Chapter 21

This is a story from around "Chapter 4: The Promised Development."

"Looks like our journey is almost over, huh."

As the remaining journey was nearing its end, Barry sighed deeply.

"Exactly. But we still have no clue about the cause of the increased monster activity. I don't know what to report to His Majesty the King."

Sighing, I saw Barry's face cloud over. Without knowing the cause or a solution, we were at a dead end.

When we first set out, I thought we would quickly uncover the cause and find a solution. The Kingdom of Marita had always managed to coexist with the Glass Forest. There had been a few instances of increased activity in the past, but according to historical records, they were resolved through cooperation among various countries. I hadn't considered this one to be particularly serious...

Five years ago, the neighboring Kingdom of Daido began leading a Glass Forest extermination force and started a serious campaign to conquer the forest. They had invested a large number of talented people, and in the past year, they had even advanced to the point of conquering the lair of the monsters at the center of the Glass Forest. Not only the Kingdom of Marita but also the surrounding countries that bordered the Glass Forest had high hopes for Daido's Glass Forest extermination force.

The Glass Forest continuously produced abnormally strong monsters. Even if just one of these monsters entered a town from the forest, it could cause catastrophic damage. The monsters from this forest were all of disaster-level class.

In recent months, these monsters had frequently invaded towns. While we managed to defeat them, the human and economic losses were significant. To investigate the cause of the increase in monsters, His Majesty the King, who is the fourth prince, ordered me to investigate, including the movements of neighboring countries. However, even as the journey neared its end, we found neither the cause nor a solution.

Our plan was to visit the large city of Eil and the fortress city of Kyrat before returning to the capital. I was to meet up with Zain, who had been investigating the opposite side of the Kingdom of Marita, and confirm the movements of nearby countries, but the results were not promising. Even with Zain's extensive network and information-gathering skills, the cause remained unknown.

If I had to say, the only significant change in recent months was the expulsion of a holy maiden from the Glass Forest extermination force for committing a crime. A holy maiden refers to a woman skilled in healing, not a particularly special existence. Even if one such woman, who was a holy maiden by church standards, committed a crime and was expelled from the highly talented Glass Forest extermination force, it couldn't have made a significant difference.

As I was lost in thought, I heard the warning call. It was blown by the young adventurer who was driving the carriage, signaling an enemy attack. The sound of the whistle was short and repeated twice, indicating that we needed to prepare for an immediate counterattack. It seemed to be a somewhat troublesome enemy that the adventurers outside couldn't handle.

Barry and I drew our swords and leaped out of the stopped carriage. Zain remained inside, hidden. He was skilled in intelligence gathering but not in combat.

When we stepped outside, we were already surrounded by dozens of wolf-type monsters. Silver wolves. They weren't particularly strong, but they acted in packs and called for reinforcements, making them troublesome. We had planned to resupply at the next town, so we didn't have many healing potions left. We had to be careful not to get injured.

Barry, the young adventurer, and I, along with three other young adventurers, took on the task of extermination. These three were adventurers originally hired by Zain, and their contract was to take us to the next town, Eil. They were a well-balanced party, and we had fought together without incident so far, but this time, the large number of enemies seemed to be overwhelming them. I tried to calm them down and encourage them as we fought.

"Barry! Can you hold on!?"

After taking down dozens of them, the silver wolves called for even more reinforcements. I shouted at Barry, frustrated.

"If I fall, please leave on your own!!"

We were on the verge of collapse. Damn it. Should I use a wind spell to buy some time and let the others escape?

"Master Jinklett! Don't even think about it! If you die, I'll get a pay cut!"

Barry was joking, but the situation was quite serious. The three young adventurers were completely flustered. What should we do?

"Do you need assistance?"

Suddenly, an unexpected voice came from behind. I turned around quickly, drawing my sword. We had been completely surrounded by the silver wolves, and I hadn't sensed anyone else.

A woman with silver hair and brown skin stood there. She had cool, calm eyes and was quite beautiful. Her clothing was more tattered than simple, but the sword she held was adorned with a large magic stone and had unfamiliar patterns engraved on it.

"Who are you?"

We were surrounded by silver wolves, so where did this woman come from? Behind her, the bodies of silver wolves were piled up. Did she do this?

"My name is Kiri. I am the servant of Lady Shina. I see you as the leader of this party. Do you need assistance?"

As she spoke, Kiri casually swung her sword and cut down the silver wolves that had attacked her. Was it an illusion? She cut down five or six with one swing?

Barry gaped at her. I could barely handle one at a time. What was going on? But if she could help, that would be great! She might be a high-ranking adventurer. We were saved!

"Yes! We need help! Please help us!"

"Understood!"

Kiri smiled and faced the monsters. The bracelet on her arm glowed, and the engraved runes floated... What was that? Her magic power surged explosively?

From then on, it was Kiri's show. She swung her sword at an extraordinary speed, and with each swing, the troublesome silver wolves were eliminated before they could call for reinforcements. She seemed to be enjoying herself.

A few minutes later, all the silver wolves were defeated. It was a large pack. A mountain of silver wolf corpses had piled up.

"Thank you, Kiri. You saved us."

"I was just following my master's orders."

Kiri turned around, her face now gentle, unlike the fierce expression she had just moments ago.

Then, I heard light footsteps, and a young girl approached.

"Kiri, are you done?"

The girl's voice was as sweet as a bell. She was a child, around 10 years old. With brown hair and black eyes, she was a cute girl, but her thin arms and legs were pitiful. Her clothes were short and tattered. Even orphans living in a church would have better clothing.

I felt a pang in my chest. Was she from my country? As a royal, I couldn't ignore the mistreatment of a child.

Kiri ran to the girl and knelt beside her. From this, I deduced that the girl was Kiri's master. But this tattered girl was her master?

The girl's black eyes met mine. Her cheeks were sunken, but her eyes were lively.

"My name is Jin. I'm guarding this carriage."

I introduced myself first. The girl's eyes widened in surprise, and she smiled.

"Thank you. We were surrounded by silver wolves, and it was really tough. They kept calling for reinforcements, even though they weren't that strong. Is this your servant? She's incredibly strong!"

"Thank you for complimenting Kiri. She's my pride and joy. I'm Shina."

Her polite response surprised me. Despite her tattered appearance, she spoke like someone who had received an education. What was her background?

I tried to learn more about the girl during our conversation, but her answer was shocking. She and Kiri were traveling together. In the area near the Glass Forest? At the very least, they would need at least five guards. Even if Kiri was strong, traveling with just two people was unimaginable.

I felt compelled to protect this girl. Even cautious Barry and suspicious Zain agreed to protect them. Her honest responses, clear eyes, and cute smile, along with her vulnerable appearance, made it impossible to think she was a spy or an assassin.

Zain, who had never met her, was giving her his secret stash of sweets and fruits as if she were his own grandchild. Her emaciated body was also a factor.

When she saw my bearded, messy head, she muttered, "Lion." Shina, you're too transparent...