Chapter 33: Expedition part 3

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Translator: Soafp

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3rd day of the expedition.

We, Mother, me, El, and Ashera, were hunting monsters.

To explain what happened during the day, after my overzealous charge on the first day of the expedition, Mother was summoned by Captain Laila.

[Rafina PoV]

“Rafina, you’ve been called.”

“Enter.”

“Excuse me.”

When I entered Captain Laila’s tent, she was sitting in a chair in plain clothes and started talking in an awkward manner.

“Well, sit down and make yourself comfortable.”

“Yes…”

“First, I want to apologize for what happened during the day. I’m sorry.”

“No, please lift your head.”

“My words to Aldo were inappropriate, both as the captain of the 3rd division and as an adult. I apologize once again.”

“No, Aldo doesn’t mind, and neither do I.”

“It’s reassuring to hear you say that.”

“Don’t be….”

A short silence fell between the two us, but it was not a tense, unpleasant one, but an adult silence in which we understood each other’s struggles.

“Now, about tomorrow. Is it really just going to be an observation?”

“That’s the plan, but…”

“Hmm…”

“Is there a problem?”

“Well, not something I should say, but…”

“May I hear it?”

“Very well…”

Captain Laila, a bit older than me but a formidable figure serving as both the leader of the magic unit and the commander of the expedition, looked a bit embarrassed as she began speaking.

“I don’t know how Aldo acquired such combat skills, but there must have been intense efforts and training involved.”

“…Yes.”

“At that age, possessing such abilities, there must have been blood, sweat, and tears.”

“…”

“People have an inherent desire to test their strength. And if that strength is acquired through hard work and effort, the desire becomes even stronger.”

“Yes…”

“If you try to suppress that desire just because you’re ‘concerned,’ won’t he start using his power secretly?”

“That’s…”

“You too, became an adventurer without your mentor’s knowledge, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Recall the feelings you had at that time, and you might find the answer.”

“…Yes.”

“I might lack credibility as someone without children, but everyone has their own time to leave the nest.”

“That’s true…”

“Sorry, I’m getting preachy as I get older.”

“No, not at all.”

“That’s the gist of it. I’ll leave the actions from tomorrow to you. Whether it’s just observation or actual combat, it’s up to you. However, you can’t be incorporated into the regular army, so if you decide to fight, you’ll have to handle it yourselves.”

“Understood.”

“I’ll hear your decision tomorrow morning.”

“Yes. I understand.”

Captain Laila’s words make sense. After all, I became an adventurer to test the magic I had learned myself…

Sighing, as I returned to the tent, Aldo, El, and Ashera were fast asleep, likely exhausted.

(Captain Laila’s words are correct. These kids have the strength and will to fight, but…)

Rafina continued to struggle between reason and emotion.

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Morning of the next day

“Fuaaa—-, good morning, everyone.”

“””Good morning.”””

Ultimately, my thoughts didn’t come together, and I fell asleep when it was starting to get light outside, as usual, sensing that I would just go with the flow.

“Rafina, let me hear your answer from yesterday.”

“Captain…”

“The way things are, it seems like you couldn’t come up with an answer.”

“Yes…”

“Then instead of following the rest of the squad, you could just go for a walk on your own.”

“A walk?”

“Are you afraid of letting them engage in combat?”

“Yes…”

“Then think of it as learning how to walk in the forest, ways to hide from enemies, and how to collect materials. There’s a lot to teach.”

“I see.”

“It might not be useful, but it’s better than just standing around doing nothing.”

“I understand.”

“Well, if it’s just goblins, think of it as combat training.”

“…”

“Do your best.”

“Yes, Captain.”

[Aldo PoV]

And so, contrary to the initial plan, we ended up learning survival skills in the forest.

“Ashera, that’s the wild apricot fruit.”

“Oh!”

“The red ones are ripe for picking.”

“I’ll get them.”

In the end, Ashera didn’t learn wall running. However, she had mastered spatial kicking to the point where she used it more skillfully than us.

Even now, gracefully kicking through the air, she took four Apo fruits and descended as if dancing just before hitting the ground.

“There you go.”

Without paying much attention to Ashera’s fantastic spatial kicking skills, she handed out Apo fruits chilled with magic.

Taking the chilled Apo fruit, I thanked her and took a bite.

“Delicious!”

Hearing my words, El also joyfully took a bite.

“Really. It’s delicious…”

Seeing El and me, Mother and Ashera joined in, starting to nibble on the fruits as well.

“Mom, is it really alright for a noblewoman to eat like this?”

“Hmm? What are you talking about? Who needs to put on airs in a place like this? Eat however you want.”

You’re the First Lady of the Blue Ring family, you know…

I shrugged my shoulders, realizing that I couldn’t show this sight to Father.

Now, what’s next? Slowly, we advanced through the forest.

Being called the “Demon Forest,” encounters with magical beasts were quite frequent.

“Hush! Be quiet…”

At Mother’s words, we were enveloped in tension. Peering through, we saw about five large green wolves gathered.

“Wind Wolves. They form groups of ten or fewer and use wind magic.”

“Are we going to fight them?”

“Don’t be foolish! Slowly back away.”

Since we were conveniently downwind, we managed to escape without being detected. Just to be sure, I asked Mother.

“Are those Wind Wolves strong?”

“I think you guys can defeat them without any problem.”

“Why did we run away, then?”

“Haa….”

A conspicuous sigh was let out. Incomprehensible.

“Al, we are with 4 people, right?”

“Yes.”

“We saw at least five Wind Wolves. There might be another two or three.”

“Yes.”

“If you can exterminate the Wind Wolves in one go, there’s no problem. But taking too much time will attract other magical beasts.”

“Is that so…”

“In essence, you should run away if it’s a scale beyond what one or two people can exterminate.”

“So it’s about securing 50% reserve strength…”

“Well, yes.”

“I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“Could you have exterminated them alone, Mother?”

“I could have.”

“Then!”

“But it’s not about relying on me. Thinking of me as not being here is the right mindset.”

“I see, I understand.”

Mother’s words made sense. However, there was one more thing I wanted to ask.

“By the way…”

“What is it?”

“Could I, by myself, have exterminated them?”

“Well, probably.”

“Then!”

“Come on, let’s keep going!”

“Eh? Could I have exterminated them, right?”

“Stop dwelling on that like a man!”

“I don’t get it…”

In this way, we avoided the demons that we could, and destroyed the ones that were coming toward us.