Chapter 27

"Successfully hunted the monster! Thanks to everyone, I'm very grateful!"

"Yaaaaaah!"

At Alberto's words, the guards raised their hands and cheered.

Hmm, it's already over just after we got out of the castle.

In the end, I didn't even get to fight the monster; it's not satisfying.

"The sun is about to set. Let's stay here tonight and return tomorrow."

Before I knew it, it was already dusk.

The sunset reflecting on the lake was very beautiful.

I was thinking, "Maybe I can sneak out at night and practice magic..." when,

"Lord Lloyd, our tent is ready."

Silfa, who had finished setting up the tent, smiled at me.

It's a very small tent.

If I try to sneak out, she'll definitely wake up. It's Silfa, after all.

Sigh, it's a shame, but this outing is over.

I wanted to hunt a monster too.

"Alright, I'll go prepare dinner. Please wait here, Lord Lloyd—"

Woooon... As Silfa spoke, a low sound could be heard.

A dog barking? No, this is...

"Is it a wolf...?"

"No, it sounds a bit too deep for a wolf..."

Ordinary wolves bark in a higher pitch.

It was hard to hear from a distance, but it sounded very similar to a Bearwolf.

Ooooon... Ooooon... The howls gradually got closer.

And it wasn't just one. They could be heard from all around the forest.

The guards, sensing something was off, started to get agitated.

"What is this roar!?"

"It's getting closer!"

"Everyone who's resting, come out!"

Those who were resting in the tents came out one by one.

Everyone was tense, holding their weapons at the ready.

"Lloyd, come over here."

I ran over to Alberto, and the guards formed a circle around us.

The air around us became tense.

"Grrrr...!"

Now, growls could be heard nearby.

The grass rustled, and a huge wolf appeared.

—Indeed, it was a Bearwolf.

"It's a monster! There are still some!?"

"Grrrr!" "Gao!" "Gooooo!"

It wasn't just one. Two, three, and more Bearwolves emerged from the forest.

Before we knew it, we were surrounded by a pack of Bearwolves.

And that wasn't all. More howls were gathering from deeper in the forest.

"This is ridiculous... Monsters don't usually form packs... Why are there so many...?"

Everyone was flustered, but this was my chance.

The guards had struggled even with a single monster, so it wouldn't be a problem if I took them all down.

Of course, I didn't plan to use anything other than low-level magic, but that would be enough.

Alright, I'm getting hyped up.

"Brother Alberto, I'll fight too!"

"...! Alright, I'm counting on you, Lloyd!"

"Coming!"

At the same time as Silfa's voice, the Bearwolves pounced.

"Gaaaaaah!"

"Ugh! Protect Lord Alberto and Lord Lloyd!"

The guards huddled together, forming a wall in front of us.

From behind them, Alberto unleashed a 'Blazing Fireball.'

The Bearwolves writhed in the burning flames.

Alright, my turn.

"Take this!"

I cast 'Fireball' in a slightly monotone voice.

The fireball scorched the Bearwolf's nose, making it flinch.

The guards' slashes followed, forcing it to retreat.

"Why don't you use a more powerful spell, Lord Lloyd? If you use a high-level spell, you could take them all down in one shot."

"Because it wouldn't be fun if I wiped them all out right away."

This is a rare opportunity to use magic against monsters.

I want to enjoy it for as long as possible.

"Hey, what if I cast a healing spell on the fallen monsters? That way, we can enjoy it for even longer."

While I'm at it, if I cast it on the guards too, it would be like a perpetual motion machine.

Nice idea, I thought. A devilish inspiration.

"B-but, I think it's best not to do that..."

But Grimo recoiled and criticized the idea.

Indeed, healing spells wouldn't restore their morale, and the guards might get killed in a prolonged battle.

It would be a bad taste if someone died in my experiment, so I'll hold off on that.

But using only 'Fireball' isn't very interesting either.

"Then, let's at least try 'Qi.'"

I just learned it, so I haven't tested it much on living things.

There are plenty of targets, so I can practice freely.

I gathered the 'Qi' in my right hand as I breathed.

It's the 'Qi Bullet' that Tao used.

The last time I tried it, my lungs hurt a lot, but I can ease the pain by targeting the lungs with a healing spell.

...Alright, I can do this.

"Ha!"

I disguised it with 'Fireball' and released it.

The fireball (Qi Bullet) flew straight and hit the Bearwolf.

"Gooooo!?"

The Bearwolf screamed and flew back but quickly got up.

It didn't seem to be very effective.

A pure 'Qi' attack is still far from Tao's level.

"L-Lord Lloyd, what was that...?"

"That's 'Qi.' Tao taught me."

"W-what!?"

Grimo was surprised by my words.

"From what I remember, 'Qi' is a technique used by foreigners who fought in ancient times... It's said to require years of training... You only met Tao a few days ago, right? You learned it in such a short time...? I can't believe it..."

Grimo seemed to be recoiling again.

Maybe he thinks I'm holding back to prolong the fight.

Unfortunately, I'm giving it my all.

'Qi' is indeed difficult.