Chapter 34: Expedition part 4

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Translator: Soafp

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On the third night of the expedition:

Everyone was gathered in the campsite square.

“I’m Gates, the commander of the first unit of the expedition. As you may have noticed, the third unit has not returned yet among the four units.”

Gates’ words caused unease, and voices expressing concern for comrades could be heard around.

“The third unit was responsible for the northwest. If they don’t return by tomorrow morning, the current units will transition to a search party.”

It seemed we would remain an independent unit.

“Now, take a break, gather your spirits. Dismissed!”

Mother looked visibly disturbed by Gates’ announcement.

“Mother, what’s wrong?”

“….”

“…Mother?”

“The commander of the third unit is Captain Laila.”

Upon Mother’s words, we fell into a stunned silence.

“For now, let’s return to the tent.”

“””Yes”””

Until we returned to the tent, no one spoke, but likely, everyone was thinking the same thing. I mustered the courage to speak.

“Mother, should we join the search tomorrow morning?”

“Al, Captain Laila is an experienced person. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

“Is that so…”

“Let’s return to the tent for now.”

“Yes, Mother.”

The atmosphere remained heavy with unspoken worries.

On the morning of the fourth day—

Even the next morning, the third unit had not returned.

I repeated my words from the previous day to Mother.

“Mother, let’s go look for Captain Laila.”

To my words, El and Ashera seemed to agree, showing determined expressions toward Mother.

“We won’t participate in the search.”

“Why, Mother?”

“Because it’s dangerous.”

“We can handle it.”

“Al, don’t be arrogant. The goblins on the first day were something any mid-level knight or mage could handle. People were surprised because you’re just a 10-year-old child.”

“I’m not being arrogant. I know that even El and Ashera could handle that level easily.”

“Haa….Al, Captain Laila is a skilled mage. Do you understand what it means if she hasn’t returned?”

“Does it mean there’s an enemy even Captain Laila can’t defeat?”

“That’s right. If Captain Laila can’t win against an enemy, I don’t have confidence in ensuring your safety.”

“…”

“Al, please understand.”

“I understand…”

“Thank you. Let’s spend today waiting at the camp.”

“””Yes…”””

And so, we spent the day at the camp, practicing magical manipulation and magical changes.

Practicing at the edge of the camp:

“El, let’s synchronize our magical powers.”

“Understood.”

“Alright, hold hands.”

“Yes, Nii-sama.”

By holding hands and synchronizing our magical powers, the results of our efforts were shared. Techniques using our magical powers were standardized towards the higher proficiency.

“Nii-sama, I can use healing magic now.”

“Learning that was really tough!”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Indeed.”

“And I can use sonar now.”

“That was also quite challenging!”

“Thank you.”

Since there are enemies that even Captain Laila can’t handle, it’s better to increase our strength as much as possible. I also received El’s progress, and my proficiency in magical manipulation seems to have improved.

At the edge of the expedition camp, I was throwing a dagger and using gravitational magic to bring it back. To an onlooker, it might seem like I was just playing around. Well, I actually am!

“How should I bring back the thrown dagger to look cool? I’m seriously thinking about it.”

“El, Ashera…”

“What is it?”

“What’s up?”

“Do you think it’s cooler to bring back the dagger by spinning it?”

“I think a straight return is cooler.”

“I’m on Nii-sama’s side. However, too much spinning might look awkward.”

While discussing the coolness of retrieving the dagger, Mother watched us with a bitter expression.

In that relaxed atmosphere, suddenly, a bloodied knight and a wizard emerged from the forest. One… two… five of them.

“What happened to you all!?”

“We are the members of the 3rd unit… We need healing… please.”

“El! Inform the lookout that survivors from the 3rd unit have returned!”

“Yes!”

Upon Mother’s command, El rushed off.

“We’ll treat the severely injured first. Who needs help?”

“Sorry… he’s the worst off…”

The person identified as the most severely injured had a red-stained abdomen, and his face was turning blue while lying on the ground.

“Alright, it’s going to be fine. You did well!”

“Will I… be okay?”

“Of course! Why wouldn’t you be?”

“I don’t know… but for some reason, I feel really cold…”

While talking, Mother started treating the knight’s abdominal wound. However, it became evident that there wasn’t enough blood. Despite the wound closing, there was no sign of recovery in the knight.

“The wound is healed.”

“Good… thank… you…”

Saying that, the knight lost consciousness.

“Mother, it’s blood. He needs more blood.”

“Blood? But how?”

There’s no time to explain how blood works. I have to do it now.

“I’ll do it.”

“You, what…”

I get the load up under the knight’s feet and make him lift his legs.

I don’t have confidence that I can do it well. Even if I manage, I’m not sure if it will be in time. It’s just a precaution.

I placed my hand on the knight’s chest. First, I used sonar to examine the inside of his body.

The heart was screaming. Indeed, there wasn’t enough blood.

I proceeded to cast healing magic.

The image was that of increasing blood — like a transfusion. One drop of blood, another drop, and yet another…

How long had I been doing that? I was surprised when someone grabbed my hand, and I opened my eyes.

The knight was holding my hand. Unlike before, his face had color, and he looked healthy.

“Thank you… You saved me, didn’t you?”

“Oh, no, Mother cast the healing spell…”

“I felt something warm flowing from your hands.”

“Warm…”

“Yeah. Despite being so cold before, now I feel almost too warm.”

The knight said with a likable smile.

From then on, Mother continued treating the remaining injured members.

“What happened to you all? And Captain Laila?”

While Mother continued treating, the knights and mages showed bitter expressions.

“Goblins… There was a goblin nest.”

“Goblins? Captain Laila was there, and you were held back by goblins?”

“At first, we underestimated the goblin nest, too. That’s why we agreed to crush it.”

“…”

“The plan was for Captain Laila to cast a large spell, and the rest of us would eliminate the remaining goblins.”

“And then?”

“When Captain Laila actually cast the big spell, she successfully defeated more than half of the goblins, as expected.”

“…”

“But then, ‘it’ appeared… It was over twice the height of a regular goblin, had a black body, and wielded a large sword.”

“…”

“When it saw us, it quickly approached and cleaved one of the knights in half.”

“…”

“Captain Laila immediately gave the order to retreat. But it was too late…”

“…”

“We managed to maintain the formation and retreat, but casualties kept increasing due to its attacks.”

“…”

“During that, Captain Laila drew its attention and acted as a decoy.”

“…”

“Thanks to her, we were able to escape, though we were exhausted.”

“…”

“As for that black goblin… judging from its strength and the way it looked, it might be the Goblin King.”

“I see…”

The first, second, and fourth squads went out to search for the third squad, leaving no proper fighting force in the camp. However, if Captain Laila had survived, she should be heading back to her territory.

As if confirming my thoughts, there was a sound like an explosion from the nearby forest.

“They’re coming!”

Mother’s voice echoed, and from the forest emerged the bloodied Captain Laila.