Chapter 77

Originally, Yuu wasn't very enthusiastic about this quest, but now he was truly regretting not having stopped it earlier.

"Hey! Yuu, look. Over there is a two-tailed fox cub!"

"Do you have a sword master? I, despite everything, have been taught by Ms. Ranfa, an A-rank adventurer known as 'Still Water.' Do you know Ms. Ranfa? She's an incredible swordsman who climbed to A-rank with just one sword, even though she's a woman!"

(You're so noisy...)

On the left, Joseph kept talking about trivial matters endlessly. On the right, Morran kept talking about swords, and Yuu was thoroughly fed up.

After losing to Yuu in a sword duel, Morran had been depressed for a while, but as soon as they entered the Marmar Forest, he gradually regained his spirits and started talking to Yuu again.

Sham and the others, after seeing Yuu and Morran's battle, seemed to have gained a new respect and stopped bothering them as much as they did at first.

"Yuu is popular, and Nina and the others must be worried, right?"

Larit made a joke to Nina and the others, but they—

"It's great that everyone is getting along so well~"

"...That woman is too cheerful."

"It seems she finally understands the greatness of Master."

They didn't really care.

"Damn it! Morran, I told you not to bother me so much!"

"Well, this kind of interaction is fine, right? As Appri said, it looks like he's trying to establish friendly relations."

"Sham, what should we do?"

"What should we do?"

One of Sham's followers, Dogg, was anxious.

"Morran's sword skills are quite impressive, but Yuu is in a league of his own. If we don't take action now, it will be difficult for us to reach C-rank."

"Hmm. Specifically?"

"The easiest way would be to offer money. Or, we could use the drugs I have during meals—"

"Are you kidding? We are nobles; we shouldn't resort to such dirty tricks. Do you have no pride as a noble? Yes, their skills are formidable, but if we can't match them individually, we can surpass them through teamwork. Don't think like a villain."

"Yes, I understand. I won't think like a villain again, Sham."

"Sham, something's wrong with the front."

Another follower, Samoha, noticed something amiss with Yuu and the others at the front.

"What's going on? Are Joseph and the others walking faster?"

As Sham said, Joseph and the others at the front were walking faster. More accurately, Yuu was walking faster and faster.

"Damn."

Yuu spat and started running. Despite the rough terrain of the forest, his speed was as if he were running on flat ground.

"What's going on? Do you have a stomachache?"

Joseph, who was walking next to Yuu, didn't read the atmosphere and followed with a relaxed face. Morran tried to keep up but was left behind due to the speed. Nina and Larit, noticing the anomaly, overtook Morran and chased after Yuu. Marifa followed but couldn't keep up, so she instructed Suke and Koro to chase after them.

"...Kuro, aren't you going?"

Rena, who couldn't keep up physically, had given up from the start and was walking.

"Master instructed me to stay with Rena."

Kuro's ability to speak surprised Appri and Memmet, but Kuro didn't mind and stayed by Rena's side.

After running for about ten minutes, Yuu and the others saw three shadows running toward them from about 200 meters ahead.

"Huh? Are those a woman and a child?"

As Joseph said, two of the shadows were a woman and a child, presumably a mother and child. But the third shadow—

"Sir! The one chasing them from behind is a Steel Spider!"

"Damn!"

As Larit shouted, the ground at Joseph's feet exploded. A large crater formed, and the distance between them was reduced to a third in an instant. The mother and child, who were desperately trying to escape from the Steel Spider, had a basket of herbs that the child was carrying, which was spilling out.

"Oh, the herbs!"

The child tried to grab the falling herbs but lost balance and fell.

The Steel Spider, which was about two meters long, was right behind them. The mother hugged the child protectively.

"It's no good! We won't make it in time!"

Larit, who was running behind Joseph, saw the worst-case scenario in his mind as the Steel Spider was about to strike with its front legs. However, a high-speed object passed by Larit's face, overtaking Joseph and piercing the Steel Spider's belly, creating a fist-sized hole. The Steel Spider, which had been thrashing and convulsing, stopped moving after Joseph delivered the final blow with his sword.

"Yuu, did you do that?"

"Stones are really useful, after all."

The high-speed object that had overtaken Joseph and Larit was a stone thrown by Yuu.

"You must have a good eye to hit from that distance. Still, it's impressive that you noticed the mother and child in the first place. Maybe you can teach me some tips on scouting next time."

"Sure, as expected of someone who beat me! A Steel Spider is a rank 4 monster. To take it down with a stone is amazing."

Morran, who had caught up from behind, was excited and praised Yuu. Yuu was healing the child's injuries with a healing spell.

"Thank you! Thank you!"

The mother repeatedly thanked them, hugging her crying child.

"Big brother, thank you."

"Cut it out! I'm not that young!"

Joseph, as usual, didn't read the atmosphere.

"Still, I've never heard of Steel Spiders in the Marmar Forest."

"Yes, we often come here to gather herbs, but we've only seen goblins, never Steel Spiders."

There was no way they could leave the mother and child behind. As Joseph and the others discussed what to do—

"I'll take them to the edge of the forest."

When Yuu said this, Dogg reacted happily.

"Take them? Do you know how long it will take? Are you telling us to wait here until you come back? We're on a quest. This could be seen as abandoning the quest, which means you're giving up on the promotion test."

"You're a chatty one. You don't have to wait. I'll catch up later. Just keep moving forward."

Yuu said this and cast a physical enhancement spell on the mother and child.

"I think we should stay here and wait for them to return."

"I agree with Ekkart."

"I don't like agreeing with men, but I agree with you."

Ekkart, Larit, and Morran glared at Dogg.

"Are you all crazy? How do you plan to catch up? If you're waiting, you should—"

"No, we should wait here."

"Sham, too! Why? This is a serious violation of the rules."

"As a noble, we should protect the weak and the people. We'll wait for Yuu to return. Got it, Dogg?"

When Sham said this, Dogg couldn't argue and fell silent.

"Well, if everyone says so, I'll go."

In the end, they decided to wait while Yuu and the others took the mother and child to the edge of the forest.

"Memmet, is there a way to scout this distance with magic or skills?"

"I've never heard of such a thing. Besides, that kid used white magic and enhancement magic."

"There might be a Sage job."

When Yuu and the others returned the mother and child to the edge of the forest, the mother and child waved goodbye until they were out of sight.

"Hey, Nina."

"Hmm?"

"Those two were hugging when we saved them, right?"

"Yeah, they were even kissing on the forehead."

"Why were they kissing?"

"Well, it's because they were happy to be saved and were confirming their love."

"Can you tell if someone loves you by kissing their forehead?"

"If there's love, you can tell. Do you want me to do it to you?"

"Please don't."

At that moment, the air froze. Nina's smile froze, Rena's staff fell to the ground, and Marifa, who was trying to look expressionless, had her ears twitching wildly.

"Y-Y-Y-Yuuuuuuu!"

"What? I just called you once. Is it that bad?"

"Of course not! I'm fine!"

Nina quickly approached Yuu and pressed her hands against his head.

"Too close! And your eyes are too wide open. Wait! It's the forehead! Who said to kiss the lips?"

"It's too late! You said it was okay, so I'm going to do it! I'm going to do it! I'm going to do it! *Gulp*!"

Just as Nina was about to kiss Yuu's lips, she was hit in the side by Rena's headbutt.

"...That was close. I'll teach you, little sister. This is a sister's duty. Come on, let's do it!"

"You're only one year older. Ah!"

Rena, who was about to close her eyes and approach Yuu, was attacked by Suke and Koro. They were just playing, but it was Marifa's doing.

"Master, I take a bath every day since you bought me. I always brush my teeth after meals. I've never kissed anyone, so I'm brand new. Come on, don't be shy!"

"O-Okay..."

Yuu was a bit taken aback by Marifa's sudden outburst. Marifa, with her lips pouted, approached him.

"Excuse me—*Cough*..."

Nina, who had recovered, was about to take Marifa's consciousness. One step wrong, and it could have been terrifying... After shaking off Suke and Koro, Rena joined the fray, but it didn't end. They decided to take turns kissing. There was a dispute over who would kiss first, but it was decided that Nina, Rena, and Marifa would go in that order. They took turns kissing. Nina, unable to hide her joy, ran around. Rena, wearing her triangle hat, tried to hide her face, but it was obvious she was blushing. Marifa's ears were more erect than ever, and she was looking into the distance.

However, while the three of them were in high spirits, Yuu was quietly looking up at the sky.

"I see... I knew it."

His expression could be interpreted as sad or resigned.

Name: Ekkart Ramoon

Race: Giant

Job: Warrior, Heavy Warrior

Level: 28

HP: 1979

MP: 113

Strength: 483

Agility: 76

Vitality: 534

Intelligence: 43

Spirit: 28

Luck: 34

Passive Skills:

Hammer Mastery LV3

Shield Mastery LV2

Strength Enhancement LV2

HP Regeneration Speed Enhancement LV2

Skinning LV2

Active Skills:

Hammer Techniques LV3

Shield Techniques LV2

Combat Techniques LV3

Unique Skills:

None

Equipment:

Weapon: Obsidian Hammer (LV5) - Strength Enhancement

Armor: Headgear (LV5) - None

Obsidian Armor (LV5) - None

Steel Leggings (LV6) - None

Tower Shield (LV5) - Defense Enhancement

Accessories: Steel Bracelet (LV6) - Agility Enhancement