Chapter 63

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

---

While thinking about such helpless things, I pursued the party that had moved a bit away.

The two orcs were still clinging to them, and the well-built man with an axe was guarding the rear, keeping others from getting too close. In the middle, one with a staff and another carrying a basket were moving, while a man with a spear was hurrying towards the forest exit.

(If the man with the spear isn't facing the orcs, they're probably trying to escape? Then...)

"Excuse me! If you're in a pinch, I can help! What do you want to do?"

The man with the axe, who had noticed me, shouted loudly. He must have been quite anxious.

"!? Really!? We're saved!! Can you take on one of them!?"

"Sure thing~"

Honestly, this is my first battle with orcs.

Even though I said "sure thing," I'm not entirely sure if I can handle one of them.

But when I was body-slammed by a Small Wolf, I thought, "Is this all?"

The green-skinned orcs are big, but...

The closer I get, the more intimidating they are!

Still, I had a strange sense of reassurance that I would probably be fine.

By the time I was thinking about fighting from a distance to prevent experience points from going to their party, I had already underestimated the orcs.

I held a wooden log that could easily fit around my thigh.

As I approached, one of the orcs noticed me and raised the log to strike.

(The Small Wolf was much faster... I should have no trouble dodging.)

I ducked under the log and slashed at the arm that was raised to strike.

Of course, this didn't cause a fatal wound.

(The head is too high... I'll slash at the legs and bring them to their knees first.)

Just as I was about to shift my focus to the legs and strike, my [Presence Detection] caught an unusual movement.

(Huh!? Why is the other one coming at me too... Ugh!!)

My vision spun.

One moment I was looking at the sky, the next at the ground, and I realized I was rolling on the ground when I hit a tree and stopped.

Even though I hadn't moved much, my breathing became heavy.

"Ha... Ha... Damn! Why did both of them come at me!?"

Looking at where I had been, the four-person party was nowhere to be seen.

"Seriously... After I helped them, they just left me to deal with the orcs...?"

The orc's attack came when I was already in the middle of my attack motion, and I used my arm to guard, knowing I couldn't dodge.

I quickly checked my arm.

"Ha. As expected. If I had taken it head-on, I would have been blown away, but the damage isn't that bad. Thanks to [Poison Resistance]."

If that's the case, taking them down shouldn't be too difficult.

"You bastards, get ready! I won't die even if you hit me 100 times!"

With that arrogant declaration, I charged at the two orcs and struck.

---

---

"Reia-sama, I'm sorry about earlier. It's all over now, so it's fine."

"Hmm."

She still seemed a bit upset, but it was an act of force majeure, so it couldn't be helped.

I returned to the tree where Reia-sama was hiding, using the stone pillar I had made as a marker, and thought about how to get her down.

"When I climb down, I hold the stone pillar and slide down—"

Plop—

"No problem."

"Oh, I see..."

She jumped down from a height of about 5 meters without any trouble, and I continued the conversation, slightly intimidated by her physical abilities.

"Anyway, I left the orcs as they were, so I'll go back and start disassembling them."

"Understood. Are you okay, though?"

"Huh?"

"You were blown away several times."

"Oh... My defense is pretty strong, so I'm fine. I didn't expect both of them to come at me, though."

"I saw."

"...Did you see the party run away too?"

"Yeah. The man with the axe was worried, but the man with the spear just kept going, and the others followed."

"I see..."

---

I started disassembling, but I couldn't concentrate.

Naturally, the reason was the actions of the party I had helped earlier.

I knew I should be doing my job, but I could tell my work was slow.

Sigh... Maybe I should consult Reia-sama.

"Reia-sama."

"What is it?"

"I don't intend to hurt people recklessly. But... when I'm subjected to such unreasonable actions, I can't just let them go."

"Okay."

"Is it wrong to make them pay for their actions?"

"Not at all?"

"Really? ...Huh?"

"Not at all wrong."

"Huh? Reia-sama is a goddess, right? Wouldn't you usually be against such things?"

"I'm the goddess of sin who metes out divine punishment."

"...Right."

"Alicia is the one who fusses over such things."

"So, according to Reia-sama, my retaliatory actions are fine?"

"Sins are repaid with punishment. As long as it's within the bounds of that sin, you can do as you please."

"Reia-sama... You understand! My approval rating is skyrocketing! I might be the most compatible with you!"

"!! Just, I don't know all the laws created by humans. So if something happens, it's Loki's responsibility."

"Of course. I was worried that I might be forced to endure things I don't understand, or to overlook harm to myself. It's a relief that you didn't say that."

"That's fine for now. I've seen that the monsters' skills aren't that great, and Loki doesn't seem to be the type to cause harm."

"Of course not. I'm just a regular civilian."

"Hehe, I don't think regular civilians get hit by orcs and remain calm."

"W-Well, that might be true!"

"Still, you're a pervert, and that can't be denied."

"Ugh... It was an accident, but I won't deny it."

---

After that, we headed towards the forest exit, saying we should return soon, and I started killing monsters I detected along the way.

In the end, the orcs didn't have any special monster skills, only [Staff Mastery] at level 2.

I was disappointed that I couldn't use [Staff Mastery], and when I searched for and killed a Rig Spider while Reia-sama was around, I found out that I couldn't use the [Adhesive Silk] skill even though I obtained it.

The skill remained dark, and although it had skill levels and status bonuses, it was unusable.

On the bright side, this means I'm not gradually turning into a monster, which is a relief.

"Even if you can obtain a skill, you might not be able to use it—this is new information."

"Right. If it's a skill that humans can normally learn, you shouldn't be unable to use it after obtaining it."

"This is reassuring. I was worried about what would happen if Loki started using a dragon's breath."

"Ah... That would be incredibly appealing! I want to breathe fire!!"

"Your mouth would be all slimy."

"...Yeah. You're a dream killer, Reia-sama."

---

This is different from a typical party.

I'm traveling with a goddess, and she's a [Split Entity], so she doesn't participate in battles at all.

Even when I traveled with Jin and the others, it felt more like a party.

So, what is this?

We went to a forest where monsters appear.

There, I just killed monsters and quietly disassembled them, something that would make Earthlings cringe.

But—

Could this be considered a date after a long time?

While thinking about this, we chatted leisurely for the next three hours as we headed towards the town.

The time was unexpectedly enjoyable, and I didn't even realize I had forgotten about my usual jogging routine.