village, and there, among the tents and the fires, we held a war council.
Thankfully, most of the people there were veterans, which made things move along
quickly.

I was thinking that we should have the scouts search the southeastern area around
the valley, but someone suggested that it was likely in the valley floor, and it was
decided that we would search there. Thinking about it later, it was quite obvious.
Daniela and I had assumed that the hole was dug just to attack the village, but there
was a possibility that the hole mole had been used to dig other holes too. This was
quite the oversight on our part. It reminded me that I had to keep a flexible mindset.

In any case, a surface squad and valley squad were formed. As Legs of the Forest Wolf
removed any limits of vertical movement for me, I became the go-between for the two
squads. Ness was the leader of the surface squad. The leader for the valley squad was
a scout who had Nighteyes, named Angelica.

“Hi.”

“Why, it is a pleasure to meet you!

There was something lady-like about the way she talked, and upon asking her, she
replied that she was born a noble. Shockingly, she took to the idea of becoming an
Adventurer and had run away from home. As for wanting to be a scout, her answer
was, ‘They are guaranteed to be the first to discover the most mysterious things.’ It
was true. You could probably hoard many things of interest if you were in the lead. But
it was also the most dangerous role. And so she had to be quite capable in order to do
it. She was a C ranker like me. A garnet.

Well, that wasn’t the only thing we had decided on. If we did find the orc settlement, it
would result in a battle. Virgil would still take the lead as commander. Among the
thirty men, ten of them were magicians, and so Daniela was assigned to lead them. I
would go on a raid and make the most of my speed.
“Asagi, go berserk, regardless of location and cause as much confusion as possible.”

Virgil’s words.

We still did not know how many of them there were. I wasn’t sure how much we could
accomplish with our numbers, but if there really was an abnormally evolved being,
then we could expect cunning and efficient ambushes. There were other villages south
of Replant. So the damage would only increase if we didn’t act quickly. But first, we
had to find this settlement. That was our priority. We could only pray that our numbers
would be enough to handle them. And if it turned out that they had far more than we
were anticipating, we would have to request reinforcements immediately. It was
decided that I too would handle that. And so I prayed that that wouldn’t be necessary,
as we lay down to sleep that night.

And now, Virgil stood as the lead commander. Ness was the leader of the surface
squad. Angelica was the leader of the valley squad. Along with orc slayer Gardo, the
six of us including me and Daniela were in the front base. The other Adventurers were
making preparations to leave.

“This… this place was made by orcs?”

“What is that wooden box for?”

“That was for storing food. There was animal blood inside.”

Virgil and Angelica looked around with disbelief. Ness was inspecting the fallen
weapons and boxes carefully. Gardo held up a lantern and searched the walls.

“This is their frontline base. That entrance you just saw… that’s where the orcs came
from, to attack the village.”

“After seeing this, I am starting to believe your theory about the evolved orc…”

Virgil folded his arms and thought.

“Orcs that have made preparations so very far in advance… I dare say, this will not be
the easiest of fights.”

“We can handle it if we are all united. Besides, Asagi is here.”

“Why, Miss Daniela, you sound quite infatuated with him?”

“Aye, he is a good partner.”

Daniela and Angelica’s voices echoed in the room and could be heard even if you didn’t
want to. Hey, Ness. Stop laughing!

We were unable to find anything new after searching, and so we returned to the
surface. Well, I didn’t expect to find anything. Still, by the time we returned to the
village, everyone was ready to leave.

“We just finished searching through the frontline base. It was a large, well-built hall.
However, we did not find any useful information.”

“And yet, I dare say that knowing what they are capable of preparing tells us much.
These are clearly no ordinary orcs. No, we must stay vigilant!”

Angelica had somehow become the vice-leader at some point. Perhaps it was her
background as a noble, because it was easy to understand what she was saying, and
there was a sense of authority there that was hard to ignore. Was this called charisma?
Something I had none of.

From here we traveled down south along the valley. The weather was cloudy. But it
didn’t look like it would rain. And even if it did, these guys were professionals. I didn’t
think it would be too much of an issue. And it would also take nearly two days to reach
the end of the valley, so the weather would clear up by then.

I lower my raised head and look forward. The backs of the other walking Adventurers
enters my view.

I had fought goblins alone in the forest before. And then eventually, Daniela was there
by my side… And here we were now, hunting alongside a large group. I had come a
long way…

There were no attacks from monsters on the way, and it was peace itself. Still, it only
felt like the calm before the storm to me, and I felt tense all the way through. It was the
same with the others as well, with them constantly looking around and staying
cautious.

And it was in that tense atmosphere that we arrived at the end of the valley. It cut into
a forest part way in, and by the time we reached the end, the area was thick with trees.

This was where the two squads would separate and search. But first, we would set up
a camp that would become our base, and so we found an open area to pitch our tent.
There would be no bonfires. With fires, there was a risk of the smoke alerting enemies
of our position, which could result in an ambush. So those who could use fire magic
would be prepared if it was needed, but otherwise, we would go without it.

After the tents were pitched, we ate a light meal. Well, it was really just the passing out
of dried meat. This was my first time eating preserved food while out… We always
tried to make warm meals. We even dank warm soup in the mines. But this was what
Adventurers did normally.

As I chewed into the dried meat, Virgil stood up to address everyone.

“We have finally arrived. And this is where our mission truly begins. The scouting
squads will search the surface and valley floor first. In the meantime, the rest of you
will keep watch here.”

Everyone listened intently, dried meat in hand.

“We will search for their settlement for the next two days, but will have to return if we
cannot find it. Our food supplies are limited as this expedition was only supposed to
last four to five days. We did bring more than we needed, but it is barely enough for
the next two days and the two days it will take to return. And so, we will do everything
we can to find it in the time we are given!”

Aye! They all answered. Even my own dark mood was lightened, and I felt my
determination return. I had an important role here. Contact would have to be made
stealthily. I would have to find the scouts and deliver messages back to Virgil at the
base. I would be quite busy. Forest, valley, forest, back again…

“Daniela, I think I’ll take the magic potions.”

“Aye, I will take some from the other Adventurer’s if I happen to need them.”

“Don’t get greedy, alright.”

I took out all of the magic recovery potions from the hollow bag and attached them to
my belt. I had prepared this belt, anticipating the need for it. It was kind of cool, like a
fighting alchemist’s belt. The small blue potions seemed to glow faintly in the light… I
think. There were six in all. I would have to use them carefully…

“Asagi, are you ready?”

Ness said as he led the other scouts. There were five for the surface squad and four for
the valley floor. As leader, Ness suppressed his typical giddy expression and looked at
me seriously.

“Yeah, ready when you are. Ness, I think this will be the first time we’ll get to fight
together.”

“…That’s true. I still remember that time when you rolled through the gates of
Fhiraldo. I never would have guessed that we’d fighting shoulder to shoulder like this.”

“Haha. Well, that’s life for you. But this won’t be the last time. Let’s do this, so we can
continue adventuring.”

I raise my fist towards him.

“Aye! We’ll have a feast when we return!”

He says and hits his fist against mine. Yes, this wasn’t the end. This was just the beginning.

“From here, we are going southeast. From what I have heard, there is a river down
there. If you are going to make a settlement on the surface…”

“You would stay near a river.”

“Exactly.”

Ness was going southeast then. As long as I had a grasp on my own position, I should
be able to find them without too much confusion. The problem was which direction I
was facing now.

“That direction would be the south.”

“Thanks, Daniela. You can always read my mind.”

“Well, you tend to forget.”

It was like we were married…

Ness and the others were smirking. I was a little annoyed, but there was no time for
that.

“We will be leaving now.”

“Be safe.”

“You too, Asagi.”

So saying, Ness and the others went deep into the forest. Now, it was time for my first
job. I needed to get Angelica’s squad to the bottom of the valley. I looked around and
found them discussing their plans.

“Angelica. Are you guys ready?”

“Yes, Mister Asagi. We are quite ready!”

Plucky. On further inspection, the other three Adventurers in Angelica’s squad were
also women… Hmm?

“Aren’t you…”

“Ah, um. Yes… Hello, again?”

It was fan number one! I did not expect to see her here.

“I didn’t realize you were here.”

“But I realized that you were…”

“Ah, is that why you seem upset?”

“Indeed it is! Am I in the wrong!?”

“Uh, it’s my fault. Sorry, sorry.”

“Tsk… I cannot stay mad at someone I look up to…”

It seemed that not much had changed after all, but at least she was doing well. Still, a
scout who could use void magic, huh? She was wearing the same light armor as before,
and she could likely fight in close quarters as well. Was there anything she couldn’t
do?

“Are you two acquainted then?”

“Yes, while I was waiting in line to enter Replant… He was there and covered in blood.
Can you imagine? I had to frantically douse him with magic.”

“It was a great help too. I heard about this later, but it’s actually quite rare to be able
to do that.”

“Is it really? I do not know many sorcerers, so perhaps you are right…”

“Hmm, I am not very fond of being ignored…”

Ah, the conversation was getting sidetracked. Come to think of it, I didn’t even know
her name.

“I don’t think I’ve asked for your name yet.”

“Oh, that is right. I am Lauria. A pleasure.”

“The pleasure is mine. Well, since Ness has already left, the valley squad should start
moving too.”

“Um, I do not like this at all. Will someone please answer me?”

Angelica was saying something, but to who? It was probably to Lauria. Well, they could
figure it out.

“I’ll take you all down one at a time. I will have to carry you, but please do not take it
the wrong way. Or they might arrest me when we return to Replant.”

I said jokingly, and the others chuckled. Yes, there was no awkward nervousness, at
least.
“Okay, we’ll start with Angelica.”

“Yes, thank you…”

“Is something wrong? Well, let’s go then.”

Starting with the despondent Angelica, I made several trips to take all of them to the
valley floor. While Angelica was silent, Lauria held onto me tightly and blushed. I’ll
allow it. We’ll call it fan service. The others were not crazy about heights, but I was
able to bring them all down safely.

From here, they would search all of the caves and shadowed areas that could not be
seen from above. Ness and the others would search for a hidden settlement in the
forest or other caves that led into the ground.

Now, this is where things would get difficult. I placed a hand on the hilt of my armored
demon sword and headed towards Ness and the others.
I had anticipated it to a degree, but searching for the surface party from the air turned
out to be bone-crushingly difficult. The trees would block everything, making it hard
to find them. On top of that, from the surface, I was in plain sight. I knew that the orcs
would see me in no time, and so I decided to go back down and search for them with
Presence Detection.

“Hmm… someone is close by. Five of them. Definitely the surface party.”

I detected a tight group that was moving towards the southeast, just like Ness had said,
and so I headed in that direction. No ordinary Adventurer could outrun Legs of the
Forest Wolf. The strong winds wrecked the trees that I passed, but I didn’t think it was
a big issue. I would keep a short distance away, so I could confirm it was actually them
before showing myself.

I pushed some branches out of the way and look.

Our eyes met immediately. Ahh, they knew exactly where I was. I should have expected
no less from a group of scouts. I chuckle awkwardly and walked up to them with some
relief.

“That was some speed you had there. But we noticed it immediately.”

“I should have known. So, did you find any traces here?”

“Aye, a little. We’ve been waiting here to make a report of it.”

Ness pointed a thumb to show me. There was a single tree. Parts of its coarse roots
were exposed, and it was overall very thick around the trunk. And on that trunk, were
scratch marks.

“Look down here as well.”

“Hm?… Are these footprints?”

The dirt had been disturbed. It did kind of look like footprints.

“Someone tripped over something, and their weapon hit the tree… something of that
sort.”

I listened to Ness’ interpretation and looked at it again. It was certainly possible. The
roots would easily trip someone here.

“In other words, some of them are traversing the surface.”

“Exactly.”

Ness nodded. Could that suggest that their settlement was up here then? Of course, it
was much too early to come to any conclusion. According to Ness, they had not found
any other traces. And so I decided that I would leave for now and take this information
back to Virgil.

Back at the base, the Adventurers stayed wary of their surroundings as they
sharpened and maintained their weapons and equipment. I entered the central tent.
Virgil was talking to several others but stood up when he saw me enter.

“Did something happen?”

“Ness discovered some traces.”

I told him about the discovery. Virgil folded his arms, as was his habit, and seemed to
be lost in thought.

“Considering these traces, it would be natural to think that the settlement is on the
surface. And yet they were in the valley…”

“Perhaps they had a tunnel created? I had thought that the settlement was in the valley,
so I hadn’t considered the possibility until now.”

“Do you mean they have a settlement that connects the surface and the valley floor?”

A long tunnel dug up by the hole moles. If they could travel through it, there was no
reason to leave the surface and live in the valley. There was no food. The animal
carcasses that had been stored in the boxes were from the surface. There were no
animals on the valley floor.

“So then it must be on the surface. They have tunnels that let them move underground
and also appear in the valley.”

“If that’s true, we’ll need a surface party and valley party when we attack them.”

“We’ll deal with that. For now, I want you to relay what we just talked about to both
parties.”

“Understood.”

Things moved along smoothly when your leader could think quickly. To be honest, I
was not cut out for this sort of work. I had to constantly change the way I thought. If
only I was a little sharper, like Daniela or Virgil…

After wishing for the impossible, I left the tent and immediately saw Daniela, who was
talking with her team of magicians. It was during times such as these, that the
communicatively impaired Daniela could hide that side of herself and become a fine
leader. I could see the looks of respect in their gazes as they listened to her. That was
one group that would be fine. I had my own job to do. And so I headed for the valley
floor.

I was now at the valley. Well, the closest part of it to the camp. Which was a two-minute
walk. I look over the edge, but the mist was thick today. I already knew this, due to
seeing it while I descended, but it was completely white when viewed from above.
However, the people down there were professional scouts, and it was unlikely that any
mist goblins would be able to ambush them. If anything, I was the one in danger.

“I better be careful…”

I prepare myself and spread out the range of Presence Detection. I was still not very
good at detecting things above me. And so it was nearly impossible for me to extend it
below as well.

Hmm, there was one thing that I hadn’t tried yet. I start to imagine what I wanted to
do with Jack of all Trades, Master of None. Hmm… I think it’s doable. After several
simulations, I was sure that it would be an effective method, and so I jumped over the
edge and into the valley. Then I activated Legs of the Forest Wolf. Silver and green wind
enveloped my legs as I plunge into the mist. Here, I loosen all control I have of Legs of
the Forest Wolf. The wind begins to blow wildly, turning into a furious storm. The wind
starts to affect the surrounding mist, pushing it away. I myself am affected by the
strong winds, but I somehow manage to prevent myself from being blown away. Still,
it’s so strong that I have to cover my face with my arms. My eyes were getting dry.

After a few seconds, I lowered my arms. The silver and green winds had died down.
And the scene that spread out before me was the same as it had been in my head. The
mist had been blown away. It wasn’t all of the mist that was in my view, but I had
succeeded in getting rid of a large portion of it.

“Doesn’t quite match Daniela, but not too shabby either. Now…”

The monsters that had been in the mist were shocked by the sudden change. Of course,
they were mist goblins. There were… eight of them in all. It seemed that their Presence
Block skill was more effective inside of the mist, and I had not been able to detect
them. But that was hardly a problem once they were exposed like this. I would usually
have fought very carefully, but I was in a hurry, so I used Legs of the Forest Wolf and
the AGI bonus from my ice dragon and wind dragon equipment to the fullest in order
to take off their heads at a breakneck speed.

“Now, Angelica and the others… over there.”

I run after the four figures that Presence Detection snagged. I had used a little too
much magic just now, and so I drained one of the potions on my belt. There were now
five left.

On the way, I was surrounded by mist once again, but I just used Legs of the Forest
Wolf to blow it away as well. This time, I was only clearing the area ahead of me, so the
magic depletion was not as bad. Specifically, I only needed enough wind to wrap
around one leg. After repeating this process about three times, I saw Angelica and the
others come out from behind the shadow of a boulder.

“Hah… So this is the power of Silvergreen… I am quite surprised.”

“That was amazing!”

“Ahaha. Thanks. I have a report to make. We believe it’s highly likely that the orc
settlement is on the surface. If that’s the case, then there must be a tunnel that allows
them to come down here from their settlement. Have you found anything that might
be it?”

I reported what Virgil had realized as one of them looked at me with shock and the
other praised me with abandon. The other scouts also listened carefully but also
stayed attentive to our surroundings.

“No, we have not found anything like that at all. Not even a trace. Perhaps it is further
on that we will find this cave. Perhaps they have no business southeast of here.”

“I see… So, if we’re going to find something, it will be in the northwest direction.”

If that were the case, there would be a very long tunnel connecting to this possible
settlement on the surface to down here…? Or maybe it wasn’t near the end of the valley
but between the center and the bridge?

We had only ever walked on the Replant side of the valley. We hadn’t walked on the
side with the rocks. But what if the settlement was on that side…?

What if the orcs had been watching us all along…?

“…Angelica. I’ll join your party from here. Once we find the cave, we’ll all have to return
to the camp.”

“It seems like you realized something. Would you mind telling us what it is?”

I nodded and told her about what I had realized. They seemed to have realized how
serious it was, and their expressions grew stern. Angelica stared at the ground for a
while and thought. Then she muttered.

“…They are going to ambush our base. That is your worst fear?”

“Yes, it’s very possible. And tonight would be the time to do it.”

“Indeed, it would not be much of a problem if they were just ordinary orcs. But if there
are intelligent monsters orchestrating this, things might not go so well…”

Lauria clenched both hands into fists and yelled.

“Then we must hurry and find it! Why are we standing here!?”

The two others also looked frantic as they nodded in agreement.

“Lauria. A scout should not raise their voice in such a way. A scout must always
maintain a calm and silent disposition.”

“That may be, but…!”

“It exactly because of such times as these, that we must remain calm. Else we are
bound to stumble.”

There wasn’t much force in Angelica’s voice, and yet there was something chilling in
the way that she admonished Lauria. I shivered. These nobles were not to be played
with…

“Now, we will ask Asagi to clear the mist for us. These mist goblins are so terribly
annoying. Might we rely on your help?”

“Yeah, leave it to me.”

“Lauria, Olive, Oregano. Keep watch of your surroundings. Do not miss any corners
that might be covered in shadows.”

“Understood.”

“I won’t let you down.”

“I will do my best.”

They were apparently called Olive and Oregano. Alright, now that I knew all of their
names, it was time to do a thorough sweep of the place. I pushed aside my desire to
return to the camp immediately and looked on ahead. It was an emergency, but I
wasn’t here alone. I could probably do a general search alone, but the scouts would
find things that I would likely miss. If I did, I would have to wander around here that
much longer. This is what they mean by ‘more haste, less speed.’ Besides, this was a
good chance to learn a thing or two from them.

I used Legs of the Forest Wolf to envelope my right leg and unleashed it into the mist.
The explosive silver and green wind blasted the mist, exposing the mist goblins who
were just about to fall on us. And just like I had before, I beheaded every one of them.
Without the mist, they were just ordinary goblins.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Ahh, the world is a large place…”

“Mist goblins are actually famous in the empire for all the trouble they cause for
Adventurers.”

“People often die on their first time seeing one.”

“This is bad.”

Olive and Oregano did not seem to approve of me very much… The four of them sighed
as they walked passed me. I followed them. We needed to find this cave as soon as
possible and return to the base. I bet Ness and the others were exploring the wrong
direction. I was starting to believe that the traces they had found were a trap, and that
made me even more frantic.

Ness. Please be safe…

We were able to find the cave rather easily, thanks to the brute force method of
pushing away the mist and slaughtering the goblins in front of us. The entrance was
hidden between two boulders and would have probably evaded my eye if I was alone.

“This is most likely the tunnel that will connect to the orc settlement. Please take a
look here.”

I looked to where Angelica was pointing. There were several layers of footprints that
went in and that went out. It was proof that this path had been used repeatedly.

“Alright. This means that we have found what we were looking for!”

I nod at this declaration by Lauria. We accomplished that goal. Once I knew the place,
I just needed to make an emergency report to the base and then go and search for Ness
and the others. Blocking this entrance may hinder their operations a little, but it
wouldn’t mean too much since they had hole moles. They would just dig through it
again.

There were better things to spend your time doing.

“Let’s return with haste. I’ll bring you all back to the surface in the same way we
descended. Stay on the alert while you wait.”

“I will be last then. Please take the others.”

Angelica said as she inspected the cave. Alright, first was Lauria.

“Here we go.”

“Ah, ahh, of course…!”

She became red again as she clutched onto me tightly. If I were Matsumoto, I would be
bounding down the harem path right about now…
This time, Olive and Oregano were much calmer. If anything, their unimpressed faces
seemed to say, ‘is that as fast as you can go?’ They got familiar with it quick… Perhaps
it was a quality of Adventurers?

“Angelica. You’re up now.”

“Yes, thank you!”

I picked her up and kicked the air while I asked,

“What were you doing in the cave?”

“Hehe. I left some gunpowder. One trip over the wire I placed there and the place will
go boom! Indeed!”

“Are you serious…”

This noblewoman was not to be messed with. A good reminder.

“You should all return together from here. I’ll tell Virgil everything.”

“Are you going on ahead, Asagi?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry, but we have to part ways here. Sorry, Lauria.”

“Wh-why are you apologizing to me!?”

There was merit in teasing her because of such visible reactions. She was like a cheeky
younger sister. I was an only child, so it was certainly new… I hope she comes back
safely.

“Alright, I’m off!”

I said, and then dashed forward with the power of silver and green wind. I could run
here, as I was not yet in the forest, but I would have to move to the sky once the trees
grew thick. If the orcs were prepared to ambush me, it wouldn’t matter if I was running
in the forest or above it. In that case, it was best to take the fastest route.

While I ran along the valley rim, I found something. Well, no. I had known about it all
along.
It was a log. I had seen it when we were making our way towards the end of the valley.
At first, I had thought that it was something that people who lived around here were
using, and paid it no attention. However, I saw things differently now. This log could
be used as a bridge for the orcs… they could easily cross to the Replant side. And since
this place was out of the way, there was less chance of them being seen.

“It may not buy us any time, but…!”

I didn’t want to leave it now that the thought came to me. If it turned out that we
needed it later, I would just have to come back with a different log.

And so I unleashed a Legs of the Forest Wolf reinforced kick into the log. The log split
cleanly into half and tumbled down into the valley. There was no saying that the orcs
wouldn’t prepare another one quickly, but when can hope… Alright, I can’t waste any
more time on detours. I have to return to the camp as soon as possible.

As they had made Replant their home of operations, it was no surprise that these
magicians were brilliant. Most of those who resided in the Adventure City did so due
to their skill. However…

“Miss! What is the secret to using wind magic!?”

“Please tell me as well!”

“I want to know too. May I suggest some night-time lessons?”

These ones were a little… unique, to say the least.

“But you are a fire magic user. And you, are you not a water magic user? You are not fit
for wind magic. And no, I intend to sleep at night. Sleep is most important.”

“But, miss…!”

Ah, what in… Please save me, Asagi…!

“Hey, isn’t that wind from Silvergreen?”

I heard someone say. I turn my head. There was some wind coming from the forest
that was silver and green in color. Indeed, it was Asagi’s wind. Surely this meant that
my prayer had been answered. He was my Asagi, after all.

“Sorry, let me through! It’s an emergency!”

Asagi would usually control his wind a little more carefully in order to avoid hurting
people, but this time he landed without such considerations. The wind that blasted
down on the area carried away shields and shook the tents. That alone showed that
things were serious. I left the girls and jogged over to Asagi as he approached Vergil’s
tent.

“Asagi.”

“Daniela! Perfect. Come with me!”

“Aye.”

That was all we said, but I could see that Asagi had calmed down a little. Perhaps I had
that effect on him. Such were the foolish thoughts that entered my mind as we went
to the tent. But Virgil must have heard the commotion, because he came out before we
reached it.

“What’s happening!? What is it!?”

“I’m one to talk, but you should calm down. We’ll talk inside.”

Asagi said as he slapped a hand on Virgil’s shoulder and indicated towards the tent.
And so all three of us entered. There was a table that had been brought from
somewhere and a detailed map of the terrain was laid out on it. It had probably been
made by one of the Adventurers here.

“Please calm down and listen to me. The traces that the surface squad found. I think
that it’s a trap.”

“You what!?”

“Calm down, Virgil. I’m not finished yet!”

Asagi said in an unusually rough voice. It was a rare sight indeed, and my shoulders
jumped.
“My report of the valley squad’s search. There were no traces of anything at the end of
the valley. This means they had no reason to go there. On the other hand, there was a
cave on the northwest side.”

It was what we had been searching for. I gasped without thinking.

“We saw evidence of people entering and leaving.”

“Good…!”

Virgil made a tight, triumphant fist. But Asagi’s face remained dark.

“Asagi, is there something else?”

“…Yes. The important part is this.”

Asagi nodded to my question and continued.

“There were no traces around the valley, right? That means that they haven’t come to
this side any further than the cave. And then there is the tunnel that connects the
valley and the surface. I don’t think they would dig so far. In other words, I think the
settlement is on the way here.”

“However, there was nothing…”

“Yes, nothing. On the side that we were walking.”

“…!!”

Virgil gasped. I too froze at Asagi’s words.

“Do you get it?”

“They were… watching us…?”

“Exactly. I think they know about our location.”

“Then those traces…”

“I believe it was a trap to lead the scouts in the wrong direction. Well, it might also
have been an accident… But I am quite sure that this place is going to be ambushed.”

Everyone fell silent. We had been searching for the orcs, when all along, they had
known where we were. And plotting an ambush no less… It made me shudder.

“Asagi, we have to get Ness and the others back.”

“Yeah, I’ll go. Virgil, is that alright?”

“Ye-yes… Damn it. To come here…”

His fist tightened even harder.

“…Very well. Asagi, once you retrieve Ness and the others, have them go to the cave.”

“What about the ambush? If they are headed here, they might bump into each other?”

“Gardo will be there. He and a few others will be added to the surface squad. We’ll have
them do a little forceful scouting. It will be better to go out on the offensive than stay
here and be ambushed.”

“Understood. Then I will leave right away.”

“Good luck!”

Asagi ran out of the tent. Or he was about to, but then he stopped and looked at me.
Without saying anything, he just smiled gently, and then looked away and ran. The tent
swayed in the wind and Asagi was gone. He could be impatient at times, but he would
not forget that I was there. Really, it was quite adorable.

“I have a request to make, Daniela.”

“What?”

“There should be users of earth magic in the group. You can take a few of my potions
here and have them create a wall to surround this area.”

“But are we not going out on the attack? Is this necessary?”

I asked, and Virgil’s eyes dropped to the map.

“If we make an enclosure with only one opening, the orcs will have to come in through
there. I do not want to create a situation where we have a disadvantage if the scouts
fail.”

Hmmm… It was important to consider the possibility of failure. It suggested to me that

this man had a lot of experience fighting.

“Understood. I will go and give the order then. I too can use earth magic and should
be able to help.”

“Here are the potions. There are four that you can share. Good luck. The entrance
should be facing the valley.”

“Yes, leave it to me.”

I accepted the potions and left the tent. I glanced at my surroundings, but Asagi was
unsurprisingly nowhere in sight. But I knew that he would return safely. After all, it is
I who he is returning to. Hehe. The little rascal. Damn it. And now, I must fulfill my own
role so he can return safely.

However, I could not be blamed for taking my time before taking the first step back
towards those waiting girls.
I used Legs of the Forest Wolf as soon as I left the tent, searching for Ness as I moved
through the air. For an instant, I thought I saw an orc in the forest below, but I couldn’t
use Presence Detection below me. And I didn’t have time to go down and check.

I continued southeast from the place where the traces were found until I saw a river.
It was not a very big river. The light of the sun reflected on the water in a beautiful and
dazzling display.

But what was on the other side of the river, was a sight that was anything but beautiful.

There were several Adventurers lying on the ground by the banks. The water that
surrounded them was red with blood.

I could count three of them from above. None of them were moving an inch. They just
lay there by the river, completely still.

I could not contain my sense of panic and rushed down to where they were.

“Hey… hey! What happened?!”

I slapped the face covered in blood and dirt, but there was no reaction. Still, he seemed
to be breathing. And I was relieved from the bottom of my heart. But his body
temperature had fallen dramatically from being exposed to the rushing water. And so
I had to drag him out by his arms and over to a nearby tree.

By the time I had finished moving the third man, the first Adventurer began to murmur
as his eyes opened.

“Agghhhh… hhhaa… where…”

“Hey, how are you?”

“You… are… Silver… green…”

“Yeah. No, forget about me. What happened here?”

He somehow managed to pull himself up and lean against the tree. Then he muttered,

“Orcs…”

“It was orcs? But you are scouts. How did they catch you unaware?”

“They… ambushed us from the trees…”

From the trees… Did they know that it was difficult to use Presence Detection from
below…?

“Ness realized it before it happened… but we couldn’t react in time…”

“There were five of you. Where are the others?”

“Scattered… we fled to the river… I don’t know about Ness and… the other…”

“I see… But I’m glad that you’re alive. I’m going to call for help. Just wait a little longer.”

After hearing this, the Adventurer passed out as if in relief. I became frantic at first,
thinking that he was dead, but he was still breathing…

And now, I was heading back to the river after taking some men from the camp. I was
surprised to see the earthen wall that was now surrounding the place, but Virgil told
me it was a measure put in place to protect them from an ambush, should the scout
team fail. Seeing as that the surface team had been crushed now, his decision had been
correct. In any case, while it was only a simple structure, it was important to bring the
surface scouts back to this reinforced base.

The Adventurers were still lying on the ground near the river where I had left them.

However, there were swords stabbed into each of their chests.

“No…”

Strength left my knees as I crumbled to the ground. If only I had tried to carry them
back, as difficult as… no, that was not realistic. I could not carry three adult men and
move.
But, still. I had told them that I would bring help…

“Asagi, we have to think quickly. This is now orc territory.”

“Damn it…”

One of the Adventurers forced me to my feet. He was right. There were casualties now.
This was enemy territory. I used Presence Detection to scan our surroundings, but
there was no one around. And while I was not adept at it, I tried scanning the area
above as well, but there was nothing.

“Let’s go. We’ll take the bodies back to the camp. I’ll keep watch of our surroundings.
They may attack us from above, so be wary of the space above you.”

I watched as the Adventurers picked up the bodies, then we made our way back.

On the way back, when we were nearing the campsite, Presence Detection snagged
something. I gently raised an arm and signed for the others to halt. I slowly looked up
and saw that orcs were hiding among the leaves of the tree branches. They looked just
like the orcs I had encountered on my travels with Daniela, but this one carried a bow.
Our eyes met.

“We’re under attack!”

I said, and the Adventurers put the bodies on the ground and unsheathed their swords.
All around us, orcs fell from the trees, swords in hand.

“Damn it, they really were in the trees…!”

“I won’t die here, blast it!”

They Adventurers swore as they swung their swords. I launched an ice arrow at an orc
in a tree. The orc managed to fire off an arrow at the same time, and so I blocked it by
generating a shield of ice. I had thought of this as a method for blocking projectiles. I
think… that no one else had thought of this yet… I would call this spell ‘Ice shield.’ I’m
sure Daniela will mock me again and tell me what the magic school’s official name was.

As the orc was preparing a second arrow, I rushed forward and jumped into the air,
slashing the orc and branch it was perched on. I was not so lucky as to kill him in one
shot, but one leg did come flying off. The orc was unable to regain its balance and came
plummeting down to the ground. It did not move after that.

Scanning the scene, I could see that the other Adventurers were struggling, and so I
pulled back and joined them. I was used to fighting as a team with Daniela, but
surprisingly, I was able to work with these people that I didn’t know. However, there
were moments when we would bump into each other, and I learned to quickly move
away when sensing movement from the back. It was a good lesson to learn here.

“Is that all of them…?”

“Hahhh, hhha… ahhh. Damn it. I twisted my ankle…”

“We’re almost there. Try to bear it.”

One of the Adventurers had to walk while using his sword as a cane, and so I picked
up the dead scout in his place and continued to walk. It seemed so heavy for a body
with no strength or life. I wondered if maybe living beings have some sort of balance
with nature that makes them less of a burden to carry. These dead bodies swerved and
leaned every time you moved. It was sweaty, back-breaking work to reposition them
so they didn’t fall. But I felt that it was partly my fault that their lives had been lost. It
was unthinkable to me to make a single complaint.

After another thirty minutes of walking, the dirt walls came into view. It was our base.
We would have to circle it here on the valley side to find the one entrance.

“Just a little further…”

—-

“Hahh… ahh… finally… here…”

“I want… water…”

“Water… I’ll get you all the water… you can drink.”

“Thanks, Silvergreen…”

All of us were breathing hard now. We had not rested once on our trek back, and on
top of that, we had been attacked. I was honestly exhausted…
Suddenly, we saw that someone was coming towards us. I thought they might be orcs
at first, but it turned out to be Adventurers… In fact, it was Angelica and the others.

“Ah, Mister Asagi!”

“Angelica… I’m glad that you all made it back safely.”

“We did, but…!”

Angelica gasped when she saw what we were carrying.

“The surface squad was crushed… we don’t know what happened to Ness and the
other scout.”

“Oh, no… No, you must come inside at once! Help them!”

At Angelica’s command, Lauria and the others picked up the fallen surface squad.
Angelica lent me her shoulder as we entered the camp. There was a bonfire in the
center, and the place looked like a real war camp now. The walls were reinforced from
within and looked very strong.

“Asagi!”

Daniela found me immediately and came running.

“Daniela, I’m sorry… we failed.”

“What are you saying? We are alive and we can fight.”

“Yeah, you’re right… But Ness… and the other… we can’t find them… They may still be
out there, fighting. I have to go and find them…”

“The sun is about to set. We can search tomorrow. Besides…”

Daniela stared at the entrance.

“Yeah, they will attack soon… I have to tell Virgil.”

“Let us go to him.”
Daniela walked on the opposite side of Angelica and supported me. I felt like a
wounded soldier. I had no strength and was exhausted… but I could feel her breast
against my arm, which cheered me up a little.

Virgil’s arms were folded as he was deep in thought. The depths of his narrowed brows
rivaled the depths of the dark valley.

“…I suppose we can at least be thankful that we had the foresight to build the wall.”

“It was my fault. My hasty decision resulted in their deaths.”

“No, you could not have carried three men. I should have sent several men with you
from the beginning. It was my mistake.”

Both of us tried to take the blame. But then we were interrupted by the sound of
Daniela’s fist on the table.

“We do not have time for such a senseless argument. The dead will not rise again, it
up to us who are alive to continue fighting. Am I wrong?”

Virgil and I nodded silently at those words. She was right, of course. This ambush that
was about to begin… well, it was no longer an ambush. But we had to prepare for it.
We had no time.

“It is no longer possible to search for their settlement. And so we will stay here and
fight back. If things go well, we may be able to chase the defeated orcs back to their
settlement.”

Things may still turn out well if that happened. At least the walls surrounding us
prevented the enemy from being able to attack from all sides. There was a possibility
that it could be destroyed, but it could also be repaired again with earth magic. And it
was reinforced as well.

“I have one suggestion in regards to that…”

“What is it, Asagi?”

“Uh, I think we should make a second inner wall by the entrance that runs parallel to
it. It would help in dealing with the orcs rushing in. And we could create a platform by
the walls that the orcs cannot reach, so we can attack from above…”
“I see. That is a good idea. The dead orcs will also help block the path.”

Virgil nodded at my suggestion and added some ideas of his own. This would allow us
to stay on the offensive and keep the orcs moving slowly. After that, we just needed to
have others protecting the outer wall as they fought. I could look for an opportunity
to enter the fray and wreak havoc as well.

“It’s decided then. We will start immediately. Asagi and Daniela, you two can oversee
the construction.”

“Aye. We’ll make a great wall!”

“You mean the girls who can use earth magic will.”

Daniela pointed out, and the atmosphere in the tent lightened a little. Now, we were
to fight the orcs. I did not want anyone else to die. The victors would be us.
“Daniela. I’m gonna go cut some trees!”

“What?”

Daniela looked like she was looking at an idiot. She was looking at me, of course. Well,
it was almost sundown and I had Schwarz Tempest on my shoulder and was ready to
fly out of the fort. So it was hardly a surprise. However, I had a reason for doing this.

I had made a round of the camp and saw that there were trees beyond the walls of dirt.
And I knew now that these orcs attacked with bows from the trees and ambushed
people. But the people here had not witnessed that. I had told them, of course. But it
was hard to fathom. It wasn’t typical of orcs to fight like that. In any case, cutting down
the trees in the area would prevent them from shooting from the treetops. And I could
use the fallen trees to block the entrance. I had thought this through quite a bit.

I cut down the first large tree that caught my eye. Allowing some blue magic to flow
into Schwarz Tempest caused the blade of the great sword to be covered in a watery
layer. I had tried simulating this in my head with Jack of all Trades, Master of None
once, and knew that it would work. In short, it cut through the tree very easily. Like a
water jet cutter… It cut through almost anything, which in a way, could be a problem.
Besides, getting used to over-powered weapons was a good way to halt my personal
growth. It’s why I try not to use the ancient elven sword when possible. I wanted to be
able to make the most of methods and means that were immediately available. That
was my style.

Well, this occasion was an emergency. And so I had no objections! With that settled, I
think I’ll cut more trees now. I went around and cut down any trees that were close to
the walls. Of course, I make sure that they fall in the opposite direction of the wall. If I
accidentally broke the walls by knocking the trees on them… they would probably
strip me naked and roll me out of the gate for the orcs.

Now that I think of it, the orcs could also cut down the trees like that… Oh, well. I guess
I’ll have to cut down the trees over there as well. Ultimately, I could make a wagon out
of this tree and carry the logs with it. With the right tools, Mister Jack of all Trades,
Master of None can be a carpenter.

I try and pick up one of the fallen trees. But, it wouldn’t be lifted. As I stood there and
considered what to do, a few people who had heard me working came to see what I
was doing.

“Ahhh, what the… Silvergreen. What are you doing?”

“Oh, just in time! Help me carry this!”

“Huh…?”

The Adventurers looked puzzled, but I made them help me carry the logs. If we placed
them at the entrance, they would be a second defensive wall. Of course, they would be
destroyed eventually, but there would be a lot that we could do until then. The
Adventurers breathed heavily as I picked them up and jumped over the wall and back
into the camp one by one. Then I generated some water in the cups that were on a
table. I added a little ice to them and not a single person complained about it. Too easy.

Next up, Virgil. I had to find our leader. I was moving about quite freely and only
making reports after the fact, but this was an emergency, so he would likely
understand. It might be cause for frustration for him, but this was so we could survive
the fight. I try to justify it, but it’s not so easy. Adventurers of the guild were like
employees of a company. You were supposed to report, contact and discuss. It was an
important trick to living in a society. I reminded myself of this as I entered the tent.

“Virgil?”

“Ah, Asagi. I heard that you were doing something outside of the walls. I’m not fond of
freewheeling…”

“Sorry-sorry. Well, listen. The reason for it is…”

And so I gave a detailed account of everything that had happened and that what I had
done was a countermeasure.

“…So that’s why. To be honest, I thought it would be faster to do it alone, rather than
have everyone go out with axes. The logs were then used to block the entrance.”
“If that’s the case, I have no objections. But you should have still told me in advance…
that made me nervous.”

“Sorry about that. Also, I thought of a plan…”

“There’s more…”

Virgil did not seem enthusiastic about the rest of the report… well, suggestion. I kind
of felt bad for him now. Well, it was my fault.

“…So, what do you think?”

“Hmmm… I think we better call Daniela and talk about it.

Virgil said with a nod after considering it. If everything went well, the fight could
become a lot easier.

“The orcs will likely attack us at night. That’s what I would do if I were them.”

“I agree. They ambush from the top of trees after all. Attacking us while we’re sleeping
isn’t much of a stretch.”

“Aye. And we do not have much time. They might even surprise us and come right now.
We cannot let our guard down.”

“We’re counting on you, leader.”

“If you mean that, don’t give me cause to worry again…”

He said somewhat morosely. But this was just a one-time thing. I left the tent and went
towards Daniela and her team of magicians.

The magician team was drinking a herb tea that helped to minimize magic depletion
while also slowly recovering what was used. Now that I looked closely, they were all
women. It would be like a girls day out if there was a little cake.

“Daniela.”
“Ah, Asagi. What is it?”

Daniela put her cup of herb tea down and turned to face me.

“A war council. Virgil wants you to come over to the tent.”

“Hmm… very well. You go on ahead.”

“Got it.”

Daniela drained the rest of what was in her cup and walked over to the others who
were inspecting the walls. She probably had something to tell them. I might as well
move along… As I started to walk away, I sensed that there were eyes on me, and so I
turned around. The members of the tea party were staring at me. Somehow, I felt a
sense of animosity in their looks… What was it? Did I do something to them…

As I scratched my cheek in puzzlement, one of the girls, who I happened to lock eyes
with, started to come forward. I had a bad feeling about this.

“You. You are Silvergreen.”

“Yes. Uh, I’m called Asagi.”

“I do not care about your name! But it seems that you are together with Miss Daniela?”

What?

“Do not play stupid! You should separate immediately!”

“Exactly! She is better off staying with us!”

“It is most alarming to see the likes of you by her side!”

Ah, I get it. It was some form of jealousy.

“Say something!”

“Say that you will separate, instead of being silent!”

“I do not like his face!”

The girls were closing in on me in a less than friendly manner. In fact, their bullying
was hardly persuading me to break up with Daniela, but they didn’t seem like they
would listen… Well, then. There was only one thing to do.

“Ah, Daniela.”

“Huh, Miss Daniela? Where!?”

I pointed in the opposite direction of the wall that Daniela was standing nearby, but
all three of them turned to look anyway. Everything had gone according to plan. Now
it was time to step on the gas. I dashed out towards Virgil’s tent. Curses flew in my
direction, but I was too busy to acknowledge them. I would talk it out with them later
if I remembered.

“…That is the plan we are considering now. Do you think you can do it?”

“I have no problem with it. It will be easy with the help of the other magicians who can
use earth magic. However, it will impact the defense of the walls. I think I should do it
alone.”

“That seems like too much of a burden for you alone?”

“Nonsense. The other girls can be on the offensive.”

“Hmm… that might work then. Alright, you can tell the magicians that we will be going
with this strategy.”

“Understood.”

Inside the tent, Virgil laid out the plan to Daniela. It was something that Daniela and I
were no strangers to. And so I had expected her to alright with it, and I was right. This
should make the battle with the orcs go smoothly. I watched Daniela as she left the
tent. Then Virgil and I sat down and sighed.

“Now, we just wait for them to attack.”

“Indeed… Asagi, we must make it out alive. We must return.”

“You’re saying the most obvious thing. Of course, we will.”

He was clearly anxious about fighting orcs that seemed to have a different level of
intelligence than what he was accustomed to. I had fought two abnormally evolved
beings before and fought orcs as well. Including the orcs here. And so I was quite
confident in our prospects. If they would come at us with thoughtful strategies, then
we just had to come at them with superior plans and strength. We were humans…
Adventurers with intelligence and bravery, after all.

“Indeed… Very well. We will do this, Asagi!”

“Yes!”
Two moons illuminated the forest. When I looked up, I realized that one was missing.
This world had three moons. I wasn’t sure about the exact rotations, as they seemed
to increase and decrease. But there were two of them up in the sky now, and they were
not too bright. I wonder what time it was? It had been nearly five hours since the sun
went down, so it was likely around eleven.

I had finished the last battle council with Virgil, and the orcs had still not attacked us
yet. We thought that they must intend to attack us in our sleep, and so we set watchers
in place and separated the rest into those who would sleep and those who would stay
alert. It was clear now that this would be a night battle, and it would negatively affect
us if everyone stayed awake the whole time. By the way, I was part of the guarding
team. I’m sure I would get tired in the morning, but I could sleep once we had defeated
the orcs. Of course, if that didn’t happen, it would be an eternal sleep for me. In other
words, I would be fighting for the ability to sleep comfortably.

One hour passed since I was put on guard duty. It was now midnight. I was walking in
the trench made on top of the earthen walls. So far, there was nothing to see.

I had asked Daniela to make it so we could walk here. It allowed you to see outside
and use your bow. It would have been easy, had it been done in the beginning, but no
one had thought of it then. The wall was just seen as a line of protection. So I asked
Daniela to make this walkway all around the walls and then gave her a potion from my
belt as a reward.

“Ah, but this is the one that I bought.”

“Well, uh, enjoy it.”

“…”

It was a refreshing way to replenish your reserve of magic. Kind of like those drinks
that are a measure against hangovers. Daniela downed the bottle and then returned
to the girls’ tent in an annoyed mood. She was part of the team that would be resting.
There were several other Adventurers who were patrolling the dirt walls. I saw Gardo
among them and stared at him for a moment. Something was wrong. He was looking
at a single point in the distance and keeping still.

“Gardo, what is it?”

“…There. Those bushes. Something is there.”

“Really? Wait a second.”

I used my Night Eyes skill in the direction that Gardo nodded in. As I stare into the
darkness, my vision starts to become clearer. Beyond the bushes. There was…

“Gardo, it’s orcs!”

“I knew it!”

After this confirmation, Gardo sucked in deeply and then roared so that the entire
camp could hear him.

“Orcs!!”

At this, Adventurers, who had been sleeping, came rolling out of their tents. And those
who were on guard unsheathed their swords or readied their bows.

Of course, the orcs would have heard this alarm. The ones who had been peering over
the bushes pulled back immediately. And then several arrows flew out from the dark.
I frantically ducked behind the wall to avoid them.

“We could have taken them by surprise.”

Gardo scratched awkwardly at his chin after realizing his mistake.

“That might have worked, but we don’t know how many of them there are. What if we
ambushed them, only to be surrounded?”

“That’s true. So, Asagi. What’s the plan now?”

“We’ll attack them from above the wall. Thin their numbers down.”
“Understood!”

Well, that was really the job of the bowmen. As part of the team that would fight with
swords, our turn would come later. I jumped down from the wall just as the archers
began to loose their arrows. I could hear the cries of the orcs from outside. It seemed
to be going smoothly for now, and so I left them there and headed towards Virgil.

Virgil was holding two swords in his hands and barking out orders. I guess he was a
dual-wielder. Virgil noticed me and walked forward.

“It has started then.”

“Yeah. The archers are doing their job for now. How’s the entrance?”

“Aye, I wonder where they could have been watching us from. But they have come to
tear it down.”

The two of us walked to the entrance and climbed the wall in order to look down.
There were several orcs below, and they were using something like sledgehammers.
The wall shook with every loud hit, but it was too durable to break from that. But the
wood that was hit exploded into shards in the air.

I looked at this and grinned.

“If they only knew what hell lies after this wooden barrier.”

“Indeed… Well, there is no need to wait.”

Virgil sheathed his left sword and lined his forefinger and middle finger together. With
that, he made a slashing motion that started at his right shoulder and ended on his left
side. It was as if he were cutting an enemy in front of him. And at the same time, he
said the name of the spell.

“Aero Slicer!”

A light green-colored wind tore through the air when his voice rang. It flew straight
towards an orc’s arms, severing them both completely as if it were nothing.

“GGGHRAAGGGH!!”
An expression of anger covered the orc’s face as it writhed on the ground, attempting
to use its non-existent arms to stop the bleeding. It’s blue blood sprayed as it howled.
Yet, it’s comrades ignored him, as they continued to run towards the wooden wall with
their hammers.

“Wind magic? You can dual wield swords and also use magic. Impressive.”

“Hmm? Sarcasm, is it?”

“Never. I’m honestly impressed.”

I said. But Virgil’s mouth twisted and he snorted. I was just admiring his skill…

“Well, we might just make it if things continue like this. Perhaps they were just orcs
after all…”

“You shouldn’t let your guard down. These orcs are just fodder. Their seeing how we
react to them.”

“And yet our archers are making quick work of them. Replant’s Adventurers are
brilliant. An orc will die for every arrow we have.”

Virgil said as we watched the orcs moving in with their hammers. Indeed, there were
dead orcs with arrows in them lying all over the place. In one shot. The deadly arrows
caught their targets in the forehead. These were no ordinary archers…

“Those were done by the leader of the archery team, ‘Surefire.’ He never misses his
target.”

“And that’s why he’s called ‘Surefire,’ huh… It’s a simple alias, but to the point.”

“I doubt that there are many archers that can beat him. See there. That’s Surefire
Failnaught.”

—-

Virgil was pointing at a middle-aged man who carried a simple bow. The bow was in
his left hand, and with his right hand, he would nock, pull and release. But there were
four arrows in his right hand. Apparently, he was capable of shooting four arrows at
once. And they all found their targets. It was an inhuman feat.
With one shot, he could kill four orcs. With someone like that, I could believe that an
orc would die for every arrow.

“That’s almost horrifying…”

“Aye. It makes you wonder just how much time he spent honing his craft… Hmm?”

As we talked, I heard the sound of wood breaking. The orcs had destroyed one of the
logs that I had carried.

“Alright. It is almost Daniela’s turn.”

“I’ll call her.”

I said as I jumped off of the wall. I activated Legs of the Forest Wolf right before
landing, in order to soften the impact. Then I headed to where Daniela was. She was
giving out orders to the users of earth magic, who had taken their positions. This was
so they could strengthen the walls by regularly pouring magic into it. Daniela could
also use earth magic and would find any vulnerable spots quickly. I asked her if they
didn’t need her here, but she said it wasn’t a problem.

“They should be able to do it just fine if they can use earth magic. It is a basic thing.”

She said lightly. But it was likely wisdom of the old. While she may have been
overselling how capable they were, it seemed like it would be fine to take her away for
now. We wanted to use her as part of the plan for the front entrance.

“Daniela, it’s almost time.”

“Understood. Girls, I leave the rest to you!”

“Yes! Miss Daniela!”

Hmm, an almost cheerful reply. And yet, there appeared to be murderous glances
towards me that told a different story. It was honestly frightening. Well, let sleeping
dogs lie, as they say. I better get out of here. Daniela and I rushed to the entrance. When
we reached the top of the wall, Virgil looked at us and nodded.

“There you are. We are counting on you, Daniela.”

“Aye, this is nothing.”

Daniela looked down at the orcs. I looked down too and saw that another log had been
broken. They would be going over them and advancing soon. Of course, they would be
advancing into an abyss.

“GRAGHAA!!”

There was an orc in leather armor who was barking out orders as he pointed his club
towards the entrance. Then the orcs with the hammers pulled back as numerous orcs
started to rush out from the forest. These were naked and wielded clubs.

“They are really coming now! Daniela!”

“Leave it to me!”

Daniela put both of her hands on the earthen wall, the magic ran through. The orcs
who vaulted over the logs… did not land on the ground. Instead, they descended into
a deep hole that appeared under them

I had thought of this myself. I call it the ‘Oh, you thought you were going to attack?
Sorry, here’s an abyss!’ plan.

Daniela would create a deep hole with her earth magic and orcs would fall into it. As
most of her effort had gone into depth, the hole itself was not very wide, but the
moonlight was dark enough to hide it. This plan would have likely failed if all three
moons had shone in the sky tonight.

“Asagi, it worked! We can do this. We can!”

“Didn’t I say so?”

I said smugly as Virgil became excited. Daniela had used a lot of magic and looked
tired. But she quickly emptied a potion bottle that she pulled out. Oh? I didn’t think
we had any more.

“Hmm? Ah, the girls shared there’s with me. They insisted on it when I told them of
my part in the plan.”

“I see… They sure are nice to you.”

“To me, yes.”

Even Daniela had noticed that these magical girls had it out for me. I didn’t hate girl
on girl developments, but these girls seemed violent. They would probably knife me
one day.

As we stood there, more and more orcs disappeared into the dark hole. As they had to
vault over the logs, the other orcs could not see what was happening. And so they did
not realize that they were falling into a hole. Besides, there was not too much of a
difference between a death cry and a battle cry.

In other words, until the hole was full or was exposed, it was an automatic orc
disposer. Whoever thought of this was quite shrewd indeed. But who could it be?
Genius, no?

We were in a good mood about this plan’s success, and so we called other Adventurers
to watch over the hole as we moved away. This was we could check the other places
and give out orders. Virgil went to the main tent. Daniela returned to the magicians. I
went to the raid unit. From here, we would move outside of the wall and attack the
enemy. With the automatic disposer at the entrance and the rain of arrows, our swords
were the perfect thing to speed this process up. The only problem was how these orcs,
who were controlled by an abnormally evolved being, would move. And how much
they would move. It was going well now, but things were only getting started.
There were three logs placed by the entrance. They were very thick logs. Two of them
had been broken, and once the remains were removed, the invaders would be able to
climb over the last one. There was no need to destroy the last log. Of course, there was
a hole on the other side. That was the basis for this plan.

An hour had now passed since we started. It was now one thirty. If I were still working
at the convenient store, this would about the time that I finished my exercises in
preparation, and started to work.

I held my great sword and looked at the other Adventurers. Some wore light armor
and wielded one-handed swords. Some wore heavy armor and carried battle
hammers and great shields. There were even some who had small shields and short
spears. I was going to go out with these men and annihilate the orcs outside of our
fortress. Virgil would be leading this group. I was told to act on my own. I guess my
weapon was a little… Well, I did also carry the Glampanzer on my belt.

“All of you. This is where our work really begins. From here, we are going to go over
the wall and destroy those orcs. We don’t know how many there are. Furthermore,
they are being led by an abnormally evolved being. This is no ordinary orc. It is an orc
with great intelligence and the ability to plan.”

The Adventurers muttered to each other at Virgil’s words. They had plenty of
experience fighting orcs, but never with any orcs of this kind.

“But do not be afraid! We are Adventurers. We are skilled fighters, and Adventure City
is our home! Intelligence is nothing. We will break them with our power! Haven’t we
always been that way?”

He said, partly in jest, and the others laughed.

“Yes! That is right!”

“We are Adventurers!”

“Wealth and honor, with our own hands!”

They banged sword against shield, gauntlet against armor, and cheered. I too banged
on my sword with my gloved hand. To be honest, the rush of the moment was taking
over me.

Virgil looked up at the archers on top of the wall. One of them gave the signal that told
him that there were no orcs on the other side, and then he signaled to the magicians.
Amber colored magic began to flow. The walls began to twist with the flow of magic,
and then a vertical tear appeared, and the wall stretched open.

“Now, let us go! Let’s kill these cunning orcs!!”

“OOOOOOOOO!!”

With that battle cry, we began to run. There were no orcs on the other side of the wall.
But I knew, through Presence Detection, that there were numerous orcs inside of the
forest.

We had speculated that the orc settlement was past the forest. On the rocky side near
the center of the valley. In other words, they would come out in a swarm from that
direction. My weapon of choice was a greatsword. In that case, it’s true worth would
be shown in a clearing rather than amidst the trees. Well, a little magic in the sword
would make quick work of said trees, but I didn’t want to destroy the forest. We should
take care of nature, and all that.

Now that they realized that we had come out of the wall, the orcs began to come. And
unsurprisingly, they dwarfed us in numbers. However, these Adventurers were worth
more than a crowd of orcs. And every orc that encountered their swords founds their
lives snuffed out.

I looked for Virgil as I ran, all the while cutting down orcs in my path. It was partially
through observing Penrose, but I was no longer just swinging this great sword but
handling it with more skill. I found his arch swing particularly easy to do.

After killing five orcs, I caught sight of Virgil. His dual blades were beheading orcs left
and right.
“Virgil!”

“Asagi, what is it?”

“I’m going to kill the orcs in the forest. When their numbers thin out here, advance
with the others!”

“Understood! However, I am not letting you go in there alone. I’m sending a few men
with you. They should be able to help without getting in the way!”

“Yes, thank you!”

Virgil nodded, and so I was able to leave without any unfinished business. Now, it was
best to hurry. I would fight with such a fervor, as if I meant to kill them all before my
backup could reach me.

I started to run towards the forest, green and silver wind wrapped around my legs.
Three orcs stood in front, trying to block my path, but it was no problem. I ran even
faster, then I spun around, allowing the gravitational pull to carry my sword through
them as I passed between. Their bodies split into halves. Then I turned again to kill off
the rest of my momentum, and then jump into the air. Some of the Adventurers must
have been watching because I could hear them cheering. With their words at my back,
I continued to move towards the forest.

Using Presence Detection downward was just as difficult as using it upward. I could
not do it. However, I didn’t need to. With Night Eyes, I could see the movements of the
orcs from between the trees. There were quite a lot of them, but I didn’t think I would
have too much trouble. Thankfully, Surefire was with me. His arrows would find paths
between the trees and catch their targets.

There were orcs both in and out of the forest. The further I went, the trees began to
thin, and the orcs became more visible. Eventually, there were no trees, and I could
see them fully. This was my battlefield. I drained a potion from my belt before the fight.
My magic was replenished and I was prepared. The orcs below me still hadn’t seen
me. That meant I could ambush them from this position.

I bring up a screen in my head through Jack of all Trades, Master of None. I was going
to simulate the magic attack that I planned to do. It helped me visualize it. It told me
how much magic I would need to activate it. While it was a visual feed, the information
was broadcast to my brain, and my body understood it. And then I would be able to
use the magic, just like the version of me on the screen did.

I gather the moisture in the air. Not just the moisture, but the mana as well. And with
it, I create numerous Ice Arrows. Of course, they were directed downward.

This was magic and it was a skill. A skill that used Ice Arrows. I decided to name it.
And I had hopes that even Daniela would not make fun of this name. Not much thought
went into it, but surely she would be satisfied.

“I will call you, Icicle Rain.”

As the name implied, these arrows would fall like rain. The rain of ice arrows now fell.
The countless arrows came down over the heads of the orcs, and the scene below me
was pandemonium. I was almost scared of what I had done. Not a single orc that was
within range of my arrows was safe. With my greatsword in hand, I landed on the
ground and plunged the sword into the back of an orc who had survived.

Of course, this was not all of them. There were many more. The orcs that were alive
were glaring at me and howling. There were a few orcs who appeared to be leaders.
They swung swords instead of clubs as they roared at the others to attack. The leader
orcs were not green in color, but blue. No, a pale, ash-like color. Perhaps they were
usually a more vibrant blue, but the battlefield was full of dust.

The green soldiers followed their orders and came rushing towards me, but they sunk
to the ground as corpses with every swing of my sword. They came from behind as
well, but in most cases, my sword split them open without our weapons clanging
against each other even once.

“Hahh!”

I cut down orcs, and whenever there was an attack that I felt like I wouldn’t be able to
dodge, I created an Ice Shield to block it. After that, I executed a good shield bash and
then attacked while they were stunned.

Their numbers had gone down a little now. The corpses that lay at my feet were
hindering me. I used Legs of the Forest Wolf to step on air, ignoring the terrain as I
moved forward. All the while cutting the orcs that I passed and decreasing their count.
The orcs could not follow my speed and so their attacks never had a chance of landing.

Still, no matter how many I killed, they seemed to keep coming. I didn’t know how
many there were, but I felt that I must have killed two hundred alone. Finally, one of
the orc leaders seemed to have lost his patience, as he stopped barking out orders and
rushed towards me with his sword. The sword was visibly old and in terrible shape. It
seemed like it would be better used for clobbering than cutting. However, it never had
a chance to do either, as his arm and head went flying in the air.

The blue blood sprayed out from the blue body, and I remembered just how warm it
was as it splattered on my cheek. Things were getting loud behind me. It was probably
the men that Virgil had sent. I used Presence Detection… there were six of them. So
that was seven including me. Perhaps we could take on the settlement with these
numbers.

Even after killing an orc leader, there did not seem to be much difference; much chaos.
After all, they had been doing little but advancing, to begin with. And I was here to
prevent that. And while I had brought their numbers down a little, there were still
many more. We would be able to kill much faster as a group of seven. This would be
the climax of this moonlit battle.
“Hey, hey. Have we arrived too late?”

A somewhat rough looking, slender man was walking as he dragged an orc corpse and
glared.

He had the look of a sadistic thug.

“This is… astounding.”

This was muttered by a woman with white hair. She reminded me of a school prefect.

“Damn it. I rushed here by Virgil’s orders. And for nothing!”

Said a girl who carried a large axe.

“Indeed, it seems like we might as well have not come… Surely he can deal with it
alone…? What a waste of time…”

Said a sharp-tongued woman as she sighed. She was the gothic lolita type.

“…”

And there was a large man who remained silent. He seemed like the kind of brute who
would rather fight with his fists.

The last person in the group was a handsome woman. Daniela.

They were the group that Virgil had sent. I thanked them for coming all this way before
saying:

“Well, aren’t you a colorful group of characters!”

Of course, I didn’t include Daniela in that observation.

 2

I had assumed that things would move much more quickly with these six additions,
but that wasn’t really the case. They orcs had struggled enough when I was their only
enemy, and now there were more of us. The orcs started to retreat when they saw this,
and we had to chase them as they frantically fled to the other side of the valley. The
orcs had prepared a new bridge by bringing several logs. This time it was much wider,
and it was evident that it was prepared so that they could attack in much larger
numbers than before.

“So, what should we do?”

Elena, the prefect-like girl, asked me. Well, I assumed she was, as she was looking
towards me. But I didn’t have any authority here. It was Virgil who made decisions.

“Why are you asking him? It is Virgil who decides. Are you stupid?”

I was happy to have someone come in with the same opinion that I had, however, I did
wonder if she couldn’t speak a little less venomously. Of course, I was talking about
Beatrice, who was the gothic lolita one. She was currently twirling a black parasol over
her head. It was a moonlit night.

“Well, let’s return then. Come on, Drake.”

The sadistic thug, also known as Dante, was silently obeyed by the large man called
Drake.

Having so many newcomers at once made it difficult to keep track of things… But I
suppose it didn’t matter, as long as I knew Daniela. Yes. That’s it. Daniela was
everything.

“Perhaps we should just confirm the direction that they headed in.”

Charlotte, the girl with the battle axe, said as she stretched her neck to gaze at the
other side of the valley. Then we all made our way back. Though, I too memorized the
location.

After that, I took the rear as we walked through the forest. There were dead orcs
everywhere. Cut, shredded, gouged, burned, buried, mangled… It was the kind of sight
that I could only describe as a kind of hell. If this was their work, I might as well just
hide in Daniela’s shadow like a cat and wait for this battle to be over. It was quite
frightening.

“Hey, Asagi. You seemed quite capable on your own?”

Charlotte said to me, as she walked backward.

“Well, yes. Ultimately I was fine being alone. But I was glad that you all came.”

“Hah! You flatter us. But I don’t doubt your intentions. He’s a good one!”

She pointed a finger at me. I bowed slightly in thanks to her approval.

“But perhaps you could have told us in advance? I had wished to stay within the fort,
but was forced to come out here. I would not have wanted to fight these filthy orcs.”

“Then why are you here at all? Wasn’t it to participate in this orc hunting quest?”

Elena heard Beatrice’s complaint and did not ignore it. She really was the prefect-type.
She must hate things that she didn’t consider proper… But really, this had nothing to
me. And so I silently wished them luck and talked only to Daniela.

—-

“Daniela, are you sure that you should have left your magician group?”

“Aye, it is fine. I put a very capable person there in my place.”

“I see. Well, they must be doing well to be able to spare you.”

“Yes… I hope so…”

Even if she said it was alright, there seemed to be a little anxiety. She was even walking
a little fast.

As the forest grew thicker, we got closer to the fort. The number of orc corpses also
grew, and we could see how savage the fighting had been here as well.

There were several light-armored Adventurers cautiously moving in the area. Either
they were searching for survivors or they were scouting. I waved a hand at them and
they waved tired hands back.

It was bittersweet, but we were happy to see that they were alright.

Shortly after, the walls of the fort came into view. There were now thorns poking out
from the walls. Strange. I would die if I fell on one of them.

“Hmm… it must be the work of one of the users of earth magic. It will be harder to
attack the walls now. You won’t remain unharmed if you got close.”

“Ah, yes. It’s very intimidating to look at, but there is a logical utility as well.”

Well, they were rather extreme. These worshippers of Daniela. These methods revealed
much about their personalities.

The entrance of the fort had two piles of orc corpses in front of it, almost as if a
bulldozer had driven through the snow. We passed the bodies and entered the fort in
order to rest. Those who saw us return waved to us happily. It was a bit like a
triumphant return, and I felt quite good about it.

And it was with such feelings that I headed for Virgil’s tent, when an Adventurer ran
up to me. It was Lauria, my first ever fan.

“Asagi, welcome back!”

“Ah, thanks. I see you’re also safe.”

Lauria laughed happily. A good girl.

“Oh, but you are drenched in blood again! Cleaning!”

Her magic cleansed me of the orc blood that was soaked in my hair and clothing. It
really was impressive… Beatrice and Charlotte, who were walking with me, also
widened their eyes in amazement.

“Thanks, Lauria. You’ve saved me again.”

“Oh, this is nothing. But more importantly, Virgil’s been searching for you. He’s in the
tent with Angelica.”
With Angelica. That meant the search was to begin.

“Got it. I’ll go at once. Thanks.”

“I-I’m just delivering the message! See you!”

She said quickly and then ran back to her tent. An upright person. Perhaps having fans
like that would help improve my bad reputation.

“Ohh… that was amazing. That magic.”

“It was… But she could have helped us too…”

My companions were still filthy. They looked at me a little reproachfully, but it was
hardly my own fault. Now, to see Virgil… But first…

“Thank you for coming. I hope that we can fight together again.”

I said. I had not been able to see too much, but they were all brilliant. Very skilled.

Elena’s abilities with the sword were so advanced, that some of her victims continued
to run for a bit before falling apart. Beatrice fought with a spear, not her parasol, and
pierced the hearts of orcs with precision. Not much needed to be said of Charlotte’s
axe. But there were no orcs who could successfully avoid those heavy blows.

The Dante and Drake pair was also frightening to watch… the slicing, shredding,
choking and bashing… They must have been fun playmates as children.

“Hmph. We were the most unnecessary reinforcements. But, well, I enjoyed it.”

“Yes. He was just as the rumors said.”

“You do not get called Silvergreen for nothing. I am quite jealous.”

They said. And I suppose it meant that we were on generally good terms now. Well,
maybe not with Beatrice.

“I am going back to the magician group. I will see you later.”

“Yeah. Thanks, Daniela.”

“It was nothing. I belong in the place that you happen to be in. I was only returning.”

She said, then turned away. Ah, she really was so cool… Alright, I would have to
continue to work so that I wasn’t an embarrassment as her partner.

I said farewell to the other three and headed for Virgil’s tent.
I entered the tent and saw that Virgil and Angelica were there.

“You came. I am sure that you are quite tired from that raid, and I apologize, but let me
just talk about the direction we will be going in.”

“I don’t mind. I guess, judging by the fact that Angelica is here, that we are going to go
search for their settlement?”

“Ah, yes. Well, things have been going so well up until now, that we could hardly do
anything else.”

The fortress had not fallen and seven of the strongest Adventurers, including myself,
had been let loose in the forest. The orcs were annihilated there, and the others were
driven back. So many orcs had fled. There should be a very visible path leading straight
to their base.

“To be perfectly honest, I hardly believe that there is a need for me to go along with
the search. These orcs are practically paving a road for us.”

Angelica said with a sigh. It was true. We had forced them to retreat with our inferior
numbers. Of course, this could also cause us to let our guard down.

“There could be traps. I think we should search for it carefully. If we aren’t careful, they
may retaliate in an unexpected and most painful way.”

“Well, you needn’t worry about that. ‘Tighten the strings of your helmet after winning.’
Those were the words of a Hero who lived long ago.”

So someone from Japan had been summoned a long time ago… It was interesting, but
not something to discuss now. We needed to focus on eliminating the orcs.

“And so Angelica, I want your valley team to search for the settlement. Asagi, you and
the others can rest.”
“Understood.”

“Yes, certainly.”

Ahh, I can finally relax. I had killed quite a lot of orcs and was honestly exhausted. I
would not be surprised if I gained a level. I will even allow my hopes to get high.

“Hmm… Very interested.”

I entered one of the resting tents and lay down before taking the status card out of my
pocket. I didn’t think I would be able to sleep until I saw it.

“Status open.”

I said the usual words and my current status was displayed.

◇◇◇◇

Name: Asagi Kamiyashiro

Race: Human

Job: Adventurer(Rank: C)

Alias: Silvergreen

LV: 69

HP: 621/673

MP: 581/640

STR: 340 VIT: 336

AGI: 724 DEX: 361

INT: 334 LUK: 30

Skills: ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’, Legs of the Forest Wolf, Single-handed Sword
(7/10), Short sword(6/10), Spear(2/10), Archer(2/10), Greatsword(5/10), Presence
Detection(6/10), Nighteyes(5/10)

Magic: Ice(8/10), Water(7/10), Fire(2/10)

Quest: Investigating the Southern Valley

Party: Daniela Villesilf

Equipment: Armor

Head: none

Torso: Ice Dragon Light Armor

Arms: Ice Dragon Gauntlets

Legs: Ice Dragon Leg Guards

Feet: Accel Panther Boots

Weapons: Glampanzer

– Ashikirimaru

– Schwarz Tempest

Clothes: Wind Dragon Poncho

– Wind Dragon Waist Mantle

– Wind Dragon Trousers

Accessories: None

◇◇◇◇

“Not a dramatic difference…”

Up until now, it felt like the numbers were bumped up greatly every time I checked,
but progress was slower this time. I guess gaining a lot of experience from enemies of
lower ranks did not result in gaining levels. Daniela had also said that the pace in
which you gain levels drops significantly at a certain point… Thinking of it like that,
maybe it’s impressive that I gained 4 levels.

On close inspection, I see that Greatsword and Nighteyes have improved. I’ve used
them both quite a lot… It would be horrible if they hadn’t. I think I might try my hand
at the shortsword once I feel really confident with my skills with the greatsword…
Well, that wouldn’t be for a while.

I’m not sure if it was the relief of knowing what my status was or if it was pure
exhaustion, but I quickly fell asleep after that. It was with a short prayer that the orcs
would not attack us again, that I allowed my consciousness to drift away.

Well, where should I begin? I am currently in the orc settlement. There is an orc in
front of me. An abnormally evolved being. He calls himself the King of Orcs. His name
is Arthur. He is inside of an underground prison cell that is located in a passage that
connects the settlement to the valley depths.

“Help me! Release me from this place!”

Explaining the encounter with this suspicious person would require me to go back. I
should start at the point where we Adventurers left our fortress and headed for the
orc settlement.

Let me go back to what happened this morning.

My awareness grew sharper as the sounds of rustling entered my ears. It was with
some effort that my heavy eyelids opened so that I could search for the culprit. What
entered my vision was a face that poked through the curtain flaps to look at my face.

“Ahh…?!”

“…Who… is it?”

I rubbed at my eyes and squinted. Then I recognized her. It was Lauria.

“Lauria…?”

“Ahh, um… uh…”

There was something clearly suspicious about this. I yawned and looked around me.
It was bright outside of the tent. There had been several others sleeping here when I
had entered it… but they were gone now. That meant that I had been the last one
sleeping, and Lauria had come to wake me… I think?

“So you came to wake me… hhhh… thank you.”

“Uh, oh, yes! Good morning!”

“…So. What were you attempting to do while I was asleep?”

“Hmm?!”

She had no need to act like this if she were only going to wake me up. And she had
been very close to my face when I first opened my eyes. I am not that thick-headed…
and there could be no misunderstandings between us. I had to make her say it herself.
But this wasn’t fun for me.

“So?”

“No, I… you wouldn’t wake up, so…”

“Yes?”

“Uh… I… I’m sorry… please forgive me…”

“No, no, no. I don’t even know what to forgive. Unless you tell me. How should I know
how to feel if I don’t know what it was? Come now, you can say it. Can’t you?”

Lauria’s ears had turned bright red, and she was breathing heavily. I was wondering
who of us would be asking for forgiveness in the end.

“Hey, you stupid idiot. Come on out.”

“Morning, Daniela.”
Tsk. We weren’t quite finished, but there was no helping it now that Daniela was here.

“Oomph… Lauria? How long are you going to stand there? Let us go.”

“Oh… I hate you, Asagi…”

Lauria was bright red as she followed after us. Daniela poked me in the head as we
walked towards the center of our fortress. Many Adventurers had gathered there.

“So, did they find it?”

“Aye. Angelica and the others have just returned. They brought you a little present.”

“A present?”

I turned around with much interest at this. Daniela laughed mischievously.

“You will understand when you see it.”

“Oh?”

I tried to imagine what it could be as we made our way through the group of Adventurers.
I was sure that Virgil and the valley team would be lined up and talking about our
plans.

“…And so, we will now head for their settlement!”

It was Virgil’s voice.

“The only thing left for us to do is to annihilate them! Do not let your guard down!”

I saw them just as Angelica’s voice rang in my ears. As I thought, Virgil and Angelica
were there along with Olive and Oregano. And next to them…

“Ness!”

Ness, whose location had been unknown up until now, was standing there with folded
arms. The bastard was alive!

“Asagi. Sorry to have you worry.”

“Damn it. I was so worried that you were dead!”

“Hehe. Says the man who was sleeping all this time!”

Hmph. I couldn’t retaliate. But I was tired, and clearly not to blame!

The rest of the Adventurers were all split into units. As the only survivor of the surface
team, Ness was put with light armor unit. As we moved, I asked him what he had been
doing.

“So? What trick did you use to make it out alive?”

“One thing I will say, is that my luck was tremendous.”

After finding the tracks, Ness and the others had been ambushed. They had barely
been able to realize it was coming, but could not react in time. The team was crushed
and scattered. Ness had been lucky enough to escape without being chased and he had
cautiously continued the search. Along the way, he had found another Adventurer who
was running from the orcs. This was the other man that I had failed to find. According
to Ness, the orcs killed this man.

Ness had realized that he could not fight so many orcs, and he continued to run. He
went northward as if running away from the end of the valley, which was where we
had speculated the settlement would be. And what he ended up finding, was a village
surrounded in trees. It was the orc settlement that we had been searching for.

“I was running away from the orcs so desperately. I never would have thought that I
would end up bumping into their home. I thought I was going to die then.”

However, once again, luck was on his side, and the scouts of the valley team found him.
They had both been using Presence Detection and located each other. Who knows
what would have happened if he were an ordinary Adventurer. It was really a matter
of timing as well. Had he been any earlier or later… Ness would likely have been killed
by the orcs.

After finding Ness, the valley team confirmed that it was the orc settlement, and then
quickly retreated.

“So like I said, I was very lucky. Though it pains me that the others in my team were
not…”
“It’s more my fault than anyone’s.”

I thought back on those three men.

“I heard. But Asagi, that was too much for you to do. Even Gardo would not have been
able to carry three men.”

“Maybe… But for a moment, I was saving them. I can’t help but have regrets, you
know?”

Then Ness looked straight at me and said:

“Asagi, I’m not telling you to forget it. But see it as it is. You don’t have to repress your
emotions. But be realistic. If you don’t, it will eat away at you. You won’t survive that.
I’ve seen it happen to other men. I know. One day, you will allow it to kill you.”

“…I… I’ve killed men before arriving in Replant. They were bandits who were attacking
a carriage. It was my first time. I cut off their leader’s head. I felt quite depressed after
that, but my killing of them resulted in a girl being saved. Seeing her live… it… I think
that it saved me.”

I had held Marie Elle to my chest and said ‘thank you’ over and over again. Within
those words was a feeling of gratitude for saving me from the pit of guilt.

“I feel like I have been thinking about life and death a lot more since then. I know that
killing is often necessary. But I don’t think I’ve come to terms with the failure to save
lives yet.”

“That’s it. That is what you must overcome Asagi, if you want to continue to live.”

“Yeah, I know. And I will overcome it. Well, I just think it’s going to take a while.”

Death in my heart. It was something I would live with. Not just the Adventurers. The
bandits as well.

“Thank you, Ness. I’m really glad that you’re alive.”

“Save it. I’m alive for my own sake. Not for you!”

He said as he slapped me on the back. Ness too had survived with the death of his
companions on his mind. But he had the greatest smile.
And like that, through the efforts of Ness and Angelica’s valley team, we of the orc
extermination group were able to set out for the orc settlement. Of course, it was
towards the center of the valley. We had wrongly assumed it was towards the end of
it, and this discovery was made with more than a little sacrifice made.

Virgil moved in the front as we made out way through the forest. There were still orc
corpses lying around. The sharp stench of blood was in the air. Eventually, it would all
return into the earth and disappear into the current of the dragon vein. But for now, it
remained a scene from hell.

However, the sight that awaited us outside of the forest was even worse. Of course, it
was the aftermath of our battle.

“Ahhh, it is so much worse under the light of the sun.”

“Worse. That is an understatement…”

It was my own reaction to seeing the remains of what I left behind. But Virgil now
looked at me as if I was something to be feared. A little rude, to be honest. I didn’t do
it all on my own. Maybe about eighty percent.

Passed the scene of carnage was the valley and the bridge made of several logs. It was
all very visible during the day. The orcs had attacked us by crossing here. They likely
hadn’t used something so eye-catching up until now, as they only needed scouts to
cross it. That way, they only needed one log.

It was all orc territory once we crossed this bridge. Angelica and the others seemed to
grow more cautious as we moved closer. In fact, we were attacked by orcs a few times
while coming here. But it was a very hopeless battle for them, as we were well
prepared. And we killed them without a single casualty or injury. If this was all a trick
by the orcs to make us underestimate them, it was working very well. But in any case,
we did not suffer any significant counterattacks until we reached the settlement.
“So this is the orc…”

The place was surrounded in a wall that had numerous sharpened logs jutting out of
it. There was even a huge gate. If they had constructed this based on the orders of the
abnormally evolved being alone, then it was incredibly impressive. But something was
strange about all of it.

“Is it not too quiet here?”

Daniela muttered to no one in particular as she used Presence Detection. At the same
time, Angelica peeked inside through a crack in the gate.

“…There is no one here. I cannot sense anyone through Presence Detection.”

“So the orcs have left?”

Virgil glared at the wooden walls and seemed to be deep in thought.

“Well, we might as well go and see.”

Gardo said. He was walking behind me with Ness. He was right. We wouldn’t know
anything until we went inside and checked. Virgil thought about it and agreed that
there was nothing else we could do. He turned around and gave the order.

“We will infiltrate the settlement now. We do not know what may be waiting for us, so
be careful.”

The Adventurers all nodded.

First, Angelica went inside through a gap in the gate. Next was Lauria, Olive, Oregano,
and Ness. After a few minutes, the gate opened from the inside. Then the rest of us
entered, weapons in hand. I was expecting to fight in this settlement, and so this time
I had left my great sword in the hollow bag. I intended to dual wield the armored
demon sword and the Ashikirimaru.

There were rows of wooden houses inside of the settlement. It was a small village of
sorts. On closer inspection, the houses were all very finely built. I had expected shacks
that were practically wooden boxes with a board on top as a roof…

“This… is. Is this really the work of orcs…?”

Virgil said in disbelief. The others were also at a loss for words by what they were
seeing. While we moved, I used Presence Detection to scan the houses around us.
However, there was nothing to be detected in any of the houses. Angelica and her team
tried entering each one and checking, but they found nothing. Though she did say that
they appeared to be turned over. But it was hard to understand what had happened.

“Everyone, listen to me.”

Virgil turned to look at us.

“We will all help search, not just the valley team. But there is still a chance that we
might be ambushed. So I want you to separate into teams and start searching!”

Human wave tactics, I suppose. Still, what a horrible thing for Virgil to say. ‘Now, team
up with a buddy.’ That was what he was saying basically. You know, that’s how the
loner dies.

Well, it’s not a problem for me. Because I have Daniela.

“Hey, Dani-”

“Now, Miss Daniela, let us go!”

“Indeed! Let us hunt these orcs together!”

“…Huh?”

“Ah… girls, there is no need to pull. Alright, alright…”

Uhhhh… Daniela is… Daniela is…

“…Huh?”

I looked around me frantically. Gardo… has left with Ness. Lauria is with Angelica…
Olive is with Oregano. Virgil… is gone somewhere. The group of six have split up and
vanished. And the rest of the spirited Adventurers have scattered.

No way…

Right then, something slapped my shoulder as I stood there in despair. Oh, so god was
being merciful…! I turned around to see one of the magician girls standing there. Ahh,
did she mean to pair up with me as I could not be with Daniela?… What a nice person…

“Hey. I’m all alone.”

“…”

That’s all I said. And the girl went running away.

With that finishing blow, all I could do was weep silently.

It only took me three minutes to switch gears and then step out of the settlement. Hey,
I was all alone during my night shift too. Of course, that did end in me being stabbed
to death by a thief, but I had the ability to fight back now. History would not repeat
itself. And so I began to search on my own. If the others would search inside of the orc
settlement, I would see what I could find outside of it. And so I started to walk around
the wall. No, it had nothing to do with not wanting to be seen all alone. I didn’t come
out here to wipe away tears or anything.

“Daniela… She really is terrible for betraying me like this…”

There was a very petty man there. He was not the most charitable man and felt bitter
against the girlfriend who abandoned him for a lesbian harem. But thinking about that
started to make him feel more pathetic and sad. He really was a wretched man. Yes, I
mean me.

“Uhhh… hmph… Hmm?”

I looked down at the ground then and saw a footprint. On further inspection, it wasn’t
a single footprint, as there were many in the area.

“No way…”

Was this a coincidence…? How had so many footprints gone unnoticed?

I found out quickly enough. Because the footprints led right into the wall. There was
some trick here. The wall hovered slightly above the ground. It moved a little when I
pushed it. And then it opened when pushed hard.
“A hidden door… are we in a ninja house now…?”

After the battle, the orcs who were in the settlement had fled from here during the
night. Such a sudden change could only have been by the order of the abnormally
evolved being.

This time I followed the footprints away from the wall. There was dirt, grass and a few
trees in the area… This location looked somehow familiar.

“…I knew it.”

It was just like when that village had been attacked. There was a hole that had been
craftily hidden. Of course, the footprints had kind of ruined it, but you wouldn’t be able
to tell from far away.

But seeing the hole now, a certain question entered my head. There had been so many
orcs… And not a lot of time. Would they really have been able to hide in there?

I turned back and retraced my steps. No matter how I looked at it, there were clearly
fewer footprints than there should be. If that many orcs passed through here, then the
grass would have probably been a lot more disturbed than it was. It was all too strange.
I would have to go back and call Daniela. But then again, I did not want to meet her
friends… Ah, I’m getting emotional again. Oh, the pain.

“…What to do…”

“Hm? You are not going to go then?”

“Whaaaa?!”

I turned around in surprise and saw that Daniela was standing there.

“Huh? Huh? What? Why?”

“Why? Why what?”

I wish she wouldn’t look at me as if she were staring at some idiot…

“Oh, I just thought you had abandoned me and were now working on a harem.”
“What are you saying? You really are a stupid idiot, eh?”

Apparently, while Daniela had been pulled away at the moment, she realized that she
wouldn’t be getting very far with girls stuck on to her like that, and so she had left and
searched for me with Presence Detection. I was hardly abandoned.

“Damn it… I really cannot leave you alone.”

“Uhh. Daniela… I love you.”

“Come now. Stupid idiot.”

Now that we had safely reunited, we made our way towards the hole, having
absolutely no idea of the unbelievable thing that waited for us within.
Daniela and I continued down the slope. Surprisingly, there were steps, which we
slowly and cautiously made our way down.

“Asagi, have you noticed it?”

“Hm? Ah, of course.”

“…Are you sure?”

Not at all.

“Hahhh… Listen, these stairs we are descending now. They are moving away from the
cliffside.”

“So that means… this doesn’t connect to the valley floor?”

“Yes, it does not.”

So what was this hole made for… Well, I guess we were trying to find that out.

After we had gone down for quite a bit, the path became level. It really didn’t connect
to the valley. Not only that but there were magic lanterns installed at equal intervals.
I had no idea what to expect, but Daniela’s mind seemed to be swimming with
possibilities as she muttered, ‘no… but… however… ’ As she was somewhat
preoccupied, I was staying on the alert for her. But my scouting abilities were not as
good as hers, and I was a little worried.

After we had walked for about ten minutes, the path split into two. The path on the
right went further in. The one on the left was another staircase that would take us
downward. However, it too was in the opposite direction of the cliffs.

“Which one should choose?”

“…The left.”

“Based on what?”

“My intuition.”

Daniela’s intuition. I trusted it. I had unprecedented trust in Daniela in general, so if

she said it was her intuition, then I would believe her. Of course, I did have a tight grip
on my sword hilt as we advanced. If something happened, I was the only one who
would be able to protect her. Though, who knew if it would be necessary.

Twenty minutes passed since we went down the stairs. The stairs were wet from an
underground spring or something, and we had to walk slowly to avoid slipping. That’s
why it had taken so long. It would have probably not taken us half as long if we had
walked normally. But we didn’t want to risk slipping and rolling down some stairs that
seemed to go on forever.

When we reached the bottom, there was another path. It was just as I was thinking
about how long it was, that things suddenly changed.

“Is… someone there…?”

It was a man’s voice. I looked at Daniela and advanced, swords in hand. We both used
Presence Detection and caught it at the same time. It was strange. Like it had appeared
out of nowhere. Was it a kind of presence that is suddenly detected at a specific
distance?

“There are such magic tools. They are used to fool people.”

That was interesting. I’m sure it could be used for all sorts of things. If you wanted to
hide from someone or hide someone from others. Which was it this time…? We stood
there for a moment before it became apparent.

“Hu-mans…?”

It was a cell. The rock had been carved away and strong iron bars were set in them. On
closer inspection, each iron bar had magic flowing in them. Perhaps this was what
Daniela was talking about. And the person who was held inside of the cell was…

“An orc…?”
Yes, an orc. However, he was not just any orc. This one had pale skin and was able to
talk in the human language.

“Help me! Get me out of here!”

“No, no, no, no. I’m not that stupid.”

“Please. There is no time!”

The orc pleaded as he came close enough to touch the bars. I had to think about this
one.

“Daniela. What do you think?”

“…From our own experiences, I think it is evident that he is the abnormally evolved
being.”

They tended to be able to talk and were highly intelligent.

“But if that’s the case, why is he in there?”

“I do not know… Perhaps he was betrayed by the others.”

The pale orc reacted to this.

“Yes, that is it. I was betrayed… by him! Him!”

Bam! He slammed a fist into the ground as his face twisted with anger.

“You must let me out of here so that I can kill him and free the others…”

“I see that you’re desperate, but I don’t understand the situation. Do you mind telling
us?”

Thinking about it wasn’t helping. I didn’t intend on believing everything he said, but
we would surely find something out by listening to him.

“…Of course. Yes, you would not know what to do if you don’t understand. Very well.
Allow me to introduce myself. I am the king of the orcs. My name is Arthur.”
“King Arthur…”

We weren’t off to a great start… was he going to tell me that he pulled the sword from
the stone next…

—-

“I am different from the other orcs, somehow smarter. From the moment that I was
born, I knew that I was not the same as other living creatures. Or perhaps I should say
that I was told.”

“Who told you?”

“I do not know. It was like an instinct. I am sorry, I cannot explain it well.”

It was as if intelligence in abnormally evolved beings was a gift of some sort.

“I was raised among orcs, even though, deep within, I was different. And one day I
realized it. How harsh and violent this world was.”

Arthur muttered quietly as he stared at the ground and made a fist.

“One day, the village I lived in was attacked… the Adventurers had come.”

Arthur didn’t look up as he continued.

“Everyone was killed. It didn’t matter if they were women or children. The small house
we had all worked so hard to build was overturned and burned down. These
Adventurers had the most twisted of smiles as they went around killing everyone.”

Arthur talked slowly and painfully and now raised his face. But there was no hatred
or similar emotion that I could detect on his face.

“But I knew it. This was the way of the natural world. Orcs. Monsters. Such creatures
are meant to be killed by humans.”

“And so you created this settlement and attacked the village?”

“No, that is wrong. I wanted to develop this place and create an environment where
we could be independent. We would be orcs who did not attack humans. I wanted to
change the way that we lived. And perhaps, one day. We would be accepted as our own
country.”

This orc too? Was it the way of things for abnormally evolved beings to want a
country? A place where they could live in peace without anyone bothering them.

“I have met someone like you before. A monster with the intelligence of a human. He
also wanted to build his own country.”

Daniela said. Of course, she was talking about the Assault Kobold.

“However, he meant to use military power to destroy humanity and then build his
county. Are you any different?”

“…I am sure he did want to build a country too, but I am different. I did not plan on
doing this for myself. I only wanted a place where we could live happily. I had no
intention of harming any humans!”

“And yet, an entire village was wiped out.”

Yes. There were victims in all of this. By the hands of the orcs.

“No… no… damn it. I was too late then…”

Bam! Arthur’s fist came down on the ground again.

“It must have been him then… the orc who betrayed me… Mordred!”

Mordred… who betrayed Arthur…

“It was Mordred who imprisoned me here. It was over two weeks ago.”

“The village was attacked after that, yes.”

“I am so sorry… There is no excuse… those people…”

Arthur scraped his head on the ground and apologized.

“But you have not done anything? Then there is no need to apologize.”
“But… I am responsible… as their king.”

“Then you can atone for it from here on out.”

I thought that was the best thing to do. Daniela looked at me and gave a slightly
exasperated smile.

I don’t know. But meeting with Beowulf and knowing that there were good monsters
had changed my perspective. I could never find myself becoming an enemy of
someone so sincere. Well, I would definitely be killing this Mordred, but not Arthur.

“Should I really be spared… Is it really the right thing to live as an orc who does not
attack humans?”

“Yeah, why not? I’m quite fond of the idea.”

“…What is your name?”

There were tears in Arthur’s eyes as he stared at me.

“I’m Asagi. Asagi Kamiyashiro.”

“I am Daniela. Daniela Villesilf.”

“Thank you… thank you. Asagi. Daniela. I have a request for both of you. Will you hear
it?”

Daniela and I looked at each other and smiled.

“Yeah, sure.”

“Let us hear it.”

“Thank you… thank you. Please!”

Arthur stood up and said,

“Help me! Get me out of here!”

Daniela and I tore through the bars with our swords. My hands felt a little numb after
it, but it wasn’t too hard.

“Good. Now I will take back my country.”

“Let’s go then, Arthur.”

King Arthur killed Mordred but was then killed by Mordred. But we wouldn’t allow
that to happen. This kingdom of orcs who did not attack humans… I wanted to see it.
He had fascinated me. Was I so strange for sympathizing with monsters? Daniela
accepted me without saying anything… but if it came down to it… No, I shouldn’t think
about that now.

And that was how I met the captive king.

Now, time to make some plans. I decided that I would help Arthur. But I had to think
about how I would explain this to Virgil. If I didn’t do that now, things would get very
complicated later on.
I asked Master Daniela:

“So. What do you think we should do?”

“Indeed… I am in agreement with you, Asagi. But if you think about this from the
perspective of the Adventurers, the orcs building a country could mean war. Though,
it would not be a problem if they really would live quietly in peace.”

I’m not too surprised… No, that was totally expected. I was not from here, and to be
completely honest, this development was something that I had read in a novel before,
and I had hopes based off of that. This idea that monsters who were once hated by
humans now trying to change the way that they lived. I wished that it was possible.
However, it had clearly not been the case with the Assault Kobold. That was immediate
death.

“I think that it would be great if everyone could live peacefully. Asagi, thank you, but…”

“No, I’m just too optimistic. Don’t worry about it, Arthur.”

I should look at reality. This was another world. It was a world for humans. It was not
a great place for monsters. That was reality.

“I think that you should focus on creating an environment where you can live without
interacting with humans instead of creating a country.”

Daniela said.

“I see… What about making buildings that can move?”

I was thinking about nomadic people. A lifestyle where you could raise your animals
while moving from place to place. Constantly moving like that would ensure that you
did not run out of food for your livestock… Well, you couldn’t plant crops or anything,
but I doubted orcs cared much about that.
“Hmm. Raising livestock and not staying in the same place… I like that idea!”

Arthur nodded as he considered this possibility for the future of the orcs.

“Eating is very important for us. Orcs are very fond of meat.”

“All worldly troubles are nothing if you have meat.”

Daniela said with a perceptive nod. She was probably thinking about the meat at the
Anthill.

“The problem is if there are any orcs who would agree to such a thing that are still
alive.”

“I do not believe that to be a problem. Did you see that there were two paths when you
came here?”

There was. We had taken the stairs to the left, based on Daniela’s intuition. The right
side had a flat path that led straight…

“That was used to escape to a place far off from here. When making this settlement, I
wanted there to be an escape route to the valley floor in case of an emergency. But
then we encountered the hole moles. And so we had them dig the holes for us…”

Arthur said with a dark expression.

“Mordred’s movements became most strange… And so I commanded the hole moles
without telling him. I wanted them to dig a separate passage in case we needed to
escape. I had only told a few trusted orcs who did not wish to fight. Surely they would
have used it to escape once Mordred started his coup.”

We had indeed seen several other footprints leading to this place. You had to follow
the wall quite a bit to find them. The hidden door would have been hard to find
otherwise. They must have taken their times after he was captured to escape during
the night. And now there was no one in the settlement. In other words, those
footprints were the last of the group.

“I met them when they passed through here. I told them to leave without me as I would
go later. And so I have been waiting here for the right chance.”
“…Wait a minute. So what was this cell made for?”

They only needed an escape route. There was no need to create this cell.

“I wanted to keep Mordred in here. I thought that he might have a change of heart after
being confined for a while… It is rather ironic that it would be me who was left here.”

He said with a self-deprecating smile and then sighed. I see… he wanted to see if he
could start over. Arthur. He wasn’t going to kill someone who tried to rebel but give
them another chance.

“Hmm… This is what we will do then. First, Arthur. You must escape. We Adventurers
will deal with Mordred.”

“I suppose things will only grow complicated if I am there… I am sorry.”

“Do not be. You must run away and follow your people. And live freely.”

“Yeah. That would be for the best. A moving building… I’m sure you could think of
something?”

“Aye. In fact, I have a few ideas. I look forward to trying them.”

—-

Daniela watched as Arthur talked almost gleefully, and she laughed. To think that he
was looking towards the future with such optimism. I don’t know if he was just being
positive or if he was… Well, it was all up to us now.

“Still, perhaps it is all finished.”

“Yes… the path that leads to the valley floor. Mordred is likely hiding there. There is
nowhere else to go.”

“Humans are capable. He will definitely be discovered and hunted down. Even without
knowledge of what happened, orcs are orcs.”

It was sad, but that was the reality. I wanted Arthur to live. Without being seen,
choosing to live freely and peacefully with his people.
“Now, we should be going soon. Do you have any belongings, Arthur?”

“My sword should be here. No… Mordred has likely taken it. I will probably never see
it again.”

Sword… Arthur’s sword, huh?

“So, does this sword have a name by any chance?”

“Hm? Yes, it is the Excalibur.”

“The Excalibur…”

So, pretty much everything…

“By the way, Arthur. Were you given that name by anyone in particular?”

“No, I wasn’t. I named myself. When I decided that I would become a king, the name
flashed in my brain.”

“Then what about Mordred? Is he an abnormally evolved being as well?”

“He is not. He is just an orc. Well, perhaps he has evolved more than the ordinary orc…
His name too had flashed in my brain, just when I learned that he was planning to
betray me.”

It was a rather vague explanation, and also quite annoying. But was that all there was
to it…? There was some intelligence they had been bestowed with. Could it have been
from my world?

“Can we leave now?”

“Ah, forgive me. I have given up on the sword. I do not need it to be myself. Let us go.”

“If I am able to find the Excalibur, I will come and give it to you. If we meet again.”

“Hehe. Thank you, Asagi. But I have no hope of that happening.”

You could have just a little at least!

We carefully ascended the wet staircase until we reached the branching path. Arthur
would be free if he went to the right. He could escape from here without the humans
seeing him.

“Daniela will cover the hole when we get out of here.”

“Aye, thank you. You have done much for me, Asagi.”

“Don’t worry about it. And be safe.”

“Aye. And you take care as well, Daniela.”

We tightly shook hands. Orcs had very large hands… but he was gentle.

Arthur slowly walked away. He turned around after a moment and waved. I waved
back. Eventually, he was far enough that even the magic lamps were not enough to see
him.

“…So, we have some things to do now.”

“Aye, Arthur is one thing, but orcs who take up arms against humans are our enemies.”

We started to walk. In the opposite direction as Arthur. We would leave this hole and
return to the settlement. There was a tunnel that led to the valley floor that we had to
find. Mordred would be at the end of the other side. And we would kill him. There
would be other orcs there who followed him. I had killed a number of orcs in the valley
already, but not nearly equal to the number that had escaped. There would likely be a
base along the way as well.

That would be the place of the last battle with the orcs.

I followed after Daniela, my arms full with the magic lanterns. If we were going to bury
this place anyway, then it would be a waste to leave them here. That was what I
thought as I picked up each one as we walked. Asagi Kamiyashiro was a man who was
haunted by the ghost of un-wastefulness.

Finally, I picked up the last one and we came out of the hole. I put them down in the
bushes nearby. I would come back with the hollow bag before we left this place… I
mean, it would be no trouble with Legs of the Forest Wolf. I was a fast runner.

“Asagi, you are brilliant.”

“What’s that? You’re making me blush.”

“Do not worry, it was sarcasm.”

“…”

Alright, now Daniela would bury the hole and we could return to the settlement. Virgil
would be there, so we would have to explain the situation to him and search for the
tunnel. I could only hope that they hadn’t found it already. I wanted to retrieve Arthur’s
sword if I could.
I noticed it just as the walls of the settlement came into view. There was something
like excitement in the air. Daniela and I looked at each other for a moment before we
started to run back in a hurry. The Adventurers were talking loudly and running
around with weapons in hand.

“Maybe… we were too late.”

“Let us hurry.”

I nodded towards Daniela and went to look for Virgil. I would grab a random person
and ask where he was.

“Hey, is Virgil here?”

“He’d be right by the hole we discovered!”

“You found a hole then. Were there any orcs?”

“Aye, lots of them! It would be a great help if you went. We’re counting on you!”

“Alright. I’ll go immediately!”

So they had found it after all. But it seemed like they hadn’t reached Mordred yet, so
there was still time. And so Daniela and I headed for the hole after receiving directions.
It was within the largest wooden building in the settlement. Under it, anyway.

We entered through the open door and went down the steps to the underground floor.
The walls were all made of dirt here. Everything from this point on appeared to be the
work of the hole moles. Hanging lanterns were attached to the ceiling. We continued
to walk as covetous thoughts concerning the lanterns went through my head, until
finally, a wooden door appeared in front of us.

And just as I was about to touch it, it loudly burst open from the other side.
“We have been waiting for you.”

“Angelica. You scared the hell out of me.”

“Hehehe. Consider it a punishment for being late.”

She had clearly been waiting with Presence Detection activated. Ahh, that scared me.
I turned around, feeling a little ashamed of my self. Daniela was looking at me with an
exasperated expression.

“Well, I was aware of it. That Angelica was waiting on the other side, that is.”

“You could have told me then?”

“You would have known if you were careful and always using Presence Detection.”

Daniela said with a mischievous laugh. It was true, I had deactivated it… I guess I
would have to be more careful in the future. Especially since I wanted to raise my
proficiency.

“Now, there is no time for idle talk! There are many orcs hiding beyond this tunnel.
Virgil has been saying that you may be able to do something about it, Asagi.”

“Well, I’ll do what I can… but I’ll have to see what it’s like first.”

There should be even more orcs there… well, Angelica was in a hurry so it would be
best to rush to the scene as soon as possible.

The path continued for a while after the door, and then another door appeared. I used
Presence Detection just in case, and saw that there were several people on the other
side. And so I opened the door slowly. Inside, Virgil, Ness, Gardo and the rest of the
valley team were standing with grim expressions.

“…Hm? Ah, Asagi. You’re late. Where were you?”

Virgil turned around as he noticed us.

“Uh, we were searching in the wrong direction… Ahaha.”

“You’re a strange one sometimes…”

He said in exasperation. But Arthur was to be kept a secret. And so he could be as
exasperated as he wanted.

“So, the rest of you brilliant folks found the orcs then?”

I said sarcastically, as I was still a little annoyed. Gardo chuckled and answered my
question.

“Well, it seemed obvious to check the largest building.”

“We were looking for a tunnel leading to the valley, so we checked the basement…”

Lauria continued. Olive and Oregano nodded.

I looked at the hole. The floor here was made of wood. And in the center was a
rectangular hole with a staircase made of planks of wood leading down. There was
also dirt on top of it. It looked like footprints, probably because orcs had traveled down
here.

“Did anyone go down there?”

Daniela looked at everyone and asked. Virgil said, ‘We all did,’ in a weak voice.

“There is a wide empty space that was likely a base if you go down there. Of course,
going down there would mean certain death.”

“They are waiting down there with arrows. It’s too dangerous to get any closer…”

Gardo muttered with folded arms. I see. There would be a rain of arrows as soon as
they caught sight of you.

Hmm… It was frightening to think that this was a strategy taken by an orc who wasn’t
even an abnormally evolved being.

“Asagi. Surely you can break through their defenses somehow?”

“Uhhh… if there was enough space to run, maybe. Daniela, could you make a path with
earth magic?”

“Definitely.”
Master Daniela replied confidently. So reliable.

—-

“Alright, let’s do this. I will run at them at a high speed and break through their wall.
I’ll do what I can with magic after that, I just need the rest of you to take out the
archers.”

“Asagi, that is a very careless plan.”

Hey, I’m not a military strategist. We were just going to have to be okay with this
quickly thought of plan. There was no time.

“Well, it’ll be alright. I’m pretty sure their ranks will crumble when I break through.
Yeah, that’ll do it.”

“I am not so sure…”

“He does not sound confident at all!”

Angelica and Ness were very worried. But did we have a choice?

“Anyway, Virgil is the leader. Virgil, what should we do?”

“…Yes. If Asagi thinks he can do it, then we should try it. There is no other way.”

“If that’s what Virgil says, then we will do it… well failure here just means that Asagi
will turn into a porcupine. And I don’t mind that.”

“Hey, Gardo, that’s a little harsh. I could almost cry.”

“Aye, you should cry! Cry!”

Gardo insisted and everyone laughed. These horrible people. Damn it… well then, I’ll
have to show them something they’ve never seen before.

“Good. Then Daniela will create a runway for Asagi. It would be helpful if you could
also create a room for the Adventurers to wait in. As it will be difficult for us to all
sweep into the hole at once.”
“I can do it if I have potions.”

“Ahh, potions…”

I still had potions on my belt. The ones I got from Daniela.

“Here, use these ones.”

“Use? I am the one who bought them!”

“Hey, don’t hit-, not the ass!”

Now, preparations were complete. Daniela used earth magic to create a room, and
there were now twenty-six Adventurers standing within it. We had originally been
thirty. Four of the surface team had died… three of them were strong in my memory.
The scene of their impaled bodies under the tree was still fresh in my mind. It renewed
my resolve to succeed with the current plan.

This room wasn’t the only thing that Daniela had made. She also made me a runway.
It went at a downward angle and extended for 200 meters. It was clean and very even,
which made it easy to run on. It went straight towards the room where the orcs were
waiting, but it was also out of their sight. However, I could see the light from their
magic lanterns. Had the runway been level, then there was a chance that they would
be able to shoot at me as I ran. Thankfully, I didn’t have to worry about that. I would
be able to reach them without slowing down.

“Alright, I’m ready. Thank you, Daniela.”

“Hmm… everything is good.”

Daniela seemed a little tired as she drained two potions and then rested against a wall.
When I called to her she stood up and waited next to Virgil.

“Just as we discussed. Asagi will charge in, and then we will follow.”

“It is very simple. After all, we only have to run.”

“Aye, it’s Asagi who has the difficult part.”

“Indeed. I will probably have to run away if he fails!”

Gardo, Ness, and Angelica joked to lighten the mood. Even if I did succeed, there would
be many orcs left to fight. It was important to ensure that we weren’t all too nervous.
Though, they weren’t being the most flattering towards me.

“This will be our final battle! Our victory!”

“AYE!”

The Adventurers replied. While I kept silent, and I was quite pumped as well. This was
my time.

“Asagi, we’re counting on you.”

“Yeah. I’m off then.”

I raised my fist towards Virgil and he raised his own to meet mine.

Then I unsheathed the Glampanzer at my waist along with the Ashikirimaru on my

belt. With the swords in hand, I stood on the runway and activated Legs of the Forest
Wolf.

Silver and green wind envelopes my legs. Magic flows from my body and enters my
equipment. The wind dragon armor has a blessing of the wind and a minor AGI boost
enchantment. Legs of the Forest Wolf raises it even further. I was a whirlwind of silver
and green. My agility was high. This would be my maximum speed.

My hands grip the swords tightly as I move into a crouching stance. Though the hand
that is touching the ground is in a fist. Hahh. I sigh and glare at the downward path
ahead of me. As I lean forward, my hood falls over my face. But I don’t pull it back as I
continue to look ahead.

“Operation commence!”

At the sound of Virgil’s voice, I flew forward as if being fired. It was a good start. I was
at top speed in just three strides as I rushed down the slope. My surroundings sped
passed me as I moved as if falling. But it was only for a moment. I thrust both swords
in front of me and crossed them as I ended my run in about three seconds. And then I
was off of the runway and into the room full of orcs.
The orc room, as the name implied, was filled with orcs. At a glance, the distance of
the archers from the entrance was the same as the length of the runway. Considering
how strong orcs were, they should have no trouble reaching it with their arrows.

The orcs saw me as I burst into the room. However, I was faster than their bow hands,
and they could not stop me as I crashed into their line. My swords thrust into the first
orc in front of me, but I didn’t stop there. I broke through the wall, dug my heels into
the dirt and stopped as I arrived in the center of the throng.

The first orc, who had been stabbed, now rolled lifelessly to the ground. I left the
sword in the corpse as I commanded the blue magic energy in the room. I was forming
ice bullets. I knew how to do it and what the results would look like through Jack of all
Trades, Master of None.

“Icicle Bullet-Around Shot.”

I didn’t need anything with the length of arrows. I recreated that same bullet I had
used to hunt forest wolves with Daniela that first time. I created countless bullets on
every side. Thankfully, these small bullets did not require too much magic. They were
smaller than the ice used for drinks. Still, the effects should be devastating with this
number.

The magic had a name in the vein of the magic schools, and as the name suggested, it
went in all directions. I knew what the result would look like. The ice bullets would
shoot the orcs dead. They wouldn’t miss. It was impossible to escape so many bullets.

As expected, all the orcs within range now sunk to the ground. And it was just as the
archers who had survived pointed their bows at me that the Adventurers, led by Virgil,
came down the runway like a screaming avalanche. Virgil saw me standing in the
center of the pile of corpses and he laughed with a twisted smile. So, beat your
expectations, did I?

“Asagi has done it! Let’s go!”

The Adventurers roared in reply as they ran behind Virgil. The archers frantically
pointed their arrows at the Adventurers once again. In any case, my objective was
Mordred. His presence was large and Presence Detection caught it immediately. I
swung around to see a dark orc who was much bigger than the others. He was holding
a white sword and glaring at me with hatred.

“So you’re Mordred, I suppose? You’re going to have to die for attacking that village.
Also, I’ll be wanting Arthur’s sword back!”

“BBRRGGRAAAOOOGH!!!”

Mordred thrust the sword forward as he shouted orders to the surrounding orcs. He
must be one of the most advanced of his species. I could tell that he was moderately
intelligent. No doubt he had also learned things from Arthur, as he was quick to make
decisions.

The pale, ash-colored orcs that surrounded Mordred now rushed at me with their
swords. They gave no regard to their fallen comrades as they trampled them in their
charge.

“BBMOARGRGH!!”

“Hphh… woah!!”

I pulled out my sword from the corpse and blocked the first attacker’s sword with the
Ashikirimaru, then I swung the Glampanzer and cut off his sword arm. The orc froze
in shock before I plunged Ashikirimaru into his heart. After that, I continued to cut my
way through the onrush of orcs as I made my way forward.

“BGORGH!”

“GMOGH!!”

Two orcs came swinging at the same time in an attempt to stop me. If I blocked it, I
was sure that the orc behind them would attack me. If there was no point in blocking
it, then I should dodge it. With Legs of the Forest Wolf, I accelerated in a flash, sliding
through the swords of the two orcs and coming out the other end to slam my fist into
the stomach of the orc who stood behind them. Then I swirled around and thrust my
sword in their open backs. I pulled the blades out and the two crumpled to the ground.
The orc who I had punched began to pull himself off the ground, and so I let loose a
kick that was aided by silver and green wind. Immediately, the orc took the kind of
damage only dozens of razers could have inflicted at once. He rolled on the ground in
pain as I slid my blade into his neck. And I move forward.

“BMORGH!! BMORRGH!!”

Mordred howls. However, the remaining ash-colored orcs seemed to have realized
they were no match for me, and they freeze in their tracks. They had already run from
us before. It was actually impressive that they came again. However, they did not have
the courage to attack for a third time.

Mordred’s teeth ground in frustration when his subordinates would not move as he
ordered.

“Asagi.”

A voice came unexpectedly from my side. Daniela was walking up to me. Blood was
splattered on her cheek.

“Daniela. What about the archers?”

“Virgil and the others are taking care of it. So is that one Mordred?”

“Yeah. And that’s probably Excalibur he’s holding there.”

I glanced behind me and saw the Adventurers fighting the orcs. But orcs with bows
were not going to be the best with close quarters combat. Their numbers were falling
rapidly. I was a little relieved as I turned away.

The huge, dark orc was still carrying the white sword that belonged to the white orc.
He raised the sword now and swung down onto the head of the closest orc.
Unsurprisingly, the orc’s head split open and he died.

“Bastard. He’s got quite a temper.”

“It is very sad. To kill your own subordinates.”

Human or monster, you were finished once you started to act like that.

You couldn’t survive on a battlefield if you couldn’t keep your calm.

—-

Well, it was time for him to pay with his life. He had trampled over Arthur’s
expectations and attacked and burned down a village. Only his death could make up
for that.

Daniela and I stood side by side as we advanced towards Mordred. None of the other
orcs would attack us now.

Mordred’s face flinched as he took a step back. Having no intention of allowing him to
escape, we began to run. The distance was bridged in a flash. Panicked, Mordred
swung the Excalibur down at us. I crossed the Glampanzer and Ashikirimaru in front
of me to block it. Daniela took advantage of the moment and aimed for Mordred’s heart
with her rapier, but he twisted his body and moved away. He was rather quick for
someone his size.

Daniela struck at him again, but Mordred countered her attacks with surprising skill
and quick feet. All the while I kept him in my vision. Perhaps being in this position had
an effect on his nerves, because I didn’t see any inattentiveness in his eyes anymore.
But it didn’t matter what state he was in. I would kill him. Just as Daniela altered a
thrust into an upward swing, I moved in between them. His shocked face looked down
at me. I would take his mobility first. I thrust my swords between his legs and swung
outwards.

“BGUAGH!!”

There was a hoarse scream as the blue blood gushed from his inner thighs. He would
not be so quick on his feet now.

Mordred burned with rage as he brought his sword down over my head, but I
intercepted it with an Ice Shield I had generated. He continued to press down over it,
but I had put so much power into it, that for now, the force on each side of the sword
and shield seemed to be equal. Of course, that meant he was wide open.

“He’s open!”

Daniela’s stinging thrust pierced through Mordred’s face. Drops of blood dripped onto
the clear, ice shield. Just as I felt the tension on the shield weaken, I pushed back and
followed with a shield bash. Mordred reeled and then fell on his backside. Blood was
dripping from his left eye. That was where Daniela’s sword had pierced. I stood next
to her as she flung the blood off her sword.

“He’s pretty strong.”

“Aye. One of the strongest I have ever fought.”

We kept our swords ready as Mordred glared at us through his remaining right eye.
Wounded monsters were sometimes the most dangerous.

Mordred used the Excalibur as a cane as he stood up. But then he thrust his empty left
hand at us, instead of the right hand which gripped the sword. For a moment, I wasn’t
sure what to do. And that turned out to be a lethal mistake. I should never have
assumed that an orc was incapable of it.

“No!”

Daniela pushed me hard to the side. My vision shook from the impact. However, even
through that blur, I could see something unbelievable. The left hand that Mordred had
thrust out was enveloped by crimson magical energy. It turned into magic and then
shot out towards us as a ball of fire.

“Tsk…!”

The heat burned my skin. But I was more worried about Daniela. She was still on the
ground after pushing me away, and had been swallowed up by the fire.

“DANIELA!!”

The flames rose in a sudden blaze and then there was an explosion. I could do nothing
as the force of it launched me into the air.

I flew with the wind until I was dropped over a pile of corpses. But the tragedy was far
from over.

“Gggguh…!!”

A sharp pain ran through my left arm. The pain and the heat made me see colors and
I felt dizzy. My forehead was covered in sweat as I looked down at my left arm. It was
under my poncho. I pulled up my sleeve and saw that my upper arm had been pierced
by the sword of an orc. The fabric was soaking up the blood rapidly. I had been so
carried away in the slaughter. I never thought that I would let my guard down here,
but I just couldn’t believe that an orc would use magic. It was an unguardedness that
came from ignorance.

“Damn it…!”

Still, there was no time to lie around. I tried to get up without widening the wound,
but the sensation of the blade sliding out of my arm sent a horrible pain through my
body. I had very personal reasons for not wanting to be stabbed. It wasn’t just a matter
of intense pain. My hand shook as Ashikirimaru fell from its grip.

“Da-Daniela… Daniela…!”

I put down the Glampanzer in order to put Ashikirmaru back into its sheath. Then I
picked up the Glampanzer again and searched for Daniela. I couldn’t see the hated
figure of Mordred. I didn’t even know where to look.

“Asagi! Daniela is safe!”

Virgil’s voice rang in my ears. I looked towards where the sound was coming from and
saw Virgil holding an unconscious Daniela.

“I was somehow able to save her with my magic! You go and chase him!”

I nodded as Virgil pointed me in the direction that Mordred had gone. My legs felt so
weak as they moved. When I arrived at the spot, there was a hole in the wall and a
tunnel. The tunnel leading to the valley floor…

I looked down at my left hand. It was red with blood that dripped off the points of my
fingers. I had to finish him before I lost consciousness from blood loss… That was the
only thing on my mind as I went down the tunnel.
The path leading to the valley floor was a gentle slope. The carved walls were
conveniently lined with magic lanterns that illuminated the dark tunnels.

I sheathed the Glampanzer and held my wound shut with my right hand as I moved
along.

If I glanced down, I would see my red blood dripping. The drops were vivid over the
trail of blue blood that led down the tunnel. This blood was from Mordred. I knew he
had come down here. Our blood was still wet, yet they did not turn purple when mixed.

“Ahhh… hahhh…”

My breathing was rough as I shivered from the pain. It always feels like this when I am
stabbed… even if I can think calmly, my body does not offer me full control. It made
me wonder if it was some kind of trauma from that time. Something in me had not
quite healed.

Still, I couldn’t stop walking. If I let him be, some other village would get attacked. That
was something that had to be avoided at all cost. And I did want to retrieve Arthur’s
sword.

Several minutes passed since I went down the tunnel. Presence Detection catches
something. I couldn’t miss it. It was Mordred. He had stopped a short distance from
here. It was probably because of the wounds I had inflicted on him. Those wounds that
had affected his mobility were showing their true value here.

I let go of my own wound and wiped my bloody hand on my clothes before

unsheathing my sword. My left arm was useless, but I could still fight. I still had magic
in me. I create a Frost Sword in the air and have it follow me.

And then, finally, I saw him. Mordred was leaning against a wall and glaring at the
ceiling while he rested. There was nowhere to run. I wouldn’t allow it.
I summoned wind of silver and green to envelop my legs as I dashed forward. For now,
I force myself to forget the pain in my left arm. The Glampanzer is held behind me, the
Frost Sword levitates in front.

Of course, Mordred was quick to notice as I ran like this, and he turned his eyes
towards me. They were full of murderous rage.

“BOOOORGRH!!!”

“Haaahh!!”

I launch the Frost Sword towards Mordred as he roars. A corner of my brain is

thinking, ‘Frost Sword: Straight Shot,’ and other meaningless things as I bridge the gap
between us.

Mordred blocks the Frost Sword with Excalibur. I see my chance and swing the
Glampanzer down on him. However, Mordred quickly steps out of the way.

“BGRRROGH!!”

“Tsk…!”

Mordred now goes on the attack. His toughened body attempts to tackle me. I block it
with the flat of my blade, but the impact throws me into the air. I am barely able to
regain my balance by manipulating the silver and green wind. I land on my feet but as
soon as I raise my face; all I can see is Mordred raising his sword above me. In a flash,
I jump forward and evade his attack by going under his legs. Behind me, I can hear the
deafening clang of metal against stone.

I turn around and raise my sword. Mordred spins around and raises his. I pull my right
arm back, while Mordred grips his sword with both hands. We glare at each other,
searching for an opening. To be honest, there was nothing but openings. Same for me.
We were riddled with wounds. But these were the bodies we had.

The room was so silent that our breathing seemed loud. We looked at each, full of
openings as we held our blades. As we stared, small fragments of stone began to fall
from the ceiling.

Clink.
With that sound, I dashed forward as if I were a released spring. I gripped the sword
tightly and looked forward as I ran. Mordred began to run as well. It was as if he had
forgotten the pain in his blood-drenched legs. He was faster than ever.

Both of our swords are raised in the air. They were raised for the sole intent of killing
the other, and so they fell quickly.

“Hahh!”

“Bmorghh!”

However, the swords did not connect. It was as if we had passed each other while
avoiding the others swing.

Silence fell over the tunnel again. However, the result of the duel became immediately
apparent.

There was a loud clang… as a sword fell. It was followed by the sound of something
collapsing with a wet thud. I turned around. And there was Mordred. On his knees
with both arms severed.

In this state, the fight was over for him. He could no longer fight. However, I no longer
had control over my right hand. I looked at it and saw that there was a shallow cut on
it from Mordred’s sword. At the very end, Mordred had cut me just above my gauntlet,
where I was unprotected. But it wasn’t as bad as my left arm. Though painful, I moved
my arm in order to sheath my sword. And then I generated a new Frost Sword. I would
use it to deal the finishing blow.

“Now, it is finished.”

“…”

I approach him from behind and raise the Frost Sword.

Just as the sword swings down, Mordred jumps forward and evades the attack.

“Damn it!”

“BBgggooorrh!! Bbbmoorrgh!!”
I frantically chase after Mordred as he howls and screams. I didn’t think he could last
long in this state, but I didn’t want to take any chances. I couldn’t let him get away.

“Stop!”

I take aim and launch the Frost Sword. It catches him straight in the center of his back;
and yet he continues to run. I prepare a second sword, but the tunnel suddenly starts
to twist and wind, and I can no longer take proper aim. If I tried to use Legs of the
Forest Wolf here, I would just crash into the wall and it would all be over. And so I run
desperately with my original speed. Modred should be on the cusp of death. And yet I
cannot catch him. Finally, the tunnel becomes straight again. I take aim and I’m about
to shoot, when I see a light in front of Mordred. It was the tunnel’s exit.

“Ahh…”

I remember now. The exit of this tunnel…

—-

“BMMORRGGH!!”

Mordred raises his severed arms as if reaching towards the light as he runs. Just as he
gets close to the exit, I hear a ‘click.’

In a flash, the exit erupts with an explosion of flames. I drop to the ground, as there
was nowhere to hide from the wind and impact. Thankfully, I was far enough to not be
thrown into the air once again.

I stayed on the ground for some time, keeping my hood down as I waited for the dust
to settle. The ringing in my ears finally subsides and I open my eyes and squint. There
was still dust floating in the air. I stand up… or try to, but my foot gets caught on
something.

“Hmm?”

I pick it up. It was a sheath. Excalibur’s sheath had been blown towards me in the blast.

“Pretty lucky… glad I wasn’t any closer to it.”

I attached the dusty sheath to my belt. And this time, started to walk forward.
The exit was now hidden in rubble. It would be difficult to open the passage up again
without a hole mole. And I saw now that there was blue blood dripping from the cracks
between the boulders.

Mordred was dead.

“I’ll have to thank Angelica for this later…”

I muttered as I looked at what remained of him… I was so tired. I wanted to go back.

I turned on my heels and began to walk. The return trip was an upward slope, which
was quite harsh.

On the way, I found Excalibur. It was still connected to Mordred’s severed arms. I
crouched slowly and picked it up. The Excalibur was stained with blue and red blood.
I had no idea if this was a holy sword, but there was something of an honest,
incorruptible air that seemed to come off the otherwise filthy blade. Who knows?
Maybe it was the real thing. Well, it was probably just Arthur slapping a name on it.
But maybe with that name, it would one day reach the heights of the real sword. It was
Arthur’s job to see that it happened. I swore to clean it when I got back, and then I put
it in its sheath.

When I returned to the orc room, I was greeted by a mass of corpses. The
extermination was completed. Even the grey orcs who had given up the fight now lay
dead.

I saw that the Adventurers were all resting against the wall, and so I decided to search
for Virgil first. I made my way through the corpses, searching desperately until Ness
found me and called me over.

“Asagi!”

“Ah. Ness… Where’s Virgil?”

“You’re horribly wounded! You better rest!”

“No, I’m still fine. I have to tell Virgil…”

I felt like I would no longer be able to move if I stopped, and so I continued to walk
while talking with Ness.

“You really are… fine then. He’s over here!”

“Sorry…”

I apologized, but Ness just scratched his cheek and told me to follow him. I did so on
my unstable legs. We came out to the entrance of the orc building. Here the wounded
were lined up on the floor. Virgil was there too. But he was talking to some
Adventurers, and seemed to be unhurt.

“Virgil.”

“Ah, Asagi. Glad to see you… you’re not exactly fine. Rest right there.”

“No, I have to tell you…”

“You’re here and alive. I presume that means it’s finished?”

“Well, yeah… Thanks to Angelica.”

I wanted to make a detailed report, but Virgil wouldn’t listen. Damn it, Ness. He must
have known this would happen when he brought me up here… I turned around to see
him chuckling.

With no other choice, I collapsed on a blanket that had been placed on the floor and
then sighed while staring at the ceiling. Suddenly, I turned to my side and saw Daniela
sleeping next to me. Thank god. She didn’t appear to have any heavy wounds. Thank
Virgil, really…

I think back on this battle, which was the longest I’ve ever experienced.

I never would have thought a mere valley investigation would turn into this… Now
that I think of it, it had always just been me and Daniela. And here we had fought
alongside so many others. It really was unexpected. Well, I feel as if I thought about
this before. Maybe it’s just me. My head doesn’t seem to be functioning right.

Thankfully, while there had been plenty of pain, there were also good things. I think,
anyway. No, I can’t think properly right now.
I sigh once again. My eyelids feel heavy. In the end, I was just so very tired. At the same
time that I realized this, my consciousness faded into the shadows. I didn’t dream.
A month has passed since that battle. I am now leaning on my elbow over a desk on
the veranda. Alone, I stare out at the view that the city of Replant offers.

The sky is clear, with just one large cloud floating with the wind. It suddenly begins to
cover the sun, casting a large shadow under it. I lean back into the chair and gaze up
at the cloud. The round shape of the sun is slightly visible behind the foggy cloud. I
look back at the city before the sun comes out again. The city is brimming with lively
sounds that signal definite peace.

Replant was peace itself today as well.

After that fight, I slept like a corpse. When I finally awoke, I was on top of a wagon. It
might have been wind spirits who woke me up, as I felt the gentle caress of wind on
my cheek.

“Oh? You are finally up.”

“Hahh… ahh… morning. Daniela.”

“Good morning, Asagi.”

Daniela was sitting in the same wagon and looking down at me. Hmmm… So this soft
pillow was Daniela’s thighs. I better pet them a little.

“So, where are we?”

“We are close to Replant. Leave my thigh alone, Asagi.”

I had slept for quite a while then. Our camp was quite far from Replant.

Two to three days, I think…

“I see… hmm… hhh… haaahhh…”

“Stop tossing and turning and taking such deep breaths.”

“I happen to be half asleep, Daniela… you understand…”

“I will kick you right off.”

“Actually, I’m all rested up.”

I was wide awake now, and so I hopped off of the wagon. Woah, where are my shoes?
Oh, whatever. The cool ground felt great. I decided to walk barefooted.

The land here was flat. I could see some trees growing, just like there were when we
had come. I raised my head and focused my eyes to the far distance and saw the outer
walls of Replant. At this rate, we would be there within an hour.

As we walked, Daniela told me about how long I had slept. After the battle, the
Adventurers had frantically gone around collecting all of the orc fangs which were
proof of the hunt. If left alone, the corpses would return to the earth, but they
remained once you took the fangs. I had no idea how it worked, but that was the rule
of this world.

The valley depths, the forest, and the orc room. They collected as many of the orc fangs
as they could and stuffed them temporarily into my hollow bag. Still, even the hollow
bag was not enough to carry all of them, and so my belongings were moved to the
wagon and carriage, and the rest of the fangs were wrapped in cloths and carried by
the Adventurers. By the way, Daniela had passed out the food we had bought from the
street stalls. The investigation and all of the traveling had caused a shortage in their
food supplies, so I had no complaints in regards to that. Also, the magic lanterns were
in the wagon now. Daniela had ensured that they came with us.

Once the fangs were taken, we had left the settlement. We had made it this far for the
purpose of being able to return home as soon as possible. In fact, now that I looked at
them, a lot of the Adventurers looked like they had just escaped from somewhere. In
any case, I would definitely ask for my cloth back later. But I’ll consider the stall food
as a gift.

“Ah, we’ve arrived.”

“That was rather fast.”

Daniela and I looked up at the walls. My eyes happened to meet a soldier who was
posted on top of the wall, and so I waved at him. He raised an arm that held a spear. I
smiled.

We showed our status cards at the gate and entered the city. Then it was straight to
the guild to make a report of the investigation of the southern valley, and also the orc
hunt. Virgil breathed heavily as he gave the guild worker an account of our work
during the hunt, and so it was decided that we would also be paid for our efforts in
helping them. In other words, we would be paid the reward money for the southern
valley investigation and the orc hunt, on top of being able to convert materials into
money. I smiled.

That day, we all returned to our inns for the day. The day after that, we gathered
together to celebrate. The place was the Anthill, which I, Daniela, Gardo, and Ness
recommended. It was not exactly unknown, and so many agreed with that choice.

“Well then, to the completion of the Orc Extermination Quest! Cheers!!!”

Virgil’s toast was the signal for the battle to begin. Of course, it was a battle for meat.
Several ‘anthills’ of meat were put on the table, but they crumbled and dwindled at a
rapid pace. Were these people even cooking it properly?

I chuckled with a little exasperation and then looked at Daniela, who sat on the other
side of the table in front of me. And the anthill that was there a moment ago was now
gone. Daniela’s averted her eyes, but her cheeks were bloated. I suppose I would have
to fight a little harder for scraps. The ensuing battle between me and Daniela was
hotter than the iron grill that cooked the meat.

Virgil couldn’t quite hold his liquor, and I saw him confess his affections towards
Angelica and he was immediately rejected. Something rather similar happened with
the drunken Ness and Oregano, who had helped save him. Gardo seemed to have
enough sense to stick to his meat.

As Daniela and I continued are meat war, the members of the valley team who had just
finished getting rid of the two men, came to our table. Thankfully, they had brought
their own meat. So I was like, sure, take a seat.

“Mister Asagi, you were brilliant on this expedition.”

“You weren’t bad yourself, Angelica. It was your bomb that defeated Mordred.”

“Mordred?”

“Hm? Oh, uh, nothing. Let’s eat!”

I hadn’t told them about Arthur and his story. I took some of Angelica’s meat and threw
it onto the grill.

“Ahahaha! Asagi. How crude!!”

“Lauria, you have had too much to drink.”

Lauria was in good spirits, and she started to lean on me. I could smell the alcohol.

“Oh, I haven’t drunken nothing! See, my cup is half full!”

“Well, it is your fifth mug.”

“Lauria cannot drink so much, and yet she does.”

Olive and Oregano explained as they turned the meat over on the grill. Surprisingly,
these two were rather perceptive. Daniela and I would just throw the meat on and eat
it almost carelessly. But they would line them up neatly and wait for the perfect time.

“By the way, are you two sisters?”

“We are twins.”

“Sister Adventurers.”

Twins, huh? I hadn’t noticed, as their hairstyles were so different. But now that they
mentioned it, they did have the same face. I pushed Lauria over to Angelica and ate
the meat that the two had cooked. Hmm, it was good.

We continued to enjoy the meat and drinks for some time until Daniela suddenly
collapsed. It was as if her batteries had died and she could now do nothing but snore
over the table.

—-
“Oh, so is completely gone.”

“I doubt she’ll get up until the morning… Ah, well. I think we’ll be leaving a little early
then.”

“Ohhh, you are going then, Asagi?”

“You should go too, Lauria.”

She was completely wasted! Yes, there was something cute about how red she looked
as she clutched at my clothing, but I was starting to feel really sorry for her.

“Virgil is over there and surrounded by the men, so we may as well leave him. Let us
take our leave, girls.”

“Ignore Lauria.”

“Leave Lauria.”

“I’m going with Asagi.”

“No, we are taking you with us!”

It seemed like the whole valley team was staying at the same inn, and so they all left
together. I carried Daniela outside. It was time to say good night.

“Well, our inn is in that direction.”

I said and waved at each of them while saying goodbye.

“Do be careful. And it was such a pleasure to fight alongside you!”

“I enjoyed it as well! Maybe we will go on a quest together again!”

“Good night, Asagi.”

“See you later, Asagi.”

I waved and left the scene behind me. The sun had set completely, and it was now dark.
There were stars in the sky, but the numerous bonfires made it hard to see them
clearly. This night in Replant would be full of life and clamor for quite a while still.
Daniela mumbled something in her sleep as I carried her on my back, but I couldn’t
hear it through all the noise. However, I did hear my own name.

The month passed by quickly after that night. I helped with Penrose’s Adventurer
training and hunted blood apes with Daniela, Gardo and Ness.

If I remember correctly, we had gotten very drunk one boring afternoon and had
somehow decided to go and party in the forest, which led to the battle.

I also had to listen to Cline talk about his parenting woes, have dinner with the valley
team, and be chased around by Daniela’s old entourage.

“Asagi… How long are you going to sit there? We must get ready.”

“Hmm… ahh, I’ll be right there.”

We would be leaving this pleasant city soon. In fact, we were going out to restock on
our supplies today. To be honest, it was so comfortable here, that I didn’t want to leave.
However, we were traveling Adventurers. I don’t know if I would say we were rootless
trees, but I didn’t see us staying anywhere permanently.

And while it was difficult, there was still that excitement of going to a place that was
unknown.

A new town. New people. There was so much of the world I still wanted to see; to see
with Daniela.

And so I stood up, heavy-hearted as I was, and followed after her. There were things
we had to get for the road ahead.