Chapter 10 - In Pursuit of a Princess

I followed Ariane, who was draped in her charcoal coat, as she led the way through

the mist-engulfed trees.

I was dressed in travel attire—my full suit of armor and black cloak. A tired Ponta let

out a loud yawn as it clung to my helmet to keep from falling off.

We'd left the village of Lalatoya early that morning and were now headed for the

Librout River, which ran through the Great Canada Forest.

Last night, we'd decided to start with one of the towns listed on the purchase

contracts. After that, we'd travel to the others.

There were three names on the contracts, one of which Dillan recognized: Fulish du

Houvan.

He was a noble of note in the town of Houvan, which was located along the road that

connected the Rhoden Kingdom and Grand Duchy of Limbult—the only human

domain that the elves had any sort of trade relationship with—so it seemed like the

best place to start.

Houvan was a considerable distance from Lalatoya, so we decided to follow the

Librout downstream along an oft-traveled trail that would first take us to the elven

town of Dartu. From there, we would travel west along the northern side of the Anetto

mountain range. Once we were out of the forest, it was only a short distance to the

human town of Selst.

On her own, Ariane would have traveled to Dartu using the transportation point

located in Lalatoya, but we decided to avoid publicly revealing that a human knew of

the elves' secret method of transportation. That information, and the fact that I had

teleportation magic of my own, would be best to keep to as few people as possible.

Between Transport Gate, which would teleport me to any location I had previously

visited, and Dimensional Step, a spell allowing me to teleport short distances, traveling

wasn't much of an issue for me.

However, here in the forest, surrounded by trees and dense undergrowth, I couldn't

use Dimensional Step. We had no choice but to walk, hefting our bags along this

unmarked path—not that Ponta was actually walking.

Also, according to Ariane, the mist that hung around us inhibited the use of magic. The

mist itself wasn't terribly thick. Oddly enough, it looked a lot like the spray of snow

thrown up behind a skier. It made objects in the distance a little hazy, but I could still

see them well enough. Regardless, when surrounded by this kind of mist, which

existed only in forests, valleys, and other places full of mana energy, it had a dulling

effect on the user's magic, making it much harder to control—or even unusable. Even

simple abilities, like summoning a flame, could be affected in all sorts of unpredictable

ways.

However, this effect was typically restricted to humans. The mist had no impact on

elves and their control over spirit magic, or on monsters and other spirit animals.

After a while of trudging through the mist-filled forest, we finally heard the sound of

rushing water up ahead. We'd made it to our first checkpoint, the Librout River.

The air cleared as soon as we reached the bank. For one reason or another—perhaps

the light breeze—the mist was much thinner here. I could see quite far, both up and

downstream.

Unfortunately, the clear air brought a new set of issues with it. Up ahead, I could see a

group of dragonflies flying along the river.

The insects seemed to view our sudden appearance as a threat. They snapped their

mandibles and emitted an earsplitting shriek as they spread their massive, translucent

wings and launched their two-meter-long frames toward us. The sight of them alone

would have haunted a person afraid of insects for life.

"Watch out, Arc!"

"Huh?"

Ariane pulled her sword from the sheath at her waist in a well-practiced motion,

squaring off against the dragonflies. Every time she swung her blade, it sent her long,

white hair fluttering among the severed wings and thoraxes.

I wasn't equipped to deal with multiple dragonflies at once, so I relied on my

Dimensional Step. The lack of mist along the riverbank made it easy to put some

distance between me and the oncoming threat.

I readied myself for combat.

If Glenys could see me now, she'd probably ask me for the "favor" of another intense

training session. The image of her gentle smile and brutal blows comforted me.

I didn't have anything against insects, but these dragonflies reminded me of a

traumatic experience I had as a kid, when a cockroach flew right onto my clothes and

held tight. At least, that was the excuse I gave myself as I prepared to face off against

the massive creatures, who were now frantically searching for a target that had

disappeared in front of their multifaceted eyes.

I drew my sword and charged. The blade gave off a light blue glow as I slashed it

sideways, cleaving a dragonfly clean in two. Even after it hit the ground, its wings were

still beating in the sand of the riverbank. I crushed its flailing body with my armored

boot as I turned to face the other airborne enemies.

The remaining dragonflies quickly realized that this was not a battle they would win.

They fled upstream, leaving only the ominous sound of flapping wings in their wake.

A few moments later, we were once again enveloped in the peaceful burble of the

flowing river and the gentle rustling of leaves.

Ariane carefully wiped the dragonfly blood from her sword with a cloth before returning

it to her sheath.

"It looks like the mist doesn't reach the riverbank, so we should be able to teleport

downstream." She sounded slightly winded.

I nodded in agreement. After making sure that Ariane had a firm grip on my shoulder,

I used Dimensional Step to teleport down the Librout.

The mist began to burn off as the sun rose in the sky, giving us an even better view.

Around noon, we took a short break at a large rock beside the river and ate the lunch

that Glenys had prepared for us. Then, we resumed our trip.

Mountains came into view just as the sun began to set, looming large in the distance.

This was the Anetto mountain range I had heard about.

In the forest to the east lay the elven village of Dartu. The village looked almost

identical to Lalatoya. However, the walls were surrounded by a massive moat fed by

the Librout River, preventing anyone from getting too close. A raised suspension

bridge jutted out from the gate. I spotted several of the mushroom-shaped houses I'd

seen back in Lalatoya scattered about the open area in front of the moat.

Ariane didn't seem particularly impressed by the scene in front of us. She called to an

elf stationed in one of the watchtowers built into the wall.

"I am Ariane Glenys Maple! I am here on a mission, on my way to a human town. I

would like to request accommodations for the night!"

The man in the tower glanced in my direction before turning to speak with another

guard next to him. After a moment, he responded to Ariane.

"You may enter! The town will provide you with a meal and a hut for the night."

Ariane bowed her head in appreciation, then turned to me. "We'll be spending the

night in one of the huts over there. Tomorrow morning, we'll make our way west. Once

we're out of the forest, we'll see the Rhoden town of Selst."

"Finally. We've traveled quite a long way already."

"Under normal circumstances, it takes around four days to make it here on foot from

Lalatoya." Ariane gave me a surprised look before leading the way to one of the huts.

The flat-roofed, mushroom-shaped building was actually rather spacious inside. It

consisted of a stone floor, a fireplace for heating and cooking, and a large pillar in the

center of the room. To the left of the pillar were a table and four chairs. To the right,

four beds were lined up against the wall under the window. There was no other

furniture.

I set my bag next to the central pillar and sat on one of the beds. Ponta hopped down

from its perch atop my helmet and walked around the room, tilting its head to the side

as it investigated our new surroundings. It left paw prints in the dust with each step.

Apparently, they didn't clean these huts.

I opened the window and shook out the blanket, sending up a massive cloud of dust.

Ponta summoned a magical gust of wind—probably to help clear out the room—but

this only stirred up more particles.

"I'm going to speak with the Dartu elder. Could you do something about all this dust

while I'm gone?" Ariane waved a hand in front of her face as she spoke, trying to stave

off a coughing fit with a look of annoyance on her face.

I nodded. "I'll take care of the beds first."

After seeing Ariane off, I took another look around the hut. I grabbed a broom from

against the wall next to the fireplace and started sweeping.

After collecting most of the dust, I grabbed a wooden bucket and washcloth from the

corner of the room and went outside. The sky had already turned crimson, and the

forest was an indistinguishable black mass.

I couldn't find a well anywhere near the cluster of huts, so I made my way to the moat

instead. I figured this was probably where people got their water. A stairwell led down

to the moat's surface.

I returned to the hut, dumped the washcloth into the bucket, and squeezed out the

excess water. Then I wiped down the tables, the chairs, and the rest of the room. Once

I was done, the hut actually looked pretty nice.

"Huh, I guess that's about it."

Truth be told, I enjoyed cleaning, laundry, cooking, and other chores. I crossed my

arms and looked around the room, satisfied with my work. Then I gathered up the

bucket and went outside to dump the dirty water.

As I stepped out of the hut, I spotted Ariane walking across the lowered suspension

bridge, holding a covered stewpot and cloth bag. She showed me what she was

holding.

"I've brought dinner!"

Arianne's glossy lips curved up into a smile, and her amethyst cheeks took on a light

shade of pink. Her long white hair, usually tied back in a ponytail, was slightly damp

as it hung loose, blowing gently in the breeze. I caught the scent of flowers from her

direction. She had the appearance of a woman freshly out of the bath.

"D-did you just take a bath?" I blurted out without thinking.

Though she was usually rather reserved, her eyes went wide at my reaction. Then she

gave a nod. "I did back in Lalatoya, too, you know. I guess humans don't bathe all that

often?"

"What? There were baths back in Lalatoya? I wish I'd known…"

Ariane regarded me with confusion as my shoulders slumped.

I hadn't had the chance to bathe once since coming to this world. If only I'd known

there was a bath in Ariane's house. I was so frustrated at my own inattention, I almost

cursed myself. But to be fair, I already was cursed.

"Oh, did you want to take a bath?"

"I did…"

"Why would a skeleton need to wash itself?"

"How rude! I was a compulsively clean person back when I was a human!"

Ariane ignored my outburst and suggested that we eat dinner. Ponta let out a kyiii of

agreement and ran after her into the hut.

Outnumbered, I followed them inside, scowling the whole way.

The stewpot contained a bean and bacon soup, and the cloth bag held some bread,

wooden bowls, and several red fruits.

While Ariane ladled the soup into the bowls, I glanced back around the room again

just in case I'd missed something, but I was quickly disappointed.

"There's no bath in here."

Ariane ignored my grumblings and handed some fruit to Ponta.

"These huts were only built for humans who got lost in the woods."

Dartu was located just fifty kilometers east of Selst and thirty kilometers north of the

Grand Duchy of Limbult. Humans who strayed from the path to escape monsters often

ended up here. These huts provided temporary lodgings for them. That explained why

they had only the bare necessities and lacked the magical crystal lamps found in elven

homes.

A pathetic flame hovered above the oil lamp atop the table, offering minimal

illumination.

The next time we were in Lalatoya, I'd ask to take a bath.

I ate the salty bacon and bean soup in silence, vowing to get my hands on some spices

for my future travels.

We left Dartu early the next morning and headed west, the Anetto mountain range our

constant companion to the south. Like the day before, we were forced to travel on foot

throughout the morning due to all the mist.

We did encounter the occasional monster, which would invariably bare its fangs and

attack us, but these distractions only slowed us slightly.

Once the sun was high in the sky and the mist began to clear, we able to start

teleporting again. This improved our progress somewhat, though I wasn't able to use

my magic to its full potential due to the poor visibility in the forest.

When we finally broke out of the trees and caught sight of the town of Selst, the sun

was staring to sink in the western sky.

The town was built in a similar style to Luvierte—the first town I'd visited when I

came to this world—in the middle of a vast plain. The crops in the surrounding fields

appeared to be primarily vegetables, with little in the way of staple grains. An empty

moat and dirt wall faced the forest, in order to ward off the monsters that lurked in

the trees.

The two of us—a dark elf in a charcoal cloak who hid her pointed ears and amethyst

skin, and a massive knight draped in black—must have been quite the sight as we

walked along the road between the fields of Selst.

Farmers stopped their work and turned toward us as we approached the town, but we

ignored their stares. Two guards stood watch at the gate. After paying the entrance

tax, we entered Selst.

"We should probably look for a place to stay first."

Ariane's response was curt. "Right."

She glanced around, a look of wonder on her face. Night had already fallen when we'd

entered Diento, so it was probably strange for her to see a human town in the light of

the setting sun.

The streets were packed with people, the air full of the sounds of shops closing up,

hawkers calling for last orders, and the general bustle of a town at nightfall. The mass

of people parted for me as I walked. Between the black cloak on my back and Ponta

atop my head, I must have struck an intimidating figure.

We passed a building with a group of men clad in metal and leather armor milling

about out front. The familiar sign indicated that this was the mercenary guild office.

The mercenaries crowded around it were carefully checking their weapons and

talking among themselves. Mercenaries tended to talk in loud voices, and these were

no exception. Each was yelling to be heard over the rest.

I slowed my pace, curious to hear what they were discussing.

"So, how did it go?"

"I didn't find anything."

A massive man sporting an unkempt beard, metal armor, and an oversized shield at

his feet was speaking to an attractive young man in front of him. The young man was

clad in leather armor and had a bow slung over his back. He shrugged his shoulders

in an exaggerated motion and shook his head.

"One of our scouts spotted one, but it got away."

"Ten men in seven days… huh. Doubt they'll show themselves while we're here."

"There are already ten dead? That's quite a bit. Still, we can't do much with our

numbers. Setting traps is a waste of time. They're too smart for that."

"If we can't slay the haunted wolves, then it's only a matter of time until the count gets

involved."

Ariane's head snapped up, as if she'd heard something important.

Judging by the conversation between the mercenaries, monsters were coming out of

the forest at the base of the Anetto Mountains, and the town's mercenary troupe had

called an emergency meeting to deal with them.

It looked like the mercenaries had a considerable force. The haunted wolves must have

been quite a problem to draw this many men. A call like this typically only included

mercenaries who belonged to the town's troupe, but in the event that war broke out

with another noble, or even another country, then all the mercenaries living here

would have to answer an emergency call. As such, it'd probably be a good idea to avoid

entering the town under my mercenary license.

Ariane tugged at my cloak. I turned. Ponta looked around curiously, wondering why

we'd suddenly stopped.

"Arc, there's something I'd like to discuss once we make it to the inn."

"Understood. Let's hurry up and find a place to stay."

After a cursory search for a sufficient inn, we found ourselves in a relatively clean one

operated by an older woman. I reserved two rooms on the second floor and gave one

of the keys to Ariane. She took the key, picked up her bags, and made her way upstairs.

After seeing her off, I turned to the innkeeper. "Excuse me, miss, but could you tell me

how to get to Houvan from here?"

"Miss? Cut it out, Sir Knight. You're making me blush!"

The woman had a rather hefty frame, which shook as she let out a boisterous laugh.

She reminded me of the older women in my neighborhood.

"Houvan, right? Well, you'll want to leave through the south gate and follow the road

that runs parallel to the woods. It'll take you around two days by carriage. Skilled

fighters apparently cut straight through the woods, but it's probably not a good idea

right now."

"Because of the haunted wolves?"

"Right! At least ten people have been eaten over the past few days. Monsters don't

usually leave the forest here. Seems like these ones are coming down out of the Anetto

Mountains for some reason. It's got the whole town on edge."

The innkeeper shrugged her shoulders and let out a heavy sigh.

She told me that haunted wolves had started appearing along the road, attacking

travelers and merchants. As the story spread to neighboring towns, fewer and fewer

people came to Selst. The local nobility called the mercenary troupe and ordered them

to slay the haunted wolves—not a bad proposition, since they would be able to sell the

pelts for a tidy sum. However, they'd seen little success so far.

After listening to her story, I made my way to my room.

I set my bags down, removed my cloak, and sat on the bed. Ponta summoned up a gust

of magical wind to fly over to the window and look out at the town below. A moment

later, I heard a knock at the door. Ariane announced herself before stepping inside.

As soon as the door was closed, she yanked off her hood, sending her long, white hair

spilling down and revealing her amethyst features.

Her usual confidence was missing from her golden eyes, which were downcast. She

seemed uncertain about something, so I waited. After a long moment, she finally

spoke.

"Arc… I'd like to go to the forests at the base of the mountain tomorrow."

"Hm? I heard it's faster to head southwest and cut through the forest… but I'm

guessing that's not what this is about?"

She nodded. "It has to do with the haunted wolves we heard the mercenaries talking

about. If possible, I'd like to take a small detour tomorrow to get my hand on a wolf

tail."

"Your wish is my command. If it's a wolf tail you need, then I will do my best to assist."

In the face of such an uncommon request—from Ariane of all people, a woman who

needed no man's help—how could I say no?

I hoped my eager agreement would please her, though she looked slightly ashamed

for having asked this of me.

"Actually, my sister is about to get married."

"Oh, that's fantastic news!"

This conversation seemed to have come out of nowhere, so I simply nodded and

prompted her to continue.

"I'd like to give her a veil made from the fur of a haunted wolf's tail."

She looked a bit sad as she spoke, but once she'd finished, she looked back up at me

with a smile and explained her plan.

According to Ariane, haunted wolves' tails glowed a deep blue in the presence of

abundant mana. Veils made out of their fur gave off a unique light when worn, making

them a rather expensive gift.

However, getting a tail was no easy task. Haunted wolves were a difficult beast to hunt,

thanks to their ability to create multiple illusions to confuse their prey.

A monster that could summon shadow copies of itself…

Ariane would have no trouble taking a haunted wolf down on its own, but

unfortunately, these monsters tended to travel in packs.

She seemed a bit worried about asking me for a favor that had nothing to do with

saving her fellow elves. However, I understood. When a rare opportunity crossed your

path, it was only natural to want to take it.

What's more, since she was doing this as a gift for her sister, I really had no reason to

refuse. My biggest concern was the monsters' strength, but if she was capable of taking

one down on her own, then we would be fine… so long as I stayed alert.

"All right, tomorrow we'll head through the forest along the base of the Anetto

Mountains on the way to Houvan."

"Thank you, Arc."

With that out of the way, Ariane's cheeks flushed, and she bowed her head.

I could have stared at her embarrassed expression forever, but after only a moment of

my gawking, her golden eyes darted back up to mine, glaring.

I cleared my throat. "Shall I go buy us some dinner? And probably some rations for

tomorrow, as well."

"Kyiii!"

Ponta cut its yawn short and responded enthusiastically. A gust of magical wind sent

it flying over from the window to land on my face. It scurried up to perch on top of my

helmet.

As I made stepped out into the town, dyed orange by the setting sun, I wondered just

how Ponta was able to understand our conversations.

We left Selst first thing the following morning, heading straight toward the forest

facing the southern gate.

The most commonly traveled route ran along the edge of the forest. However, we

marched straight into the woods, making our way toward the Telnassos mountain

range to the southwest.

Without a compass, it would have been almost impossible for me to find the right

direction. But Ariane, true to her elven upbringing, seemed to have no problem.

There was a light haze hanging in the air here as well, but it was nothing like the magicblocking mist we'd been confronted with in Canada, so I was able to use Dimensional

Step. However, the forest grew denser the farther in we traveled, making it difficult to

use the teleportation magic to its full effect.

I'd noticed the day before that the forests on this side of the Librout River were notably

different from those in Canada. Compared to the massive, ancient hardwoods that

made up the elven realm, the trees were far more like what I was accustomed to seeing

elsewhere in the world.

Whenever we came to a large enough opening, I used Dimensional Step to speed up

our progress.

Around noon, we found a small clearing and sat down to eat the food I'd purchased

the day before.

Our lunch consisted of dried potatoes and salted smoked meat, along with some

walnuts and dried apples. In total, it had cost a little over three silver coins, though the

apples were one silver coin on their own. I still had over a thousand gold coins in my

leather purse, though, so I wasn't terribly concerned about money. In fact, I really had

no use for it outside of lodgings and food. Spending a little extra on fruit was worth it

just to see Ponta's expression as it stared longingly at the dried apples, its tail wagging

excitedly.

"You're being so mean!"

I'd been playfully holding a piece of apple just out of the fox's reach when Ariane

scolded me. I patted Ponta on the head before giving it the object of its desire.

I summoned up Fire to lightly roast my dried potatoes. However, the flame was too

strong, and I wound up turning them into a charred lump.

"You're pretty clumsy, Arc."

Ariane summoned up her spirit magic, perfectly grilling her own potatoes.

I gnawed at my charred mess, newly impressed with my companion—and newly

ashamed at my lack of ability to control my magic. I needed to practice more.

After we finished lunch, Ariane once again led the way into the woods.

Ponta had abandoned its usual perch in favor of sleeping in Ariane's bosom. I was

jealous for a multitude of reasons.

I had no idea how deep into the forest we'd traveled at this point, but the bird calls

and animal cries had died off, leaving only the wind rustling through the trees.

Ariane also seemed to notice something was amiss. She set down her bag and wrapped

Ponta around her neck. Ponta gave a kyiii of protest, a look of confusion on its face.

I unshouldered my bag and dropped it at my feet, drawing the Holy Thunder Sword of

Caladbolg and lifting the Holy Shield of Teutates.

Something was rushing through the undergrowth toward us, seemingly from all

directions.

Without a word, Ariane and I stood back to back, covering each other's blind spots.

I caught a glimpse of movement before a pack of massive white wolves tore out of the

bushes toward us. Each wolf was around two meters long, and they all bared their

large, ferocious fangs, jaws snapping in anticipation.

I swung my blade horizontally through two of the leaping attackers, only to slice

cleanly through the air as the wolf dissipated in a cloud of mist.

I yelled out in surprise. "What the hell?"

Another wolf leaped toward me. It closed in fast, making my sword useless, so I

punched it in the head. I didn't have time to put much strength behind the blow, but

the wolf still howled as it tumbled backwards.

"Graoooowl!"

Before I could even get my bearings, I was attacked again, this time on my other side.

Two wolves were throwing their bodies against my shield.

I swung my shield down, but just like the first wolf, these two turned to mist. I felt a

wolf bite down hard on my sword hand, twisting wildly as if to rip my whole arm off.

There was no pain, thanks to my Belenus Holy Armor, but the fact that it could throw

me around so easily was still quite troubling.

I lifted my arm, and the wolf along with it, and used centrifugal force to throw it into

the air, thrusting my sword up after it. Unfortunately, I'd thrown it a little too hard, and

I was only able to score a glancing blow on its front leg, resulting in a light spray of

blood.

I put some distance between myself and the pack, then focused on the tip of my blade

and summoned Fire, sending a wave of flames toward the real and phantom wolves as

they readied themselves for another attack. The spell roasted everything in its path

and raised the temperature of the surrounding air by a few degrees.

I tried to use Dimensional Step to flank the wolves, but they were moving too fast for

me to find an empty space to teleport to. I couldn't have picked a worse time to

discover such a limitation to my teleportation.

I glanced behind me to find Ariane easily handling her own pack—both real and

phantoms. She made the most of her spirit magic, keeping her front clear with fire and

easily injuring any wolves that came close enough to strike. She'd stabbed one of the

wolves in the eye and severed a tendon in its leg, preventing it from moving. The other

wolves were all similarly injured, their white fur mottled with blood.

I was truly impressed by her fighting prowess, built up over many years serving as a

soldier. Even with all of my power, I was only able to stand my ground through brute

force alone. In a battle against multiple opponents, my shortcomings were all too

apparent.

I could probably take out the whole lot of them if I used an area-of-effect spell, but I

hadn't tested that kind of magic in this world yet. Not only might I inadvertently end

up harming Ariane, but using an attack like that so recklessly could also cause

significant damage to the forest. I was already worried about the flames I was using to

hold the wolves back, but fortunately, nothing had caught fire so far.

There had to be something I could do…

My mind raced for some way to get the upper hand when suddenly my eyes locked on

one of the wolves, deep in the pack. This wolf wasn't joining in the battle. It was

hanging near the back, its attention on me. Up until now, I'd overlooked this one,

distracted by all of the wolves rushing toward me.

The leader of the pack emitted a low growl as it watched the battle unfold. The area

around it was clear, giving me a perfect spot to focus on. I'd only get one chance to

strike it down and end this battle.

I looked beyond the pack of wolves held back by my Fire, focusing on a spot to the

right of the leader. Then I cast Dimensional Step.

As soon as I disappeared, the pack of wolves froze. At that very same instant, I was

appeared next to the pack leader, bringing my sword down toward it.

Somehow, the leader sensed the motion of my blade and darted back into the pack.

Refusing to let it get away, I used Dimensional Step again to give chase.

Since it bounded into the air to avoid my previous attack, I estimated how far it'd travel

and then teleported to the spot where it'd land. The wolf saw me and tried to twist out

of the way midair, but it was all for naught. My sword sliced easily through its throat.

It let out a gurgling howl as it slammed into the ground.

A geyser of blood rained down, staining the ground red. I quickly teleported back to

my place beside Ariane.

I raised my sword against the pack of wolves, but they were no longer attacking.

They'd seen my mysterious powers, and they chose to turn tail and run.

"Arc, I need at least one more!"

"Roger!"

I threw my shield to the side and summoned up my Rock Shot ability, sending rocks

hurtling out of my left hand into the path of the escaping wolves. The rocks exploded

like grenades as soon as they hit the ground, peppering the trees and earth with stone

shards and sending dirt into the air. Through the frenzy, I spotted a wolf that had been

stricken by the attack and fallen.

"Dimensional Step!"

I teleported in front of the injured wolf and cleaved off its hind legs.

The wolf let out a blood-curdling howl and rolled around on the ground. I thrust my

blade into its throat, but I must have struck vertebrae. There was an awful snapping

noise, and I felt my sword catch for a moment before the wolf's rapid panting ceased.

And so I was able to secure Ariane's third catch of the day.

Still, I had a lot to learn from this battle.

I knew I needed to get serious about my training. I was too direct in my fighting style—

I tended to get flustered and neglect all of the skills I had at my disposal. I laughed as

I remembered a certain blue robot cat and all the incredibly useful gadgets he had at

his disposal.

I thought back on the brutal training session I'd had with Glenys. Maybe I'd ask Ariane

to help me work on my swordsmanship.

The dark elf returned her sword to its sheath and ran over to me, examining the lifeless

wolf at my feet.

"Thank you, Arc! I never would have imagined that we could take down three haunted

wolves! This will be a wonderful gift for my sister."

I was captivated by her brilliant smile, much brighter than anything I'd seen on her

face thus far. She tilted her head to the side, confused by my lack of response. I broke

the silence with a cough, struggling to turn the conversation around.

"So… these are the haunted wolves I've heard so much about? Their tails certainly

glow, I suppose, but not as much as I expected…"

I looked down at the dead wolf, but its tail only gave off a faint glimmer.

Ariane stroked it, checking the quality of the fur as she spoke. "That's because there's

very little mana energy in this forest. If you take it back to Canada, it'll emit a beautiful

blue light."

Ponta, still wrapped around Ariane's neck and much calmer now that the fighting was

over, gave its body a shake, puffing out its fur.

"I'm really sorry to ask this of you, but could you use Transport Gate to take us back to

Lalatoya really quick? I'd like to get the work on these started."

I took a look at our surroundings. "That's fine, but… if I use Transport Gate to return

to Lalatoya, we'll need to start our trip to Houvan all over again from Selst. That is,

unless there's some sort of unique and memorable location nearby."

Transport Gate, my long-distance teleportation spell, would only allow me to teleport

to a place that I had committed to memory. Out here in the forest, surrounded by

endless trees, there was simply no way for me to pinpoint a location.

"Hmm, all right. Maybe you could look for someplace nearby that you could teleport

back to while I prepare the wolves' bodies?"

"Good plan. I'll start looking then."

After retrieving my shield and dusting off my cloak, I began my search.

Seeing me start to leave, Ponta dove from Ariane's shoulders and flew up to my helmet.

Apparently, we were going together.

If there was some sort of notable landmass or building, I could use that to return here

from Lalatoya using Transport Gate. However, if I just haphazardly wandered off into

the woods looking for such a landmark, I might never find my way back to Ariane. I

needed to pick a direction and head in a straight line.

I launched myself forward using Dimensional Step, searching for anything unique. But

everywhere I looked, there were just trees, grass, dirt, and rocks. Nothing seemed

particularly memorable.

From time to time, I came across blood-stained underbrush or tracks from the

haunted wolves. They must have made their escape this way. Given their hasty retreat,

it seemed unlikely that I'd run into them at my current pace, but I still proceeded with

caution.

I glanced up at the small patches of sky I could make out between the branches and

leaves. Ominous gray clouds blanketed the forest in darkness. I looked behind me, but

Ariane had long since faded into the deep shadows of the forest.

Imagining how easy it would be for me to get lost, I broke off a few branches from a

nearby tree and shoved them into the ground at regular intervals so I could find my

way back.

Ponta spotted some berries from its vantage atop my head and cried out. Since we

certainly weren't starving to death, and I didn't particularly want to get lost in the

woods chasing after fruit, I decided to ignore its cries.

After walking a bit farther, comforting Ponta all the while, I suddenly heard a sound

like someone talking. I stopped to listen.

Amid the trees swaying in the breeze and the cries of animals in the distance, I could

faintly hear people bustling about.

The sound was slightly off my set trajectory. If changed direction now, I'd need to leave

another marker behind. I ripped several more branches off a nearby tree and stabbed

them into the ground in a circle.

That should be good enough.

I made sure Ponta was secure on my head and started walking in the direction of the

voices.

As I moved through the forest, I distantly held out hope that I might be headed toward

some sort of unique building.

The sounds grew louder, but it soon became apparent that I wasn't just overhearing

some sort of boisterous conversation—there was a fight in progress.

From up ahead, the wind carried the sounds of anger, sadness, and fear. I caught the

scent of blood, mixed with the stench of something burning. I had a bad feeling about

this.

I wrapped Ponta around my neck, took several deep breaths, and made my way toward

the clash of battle ahead.

***

The forest opened up into a narrow path, bordered on its left by a small embankment.

A wall of trees ran across the top, their roots compacting the earth. Thick bushes

sprouted beyond that, making it impossible to see any farther.

A massive black carriage, drawn by a team of four horses, made its way along the forest

path. The carriage was adorned with an elegant design, showcasing the true skill of

the craftsman who'd made it. Its owner must have been wealthy indeed. Knights on

horses and other soldiers surrounded the carriage—an enormous force of more than

fifty men devoted to its protection. Each man walked with his gear held tight, welltrained and vigilant.

Amid this procession sat a man dressed in an impressive suit of armor, riding atop a

majestic horse. The young man had immaculately combed brown hair and kept his

square jaw parallel to the ground, his head on a constant pivot as he surveyed his

surroundings. The man's name was Rendol du Frivtran—the son of Duke Frivtran, one

of the seven dukes of Rhoden Kingdom. He was charged with ensuring the safety of

the contents of the carriage.

Even this many soldiers would have been far too few to protect a member of the

nobility. However, the more men they brought with them, the slower the pace, so

they'd taken the bare minimum in the interest of speed.

The procession's mission was to get the carriage's occupant to the Grand Duchy of

Limbult as fast as possible without letting anyone find out. This was why they'd

decided to avoid any major towns, and were taking alternative routes instead. They

would need to be on the lookout for stray monsters and bandits this way, but it was

unlikely that anyone they encountered would be able to cut through fifty of their best

men.

Rendol, however, didn't let his guard down for even a second. Of course, that didn't

mean he could slow their pace, either. They'd already been traveling for a day and a

half.

A young woman looked out from the window of the carriage, catching brief glimpses

of the gray sky above through gaps in the trees. Yuriarna, second princess to the

Rhoden Kingdom, let out a sigh. At just sixteen years old, she already gave the

appearance of a dignified noble, in spite of her youthful complexion. She ran her

fingers through her light blond hair, betraying her anxiety. Next to her, her

chambermaid offered her some baked sweets.

"Miss Yuriarna, maybe eating a little something might help calm you down. Are you

worried about this visit to Limbult?"

The woman sitting at Yuriarna's side was her chambermaid, Ferna, who had been with

the worried young noble ever since she was a little girl. Yuriarna shook her head and

turned away the treat, concern etched on her face.

"The closer we get, the tighter my heart grows. I know there's no way they could catch

up with us at this pace, but still…"

Yuriarna was practically speaking to herself at this point. She turned her attention

back to the window. The sky looked like it was about to start weeping, as if the turmoil

she felt inside had reached the clouds themselves. She shut her eyes.

At that very moment, screams of horror and anger began echoing from the procession's

front lines.

"We're under attack!"

Rendol rode up beside the carriage and began issuing orders, urging his troops to

mount an offensive. The whole force surged forward as one, forming a well-trained

defensive line to protect the carriage.

After checking on his men, Rendol turned his gaze to the front lines, glaring at the

enemy beyond. Obviously, someone had been tipped off. There was no other way to

explain an ambush. They'd left the capital in secret and maintained a high pace

throughout the journey.

This frustrated Rendol greatly, but he didn't have time to worry about that right now.

It was obvious that these were no mere bandits, though he couldn't say for sure if they

were affiliated with the first or second prince. Several mages let loose with Fire

Beretta attacks on his front lines.

Few bandits would have such magic at their disposal.

"They have mages! All knights with mythril shields, block the magical attacks!"

On Rendol's command, a group of knights pulled up their shields and rushed to the

front while the archers hung back and lobbed arrows at the enemy. As Rendol's men

surged forward, a volley of arrows sailed over their heads, felling the guards

protecting the rear.

The soldiers grew visibly terrified at this second ambush, but Rendol ordered them to

remain calm. Fortunately, they were in the middle of a forest, which forced the enemy

to shoot in a straight line, limiting their range to the rear guard.

Nearly a hundred men in bandit gear appeared at the rear of the column, though the

way they moved made it apparent that they all had military training.

"I want thirty men protecting the rear! Don't let the bandits get close. The rest of you,

stay close to the carriage and clear the path up front! We must protect the carriage at

all costs!"

The force split in two, moving as ordered.

Considering how massively outnumbered they were, Rendol decided to send a

minimal force up front to take out the mages and focus on getting the carriage away.

But for some reason, the forces he'd sent to protect the rear were moving far more

slowly than usual, creating a gap in the line.

A wave of frustration and anxiety washed over Rendol.

The man leading the rear ambush smiled devilishly as he watched the soldiers split.

"Fire another volley into their ranks!"

A squad of archers dressed in bandit attire nocked, drew, and loosed their arrows. The

arrows flew toward the knights and soldiers protecting the carriage's rear. Though

they scored some glancing blows, they failed to cause any critical injuries. However,

the guards who were struck by arrows were noticeably slower now, and were having

a harder time maintaining a defensive posture.

"Break through their defense and kill the princess!"

The faux bandits responded to his command in unison, launching a full-on assault

against the men attempting to hold the line. The attack on the narrow forest path was

intense.

The lethargic men were struck down first, one after the next—an unbecoming end for

elite soldiers who'd been handpicked to guard the princess.

"Sir Kaecks, the guards aren't moving like they should. What happened?"

A short man in priestly robes addressed the bandit-attired commanding officer. He

hardly gave the impression of a holy man, however, as he gleefully watched the guards

fall.

"This is the great reveal, Boran."

The black-haired man disguised as a bandit, whom Boran had referred to as Kaecks,

wore a sinister grin on his sharp, unshaven face, giving him the appearance of a real

ruffian. However, the leather armor that protected his body, and the sword that hung

from his waist, made it clear that this was not the case. Kaecks Coraio du Brutios—

son of the Duke Brutios, one of the seven dukes of Rhoden—commanded this raid at

his father's behest. Duke Brutios was one of the first prince's supporters.

Kaecks handed Boran an arrow. Boran accepted it, though it looked no different from

any other arrow he'd seen.

"The arrowheads have been dipped in a very rare poison that can only be found inside

a giant basilisk. Instead of simply killing their targets immediately, these arrows

paralyze them."

The priest could barely contain his excitement. "Ooh! You've come prepared, I see!"

"We happened across a basilisk recently, so we only had time to prepare a limited

supply. However, a small breach in their defense is all we need."

The two men turned their attention back to the battle, where the soldiers guarding

the carriage were falling en masse. They watched the man leading the defense urging

his men to break through the mages.

Rendol stood next to the carriage, issuing orders to the defenders under his command.

He cursed as his men to the rear fell one after another, his mood growing increasingly

dark. He'd never imagined his knights and soldiers could be defeated so easily.

The knights absorbed the assault from the enemy mages with their mythril shields,

trying to take the offensive. All of a sudden, the mages drew back. In their place, fifty

more enemies appeared to attack the over-extended soldiers.

Rendol knew it was only a matter of time until the rear guard fell. He was running out

of options. "All knights, prepare your Exploding Spheres!"

On Rendol's command, the knights sheathed their swords, each pulling a single sphere

from the leather pouches on their backs while continuing to hold their shields against

the magical onslaught.

The attacking soldiers' eyes went wide. Those in the front scrambled over each other

as they attempted to get away, while those behind held fast, unable to see what all the

fuss was about. The men crammed together in the narrow road.

"Move it, you idiot! Get outta the way!!!"

Rendol made the most of this temporary advantage as the attackers descended into

chaos. "And… throw!!!"

"Blow 'em to smithereens!"

At Rendol's command, the knights murmured a spell in unison, then hurled the magical

spheres at the enemy.

The spheres arced through the air, landing in the middle of the enemy formation,

where they exploded on impact. An enormous, roaring blast blew the nearest soldiers

away. The remaining men broke ranks and ran, leaving the mages defenseless. Rendol

saw his opening.

"Push the assault and get that carriage through! All men, to me!!!" Rendol snapped his

reins, charging into the fray.

The knights deflected the mages' fresh barrage of Fire Beretta and Rock Shot with

their mythril shields and pushed into the enemy lines. Those on horseback cut down

the remaining fighters, tearing a deep hole in the formation.

A stray Fire Beretta struck Rendol's horse, sending him to the ground. His knights

tumbled unceremoniously from their own horses as they tried desperately not to

trample their commander. The enemy soldiers who'd survived the explosive attack

rushed in to slash the throats and stomachs of the dismounted knights, killing them

where they stood.

Rendol managed to pull himself up, only to discover that his leg was broken and

wouldn't support his weight.

A man with a short spear and hideous grin stabbed him in the side.

"Gwaaaaargh!"

Blood spilled from Rendol's mouth as he screamed in pain, his hands flying to the

wound. His eyelids fluttered, his vision growing cloudy as he desperately searched for

the carriage he'd sworn to protect. The last thing he saw was a large man in bandit

attire standing in front of the carriage, yanking the door open.

The man gripped a blood-drenched sword in one hand as his ripped the door open

with the other. A young chambermaid dove out with dagger in hand, aiming for his

heart. The man caught the blade on his left arm, where it buried itself deep. Enraged,

he punched the chambermaid in the face with all his might.

"Stupid wench!"

Ferna was thrown back into the carriage, where she slumped, motionless.

The man pulled the dagger from his arm and threw it aside, thrusting his own blade

into Ferna's chest.

"Guwaugh!"

Her eyes rolled up, her blood staining the upholstery. The man kicked her limp body

out of the carriage.

"Noooo! Fernaaaaaa!"

Yuriarna's childhood friend had just been murdered in front of her, drenching her

elaborate gown in gore. She launched herself at the man.

He smiled as he blocked the door to the carriage. Then he took his sword, still dripping

with Ferna's blood, and plunged it into the princess' chest.

Confusion flashed across Yuriarna's face. She looked down, and her eyes went wide as

she saw the sword sticking out of her. Her expression grew pained, tears staining her

cheeks, a voiceless scream on her lips. She coughed up bright red blood, slumping

against the wall of the carriage as the life drained from her body, her brown eyes no

longer seeing.

The man yanked the sword from her chest, wiped it clean on her dress, and returned

it to its sheath. Then he reached down and carefully unclasped the necklace she wore.

He took his prize with him as he exited the carriage.

The area was littered with the bodies of the princess' guards, who were continuing to

fall, one by one.

From the rear, where he'd been watching the battle unfold, Kaecks gave the order to

kill the survivors. "Show 'em what bandits can do! Any valuables we find will be added

to your reward!"

The soldiers, still in their disguises, cheered at this announcement. They scoured the

fallen guards for weapons and other valuables.

"You're welcome to join them, Boran." Kaecks addressed the priest, all too aware of

the envious gaze the short man held as he looked out over the battlefield.

"W-well, if you insist…"

A smile broke across Boran's face as he gleefully hurried off to search for his own

spoils. Kaecks glared at his back, appalled at the crassness of this particular man of

the cloth.

"Sir Kaecks, a memento from Princess Yuriarna."

In spite of his large size, the man who'd just taken the princess' life had approached

Kaecks silently, only making his presence known when he spoke. He held the princess'

necklace in his outstretched hand.

Kaecks took it, a deranged smile gracing his lips. "Well done. It truly is unfortunate

what happened to Her Highness. Still, I never would have imagined they'd bring Burst

Spheres with them. We took heavy casualties."

The necklace contained a large gem encased in a gold flower, and was further

decorated by many smaller gems. It had been one of many gifts from the late queen to

her two daughters. After carefully wrapping the prize in a silk cloth and tucking it into

his pocket, Kaecks issued the order for his soldiers to retreat.

Just then, one of the men rummaging around for loot let out a blood-curdling cry.

"Gyaaaaugh!"

Kaecks whirled in the direction of the scream. White wolves dove from the trees lining

the road, one after another, tearing the nearby men to shreds. But these weren't just

beasts in search of a meal.

They were out to kill.

The wolves ran from one man to the next, baring their fangs and biting indiscriminately.

The wolves moved nimbly in spite of their massive size. Their powerful jaws and sharp

teeth made quick work of the distracted soldiers.

The mages were the first to try and fight back. They began chanting, but the wolves

seemed to pick up on this and swarmed the mages in a massive pack, killing them

before they could summon any spells.

The men armed with swords attempted to defend as well, but whenever they scored

a direct hit on one of the wolves, it simply vanished in a puff of smoke, distracting them

long enough for another wolf to take them down from behind.

Princess Yuriarna's hunters had now become the hunted. Kaecks watched numbly as

the brutal scene unfolded before him. The large man beside him put a name to the

hellish demons. "Haunted wolves…"

This snapped Kaecks back to his senses. "Full retreat! All men, form back up! Supply

squad, break out the shields! Burn everything else down to the ground! Let the horses

go. They'll distract the wolves!"

The soldiers didn't need to be told twice. The supply squad took their gear from the

horses, giving each one a swift slap to send it running before unpacking their massive

shields. Since speed had been of the utmost priority for this mission, there were only

so many shields to go around. Several soldiers had to huddle behind each one.

"Fall back! Retreeaat!"

Kaecks issued the final order, ignoring the stragglers who hadn't made it back to their

lines.

"Dammit, how many of them are there?"

There looked to be at least fifteen haunted wolves terrorizing his men, though clearly

not all of them were real.

Kaecks glowered at the scene in front of him. "I'm guessing each haunted wolf can

create two or three apparitions. There must be at least five of them out there."

The men slowly retreated, grateful to escape these gods of death with their lives. As

the number of men assembled behind the shield wall grew, relief washed over the

group, though it didn't approach the level of excitement they'd shown only moments

ago while looting.

Fortunately, the haunted wolves only seemed interested in the soldiers surrounding

the carriage. They paid no attention to the escaping men.

Once free of the forest and out of sight of the wolves, the soldiers broke into cheers.

Kaecks felt the tension melt from his shoulders.

However, as he surveyed his remaining men, a wave of intense grief wracked his body.

Over half of his soldiers had been lost in the ambush and subsequent wolf attack.

***

The clouds hung heavy and dark in the sky as I made my way through the oppressive

forest toward the sounds of battle.

They died down before I reached the source, however, replaced with the increasingly

acute smell of blood. Soon, my own movements through the trees were the loudest

sounds around me.

I stepped through a row of bushes and found a long path running through the forest. I

was standing atop a three-meter-tall embankment running parallel to a path. The

immediate area was littered with bodies, the scent of warm blood heavy in the air.

I could tell by the craters and scorch marks everywhere that this had been an intense

battle.

Amid the mountain of bodies, I found five massive white wolves gnawing on

something that had once been human, the bones making an awful snapping sound.

These looked like the haunted wolves that had gotten away from us earlier. One of

them was wounded where Ariane had landed a glancing blow.

The wolves looked up from their fleshy feast, detecting my presence as I stepped from

the bushes. They eyed me suspiciously and started to retreat.

"Grrrowl!"

I spread my black cloak out and threw both of my hands into the air, shouting to the

heavens as I returned their glare. The wolves literally jumped in surprise before

turning tail and disappearing into the bushes on the far side of the path.

My attempt to scream them into submission had worked better than I thought it

would, though it had also scared Ponta half to death. The poor creature started from

its perch around my neck, where it had been curled like a fur scarf.

I gently patted Ponta's fur back down as it let out little mews of consternation. I

scanned my surroundings.

A large black carriage sat in the middle of all the carnage. Knights clad in magnificent

armor lay dead all around it, as if they'd given their lives defending whoever was

inside—likely a high-ranking noble.

Of the carriage's four horses, two had been killed. The remaining two had been left to

whinny and paw the ground in fear, unable to escape the thick harnesses that held

them in place.

There were a large number of bandits lying around as well, though none of them

seemed to be breathing. Other than the frightened neighing of the horses, the whole

area was engulfed in an eerie silence.

I worried for a moment that Ariane and I had inadvertently caused this situation by

letting the haunted wolves get away, but the more I looked at it, the more that seemed

unlikely.

I hopped down from the embankment to the path three meters below and made my

way toward the carriage, careful to not step on any of the bodies. The knights and

armored soldiers had all been killed by swords and arrows, without a single trace of a

wolf bite among them. A few bodies had been charred by some sort of magical attack,

though the majority looked to have been killed with conventional weapons.

Putting all of this together, it seemed like the guards had already been killed at the

bandits' hands by the time the wolves showed up. Though I did find evidence of a few

bandits who'd been killed by the guards, the majority of them appeared to have been

killed by the wolves—arms torn off at the shoulder, stomachs chewed open, and

worse.

Among them, I found the body of a man in priest's robes—a holy man, apparently,

though nothing was left of his head. What an awful way to die.

I put my hands together in a brief prayer for this man who'd given his entire life to

God, only to have it ripped away by cruel fate. Then I turned my back on the mountain

of corpses and made my way toward the carriage.

The door was hanging wide open. Beneath it lay the body of a young woman in

servant's attire, her face buried in the mud. Inside the blood-stained carriage I found

the body of another young woman, this one dressed in an extravagant gown. The

second woman's long blond hair was stuck to her face with dried blood. A fresh sword

wound gaped in her chest.

She must have been the one the guards were protecting.

Her blood was still warm, her flesh still a bit pink. Tears clung to her half-open eyes.

She'd only died recently. I closed her eyelids, and she looked as if she were merely

asleep.

Ponta let out a solemn cry. "Kyiii…"

I petted the fox's head absently while I ran through all the spells available to me.

It was no use to try recovery magic on someone who was already dead. However, my

Bishop and Priest classes had revival spells. These were pretty common in video

games, but here in the real world, I wondered if they would actually have any effect.

The mid-tier Bishop class had the Reanimation spell, which would bring someone

back with one-tenth of their health. In reality, coming back to life with one-tenth of

your health would probably only return you to the brink of death. You might just die

again in agony.

The top-tier Priest class had access to the Rejuvenation spell, which would bring

someone back to life with full health, though I was unsure how that would play out in

the real world.

Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that it was too soon for this young woman to die, so I

decided to give my magic a try. I reached out and held my hand over the slumped girl.

"Rejuvenation!"

Her body began to glow, a yellowish-gold light flickering across her as the wound in

her chest started to close. It was like I was watching a video being played in reverse.

When the light disappeared, all of the girl's injuries were gone.

In the game, like I said, the spell would recover all of your health… but I wasn't sure

what that meant for all the blood the girl had lost. The floor of the carriage was still

drenched in it, and her dress was stained a deep crimson.

I placed my hand on the young woman's neck. I could feel a pulse, though she was still

quite pale and showed no signs of waking up. She was breathing, however, so I laid her

down on the bench in the carriage and stepped outside.

I propped up the chambermaid's body and, after wiping away the dirt, cast the

Rejuvenation spell once again.

Her body was enveloped in the same yellowish-gold light, and her wounds began to

heal. She also began to breathe again, though like the girl in the carriage, she remained

unconscious.

So… revival spells worked here, though their effects were far from immediate like they

were in the game. All I could do now was pray that these revived women didn't come

back as monsters, like in a certain Stephen King novel.

Bringing them back to life was one thing, but I couldn't just leave them here to be killed

again by monsters… or worse. I didn't row them back up the River Styx for nothing.

I decided to revive the guards while I was at it. Being careful to avoid the bandits, I

cast Rejuvenation on all the nearby soldiers. However, I soon discovered that there

were limits to revival spells.

First off, the spell had absolutely no effect on people who were too hideously

wounded. It didn't even activate on the poor souls who'd been burned to death, or the

man without a head.

I put my hands together again in sympathy for the dead priest.

There were also a few cases where soldiers were revived only to die again. This was

often true for those who'd suffered significant blood loss, though the reasons for

others were less clear. One man with an arrow in his chest came back to life long

enough to take a few short breaths before passing away again.

It seemed like there was a limit to the spell's power, but I couldn't tell what it was.

After trying to revive all of the guards, I put my hands on my hips and surveyed my

handiwork. I'd been able to bring back about thirty of them. It wasn't the most

impressive number, but I hoped it would be enough to see the carriage safely out of

the forest.

All that magic expenditure had left me exhausted—a rare feeling for me. I must have

overdone it with the revival spells.

I was hardly in danger of using up all my magic, even with a spell like Rejuvenation,

but absent any numbers to keep track of like in the game, I could only rely on how my

body felt.

Even if I did temporarily run out of magic, my Twilight Cloak would solve that

problem—assuming it had the same abilities here that it did in the game.

The Twilight Cloak would replenish my magic over time. And if I stayed in one spot for

a while, the replenishment speed would increase. So, theoretically, all of the magic I'd

just expended was slowly coming back to me.

However, it didn't seem wise for a large, armored knight like myself to just stand

around staring off into space in the middle of a blood-drenched battlefield.

I used Dimensional Step to teleport back to the embankment and sat down in the

bushes so I could keep an eye on the people I'd brought back to life, just in case

something bad happened.

I broke off some branches from a nearby tree to use as cover for my helmet, since a

silver suit of armor didn't exactly blend in with the forest. The gaps between the leaves

gave me a good view of the road below. Now it was just a matter of waiting to make

sure they got out of here okay.

***

It almost felt like her body was floating up from the murky depths of the sea. Sensation

flooded back into her limbs, and all of a sudden she was struck by an awful stench and

a tightness in her skin as her eyelids flew open. It was as if she was taking her first

breath of fresh air after being buried in mud. After a heavy coughing fit, she surveyed

her surroundings.

She was back in her carriage, the interior stained with blood.

Princess Yuriarna tried frantically to make sense of her confusing memories, though

her mind was still too foggy to reach any conclusions. She shook her head and looked

down at her body.

Her gown was drenched in blood, a hole torn in the chest.

A memory of being stabbed flickered through her mind, and she instinctively threw

her hands up in front of her heart. However, even though the dress was ripped, the

skin underneath was unharmed. She couldn't find any injury.

"Ferna…"

She called out for her longtime companion instinctively as she looked around the

cabin.

Yuriarna's memories returned all at once. She remembered Ferna being stabbed and

kicked out of the carriage. Frantically, Yuriarna scrabbled for the door.

Ferna lay on her back on the ground, a peaceful expression on her face. Her clothing

was also cut open at the chest. Yuriarna stumbled out of the carriage, her heart racing

as she inspected the wound. But the skin beneath the torn fabric of her chambermaid's

dress was flawless—not a scratch in sight.

Relief washed over Yuriarna as she watched Ferna's plump bosom rise and fall silently.

Tears ran down her cheeks, dripping onto the ground.

She still had no idea what had happened, or even what was happening right now, but

she was relieved to know that Ferna was safe.

Yuriarna looked up. Amid the craters and scorched earth lay the charred remains of

men who'd fought so hard to protect her, intermingled with the corpses of her

attackers. It looked like a scene straight out of hell. She couldn't bear the sight of all

that carnage, so she turned her attention back to Ferna.

The chambermaid's eyelids fluttered open.

"Ferna, you're alive!"

Ferna turned toward the princess' sob-choked voice. "Miss Yuriarna, wh-what

happened?"

The fog in her head was slowly starting to clear. She sat up and looked around.

The surrounding area was nothing but devastation. As memories of the brutal ambush

came back, Ferna turned her attention to Yuriarna and inspected the princess closely.

"Are you all right, Princess? Were you hurt?"

Yuriarna covered her mouth to hide her gentle laugh at the sudden change in her

chambermaid's demeanor. "I'm fine. What about you, Ferna?"

Ferna frantically checked herself for wounds as the memory of being stabbed returned.

She looked at the princess with confusion. "How am I still alive?"

Yuriarna had no answer to that. She, too, distinctly recalled having died. Her manicured

eyebrows furrowed. "I don't know. I just woke up myself."

A familiar voice interrupted their conversation. "Princess! Miss Ferna! You're safe!"

The voice belonged to Rendol, the man charged with protecting the princess on her

trip to the Grand Duchy. He jogged over to the carriage on unsteady legs. As soon as

he reached Yuriarna, he dropped to his knees and bowed his head low.

"I'm so glad you're safe! Allow me to express my deepest regrets for failing in my duty

to—"

Yuriarna cut his apology off with a flick of her hand. She stood up slowly, her light

blond hair spilling down her back, and turned to face him. "Now is not the time for

that, Sir Rendol."

Rendol lifted his head to look up at the princess.

"We were attacked by a force far larger than anything we anticipated. There was

nothing you could have done. It is truly an act of the heavenly father that we are still

alive. We can worry about what happened later. Right now, we must take action."

The look of determination on the princess' face was inspiring. Rendol wiped the tears

from his eyes.

"As you wish!" He bowed his head again to the princess again.

"We're a little less than halfway to Limbult's border. There's still a very real possibility

that more bandits are out there, so we will need to adjust our pace. We will proceed

as originally planned, bypassing Houvan and Tiocera. Ferna, please help where you

can."

"Of course, Your Highness."

With their plans reaffirmed, the three stood up and surveyed their surroundings.

Other soldiers had begun standing up from the among the bodies littering the

battlefield. Seeing this sudden movement of bodies, Rendol reached for his sword.

Yuriarna and Ferna ducked behind him. It wasn't uncommon in places with a large

concentration of mana for corpses to come back as undead monsters and attack the

living.

However, Rendol had never heard of bodies less than a day old turning undead, and

definitely not in well-trafficked, low-mana places like this. It usually only happened in

uninhabited magical regions.

"Rendol, wait!" Yuriarna called.

Rendol suddenly realized that the men standing in front of him were his own troops.

He could hardly believe his own eyes. Several soldiers, some of whom he'd personally

seen cut down on the field of battle, were now standing groggily, as if they'd just woken

from a nap.

Yuriarna and Ferna stared, too, disbelief plain on their faces.

"Commander Rendol… you're all right?!" One of Rendol's soldiers—a man who'd died

right in front of him—ran forward. "How'd ya make it out alive, ya scoundrel?"

The man was far from undead, and he seemed to have all of his mental faculties.

Rendol looked him over several times, just to be sure his eyes weren't lying. The

soldier's armor was smeared with blood, but otherwise he seemed to be unharmed, if

a little pale.

Sadly, not all of his men had been spared. The charred remains of several soldiers lay

still on the ground while others, unburned, remained motionless, as if in a deep

slumber, even as their comrades tried to wake them.

The man in front of him kept patting his own body, as if making sure he was truly alive.

"I could've sworn I was dead. What happened here?"

More soldiers started to stand, their voices blending together in a cacophony of

laughter and tears as they realized they were still alive.

This was nothing short of a miracle.

"Sir Rendol…"

Yuriarna's voice brought Rendol back to the matter at hand. He turned to face the

princess. No words were exchanged—the look in her eyes spoke volumes. Rendol

turned back to his men.

"Atteeennntion! Princess Yuriarna will be giving a speech!"

He stepped beside her and took a knee, bowing his head in respect. The men followed

Rendol's example and assumed the same pose.

"Though we may have suffered a harsh defeat at the hands of our enemies, it seems

we have been spared by our heavenly father. Some of our brothers in arms, however,

have been called up to serve the higher power."

Of the original fifty men charged with protecting the princess, only thirty remained to

hear her words. Nearly twenty had been killed in combat. Several men wept openly at

her words, their shoulders shaking.

"However, the heavens have made it clear that they wish us to proceed on our journey!

We must not dwell on what has happened. Instead, let us focus our energies on the

road that lies ahead and make the most of the blessing we have all been granted. We

are unstoppable! Onward to Limbult!"

The soldiers let out a loud cheer.

"Hoorah!"

Rendol stood and began firing orders to his men.

"Swap out the horses and track down the ones that have escaped! At the very least,

secure enough for the carriage. Arm yourselves with any weapons you can!"

The men leaped to carry out their leader's commands.

***

The force of around thirty men—apparently a procession for the princess—quickly

assembled their gear and took the carriage off to the east. I continued to watch over

them until they were small specks in the distance.

When they were completely out of sight, I spread the branches I'd been using for cover

and stuck my head out. From atop my helmet, Ponta snored faintly. The cottontail fox

had apparently decided to take a nap. I moved slowly, careful not to disturb its

slumber.

For a while, I'd been worried about what might happen to all the people I'd revived, so

I was quite relieved to see them off.

I'd figured that the young woman was some sort of nobility, but I'd had no idea she

was from the royal family… or that she would interpret my simple spell as a miraculous

act of god. After thinking about it for a moment, however, the ability to bring back the

dead reminded me of a certain red stone a pair of alchemist brothers had searched for

in an anime I used to watch.

As far as I could tell, there had been no negative side effects—like men turning undead,

or going crazy.

I still wasn't sure what had prevented me from bringing all of the men back. The whole

experience had left me with the impression that I should avoid using the spell too

often. In the game, people were merely thankful to be revived. But here, I ran the very

real risk of being seen as some sort of cleric… or worse, a god. What if someone got it

into their head to form a religion around me? What if I started a holy war?

Bringing back the occasional daughter of a farmer or son of a minor noble killed in

some sort of accident was all well and good, but a princess who'd been murdered…

that was another thing entirely.

Without a doubt, this would be a day for the history books.

On the other hand, royal families often had many princesses. Maybe the history books

would just gloss over the incident. That was my hope, anyway.

Then again, no one had actually witnessed what I'd done. In the future, I would just

need to make sure I only used revival magic when absolutely necessary.

The committee in the back of my mind reached a conclusion. Protecting myself had

won out over the other, dissenting voices. The overwhelming majority had voted in

favor of moving forward as if nothing had changed.

"We'll just pretend that never happened."

I turned around carefully, so as not to disturb Ponta, and headed back the way I'd

come. How long had it been since I left Ariane?

Following the markers I'd placed, I used Dimensional Step to move through the woods

at a rapid pace. Soon, I caught sight of three wolves with their hind legs bound together

hanging from a tree branch.

Sitting against the base of the tree was an amethyst-colored dark elf with a very angry

look on her face.

She sat with her knees held tightly against her chest. A smile appeared on her face for

the briefest moment when she saw me, though the scowl quickly returned.

"Well, you certainly took your time! How far did you go, anyway?"

I muttered the first excuse that came to mind as I stepped through the bushes and

approached her. "I'm sorry. I got lost."

"Well, the blood's completely drained from the wolves. Let's head back to Lalatoya."

"Ah, that's right… I was searching for a landmark, wasn't I?" I slammed my fist into my

open palm as I suddenly remembered the reason I'd left.

"Wait, you mean you were just wandering around the forest this whole time?" Ariane

looked like she couldn't believe her own ears.

I could hardly argue with her criticism. She was right to be angry.

"I'm sorry. I became fixated on getting back and completely forgot about my objective.

Let's head in that direction and see if we can find something." I pointed off toward the

Anetto Mountains, barely visible through a gap in the trees.

I handed the sleeping Ponta over to Ariane and, before she could protest, used

Dimensional Step to teleport off into the forest once more. I hoped that fox's sleeping

face would have a calming effect on Ariane while I searched for a teleportation

landmark.

About ten minutes later, I found myself in a small clearing. A large boulder jutted out

of the grass in its center. Off to its side, a massive tree sprouted up, its branches

practically hugging the boulder. This seemed like a good enough landmark.

The tree stood tall, as if it ruled the entire clearing, keeping away any other trees or

branches that would dare invade its space.

If such a tree were found in Japan, it would without a doubt be surrounded by

decorative ropes and talismans and treated as a holy spot.

"Well, I think this'll do the trick."

I committed the spot to memory. It was certainly an impressive sight, so it wasn't too

difficult to memorize every detail. I started back.

The sky above, or what little I could see through the dense tree cover, was covered in

dark clouds. Heavy raindrops began to fall. I looked up at the weeping heavens and

wondered if we might need to put off our trip after returning to Lalatoya. It would all

depend on the weather.

I hurried back to Ariane and Ponta using Dimensional Step.

When I emerged from the bushes, Ariane's face was buried in Ponta's soft, fuzzy

stomach, rubbing her face back and forth.

"Aww, Ponta! Your belly's soooo soft!"

"Kyuu kyuu!"

Ariane spoke with an uncharacteristically cutesy voice as she rubbed her face back

and forth. Ponta cried in delight as it twisted about, probably ticklish from her

nuzzling.

I watched in silence until Ariane finally noticed me.

"Oh, uh, Arc! Well, you were pretty fast this time. Did you, uh, find a landmark?"

Her amethyst cheeks took on a pink hue that I could see even from this distance. She

stammered as she spoke, clearly embarrassed. I was excited to have caught a glimpse

of her softer side, but I strove to keep my cool.

"Yes, there's a great location not too far from here. Depending on the weather, we may

want to call it a day after we take the haunted wolves back to Lalatoya."

Ariane cleared her throat and nodded coolly at my suggestion, returning to form. Her

cheeks, however, were still flushed a delicate shade of pink. "You're probably right.

Since you can teleport us, there's no need to rush back into the woods if the weather's

bad."

Ariane used her spirit magic to fill the shallow pit she'd dug to collect the blood from

the wolves dangling above it. I helped her remove the wolves from the branch and line

them up on the ground.

The creatures were a little lighter now that their blood had been drained. I was

impressed that Ariane had been able to lift them onto the branch by herself… and

before draining them, at that.

Ponta slapped at the haunted wolves' noses with its front paws, getting in a few good

blows. Apparently, the fox got a burst of courage when its opponents were no longer

moving.

"Well, off to Lalatoya. I'll give you a good belly-nuzzle later, Ponta."

"Kyiii!"

Ariane elbowed me hard in the side. When I turned, her arms were crossed and she

was looking in the other direction. Even from behind, though, I could tell she was

puffing out her cheeks.

Well, at least Ponta had been happy about my offer. The fox resumed its place back

atop my helmet as I summoned my spell.

"Transport Gate!"

I was more careful this time, since we also had three large haunted wolves to bring

with us. The pillar of light that appeared at my feet had grown from its usual three

meters in diameter to four, to accommodate the added cargo. The world turned black,

and the next instant, we were out of the forest and standing in front of the large tree

house we'd left the previous morning. We'd made it back to Lalatoya safe and sound.

I looked down and, sure enough, the haunted wolves had teleported with us.

Apparently, if I focused a little harder when summoning Transport Gate, I could create

a larger pillar and bring things along with me. That could prove rather useful. Of

course, I'd need to practice more in order to perfect the technique.

"The rain's falling pretty hard here."

Ariane was right—what had started as a light drizzle in the forest was already a fullblown downpour in Lalatoya. If I didn't get out of the rain soon, my armor might fill

up and start sounding like a water xylophone.

"Arc, can you wait at my house for a bit? I'm going to get some help to carry and skin

the wolves."

She didn't bother waiting for a reply before running off into the village.

I took another look at the beasts lying at my feet.

The wolves' tails were no longer the pale white I'd seen in the forest. They were now

glowing a distinct white-blue. It looked rather mystical out here under the cloudcovered sky. A veil made from these would truly be a sight to behold.

Ponta must have been soaked through, because I could feel it trying to shake the

accumulated water from its fur.

"I'm so sorry. Let's get you out of the rain."

I knocked on the door to the tree house. A voice asked who it was and, after I replied,

a confused-looking Glenys appeared.

"Oh, Arc. You're certainly back early."

"Well, Miss Ariane has acquired a present for her sister's wedding, so we came to drop

it off."

Glenys's gaze fell on the beasts lying in the garden. "Haunted wolves? That's quite

impressive. And three of them, at that!" She looked up at the coursing rain. "Please,

come inside. I assume Ariane went off to make a deal with the hunters?"

"I believe so. Thank you for your kindness."

I stepped across the threshold and followed Glenys up to the second floor, where she

poured me a cup of hot tea. I removed my drenched helmet and sipped at my drink.

The liquid was light brown and tasted just like straight black tea.

Ponta sat on the chair next to me and licked its soaked fur, trying to straighten out its

coat. Around my third cup of tea, the fox drifted off to sleep.

"Well, Ariane's certainly taking her time. Why don't you stay here for the night? It's

raining pretty heavily now."

I looked out the dining room window. Just as she'd said, the rain was falling in sheets,

hammering against the glass panes. Even though it was only around four o'clock, it

was already pitch-black outside.

It would probably be some time before Ariane returned, so I figured this was a good

opportunity to fulfill the dream I'd been harboring for a while now.

"Miss Glenys, I hear that you have a bath here. Would it be possible for me to use it?

I'd be more than happy to pay for any costs associated with heating the water."

"The bath? Of course I don't mind! But please don't worry about paying me. Do you…

need a bath?" Glenys easily acquiesced to my impassioned plea, though she looked

slightly perplexed. "Well, I guess it doesn't really matter. Why don't you wash little

Ponta while you're at it?"

"Of course. Ponta could use a good scrubbing."

I picked the slumbering cottontail fox up and followed Glenys down to a secluded

bathhouse off the first floor. The place sat in the shadow of the large tree, obscuring it

from the building's entrance.

Water was collected from a small creek and heated using a stove embedded in the

massive wooden bath. However, the stove itself appeared to be magical, relying on

stones for fuel, which gave it a rather modern appearance. Glenys told me that these

same magical water heaters were also common among human nobles.

After she left, Ponta and I took a nice long bath. Once my weary bones had warmed

up, I made my way back into the house. Just as we were sitting down to a glass of cold

tea and dinner with Glenys, Ariane appeared in the dining room.

She looked taken aback to find me dressed in a traditional elven robe with Ponta

sitting atop my bare skull.

"You've certainly made yourself at home."

"A bath works wonders on both mind and body!"

Lacking any skin or muscle tissue on my skull, I wasn't sure the face I was making

looked like a proper smile, but Ariane seemed to pick up on it.

"That's good to hear."

Then she puffed out her cheeks, as if she'd suddenly remembered something.

"I'm locking the door to the bath from now on, just so you know!"