Chapter of Movement 1: Engagement with Monsters, Part One
“…They’re coming this way, a pack of Prairie Wolves.”
“Hmm? What’s their trajectory?”
“They’ve spotted us and are heading straight for us. Even if we try to move, they’ll chase us down.”
“I see.”
As we traveled toward our destination, we had strayed quite far from the Royal Castle, allowing a pack of monsters to form without being hunted down. I sensed their presence as they detected us and began their advance. Although we still had a comfortable distance, it would be easier to deal with them swiftly rather than ignore them and let them pursue us.
“Should I go?”
“No, I’ll handle it. Is there anyone who wants wolf meat?”
…No one spoke up. Well, that’s fine.
“Looks like no one wants it, huh? Then I’ll take care of it.”
“Got it. Should we stop?”
“No, we should keep moving straight ahead. I’ll catch up quickly, so just go on.”
“Understood. Then I’ll proceed.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
After exchanging a few light words, I broke away from the line and dashed toward the direction where I sensed the presence. They weren’t too far off, and they weren’t particularly strong monsters, so I felt like running was just a light exercise. I soon spotted the twenty or so wolves and halted my pace.
It seemed the wolves had also caught sight of me, as they began to increase their speed while barking loudly. I clenched my right fist and, as the last wolf entered my range, I took a deep, large step with my left foot and swung my fist down.
In that instant, the pack of wolves vanished like smoke in the wind.
I had no particular need for materials nor was I on a quest, so I obliterated them without leaving a single fragment behind. I did take a moment to check if anything seemed off or if they appeared to be under some kind of control, but there were no signs of such. It seemed we had simply wandered into their territory. Given the size of the pack, they likely thought of us as a hunting opportunity. A pack of twenty or so wolves wouldn’t be satisfied with just one or two prey, so they would attack anything they found.
Well, it was plausible since Prairie Wolves are among the less intelligent of the Wolf Species. A smarter wolf wouldn’t move in a group during daylight, nor would they attack from the same direction, so this was a reasonable conclusion.
“For now, let’s head back.”
After confirming there were no survivors and that there was no collateral damage in the area, I decided to return to regroup, as I had taken longer than expected.
Chapter of Movement 1: Engagement with Monsters, Part Two
“…Leader. Up ahead, a Bear and a Great Bull are engaged in combat. What should we do? Should we detour to avoid engagement?”
“What types are they… No, that’s fine. Stella, can you handle it?”
“Hmm, I can do it!”
“Then I’ll leave the Bear to you. Rio.”
“What is it?”
“Take down the Great Bull, and do it with as few injuries as possible.”
“Understood.”
About two hours had passed since I dealt with the wolves. As we continued straight ahead, the forest began to thin out, and Fon, who was leading, reported the situation. I asked Stella and Rio to handle it. Upon hearing my orders, both Stella and Rio placed their hands on their weapons and quickened their pace, breaking away from the line to charge toward the fierce battle between the pitch-black Bear and the four-horned Great Bull. I recognized both creatures but didn’t know their names; I only remembered that their meat was delicious and their bones had a useful hardness.
As I watched them move, I saw Stella sever the Bear’s arms upon contact and stab her sword into its neck three times before retreating. Shortly after, Rio threw a knife into the Great Bull’s joint, embedding it, and then leaped onto its back as if performing a rodeo.
“Wow, that was impressive!”
“Very precise, unlike us.”
“Yeah, well, if half of it was still intact at this point, that would be good enough.”
“…Isn’t that just because the Leader and Fana put too much power into it?”
“Since we rarely hunt for food, it’s not like we were trying to leave meat behind… By the way, can anyone disassemble it?”
“I can do it~!”
“Can I leave it to you?”
“Of course~!”
“…By the way, how did you do it before?”
“I just skinned it and cut the meat into pieces, taking only what I could eat, then burned or buried the rest.”
“I see. We never hunted for food, so when we killed something, we just took what was left and cooked it.”
“…Aren’t we just savages?”
“Well, I won’t deny that.”
As I watched Stella and Rio handle the disassembly with care, I was impressed when Fon asked me a question, and I turned to respond. The result was a label of savagery, but I couldn’t deny that aside from reporting the defeat of the Demon Lord’s Army in town, our lives had not resembled those of a Hero or a Holy Knight.
Well, there hadn’t been anyone skilled at cooking, and we hadn’t had the luxury to learn. It wasn’t that we hadn’t intended to learn or that we could have hired someone; it was simply a time when we were focused solely on combat.
“All done? Is something wrong?”
“Yeah, it’s finished. Lulu, you’re up.”
“Leave it to me~. Should I disassemble the Bear too~?”
“The Bear is fine; just the Great Bull, please.”
“Got it~.”
As we chatted, Stella and Rio returned, and Lulu headed off to disassemble the creatures while Fana tossed a Magic Bag for food supplies. In the meantime, I handed Stella and Rio a water flask filled with water to wash off the blood, complimenting their careful methods.
“Oh, right. Leader.”
“What is it?”
“How far are we moving today? We’re making better time than initially planned.”
“Hmm… How long will it take to move through the forest?”
“Umm… I’d need about half a day. We’re moving straight, but there are more monsters in the forest than in the grasslands, so we’ll likely encounter more.”
“Are there rivers or water sources in the forest?”
“Just a moment… It might be a bit off course, but there should be a small river.”
“How much time will we need?”
“At our current pace, it shouldn’t take long. I think we’ll arrive by evening.”
“Then we’ll aim for that.”
“Understood. Stella, come here for a moment.”
“What’s up?”
Chapter of Camping Duty
“Alright, the order will be me and Fon first, then Stella and Fana, and finally Rio and Lulu. If you sense any monster presence and can handle it without issue, deal with it individually. If it seems like a larger scale, wake the others and we’ll handle it together. If something feels off about their appearance, wake me up; I’m used to exploring in the dark, so I’ll take care of it.”
Everyone responded, and I watched as the second and third shifts, the two women, entered the simple tent. Fon and I sat in front of the campfire.
The preparations for this camping were mostly done by Stella and Lulu, with Rio and Fon assisting. Fana and I were responsible for ensuring the area was safe and checking for any abnormalities near the river. The reason for our investigation was simple; both of them had no experience setting up a simple tent, so we just started the fire while they pretended to work.
It turned out to be a good call. We found remnants of something that had been devoured flowing down from upstream, and upon investigating, we discovered a sizable Goblin nest, which we promptly crushed. Fortunately, there were no living humans captured, so we didn’t end up with extra baggage before heading out to hunt. Well, there were corpses, so we burned those.
Also, most of the preparations for the camping meal were handled by Lulu, with Stella assisting, leaving the remaining four of us utterly useless. Well, it seemed Rio and Fon hadn’t done such things due to their roles, so it couldn’t be helped… As for Fana and me? Don’t expect a couple of savages who can only cook by burning food to be able to whip up a proper meal. Joking aside, Fana and I could tell the difference in taste, but we were fundamentally unsuited for cooking. We were both haphazard and careless, leading to a failure rate of about seventy percent.
Honestly, it might be better to keep these guys on the battlefield; it would be more beneficial for the world.
“…By the way, Leader, why don’t you use weapons?”
“Weapons? Well, I generally don’t.”
“Why not? It’s not like you’re short on money.”
“I can’t handle them.”
“Huh?”
“My strength exceeds what any weapon can endure. Even a sturdy iron sword designed for durability would shatter after ten full-force swings. I could make them last longer by holding back, but the enemies I’ve faced so far weren’t the kind you could afford to hold back against.”
“Wow… So what do you do when you need a weapon?”
“I use the bones of the ones I’ve killed, like I just collected, or sticks and stones I find around.”
I could probably make them last longer if I treated them more carefully, but why should someone who uses weapons have to consider the durability of the weapon they need to use at full power? I’m not treating them roughly, just swinging them with all my might, and they break.
If I asked a race like the Dwarves, known for their blacksmithing, I might be able to get a weapon suited to my strength… but I don’t really need a special weapon that badly. Plus, not having a weapon allows me to strike unexpectedly, which is an advantage I can incorporate into surprise tactics. If I need one, I can just borrow it from Fana.
“I see?”
“Not really understanding, huh? Well, you’ll see soon enough.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
“Ah, you use quite a large weapon, huh?”
“Yeah. Unlike you, I’m not primarily focused on stealthy assassination.”
“I see… By the way, do you think you could take down the last Demon Race with your current abilities?”
“…No way.”
“Is that due to your skill level or your fighting style?”
“Both. My approach is to strike hard and aim for a surprise attack, but the Demon Race doesn’t stop until they’re dead, forcing me into direct combat. Unfortunately, that’s not my specialty.”
“I see… What about your actual strength?”
“I can barely win against a Dragon if I can distract it, but against someone stronger than that, I’d either end up in a draw or deal almost no damage.”
“I see… How much experience do you have fighting stronger opponents?”
“Not much. In fact, when faced with a stronger opponent, the basic rule is that it’s usually my time to die, so I’ve never faced one outside of training.”
“Hmm… It seems you won’t be able to take the front lines in the next battle.”
“Yeah, I guess I’ll only be able to handle clearing the way and dealing with the weaker ones.”
I was acutely aware of my lack of strength… Should I focus on gaining more diverse combat experience? For now, it would be best for everyone except Lulu to face death a few times and overcome it. I’m not sure about Stella, but Rio and Fon likely have little experience fighting against those stronger than them.
…While I had considered going after Disaster Classification monsters consecutively, it might be better to start by improving Rio and Fon’s abilities. Given that I’m being targeted by high-ranking Demon Races, it would be reassuring to ensure at least one of them could take down such foes while still having some strength left.
“For now, once this hunt is over, I have a plan.”
“Huh? What are you going to do, Leader?”
“I’m going to train you all. I intend to make sure you can at least take down the Demon Race you’ve witnessed.”
“…Isn’t that aiming too high?”
“Not too high. In fact, even that feels uncertain considering future battles.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yeah. Plus, it’s not a pleasant feeling to watch things end without being able to avenge your enemies, right? You’d want to kill the Demon Race that caused the deaths of your friends and employers with your own hands, wouldn’t you?”
“That’s… true. I can’t just be satisfied with watching.”
“Then you need to grow stronger.”