That night, when everyone has fallen asleep, the three from Trident huddle together and whisper.
“So, there really are amateurs and high-rankers among them, huh?”
“Yeah. If they’re trying to rank up, they’re still pretty low.”
“But didn’t they kill Carton without ranking up? If they had ranked up after that, wouldn’t that be dangerous?”
“Hah. Look. The Sage is one thing, but the state soldiers are definitely trying to hide something.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“They’re probably not sure if they can maintain their ranks.”
Their conversation takes a suspicious turn. Suddenly, there’s a rustling sound from inside the tent, and the three fall silent. After a while, when it seems safe, they resume their talk.
“So, what do we do? With these nuisances around, we can’t get anything done.”
“Simple. We just shake them off.”
“Shake them off? How?”
“Listen. I’ve got an idea.”
“……That’s… “
“pretty risky, isn’t it?”
“Risky or not, the Sage said they can protect themselves.”
“But still…”
“Don’t worry. Killing monsters means being ready to be killed by them.”
“Yeah, I guess…”
“Alright, let’s do it.”
The three begin plotting something.
As the monsters encountered along the way grow stronger, Bryan and the others start to struggle, and the state soldiers and Kimijima’s group begin to lend a hand.
Eventually, the group arrives at a slightly open area. Kimijima realizes something.
“This place…”
“Senpai?”
“Ah, yes. This is where the high-ranker and Sensei fought.”
However, Kimijima doesn’t see any traces of bodies. The monsters might have eaten them. The weapons and other metal items that should have been there are also gone.
Spells, who overhears the conversation, stops the group and begins discussing with Yarzak. Bryan, who was leading the way, returns to see what’s going on.
“What’s up?”
“This is where Carton was killed.”
“Here?”
“Yeah. It seems he fought about ten high orcs here before that. We’re close to Dix Village now.”
“Ah, that village…”
“You know it?”
“Of course. We’re here to rank up by hunting high-level monsters. But it’s bad news. Even we avoided that village. Honestly, you should turn back.”
“……No. We’ve come this far with this many people. Let’s see how things play out.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Yarzak, too, feels uneasy about heading to Dix Village, but Spells shows no intention of turning back.
At that moment, one of the state soldiers finds a badge and rushes over to Yarzak.
“Yarzak!”
“Huh? This is… Dawson’s.”
It’s a badge indicating the rank of a state soldier, belonging to Dawson, the leader of the soldiers who accompanied Carton. Yarzak stares at it for a while before putting it in his bag.
They decide to camp there for the third night.
Though the village isn’t visible from here, they set up a campfire in a spot hidden by the trees, where it’s hard to see from Dix Village. It’s a bit extravagant, but with a large group like this, they can afford to be a bit flashy.
As they eat, Mainui approaches Kimijima.
“Yuzuki, are you still feeling that uneasy sensation?”
“Yes, it’s been the same all along.”
“I see… Keep your guard up, just in case.”
Nishina and Sakuragi nod solemnly at Mainui’s words.
At dawn, everyone wakes up, and the discussion turns to heading to Dix Village.
“How far is it from here?”
Bryan asks, and Yarzak unfolds a map to explain.
Dix Village is still a bit of a distance away. Kimijima vaguely remembers the route, but since they were chasing after the high orcs that were screaming and running ahead at the time, they’re not confident about the exact distance.
As they slowly move forward, the village walls come into view in the distance. Though they’re still far away, Bryan raises his hand to stop the group.
“Damn. I’ll go scout ahead.”
“Are you sure?”
Yarzak asks apologetically.
“I’m ranked in the 200s, you know. Leave it to me.”
“The 200s? That’s impressive… Alright. But don’t push yourself.”
“Got it.”
Elvish are known for their agility, and Bryan’s slender build makes him ideal for sneaking around. Confident in his abilities, Yarzak decides to let him go. The others agree.
“Be careful.”
“Yeah, leave it to me.”
One of the Trident members calls out to Bryan, who nods lightly to his two companions.
Bryan then quietly approaches the village.
……
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
The others watch his back intently.
Behind them, Bryan’s two companions exchange glances and begin to slowly back away.
“Bryan’s so cool, isn’t he?”
“Huh? What?”
Sakuragi excitedly talks to the two who are trying to slip away. Caught off guard, they stammer in response.
“He’s like an elf, right? Handsome and with such a high ranking! He must be popular, huh?”
“H-hey, Miki!”
In the tense atmosphere, Sakuragi’s carefree attitude makes Nishina panic.
“What? It’s fine, isn’t it? You’re a half-ling, right?”
“H-half? No, I’m a hob.”
“Oh. So the names are a bit different, huh?”
The two, who were trying to sneak away, are now stuck because of Sakuragi. Trying to hide their scheming, they desperately answer her questions.
“Have you ever seen a dragon?”
“Nope. I don’t think anyone who’s met a dragon is still alive, right?”
“Y-yeah. Dragons rarely come near human settlements.”
“Huh. I’ve always wanted to ride a dragon and go whoosh!”
“What? Ride a dragon? No way.”
Throughout the journey, Bryan and the others had kept their distance, so they hadn’t talked much. But seeing how they handled the monsters had impressed Sakuragi. Now that Bryan has volunteered to scout for everyone, she feels even more connected to him, and the conversation doesn’t stop.
As the endless chatter continues, the two begin to feel a sense of urgency.
“Uh, sorry, I need to go take care of something.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“Oh, sure. You’re going to pick flowers, right? Go ahead.”
Just as they’re about to leave, a rumbling sound echoes through the ground.
“What’s that?”
“Hey…”
Soon, they see Bryan running back, followed by a large group of high orcs with wild eyes. Mainui is the first to react.
“Damn. Were we spotted? There’s a lot of them. Mages, weaken them from a distance!”
“I guess we have no choice. Mainui, take command.”
“Got it! Miki, join in! Melee fighters, charge after the magic is cast. You two from Trident! Get to the front! You’re veterans, right?”
“Y-yeah…”
Mainui, being a seasoned soldier, quickly gives orders while assessing the situation. The two from Trident have no choice but to comply.
“Amul, you’re a mage too, right? We’re counting on you.”
“I know! I know!”
Even so, the seasoned warrior Amul couldn’t help but feel a twinge of fear as the High Orcs came charging toward us with their fierce roars.
Spells rummaged through his bag and pulled out a small wand, handing it to Sakuragi.
“No need to hide it anymore. You can use magic too. This will boost your power.”
“Whoa! A magic wand! Thanks, old man!”
“I’m not an old man!”
Sakuragi, seeing the calm expressions of Spells and Mainui, managed to stay relatively composed. Still, there was a hint of nervousness. To shake off her unease, she cracked a joke with the old man. Spells, while complaining, had a somewhat pleased look on his face.
“Sorry! They’ve spotted us!”
While they were talking, the High Orcs were closing in. Thanks to their high ranking, they were faster than the average High Orc. Bryan, leading the charge, shouted as he plunged into the waiting formation. He tried to maintain his speed and leave the group behind, but then he noticed two of his comrades standing at the front of the formation, looking apologetic as they raised their swords.
—W-what? Why are they here?!
Without understanding what was happening, Bryan slammed on the brakes and came to a halt. There was no way he could just leave his comrades behind in the middle of these High Orcs.
—Damn it. Did they get caught?
He then stood next to his comrades, who were waiting for the right moment to charge, behind the line of mages.
(Sorry… I couldn’t get out.)
(Damn it. You guys better remember this later.)
“They’re coming!”
At Mainui’s shout, the mages began preparing their spells in unison.
“Lots of magnifying glasses!”
Sakuragi activated the spell she had been meticulously planning, her ultimate move. Above her head, multiple magnifying glasses began to form. The effect of the magic wand she had just received was impressive. The formation went more smoothly than she had expected, and Sakuragi couldn’t help but grin at the result.
Beside him, Amul was creating a massive fireball. Spells and Yarzak, without any charging motions, focused their mana into their respective wands.
“Fire!”
A thunderous roar echoed as various spells were unleashed, sending the leading High Orc flying. The sheer power of the attacks forced the orcs to halt in their tracks. Amid the rising dust, the leader-like High Orc let out a roar, and the other orcs responded with growls that echoed through the area.
As the heart-wrenching roars filled the air, Kimijima tightly gripped the new naginata she had received from Shigeto.
But Mainui wasn’t one to let a lost opportunity slip by. With her command, the close-combat fighters charged at the slowed High Orcs.
Kimijima, her face tense, and Nishina, both following the veteran adventurers, began to run forward.
Visit the request page If there’s a Japanese Light Novel (LN) or Web Novel (WN) you’d like me to translate
When the donation goal progress bar above hit 100% one novel will be chosen for translation
| Table of Contents | Next* |
Support the Author by Buying the Original Books!
