About an hour's walk after leaving the city of Darion, we—
The four of us—me, Novem, Zelphy, and Aria—were fighting monsters.
In this spot near the forest, monsters that had made it their home showed themselves.
Fighting inside the forest would be dangerous, but outside where there were no obstacles, four people... well, three in practice, could manage.
"Lord Lyle, I'm ready."
Once Novem had finished her preparations, I charged at the approaching goblins and cut them down with my saber.
The goblin's right arm, still clutching its club, went spinning through the air as it flew backward.
"Take them, Novem!"
At my command, Novem cast her spell.
"Earth Spear!"
Spikes burst from the ground one after another, surging toward the goblins.
The strategy was to venture into the forest and deliberately provoke the monsters. By doing so, we lured them out from the depths of the forest.
We would fight the gathered monsters as a group, but this required someone to play bait. Naturally, Zelphy wouldn't lift a finger to help.
As our instructor, it was her job to step in if we attempted anything beyond our capabilities.
And if our lives were in danger, she would lend a hand. That was Zelphy's role.
I was the one playing bait.
The role of entering the forest, making noise, and drawing out the monsters—but I had the skills of my ancestors.
And the Fourth Generation's skill was quietly impressive.
The Fourth Generation explained his skill.
For some reason, I pictured him pushing up his glasses.
'It's a straightforward increase in movement speed, but it's genuinely useful. The mana cost is lower than other skills, and it's not a burden on the current Lyle.'
The Second Generation watched my combat and offered advice.
'Using Full Over at a precise point to temporarily gain access to the Fourth Generation's Speed as well... but being unable to use other skills simultaneously is a real pain.'
If I tried to use the Fourth Generation's or Fifth Generation's skills at the same time, my mana would bottom out almost immediately.
I'd take breaks between engagements, searching the surroundings for enemies and drawing out goblins that were easy to fight.
The forest was harsh terrain for me, but with the Fourth Generation's skill, I could flee. Even in unfamiliar environments, it gave me enough movement speed to escape from any opponent.
In the forest with its treacherous footing, this was a huge help.
And once I was deep enough inside, I could also take on monsters that were wandering alone.
Right now, rather than gathering materials, I wanted to defeat monsters and feel my growth as soon as possible.
When the fighting ended, I looked around.
"Novem, take a break. Aria, I'll need you on lookout. ...I'll go collect the materials."
What we could salvage from goblins was limited to the tools they carried and their Magic Stones.
I'd heard you could process their hides too, but disassembling humanoid goblins was something I couldn't bring myself to do. It was still too much, psychologically.
This was proof that we weren't yet accustomed to this sort of work.
Zelphy watched the whole sequence and applauded.
"You've gotten better. And while Aria doubles as both mage and healer, having her here makes a big difference. Especially having a front-liner who can protect Novem."
Zelphy praised Aria, but the girl's gaze dropped slightly.
She probably understood who had it easiest among the group.
"Your movements have improved, so let's keep this up for a while. In an ideal world, we'd save up some funds first and then move on to explaining your next assignment—but that was supposed to be further down the road. You've got money, so there's no rush to advance to the next stage."
What she meant by "money" was the subsidy we'd received from the lord to wipe out the bandit gang.
We'd sold off the treasure the bandits had been hoarding and secured ourselves enough funds to live without working for a while. But we couldn't just sit around doing nothing.
As it was, I was already known around Darion as "Useless Noble Lyle."
(I did things to earn that reputation on purpose, but it still irritates me.)
I could tolerate the label, but I didn't want to keep acting the part.
I approached the goblin that had been torn apart by the Earth Spears to collect its tools and Magic Stone.
That's when Aria touched my shoulder.
"Let me do it. Lyle, take the lookout."
"Huh? But..."
When I looked at Aria, she seemed to hate being the one who contributed nothing and was trying to at least help with the collection.
Zelphy scratched her head and took a hands-off stance, and Novem was the same—just watching me.
"Do as you please," essentially.
At that moment, the First Generation looked like he was about to say something like "Don't push Aria too hard!" but no voice came from the Jewel.
Instead—
'Lyle, lookout duty is an important role too. When the time comes, Aria is the freshest of us all, so let her focus on being the lookout. Once she's collected the Magic Stones, you can rest too.'
That was the Second Generation's response.
When I hesitated after seeing Aria's serious expression, the Second Generation spoke again.
'...You can't even handle lookout duty properly, yet you want to take on other work? She's been given an important role and is unhappy about it—she wants to swap. But the leader of this party isn't Novem, and it isn't Zelphy. It's you. If you don't hold firm, the party will fall apart in no time.'
Convinced by the Second Generation's reasoning, I asked Aria to take the lookout.
"...I'll do the collecting. Aria, take the lookout."
When I said that, she looked frustrated.
The Third Generation chimed in.
'I get how she feels~. She wants to try hard in all sorts of ways, but it just doesn't work out. It's not like she's looking down on lookout duty or anything.'
But the Second Generation's stance didn't change.
He showed favoritism toward Novem, but he had no such feelings toward Aria.
It wasn't that he disliked her—he just wanted her to fulfill her role.
"Aria."
When I called out to her, she murmured a quiet "Okay" and returned to her lookout post.
Relieved, I turned to the task of collecting Magic Stones from the goblin remains.
As bait, I had ventured into the forest, and now I scanned my surroundings.
Activating my skill, I detected several monster reactions nearby.
"There are a lot of goblins. And are those horned rabbits? Those are the most common ones around here."
The moment I said that, the ancestors' voices shifted.
'Horned rabbits!? Kill them! Eradicate every last one!'
The Second Generation was no different.
As I pushed through the narrow gaps between trees, clearing away overgrown weeds with my dagger, he declared:
'Those pests must be exterminated without mercy! Not a single one should be spared!'
The Third Generation too—his usually easygoing demeanor had given way to something else entirely.
The occasional dark streak in his personality was now on full display.
'Ha ha ha... Lyle, for the sake of protecting our fields, let's exterminate as many as we can. You get stronger, the farmers don't have their crops destroyed—everybody wins!'
As bait, I had entered the forest and was currently alone, so I could speak aloud.
"You guys are kind of scary. Do you really hate horned rabbits that much?"
The First Generation answered on behalf of all of them.
'Do you have any idea how much damage those things caused to our crops!? We'll chase them to the ends of the earth and put them down—'
But there was one dissenting voice.
Surprisingly, it was the Fifth Generation.
'...Shouldn't we let them go? They don't attack unless provoked first, after all.'
I was surprised by this unexpected side of the Fifth Generation, but the others disagreed.
The First, Second, and Third Generations—who had all owned farmland—were furious.
'Cute, my foot! Have you seen their fluffy fur? It makes you want to skin them!!'
'Agreed! Do you know how much suffering those things put us through!?'
'Search-and-destroyyyy!'
At the three of them, the Fifth Generation shot back.
'Quit it! Those things have nothing to do with Lyle's growth! Lyle, go find other monsters right now!'
The Jewel grew noisy, but since I'd taken a break, I'd recovered a bit of mana.
Still, it wasn't infinite.
"Could you please knock it off? If I collapse here, I'm the one who dies!"
I grumbled as I silenced my ancestors, then resumed scanning the area.
But sure enough, the most prevalent reactions nearby were horned rabbits.
"My mana got wasted on a pointless fuss."
I spotted one nearby—a white, fluffy-furred horned rabbit.
I approached with my dagger at the ready, and it noticed me, baring its sharp front teeth in a threatening display.
In terms of size, it was perhaps slightly larger than a baby? Its eyes were sharp too—there was nothing cute about it.
It tensed, then lunged at me.
'Dodge to the side and slash. It can't change direction mid-air.'
Following the First Generation's instruction, I did exactly that.
The rabbit leaped at me with its sharp horn thrust forward. I sidestepped and slashed. As my dagger swept in a horizontal arc, the white fur was stained red.
'Nooooooo!!'
The Fifth Generation's anguished cry rang out.
(At first I thought he was pretty cold, but... is he an animal lover?)
If the wailing continued, I might actually run out of energy in this forest.
I judged that this was enough for today's haul. After confirming that the horned rabbit on the ground was dead, I stuffed it into my leather bag and headed out of the forest.
When I made my way to the spot where the other three were waiting, Novem stood up and waved at me.
But something was off.
As I approached with my leather bag slung over my shoulder, I saw that Aria was in tears.
"What happened?"
I asked Novem, but it was Zelphy who answered.
"Ah~ Aria insisted she could do more. So I had to... you know."
It seemed that as our instructor, Zelphy had given Aria a talking-to.
Something must have happened while I was away, because Zelphy looked uncomfortable.
'Having to scold your former boss's daughter—rough gig.'
The Second Generation said that, but I thought about Zelphy's reasons for joining the party in the first place.
(She couldn't just abandon us, could she? The lord, Ventler, had mentioned something about Zelphy helping settle the Lockward family in Darion...)
Zelphy was an adventurer with ties to Ventler, the lord of Darion.
She usually worked as an adventurer while reporting on the state of the city and the guild.
That wasn't a bad thing—it was more a testament to Zelphy's competence.
When we first arrived in Darion, the guild had introduced an instructor because they couldn't leave conspicuous figures like us unattended.
Back then, they'd only recognized us as two suspicious noble children.
'Fifteen or sixteen, maybe? That age can be hard to handle, but her background is clear, and the only people she could rely on were Lyle and Zelphy. If she matures into a full-fledged adventurer, she'll be a valuable asset.'
As before, the First Generation didn't interject over the Second Generation's opinion.
Recently, the First Generation had been causing a commotion less often than before.
(Has he finally started to accept her?)
'That said, this is a problem. Her eagerness is getting the better of her. Should we have Novem back her up?'
The Second Generation's suggestion was a bit dismissive, but I thought that maybe, woman to woman, Novem could say things I couldn't.
"So, what are we doing today, Lyle?"
Zelphy changed the subject and asked for my input.
Aria immediately pushed to continue.
"Next time, I'll be the bait! So let's keep going. I haven't really done anything today..."
When he heard Aria's plea, the Second Generation gave me a directive.
Not as an adventurer, but from his experience commanding others.
'Let's head back. Lyle and Novem are both visibly tired. Zelphy doesn't count as combat strength, and Aria would rush in headfirst. Besides, it looks like we've hit our daily quota.'
The Second Generation had assessed the whole situation and told us to return.
I agreed.
Mostly because I was utterly exhausted.
(If I hadn't been interrupted, I could've done one more round.)
Despite my frustration, I called for the retreat.
"...Let's head back. We've earned enough for today."
Zelphy looked a bit relieved.
She probably thought I was going to push for one more round.
Novem didn't protest.
She didn't show her fatigue, but her movements were sluggish—she'd been tense during combat.
Aria, however, was a different story.
"Wait! I can still do this! Let me be the bait!"
Zelphy let out a deep sigh, but then the Second Generation spoke up.
'Lyle, you declared the retreat. You need to convince Aria.'
(This is my first time doing this kind of thing...)
Not that complaining would help.
If I pushed through fatigue and made a mistake, it would affect our future activities.
And if we set off in a completely exhausted state, running into a monster on the way back would be disastrous.
"Novem and I have hit our limit. By the time we get back, we'll be dead on our feet. I want to head back and rest up for tomorrow."
When I said that, Aria fell silent.
She understood that she couldn't continue alone. But understanding and accepting were two different things, and I could see it in her expression.
"Come on, let's move. We need to check our gear and get going!"
Urged along by Zelphy, we began making preparations to return to Darion.
Then the First Generation murmured to me quietly.
'Lyle, show your face tonight. I need to talk to you.'
It was probably about Aria. I touched the Jewel pendant around my neck in acknowledgment.
Glancing around, I noticed Novem's gaze resting briefly on Aria.
It wasn't a hostile stare—just a quiet look before her eyes returned to the bag in her hands.
She seemed to be checking her equipment.
(I wonder what Novem thinks of Aria.)
I realized I was genuinely curious about her feelings.