Deep in the forest, a distance away from the area where we had settled down for a year, Mirelle posed a question, her tone curious.
"Lady Witch, what do we do after we leave the forest?" she asked, tilting her head slightly to the side, a habit she often displayed when intrigued.
I glanced at her warmly. "I want to find a town or city," I replied. "Spending our lives entirely in the meadows or forests doesn't appeal to me. After that, we'll let the wind guide us. Still, there are things I need and want to do—another reason we must find a town."
Mirelle's face lit up with enthusiasm. "I'll follow Lady Witch anywhere she goes!" she exclaimed, her voice brimming with sincerity.
Her declaration warmed my heart, a poignant reminder of how much I cherished her companionship. Mirelle's presence had eased the loneliness I hadn't realized weighed so heavily on me.
As we ventured deeper into the forest, the creatures grew stronger and larger. Wolves, serpents, and humanoid monsters frequently crossed our path. At one point, we stumbled upon a small Hobgoblin cave filled with goblins and a few hulking Hobgoblins. The encounter proved routine, a testament to how much our strength had grown over the past year.
However, one particular creature stood out. It was enormous, its skin pinkish, and its head unmistakably porcine. Using [Appraisal], I identified it as an Orc, though it didn't match the mental image I had for such creatures. Fat and hulking, its humanoid frame sported hooves for feet, thick nails for hands, and an entirely pig-like head.
We observed the orc from a distance, noting its massive stature—nearly twice the size of a typical adult. While our interaction was purely observational, the sight lingered in my mind, and I dutifully recorded the details in my journal.
Later in our journey, we used Mirelle's uncanny ability to sense moisture to locate a nearby river. But as we approached the shimmering waters, a group of orcs ambushed us.
"Really now…" I muttered, suspecting I had somehow summoned this misfortune through my earlier judgmental thoughts.
Mirelle's voice interrupted my musings, tinged with discomfort. "Lady Witch, those orcs are glaring at me unpleasantly!" she said, her body trembling as she raised her sword. "I don't want to fight them—they make me uncomfortable!"
Her unease was palpable, and my irritation flared as I turned to face the orcs. Their leering eyes and drooling mouths sent a shiver of disgust through me. Their behavior was sickening, reminiscent of memories I preferred to forget.
Anger surged within me, fueled by their indecency and Mirelle's distress. Raising my staff, I slammed it into the ground. Massive stone walls erupted around the orcs, trapping them. My voice rang out as I cast my spell.
"<
A golden flaming spear materialized above me and shot into the stone enclosure, igniting it with blinding intensity. The orcs were incinerated in an instant, reduced to nothing but ash and a few mana crystals.
Lowering my staff, I dispelled the stone walls, revealing a scorched ground devoid of life. My stern voice carried through the clearing as I spoke. "Don't you dare look at my companion with such unpleasant eyes."
Turning to Mirelle, who was still trembling, I softened my tone. "Let's move farther along the river's stream," I suggested, gently patting her shoulder.
Mirelle nodded, tears glistening in her eyes. "Yes, Lady Witch," she whispered, clutching my arm for comfort.
I pulled her into a reassuring embrace, stroking her hair with one hand while patting her back with the other. Slowly, her trembling subsided.
"Ehehe," Mirelle giggled softly, her eyes sparkling with warmth as she nestled closer.
With her spirits lifted, we continued our journey, leaving the unpleasant encounter behind.
.
..
...
"I think we've traveled quite a bit along this river, and this spot looks good." I said, scanning the area around us before adding, "It seems like the perfect place to rest and have our lunch, don't you think, Mirelle?"
I looked toward her with a warm smile, then asked, "How about curry for today's dinner?"
"Curry?! Yes, please, Lady Witch!" Mirelle's face lit up with enthusiasm.
I chuckled softly. "You really do love curry, Mirelle."
"It's so tasty and spicy! I really love it!" Mirelle replied, her hands moving up and down to emphasize just how much she enjoyed it.
"Hahaha, alright then," I said, laughing softly. "Mirelle, could you set up the table while I prepare the area? I'll make sure no monsters get too close while we eat."
"Yes, Lady Witch!" Mirelle replied, raising her hand in a salute before dashing off. She quickly lifted a large boulder near the river without much effort and, with a flourish of her [Earth Magic], shaped it into a table. She gathered other materials to craft chairs with ease.
Meanwhile, I set up a small barrier talisman, which I'd created earlier with my [Talisman Creation] skill, to ensure we had some protection while we ate.
With everything secured and the camp fully set up, it was time to cook. Recently, I had been cooking more often, preferring to use [Creation Magic] to make the ingredients I needed rather than creating fully cooked meals. It turned out to be more mana-efficient that way.
"Mirelle, the curry's ready," I said, giving the pot one last stir before taking it off the fire and placing it on the table. Mirelle had already seated herself, her eyes wide with excitement.
"Yay, curry! It's curry!" Mirelle cheered, jumping up from her chair to help me.
"Alright, let's eat," I said, handing her a generous portion of curry with rice.
"It's curry and rice! Ehehe~" Mirelle giggled, taking the plate eagerly. Her joy was infectious, and I found myself smiling as I watched her dig into her meal. Eating together like this had become more enjoyable with each passing day, especially as Mirelle's expressions grew more vivid.
I paused for a moment, thinking to myself, If I eat as much as Mirelle, I'll grow, too. My chest will definitely grow, right? I focused and determinedly began serving myself some curry and rice.
"This is so tasty~" Mirelle said between bites, her face lighting up with every mouthful.
As we finished our meal, Mirelle went for seconds, but just as she reached for the pot, a rustling sound echoed from one direction. It immediately put us both on high alert.
I gripped my staff tightly, preparing myself. Mirelle, too, reacted instantly—her eyes sharp and focused as she drew one of her katanas from her body. She took a stance, her face set in a serious expression, ready to protect me at all costs.
Out of the rustling noises came out 4 people, two were human males in leather armor, another was 1 human girl in light armor and a bow on one hand, and the last person being a girl with a wooden staff in her hand and wore a white robe with black accents.
They all seemed to be out of breath and was quite battered up, showing signs of heavy fighting. "People?" said the girl with a bow in her hand with confusion, but immediately added "and they're kids?!", rustling could be heard once again, the girl continued as she heard the rustling noises from behind them getting closer.
"Hey you two! Run away now!" said one of the girls in white robe as she heard the rustling sound getting nearer and nearer, they scattered and quickly got into a stance and fought against the enemies that were slowly getting closer. However, they didn't seem to have enough strength to push back the enemies away or even defeat them altogether.
Behind the group revealed a number of Orcs, where the one leading the Orcs had a more muscular build than the usual one, another was carrying a wooden staff behind the rest of the other Orcs. I swiftly used [Appraisal] on the Orcs that were different from usual, according to [Appraisal] the muscular orc was called [Orc Leader], the one with the staff was [Orc Mage] and the rest of the orcs weren't regular Orcs but [Orc Soldiers].
It seems that the group was being chased by a group of higher species of Orcs. Battle was unavoidable, if we didn't help and just ran away, it would leave a bad taste in my mouth, ignoring them wouldn't really help when we've already been eyed by the Orcs, I also didn't know whether the group of people in front of me were good or bad.
Nevertheless, "Mirelle, get ready. We're fighting the Orcs" I said sternly, as I looked towards the group of people and Orcs ahead of us. "Yes, Lady Witch" said Mirelle without much fear and with courage.