Chapter 38
There is only one orc left . And he would have to face both of us . I see Daniela jump down from the tree in the corner of my eye .
“Asagi, do not let your guard down . ”
“Right . ”
I answer briskly, keeping my focus on the orc . The important thing was to avoid being hit .
“Oingrraaawrr!!”
The orc howls in front of us . But we would not be overwhelmed by its volume . It was nothing compared to when Beowulf roared . I spread my feet and stood ready to move at any moment, the swords held in front of me . There was a different weight to each sword . The one made of ice was much lighter . So I should use the ice blade to intercept attacks and the steel blade to deal them .
The orc now raised its club in the air . It aimed for my head and swung downward . Of course, such an obvious attacks would never land . My feet dig into the ground before an almost explosive force carries me away from the spot . This fight was going to be one of agility .
With the same momentum, I slide to the side of the orc and slash his sides with one hit of the ice blade . This sword had cut off an orc’s head, so I had no complaints regarding its sharpness . Now the orc was crying with pain as it swung its club madly, not even seeing a target . The heavy weapon noisily cuts the air over my head . I stay in a crouching posture as I vault out like a bullet, it’s the steel sword that next slashes at the orcs ankles .
His foot flies away without much resistance .
“Oigyaahaghhh!!!”
Having lost its balance, the orc rocks back and forth for a moment before falling to the ground . I catch my breath and hold my sword ready . There is a saying about cornered rats attacking cats . You never knew what an enemy would do once it became desperate .
“Asagi, do it!”
I hear Daniela shout from behind me and I nod and take a step forward .
As if hearing my footsteps, the orc suddenly starts to flail around as if it has gone mad . Its club swung recklessly in all directions without thought . I was not going to be able to approach it like this . Well, magic it is then . Thankfully, the orc would not be able to move from where it was .
I stab the steel sword into the ground and hold the ice sword horizontally . Then I imagine that magic is being discharged into it as I point the tip of the blade toward the orc . The trigger is pulled in my brain . The missile of ice fires straight into the orc, entering its forehead .
The shock is so strong that the orc is blown backward and crashes into a tree . There is a loud sound of flapping wings as a flock of birds flies away from the suddenly swaying tree . I apologize to them inwardly, as I sigh and pull the steel sword out of the ground .
“Hahhh…”
“Good work, Asagi . ”
She offers her fist which is still gripping her bow, and so I offer my sword-gripping fist in return for a nice b.u.mp . Apparently, Daniela really enjoyed these little interactions . So did I, really . It makes us feel like a real team .
“That club was dangerous . ”
Yes . The combination of an orc’s power and that club… It is remarkable . There would not be a body left to bury if you let your guard down . ”
Yeah… Really, what frightful enemies .
I look down at the fallen orcs . The first with an arrow in its brain . The other lay beheaded . Then the last, with its ankle slashed and a shard of ice stuck in its head . It had only been a minute or two, time-wise, but it had still been an intense fight .
We retrieved the fangs from the orcs as proof before returning to the campsite . Unlike the forest wolf fangs, these were thick and long . The wolf fangs were for eating, while these seemed more like weapons .
I looked up at the sky . The clouds had thickened again, making the moons look hazy . It would probably be about two hours until it sank and the sun rose .
“This succession of night attacks is getting tiresome . ”
“That is what you can expect from traveling . Can you imagine doing this alone?”
That brings me back to when I had traveled alone . That was really… I didn’t want to sleep in any trees ever again . And while it could save you in a forest inhabited by wolves and goblins, what about orcs? I’m sure they would just knock the tree right over . And while I have yet to see one, if there were ape-like monsters here, then there would be almost no point in sleeping in the trees .
“Daniela . How did you travel when you were alone?”
I ask with sudden curiosity .
“Traveling completely alone is dangerous, and so I have done it only a few times . I try to stay with a caravan of merchants . I can help them as a guard after all . If I have to travel alone, then I will not sleep . I burn no fires and use Presence Detection to its fullest . The tension never ends until the morning welcomes me . ”
Uhhh… Sounds like h.e.l.l…
“Well, perhaps I would be safer if I slept in the trees?”
She stares at me with a mischievous look . I quickly avert my eyes .
It was finally morning . We had finished packing everything now and we were making sure that we hadn’t forgotten anything before leaving .
“You good?”
“Aye, I have everything . ”
“Great, let’s go then . ”
We left the campsite behind us and walked into the forest . The occasional goblin would appear, die and have its weapons stolen . All the while, my allowance money grew and grew .
“Still, this forest seems really huge . ”
My head kept turning back as I looked around us . There were clearings here and there, but no actual trails . You would probably get lost very easily if you weren’t paying attention . Now, if only there was a paved path leading us to…
“We should be out of this forest very soon . If nothing happens . ”
Daniela says as she puts a hand on her aching shoulder . I too adjust the strap of my bag and continue to walk without resting .
Then suddenly, Presence Detection alerts me .
“Hmm? A monster?”
“No, this is a… a human?”
There was a human-like presence approaching us from the back . Now that I think of it, we hadn’t encountered a single person on this journey up until now . It was probably just a matter of timing . Then perhaps there was nothing odd about b.u.mping into someone here .
“It’s coming at us really fast… Is it really a human?”
Feeling uncomfortable, my hand instinctively goes to the sword on my belt . It was better to always be cautious while on the road .
“No, sense it carefully . There are two are there not?”
I concentrate again . Hmm… there really was something else along with the human .
“What is it?”
“It is a horse . ”
Daniela says . I see . So someone was riding a horse through the forest then . But what were they doing here?
“Either an emergency or a bandit…”
Daniela also clutches the pommel of her sword . But would a single person really attack us?
As we stood, ready to defend ourselves, we could hear the strong sound of hooves. .h.i.tting the ground . Yeah, it was definitely a horse .
Finally, the horse and its rider enter our vision . Now…unless I am mistaken, that person looks familiar . Additionally, if that person was who I thought it was, I wanted to get out of here as soon as possible .
“Daniela . ”
“Shhh . ”
Daniela says softly as she puts a finger to her lips .
Please listen to me .
“Daniela . ”
“What?”
“Let’s run . ”
“Why?”
“I’ll tell you later . ”
She looks a little annoyed and suspicious .
Let’s run away from here . This was surely bad news .
I frantically look in the direction of the horse . Ahh, see, they were… The person was waving energetically now .
“Asagi!!!”
That overly familiar voice reaches us .
“But why is she…?”
“It’s bound to be something troublesome . ”
I sigh with a hand covering half my face . It was too late now .
“Asagi!!! Sorry to keep you waiting!!”
Her high-spirited voice rained down over my head . I move my hand away and look up . There, in the horse’s saddle was Fiona, looking at me with the biggest smile on her face .
There is only one orc left . And he would have to face both of us . I see Daniela jump down from the tree in the corner of my eye . .
“Asagi, do not let your guard down . ”.
“Right . ”.
I answer briskly, keeping my focus on the orc . The important thing was to avoid being hit
“Oingrraaawrr!!”.
The orc howls in front of us . But we would not be overwhelmed by its volume . It was nothing compared to when Beowulf roared . I spread my feet and stood ready to move at any moment, the swords held in front of me . There was a different weight to each sword . The one made of ice was much lighter . So I should use the ice blade to intercept attacks and the steel blade to deal them
The orc now raised its club in the air . It aimed for my head and swung downward . Of course, such an obvious attacks would never land . My feet dig into the ground before an almost explosive force carries me away from the spot . This fight was going to be one of agility
With the same momentum, I slide to the side of the orc and slash his sides with one hit of the ice blade . This sword had cut off an orc’s head, so I had no complaints regarding its sharpness . Now the orc was crying with pain as it swung its club madly, not even seeing a target . The heavy weapon noisily cuts the air over my head . I stay in a crouching posture as I vault out like a bullet, it’s the steel sword that next slashes at the orcs ankles
His foot flies away without much resistance
“Oigyaahaghhh!!!”.
Having lost its balance, the orc rocks back and forth for a moment before falling to the ground . I catch my breath and hold my sword ready . There is a saying about cornered rats attacking cats . You never knew what an enemy would do once it became desperate
“Asagi, do it!”.
I hear Daniela shout from behind me and I nod and take a step forward
As if hearing my footsteps, the orc suddenly starts to flail around as if it has gone mad . Its club swung recklessly in all directions without thought . I was not going to be able to approach it like this . Well, magic it is then . Thankfully, the orc would not be able to move from where it was
I stab the steel sword into the ground and hold the ice sword horizontally . Then I imagine that magic is being discharged into it as I point the tip of the blade toward the orc . The trigger is pulled in my brain . The missile of ice fires straight into the orc, entering its forehead
The shock is so strong that the orc is blown backward and crashes into a tree . There is a loud sound of flapping wings as a flock of birds flies away from the suddenly swaying tree . I apologize to them inwardly, as I sigh and pull the steel sword out of the ground . .
“Hahhh…”.
“Good work, Asagi . ”.
She offers her fist which is still gripping her bow, and so I offer my sword-gripping fist in return for a nice b.u.mp . Apparently, Daniela really enjoyed these little interactions . So did I, really . It makes us feel like a real team
“That club was dangerous . ”.
Yes . The combination of an orc’s power and that club… It is remarkable . There would not be a body left to bury if you let your guard down . ”.
Yeah… Really, what frightful enemies
I look down at the fallen orcs . The first with an arrow in its brain . The other lay beheaded . Then the last, with its ankle slashed and a shard of ice stuck in its head . It had only been a minute or two, time-wise, but it had still been an intense fight
□ □ □ □.
We retrieved the fangs from the orcs as proof before returning to the campsite . Unlike the forest wolf fangs, these were thick and long . The wolf fangs were for eating, while these seemed more like weapons
I looked up at the sky . The clouds had thickened again, making the moons look hazy . It would probably be about two hours until it sank and the sun rose
“This succession of night attacks is getting tiresome . ”.
“That is what you can expect from traveling . Can you imagine doing this alone?”.
That brings me back to when I had traveled alone . That was really… I didn’t want to sleep in any trees ever again . And while it could save you in a forest inhabited by wolves and goblins, what about orcs? I’m sure they would just knock the tree right over . And while I have yet to see one, if there were ape-like monsters here, then there would be almost no point in sleeping in the trees
“Daniela . How did you travel when you were alone?”.
I ask with sudden curiosity
“Traveling completely alone is dangerous, and so I have done it only a few times . I try to stay with a caravan of merchants . I can help them as a guard after all . If I have to travel alone, then I will not sleep . I burn no fires and use Presence Detection to its fullest . The tension never ends until the morning welcomes me . ”. . .
Uhhh… Sounds like h.e.l.l….
“Well, perhaps I would be safer if I slept in the trees?”.
She stares at me with a mischievous look . I quickly avert my eyes
□ □ □ □.
It was finally morning . We had finished packing everything now and we were making sure that we hadn’t forgotten anything before leaving
“You good?”.
“Aye, I have everything . ”.
“Great, let’s go then . ”.
We left the campsite behind us and walked into the forest . The occasional goblin would appear, die and have its weapons stolen . All the while, my allowance money grew and grew
“Still, this forest seems really huge . ”.
My head kept turning back as I looked around us . There were clearings here and there, but no actual trails . You would probably get lost very easily if you weren’t paying attention . Now, if only there was a paved path leading us to….
“We should be out of this forest very soon . If nothing happens . ”.
Daniela says as she puts a hand on her aching shoulder . I too adjust the strap of my bag and continue to walk without resting
Then suddenly, Presence Detection alerts me
“Hmm? A monster?”.
“No, this is a… a human?”.
There was a human-like presence approaching us from the back . Now that I think of it, we hadn’t encountered a single person on this journey up until now . It was probably just a matter of timing . Then perhaps there was nothing odd about b.u.mping into someone here
“It’s coming at us really fast… Is it really a human?”.
Feeling uncomfortable, my hand instinctively goes to the sword on my belt . It was better to always be cautious while on the road
“No, sense it carefully . There are two are there not?”.
I concentrate again . Hmm… there really was something else along with the human
“What is it?”.
“It is a horse . ”.
Daniela says . I see . So someone was riding a horse through the forest then . But what were they doing here?.
“Either an emergency or a bandit…”.
Daniela also clutches the pommel of her sword . But would a single person really attack us?.
As we stood, ready to defend ourselves, we could hear the strong sound of hooves. .h.i.tting the ground . Yeah, it was definitely a horse
Finally, the horse and its rider enter our vision . Now…unless I am mistaken, that person looks familiar . Additionally, if that person was who I thought it was, I wanted to get out of here as soon as possible
“Daniela . ”.
“Shhh . ”.
Daniela says softly as she puts a finger to her lips
Please listen to me
“Daniela . ”.
“What?”.
“Let’s run . ”.
“Why?”.
“I’ll tell you later . ”.
She looks a little annoyed and suspicious
Let’s run away from here . This was surely bad news
I frantically look in the direction of the horse . Ahh, see, they were… The person was waving energetically now
“Asagi!!!”.
That overly familiar voice reaches us
“But why is she…?”.
“It’s bound to be something troublesome . ”.
I sigh with a hand covering half my face . It was too late now
“Asagi!!! Sorry to keep you waiting!!”.
Her high-spirited voice rained down over my head . I move my hand away and look up . There, in the horse’s saddle was Fiona, looking at me with the biggest smile on her face