Even if we changed our strategy to high-speed infiltration, it’s impossible to keep going without rest. Even if our stamina and Divine Power allow us to recover almost infinitely, there’s no way to avoid mental exhaustion.
People can endure it to some extent, but the horses were the first to complain of fatigue. Clearly, their bodies should be tired, yet they were overflowing with energy, while their minds were exhausted, creating a strange imbalance.
In such a state, no matter how tired you are, proper sleep won’t come. It’s a side effect, in a way. Divine Power wasn’t created to make us work endlessly without rest or sleep.
Neither humans nor horses were meant to be turned into working machines by this power granted by the Lord. It’s just that the situation forced us to use it this way, and we must never become enamored with its might, thinking it’s omnipotent.
“Hey, let’s take a short break. I can’t go any further.”
Lady Kisea, with her weak patience, was the first to raise her hands in surrender. As if in response, the horses neighed in agreement.
We couldn’t understand the horses’ language, but their attitude made it clear they were siding with Lady Kisea. Reluctantly, we stopped for a moment.
“What disgrace is this for the proud royal steeds! Aren’t these bodies trained in the tax-funded training grounds?”
The Princess, who wanted to push on, vented her frustration on the poor horses instead of Lady Kisea. Roka, who also wanted to quickly cross this unremarkable plain, wore a dissatisfied expression.
Being in such a harsh place seemed to make everyone’s temper harsher too. Roka tried to soothe the Princess, who was scolding the horses.
These horses were probably running through such terrain for the first time. I wasn’t sure where the Empire’s warhorse training grounds were, but I was certain the conditions there were better than here.
“The blade’s ruined again.”
After setting up the Night’s Shelter, both people and horses hurried inside. The horses stayed in the yard, while the people went in. Before entering, Roka lingered in the yard for a moment. She took out her sword, looked at it, and sighed.
The blade, which should have been sharp, was now worn down to something resembling an iron club. It was so badly damaged that it couldn’t even be sheathed, so she had to carry it by her side. At least there was no risk of cutting herself.
“Time to replace it.”
Roka struck the ruined sword with her hand, splitting it in two, and then pulled out a new one from a jar. Master Geher had given her several swords after noticing her blade was wearing out during their last sparring session.
She had been breaking one sword after another during her matches with Lady Kisea and the other Masters, and now she had just destroyed another one. Since it couldn’t function as a sword anymore, she decided to break it herself.
This was now her last sword. The child looked gloomy, but at least mass-produced swords had their advantages—they fit her hand well even after being replaced.
Since they were all made to similar sizes and shapes, there was no need for an adjustment period when switching swords. That was their only advantage. Constantly having to replace swords seemed to be a significant source of stress for the child.
“You should’ve just thrown it away earlier. Why carry it all this way?”
“I wanted to keep using it if it was still usable, but it’s too badly damaged now…”
The child’s voice was now tinged with gloom. Lately, she had been counting the days until she could meet the blacksmith and get a new sword.
“I wish I had the Moonlight Blade. I could really use it well now.”
She hadn’t thought much of it when she had it, but now she dreamed of the Moonlight Blade. All we could do was hope she’d get a better sword soon.
“It can’t be helped. Let’s go in now. You’ll definitely get a better sword.”
“Really…?”
“Of course.”
“Then reassure me.”
Looking at the child’s innocent eyes, I couldn’t help but wonder—was she truly innocent, or just clever?
I had no choice but to hug her tightly. Roka closed her eyes, savoring the moment of being hugged, then suddenly opened them wide. It was as if flames were flickering in her eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
“Uh, well…”
A frosty voice chilled the atmosphere. Turning around, I saw the Princess looking somewhat flustered as she watched us. Suddenly, Lady Kisea peeked her head out from behind the door.
“This isn’t the time for that. I smell something. I smell something.”
“What smell…?”
“The smell of an intruder.”
Unlike her usual self, Lady Kisea spoke in a low, quiet voice.
“It’s coming from above. Probably on the second floor. For now, act normal, like nothing’s wrong. I really don’t want to fight that thing, okay?”
She was so nervous she was stuttering. You could tell just by looking at her tail—it was puffed up to twice its usual size, and her ears were folded back in fear.
“Did you really drive away that Evil God properly back then? What if it’s here for revenge? I smell that Dragon Chimera. It must have followed us all the way here!”
*
In the end, the four of us gathered in the shelter’s living room, pretending to have a meal as if nothing was wrong. This place was modeled after the hunting lodge of Helmut, a former hunter from Pumpkin Vine Village.
It was built relatively large to store hunting tools, equipment, and the animals he hunted, and it even had a yard. Still, it was a space originally meant for one person.
With four people crammed into the living room, it felt a bit cramped. But given the tension, such minor discomforts didn’t matter.
“Stay calm. Stay calm and think of a plan. What should we do? How do we handle this?”
Lady Kisea, who was urging everyone to stay calm, was the least calm of all. She was biting her nails, clearly showing her nerves.
The Princess wasn’t calm either. She was just silent, stiff as a board. In fact, she seemed even more tense than Lady Kisea.
Lady Kisea had only briefly clashed with Yanid, a child controlled by the Evil God. It was hardly even a clash—just a single attack.
The Princess, on the other hand, had been thoroughly beaten and nearly killed. The way her fur stood on end made it clear she felt her life was in danger.
Roka and I were the calmest. In fact, Roka was almost too calm. Having already taken down a Death Worm with a surprise attack, she kept insisting on another ambush.
“Let’s attack while they’re unprepared! Destroy whatever it is.”
“No, it’s not that simple.”
“Then what’s your idea?”
“It’s not that simple.”
While Roka’s suggestion to ambush wasn’t entirely wrong, Lady Kisea, who was clearly terrified, wasn’t in a state to offer alternatives.
“Stop being so cowardly! Show some of that wolf’s bravery!”
Roka looked around and then scolded Lady Kisea in a low voice. Lady Kisea couldn’t even respond to Roka’s anger.
She seemed to feel her pride was hurt. Roka, despite charging headfirst into battles, never lost her courage. Meanwhile, Lady Kisea’s combat effectiveness had already dropped by half.
I guessed she must have decided that Yanid and Oberta were unbeatable. After chewing on her nails, she finally came up with an idea.
“Let’s run away.”
“Sis, I’m really disappointed in you.”
“No, there’s no need to fight here. If we move quietly while they’re distracted, we can escape before they catch us.”
“…I’m starting to think what Grandma Rat said wasn’t wrong.”
Roka, with her arms crossed, looked at Lady Kisea and the Princess, then frowned deeply.
“Fine then. I’ll go alone. Sis, I understand how you feel, but running away isn’t the answer. We need to break through. If we take them down, all our problems will be solved.”
“If they had come to fight, they wouldn’t have left us alone like this. They must have been following us, so they probably attacked first.”
I offered my opinion too. Solving every problem with a sword isn’t always the best approach. If they had attacked us with a sword, we’d have no choice but to respond in kind.
But if that wasn’t the case, then dialogue was the priority. We knew nothing about Yanid’s current state or why she had followed us.
“Azahadaka. What do you think?”
[So now you seek the wisdom of the great dragon, huh?]
The Dragon’s Sword, with its smug tone, agreed with my opinion.
[If you run away without knowing why that thing is chasing you, you’ll never escape this cycle. At the very least, you need to find out the reason, or you’ll keep being chased without understanding why.]
