Chapter 50

As the number of monsters in the territory increased, it became apparent from the reports of the residents that monsters were gathering in the forest.

Previously, we would have requested external help for extermination, but now that we have the best two people, I decided to have them work on it.

Arisu has become quite calm.

I don't think there will be any problem taking her along for monster hunting.

In fact, I think it would be better for her to get some physical activity.

Vain will surely come.

He loves battles.

He'll definitely come with enthusiasm.

I immediately took the two of them to the forest.

As expected, they both came along enthusiastically.

"Since we're a party of three, let's decide who will be the front and back lines."

"I want to be in the front line."

Vain is enthusiastic.

He's swinging his sword, full of energy.

Well, there's no problem with him being in the front line.

He should be fine both offensively and defensively.

"Arisu, do you want to be in the front or back line?"

"I want to be in the front line too."

"Got it, then I'll be in the back line for support."

Arisu, despite her cute appearance, is a character with very high stats in the story.

She can handle solo, front line, back line, anything—she's a perfect beauty.

If she wants to be in the front line, it's best to let her.

"Let's go then."

As soon as we entered the forest, an unpleasant atmosphere began to build.

"The forest is eerily quiet. When the atmosphere is like this, it usually means there are a lot of monsters," said Vain, who loves monster hunting. He must be right.

Alright, I need to stay focused.

We moved slowly, each of us being careful to maintain vigilance.

"There they are," said Vain, who was leading the way. There were about three goblins in front of us.

"I'll take the lead. Arisu, I'll leave it to you to take out the ones that break through. Kuri, please prepare your magic just in case."

If someone is in danger, I guess that's what you mean.

I hope it doesn't come to that.

The goblins noticed us and rushed at us all at once.

Vain, leading the way, swung his greatsword and immediately dispatched one goblin.

One of the remaining two goblins charged at Vain in a rage.

The other one slipped past and ran towards Arisu.

I prepared my magic.

Vain is fine.

I need to be ready to support Arisu.

I was keeping an eye on both, but Vain quickly dispatched the second goblin as well.

He's truly impressive.

Now I can fully support Arisu.

The goblin heading towards Arisu raised its club and brought it down.

Arisu skillfully dodged and slashed at the exposed neck.

"I didn't know you were married!!"

The goblin's head cleanly flew off.

No, more importantly, she's still hung up on it.

And that's a direct comment.

There was no need to take it out on the goblin!

"Are you okay, Arisu?"

"Yeah, I feel much better. Let's go to the next one!!"

Ah, I see.

It's like an office lady going to a batting center after a breakup. I understand.

With a good start, we continued deeper into the forest.

No injuries, and three goblins.

If we had hired external help, it would have cost one gold coin.

As a lord, I'm very pleased with the savings.

"Ghoul," Vain noticed immediately, and we quickly prepared for battle.

"What do you want to do? Should we fight?"

Vain's question is valid.

Ghouls are very dangerous monsters.

They're not really worth fighting.

"I have antidotes. We don't need to avoid them unnecessarily, but we don't need to fight them unnecessarily either."

I explained the situation and waited for the party members' opinions.

"Let's do it!" Arisu said enthusiastically.

She seems eager to get it over with.

"I have antidotes, but please be as careful as possible."

"Okay."

"Then this time, I'll take the hits. Arisu, look for an opening to attack. Kuri, be ready for any accidents."

Following Vain's instructions, we moved rationally.

Vain stopped the ghoul's charge with his greatsword.

Once it was confirmed that the ghoul had stopped moving, Arisu immediately moved behind it.

I was ready to cast magic at any time.

Arisu's sword flew towards the ghoul's neck.

There was no counterattack.

It was a perfect strike.

"If you have a wife, don't be so gentle!!"

As the sword swung, the ghoul's head flew off.

No... Arisu, you were really hung up on that.

You were treated gently, but Rozon is kind to everyone!

"Arisu! The ghoul is still alive!"

Hearing my warning, Arisu immediately readied her sword, confirmed that the ghoul was moving slowly, and brought her sword down straight into its torso.

"What was that smile back then?!"

With Arisu's complaint, the ghoul's body split in two and fell to the ground.

You're remembering, aren't you?

Happy memories.

But you don't need to take it out on the ghoul!

This is like...

After a drinking party. You're remembering happy memories while drunk. I understand.

"Alright, let's keep going."

"Okay, let's hurry."

Before I knew it, Arisu was leading the way, with Vain in the middle and me at the rear.

You've got a lot of pent-up feelings.

Stress from a breakup.

"Hey, this might be bad."

After a while, Vain gave another warning as we moved through the forest.

"Let's hide for a moment."

Following his instructions, we hid in the shade of a tree.

"What's wrong?"

"There's a pig monster, an orc."

"An orc!?"

Pig monsters, orcs, are indeed bad news.

Their strength far exceeds that of humans, and they have excellent defense.

Moreover, they are intelligent and surprisingly fast.

If we can't win, we might not even be able to escape.

They are known to use human weapons, and Vain said the one we saw was holding an axe.

It's a dangerous opponent to face here.

"This is a very dangerous opponent. I don't think we need to fight unnecessarily."

"In that case, we should hire external help."

In my head, the money calculations started automatically.

Yeah, I want to hunt them myself!

"What do you want to do? Should we fight?"

"Let's do it!"

Again, Arisu's enthusiastic response.

I was waiting for this! As expected, Arisu!

"Alright then. The plan is the same as with the ghoul. I'll stop its movement. Once it stops, Arisu, start attacking. Kuri, attack with magic when you have an opening."

"Okay."

"Got it."

We followed the path the orc had taken and moved behind it.

Up close, it was about three meters tall.

It was on the smaller side for an orc, but at this point, that didn't matter.

One hit could still be fatal.

The orc hadn't noticed us yet.

Vain was going to stop its movement, but there was no need to let it make the first move.

I cast my magic first.

A small ball of magic hit the orc and turned into a large fire that covered its body.

The flames burned it, but didn't kill it, and the orc charged at us, burning.

It was enraged and its momentum was terrifying.

Vain tried to stop it with his greatsword, but the impact was too great and he was sent flying into the air.

Our party's shield collapsed at the start of the battle.

Vain was thrown back about five meters.

If we were taken by surprise, we would lose our lives, so Arisu and I didn't break our formation.

I checked on Vain with a glance, and he was able to stand up.

This time, Arisu and the orc engaged in battle.

Arisu dodged the orc's axe and looked for an opportunity to counterattack.

However, the orc was stronger and more skilled, and Arisu was gradually being pushed back.

It was a tough opponent to face alone.

But she managed to buy us enough time.

My magic was already activated, and the changes began at the orc's feet.

The magic turned to ice and gradually spread to the center of its body.

By the time the orc realized, the ice had reached its waist.

The orc's movement became increasingly restricted.

At this point, it was just a matter of pouring more magic to increase the ice.

When the ice reached the orc's arms, Arisu's full-force strike pierced its heart.

The precise blow ended the orc's life.

Even after it died, Arisu slashed at its neck.

"Goodbye! My love!!"

Arisu's sword decapitated the orc, and the battle was over.

In the end, Arisu's mind was still full of thoughts about her breakup.

There was no need to finish off the orc like that!

Wiping the sweat from our brows, we went to Vain.

He seemed to have only minor bruises.

He said, "I failed," but it couldn't be helped.

The opponent was strong.

Arisu was also sweating a lot and was wiping her sweat with her sleeve.

"Phew, I feel much better. I really didn't like that orc's face. It's good to have taken it down."

Ah, I see.

It's like an office lady who, after a girls' night out talking about a breakup, vents about the bald section chief and feels much better. I understand.

After that, the three of us defeated a few more monsters and returned to the mansion.