“Nothing here…”
“Yeah, nothing…”
“Doesn’t seem like it…”
“Nope, nothing…”
One by one, Lucil, Apollo, Pelorro, and Ligg sighed in frustration. Watching them, I couldn’t help but smile wryly. Meanwhile, Soulgros seemed utterly uninterested in them and was staring at my back with intense focus.
“Hey, you know you can come up next to me, right?”
“The view of Master from behind is just splendid…” Soulgros murmured dreamily.
Yup, she’s definitely not hearing a word I say.
It had been about two hours since we—well, mostly Lucil and his team—had entered the forest with high hopes. Now, worn out, they had requested a break, and we were resting in a small clearing. Apart from Soulgros and me, everyone else was sitting on the ground, drenched in sweat.
“Honestly… Even Master, who usually stays indoors, is still going strong. How come you guys from a proper guild are so exhausted?” Soulgros remarked, her voice tinged with sarcasm.
You do realize that you, along with the other members, are the reason I was cooped up in the guild, right? I thought, chuckling despite myself. Though, to be fair, they’d eased up on that recently.
Lucil and his guildmates weren’t lacking in stamina. The problem was that we’d been exploring parts of the forest I didn’t know, focusing on areas I’d never walked before. Unlike my usual routes, which were mostly devoid of monsters, the new paths were crawling with them. I’d always thought of this forest as a relatively peaceful place, but it seemed I was mistaken.
Even so, the monsters we encountered—goblins and lizardmen—weren’t particularly dangerous. There was no need to panic.
If we had encountered ogres like the ones Laladie, Maho, and Yuuto faced, the situation would have been different. After repeatedly fighting off monsters while continuing our search, Lucil and his team were utterly exhausted.
“How can you be so calm after dealing with lizardmen, let alone goblins?” Lucil asked, glaring at us resentfully.
“Yeah, you fought more than we did,” Apollo added with a resigned smile.
“Are all members of the dark guild this formidable?” Ligg muttered, spreading some rather harsh rumors.
Well, to be fair, I didn’t do much. It was Soulgros who did most of the fighting. She would disappear and then reappear, accurately throwing kunai that struck the monsters with deadly precision. It was impressive.
Sorry to say, Ligg, but our guild is full of members like Soulgros. Although she isn’t even our most combat-specialized member—Leiss, for example, surpasses her. Every member is someone I take great pride in.
“How are you so strong?” Lucil asked.
“Simple. Master promised me a reward afterward,” Soulgros declared proudly, her chest puffed out.
A reward? That was news to me, and my smile probably looked a bit strained. Soulgros gazed at me with sparkling eyes full of anticipation. The intensity of her expectations was such that I almost imagined a tail wagging furiously behind her.
Soulgros isn’t a beastkin, right?
“Ah… Maybe we should call it a day?” Pelorro muttered tiredly.
It had only been about two hours since we entered the forest. Normally, that wouldn’t be enough to tire anyone out, and we could easily continue our search.
Given the number of battles we’ve fought in the short time since entering this forest, it was understandable that Lucil and his team were exhausted. While Soulgros handled most of the latter fights, Lucil, Apollo, and the others bravely faced off against lizardmen and goblins. It would be unwise to push them any further.
“But… Lucika…” Lucil murmured, worried about his sister, who was suffering from a curse.
A Ragel’s curse was indeed powerful and malevolent, and it must have been hard for Lucil to watch his sister suffer. But he could rest assured. I had infused Lucika with my mana—albeit heavily diluted.
“The curse was strong, but with my mana, its progress should be halted for a while, sparing her from pain and suffering in the meantime.”
“I see… Thank you,” Lucil sighed in relief.
“Master’s mana truly is all-encompassing,” Soulgros said, her voice a mix of admiration and disbelief.
It’s not really all-encompassing. Though it is quite versatile.
In any case, it had been less than a day since I infused Lucika with my mana and began our search for the Elixir. It was not something we’d find easily, so it might be best to call it a day.
“Yeah, there’s no need to push ourselves now. Let’s wrap it up for today,” Apollo, their guildmaster, decided.
Which means our work here is done for today…
“All right, Soulgros, let’s head back to the guild.”
“Hah! So, it comes to this, after all…” Soulgros exclaimed, her eyes wide with frustration as she stomped the ground.
“Wait, could it be that you dislike Yerkchira?”
“N-No, that’s not it… I just dislike the other members, except for you, Master. But seeing you smile so sadly, I couldn’t say it…” Soulgros twisted her body in apparent agony.
Sometimes, my guild members react like this, leaving me puzzled about their meaning.
“You guys heading back already? I was thinking we could have a little drinking party to get to know each other better,” Apollo suggested.
A drinking party, huh… But we have everyone back at the guild waiting for us—or so I hope…
“Well, it’s a generous offer. It’s wise to accept such goodwill (though the members may be eagerly awaiting Master’s return, they probably wouldn’t mind if I stayed out all night),” Soulgros chimed in, surprisingly siding with Apollo.
“Yeah, it wouldn’t hurt to let loose for a day,” she added.
I was taken aback as Soulgros, who usually would be more reserved, eagerly agreed with Apollo. He looked at me with a hopeful smile.
Well, if Soulgros wants to join, I guess we could accept their hospitality.
“That’s the spirit!” Apollo exclaimed.
“An excellent decision! For a while, Master will be all mine!” Soulgros cheered, clinging to me as Apollo clapped my shoulder, only for Soulgros to swat his hand away.
A drinking party would mean a late return. Apollo seemed like the type to get overly friendly and troublesome at such gatherings. I should notify the Messianic Legion of Yerkchira’s headquarters about the delay, but how should I go about it?
“Leave that to me,” Soulgros said, sensing my hesitation.
Really? That would be helpful. I didn’t have any means of communication on me, but as a ninja, Soulgros likely had her methods.
“Consider it done (I definitely won’t report it),” she said with a smile.
“All right, let’s head out of this forest,” Apollo said.
“Let’s hope we don’t get attacked by monsters,” Ligg muttered pessimistically.
With Soulgros nodding, Apollo stood up. Pelorro and Lucil followed, and we began making our way out of the forest.
Well, it seemed like Lucil and the others had recovered a bit, and with goblins and lizardmen as the only threats, we should be fine. Just as everyone stood up and started to walk, a commanding voice echoed through the forest.
“Wait a moment!”
The voice, filled with resolve and authority, was enough to make us stop in our tracks. Turning toward the source, we saw several armed men approaching. The man at the front had a particularly sharp gaze fixed on us.
This is going to be troublesome.