The forest at dawn was enveloped in a cozy humidity.
The fresh scent of grass filled my lungs. The lush greenery, a symbol of nature’s grace, was vibrant, and the sunlight pouring down was warm.
It was a peaceful scenery.
It was hard to imagine that it was a place where hundreds of monsters lurked—let alone a site where a mage was plotting to abduct orphans.
I tried hard not to let my guard down as I stepped forward. Although considerable time had passed since entering the forest, there were still no signs of the monkey monsters.
These monsters were under the control of the mage. They wouldn’t have fled anywhere and seemed to be lying in ambush or preparing for a final showdown at the cave entrance.
We weren’t the only ones considering today as the day of reckoning.
The monsters and the mage must have realized, over the course of time, the route we had taken in our search. They too understood that the moment to determine our victory or defeat was approaching.
A formidable force of seven was on the move. The faces of my companions, who were maintaining silence, were mostly stiff. Stressed breaths tickled their ears.
The air was heavy. Unable to endure the tension, the Lady Virgin Saint subtly approached me and whispered.
“…You really mean it when you say you’ll run away if things get dangerous, right?”
“Who would joke with their life on the line?”
The Lady Virgin Saint seemed offended by my blunt tone. She snorted disdainfully and released a voice that suggested disbelief.
“It’s just that you’re so unreasonable.”
“Let’s say I’m overflowing with spirit. I just can’t stand being taken advantage of.”
“Hmm,” she looked at me with a somewhat displeased expression. When I shot her a glance as if to ask what she meant, she shook her head as if it was nothing.
She merely repeated something I had heard before.
“…You’re confusing me again.”
“I’ve always been consistent. The one who gets confused is always the Lady Virgin Saint.”
The Lady Virgin Saint sneakily glanced around at our companions. Perhaps because everyone was tense, few were paying attention to the conversation between me and her.
Only Senior Elsi and Ceria occasionally gave us sidelong glances. Even Celin, who might encounter the mage, was trembling in anxiety.
Our group had lost all composure. The only ones maintaining their cool were Senior Delphine and Yulen.
Of course, I was no exception. I felt as if my hands would tremble uncontrollably if I relaxed even a little. However, the strange thing was, the deeper we went into the forest, the slower my heartbeat became.
It was an indescribable sensation. My muscles relaxed while my nerves sharpened. My golden eyes instinctively scanned the surroundings for threats.
And most importantly, there was this feeling that seemed to poke at my heart.
It was a type of intuition I had never experienced before. So, while I felt uneasy, at the same time, I felt reassured.
Strange exhilaration was much better than excessive tension in many ways.
The Lady Virgin Saint also seemed somewhat restless. No matter how much she was in charge of the rear, she had the heavy responsibility of protecting our lives, so she could not remain calm.
That was why she was instigating me to relieve her anxiety.
As the one leading the group, I was willing to accept that if it would help us in battle.
The Lady Virgin Saint’s mouth opened again after confirming that there were no interruptions.
“You’re a noble, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Isn’t it strange to be close with commoners, and even care about orphans like this? Did you get poor home education or something?”
Her somewhat problematic remark made me momentarily close my mouth. Yet, the Lady Virgin Saint merely pouted defiantly.
This was a moment revealing how she usually viewed nobles. I placed a hand on my forehead and sighed.
“…What exactly do you think noble education is?”
“It’s obvious. It’s a method to instill a sense of superiority and efficiency as much as possible, isn’t it?”
“Isn’t that the same for you, Lady Virgin Saint?”
She jolted slightly at my words, her pale pink eyes shaking as they turned towards me.
“You’re not planning to sacrifice your life to save orphans, are you?”
“…Th-that’s simply a selfish logic. Sacrificing one’s life for others is something allowed only for a few good people, not for dirty human beings like us.”
I swallowed my bitter laugh at that pathetic excuse and shot a sideways glance at the Lady Virgin Saint.
“Dirty human beings are just you, Lady Virgin Saint… Ugh!”
Before I could continue my mockery, her pinch struck me in the side. I had to grit my teeth and endure the pain.
It was unfair. With our companions around, I couldn’t strike back at the Lady Virgin Saint. Because of that, I was left to suffer her unprovoked violence alone.
I really had to teach her a lesson someday.
I ground my teeth in frustration.
Perhaps it was an unconscious act, but after pinching me, the Lady Virgin Saint looked slightly flustered. Her pupils wandered as if searching for a place to settle, and ultimately, she lowered her head slightly, blushing.
“I-I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to.”
“Anyway, don’t think too badly of nobles. Both you, Lady Virgin Saint, and we nobles are all just the same, aren’t we?”
“…I-I am different!”
The Lady Virgin Saint shouted out in a choked voice. Even if the volume was only slightly elevated, it was enough to catch the attention of our companions for a moment.
Her hands snapped to cover her mouth. She seemed startled by the volume she had accidentally produced. Fortunately, our companions quickly diverted their attention.
The Lady Virgin Saint was fanning herself with her hands, cooling her reddened face. Clearing her throat, she attempted to regain her composure.
“Saving just a few orphanages would only save a few hundred children. I know this well as an orphan myself. To truly save these homeless children, more fundamental reforms in the system are necessary.”
“…So, you’re saying you’ll run away and leave the orphans?”
“D-Don’t say it like that…!”
Having finally caught onto the Lady Virgin Saint’s weakness after a long time, I delightedly teased her. But as I saw her trembling on the verge of explosion, I hastily attempted to adopt a more conciliatory tone.
“Well, it’s an individual’s freedom, after all. As they say, there’s no obligation to sacrifice one’s life for others. You can do as you please.”
However, the Lady Virgin Saint was already sulking. She glanced at me with a reproachful look, then turned her head away with a snort.
What a funny woman. She started the argument and then sulked first.
Eventually, one of our companions, unable to hold back at our banter, spoke up. It was Yulen.
He chuckled and shouted at me and the Lady Virgin Saint.
“Sis, I-an! Enough with the love quarrel and start preparing. We’re almost there.”
“It’s not a love quarrel!” the Lady Virgin Saint retorted vehemently to Yulen’s jest. I also slightly frowned, about to retort when I suddenly stiffened.
A chilling sensation trickled down my spine. Something was racing at the edge of my senses.
I reacted quickly.
I pushed the Lady Virgin Saint aside and immediately drew my sword. Without even looking back, I swung my weapon down.
There was a loud thud as my blade struck bone.
Since I wasn’t enveloped in mana, one strike wouldn’t cleave through completely. However, it was enough to inflict a fatal wound on a horrifying blue-eyed monkey.
From the outstretched arm emerged elongated claws, protruding like blades. Had the sword not plunged from the shoulder to the chest, those claws would have impaled the flesh of either me or the Lady Virgin Saint.
Kieeeek!
That scream was the signal.
Shadows began to appear one by one on the trees surrounding us. They were stealthier, faster, and even more ferocious than when we had faced them before.
There seemed to be dozens of shadows.
Ignoring the Lady Virgin Saint, who lay sprawled on the ground and stared at me blankly, I shouted.
“Senior Delphine! How many are there?”
“I don’t know, at least dozens! There are at least fifty!”
Senior Delphine’s voice, as she drew her sword, changed the atmosphere of our group.
Surrounded by the Lady Virgin Saint and Senior Elsi, we were now faced with dozens of pairs of blue eyes that pierced through the misty dawn air.
Of course, the monsters weren’t going to wait for us.
In a flash, a dozen monkey monsters leaped down to the ground. Their agility, propelled by the earth, was beyond imagination. It was only natural that they could easily leap over my height.
If even a single breach occurred, the Lady Virgin Saint and Senior Elsi would be in danger. I gritted my teeth and thrust my sword forward.
The blade pierced the heart of the charging monkey monster. Before I could relish the blood pouring down, another monkey monster charged at me from above.
However, my sword was currently covered in mana.
Blood and water drew a vertical line.
With a swift upward slash, I cleaved through another monkey monster. Even so, it was still overwhelming to fend off the oncoming monsters.
If I had grown to this extent in the past two months, I could hardly imagine how Celin was faring.
I glanced toward Senior Delphine. True to being the best among us, she had dispatched three monkey monsters in the blink of an eye with her lightning-fast thrusts.
The monkeys screamed in pain as their hearts burned, struggling before meeting their demise. I could hear the sizzling sound of flesh touching golden mana.
Senior Delphine seemed slightly more cautious, but she still appeared to have some composure left.
So, I shouted toward Senior Delphine.
“Senior Delphine! Please support Celin!”
“…Then what about my spot?!”
Senior Delphine’s retort was valid. I drove my sword into the neck of another charging monkey monster, yanking it free as I downed another one coming from the side.
The monkey monster, suddenly hit by the corpse of its comrade, momentarily looked dazed but was met instead with my flying axe.
A sickening squelch filled the air as blood and brain matter splattered through the void.
Only then did I find the opportunity to shout out again.
“I’ll manage somehow!”
Hearing my words, Senior Delphine hesitated for a moment, but as a scream erupted from Celin, she immediately turned around.
Celin, a swordswoman mainly using a broad sword, was particularly less effective in close-quarters combat against multiple opponents. Even so, it was better than having nothing.
Even in such a situation, with the two of them together, Senior Delphine could at least cover 1.5 individuals, if not as much as the territory she had secured. That left only 0.5 for me to hold back.
Once I managed to stabilize that, the support from the Lady Virgin Saint and Senior Elsi would begin pouring in, making for a much more secure battle ahead.
Thinking that way, I again drove my sword deep into a charging monkey monster, sending one that targeted my back crashing down while retrieving my axe awkwardly.
I stifled an ominous feeling that this was only the beginning of what would be a long-fought battle.
