Episode 8
“Forest wolves?”
Another unfamiliar monster popped up. As soon as the Saint saw it, she immediately explained about the forest wolves.
“As the name suggests, they’re wolf-like monsters that live in the forest. They look just like regular wolves, so people often mistake them for normal wolves and let their guard down, making them easy prey. Their habits are similar too. As written in the request here, they sometimes attack ranches where people raise livestock, just like wolves.”
Seeing how smoothly she spits out monster info, it makes me wonder if she has some kind of “Monster Encyclopedia” stored in her head.
“They sound like a pain.”
“Exactly. Just like you, Hero-nim, a walking disaster♡”
I’ve never caused any trouble, okay?
…Not yet, at least.
“How strong are they compared to Nols?”
“Forest wolves are also low-level monsters. But they’re much faster than Nols. Their strength is about the same.”
“So they’re much stronger than Nols.”
“Hmm, not necessarily. Forest wolves have habits very similar to wolves, but there’s one huge difference.”
“What is it?”
The Saint then flashed a smug smile and answered.
“They’re idiots, just like you, Hero-nim♡”
“…Idiots?”
“Wolves are very intelligent animals. They can even recognize hunters’ traps. But forest wolves can’t do that. If you set a trap, they’ll just walk right into it. The only problem is that, being monsters, they can just stomp through traps without a care.”
“Hmm, I see.”
In that case, they might actually be easier to deal with than Nols.
“Are you going to take this request?”
“Do I even have a choice?”
“Nope, of course not♡”
Then why did you even ask, dammit.
“Um, excuse me!”
“Yes?”
I think she just called me. I turned around and saw a cute-looking girl and a stern-looking female warrior standing there.
The girl with twin tails was wearing a robe and holding a staff. A mage, maybe? The one next to her was clearly just a warrior.
“What’s up?”
“Are you two going to exterminate the forest wolf pack?”
“Yeah, that’s the plan.”
“Can we come with you?”
This is one of those sudden companion events that happen all the time in adventure genre novels. I can’t let this opportunity slip away again.
“Well…”
“No.”
The Saint cut me off and flatly refused. Feeling a bit annoyed, I looked at her and asked.
“…Why not?”
“Have you forgotten why we’re taking this request? Really, if that thing on your neck isn’t just a decoration, I’d appreciate it if you used it to think.”
“But wouldn’t it be fine to go together?”
“Then there’d be fewer forest wolves for you to fight. No way. You need to somehow improve that freeloader-level strength of yours.”
“Hmm…”
I see. It’s a shame, but there’s nothing I can do. I put on a friendly smile and politely declined their offer.
“Sorry, but it seems difficult to go together.”
“Oh, I see…”
The girl muttered, looking dejected.
“Then we’ll have to wait here for over a week again…”
“…A week?”
What do you need to wait a week for? When I asked, the girl replied.
“We need forest wolf manes, so we need someone to hunt forest wolves with us, but the request rank is too low, so no adventurers are willing to join us.”
“…I see.”
“So we’ve been stuck here for a week. If we can’t go with you, we’ll have to wait a few more days…”
She answered in a pitiful voice and glanced at the Saint. The Saint flinched, sighed deeply, and then spoke.
“Fine, you can come with us.”
She’s surprisingly weak to this kind of thing.
“Everyone, let’s go together!”
“Yay! Thank you so much!”
“Thanks.”
Great, I won’t have to hear any annoying complaints for a while!
“Hero-nim.”
“Yes?”
“Let me emphasize this again: all women are foxes.”
“…Ah, okay.”
You’re the least trustworthy one here, you know?
#
“Are you folks from the Adventurer’s Guild?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“You look tall and sturdy, but I’m not sure about the folks behind you.”
“Don’t worry, they’re all adventurers.”
“Hmm…”
We had just arrived at the ranch that had been damaged by the forest wolf pack.
On the way, I asked for their names. The girl introduced herself as Letty, and the warrior as Roland.
‘Roland?’
I thought I’d heard the name somewhere, and then I remembered it’s the name of the protagonist from the famous European chivalric epic, “The Song of Roland.” Also known as Orlando, the legendary knight.
Surprisingly, their adventurer ranks were Letty at C and Roland at D. A legendary knight’s name, but a D-rank adventurer like me.
Anyway, it’s a D-rank request, so why can’t they handle it themselves? When I asked, they explained.
-Letty’s magic is powerful, but she runs out of mana quickly. So she’s not great against multiple enemies.
In other words, she’s like a one-hit wonder with terrible mana efficiency. No wonder they couldn’t find a party.
Anyway, we made it to the ranch without getting lost.
“Have you figured out the forest wolves’ route?”
“Of course. Those idiots always take the same path.”
“Can you show us?”
“Follow me.”
The ranch owner led us around the ranch. The cows and bulls grazing peacefully nearby made it feel almost too peaceful for a world with a Demon King.
“Here. The forest wolves come out here, raid the ranch, and then escape back into the forest over there.”
“But if the forest wolves keep coming, why not stop grazing?”
“Then the milk and meat won’t taste as good. The product value drops. It’s better to lose one or two to the wolves than to stop grazing.”
“I see.”
The ranch owner looked at us and said.
“Please exterminate the forest wolves. I’m losing chunks of hair every morning because of them.”
…He was specifically looking at me. Apparently, the appearance of the three behind me didn’t inspire much confidence.
“Don’t worry. We’ll definitely take care of the forest wolves.”
“Ah, thank you. That’s reassuring.”
After the ranch owner left, I looked at the Saint.
“Saint…”
Wait, shouldn’t we keep the fact that she’s the Saint and I’m the Hero a secret from Roland and Letty? We didn’t mention it when registering as adventurers.
“…Estelle.”
“!”
Calling her by her name seemed to surprise her. But she must have realized why I did it, as she nodded and replied.
“Yes, Abel. What is it?”
“Are we going to exterminate the forest wolves right away?”
“No. It’s better to wait until night.”
Isn’t that giving the wolves the advantage?
The Saint explained it clearly to me.
“We don’t know their routes in the forest. The only sure route we know is around the ranch. So it’s better to wait here than to wander around aimlessly.”
“I see. But isn’t night a bit disadvantageous for us?”
“Abel, you need to get used to night battles too.”
The Saint smiled as she said that.
What’s this? It’s not her usual smug smile, but I can still feel that unique arrogance.
…Am I the one who’s weird?
Anyway, I get her intention. As a Hero, I’ll definitely face night battles, so it’s better to get used to it now.
But the question is, are Roland and Letty okay with this?
“Roland, Letty. You two…”
“Are you okay?”
“We’re fine!”
“I don’t mind either.”
Looks like both of them have experience with night battles. We should wait for nightfall, as the Saint suggested.
#
That night was unusually dark. The moon, which should have illuminated the night sky, was hidden behind clouds, and only the stars were supposed to twinkle in the darkness. But something else was sparkling in front of us.
Have you ever seen a tiger’s eyes at night?
I haven’t seen it in real life, but I’ve seen it on XTube. It feels like just eyeballs floating in the darkness.
And now, there are more than ten pairs of those eyes floating in front of me.
“Forest wolves, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
I drew the Holy Sword. Roland’s eyes widened slightly when he saw the massive blade.
“Impressive strength.”
“……”
This thing is super light. Stop misunderstanding, it’s making me feel guilty.
“I’ll prepare my magic.”
“Okay. Please do.”
The Saint didn’t stop Letty and Roland’s movements. Instead, she whispered to me.
“If you don’t kill more forest wolves than the adventurers here, I’ll scold you~♡”
“…What do you mean by scolding?”
“I’ll leave that to your imagination♡”
Crazy woman.
“And while we’re at it, experiencing what it’s like to fight alongside comrades wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
Yeah, that’s a good experience too. I nodded at the Saint’s words and stepped forward.
Fighting monsters with good night vision in the dark… It’s going to be tough. But forest wolves are said to be dumb, so…
I charged forward with the Holy Sword. Roland followed beside me.
Oh, it really feels like I have comrades now.
As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could see the shapes of the forest wolves beyond the shadows. I swung the Holy Sword, and one wolf was instantly split in half and died.
“Awoo!”
The wolves howled like wolves upon recognizing the enemy and charged at us. Four came at me from all directions. A few went for Roland, but if they hadn’t, how many would have come at me at once?
I gripped the Holy Sword with both hands and swung it hard. Two wolves were split in half before they could dodge, but two others jumped over the blade and avoided it. One of them bit my shoulder.
Ah, f*ck. That hurts.
“Damn it, it bit the same spot again!”
I held the Holy Sword in my left hand and stabbed the wolf’s belly. I threw it to the ground and killed the remaining wolf with the sword.
The wolf scratched my arm with its claws as a last act of defiance, but it couldn’t escape death.
“…F*ck, it hurts.”
I need to get to the Saint for healing. As I thought that, I heard a scream.
“Ahhh!!!”
“…Roland?”
Come to think of it, five wolves went for Roland, not me. Remembering that, I quickly grabbed the Holy Sword and headed towards Roland.
“Gasp, gasp…”
“Roland!”
She was already battered and bruised. One of her arms was almost torn off, and blood was pouring out.
What the hell, she’s a D-rank adventurer, why is she so easily…
“Huh?”
In front of Roland were the corpses of four forest wolves, and one wolf was facing her.
That wolf was different.
‘Why is it so big?’
Its size was three or four times larger than the other wolves.
“Ha… Abel, you’re here. Sorry, but can you help me?… As you can see, my injuries are serious…”
I quickly nodded and stood by her side. The giant wolf growled at me.
“Grrrr…”
“Abel, buy me some time. Letty is preparing her magic.”
“Got it. You go to Estelle and get your wounds treated. Hurry.”
“…Sorry.”
Roland stepped back, and I was left alone to face the giant wolf.
‘Is this like a Nol Chieftain?’
But the Nol Chieftain wasn’t just big; it looked much more menacing than a Nol. In contrast, this wolf just looked like a scaled-up version.
“…I don’t know. I’ll just have to kill it somehow.”
“Graaaah!!!”
The wolf roared and charged.
Even if it’s big, a monster is still a monster. The Holy Sword’s attacks are just as deadly. It was surprisingly fast for its size, but not much different from the other wolves.
I quickly dodged to the side and took a deep breath.
“Huuup.”
I gripped the Holy Sword with both hands and stabbed it into the charging wolf’s belly.
“Huaaap!!!”
I let out a loud shout and delivered a full-force strike. The Holy Sword pierced through the wolf’s belly without issue.
“!”
But it wasn’t over. Whether it was because of its size or something else, the wolf kept moving even after its belly was pierced. Its jaws opened wide.
“Huh?”
The massive fangs, capable of piercing my skull, were right in front of me.
If this keeps up, I’ll be eaten. I need to think of something…
“Flame Buster!”
Boom!!!
The wolf’s jaws were blown back. I pulled the Holy Sword out of its belly and created some distance.
“…Letty! Thank you!”
Letty’s fire magic hit the wolf’s head, saving me. Upon closer inspection, it seemed the magic hit its eye.
The giant wolf’s left eye and the surrounding fur were burning. Despite its guts, blood, and fluids spilling from its belly, the wolf growled and stood up.
“Wow, it’s really tough.”
It’s like a zombie.
But surely, it doesn’t have much time left. It must know that too, as it charged at me without hesitation.
I can’t rely on Letty’s magic now. Roland is injured.
The Saint… She’ll probably tell me to pull through with a serious look. I agree with her.
If I can’t even handle a slightly bigger forest wolf, how am I supposed to live as a hero?
I gripped the hilt with both hands and swung the Holy Sword diagonally.
“Graaaah!!!”
“Just die already!”
I timed my swing with its charge and slashed diagonally upward. The monster’s body, vulnerable to the Holy Sword, was split in two.
“…Haah.”
I dropped the Holy Sword and collapsed. Damn, I’m exhausted.
“Hero.”
The Saint, who had approached unnoticed, looked down at me with a gentle smile.
‘She looks really pretty like this.’
But her mouth is the problem. The Saint, who was looking down at me with a gentle smile, opened her mouth.
“If you get this tired from just a forest wolf, what are you going to do♡ You’re so weak♡”
…She’s really a pain in the ass.
