I am bold enough to say:
Moving is tantamount to war.
Packing, organizing, and repeatedly checking to ensure nothing is left behind inevitably consumes every moment of the days leading up to the move.
And the day of the move itself is even worse.
It takes half a day to transport your belongings, and unpacking them takes several more days.
Calling professional movers might save some effort, but if you have to move everything yourself?
You’d better prepare to collapse from exhaustion.
Rena once regretted pushing her youthful vigor too far in an attempt to save a few coins on professional movers. The experience taught her an indelible lesson about the value of experts.
After that, she vowed to always hire professionals whenever she needed to move.
“That’s everything.”
But wait—what are the chances of finding professional movers in this fantasy world?
Thus, every time Rena decided to change her residence within the Great Forest because it felt too confined, the entire moving process fell to her.
Ugh, how tiresome. With an initial groan at the prospect, she soon found herself surprisingly engaged.
Indeed, for someone who possessed monstrous strength capable of subduing orcs, moving heavy belongings was no arduous task.
Rena self-proclaimed herself an expert in professional moving.
“Ah, what a relief.”
After her physical efforts were over, moving became nothing more than a simple labor to Rena.
She even enjoyed simple labor. The fulfillment felt after mechanically repeating tasks until, unnoticed, all the work was done was beyond words.
Rena, her hands on her hips, beamed with a smile as radiant as the sunlight.
“Hmmph!”
The sentiment seemed opposite for her accomplice who’d been toiling alongside her.
“Tch tch.”
Rena stuck out her tongue.
Right beside her, Baduki lay sprawled out on the ground, his tongue hanging out.
He looked exactly like a dog on a scorching summer’s day.
“Feeble! Feeble! With such little stamina, how do you plan to survive in this perilous place?”
Right as Baduki was about to mutter a complaint, Rena happened to set down the bundle she’d been carrying on her back with a thud.
“Tsk.”
The impact of the bundle hitting the ground shook the earth.
Compared to what Baduki had carried, Rena’s was at least double the size.
Despite this, Baduki was clearly exhausted, yet Rena had only become slightly breathless.
As if to imply this level of weight was nothing for her.
Baduki fell silent.
The scene left him speechless.
Is it that I’m weak? No, it’s that the human who carried this thing so effortlessly must be insane.
Tightly secured, the bundle unraveled to reveal its contents—gleaming chunks of precious metals.
Of course, ore is heavy by nature.
Would polished gemstones be any lighter?
Even though Rena had bent her back to carry what seemed like an unmanageable amount, it was Baduki who had fallen apart, proving her monstrous strength.
“Your owner is so energetic, yet you lie there like a limp pet? Why don’t you get up? Are you suggesting that all of this impressive muscle mass is only for show?”
Rena poked Baduki’s giant body, causing it to sway.
Baduki had been by Rena’s side for several months, during which time he’d experienced rapid growth.
It was hard to fathom his former days as a small pup.
He had grown so large that Rena could comfortably ride him, horse-style.
It seemed right that with such enormous parents, the offspring wouldn’t be any smaller.
Fed well, Baduki attributed his previous small size to malnutrition.
However, why couldn’t he live up to his massive physique?
When his owner was doing the heavy lifting, how could he appear so energetic while Baduki was so tired?
Guang!
“Hey.”
What has he done lately to warrant this?
“Why are you taking care of things that were supposed to be useless anyway?”
It was a fairly valid question.
Where had Rena discovered these precious metals?
They had been found inside the treasure hoard of a dragon’s lair.
“These things are still useless for now. But I thought they might come in handy later.”
Though Rena walked around the Great Forest as if she had been born there, adapting fully, she still saw herself as a part of civilization.
Whether she escaped through her own efforts or was rescued by others, her goal remained unchanged—she wanted to meet other people and live like a human again.
These precious metals were her savings, intended to help her live normally when that day came.
The value of gems would likely be acknowledged wherever she ended up in this fantasy world.
Therefore, despite the troubles, she resolved to collect them.
The delay had been due to the time it took to construct storage spaces to house them all.
The dragon’s hoard had been so vast that carrying it recklessly could have deprived her of a sleeping space at home.
She had also brought other useful and interesting items during her efforts.
“Alright, stop being lazy and get up. Let’s eat.”
Rena filled wooden bowls with soup prepared before heading out that morning.
The perfect timing of her cooking, coinciding with the duration of their moving trip, made it just right.
While it was a shame not to have instant noodles on hand, Rena believed that helping with the move deserved a special meal.
It was basic etiquette, after all.
At the smell of the delicious food wafting through the air, Baduki forgot his exhaustion and sprang up.
See, he wasn’t really tired, was he?
Though inwardly disgruntled, she showed no outward signs.
“Food time, hands off even for the dogs.”
With something other than jerky in their bowls for a change, Baduki’s eyes lit up, and he wolfed down the soup.
Rena, who’d kept a watch on him just briefly, started her meal.
…Huh?
Baduki’s bowl, hers—well, it was the entire pot.
Before Baduki could finish the food, he looked at Rena with an oddly disheartened expression.
“I made it, so it’s mine.”
The shameless owner showing food greed in front of an animal.
Rena didn’t see it that way.
“Do you think I gave you a smaller bowl just to boast about myself?”
It was a specially made bowl designed to match Baduki’s growing size.
She’d gone through the trouble of changing them every day as he grew.
By sheer size, Baduki should have eaten more, but this was just preconceived bias based on first impressions.
Crash! Clang! Roar!
“Geez.”
Rena scrunched her nose in annoyance.
Noise ruining the meal?
Baduki, too, raised his tail high and barked loudly.
Creatures and humans alike—irritation was universal.
“If something is going on, why this level of commotion?”
It would be understandable if this happened once in a while.
But roughly a month of this?
Even though this forest saw constant disputes, this was getting excessive.
Rare were the days when clashes this noisy occurred daily.
In human terms, it’s like your neighbor doing a renovation without even apologizing—such a lack of decorum.
As a victim of noise pollution, Rena had every right to feel angry.
“My meal is getting ruined.”
Rena slammed down her spoon and stretched her entire body, extending her arms and legs.
Baduki, sensing an opportunity, leapt onto the pot.
But his expression turned downcast as he lifted his head from the soup.
The taste had nothing to do with it.
It was already all gone.
“I need to settle this nonsense.”
She had clearly made a mistake by trying to live peacefully in a place devoid of social norms.
Expecting consideration from creatures untamed by concepts of morality or law—that was on her.
They wouldn’t understand polite hints or words. They only understood force.
Only when struck would they realize their errors.
That was the distinction between humans and beasts.
In one-eyed town, two-eyed beings were seen as odd.
Rena’s insistence on being a civilized human only caused her unnecessary trouble.
“Let’s go! Once we deal with these nuisances, I’ll bring you a whole pot of soup I ate today, specially.”
The promise of a clear reward energized Baduki, and he took the lead with a spirited leap.
The daily noise irritated him just as much as Rena.
*
Rena and Baduki didn’t travel far before stopping.
It had been getting louder as they progressed.
Had the culprits been getting closer?
Uncanny presences appeared through the bushes and trees.
“Baduki! Body Slam!”
Kung!
It was an order she’d wanted to try for some time.
How could you restrain yourself when commanding an animal that understands human speech?
Even without prior coordination, Baduki reacted cleverly.
A massive, giant figure capable of swallowing an adult man whole charged toward the enemies!
Grrrrrr!
They were shocked by the sudden attack.
As panic set in, Baduki rampaged through the enemies like a wolf among sheep.
With agile, sneaky movements, he mercilessly beat them while they struggled to regain their senses.
She was impressed.
This was why leaders often gave orders to their underlings despite knowing they could handle things themselves—it was so much less taxing.
It was a deeply comfortable feeling.
With the table already set, she just had to wrap things up… Hmm?
“Stop! Quit! Stop!”
Rena hastily tried to call Baduki off, who was too caught up in the stress release of smashing their opponents.
“Stop right now!”
Crack!
She got hit after all.
The injured Baduki glared tearfully at her, limping indignantly.
You told me to fight!
Rena smirked.
Ignoring commands has consequences.
“Was it you guys causing the trouble?”
Rena considered herself a good owner.
Baduki certainly wasn’t searching for reasons to discipline him.
The reason for her change of heart?
The enemy faces sprawling beneath her were familiar.
Orcs from the Stormwind Tribe.
These were the very same ones she encountered a while back when she chased a group member expelled from their tribe.
“I’ll hear your explanation because I have a face to face with you.”
Orcs generally looked similar to Rena.
Just like Westerners might have a hard time differentiating East Asians, or vice versa, all orcs looked the same to her.
The only thing that kept the situation from escalating into something disastrous was recognizing the group’s leader.
He had made quite the impression.
The largest orc Rena had ever seen.
“What are you making such a racket for?”
Although she intended to listen, Rena’s curiosity was piqued.
It was probably just a heightened territorial dispute, but she planned to listen to their explanation before enacting further punishment.
You think you can make this much noise while I live here?
Her tolerance doubled in irritation.
“!”
But the leader’s reply went far beyond her expectations.
The orc leader dropped to his knees.
Is this kid trying to gain momentum for something…?
Despite his guard up, the leader bowed his head too.
His expression was resolute.
Seeing the leader’s decision to humble his pride, Rena reconsidered her approach.
“Are you asking for my help?”
The leader nodded calmly.
Help, an appeal for rescue—but the grudge of disrupting her dinner, curiosity about their situation—it was conflicting, huh.
Rena quickly decided.
“Alright, show me the way.”
Neighbors should help one another.
Although the sight of the fallen, battered orcs requesting help pricked her conscience, softening her resolve, she’d never admit that.
