Chapter 10
Silestin's eyes sparkled brightly.
It seemed Silestin's usual curiosity had been piqued.
But Elestera's expression was unusual as well.
-I don't think it'd hurt to go. Just because we go doesn't mean we have to meet them.
-Our Jade is strong enough for that!
“Shall we go?”
Seeing Elestera subtly side with Silestin, Jade muttered as though he had no choice.
He had actually lived apart from humans for some time, too.
His clothes were starting to wear out, so he did need to visit a nearby village at least once.
He had already determined its location long ago.
-Let's go see! Let's go see!
“All right.”
-Awesome!
At Jade's permission, Silestin excitedly spun circles in the air.
Whid followed, flapping its wings.
-We shouldn't let Silestin become too influenced by her.
“Elestera, take good care of Silestin.”
-Aren't you leaving too much to me?
“That's how much I trust you, Elestera.”
-That's nice to hear, but why do I feel like I'm the one being taken advantage of?
Elestera made a strange expression.
She was pleased, yet somehow felt strangely uneasy.
“Taken advantage of? Between us?”
-I suppose you're right.
“Let's go.”
Speaking to the two still whirling chaotically through the air, Jade kicked off the ground.
Then Jade's figure cut through the forest without making a sound.
He crossed it with remarkable lightness and speed.
Elestera secretly admired his speed and stealth, which were no worse than an elf's.
‘I thought he'd slowed down a little.’
Since Jade had grown so rapidly and powerful until now, Elestera had privately wondered if he had reached a plateau.
Given that he had undergone a body change because of the Gold Drake's heart and reached a high realm, she thought his rate of growth was bound to slow down.
That was normal, too.
Yet Jade seemed to keep growing in his own way.
‘Could it be thanks to his innate ability?’
Elestera also knew about his mysterious ability to read the memories and emotions of objects.
She knew that was why Jade explored the Great Forest every day.
Yet that ability seemed even more amazing than she'd expected.
-There they are! There's a woman, too! She's quite beautiful, isn't she?
While Elestera was lost in thought, the group had already arrived where the humans could be seen.
They landed on a high branch, and below them were humans fighting orcs.
“It's the Red Orc tribe.”
-Was this the territory of the Red Orc tribe? I remember it being a little farther in.
“Maybe they want to expand their territory. They can't even think of venturing toward the center, so they seem to have turned their attention to the outskirts. Or they might have charged in after smelling humans.”
-The monsters in the Great Forest seem to really like humans. Is it because they don't get to eat them often? The Great Forest is crawling with food, honestly.
Kyuung?
Unlike Silestin, who clicked her tongue, Whid nestled into Jade's arms and kept tilting its head.
It was startled to see a crowd of people with features similar to Jade's.
-But it looks like they're fleeing. They all look pretty bad. And at least two of them don't even know how to fight properly.
“But they have a Master. Though he does look seriously injured.”
-That old man?
“Yeah.”
Stroking Whid's bewildered head, Jade looked at the old knight swinging his sword at the front.
His complexion was pale, apparently from severe injuries, but his sword was still fierce.
He unleashed sword strikes even more powerful than those of the young knights.
But there were simply too many orcs.
-There seems to be a story behind this.
Elestera's gaze turned to the young man and woman fidgeting helplessly among the knights.
They plainly looked like siblings, a boy and a young woman, and both their faces were grim, apparently aware that their situation was dire.
“Gnome.”
Having seen that as well, Jade immediately summoned a gnome.
A sylph would have been better for eavesdropping, but with an old knight who appeared to be a Master present, Jade chose a gnome.
No matter how sensitive the old knight was to mana, he probably couldn't pay attention to what was underfoot during battle.
-Me too! I want to listen, too!
Having read Jade's thoughts, Silestin approached.
Elestera also quietly took up position beside Silestin.
Sluuurr.
Seeing them, Jade had no choice but to summon another gnome and connect it.
“Gasp! Captain! There are too many orcs!”
“We have to break through like this! We need to put as much distance as possible between us and Baron Leon's pursuit party!”
“This may be the orcs' territory. Wouldn't it be better to detour a little?”
“We don't have time for that! We have to force our way through!”
The old knight said firmly.
He, too, shared the knights' opinion.
But decisions had to change depending on the situation.
There was no time to turn back now.
“Everyone's exhausted!”
“Damn!”
Their armor, already dented and crusted with dried blood from being inadequately tended, was helplessly crushed beneath the orcs' glaives.
Moreover, not a single one of the nine knights was uninjured.
Each had suffered major or minor wounds.
The most seriously injured was the old knight, of course.
“I-I'll fight, too!”
“What are you talking about!”
The young nobleman in the center of the formation spoke in a trembling but resolute voice.
He had never fought monsters, but he had received systematic swordsmanship training since childhood.
Of course, he tended to dislike fighting itself, but given the situation, he thought he had to step forward as well.
However, the woman who appeared to be his sister firmly grabbed his shoulder.
“We need every hand we can get!”
“I'm sorry, but if you join in now, you'll only get in the way! Just stay put!”
“B-but…!”
At his sister's strong admonishment, the boy bit his lip.
It was unbearably frustrating to have to remain so helplessly protected.
But his sister wasn't wrong, either.
With his scant experience, if he joined in, he might only tangle the knights' hands and feet.
“Don't worry! We'll take care of them in no time!”
“Sir Haines!”
Seeing the old knight fight at the very front despite his serious internal injuries, the noblewoman wore an expression as if she might burst into tears at any moment.
It was because she knew all too well how bad the old knight's condition was.
Yet though she called out to the old knight in a tearful voice, she did not shed tears to the very end.
She believed she had to show strength to protect her younger brother.
“M-more orcs are coming!”
“W-what?”
The woman's complexion turned as dark as soot.
She, too, could see dozens of orcs charging from the distance alongside a cloud of dust.
“Damn it!”
“Is this why they call it the Monster Forest…?”
“They say it has never allowed humans to set foot here since the beginning of time…”
Like the noblewoman, the knights' expressions also darkened.
They were already struggling to handle the red-furred orcs, and when more than fifty additional orcs appeared, their hands gripping their swords and shields went slack.
“Get a hold of yourselves!”
Then Haines, the old knight at the front, shouted.
He alone had not given up.
Hummm! Hummm! Hummm!
At the same time, an Aura Blade, the symbol of a Sword Master, surged forth.
The white Aura Blade, resembling his white hair, shone brilliantly and sliced apart the orcs ahead in an instant.
“Cough!”
At the same time, blood spurted from Haines's mouth.
The internal injuries he had barely suppressed had finally flared up from excessive mana use.
But he did not stop swinging his sword.
‘I have to open a path somehow!’
Even if everyone, including himself, died, he had to ensure those two survived.
That was why Haines gritted his teeth.
‘Even if I die, I'll die in the royal castle of the Kingdom of Arhan!’
The fierce gleam in his eyes made the charging orcs flinch for an instant.
The killing intent pouring from Haines was that formidable.
It was enough to freeze even orcs who knew no fear.
“Baron Leon's family, huh.”
-Isn't that Jade's family?
“Not exactly. I'm not a child acknowledged as part of that bloodline.”
Jade firmly shook his head.
As an illegitimate child, he was indeed related by blood, but he was by no means an acknowledged child of that bloodline.
He wouldn't go out of his way to hide it, but neither would he openly acknowledge it.
If he appeared, they were more likely to kill him somehow before the truth could come to light.
‘That's also why I came into the Great Forest. They probably think I'm dead.’
As far as the outside world knew, he was an unremarkable hunter.
Neither outstanding nor pathetic.
So Baron Leon's family probably hadn't followed the trail for long after seeing it lead into the Great Forest.
The Great Forest wasn't a place where a mediocre hunter could survive.
-How about turning the tables? We could probably wipe them all out quietly right now.
“It's not impossible.”
At the unexpected mention of the name, Jade stroked his chin.
When he'd first opened his eyes, Baron Leon's family had been something to fear.
But not anymore.
A powerless baronial family on the outskirts was something he could wipe out all by himself now.
-I could topple them quietly all on my own!
“I know.”
-Just say the word! I'm always on Jade's side!
-Me too.
Kyuung!
As if unwilling to lose to Silestin, Elestera and Whid shouted energetically as well.
None of the three particularly liked killing, but they could do anything for Jade.
“We do have a bad relationship, but it hasn't reached the point where they absolutely need to be wiped out. Still, we could arrange something entertaining.”
-Something entertaining? What?
Silestin's eyes sparkled.
Seeing Jade's sly expression, she sensed that he had some scheme in mind.
“There's a saying on Earth: ‘Use barbarians to control barbarians.’ Put simply, it means using one enemy to defeat another.”
-Use these people?
“Yeah. I need a few supplies anyway. Since they obviously look like nobles, we should be able to get them easily.”
Jade wore a meaningful expression.
He had considered and weighed many things in a short time.
Having made up his mind, he kicked off the branch.
-Let's steal that old man's technique, too! Jade, you've always wanted a Master's memories!
“Of course I took that into account. In fact, items used until recently hold clearer memories than old ones, and they also consume less mental energy.”
-As expected!
Silestin, seated on Jade's right shoulder, clapped.
She was delighted that he had had the same thought.
Chiiik!
Meanwhile, the orcs attacking the humans were startled when Jade suddenly appeared from the forest.
Some were even terrified.
They had recognized Jade and were frightened.
“Noim.”
Looking at the orcs, all of whom looked much alike, Jade summoned Noim, an intermediate earth spirit.
Given their numbers, Noim seemed better suited than a gnome.
It would also be more efficient for separating the humans from the orcs.
Krrr-krrr!
Noim, which resembled a raccoon, separated the orcs attacking the humans as soon as it was summoned.
It raised an earthen wall in an instant, completely separating them.
At the sight, the only mage among the group cried out involuntarily.
“A Spirit Mage!”
“That's right. Let's clear out the orcs first.”
The mage, who used only low-class spells—whether because he lacked skill or was injured—widened his eyes.
Though he could not see the spirit, he could clearly feel the mana flowing, allowing him to guess, roughly, what level of spirit it was.
‘An intermediate Spirit Mage! And whatever he's holding looks like a drake…’