Chapter 24

I and Helen are waiting for Erika and Leonora to get ready.

"Tch... They're so slow..."

"Sir Sieg... It's only been 6 minutes..."

Helen let out a sad voice.

"I know. We just have to wait. I'm aware that women take time to get ready."

Most of my former colleagues and classmates were women, and I have senior and junior disciples in the same school, so I understand.

"You mustn't show such an attitude. Be calm. Try to be as calm as Erika."

That's true...

Unlike the hectic life in the capital, we have plenty of time now.

"Alright."

I changed my mindset, petted Helen, and decided to wait for the two of them.

Soon, the two of them returned.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting."

"We didn't use them, so we had to look for them."

Their clothing hadn't changed, but they were holding long staffs with decorations.

"Oh, staffs."

Alchemists are technically mages, so they have staffs.

However, the staffs they were holding looked brand new, and it was clear they had never been used.

"Better than nothing, right?"

"We've never even touched a sword or spear."

Well, it's desk work, so it can't be helped, but they look very weak.

Actually, they probably are.

"You two, don't get in front of me."

"Okay."

"Reliable. You're like a prince."

No... Being a prince is a bit awkward too.

"Alright, let's go."

"Okay!"

We went down to the first floor and left the branch.

"Which way is the forest?"

"It's that way, through the East Gate."

Erika pointed to the left, so we started walking.

After a while, we could see a tall wall and a large gate.

"Is that it?"

"Yes, that's the East Gate. Once we go through there, it's a short walk to the forest."

"Have you been there before?"

"I went there for a field trip during my student days. Of course, we had guards."

Of course.

Soldiers or hired adventurers would accompany them.

We continued walking and approached the gate.

"Wait a moment."

Just as we were about to pass through, a guard stopped us.

"What is it?"

"N-no... I just..."

The guard looked at me, then stared at Erika.

Then, he looked at Leonora from her triangular hat to her feet.

I felt uncomfortable.

"What's wrong with the two of them?"

You shouldn't stare at women like that.

"Are you from the Alchemists' Guild?"

"Yes, we are. All three of us are alchemists from the Riet branch."

"I see... You're going to the forest? In that attire?"

He looked at Erika and Leonora.

Both were in their usual clothes, and of course, they had no armor.

Actually, upon closer inspection, Leonora was wearing sandals.

No wonder the guard stopped us...

"We're not going deep into the forest, just to gather some herbs. I have a 5th-class magic certification, so it's fine."

She showed him a silver necklace with an owl carving, which is a national magic certification.

"Hmm... If that's the case, it should be fine. Just don't take unnecessary risks. Mages are a treasure of the country."

"I understand. Let's go."

We passed through the gate and headed towards the forest.

"Was something wrong?"

Erika asked.

"We weren't dressed appropriately for the forest."

"Especially me, right?"

The guard was looking more at Leonora than Erika.

Well, Leonora is short and wearing sandals, so it's understandable that he was worried.

"Can't be helped. Let's gather the herbs quickly and get back."

We continued walking until we reached the edge of the forest and stopped.

"Just to confirm, can you identify mana herbs?"

There's no such thing as a "mana herb."

We call plants that contain mana "mana herbs."

Therefore, identifying mana herbs is difficult without being a mage.

"We learned it in class, so we should be fine."

"I can tell, of course."

With a 10th-class certification, you should be able to.

"Alright, gather the herbs. I'll keep watch."

"Thank you."

"Of course, I don't want to die, so please be careful."

We entered the forest and started gathering herbs in a shallow area.

Erika and Leonora crouched down and searched for mana herbs.

"Is this it? Hmm, I have to be careful not to damage the roots..."

"It's difficult..."

They're not used to it.

Well, I haven't done this since my magic school field trip either.

"Take your time. It's just an E-rank request, and I'll extract the mana, so even if the quality is a bit low, it's fine. Focus on speed. I don't want to come here multiple times."

"Got it."

"Understood."

The two of them started gathering the herbs a bit roughly.

"Watching you work like this, I feel like a lazy man making women and children do all the work."

I asked Helen.

"Sorry, but that's exactly how it looks."

I see...

"Just focus on keeping watch. As I said, I can only run 50 meters in 15 seconds, so I can't escape if we encounter a monster."

"Ah, I can only run 12 seconds."

Really, you're so slow...

Leonora in sandals is probably even slower.

"I know."

"I'll help keep watch too."

I continued to keep watch with Helen while Erika and Leonora diligently gathered the herbs and put them in their bags.

"My back hurts..."

"My arms hurt too..."

They started complaining.

"Don't say that. I feel guilty just standing here."

"Sir Sieg, choose your words carefully."

"Um... Keep it up."

I couldn't think of anything else to say...

"You married a bossy husband, didn't you?"

"I have to endure."

They're starting to joke around...

"Marrying me won't end well. You'll probably get so stressed that you'll get ulcers... Huh?"

Something caught my attention, and I looked deeper into the forest.

"What's wrong, sir?"

"Is something the matter?"

I gestured for them to stop and started searching for mana.

"There's something there..."

"Eh?"

"Ah!"

The two of them quickly stood up and moved behind me.

"Sir Sieg, it's an orc."

An orc... a giant bipedal pig.

"Sir Sieg, please help."

"If you lose, we all die, so please."

The responsibility is heavy...

I shielded the two of them and waited. A giant orc, easily over 2 meters tall, appeared from between the trees and stopped 10 meters away.

The orc sniffed the air and locked onto us.

The two behind me grabbed my clothes, which was very obstructive, but since they can't move well anyway, it's not a problem.

Actually, if they move, they'll die.

"Sir Sieg, please finish it in one hit."

"Understood."

As Helen spoke, the orc charged at us.

"Take this!"

I pulled out a magic gun from a spatial magic and aimed at the orc's legs, firing.

A laser-like white beam shot out of the gun and instantly hit the orc's legs.

The orc stumbled but continued to charge.

"Aerial Drive"

This time, I used wind magic on the orc, which had slowed down.

A tornado rose from its feet, slicing the orc to pieces.

The scene was shocking, with the orc's limbs scattered around.

"Scary!"

Actually, it's disgusting!

"No, it's not me, Sir Sieg."

"I've never used it on anything, not even a monster."

"Oh, that's right."

I didn't know it had this much power...

"Eh? Isn't Sir Sieg 5th-class?"

Erika asked.

"I am 5th-class, but this is my first time in a real battle."

I never leave the town, after all.

"...Eh? First time?"

"I wish you had told us that earlier. It was more dangerous than I thought. We should have asked the branch chief, a former soldier, to come with us."

Huh?

"It's fine. Just gather the remaining herbs quickly."

"Understood."

"Let's hurry."

Erika and Leonora returned to gathering herbs, so Helen and I resumed our watch.

"Phew..."

I see, I should have asked the branch chief for help.

I never thought of relying on someone else...

Thank you for reading.

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