Chapter 49

It had been three days since we left the Sylphid territory.

The carriage was moving smoothly, and we had already covered more than half the distance to the capital.

Inside the carriage, which jolted irregularly, Shuna spoke up.

"It feels kind of strange. Even though we've been traveling all day, it feels like we're having a very peaceful time."

"......Well, before we set off, we were immersed in dungeon raids every day."

On the other hand, in the past few days, we had hardly encountered any monsters, and when they did appear, the 'Twilight Sword' took care of them in no time.

At this rate, we would likely arrive at the capital in two or three days without any major troubles.

I was thinking this when—

"Stop!"

Gale's voice rang out from the front, and multiple carriages came to a halt simultaneously.

After the carriages stopped, Gale continued to shout.

"A group of monsters has appeared! We'll take care of it, so you all stay hidden in the carriages—let's go, everyone!"

"Roger (Yes, sir!)"

This was a pattern that had occurred every time monsters appeared over the past few days, so everyone calmly began to deal with the situation.

The monsters that appeared on this road were mostly E-rank, with a maximum level of 20.

Normally, it would take only a few minutes to wipe out all the monsters, but—

"......It's taking a bit longer today."

"Seems that way."

As Shuna said, it was taking a bit longer today.

Peeking out of the carriage, it seemed that a group of beast-type and flying-type monsters were attacking.

---

【Blood Wolf】

- Recommended Level for Defeat: 32

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【Thunderbird】

- Recommended Level for Defeat: 30

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【Rockbird】

- Recommended Level for Defeat: 34

---

Checking the status of the monsters, they were between levels 30 and 35, which was higher than the usual monsters in this area.

However, the 'Twilight Sword,' being D-rank with an average level exceeding 40, should have been able to handle them. But this time, the situation was a bit different.

"It seems they're having trouble with the flying-type monsters."

The 'Twilight Sword' consisted of three front-line fighters and one back-line mage.

With a large number of flying-type monsters, one back-line mage wasn't enough, and this was causing a vicious cycle where they couldn't focus on the beast-type monsters.

After thinking for a moment, I turned to Shuna, who was sitting next to me.

"Shuna."

"Uh-huh."

She must have been thinking the same thing.

We both readied our sword and staff and jumped out of the carriage with a flourish.

Then,

"We're going to help!"

Shouting this, the leader, Gale, noticed our actions.

"You're passengers!? It's dangerous! Leave it to us, and you stay back—"

Before he could finish, Shuna and I shouted.

"Slash!"

"Magic Ball!"

A flying slash and a magic projectile each took down one monster.

"What!?"

Gale's voice of confusion.

He probably hadn't expected that mere passengers, especially children, would have such power.

However, with the battle still ongoing, we couldn't afford to be stunned for long.

"Leave the flying types to us! 'Twilight Sword,' take care of the ground monsters!"

"O-Okay!"

Gale, still confused, nodded and refocused on the battle.

In any case, the tide of the battle had turned.

The 'Twilight Sword' took on the beast-type monsters, while Shuna and I took down the flying types one after another.

As a result, we successfully defeated the group of nearly 20 monsters in a short time.

*System sound: Experience gained. Level up to 40.*

*System sound: Gained 2 stat points.*

Hearing the system sound, I nodded with a sense of satisfaction.

"Level 40. We've joined the D-rank ranks—oh, right."

At this point, I remembered something important and turned to Shuna.

Holders of the [Magic Emblem] gain a second growth skill at level 40.

I wanted to confirm this with her.

"How about you, Shuna?"

"Uh-huh, I'm level 40 too! And I got a new skill, but... um..."

Her voice gradually grew smaller as she spoke.

It seemed there was something that was confusing her.

I cautiously asked her.

"......Did you get a skill you didn't really want?"

"Huh? No, that's not it! It's just that I've never heard of this skill before, so I was a bit surprised."

"......A skill you've never heard of?"

Shuna's words made me tilt my head in confusion.

There are only a limited number of skills that [Magic Emblem] holders can obtain at low levels.

At level 40, the skills available should be well-known in this world.

(No, wait. Come to think of it, the [Sacred Enchant] Shuna got at level 20 was quite rare—could it be!)

As I was about to reach a conclusion, Shuna continued.

"Magic String? It seems to be a skill like that... Zeros, do you know it?"

"......"

Hearing the name of the skill, I was speechless.

[Magic String].

It was a rare magic skill, on par with [Sacred Enchant].

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