Return to the Village
The two girls were moved by the fairy-tale sight before them—but the reality was a gutter of mutual cursing.
"You fucking idiot, you should've bolted the second you saw them!! What the hell are you still doing here?"
"But Hugin... this golden female had friend's scent and energy on her neck, so I helped."
"What do you mean 'but'.... Huh? Wait, you're right? Is she Haren's mate or something? 'Cause she's only half the size of that bastard's body."
"She's really small and young, but maybe?"
Hugin, who had been listening in confusion, took to the sky and circled around Hati.
"We'll put that story aside for now—I'll get you out of here first. I'll clear a path, so stick close behind me."
"I trust you, Hugin."
Had yesterday's massive hunt paid off?
Near the hideout, no more monsters were in sight.
"Ugh, look at this mess—my feathers are even more wrecked."
"Me too..."
"Guh... I think you can set those females on your back down for a bit here?"
"Yeah. You look exhausted."
Hati lowered his body so the two females could rest, and a brief respite passed as he and Hugin exchanged stories of everything that had happened.
Whoooooosh!!!
A rough wind approached—something racing toward them at high speed.
But neither of them worried. The scent and energy were very familiar.
"Well, well, finally showed up.... Took you long enough."
"What's the big deal? It was fun."
"Yeah, true."
Before long, the friend they had been searching for so desperately revealed himself.
These fucking things—what the hell were they? They looked absolutely disgusting.
And there were way too many of them.
Following Blanc, I smashed the tentacle monsters standing on two legs with my wooden sword charged with Sword Force.
Slash!!!
I didn't bother with any fancy swordsmanship.
Just a wooden sword swung with Sword Force and transcendent strength.
The monsters tore apart like paper meeting a sharp blade.
But I realized I couldn't keep advancing if I took them one by one with the sword, so I swung the wooden sword while chanting magic.
Wind Spear
The wind condensed into a long form resembling a spear.
Automatic Target
Auxiliary magic that automatically fires spells at enemies
The wind spears launched themselves at the monsters.
Boom!!!
When a wind spear hit a monster, its body exploded.
Multi Magic
Multiple wind spears were cast at once.
Automatic Repeat
Magic that automatically reuses spells
Five or six wind spears continuously flew at the monsters, weaving between the trees.
My mana dropped sharply, but there was no time.
I had to run fast for the animal friends who had opened their hearts to me.
I swept through the swarming enemies with sword and magic, guided by Blanc.
"Pong! Pong!"
"What? They're at the hideout now? Blanc, come here."
Cradling Blanc in one hand, I sprinted toward the hideout.
Trees whipped past, and when I arrived—
"Woof woof!! Awooo~!"
"Screeeech!!"
I could see the two of them, fur and feathers a complete mess.
"Hati! Hugin! You're not hurt, are you?"
"Woof!" "Caw!"
"Oh, thank god...."
Ugh... my heart... I thought it was going to fall out of my chest....
I'd been spamming magic the whole way here, so three-fifths of my mana was gone.
Still, with a brief rest, my mana was rapidly recovering, so I had a little room to breathe.
While Blanc floated over and washed the two of them clean...
"And you two are?"
"Ah... hello."
"Oh!!! So this wolf and bird have an owner!!! Hello!"
Bel was wary of my massive frame and the mask I wore, but Mani's eyes sparkled as she looked at me.
Neither of them seemed injured—Hati and Hugin must have saved them in the forest.
"You two... got caught up with those monsters while you were in the forest, I take it."
"Yes...."
I sighed, but there was no time for that.
"Can you move for now? I'll take you back to the village."
"Really?! There are monsters everywhere up ahead—will you be okay?"
"You might get hurt if something goes wrong."
"It's fine. And this place isn't safe anymore either."
As the girls fretted over me, monsters began appearing one by one around the hideout.
"Already..? What do we do?"
"This place isn't safe either...?"
Worry filled both girls' faces.
"I will get you home safely. But I need one promise from you."
"Yes?"
I offered them words of encouragement and asked for a single promise.
"You won't speak of what you've seen here."
With those words, I activated two spells.
Excel of Magical
Auxiliary magic with an enormous cooldown that ignores casting time for any spell of advanced rank or below—usable only once
Chain Lightning
Advanced Magic
Blue lightning erupted from my hand, struck a monster, then split into branches that hit the others.
Strangely, the lightning didn't touch a single tree or blade of grass—it only annihilated the surrounding monsters.
"Well then—do you trust me now? Let's head back to the village."
Mani and Bel's mouths hung open.
The two girls remembered a story they'd heard at the church a few months ago, and hope filled their eyes.
A real mage!!
"Let's go."
"Yes!!"
I put the two girls on Hati's back, and we all set out for the village.
I'd used a flashy, powerful advanced spell to put them at ease—
and a third of my total mana pool was gone... the mana efficiency was truly garbage.
I'd even just refilled my mana, and now I only had about an eighth left.
From here on, I need to conserve...
I swung my wooden sword at the monsters without charging it with Sword Qi or Sword Force.
This was the first time I was using a warrior's skills in real combat.
Was it because of the continuous training in the mountains that had mastered these skills?
The warrior skills weren't coming out unconsciously—I was consciously thinking and moving my body.
The wooden sword whipped through the air. When an approaching monster met the blade, it wasn't cut—it was torn apart.
Not the result of raw force crushing down, but of properly applied power.
Leaving the mangled corpses behind, black whips from the monsters came lashing in.
I deflected the whips with my wooden sword and, in the instant they were left open, swung at the monsters.
A perfect warrior's form—but there were too many enemies.
Just like when I'd come to the hideout, I cast magic while swinging my sword.
Chain Casting
Auxiliary magic that, once a basic spell is cast, automatically casts it multiple times
Energy Bolt
Concentrated force with physical power became small arrows and flew out.
Thud!!! Thud!!! Thud!!! Thud!!!
Fortunately, about four basic spells were enough to blow the monsters apart.
"Pong~ Pong~"
Blanc wrapped a thin water barrier around me like a soap bubble so the monsters' fluids wouldn't splash on me.
"Screeeech!!"
While I carved through the monsters ahead with sword and magic, Hugin killed the ones approaching the girls.
Hmm.... Unlike when he kills animals, wind is coiled around his wings and talons like rings?
This guy was like an onion—layers upon layers no matter how much you peeled.
By the time we got somewhat close to the village, I was advancing by taking down monsters with only warrior skills and swordsmanship.
My mana was at its limit now, and if I used magic, the priests at the church near the village would notice.
The girls seemed fascinated that I was only using weapon techniques—I guess battle mages are interesting no matter the era.
As we approached the village outskirts, the sounds of combat rang out ahead....
"You!!! Blasphemous creatures!!!"
....Here they come.
"Die!!! You pieces of trash!!!"
Up ahead, vicious priests were slaughtering monsters while spewing abuse.
Cloaked in sky-blue auras, they swung iron maces and turned the monsters into pork cutlets.
Among them, the girls spotted a welcome face and cried out.
"Priest Martin!!!"
"You!! Don't even dare— Wait? That voice? Bel?! Mani?! What are you doing here!?"
"Ah.. well.... um"
"Hehe..."
"I'll explain."
"Huh? And you are..?"
Looking at those bloodshot eyes, the kids are scared....
In the end, I have to step up and explain.
A short while later.....
"Hooo..! Sir Haren, thank you so truly much! If it weren't for a noble person like you, we might have lost these two young ladies!!"
Priest Martin bowed at the waist in gratitude and continued.
"Please, once this situation is resolved, you must come to the church!"
"Understood. For now, let's head to the village."
"Brother Berin, Brother Iran, Brother Arcane? Kill them all."
"Yes!! Senior Priest!!!"
With three priests clad in faint blue auras as the vanguard, ten priests advanced while massacring the monsters.
"The Lord protects us!!!"
"Is this why you were cast out!! Do not block our path!!"
"Kyaaaaaaaah!"
That blue aura must be divine power reinforcing their bodies.
The priests charged fearlessly while screaming—the combat power of priests armed with fanaticism was beyond imagination.
I made a mental note to never, ever commit blasphemy.
But.... Priest Martin kept glancing my way intensely.
Ordinary priests hadn't noticed the residual mana flowing from my wooden sword, but a senior priest's eyes couldn't be fooled so easily.
I'll have to explain carefully at the church later.
With the priests' help, we made it safely and soon arrived at the village.
People were outside the wooden palisade cleaning up, and piles of black corpses showed the village had made it through unharmed.
"Bel!!!" "Mani!!!"
"Mom!!!"
Armed women outside the palisade cried out when they saw the girls riding with the party.
A mother-daughter reunion, huh...
"Are you okay, sweetheart? You're not hurt anywhere?"
"Yeah.... *sob*..."
"Oh, you little troublemaker—I told you not to go far from the village, but you never listen, do you?"
"Hehe... sorry, Mom...."
One was held in a warm embrace, the other was being scolded while hugged—but the love filling both hearts was the same.
"Haha, truly a heartwarming sight. There are still monsters positioned in the forest, so let's head inside the village for now."
Priest Martin organized the situation and went into the village, then we talked.
Perhaps having heard Priest Martin's account, the woman from the vigilante corps who'd been holding Bel came over and offered repeated thanks.
"Thank you so much. Mr. Haren—I don't know how to express my gratitude for saving our children."
"Not at all. I just ran into them while looking for my gear and these guys."
"Your gear in the forest?"
"I'm a hunter, so I left my weapons in the forest when I stopped by the village briefly."
"Ah.... I see."
Talking with Bel's mother, I learned she was the captain of the village vigilante corps.
Wow, she's incredibly beautiful for a martial artist—impressive...
Bel was super cute too; must be maternal genetics.
"Sister! The senior priest is calling for you! Oh! You're the one who saved our Mani! I'm sorry I haven't thanked you yet."
"Got it. Well then, I'll see you next time. I'll tell the children to go home."
"Yes, please go ahead."
The women went inside... Hmm? What's that noise?
Looking for the reason amid the bustle, I found Hati and Hugin receiving enormous attention from the village.
Blanc had dropped her invisibility mode and was floating around over there too.
Judging by the explosive interest from the surrounding women, cuteness is always right.
Living in a village, you almost never see unusual creatures like these, so they must be quite the spectacle.
"Wait, Haren?"
"Mr. Gen?"
The one who'd called me was Gen the peddler.
"Huh, I heard there was a hunter who saved the kids outside the village—so it was you?"
"Haha... I just happened to run into them while looking for my gear and these guys."
"Modesty! Anyway, a Storm Hawk and a Dire Wolf... and a white one—is that a rare variant?"
"You recognized them right away?"
"They're such unusual specimens, that's why. Incredible, though. To be the master of creatures like those."
"They're good friends."
So this is where I learn Hugin and Hati's species....
Mr. Gen sure knows a lot—he's a middle-aged man around forty; what did he used to do?
"Pong!!!"
"Hmm? These days even slimes float around in the sky? How curious."
"Pong....."
He doesn't recognize a spirit...
Leaving Blanc dejected at not being recognized, Gen the peddler headed back to the shelter.
"I should head back to the shelter now. You've worked hard too, Haren—get some rest."
"I'll head in a bit later. You go on ahead."
"Take care of yourself~"
I first went to the vigilante corps and got permission to bring Hati and Hugin around the village, then we all rested together on top of an empty wooden building of suitable height.
A short while later, about eight priests and fifteen vigilante members headed out of the village—judging by the direction toward the forest, they were probably going to deal with the creatures still out there.
"Piiiiii... piiiiii..."
From what Hugin told me, he'd been fighting monsters continuously for two days, so he must be exhausted.
"You did well, Hugin."
"Piiiiii...."
There were monsters that tried to invade the village, but the vigilante corps attacked with spears from behind the palisade, so the damage taken was minimal.
Helping fight the monsters, several days passed.