“How’s the situation?”
“Nothing so far… It’s eerily quiet.”
Rank 2 Adventurer Kevin, on watch from the watchtower, answered the town’s soldier’s question, his face grim as he surveyed the wheat fields stretching beyond the town and the forest visible in the distance. The harvest was over, so the damage wasn’t too bad, but if this situation continued, it could affect the sowing of seeds.
Nearly a month had passed since the townspeople had begun their full-scale evacuation, and the evacuation of able-bodied residents was almost complete, but some bedridden patients and their families remained.
As a countermeasure, they were being gathered in a community center-like building in the center of town, but it would still take several days to move them all.
Baron Horace, the lord of this land, had requested aid from Count Taurus, his patron, and preparations were finally underway to send 1,400 soldiers, including those from other noble houses.
The Adventurer’s Guild had also contacted multiple guilds, and Dandole’s Guild had finally secured a Rank 4 scout who had been acting alone, summoning him to serve as an instructor until a party of Rank 4 or higher could be dispatched from the Royal Capital.
Upon receiving this information, the Baron sent fifty soldiers from his town ahead of schedule, and they were now cooperating with the town’s soldiers to evacuate the residents.
The Adventurer’s Guild, having made contact with a Rank 4 Adventurer, issued a guild request for support, and two Rank 3 parties volunteered, preparing to defend against Orc attacks alongside Kevin’s party.
“As promised, we should be able to evacuate the able-bodied residents in time. Kevin and the others took care of the Orcs that showed up the other day.”
A familiar soldier, who had previously been guarding the gate, climbed onto a scaffold built behind the stone wall and faced the same direction as Kevin.
There had been no movement for over three weeks, but a few days ago, they discovered five Orcs trying to take food from a warehouse outside the town, and Kevin’s party and a Rank 3 party had worked together to kill them.
“Orcs are nothing to worry about. We could have managed even without her. She can’t do much anyway, so she should just run home!”
“Kevin… You’re the one who was most worried about her, weren’t you?”
“N-No, I’m just angry that she acted on her own!”
A month ago, a girl named Aria had gone alone to the Orc settlement to buy time for the residents to evacuate.
Despite being only in her early teens, Aria possessed strength that Rank 2 Adventurers couldn’t even dream of matching, and no one could stop her. Kevin, who had been beaten to a pulp and knocked unconscious along the way, woke up to find that Aria had already left.
“She takes what I say seriously, but there’s nothing she can do alone…”
“She was a pretty girl… Did you fall in love after getting punched?”
“D-Don’t be ridiculous! There’s no way I’d fall for a kid like that!”
“Well, anyway, it’s good that the Orcs didn’t seem that strong. I heard Orcs are Rank 3 Monsters, but are they not as strong as the rumors say?”
“That’s not true.”
A scout from the Rank 3 party that had come to this town, who had appeared unnoticed, climbed onto the stone wall’s scaffold. He was the scout who had investigated the Orcs’ strength at the lord’s request when they were discovered, and it was because he knew their threat that he had participated in this defense with his party.
“Doyle-san… What do you mean?”
“You know I infiltrated their settlement. When I examined the Orcs that came the other day, they all seemed strange, and when I appraised them, I found that they were all weakened and their combat power was halved. It was as if they had been ‘poisoned’.”
Doyle, a seasoned scout in his mid-thirties, said this as he lit his pipe, took a puff, and exhaled smoke, making Kevin and the soldier exchange glances, feeling the truth in his words.
“Could it be… her?”
“She did say she would buy time…”
“She didn’t say that. I couldn’t enter the central part of that abandoned village either, I only saw it from afar. Do you understand? Because I was ‘scared’. If I was found, certain death awaited me. If you were to poison the entire Orc population, you would have to infiltrate them for more than ten days without being noticed. I don’t have that kind of courage.”
” “…………” “
A seasoned scout said he couldn’t do it himself. If that’s the case, why are the Orcs weakened? Why haven’t the confirmed higher-ranking species shown themselves? Why haven’t the Orcs invaded for over a month?
“Hey, something’s coming!”
A voice came from another watchtower far away, and Kevin and the others strained their eyes towards the wheat fields, as if jumping to attention. In the distance, they could see a small shadow approaching with what looked like a long spear or rod.
“That’s…!”
“Hey, Kevin!”
Kevin, his eyes wide, ran towards the gate, followed by the soldier and Doyle.
Together with the other Adventurers and soldiers who had gathered, they went outside the gate, and Kevin, who was running at the front, approached the figure and called out their name.
“Aria!”
“…Kevin, is that you?”
The girl, covered in mud and wearing a tattered coat, dragged a fur bag while readjusting a huge rod on her shoulder, and turned her tired face towards them as they approached.
Kevin was taken aback by her intense atmosphere and the traces of blood on her cheeks, and a familiar soldier stepped forward and spoke in a subdued voice.
“Where have you been? What happened to the Orcs?”
“…The Orcs won’t attack anymore. There might be a few left, but at least the higher-ranking species are gone.”
“Gone…? What are you talking about!”
“Wait, Kevin.”
Doyle stopped Kevin, who was about to rush forward, and turned his eyes to the black rod Aria was holding.
“Hey, let me ask you something… Isn’t that Demon Iron Hexagonal Rod the weapon that the Orc General had?”
Ignoring the Adventurers and soldiers who were confused because they didn’t understand the meaning of Doyle’s words, Aria turned to Doyle.
“Do you want it? I brought it, but it’s quite heavy.”
“…No, it’s okay. Let me ask you one more thing. Are the Orcs really gone?”
“They’re lying around in the forest and the abandoned village, so go and check for yourself. Can I go now? I’m tired.”
“…Understood.”
“H-Hey…”
Doyle grabbed Kevin’s shoulder, who was about to stop Aria, and quietly shook his head.
As her small back disappeared towards the town gate, Doyle, with a grim face, called out to the soldiers and other Adventurers.
“Someone, call my comrades. We’re going to check the forest and the Orc settlement now.”
That same day, Doyle and Kevin’s party set out to explore, and several days later, in the deep forest and the abandoned village that had been the Orcs’ base, the bodies of more than fifty Orcs, including higher-ranking species, were discovered, their Magic Stones taken from their hearts.
Afterwards, when they returned to town to hear the details, the girl was already gone, and the voice of one of the Adventurers who had explored, muttering “Ash-Covered Princess,” was carried away by the wind and disappeared.
＊＊＊
When I woke up, a blue sky was spreading above me.
Extreme loss of stamina and Mana. If I had taken even a little more damage, I would have remained in a coma, starved, and eventually died of exhaustion.
Even after waking up, I couldn’t move my body. It seemed that my muscles and tendons throughout my body had been subjected to considerable stress due to using physical abilities beyond my limits. In addition, the rapid deceleration when I stabbed the Dagger had caused my right upper arm to break and my shoulder joint to dislocate, and I had suffered multiple bruises and internal injuries throughout my body.
I was lucky that there were no injuries to my head. If I had taken damage to my head, I would not have woken up.
After regaining consciousness and grasping my current situation while still dazed, I used the Utility Magic 【Water】 with my slightly recovered Mana to create water next to my face, and sipped the muddy water to recover my energy even a little.
In this state, if there were any surviving Orcs, I would be killed without being able to do anything.
The flow of Mana was not constant, perhaps because the Mana pathways throughout my body were abnormal, which made it difficult, but I adjusted it with Mana Control, which had only increased in level, and gradually repaired my body with 【Cure】, and after a full day, I finally recovered enough to move, and put the few remaining pills in my trembling hand into my mouth.
Fatigue and damage had accumulated, and my stamina and Mana had not recovered to more than half.
But, judging that it would take too long to recover if I stayed here, I decided to do what I had to do and leave this place.
After pulling the Black Dagger from Golgol’s forehead and storing it in its holder, I took out a spare Knife and extracted the Magic Stone from his chest. I am an Adventurer. I don’t kill out of hatred. That’s why I won’t let his death as a Monster be in vain.
I found the fur bag that the Orc was using, went around the abandoned village to collect Magic Stones from all the Orcs, and retrieved as many of the thrown Knives as possible.
That night, I grilled wild vegetables and yams, boiled water, and had my first warm meal in a month. I slept like the dead until sunrise. In the morning, I left the abandoned village, collected the Magic Stones from the Soldiers I had left in the Forest, and started walking towards the town.
Bringing the Demon Iron Hexagonal Rod that Golgol had been using was just a whim.
I wouldn’t call it spoils of war, but I didn’t like the idea of some stranger using it without permission, so I took it with me for the time being, but I regretted it halfway because it was so heavy.
I returned to that small town and told Kevin and the other Adventurers and soldiers that the threat was gone, then left the rest of the cleanup to them.
I was tired and didn’t want to bother explaining, but if they saw the site, they would understand without a detailed explanation. Anyway, even if I explained what I did, it’s doubtful they would believe me, so it’s better to avoid the hassle.
Inside the town, it seemed that evacuation was underway in preparation for the Orc attack, and I didn’t see any residents other than soldiers.
“…………”
I was supposed to buy time, but I ended up doing more than planned, but it’s okay because I prevented the worst-case scenario. Probably.
In the town, I found an inn with the door open, went inside, and found a place that was probably being used as a station by Adventurers or soldiers. I borrowed a corner of the inn and closed my eyes, wrapping myself in my cloak.
Right now, I want sleep in a safe place more than a decent meal. A place with people isn’t necessarily safe, but it’s better than a place where wild Monsters are wandering around.
I found some dried cheese left on the table, probably left by the men, so I washed it down with water. After getting enough sleep and waking up, my stamina and Mana had recovered to about 70%.
While I was sleeping, some of the Adventurers and soldiers apparently went to the abandoned village where the Orcs had been.
There’s no need to wait for them to return. I might be asked for an explanation, but since I’ll be talking about it at the Guild anyway, I don’t have a hobby of doing things twice, so I decided to leave for the town where the Guild is located.
I realized after starting to walk along the highway that even though I was tired, my body felt sharper than before because 【Martial Arts】 and 【Non-Attribute Magic】 had risen to Level 4.
My Attribute Magic and combat Skills haven’t increased, so I’m still Rank 3, but in terms of physical ability, I should be close to Rank 4.
With this, I have finally taken a step into the stage where “strong people” are.
The explanation for the second half is scheduled for tomorrow.
From now on, I will update twice a week normally, and three times a week if I have time.
Addendum: How to use 【Shadow Snatch】
・Transfer from the “darkness” of Shadow Snatch, or a Shadow connected to your Mana Particles, to “darkness” in a distant location. In this case, the object being sent must be isolated and wrapped in Dark Attribute Mana Particles. Example: Crossbow arrows, some Magic.
・Send from a Shadow or “darkness” directly connected to your Mana to “darkness” that is also directly connected to your Mana. In this case, it is not necessary to completely isolate the object being sent, as with 【Shadow Storage】. Example: Only the tip of a weapon.