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The search and extermination proceeded swiftly. Thanks to the elite knights gathered, there was no shortage of firepower to catch the monsters, and nothing stood in the way of our advance to the west. With minimal rest and an unimpeded march, we soon reached the outskirts of the rear outpost.

In the meantime, I managed to somewhat process and organize the shock from slaying my first monster.

‘Fortunately, there weren’t any creatures like that first one. The only thing that bothers me is how unnaturally quiet the forest is.’

The monster born from the dark sorcerer’s schemes—luckily, I couldn’t find even one of its kind amidst the misfortunes.

If anything concerned me, it was the crickets and chirping birds. I hadn’t seen even a glimpse of the vibrant forest filled with wild animals.

Still, well, there were plenty of monsters to see and I wouldn’t mind seeing some die. Considering they could be the result of whatever they’d done, I could just pressure Allen when I meet him at the outpost up ahead to find out the exact situation.

Well, anyway. The situation wasn’t as serious as I had thought, and the thought of soon being able to rest helped keep everyone’s expressions from turning as rotten as before.

“How does one shoot a bow while riding a horse…?”

Except for Shione, who was fiddling with her bow and timidly voicing complaints.

It seemed like the practice of shooting from horseback wasn’t going as smoothly as expected.

Seeing her mumble next to me was quite amusing…

If it’s Shione, it’s either adorable or a hassle. But if I left her like this, I could already imagine her grumbling once we enter the outpost, so I decided to console her.

“Is there anything difficult? It’s just archery performed from the back of a horse, right?”

“But still, it’s hard to aim when everything keeps shaking and moving. Just trying to find my balance on the horse is a hassle.”

“You shot incredibly well amidst the chaos of the battlefield, didn’t you? If you clear your mind and focus like then, you’ll get it quickly.”

“…But this is different on horseback.”

“I know you’re scared you’ll fall off while shooting, but why not muster a bit more courage?”

“……”

“…I’m doing it too, you know.”

“…Shut up. I’m not scared at all.”

My comment seemed to rattle Shione. As I lightly stroked her pride, she made a properly sulky face. What can I say? It felt like watching a puppy sulking because its owner is teasing it with treats.

‘Well, I did often see her lose her balance while hanging onto the horse, focusing solely on the target and the bowstring.’

Siabel did say Shione rode very well. But after all this time without practice, it’s no surprise that there would be some awkwardness.

Being a noble, if she falls while everyone else is watching, it would be quite the disgrace. Perhaps that’s what she’s worried about.

“Well then, what I shot before was from a difficult posture; you should start practicing simple stances, Young Lady Shione.”

“A simple stance?”

I nodded.

The posture I had just shown, bending my upper body horizontal to the ground, was probably too hard to follow. But it seemed like Shione was stubbornly trying to do it regardless.

First, she needed to get used to shooting from a horse.

“Practicing aiming at enemies beside you or behind you would be a good start, don’t you think?”

“…I get the side one, but the behind isn’t simple at all.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll help you.”

Let’s begin by teaching her the most useful Partian style. I knew most of the rangers organized under the Count’s family could do it, but our noble lady here probably hadn’t had the opportunity to shoot from horseback before.

It would be best to teach her step by step.

“First, could you straighten your back and take the shooting stance?”

Shione nodded as if she had yielded and raised her bow.

Although there wasn’t an arrow on the string, that aim forward was perfect.

‘The Partian style is for shooting enemies behind you while on horseback.’

It’s a useful technique that can be applied while advancing past or retreating from enemies; if I teach her now, Shione will quickly get the hang of it and be able to use it effectively.

I moved a bit closer to Shione.

The horses were getting unnecessarily close. Seeming to dislike the distance, they began to fuss a bit, so I channeled some mana for pressure, calming them down.

“Now, please allow me.”

Once all preparations were complete, I gently placed my hand on Shione’s thigh.

“Uh, uh… Ray…?”

Caught off guard by the sudden contact, Shione’s eyes began to tremble as if she were in an earthquake.

Well, it’s not like I was touching her bare skin. I had properly placed my hand over her leather pants and plate armor, so I thought she didn’t need to react so sensitively. I ignored Shione’s response lightly.

“Put more strength into your thighs… You need to turn your body like this.”

I placed my left hand on her waist and guided her to turn her body.

Since she’s right-handed, holding the bowstring with her left hand would make it easier to aim if she turned her body left to face behind.

However, Shione’s body stiffened more than I thought and wouldn’t follow my direction.

So, I placed my hand not on her waist but on her side and directly adjusted her body.

“We need to turn around.”

“Ah, oh, okay.”

“Your lower body isn’t supporting you. You need to put more strength into your thighs.”

“…Ray, you’re holding my thigh too tight…”

“Excuse me?”

“…No, it’s nothing.”

As I finally helped Shione establish the correct posture, the proper form emerged.

The Partian style—many who have experienced archery and riding can somewhat perform it, but if it’s done in synchronization by seasoned horse-archers in surprise attacks, the technique’s power doubles.

To increase Shione’s survival chances against countless demons in the future, it would be better for her to shoot while riding than to run around on foot. So, I thought it was the right timing to teach her.

I stepped back slightly from Shione and spoke.

“Shall we try again?”

“…Ah, yes. Is this how I should do it?”

Shione took the stance of the Partian style as I had instructed.

It was quite decent, but there were still a few awkward points that couldn’t be helped.

“What a pity. If I could ride with you, I could show you better.”

The weight distribution during torso twisting, at which point it’s good to draw the bowstring, and various tricks to remember—it would be good to teach those later.

However, Shione seemed annoyed by knowing she still had things to learn and just stared at me blankly.

Eventually, I responded in kind, and she bowed her head before starting to practice her stance again.

Before long, we finally arrived at our destination.

“Gatekeeper, open the door! Count’s house guest and Lady Eunice Kalia have arrived at the outpost!”

I had heard that the peaceful and quiet village was set in a circular formation. But what I saw was far from peaceful.

The outpost’s palisade was reinforced from multiple angles and seemed to be surrounded by barbed wire. Along with that, numerous women held swords and spears, keeping a vigilant watch, truly embodying the very essence of an outpost.

Continuing to practice the Partian style as we moved, Shione shifted to stand next to Eunice, who was at the front of the procession.

Diolia and I followed her, and as the gate opened, the people inside welcomed us.

It was then.

After a time spent practicing to look behind while riding, Shione naturally turned her waist to look at me and Diolia.

‘The practice was worth it.’

Now, her stance wasn’t creaking like before, and it seemed she had found some ease.

While I was having those thoughts, Shione was gazing quietly at Diolia, who offered a soft smile and a nod.

Soon, Shione shifted her gaze to me.

At that moment.

‘……?’

I felt a sense of unease seeing Shione, usually with her wide smile, look strangely disconcerting.

As her cerulean eyes, holding the blue sky, met mine, her lips curved into a subtle grin that was hard to notice.

I couldn’t shake the feeling of impending doom.

“Lady Shione?”

As I asked, she simply smiled and turned back to face front, lost in thought again.

It was all something Ray would only pretend not to notice.

*

Abel Kalia slowly stood from his chair in the office after hearing news of the knights’ arrival at the outpost.

“Today, the ones coming to this outpost are Lady Eunice and Young Lady Shione… and the knight, Ray, right?”

At his quiet question, the attendant who was serving him responded.

“Yes, that’s correct. They are to tidy things up around here and then return to their territory to sort out the chaos.”

“That’s fortunate to hear. We can finally clean up the mess that traitorous Allen has stirred up.”

“It’s a good thing. That will allow us to pressure Allen Kalia more effectively—”

“Do not associate his actions with the noble Kalia name. It is disrespectful.”

“…Then we can effectively pressure Allen.”

Abel nodded in agreement.

The few strongholds he had were almost cleared after multiple exterminations. So, he could ask for those troops to clear away the remaining threats and give the soldiers who had endured some time to breathe.

As he thought about this, he let out a small sigh.

“I should go meet them. Before that, can I have a cup of coffee, please?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Make sure it’s strong.”

“…Are you planning to skip out on sleep again? Your health has suffered greatly. Why don’t you rest for a bit after meeting with the guests?”

Abel shook his head at the attendant’s concerns.

“The family matters are urgent, and since I finally received the right to inherit the title of head of the family, I have to work harder. Don’t worry about me. I’m still fine.”

“I will comply.”

“Still… if I had mana, I’d ease the petty fatigue significantly. It’s such a pity. Please prepare my formal attire to change into along with the coffee.”

“Are you referring to formal attire or the combat uniform?”

“Yes, I’d prefer the combat uniform of the Kalia Marquis family’s first army.”

Abel said as he took down the sword hanging on the wall.

“Since the only remaining male knight in the continent is here, I can’t be seen in fancy formal attire while commanding a legion.”

Abel Kalia was looking forward to his meeting with Ray.

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