Day-23
...
After the introductions, we all decided to head straight to our usual hunting grounds.
It took us about an hour to reach the old city of Damroww.
Throughout the entire journey, not a single conversation could be heard. That wasn't normal. It didn't make me feel comfortable at all.
The awkward atmosphere was suffocating. I couldn't even bring myself to say a single word to anyone.
Honestly, honestly... I hate this.
After walking for quite some time, we finally arrived.
Looking at the ruins of that city reminded me of the terrible things that happened that day, but at the same time, it also brought back a sense of nostalgia for the many memories I had here.
It hadn't been that long ago, yet somehow, it felt like years had passed.
"What if we run into them again?" Haruhiro's voice broke the silence.
I shifted my gaze toward him.
It wasn't surprising that we all shared the same fear. After all, loss hurts everyone.
"Then we'll fight them. I want to cut off that armored goblin's ear and that bastard hobgoblin's too. Then I'll offer them at Skullhell's altar. I won't be satisfied until I do that," Ranta replied through gritted teeth.
I stared at him in disbelief.
How stupid.
I had to admit it—we couldn't possibly win, you know?
I lowered my head.
"We could all die..."
That was all I said.
The one thing I knew better than anyone was this...
We were all truly weak here.
Completely powerless against them.
"I KNOW THAT!" Ranta snapped, grinding his teeth.
"Don't die. I don't want anyone else to die," Mogzo said quietly.
I knew that all of us were frustrated with our own weakness.
These were difficult times, but there was nothing we could do except be patient.
At the very least, we had to wait until we became stronger.
Then Mary's voice cut through the atmosphere.
"So, are we going or not?" Mary frowned. "If we're going, then let's go. If not, that's fine too. Either way, decide quickly."
Wow...
That woman is scary.
"Hurry up, Haruhiro," Ranta urged him.
"...Right," Haruhiro said. "L-let's go..."
And so, what we did next was search for goblins among the ruins.
Finding them was only a matter of time, though it proved more difficult than expected.
Fortunately, we still had the map we made back when we first started hunting here.
It really made things easier.
Not long after that, we found a group of three goblins.
They were standing amidst the remains of collapsed walls.
One of them wore armor and carried a short spear. It was noticeably larger than the other two—probably the tank of their group.
The others were ordinary goblins. One carried a sword, while the other wielded an axe.
We quickly decided on our plan of attack.
"Yume and Shihoru will target the spear goblin first. Me, Yume, Ranta, and Mary will keep the axe goblin and sword goblin occupied, while Mogzo, Sirus, and Shihoru will take down the spear goblin. If they retaliate, Ranta and I will support you. Once the spear goblin is down, the others should be easy."
More than any of us, it was Haruhiro who had come up with the entire plan.
It was honestly impressive, but—
"Wait."
Mary interrupted loudly.
"You're asking me to fight goblins?"
"Huh?" Haruhiro faltered. "Is that... a bad thing? Why?"
"I don't fight on the front lines. I'm a priest... You should already know what my role is."
What she said was completely true.
After all, one of the reasons we lost Manato was because of that.
"Hey!" Ranta interrupted. "Your Highness!"
Mary shot him a sharp look.
"Your Highness?"
"N-not Your Highness! That's not what I meant! I can call you whatever I want!"
"No, you can't."
"...M-Mary, then! Fine, Mary!" Ranta said irritably. "That thing you're carrying has a purpose, right? A staff like that can be used to hit people, can't it? Or are you carrying it around as an accessory?"
Mary stood up straight and looked down at Ranta.
"As an accessory."
"You bastard!"
"Bastard?"
"M-Mary! Y-you... You... You... Damn it! Ahhh!! I don't get it anymore! Fine! Do whatever you want!!"
"I always do whatever I want. You don't need to tell me that."
"Right." Ranta forced a laugh. "Right. I know that. DAMN IT... What the hell is wrong with her...?"
"Could you stop using such vulgar language? It makes my ears itch."
"I'm sorry! That's my fault! If my words bother you so much, then cover your ears!"
"And why should I go through the trouble of doing something so bothersome?"
I had to admit it.
I couldn't take it anymore.
"Sigh..."
Letting out a long breath, I looked back and forth between the two of them.
"Could you two stop arguing?! Honestly, it's starting to get annoying, and I don't want people on the same team fighting each other, so... please, just stop."
I said it seriously.
This wasn't something I could joke about.
Watching something like this happen was genuinely unbearable.
"Okay, okay," Haruhiro said while scratching the back of his neck. "We get it. Mary will stay in the back and act as support. Pair up with Shihoru. Shihoru's a mage, so she's never on the front lines anyway. No more problems, right?"
"That seems acceptable."
Mary simply nodded in response.
"Right. Okay. Let's do this."
Before we began, Haruhiro walked over to me and whispered,
"Sirus, thanks. That really helped..."
"You don't need to thank me... This must be hard for you..."
Haruhiro was silent for a few moments before finally replying.
"...Yeah."
...
-
It's been quite a while since the last chapter. Well, I was dealing with some issues—my motivation just wouldn't come—so I didn't write a single chapter until I felt better. Honestly, this happens often; there are times when I simply can't write at all. But all I can say is that I'll keep writing. Even if it's not a great story—and I know it isn't—I enjoy it.