Chapter 35

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Let's go back a little in time.

I headed for the northern forest, left the town, and galloped on my Kokuyou.

It was said to be a day's journey by carriage, but with Kokuyou's legs, it took no more than two hours to arrive.

The forest before me had a path wide enough for carriages to pass, and I was told it was used for trade with the Lunette Empire.

I was repeatedly warned, "There are no borders for adventurers, but please do not cross them."

Especially since the Lunette Empire is at war, there's no guarantee you can return if you cross.

For me, Felis is waiting at the mansion. I have no intention of doing that.

If I ever return to the Kingdom of Generate, will they send me back to Japan? ...No, that's probably impossible given the nature of that country.

--- There is already a "Hero."

Even if I return now, it might be as if I never existed... or worse, I might be punished.

--- In that case, maybe it's better to stay in this comfortable town.

I'm already estranged from my parents, I'm single with no wife or children. My company would probably have terminated my employment since I haven't returned.

Then ---. No, it's too early to decide.

With that thought, I switched to exploration and began searching the forest.

...There are so many.

I took out my two-handed sword from my dimensional storage and slowly advanced into the forest where the monsters were.

The monsters seemed to be wandering the forest in small groups.

"Oriyaahhhh!!"

How many times has this happened? I shook off the blood from my sword.

At my feet lay the corpse of a goblin that had already perished. The monsters I encountered were goblins, forest wolves, boars, and occasionally orcs.

The smell of the blood from the monsters I killed attracted more monsters. It was a cycle of killing them.

...What? They're all just grunts.

Despite the urgent request, only low-rank monsters are appearing.

Did I really need to take this on...

"Should I look for the village... This isn't getting us anywhere."

I put the defeated monsters into my dimensional storage and continued deeper into the forest.

The deeper I went, the same monsters kept appearing. I repeatedly cut them down with a single stroke.

Forest wolves were a bit faster, but their attacks were straightforward.

Moreover, they were still slower than me. Goblins were just grunts.

The only proper monsters were orcs, but even they moved slowly and aimlessly. No matter how many appeared, it wasn't a problem.

As I went even deeper, I sensed a large presence.

"There are dozens... It's definitely a village... Wait! Could it be..."

I sprinted forward. I put away my sword in my dimensional storage and switched to magic.

I couldn't use fire magic in the forest. I used wind magic to strike down the monsters I passed.

Since I was in a hurry, I left the monsters alone.

"...Please, let me make it in time..."

I dodged the trees and kept running until I saw a break in the forest.

I dashed through it, and the scene before me unfolded.

Dozens of orcs, their eyes fixed on their prey, surrounded two girls.

Among the surrounding orcs, I could see some higher-level ones.

"I thought there would be a village, but there are people too. Good. They seem to be safe..."

I couldn't help but feel relieved.

There were still people alive.

The two girls, about my age, were in tatters, trembling all over.

...Let's end this quickly.

I took out my two-handed sword from my dimensional storage and slung it over my shoulder.

"Wait a moment. Don't move from there."

"Huh..."

Was it because of the unexpected words, or from fear?

That was the only response I got.

The orcs surrounding the girls reacted to my words, brandishing clubs and spreading out to surround me.

To the orcs, I must have just looked like another prey. --- But that's a mistake.

I channeled magic power throughout my body to strengthen it.

"You guys, here I come!"

I readied my two-handed sword and charged.

I cut down the orc at the front with one swing and slashed the one next to it.

From then on, it was a massacre.

The orcs' cries drew the attention of the entire village, and they came at me with weapons in hand.

I charged at the nearby orcs and used wind magic with my left hand to strike the distant ones.

As I cut through the crowd, I saw the bodies of adventurers who had been trampled and killed, their eyes wide open in horror. Anger welled up inside me.

"...Prepare yourselves. Not a single one of you will escape..."

I charged at the orcs again.

I repeated this task, and from the back, a particularly large orc appeared.

Next to it were three orcs, larger than the others, wearing crude but functional armor.

"Higher-level ones... I recognize the General, but the one bigger than that... is it an Orc King..."

The Adventurer Guild had warned that if a village appeared, there would always be higher-level orcs, and in some cases, a "King-level" orc. In such cases, we were instructed to always retreat, report to the Adventurer Guild, gather a group, and send a party of dozens to eliminate them.

But that's not an option now.

The Orc King looked down at his fallen subordinates, his face filled with rage, and let out a particularly loud cry.

At the same time, I charged.

The distance was about ten meters, but with my enhanced body, it was just two steps.

I jumped in front of him and brought my sword down in a straight line from above.

I took a step back to gain some distance, and the Orc King's body gradually tilted and fell.

Thud.

The Orc King, who was about five meters tall, died instantly.

At the sight of this, the orcs all fled at once.

But I had no intention of letting them go. I chased after the fleeing orcs, cutting them down from behind, and used magic to cut down the ones on the opposite side.

After about ten minutes, the area was enveloped in silence.

The place where the village had been was now a hellish scene, littered with the corpses of orcs.

I sheathed my sword and took a deep breath.

"Phew... This was a lot. I didn't expect a King-level orc. Oh... by the way..."

I remembered the two girls I had saved. I had been aware of them, but I had forgotten about their existence once the Orc King appeared.

I looked at their location, and the two girls were standing there with their mouths open, their expressions one of disbelief.

I approached them and spoke.

"--- Are you okay...?"

In response to my words, they let out a scream.

"Kyaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh