Chapter 24

Seeing Clente and the others, Michelle was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

She quickly looked around to confirm that none of Clente's group were injured.

A natural smile escaped her lips, feeling as if she had been given a second chance at life.

The four mercenaries she had never seen before must have been the reinforcements Clente had brought.

Their arrival a day earlier than scheduled must have been due to Clente and the others pushing themselves to get through the forest.

Thanks to that, they had arrived just in time. If they had arrived tomorrow as scheduled, Michelle and the others would certainly have been dead.

While the healer in the guard was healing Helena, the mercenaries Clente had brought were tending to the students.

"Hmm?"

As Michelle watched, the youngest-looking boy among the mercenaries approached the remains of the Whips.

The boy, wearing a short violet robe, pulled out the two short swords that had pierced Whips, wiped the blood-stained blades with a cloth, and sheathed them at his waist.

This implied that the short swords belonged to the boy.

Michelle narrowed her eyes and observed the boy.

He looked to be around fourteen or fifteen years old, a beginner's age for a mercenary.

He had a plain, unremarkable appearance with black eyes and black hair.

The only distinctive feature was a strip of cloth wrapped around his forehead, from which a hint of violet could be seen through his black hair.

However, from his movements, he exuded a skill level that rivaled that of experienced mercenaries like Helena.

At the very least, Michelle could tell that he was far more skilled than the students like Hansrick.

The boy had a mysterious aura.

Despite being the same age as the students, his demeanor was that of a warrior on the battlefield.

Eventually, when Helena finished healing and the students regained consciousness, Michelle and Clente began exchanging information and discussing their next steps.

It turned out that their fortunate arrival was the result of a series of coincidences.

"I see, so that's why you were able to return earlier than planned."

"Yeah."

Clente, sitting across from Michelle, was explaining.

"We had just managed to get through the forest and were heading towards Tria when a carriage happened to be coming our way. It was a half-day's walk, but the carriage could cut that time significantly. Knowing it would be a stretch, we stopped it and asked for a ride to Tria—"

Clente's explanation was interrupted by Ted.

"That carriage turned out to be the one we were riding in. We were pretty surprised when it suddenly stopped."

"Sorry about that. We were in a tight spot and were in a hurry. I feel bad about how we treated the driver. Anyway, we stopped the carriage and explained the situation. As luck would have it, the four mercenaries were on board."

Clente immediately asked for their help, but they were in the middle of an urgent job, so it didn't go well at first.

"But then, after listening closely, it turned out that their job was to search for these kids. So, there was no reason not to travel together. We could return with reinforcements earlier than planned, and they could reach their search targets without having to scour the forest. So, we joined forces and came back here right away."

"I see. I understand now. It was just a stroke of luck. Well, thanks to that, we were saved just in time, so I have no complaints."

Michelle, understanding the situation, praised Clente and the others.

"Alright, let's talk about what to do next. ...Um, you're Ted, right? Are you the leader of the group?"

"Pretty much."

"You might have heard from Clente, but can we ask you to guard these kids? The job is to protect them until we reach the city of Tria. The reward is twenty gold coins for all of you."

"No way, lady. We were already hired to rescue these kids. The reward is coming from them, so we can't take any more from you."

"Who are you calling 'lady'! I'm still in my forties! Call me Michelle!"

Ted looked at Clente with an exasperated expression.

Beside him, a small archer with steel-colored eyes was trying to suppress a laugh.

"You should learn to treat women better, you know."

A red-haired woman in Ted's group said with a sigh.

"Alright, both of you. Let's focus on getting these kids to Tria safely first. We can sort out the details later, right?"

Helena interjected, trying to mediate between Michelle and Ted.

Helena was right.

If Ted wasn't concerned about the reward, it was best to focus on getting out of the forest and to a safe city.

Regardless, Ted and his group intended to protect the students, and with Michelle and the others joining, it would be even safer.

"Right. Let's focus on getting out of the forest first. We can sort out the rest when we get back to Tria. Ted, is that okay with you?"

"No problem. Shall we get going then?"

"If you're okay with it, let's go now. The students are at their limit, both physically and mentally."

It was understandable.

The students had been living in the secure capital just a few days ago.

Even though they had learned how to fight, the difference between the safe confines of the academy and the forest where monsters roamed was significant.

The fear and pressure they experienced, which they had never felt in the academy, were overwhelming. The four students, except for Solt, were completely exhausted by the terrifying monsters they had encountered for the first time.

After Helena finished healing, the group quickly left the cave.

Fifteen people in total—Michelle and her five companions, Ted and his four companions, and the five students—formed a line and headed north through the forest.

"Hehe, it's like a small military march with this many people."

A small archer named Norris laughed brightly.

His expression was genuine, indicating that he felt the forest posed no real threat.

Similarly, the red-haired female mage in Ted's group walked without any signs of tension.

Her name was Orphelia, and her demeanor, despite being a mage, was poised and experienced.

From her behavior, Michelle, who had seen many mercenaries, could tell that they were all experienced.

However, the only one whose skill level was difficult to gauge was the black-haired boy named Aldis.

Despite being the same age as the students, his demeanor was on par with experienced mercenaries like Ted and Helena.

It turned out that the two short swords that had killed Whips were thrown by him.

If that was true, his skill level was far beyond that of an experienced mercenary.

Even in the heat of battle, throwing short swords from a distance where Whips couldn't see and killing it in two strikes would be considered a tall tale among traders.

The group moved in a formation to protect the students.

Ted and his party members led the way, with the students and Michelle in the middle, and Clente and his group at the rear.

They could reach a safe route in half a day.

In case of an encounter with enemies, Ted and his group would handle them, but Michelle planned to have Clente and his group provide support if necessary.

However, it didn't take long for her to realize that her precautions were unnecessary.

"Ted."

"I know, I'll take the one on the right."

In response to Norris's call, Ted immediately drew his sword, crouched into a stance, and gave instructions to his companions.

The leaves above rustled.

A large, pale purple snake, a Lactor, lunged at Ted and his group.

"Yah!"

With a battle cry, Ted swung his bastard sword at the Lactor.

He dodged the Lactor's attack by shifting his body and, as it passed, slashed from its mouth to its torso.

The snake's head, split open and cut in half, was severed by Ted's second strike.

While Ted was dealing with the Lactor, Norris quickly fired three arrows into the bushes on the right.

At the same moment the third arrow left Norris's hand, another Lactor leaped out of the bushes.

The Lactor, with an arrow deeply embedded in its torso, received the third arrow in its head as it leaped.

The Lactor hesitated for a moment.

But it couldn't stop the snake's movement.

"Kssshaaa!"

The Lactor hissed and raised its head.

Michelle and the others watched as a short sword silently approached the Lactor from behind.

A sword, floating in the air where no one was, moved on its own.

The short sword, which had crept up, cut off the Lactor's head from behind in one swift motion and then flew back to its owner, Aldis.

From the time Norris called out to the time the two Lactors were finished off, it took about thirty seconds.

(I thought they were skilled, but this is beyond what I expected...)

Ted and his group's abilities exceeded Michelle's expectations.

Clente and the other five could probably handle two Lactors.

But to do so so decisively in such a short time was questionable.

Moreover, they had overwhelmed the two Lactors with only three people, as Orphelia, the mage, hadn't even participated in the fight.

What confused Michelle the most was Aldis's technique.

He had thrown a short sword, which seemed to be controlled by an invisible hand, to cut off the Lactor's head.

Such a magic was something Michelle, who had traveled the continent as a trader, had never heard of.

"Um... Michelle?"

"What is it, Solt?"

"The sword earlier... It looked like it was floating and cutting the snake on its own..."

Even Michelle, who had seen countless battles between mercenaries and beasts, had never seen anything like it.

Solt, a young student, had no way of understanding it.

"I don't know... I've never seen anything like that either. Helena, have you heard of such a technique?"

"No, I've never seen or heard of a sword floating and cutting an enemy on its own."

Clente and the other mercenaries also looked surprised.

Their eyes held a hint of interest, as it was a technique they had never seen before.

"Well, as much as I'd like to, we need to focus on getting out of the forest. We'll leave the materials behind, okay?"

Ted asked, and Michelle, who had no intention of objecting, agreed.

The rest of the journey was occasionally interrupted by beast attacks, but they were all swiftly dealt with by Ted and his group, and the group continued through the forest without any significant casualties.

A dual-bladed beast was cut down by Ted's sword and shot by Norris's arrows.

Once, the formation was attacked from the side, but Aldis's controlled short sword quickly put an end to it.

Eventually, Michelle and the others reached a safe route and, after a half-day's walk, left the Kosas forest.

2017/11/02 Typo correction: "伺わせた" → "窺わせた"

2017/12/16 Typo correction: "学院の生徒とはいえ" → "学園の生徒とはいえ"

2019/05/02 Typo correction: "目を張る" → "目を見張る"

2019/05/02 Typo correction: "目の当たりした" → "目の当たりにした"

*Thank you for reporting the typos.