We were able to find the cave rather easily, thanks to the brute force method of pus.h.i.+ng away the mist and slaughtering the goblins in front of us . The entrance was hidden between two boulders and would have probably evaded my eye if I was alone .

“This is most likely the tunnel that will connect to the orc settlement . Please take a look here . ”

I looked to where Angelica was pointing . There were several layers of footprints that went in and that went out . It was proof that this path had been used repeatedly .

“Alright . This means that we have found what we were looking for!”

I nod at this declaration by Lauria . We accomplished that goal . Once I knew the place, I just needed to make an emergency report to the base and then go and search for Ness and the others . Blocking this entrance may hinder their operations a little, but it wouldn’t mean too much since they had hole moles . They would just dig through it again .

There were better things to spend your time doing .

“Let’s return with haste . I’ll bring you all back to the surface in the same way we descended . Stay on the alert while you wait . ”

“I will be last then . Please take the others . ”

Angelica said as she inspected the cave . Alright, first was Lauria .

“Here we go . ”

“Ah, ahh, of course…!”

She became red again as she clutched onto me tightly . If I were Matsumoto, I would be bounding down the harem path right about now…

This time, Olive and Oregano were much calmer . If anything, their unimpressed faces seemed to say, ‘is that as fast as you can go?’ They got familiar with it quick… Perhaps it was a quality of Adventurers?

“Angelica . You’re up now . ”

“Yes, thank you!”

I picked her up and kicked the air while I asked,

“What were you doing in the cave?”

“Hehe . I left some gunpowder . One trip over the wire I placed there and the place will go boom! Indeed!”

“Are you serious…”

This n.o.blewoman was not to be messed with . A good reminder .

“You should all return together from here . I’ll tell Virgil everything . ”

“Are you going on ahead, Asagi?”

“Yeah . I’m sorry, but we have to part ways here . Sorry, Lauria . ”

“Wh-why are you apologizing to me!?”

There was merit in teasing her because of such visible reactions . She was like a cheeky younger sister . I was an only child, so it was certainly new… I hope she comes back safely .

“Alright, I’m off!”

I said, and then dashed forward with the power of silver and green wind . I could run here, as I was not yet in the forest, but I would have to move to the sky once the trees grew thick . If the orcs were prepared to ambush me, it wouldn’t matter if I was running in the forest or above it . In that case, it was best to take the fastest route .

While I ran along the valley rim, I found something . Well, no . I had known about it all along .

It was a log . I had seen it when we were making our way towards the end of the valley . At first, I had thought that it was something that people who lived around here were using, and paid it no attention . However, I saw things differently now . This log could be used as a bridge for the orcs…they could easily cross to the Replant side . And since this place was out of the way, there was less chance of them being seen .

“It may not buy us any time, but…!”

I didn’t want to leave it now that the thought came to me . If it turned out that we needed it later, I would just have to come back with a different log .

And so I unleashed a Legs of the Forest Wolf reinforced kick into the log . The log split cleanly into half and tumbled down into the valley . There was no saying that the orcs wouldn’t prepare another one quickly, but when can hope… Alright, I can’t waste any more time on detours . I have to return to the camp as soon as possible .

As they had made Replant their home of operations, it was no surprise that these magicians were brilliant . Most of those who resided in the Adventure City did so due to their skill . However…

“Miss! What is the secret to using wind magic!?”

“Please tell me as well!”

“I want to know too . May I suggest some night-time lessons?”

These ones were a little…unique, to say the least .

“But you are a fire magic user . And you, are you not a water magic user? You are not fit for wind magic . And no, I intend to sleep at night . Sleep is most important . ”

“But, miss…!”

Ah, what in… Please save me, Asagi…!

“Hey, isn’t that wind from Silvergreen?”

I heard someone say . I turn my head . There was some wind coming from the forest that was silver and green in color . Indeed, it was Asagi’s wind . Surely this meant that my prayer had been answered . He was my Asagi, after all .

“Sorry, let me through! It’s an emergency!”

Asagi would usually control his wind a little more carefully in order to avoid hurting people, but this time he landed without such considerations . The wind that blasted down on the area carried away s.h.i.+elds and shook the tents . That alone showed that things were serious . I left the girls and jogged over to Asagi as he approached Vergil’s tent .

“Asagi . ”

“Daniela! Perfect . Come with me!”

“Aye . ”

That was all we said, but I could see that Asagi had calmed down a little . Perhaps I had that effect on him . Such were the foolish thoughts that entered my mind as we went to the tent . But Virgil must have heard the commotion, because he came out before we reached it .

“What’s happening!? What is it!?”

“I’m one to talk, but you should calm down . We’ll talk inside . ”

Asagi said as he slapped a hand on Virgil’s shoulder and indicated towards the tent . And so all three of us entered . There was a table that had been brought from somewhere and a detailed map of the terrain was laid out on it . It had probably been made by one of the Adventurers here .

“Please calm down and listen to me . The traces that the surface squad found . I think that it’s a trap . ”

“You what!?”

“Calm down, Virgil . I’m not finished yet!”

Asagi said in an unusually rough voice . It was a rare sight indeed, and my shoulders jumped .

“My report of the valley squad’s search . There were no traces of anything at the end of the valley . This means they had no reason to go there . On the other hand, there was a cave on the northwest side . ”

It was what we had been searching for . I gasped without thinking .

“We saw evidence of people entering and leaving . ”

“Good…!”

Virgil made a tight, triumphant fist . But Asagi’s face remained dark .

“Asagi, is there something else?”

“…Yes . The important part is this . ”

Asagi nodded to my question and continued .

“There were no traces around the valley, right? That means that they haven’t come to this side any further than the cave . And then there is the tunnel that connects the valley and the surface . I don’t think they would dig so far . In other words, I think the settlement is on the way here . ”

“However, there was nothing…”

“Yes, nothing . On the side that we were walking . ”

“…!!”

Virgil gasped . I too froze at Asagi’s words .

“Do you get it?”

“They were…watching us…?”

“Exactly . I think they know about our location . ”

“Then those traces…”

“I believe it was a trap to lead the scouts in the wrong direction . Well, it might also have been an accident… But I am quite sure that this place is going to be ambushed . ”

Everyone fell silent . We had been searching for the orcs, when all along, they had known where we were . And plotting an ambush no less… It made me shudder .

“Asagi, we have to get Ness and the others back . ”

“Yeah, I’ll go . Virgil, is that alright?”

“Ye-yes… d.a.m.n it . To come here…”

His fist tightened even harder .

“…Very well . Asagi, once you retrieve Ness and the others, have them go to the cave . ”

“What about the ambush? If they are headed here, they might b.u.mp into each other?”

“Gardo will be there . He and a few others will be added to the surface squad . We’ll have them do a little forceful scouting . It will be better to go out on the offensive than stay here and be ambushed . ”

“Understood . Then I will leave right away . ”

“Good luck!”

Asagi ran out of the tent . Or he was about to, but then he stopped and looked at me . Without saying anything, he just smiled gently, and then looked away and ran . The tent swayed in the wind and Asagi was gone . He could be impatient at times, but he would not forget that I was there . Really, it was quite adorable .

“I have a request to make, Daniela . ”

“What?”

“There should be users of earth magic in the group . You can take a few of my potions here and have them create a wall to surround this area . ”

“But are we not going out on the attack? Is this necessary?”

I asked, and Virgil’s eyes dropped to the map .

“If we make an enclosure with only one opening, the orcs will have to come in through there . I do not want to create a situation where we have a disadvantage if the scouts fail . ”

Hmmm… It was important to consider the possibility of failure . It suggested to me that this man had a lot of experience fighting .

“Understood . I will go and give the order then . I too can use earth magic and should be able to help . ”

“Here are the potions . There are four that you can share . Good luck . The entrance should be facing the valley . ”

“Yes, leave it to me . ”

I accepted the potions and left the tent . I glanced at my surroundings, but Asagi was unsurprisingly nowhere in sight . But I knew that he would return safely . After all, it is I who he is returning to . Hehe . The little rascal . d.a.m.n it . And now, I must fulfill my own role so he can return safely .

However, I could not be blamed for taking my time before taking the first step back towards those waiting girls .

We were able to find the cave rather easily, thanks to the brute force method of pus.h.i.+ng away the mist and slaughtering the goblins in front of us . The entrance was hidden between two boulders and would have probably evaded my eye if I was alone

 .

“This is most likely the tunnel that will connect to the orc settlement . Please take a look here . ”.

 .

I looked to where Angelica was pointing . There were several layers of footprints that went in and that went out . It was proof that this path had been used repeatedly

 .

“Alright . This means that we have found what we were looking for!”.

 .

I nod at this declaration by Lauria . We accomplished that goal . Once I knew the place, I just needed to make an emergency report to the base and then go and search for Ness and the others . Blocking this entrance may hinder their operations a little, but it wouldn’t mean too much since they had hole moles . They would just dig through it again

There were better things to spend your time doing

 .

“Let’s return with haste . I’ll bring you all back to the surface in the same way we descended . Stay on the alert while you wait . ”.

“I will be last then . Please take the others . ”.

 .

Angelica said as she inspected the cave . Alright, first was Lauria

 .

“Here we go . ”.

“Ah, ahh, of course…!”.

 .

She became red again as she clutched onto me tightly . If I were Matsumoto, I would be bounding down the harem path right about now….

This time, Olive and Oregano were much calmer . If anything, their unimpressed faces seemed to say, ‘is that as fast as you can go?’ They got familiar with it quick… Perhaps it was a quality of Adventurers?.

 .

“Angelica . You’re up now . ”.

“Yes, thank you!”.

 .

I picked her up and kicked the air while I asked,.

 .

“What were you doing in the cave?”.

“Hehe . I left some gunpowder . One trip over the wire I placed there and the place will go boom! Indeed!”.

“Are you serious…”.

 .

This n.o.blewoman was not to be messed with . A good reminder

 .

“You should all return together from here . I’ll tell Virgil everything . ”.

“Are you going on ahead, Asagi?”.

“Yeah . I’m sorry, but we have to part ways here . Sorry, Lauria . ”.

“Wh-why are you apologizing to me!?”.

 .

There was merit in teasing her because of such visible reactions . She was like a cheeky younger sister . I was an only child, so it was certainly new… I hope she comes back safely

 .

“Alright, I’m off!”.

 .

I said, and then dashed forward with the power of silver and green wind . I could run here, as I was not yet in the forest, but I would have to move to the sky once the trees grew thick . If the orcs were prepared to ambush me, it wouldn’t matter if I was running in the forest or above it . In that case, it was best to take the fastest route

 .

While I ran along the valley rim, I found something . Well, no . I had known about it all along

It was a log . I had seen it when we were making our way towards the end of the valley . At first, I had thought that it was something that people who lived around here were using, and paid it no attention . However, I saw things differently now . This log could be used as a bridge for the orcs…they could easily cross to the Replant side . And since this place was out of the way, there was less chance of them being seen

 .

“It may not buy us any time, but…!”.

 .

I didn’t want to leave it now that the thought came to me . If it turned out that we needed it later, I would just have to come back with a different log

And so I unleashed a Legs of the Forest Wolf reinforced kick into the log . The log split cleanly into half and tumbled down into the valley . There was no saying that the orcs wouldn’t prepare another one quickly, but when can hope… Alright, I can’t waste any more time on detours . I have to return to the camp as soon as possible

As they had made Replant their home of operations, it was no surprise that these magicians were brilliant . Most of those who resided in the Adventure City did so due to their skill . However….

 .

“Miss! What is the secret to using wind magic!?”.

“Please tell me as well!”.

“I want to know too . May I suggest some night-time lessons?”.

 .

These ones were a little…unique, to say the least

 .

“But you are a fire magic user . And you, are you not a water magic user? You are not fit for wind magic . And no, I intend to sleep at night . Sleep is most important . ”.

“But, miss…!”.

 .

Ah, what in… Please save me, Asagi…!.

 .

“Hey, isn’t that wind from Silvergreen?”.

 .

I heard someone say . I turn my head . There was some wind coming from the forest that was silver and green in color . Indeed, it was Asagi’s wind . Surely this meant that my prayer had been answered . He was my Asagi, after all

 .

“Sorry, let me through! It’s an emergency!”.

 .

Asagi would usually control his wind a little more carefully in order to avoid hurting people, but this time he landed without such considerations . The wind that blasted down on the area carried away s.h.i.+elds and shook the tents . That alone showed that things were serious . I left the girls and jogged over to Asagi as he approached Vergil’s tent

 .

“Asagi . ”.

“Daniela! Perfect . Come with me!”.

“Aye . ”.

 .

That was all we said, but I could see that Asagi had calmed down a little . Perhaps I had that effect on him . Such were the foolish thoughts that entered my mind as we went to the tent . But Virgil must have heard the commotion, because he came out before we reached it

 .

“What’s happening!? What is it!?”.

“I’m one to talk, but you should calm down . We’ll talk inside . ”.

 .

Asagi said as he slapped a hand on Virgil’s shoulder and indicated towards the tent . And so all three of us entered . There was a table that had been brought from somewhere and a detailed map of the terrain was laid out on it . It had probably been made by one of the Adventurers here

 .

“Please calm down and listen to me . The traces that the surface squad found . I think that it’s a trap . ”.

“You what!?”.

“Calm down, Virgil . I’m not finished yet!”.

 .

Asagi said in an unusually rough voice . It was a rare sight indeed, and my shoulders jumped

 .

“My report of the valley squad’s search . There were no traces of anything at the end of the valley . This means they had no reason to go there . On the other hand, there was a cave on the northwest side . ”.

 .

It was what we had been searching for . I gasped without thinking

 .

“We saw evidence of people entering and leaving . ”.

“Good…!”.

 .

Virgil made a tight, triumphant fist . But Asagi’s face remained dark

 .

“Asagi, is there something else?”.

“…Yes . The important part is this . ”.

 .

Asagi nodded to my question and continued

 .

“There were no traces around the valley, right? That means that they haven’t come to this side any further than the cave . And then there is the tunnel that connects the valley and the surface . I don’t think they would dig so far . In other words, I think the settlement is on the way here . ”.

“However, there was nothing…”.

“Yes, nothing . On the side that we were walking . ”.

“…!!”.

 .

Virgil gasped . I too froze at Asagi’s words

 .

“Do you get it?”.

“They were…watching us…?”.

“Exactly . I think they know about our location . ”.

“Then those traces…”.

“I believe it was a trap to lead the scouts in the wrong direction . Well, it might also have been an accident… But I am quite sure that this place is going to be ambushed . ”.

 .

Everyone fell silent . We had been searching for the orcs, when all along, they had known where we were . And plotting an ambush no less… It made me shudder

 .

“Asagi, we have to get Ness and the others back . ”.

“Yeah, I’ll go . Virgil, is that alright?”.

“Ye-yes… d.a.m.n it . To come here…”.

 .

His fist tightened even harder

 .

“…Very well . Asagi, once you retrieve Ness and the others, have them go to the cave . ”.

“What about the ambush? If they are headed here, they might b.u.mp into each other?”.

“Gardo will be there . He and a few others will be added to the surface squad . We’ll have them do a little forceful scouting . It will be better to go out on the offensive than stay here and be ambushed . ”.

“Understood . Then I will leave right away . ”.

“Good luck!”.

 .

Asagi ran out of the tent . Or he was about to, but then he stopped and looked at me . Without saying anything, he just smiled gently, and then looked away and ran . The tent swayed in the wind and Asagi was gone . He could be impatient at times, but he would not forget that I was there . Really, it was quite adorable

 .

“I have a request to make, Daniela . ”.

“What?”.

“There should be users of earth magic in the group . You can take a few of my potions here and have them create a wall to surround this area . ”.

“But are we not going out on the attack? Is this necessary?”.

 .

I asked, and Virgil’s eyes dropped to the map

 .

“If we make an enclosure with only one opening, the orcs will have to come in through there . I do not want to create a situation where we have a disadvantage if the scouts fail . ”.

 .

Hmmm… It was important to consider the possibility of failure . It suggested to me that this man had a lot of experience fighting

 .

“Understood . I will go and give the order then . I too can use earth magic and should be able to help . ”.

“Here are the potions . There are four that you can share . Good luck . The entrance should be facing the valley . ”.

“Yes, leave it to me . ”.

 .

I accepted the potions and left the tent . I glanced at my surroundings, but Asagi was unsurprisingly nowhere in sight . But I knew that he would return safely . After all, it is I who he is returning to . Hehe . The little rascal . d.a.m.n it . And now, I must fulfill my own role so he can return safely

However, I could not be blamed for taking my time before taking the first step back towards those waiting girls