Asura slowly rode her horse through the castle town of the Kotopori Kingdom. "It really is a lively place," she observed. "It doesn't feel like it's right next to the Great Forest."
"I agree," Marx replied. He was driving the horse-drawn carriage serving as Moon Blossom's base of operations. Iris was perched next to him.
"Monsters come from the Great Forest, right?" Reko asked from atop his own horse. He was no longer riding behind or with someone, but controlling the horse all by himself. Both him and Salume were learning how to ride a horse on this journey.
"That's right, Reko. Not all monsters come from there, but the majority of them do," Asura answered. "That's why I thought this country would be a far more quiet place, but it looks like the intel was correct. It appears they're doing pretty well for themselves."
A large number of stands and stores lined the main street with a huge crowd of people. It seemed that Moon Blossom's carriage and horses were in the way, judging by the many sour expressions the group received.
"It's thanks to their high-quality lumber, right?" Salume asked. She was riding her own horse as well.
Meanwhile, Jyrki and Iina were resting up inside of the carriage. Lumia was on horseback too, but since she was behind the carriage, she couldn't hear the conversation. Normally, the person at the rear of the group could listen in on what everyone was saying. However, the only reason Lumia couldn't participate this time was due to how loud the main street was.
"That's right. Kotopori harvests wood from the Great Forest, then exports it. The lumber industry is the backbone of the country."
Before Asura and the others entered Kotopori, they'd spent time gathering some basic details about the place. They'd had more than enough time to do so, since they'd needed to travel through two separate countries to get to Kotopori from Arnia.
"Since it's close to the Great Forest, no one tries to steal territory from Kotopori. In my opinion, it's much more peaceful here than in other countries. Back when I was a knight, I even spent some time stationed here."
Kotopori cut down trees in the Great Forest to expand its territory, but that was the same thing that its neighbors did. They'd agreed on what parts they could each take, so no one fought over land or territory.
"It does seem quite peaceful. The soldiers here have received anti-monster training, and there's even a Knights of the Azure Skies headquarters. Unless a high-tier monster shows up, they'll be able to handle things."
"What if lots of intermediate-tier monsters appear?" Reko asked.
"I wonder. If there are too many, then the situation might be pretty dire."
An intermediate-tier monster referred to one that a trained team couldn't handle, but a hero could by themself. Since this was a broad classification, there was much variety when it came to the strength of intermediate-tier monsters.
The Arnian soldiers hadn't been able to lift a finger against the intermediate-tier monster the Great Therbae Kingdom had been using. However, the hero candidate, Punti, had been able to defeat it all by himself. That meant that it had been fairly weak among the intermediate-tiers.
"Um, Boss, would you like me to go and book us an inn?" Salume offered.
"No. Marx, I want you to go. The base is too big for us to walk around easily. Iris, come here."
"Understood. What would you like me to do afterwards?" Marx asked.
"Come get me from the Surveyor Commission. You can send Jyrki or Iina instead as well. If you want me to deduce and guess which inn we'll be staying at, that's fine too," Asura joked with a light huff. Meanwhile, Iris stood up and leaped onto the back of Asura's horse. Though it startled at the sudden weight, Asura quickly calmed it down.
"Understood, Boss." Marx looked in the distance and narrowed his eyes. "The Azure Skies Headquarters... Sure takes me back."
Marx was staring at a large building with high walls around it. A crest bearing a blue sword and shield was proudly emblazoned upon the flags that fluttered from the walls.
"If I recall, the building next to that is the Surveyor Commission's office, right? See you later, Marx. Salume and Reko, don't rush. Take your time. Just make sure you don't hit anyone and cause trouble for us," Asura said as she turned around.
As soon as she saw Salume circle back to speak with Lumia, Asura kicked her horse's sides and trotted off.
***
The Surveyor Commission's office was snug and neat. If Asura had to compare it to something from her past life, then it felt like a slightly bigger modular hut. Though the lot wasn't very big, it boasted a large storeroom. There were only three people—two women and a man—inside of the office.
"Are you...my bodyguards?" the man asked nervously.
He was sitting behind his office desk while Asura and the others remained standing. If Iina were here, she would have undoubtedly muttered about how many people were squeezed in the space.
"It's exactly as it says on that document there," Asura said calmly. She'd already handed Elna's letter to the man, Kaarlo Häkli. And of course, he'd already read through it.
"Um... But, I'm going to be exploring some unmapped regions on this trip. So I wanted to have Lady Elna protect me..."
"We're much more suited to be your bodyguards."
"Yes, um...so you say, but..." Kaarlo looked over at Asura and her group.
"'But you're made up of women and children.' Is that what you're thinking?"
"Well, it's true, isn't it?" Kaarlo replied with an awkwardly forced smile.
He was in his early thirties and had a muscular build. Since he was an explorer, he was in good shape. He wasn't very tall, and had short brown hair. His outfit made him look like any normal villager.
"The girl with the blonde pigtails is Iris Craven Lily," Asura said, gesturing to Iris with her left hand. "She's an official hero."
"I've heard of that name before, but... Hmm... I'm still uneasy. I feel like I'd be better off hiring the people from the Azure Skies..."
"Hey. I hate being looked down upon," Asura said grumpily. "So I'll give you a special treat. I'll let you watch our training, and then you can make your decision after that. If you still feel uneasy after seeing us fight, then you can go into the Great Forest with the people from the Azure Skies and die with them."
"W-Wait a sec, Asura. Control your language," Iris hissed, nudging Asura with her elbow.
"So, what'll it be, Kaarlo? We're going in the Great Forest with or without you."
They were going to enter it to let Iris gain experience in killing monsters, and to let Moon Blossom practice as a whole. They'd gone out of their way to come to the southernmost corner of East Felsen. There was no way they were going to leave this place empty-handed.
"All right, fine. Show me your training," Kaarlo said. "I'll decide after I see it. If I don't think I can trust you with my life, then I'm sorry, but you'll have to leave. Exploring the Great Forest is no game."
"I figured, considering how much the country will pay you if you bring back something of value." Asura laughed.
The Kotopori Kingdom's government was unenthusiastic about investigating the Great Forest. They were under the impression that they would reach the other side eventually so long as they continued their deforestation. It would be far more beneficial to spend their time and resources on preparing against a monster attack. That was why official investigations into the forest were rare, but they would still purchase investigative reports from civilians who entered it.
"That's important too. But for me, exploring is what I live for. Thankfully, the heroes are cooperative, so I've been able to enter the Great Forest for investigation and come out alive."
Elna in particular was very passionate about investigating the Great Forest. She wasn't interested in exploring. Rather, her interest was in scouting out undiscovered threats and training up other heroes.
Image here:
"So you think that you won't come out alive with us as your bodyguards? Fine. Let me change your mind for you."
***
"We're going to have a mock battle. No one's allowed to use magic. Focus on using your weapons and martial arts so that Kaarlo can have a nice, clear idea of our strength."
Asura had reserved the Knights of the Azure Skies' training field for the day. To be more specific, Iris had been the one to ask them if they could use it. As a hero, Iris had the privilege to temporarily commandeer the property and that was why Asura had gotten her to speak with the commanders.
Granted, the Knights were more than happy to lend their grounds to Iris, even without her utilizing her status. The members of Moon Blossom, save for Salume and Reko, were twirling the wooden training weapons they'd taken out from their base.
"That's Marx Redford, isn't it? He used to be part of the Knights."
"Didn't he mess up during his second Hero Selection Exam so badly it completely ruined his chances at moving up the ladder?"
"They turned him into an instructor, didn't they? Right when he was in his prime on the front lines too. Did he quit to become a mercenary?"
The Knights of the Azure Skies were watching over Moon Blossom's training, though it appeared it was more about enjoying the show rather than because they wanted to make sure the mercenaries didn't mess up the grounds.
"Yo, Marx, what'd you do?" Jyrki asked.
"Nothing much. It was within the realm of expectation if we're going by Moon Blossom's standards," Marx replied with a light shrug.
"Now then, as for our teams, we're going to take it seriously. Lumia will take command of one team, and I'll lead the other. The loser team will have to treat us to a nice and expensive dinner." As soon as Asura finished talking, the members of Moon Blossom gazed at her with sparkles in their eyes. "Salume and Reko, you two can practice your close-quarters combat skills in the corner there."
"Yes, Boss," they replied in unison.
The two of them dipped their heads and then moved to the corner of the training grounds.
"I want to make sure the teams are as even as possible when it comes to strength," Asura continued. "Since I'm obviously the strongest, I'll take the useless Iris."
"Who are you calling useless?! I'm a hero, remember?! Don't you think it's a little mean to treat me like a handicap? I won't lose if it's a proper match!"
Iris would also participate in the intragroup mock battle. Since their ultimate goal was to convince Kaarlo to hire them, they had to demonstrate Iris's ability as well.
"You should wait until you can beat me before calling yourself 'the strongest,'" Lumia said. "If you're going to take Iris, then I'll take Marx. I didn't pick you because you're weak, all right? I picked you because you're strong. 'If Asura is going to take a hero, then I'll take Marx' was my thought."
"Yes, Vice Captain. I understand." Marx moved to stand by Lumia.
"Haven't I defeated you plenty of times now, Lumia? Have you gotten forgetful in your old age?" Asura grinned. "I'll take Iina."
"Okaaay..." Iina walked up to stand by Asura's side.
"Oh? If we're not allowed to use magic, then don't I still have the advantage?" Lumia smiled as well. "Also, thirty isn't so far away from you that you can joke about age. I'll take Jyrki."
"'Kay. Vice Cap'n, you're hot no matter how old you are." Jyrki moved to Lumia's side.
"We'll take a minute to work out a plan, and then the battle will start. Kaarlo, you can give us the signal."
"Ah, er, me?" Kaarlo pointed at himself.
"Here, use this." Asura took out a one-minute sand timer and tossed it at Kaarlo.
"What...should I say?"
"Just yell 'dance time.'"
"Dance time?"
"You can also say 'party time' if you wish. Choose whichever you please. Now, put the sand timer on the ground." After Asura saw Kaarlo setting down the sand timer a little distance away from himself, she turned her attention back to her team. "All right, Iina and Iris, it's time for a plan. We're going to beat up Lumia and her team, then enjoy a nice, fancy dinner."
"'Kay..." Iina said with a happy nod. "I...can't wait..."
"Hey, are you sure you haven't lost sight of why we're here?" Iris asked with a wry smile. "We're showing Mister Kaarlo how strong we are, right?"
"We're gonna take it seriously, so that won't be an issue. At least, unless there's something seriously wrong with Kaarlo's eyes." Asura huffed out a laugh. "Let's discuss more important matters. Listen..."
***
"Party time!"
It seemed Kaarlo preferred parties over dances. As soon as his voice echoed over the grounds, Iris rushed forward.
I knew it, Lumia thought with a smile. Iris slashed out with her wooden sword and Lumia parried it with her own. Then, instead of further engaging, Lumia ignored Iris and charged straight for Asura. Marx and Jyrki moved forward to corner Iris, cutting her off from the rest of her team.
"So you immediately abandoned Iris since she's unable to fight as part of a team?!" Lumia exclaimed as she ran, holding her wooden sword up in front of her forehead.
"It's not 'abandonment,' she's a 'noble sacrifice.'" Asura also readied her sword in front of her face.
The two of them swung their blades, clashing them together before the force of the blow struck them apart. The vibrations traveled from the hilt all the way up Lumia's arm, and a small laugh flowed out of her. She'd been the one to raise Asura Lyona, all by herself. And what a wonderful enemy Asura turned out to be.
"And...boom..."
From Lumia's right, Iina threw a wooden knife at her. But because Iina opened her mouth, Lumia's eyes flicked towards her direction. At the same time Lumia's attention focused on Iina, Asura swung her sword once again in a horizontal slash.
Lumia quickly swapped her grip on her sword so that she was holding it upward to block Asura's hit. At the same time, she twisted her body to the side and avoided Iina's dagger. Iina immediately followed up with yet another knife.
I have to put some distance between myself and these two. With that thought in mind, Lumia started to move. But Asura darted forward to where Lumia was headed towards, and she swung her sword down upon Lumia's head. Oh no, she read my movements!
She blocked Iina's dagger with her sword and sidestepped Asura's attack. But she knew that she could no longer press the offensive. Iina had closed the distance between them, two daggers clutched in her hands. With the grace of a dancer, Iina twirled, blades poised to land a hit upon Lumia's body. Meanwhile, Asura fought alongside Iina as if to compensate for any openings in Iina's moves. She slashed out with her wooden sword at precise moments when Lumia tried to retaliate, and no matter how much Lumia tried to get away, they refused to let her gain any ground.
It was taking all of Lumia's attention to dodge and defend herself. She didn't even have the space to breathe. However, Lumia's mind remained calm.
This is all going exactly as planned!
Their plan was a straightforward one. So long as Jyrki and Marx wasted no time in getting rid of Iris, they'd be able to turn the tables on Asura and Iina. From the beginning, Lumia's job was simple: either defeat both Asura and Iina, or hold out until reinforcements could arrive.
Lumia had predicted this from the start. Iris was unable to coordinate her attacks with Asura and the rest of Moon Blossom. In other words, all she would do was get in the way. Thus, Asura would have her charge at Lumia's group to separate Lumia from the others, and Lumia simply accommodated Asura's strategy. While Iris kept Jyrki and Marx busy, Asura and Iina would defeat Lumia. After that, they would take care of the remaining two. If they were lucky, there was the chance Iris would take out one of them on her own.
Lumia had already known this would be Asura's plan. Everything happening was within her expectations. If Lumia could remain on her feet until Iris was taken out of the battle, then that was checkmate. Of course, this would only work if both Marx and Jyrki remained in the fray.
***
"It was exactly as the vice captain said."
"What are you talking about?!"
Iris was focusing all of her attention on Marx. This was because Asura had told her to do so. Iris's part in Asura's plan was to attack Lumia and separate her from the group, and then to defeat Marx if she could.
"That you would charge at us, but there's no way you can win if it's two on one." Jyrki tossed a dagger at Iris as if to interfere with her attack.
"Don't underestimate me! I'm a hero, remember?!"
In saying that though, Iris had almost no experience fighting against multiple opponents on her own. Most of her swordsmanship training had been one-on-one. She'd also been practicing her swings and her basic katas all by herself. Even the third part of the Hero Selection Exam had been a one-on-one match.
She wanted to focus her attention on Marx, but Jyrki got in her way. Iris had no idea what to do. Every time her attention was drawn to Jyrki, she couldn't land an effective hit on Marx. Not only that, but the two of them worked impeccably well together, and Iris found herself going on the defensive.
It was possible to unleash her fighting spirit and put Marx into the ground. However, that would defeat the purpose of this training. If she used her fighting spirit, her natural abilities would never develop. Asura also strictly forbade her from using it.
"Iris, all that's happening is going up against two opponents at the same time. Yet, you're already unable to keep up?" Marx asked in a calm tone.
"Oh, shut up! If this was one-on-one, then neither of you could defeat me!"
"Yeah, we all know that. But say that during a one-on-one match," Jyrki scoffed as he attacked. "Besides, you didn't even win when you were up against the vice cap'n, remember? Isn't that why you gotta deal with us?"
"Grrr!"
It pissed her off to be reminded of that. But they were right. Without her fighting spirit, she couldn't win against Lumia. That was why Asura hadn't ordered for Iris to handle her, and that there was a higher chance of her emerging victorious when up against Jyrki and Marx.
"I can't imagine that Boss would underestimate us. Jyrki, let's finish this before Iris can awaken to her full potential."
"Yeah! All she's got is talent. We don't wanna have to wait until she suddenly learns how to fight off two people at once."
Marx and Jyrki's attacks suddenly intensified. But even so, Iris was able to dodge and block them. Their weapons sometimes grazed her skin, but nothing hurt her to the point that she had to stop fighting. Since they were using wooden swords, they'd set a rule where you had to stop if you received a blow that would've killed you in a real battle.
Hmm? Iris blinked. She was starting to get a feel for their breathing.
Over here, right? She held her wooden sword to the side and parried Marx's attack.
Like this, right? She held her wooden sword at an angle and Marx's sword slid across the blade. She stepped to the side to stand beside Marx, and Jyrki's knife stabbed into the ground where Iris had been only a second ago. And here, attack! She flicked her wrist and swung out, slamming her sword against Marx's body.
"Yay! I did it!" Iris had managed to get a clean hit against Marx's abdomen.
"It's not over yet, you know?" Marx tossed away his wooden sword and grabbed onto Iris's with both hands.
"Huh? But if this was a real battle, you would've died... Ow!" Jyrki's knife slammed into Iris's head.
"With how much strength you'd put behind your strike, you wouldn't have been able to slice me in half. That means I'm still alive. In that case, this is what I would do so that one of my companions could defeat you, even if it results in my own death."
"It ain't time for 'Yay! I did it!' yet, Iris," Jyrki said with a wry smile. "You held back so you wouldn't actually hurt Marx, right? But don't you think that was a little rude of you?"
"But..." Even if they were only using wooden swords, a swing with Iris's full strength would hurt enough to knock someone unconscious.
"I don't mind," Marx said. "You did well until halfway through the fight. If you didn't hold back at the last second, you would've won. Too bad. We're not as naive as you. To die a vivacious death is our rule as a mercenary group, so we won't roll over and let someone kill us. So next time we do this, come at us with the intention of slicing us in half."
"By the way, my knife hit you in the head, so you're out, Iris."
"Grrr, how frustrating..." Iris tightened her grip on her wooden sword.
"I'm out too though. Jyrki, hurry to the vice captain."
"Roger that!" Jyrki ran towards Lumia and the others at full speed.