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