Chapter 13

The next morning, after breakfast, the four of us—me, Reifan, Persia, and Jitaro—gathered, armed and ready.

I, for my part, only had a robe and a slender staff.

"Everyone, are you ready?"

"Yeah. I’ve minimized my gear. Just a little water for emergencies and some healing potions!"

"I can carry as much as you need. Just keep it light."

"Got it!"

"This is quite different from marching…"

"It’s all about spatial storage. We prioritize speed and light gear. Our goal is the herbs. If we’re lucky and there are few enemies, we’ll collect magic stones, but that’s secondary."

"Understood."

Persia’s outfit was as usual, with a slender longsword, a spare short sword, and a dagger. The longsword looked like a fine weapon.

Her armor was the light armor of the Royal Guard, which should provide sufficient protection.

On the other hand, Reifan was more heavily equipped than I imagined.

A half-plate on his small frame, a thick shield, and a massive hammer.

"Reifan? It’s better to keep it light if possible."

"No problem. …Look!"

"Whoa!"

Reifan moved with surprising speed, considering the amount of iron he was carrying.

His movements were linear, so he was the type to block attacks rather than dodge them.

Jitaro, I don’t know where he got it from, but he wasn’t in his usual hunter’s outfit. Instead, he wore hardened leather armor and a fur jacket.

A machete, hardened and coated with sharpness oil, hung from his belt, and a large bow was slung on his back.

The bandit style!

It’s so fitting, I can hardly keep from laughing!

"Jitaro, make sure to coat your arrows with sharpness oil too."

"No worries."

"I’m all set."

"Same here!"

"Alright. If we fail, we can always try again. Don’t push yourselves, and use potions like water!"

"Got it!"

"Yep!"

"Still, it’s quite different from the military. We’re taught to use potions sparingly."

"Use them without hesitation. You’ve got a lot to do, right?"

"Yeah. I’ll use them freely. Though, I don’t plan on getting hurt."

Persia grinned ferociously.

Reliable, indeed.

◆

Approaching the swamp, I scouted alone first, using the "Far Sight" spell to find a route with fewer hydras.

Returning to the others, I drew a map on the ground and explained the invasion route.

"Got it? Avoid combat if possible. Persia, if you have any loud techniques, try to hold back."

"Understood."

"Reifan will lead. You don’t need to defeat the enemies. Just hold them off while Persia cuts in. Jitaro, don’t join the fight immediately; keep watch. If the enemies increase, provide support."

"Got it."

"Leave it to me."

"I’ll provide support with magic, but flashy spells will attract more enemies, so I’ll hold back at first. We also need to gather herbs once we reach our destination."

"No problem. I’ll protect us."

"Reliable. …Alright, let’s go!"

Thanks to the stamina potion, we don’t need to worry about fatigue from consecutive battles.

Thus, we moved through the swamp with low postures. The main reason we want to avoid combat in the swamp is the footing.

With each step, the water rises to our shins.

Fortunately, the thick grass prevents us from sinking like in a bog, but it’s still difficult to walk.

However, Reifan moved more smoothly than I expected, so it didn’t seem to be a problem.

"Hydras…!"

The hydras, scattered over a wide area, noticed our intrusion and several of them slithered to block our path.

"…They’re pretty big, aren’t they?"

They’re as thick as logs. No wonder they’re big.

"Want to turn back now?"

"No way! Stop joking! We can do this!"

"Leave it to Reifan for now."

Sensing our hostility, the hydras, which had been moving slowly, suddenly charged with great speed.

Four heads!

Pretty strong!

Thud!

Reifan, with his small frame, stopped the hydra’s charge with a powerful stance.

"Unshaken!?"

Jitaro exclaimed in surprise.

I was surprised too.

He must be using some kind of technique.

For a production emblem holder to learn combat techniques, it must take an incredible amount of training!

"Alright! Hold them there! Take this! Whirlwind Phoenix Slash!"

The technique Persia used is an advanced version of the "Wind Sword" technique favored by adventurers.

It should be enough to sever one of the hydra’s heads.

Squish!

Persia’s sword cut through the air and the hydra’s neck with no resistance.

"Huh?"

"What?"

Persia’s flurry of strikes not only cleanly severed all four heads but also ripped the thick body to pieces.

"…Huh?"

It seemed Persia was the most surprised, her eyes wide as she alternately checked the pile of diced hydra and her own sword.

"I thought it would cut, but it felt like slicing butter."

"Well, that’s good."

Indeed, legendary quality sharpness oil.

"Mr. Craft, I’ve collected the magic stones!"

"Got it. Let’s move on!"

Jitaro had already collected the magic stones. He’s really starting to look like a bandit!

"Haha…"

"Huh?"

Raising my head at the mysterious sound, I saw Reifan grinning and laughing.

"With this… With this!"

"Hey! Reifan!"

"Haha! Hahaha!"

"Whoa!? Follow me, Craft! Jitaro!"

"Don’t worry about us! Follow Reifan, Persia!"

"Got it!"

Reifan, with his linear but incredible speed, charged into the group of hydras, and Persia hurried to follow.

"Jitaro! We’re following too!"

"Hehe! Got it!"

I had underestimated the front-liner’s stamina.

Reifan charged into the hydras like a battering ram, stopping them in their tracks, and Persia immediately followed up with a slicing frenzy.

It was a bit confusing.

We could only follow, picking up magic stones along the way, as the chopped-up snakes were scattered.

"Hahaha! This snake bastard! Revenge for everyone… for the families!"

"Hahaha! Whirlwind Phoenix Slash! Thundering Assault Slash! One Flash, One Strike! Shadowless Continuous Strikes! I can use any technique! I don’t feel tired at all! What a thrill!"

The two of them produced a steady stream of hydra corpses, splashing water as they went.

Eventually, the hydras started to flee, but the two pursued them at high speed and finished them off.

We could only watch in awe.

"Don’t get too close."

"Wow, Miss…"

"I found some herbs."

"Over here too. Let’s not anger those two."

"Got it."

Thus, all the hydras within sight in the swamp were eliminated.

"Sorry? I ignored the plan."

"No problem! Lord Reifan!"

"No problem! Lord Reifan!"

For some reason, we all saluted.

"Well, it was inevitable with Reifan charging ahead. Inevitable!"

No, you! You were definitely enjoying it!

Could it be that you’re a troublemaker, which is why Kyle assigned you to us!?

Despite the slight suspicion, we managed to obtain the herbs we needed.

"Good… Now Lord Kyle can…"

"It’s too late to try to make it sound good now."

Well, better than being all mushy.

Former adventurers are pretty laid-back.