Dawn's Wolf
Dawn's Wolf was an adventurer party that mainly operated out of De Meca in the Seiros Kingdom. Known as the land of mercenaries and adventurers, the Seiros Kingdom struggled to fend off the monsters that constantly spilled from the Zairan Forest on its own, so it relied heavily on the Mercenary Guild and the Adventurer Guild. As usual, after accepting a suitable request, Dawn's Wolf was currently in Alkali Village to carry it out.
Their leader, Paul, was already a highly respected figure among adventurers. Tall and broad-shouldered with a sturdy frame honed by countless battles, he had a distinctly masculine face that still carried a boyish charm—especially when he smiled—which made him particularly popular with women. Though usually described as playful, Paul was the type who drew a clear line between work and personal matters.
"Charles, support us from the rear. Reina, mix attack and support magic and keep an eye on both sides! Natalie, fight freely like always, but don't stray too far!"
They were veterans who had fought together for a long time, so such instructions weren't strictly necessary, but knowing one's role versus not knowing it made all the difference. The reason they had left De Meca and come to Alkali Village was because they had accepted a request to stop Root Hunters that had been attacking the village's crops.
Root Hunters were frog-like monsters that primarily targeted crops planted for cultivation.
Croak! Croak!
"Hup!"
Slash!
Paul cleaved through a Root Hunter's body with his longsword. While the proper way to wield a longsword—given its length and weight—was with two hands, Paul dominated the Root Hunters with one hand, as if he had his own unique swordsmanship.
"Water Bullet!"
Reina's magic followed, striking a Root Hunter that had been aiming for Paul's rear. It wasn't enough to kill it in one hit, but it provided crucial support for the flank Paul couldn't watch. Slash! Paul finished off the dazed Root Hunter with a single strike and spoke.
"Thanks, Reina!"
Paul was a righteous man who expressed gratitude even in the middle of battle. It might have seemed like a small thing, but the situation had been genuinely dangerous. Even though Root Hunters were frog-shaped monsters, they stood as tall as a human's waist. Allowing an attack from them could easily result in a fatal wound—or worse, death.
"Focus on the fight!"
Reina brushed off his thanks with her usual sharp tone. Paul gave her a light smile at her consistent attitude and turned his attention back to the front, glaring at the approaching Root Hunters.
"It seems there are no followers of Lady Priya in Alkali Village. If they prayed every day, these troubles would vanish by her grace."
Charles, a free priest of the Priya Religion, was accumulating good deeds while working as an adventurer. As a devout believer, his habitual phrases were "Pray" and "Have faith." Even if they sounded like something a cultist might say, the Priya Religion was the state religion, so many people believed, and his words carried a clear, resonant quality.
At that moment, Paul added something odd to Charles's remark.
"With this many of them, I doubt even praying would help."
Charles frowned slightly, expressing his discomfort.
"That's blasphemy."
Even so, Charles continued, acknowledging the abnormal number of Root Hunters.
"But there really are far too many this year."
It wasn't a number that could be resolved by a miracle, just as Paul had said. No matter how many they killed, the Root Hunters kept coming, and their stamina was gradually draining while their minds grew hazy. Dawn's Wolf wasn't the only party in Alkali Village right now. Since five parties had taken on the request together, other adventurer parties and mercenaries were also fighting. Yet the Root Hunters showed no sign of ending.
"No matter how troublesome this season is for them, something about this feels wrong."
It certainly did. Root Hunters coveting the village crops was nothing new. But hundreds of them appearing together was clearly an abnormal phenomenon.
"Still, we have to finish the job first."
Paul focused on completing the request, the fate of every adventurer. He steadied his concentration and pointed his longsword forward.
"Hraaah!"
He cut down a Root Hunter that was grappling with another adventurer right in front of him, steadily reducing their endless numbers one by one.
"Grant me the strength to run across the trembling earth with feather-light steps. Boost!"
Charles, the priest, added a beneficial effect for Paul. Thanks to it, Paul's speed increased without hindrance, and he rapidly thinned the Root Hunters' ranks with agile movements.
***
"Hoo~"
After the battle ended, Dawn's Wolf regrouped behind the mountain of Root Hunter corpses.
"That was brutal, wasn't it?"
Paul checked on his party members and prepared to return to the guild to report the request complete.
"Paul! You're always leaving me out!"
Natalie, the cat beastman, came running from afar.
"Ah, right! Where did you go off fighting alone again? Hahaha!"
Natalie joined them as if it were nothing unusual. Just as they were about to return to the Adventurer Guild in De Meca after finishing the request—
Thud! Thud!
"R-Run!"
One adventurer shouted. The urgent voice made it clear this was no ordinary situation.
"Th-That's..."
Dawn's Wolf also saw the creature emerging from the forest. It was a monster that only appeared occasionally in the Zairan Forest, spoken of only in rumors. The tyrant of the forest that killed anything it saw. An Ogre.
True to its fearsome reputation, its overwhelming presence left even Paul flustered.
"R-Run! We have to make it to De Meca!"
Paul pushed them from behind without looking back. But the priest Charles spoke.
"We have to stop it here."
"What?"
"The village will be destroyed."
As a devout follower of Priya, he couldn't stand by and watch while so many lives were in danger. Charles walked toward the Ogre as if entranced.
Grab!
Paul seized Charles's shoulder. Taking one more step would mean he couldn't take responsibility for what happened.
"No."
"But—!"
"If I say no, then it's no! Charles, today isn't the only day. Lady Priya will surely forgive you."
Thud! Thud!
The Ogre's footsteps grew louder, and Charles abandoned his faith. No—he resolved to abandon it. Just as he turned to head toward De Meca—
"Waaah! Mommy!"
A child's cry, piercing like metal scraping against ears, filled with extreme terror. Even hearing that, could he really return to De Meca? Charles looked at the child's location and the Ogre's position. Maybe he could still save the child. If he hesitated any longer, he'd have to watch the child die right in front of him.
"Get back!"
Charles slipped from Paul's grip and threw himself forward. Thud! He barely managed to push the child's body away. But—
Kuwooooor!
The Ogre roared. Crash!
"Kyaaah!"
Reina screamed, and Natalie lost focus. A single swing. With that, Charles ceased to exist in this world.
Paul thought of the warmth that had been on his palm just moments ago. And the spot where his comrade had been torn apart. He thought of the aura the Ogre was emitting.
"M-Move! Reina! Natalie! Hurry!"
Paul shouted to maintain rational judgment. He was imprinting the will to survive before fear could consume his mind. Then he grabbed both women's arms and started running. They quickly grasped the situation and followed Paul.
"D-Damn it!"
The Ogre was far too fast. It was simply chasing the lives in front of it, yet it had already overtaken them and blocked their escape with its massive bulk. Paul had nowhere left to go. His eyes darted around, searching desperately for any side path.
"Kwoooar!"
The Ogre's roar drew closer, sounding almost like a challenge. Paul looked toward the Ogre. The path to De Meca was already blocked by it. Crash! It uprooted a tree and swung it wildly, smashing houses in Alkali Village. Even seeing that, could they move toward the Ogre? The only way to survive now was to get away from it. Since it was blocking the road to De Meca—
"L-Let's go to the Zairan Forest."
But the two women were dazed, unable to ignore the screams coming from the village.
"Hurry!!"
At Paul's shout, Reina and Natalie finally looked back.
"If you don't snap out of it, we'll all die. With our strength, we can't even leave bones behind against an Ogre! Do you understand?!"
Survival came before everything else, so Paul raised his voice at them. He didn't want to die either, but as the leader responsible for the party, he had a duty to keep them alive.
"If we enter the Zairan Forest and head south, we'll reach the sea. From there, we can follow the coastline to De Marinda. There won't be many monsters by the shore, and we won't get lost."
Both nodded at Paul's words. Seeing their understanding expressions, Paul said,
"Let's go."
No matter how fast they ran, they wouldn't reach De Meca before the Ogre. In the end, they had no choice but to head for De Marinda, the port city of the Seiros Kingdom. Fortunately, the Ogre's attention remained on the innocent Alkali Village. As they moved, the sounds of something being smashed and desperate pleas for help continued to reach their ears. Still in a daze, they escaped Alkali Village and entered the forest.
***
Step. Step. Rustle.
Paul pushed through the grass as he walked. How many hours had it been? The thought crossed his mind. Looking back, he saw Reina and Natalie, panting as they barely managed each step. Camping in the Zairan Forest was practically suicide. At least they wanted to do it by the shore, so they'd pushed themselves. But their condition looked serious.
"Let's rest here for a bit."
Paul finally made the decision. If they didn't rest or eat something, there was no sign their condition would improve.
"I'll go find food. You two gather firewood."
Paul gave Reina and Natalie a relatively simple task and searched the surroundings for food. He moved carefully to avoid encountering monsters. While searching, he found a familiar ingredient.
'Perfect! This will do.'
It was the roasted bugs he'd seen in Alkali Village. Normally repulsive, but now it was food he couldn't afford to turn down. It was well known that bugs were nutritious, and in Alkali Village they were even sold as a local specialty, so it was worth hoping for.
After filling his pockets with edible bugs, Paul returned to the campsite and saw Reina quietly crying.
"R-Reina! What happened? Where's Natalie?"
She didn't stop crying even after Paul arrived.
"Reina, look at me. What happened?"
He asked calmly to help her settle down.
"N-Natalie~ disappeared!"
"D-Damn it!"
As a cat beastman, Natalie was a skilled warrior, but she had a chronic problem: a terrible sense of direction. In short, she was directionally challenged. She was so bad with paths that she even forgot the streets of De Meca she walked every day.
'She couldn't have gone far.'
Paul thought coldly. This was exactly when he needed to stay focused.
"W-We can find her."
The sun hadn't set yet. The trees in the Zairan Forest grew so densely that they blocked most sunlight, but they couldn't give up hope.
***
When Bagan appeared before them and made it clear he had no intention of attacking, Paul ordered Reina to stop as well, and she canceled the magic she had been forming. Since she had tried to cast Water Bullet twice, it seemed she was primarily a water-attribute mage. Once Dawn's Wolf dropped their hostility toward Bagan, he also relaxed his guard. In the meantime, Natalie was explaining to them about Bagan—how he had helped when they were surrounded by Arc Wolves, his actions, and his strength. Having experienced his power firsthand, it felt all the more real.
"Um..."
Paul spoke up.
"Bagan."
"B-Bagan, sir! My name is Paul, leader of Dawn's Wolf. I'm a swordsman of little skill and the worst leader possible—because I attacked the benefactor who saved my comrade."
"I know."
"I'm truly sorry. And thank you. For saving Natalie."
"If you know, that's enough. I couldn't have ignored it either."
Bagan's heart softened at their sincere apology and gratitude. There had never been much resentment to begin with—it was all a misunderstanding, so he hadn't taken it to heart. Now that the misunderstanding was cleared and he'd received their thanks, he had no lingering attachment to them. Bagan had more important matters to attend to. He turned and headed toward the mansion, in the opposite direction from De Meca.
"W-Wait, where are you going?"
"My house is that way."
Bagan pointed toward the Moral Mountain Range.
"Th-That's not a place where people can live..."
"People don't live there."
Well, a dragon and a mage beastman did, but regardless, Bagan had no time to waste with them and kept walking.
"J-Just a moment. I won't ask anything more about you. But we can't just let you go like this."
"What?"
"If you ever stop by De Meca again, please find Dawn's Wolf. We'll repay you properly."
Bagan nodded at Paul's words.
"Sure."
And this time, without delay, he kicked off the ground with all his strength.
'This is bad.'
Barret had noticed Bagan going out more often lately and had been preparing meals and bathwater to match his return times. But today, he had missed that timing. And as expected, the moment Bagan entered the cave, he saw her waiting in front of the mansion. From her atmosphere and posture, she was clearly angry. Bagan approached one slow step at a time, inwardly worried that a Fireball might come flying his way.
"You're late."
As he drew closer, she spoke first.
"Yeah..."
"What were you doing that made you late?"
Barret was asking a question she normally never would.
'She doesn't look like she'll move.'
She stood firmly in front of the mansion, determined not to budge until he answered. Her lips were pursed more than usual, as if expressing her sulk.
"Well, what could I have been doing? Would you believe me if I said I met other adventurers?"
Since it wasn't the atmosphere for lying, he decided to tell the truth. Of course, he couldn't mention why he had gone to the Zairan Forest.
"Oh? So there are adventurers who come all the way out here?"
"Ah, technically this is Persona Mountain, so of course I met them in the Zairan Forest."
At Bagan's answer, Barret asked with a puzzled expression.
"Where is that?"
Bagan was taken aback by her words. And something occurred to him.
"Barret, have you never gone outside the cave before?"
"Ahem, is that important right now? The fact that you're late is what's important."
Barret tried to change the subject quickly, but Bagan grew serious on his own. Her never having left the mansion meant she had endured all that time alone. He finally understood why she had been acting difficult and sulking whenever he went out lately.
"Sorry. Want to go out together starting tomorrow?"
"It's fine. Just come inside and have dinner already!"
She was deliberately emphasizing that it was now dinnertime for Bagan, who usually ate a late lunch.
"Got it. But is it true you've never gone out even once?"
"Please don't concern yourself with it."
"I really wouldn't mind if you came with me..."
Actually, it would be better if she came along. Until now, Bagan had only hunted in the Zairan Forest because there were many beast-type monsters there. But a far better hunting ground was the open skies of the Moral Mountain Range. Stronger monsters lived there. For example—
'Griffons and wyverns.'
If he could hunt them, growing stronger would happen in an instant. But Bagan couldn't hunt them.
'My long-range attacks are too weak.'
Their passive ability was flying. He could catch them if he ambushed or fought on the ground, but if they flew away, he'd just be wasting time. In that sense, if Barret came with him, she could cover his weak long-range attacks. After all, she was a 7th-circle mage in fire magic. That wasn't the only reason, but it made her refusal all the more painful. When she rejected him so firmly, Bagan habitually reached for her ears as he walked ahead. As expected, Barret didn't resist his touch.
"You're being rather rough today."
"What, you can feel that?"
Startled, he pulled his hand away, then touched her again, wondering if it was okay.
"Did you miss me that much?"
Barret spoke as if she felt slighted.
"I won't be late again from now on. And if there's a chance, let's definitely go out together."
Bagan tried to ease her heart with a promise he couldn't guarantee he'd keep. She seemed to sense his sincerity and gave a small nod.