While Phelps and Alexis discussed various matters, Ryo and Abel enjoyed after-dinner coffees in the carriage. Roasted Kona coffee beans were among the supplies Phelps had gifted them in Acray. Of course, Ryo had more than enough beans to spare, but there was no such thing as too many—especially when they had carriages to carry everything! Thanks to Phelps’s generosity, Ryo’s opinion of the man had skyrocketed.
As the two savored their coffees, they heard a shout outside.
“Monsters!”
At the warning, the delegation’s carriages were rounded up, and a few knights surrounded them for protection, shields at the ready. Meanwhile, the rest of their comrades and the contingent of adventurers prepared for battle.
Finally, a monster event! Nothing like this has happened since I moved to Lune, despite all the traveling I’ve done... But finally, the time has come! Ryo thought gleefully, not noticing Abel’s pointed sidelong glance.
They remained in their carriage, watching things unfold from the window.
“I really think we should go help, Abel, but considering your situation...”
“Don’t you dare use me as an excuse, you jerk! Especially when you’re the one who said we’d only get in the way if we stepped in.”
They hadn’t received official instructions on what to do in situations like this. However, since the civil servants in the delegation were staying quietly in their coaches, they should too. But if the worst-case scenario happened and the knights and adventurers got in serious trouble, they decided they’d help.
The squires stood alert behind the knights circling the carriages, their bows at the ready. In the past, knights couldn’t put on their armor by themselves. Therefore, they’d always needed squires to assist them with equipping their gear and tending to other menial tasks. However, over time, knights learned to don their armor without help; tradition, however, dictated that squires continue accompanying knights, as the position was akin to an apprenticeship. Squires on Earth generally didn’t participate in combat, but that wasn’t the case on Phi. One of their responsibilities here was to act as archers and deliver long-range attacks.
“They’re coming!”
Monsters approached from the right.
“Wolves!”
“A pack of war wolves!”
War wolves were slightly larger than regular wolves. Despite their speed, Ryo and Abel expected knights and adventurers of this caliber to handle a single wolf without trouble. However, they often moved in packs, like the one now attacking the delegation, which could complicate things...
The squires fired their arrows, and the magicians launched their spells. While bows rarely killed targets like these wolves, they still inflicted wounds. Plus, a C-rank adventurer’s offensive magic was almost guaranteed to find its mark—and when it did, it brought its target down.
Once the magicians and squires whittled down a chunk of the pack with their ranged attacks, it was the melee classes’ turn to go on the offensive. The knights either blocked the charging war wolves with their shields or struck them with upward swings. Then the adventurers thrust their spears at the momentarily stunned monsters. All in all, the knights and adventurers worked together brilliantly.
I imagined a typical trope in isekai stories, with knights and adventurers at complete odds... But that couldn’t be further from reality. Why is every light novel so unnecessarily dramatic?! Ryo wondered.
Because they’re fiction, not documentaries, of course!
The knights and adventurers defeated the entire pack of war wolves. Once they had the situation under control, a wind magician used the Probe spell to investigate their surroundings. After confirming that no other monsters lurked nearby, they gave the all-clear signal. The leaders of each adventurer’s party and the knights shook hands. The one in charge of the adventurers and the knights’ company commander exchanged a particularly firm handshake. They must have felt especially satisfied, since the tactics they’d scrupulously discussed beforehand had ensured their victory. The scene was positively brimming with camaraderie.
“How wonderful to see them get along like this. Wouldn’t you agree?” Ryo nodded happily.
“Knowing you, I thought you’d say something like ‘I was hoping the knights and adventurers would start fighting. You know, really spice things up. Too bad.’”
“What are you talking about? I never thought that for a second!” Confidence oozed in Ryo’s voice.
Abel’s gaze remained skeptical.
The heartwarming sight of adventurers and knights shaking hands replayed in the morning and afternoon of every following day—because, as you might have guessed, monster attacks became a regular occurrence on their journey.