Chapter 36

"Shall we go down the river to the road?"

"Yeah. It's not a good idea to stray from the river and bypass the kobold village. If we go down the river to the road, we can minimize the time spent in the forest."

When I suggested going down the river, Yuell closed her eyes and began to think deeply.

The main reason is my concern for Yuell's physical condition, but if I say that, she probably won't take it into consideration.

Thinking back to when she started working part-time at the tavern, Yuell is the type who ignores her own health and continues to push herself for her goals. I have to be the one to watch out for her overexertion.

After thinking carefully, Yuell nodded seriously.

"Indeed, bypassing might be dangerous. Moreover, if there are so many kobolds settled there, it's highly likely that there are multiple nests of small monsters nearby. If we are attacked all at once, I won't be able to protect you, Master. I think it's more likely that I can protect you if we head for the road."

Nests of small monsters. I hadn't considered that possibility. Yuell is observant. She must have some survival experience in the forest, I suppose. It wouldn't be surprising if she did.

Once the decision was made, Yuell immediately moved a few steps ahead of me and started walking, vigilantly scanning the surroundings.

We continued down the river. If we go down the river, we can reach the road in less than a day. Although it will take us a bit off the route to the city, it's the shortest and most direct way to the road.

However, there is one concern.

Yuell, walking a few steps ahead of me, seems off.

She reacts strongly to even the slightest rustling of the wind through the trees, as if she is overly sensitive. She seems to be using too much of her nerves, as if she is overthinking.

When we were exploring the dungeon, Yuell was more relaxed.

Being vigilant is important, but the journey is long. Can she keep this up?

"Yuell, the journey is long. If we are attacked by monsters, as long as you don't lose consciousness or die from a single blow, I can recover from any damage. I have this damage reduction bracelet. You don't need to be so tense."

"......Yes."

I called out to her, but her demeanor didn't change. Maybe this level of vigilance is necessary in the forest. I can't really judge, but Yuell might have more knowledge in this area.

"Yuell, do you have any experience living in the forest?"

The words slipped out of my mouth. Then Yuell stopped.

I regretted saying it. I might have stepped on a landmine. I shouldn't have asked about Yuell's past.

Until now, I've tried not to touch on her past. Being a slave, it's unlikely that she has a past worth talking about.

For example, being sold by her parents. Or having her parents killed by monsters. Just hearing it could dig up painful memories for Yuell.

"Yes. When I was in the orphanage, I used to gather herbs and hunt monsters in the forest to earn money. I was apparently abandoned by my parents at birth."

But Yuell answered without any particular concern.

Orphanage. Yuell used to live in an orphanage.

Judging from this, she was probably sold to the slave trader from that orphanage. Whether the orphanage went bankrupt or was raising her to be sold, I don't know.

But putting that aside, if she was hunting regularly in the forest during her time at the orphanage, she must be well aware of the dangers. Maybe I shouldn't have commented on her vigilance.

......

I understand that Yuell is familiar with the forest.

"Yuell, was the orphanage in the city of Merharts?"

But I had already asked about her past. I felt I shouldn't ignore it.

If the orphanage still exists and Yuell wants to, we could consider financial support. She might have a special attachment to it. She might even want to visit it.

Or the opposite might be true.

"No, it was in a small town called Cursel, a bit away from here. The orphanage was shut down when I was sold, so it no longer exists."

It was shut down. So Yuell was sold due to financial difficulties. And she was transported from Cursel to Merharts.

Merharts is a large city with a vibrant economy. Yuell has combat skills, and the slave trader probably thought she would fetch a higher price in the dungeon city of Merharts.

But what should I do in a situation like this? There's not much I can do for Yuell now that the orphanage is gone. I'm not good at comforting people either. It feels awkward.

"I am very happy just to be with you, Master."

When I fell silent, Yuell smiled and said this. ...I feel like I'm the one who needs comforting.

She is brave. She is innocent. I want to pat her on the head.

As I reached out to Yuell—suddenly, she turned around and ran.

Then, a swift strike.

It seems there was a monster.

We continued down the river, taking occasional breaks and meals. There were no issues with food or drink. The item box had enough food, and we had a warm water magic device we found in the dungeon before.

Thanks to Yuell's vigilance, we didn't encounter any strong enemies or groups of monsters. However, I hadn't realized how frequently and suddenly monsters attack until I was no longer surrounded by knights. We couldn't let our guard down for a moment.

But despite that, we had covered a considerable distance. A lot of time had passed, and the sky was beginning to lighten.

I had only seen the map for a moment, so I didn't know the exact distance to the road. But we must be close.

"Yuell, are you okay?"

"......Yes."

But as expected, Yuell was clearly exhausted.

Her steps were unsteady, her pace slow, and she occasionally shook her head. She looked very sleepy. The height at which she held her knife seemed to have dropped slightly. After hours of vigilance, her nerves must be worn down.

Thinking back, even when she was with the extermination team, Yuell was always vigilant. She had been on high alert for almost a full day since yesterday. She might be at her physical limit.

Maybe we should take a break.

But Yuell hardly rested even when we took breaks. She never let her guard down, even while eating. It might be counterproductive to take more time. We should aim to get out of the forest as quickly as possible.

—In the midst of this, Yuell's ears twitched, and she ran.

In front of her, a wolf-like monster appeared. Before the wolf noticed her, Yuell plunged her knife into its throat. It was her usual, decisive pattern.

...But it was shallow.

The wolf was still alive after Yuell pulled out her knife. It was thrashing and howling, trying to get away. Yuell must be exhausted. She usually finishes them in one strike.

Yuell quickly struck again, ending the wolf's life.

This time, the wolf died, but the battle noise was loud. The howling echoed.

Yuell frowned and quickly looked around.

"Master, we need to move immediately. The noise might attract more monsters. Follow me."

The battle noise was indeed bad. Yuell's tone was tense. She immediately started running, and I followed.

We ran, stopped, ran, and stopped, changing our direction frequently. Yuell was probably trying to avoid monsters.

Still, sporadically, the same wolf-like monsters attacked.

Yuell aimed her knife at the throat of the attacking wolf, quickly dispatching it and continuing to move.

"Master, this way!"

Yuell's expression was hard, and her voice was strained. She probably had no more room for error.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the bushes between us. A wolf-like monster appeared. It might have slipped past Yuell's vigilance. It was quite close.

Yuell heard the sound, shuddered, and immediately focused on the grass.

—And at that moment, I saw it.

Yuell, focusing on the grass, saw the wolf-like monster and had a "relieved" expression.

—There was a strong sense of dissonance.

And a question arose. Why did Yuell look relieved when attacked by a monster?

I looked at Yuell again.

...Maybe I had a terrible misunderstanding.

Yuell started running again after killing the wolf. As I ran after her, I thought.

Yuell was overly vigilant about monsters. She never let her guard down.

Why?

Yuell was doing her best to protect me. She is the type who continues to push herself.

That's part of it. But...

Maybe she wasn't just "afraid."

The rustling sound from the grass, and the relieved expression when she saw the wolf.

One possibility. Yuell was just "afraid" of something. Thinking about it, it made sense with Yuell's behavior.

What is Yuell afraid of? Why is she so afraid in the forest, where she used to hunt regularly during her time at the orphanage?

What comes to mind...

...When I bought Yuell, wasn't she severely injured, as if she had been mauled by a large monster?

Yuell was transported from another city to Merharts as a slave. The slave trader must have seen her value and thought she could be profitable.

But when I bought her, she was severely injured. Her eyes and nose were crushed, and one ear was missing. The wounds looked like they were caused by a large monster's claws.

It's unlikely that the slave trader would harm his own property. In fact, the slave trader fled as soon as I bought Yuell, probably because an injured slave would be difficult to sell.

So...

Yuell must have been injured between being sold in Cursel and when I bought her.

...She was injured during transport. She was attacked by a monster during transport. And the transport probably used the road.

Now, as we head towards the road, I might be leading Yuell to the very place where she was incapacitated by a monster.

It's just a guess. But Yuell clearly seems afraid of something. This hypothesis starts to feel more real.

There must be something Yuell is afraid of near the road.

Should we have gone down the river?

But Yuell has been vigilant since we left the town. Even if we had gone up the river, she would have been overly vigilant. And if she was exhausted, she might have been surrounded by a large number of kobolds or small monsters.

Besides, the road must be close now. It's too late to turn back.

"Master, we're going right!"

Just before changing direction, another wolf jumped out from the bushes.

Yuell had a relieved expression again, even though she encountered a monster. She quickly eliminated it and secured the route. As I ran after her, I reflected.

What was Yuell's expression when I decided to leave the city? ...I was so focused on Elise that I didn't really look at Yuell.

When Yuell bought me the bracelet, was she looking dark? I thought she was just feeling down because of her chest.

Why did she spend all her money on a practical magic device that can only reduce the impact of a single powerful attack and then break?

Thinking back, Yuell might have been afraid of leaving the city. She might have followed me to protect me from danger.

Suddenly, Yuell stopped.

"......Master, I'm sorry. We're surrounded."

Wolves appeared from the bushes. From the front, from the sides, and from behind.

Five, six, no, more.

Sweat trickled down my face. I couldn't tell if it was cold sweat or regular sweat.

With the exhausted Yuell, it would be impossible. I readied my mace.

The wolves circled us, gradually closing in. But Yuell acted quickly.

She threw her knives at two wolves in front of her. Without checking if they hit, she took new knives from the item box and stabbed the wolf next to me in the eye. Three down in an instant.

Yuell might be able to take them down unharmed. We might be able to make it.

"――――――!"

The air trembled. A wolf howled. One of the wolves on the opposite side of Yuell let out a loud howl.

In response, three more wolves approached from a distance.

This is bad. This is bad. I understand why Yuell said being surrounded by monsters in the forest is her biggest fear. Even if one is weak, being surrounded by many will eventually lead to being overwhelmed. Yuell might be able to escape alone, but with me, it's definitely bad.

—But for a moment, the wolves froze.

Seizing the opportunity, Yuell instantly killed three of them. I crushed the head of one with my mace.

Then, suddenly, the wolves turned and fled.

What happened? Did they flee because of the increased casualties?

In the midst of this—Yuell shuddered.

Then she turned to me with a desperate look.

"Master!"

I was pushed away by Yuell with force.

The sensation of sliding on the ground. The slightly muddy soil felt unpleasant.

What—?

"Yuell, what... happened?"

I got up and turned around. Yuell was gone.

In her place was a "demon."

A giant, over two meters tall. The "demon" had just swept its massive arm where I had been standing.

Something glittering was flying through the air. What is that?

A familiar color, a familiar pattern. That's... Yuell's bracelet.

My heart skipped a beat. I looked at the end of the sweeping arm.

There, Yuell had been thrown a great distance and slammed into a tree.