As I pushed through the forest, Novem and Eva trailed behind me.
We had split off from Miranda, Aria, and Clara's group and were roaming around, picking off Grey Wolves.
Small groups were scattered throughout the forest.
That said, we hadn't strayed all that far from Miranda and the others. From time to time, we'd generate light with magic to communicate back and forth.
It was a simple way to keep tabs on each other's positions.
(Maybe we should have coordinated this kind of signal-based communication more thoroughly beforehand.)
I didn't want to overuse it since it could draw enemy attention. But if I led the charge, I'd only get in the way of Miranda and Aria's growth.
Besides, I wanted to test out the approach of operating in small, separated teams.
Walking through the forest, the ground was rough and uneven. Waist-high grass tangled with tree branches, getting in the way at every turn.
I drew my short sword and hacked through as I advanced, but the noise attracted more enemies.
Easy enough, but the location was terrible.
There was no way I would have willingly fought in a place like this before.
"All right, let's take a break. Novem."
When I looked at Novem, she raised her staff and produced a light with magic. After flashing it a few times, Clara responded with a light of her own.
Once Miranda and the rest returned, I found a suitable spot and decided to call for a rest.
Miranda's group seemed to be struggling in the forest too—their movement speed had been sluggish.
I had deliberately chosen to fight in the forest because I figured it would be good experience. There was also Eva's presence to consider.
Having originally lived in the forest, Eva had a natural aptitude for it.
She could push ahead through the dense woods that we found so difficult to navigate. Sensitive to every sound and scent around her, she spotted enemies early.
On top of that, she could wield a short sword and short bow in addition to magic.
Even so, she would say things like, "Compared to my kind who actually live and move through the forest, I still have a long way to go."
(I'm absolutely not getting into a fight with an elf in this forest)
Thinking that, I looked at Eva.
"How is it? Have you spotted any enemies?"
We'd been commissioned to hunt Grey Wolves, but it wasn't guaranteed that Grey Wolves would be the only things we ran into.
We'd already encountered Orcs and Goblins several times.
When an enemy drew near and I took up a stance, there had even been times Eva had already loosed an arrow.
"No, but do you even need to ask me? Lyle, don't you have some kind of skill that tells you where enemies are and where it's dangerous?"
A sharp remark, but I—
"No, I already explained that I have that kind of skill."
Eva didn't look convinced.
"Then why are you doing something so pointless?! Just find them quickly and take them out! I thought you were conserving magic power since you can't use your skill all the time, and here I was feeling like an idiot for worrying about you."
I thought to myself that she was being unreasonable, but I explained anyway.
"Unlike you, we're not used to the forest. I told you we were spending two days in here to get accustomed to it, didn't I?"
We couldn't even walk through the woods as naturally as Eva could. In that situation, it would be wasteful for me to use my skill and just rush to take down the commissioned Grey Wolves.
"Besides, my goal is to defeat Ceres. Right now, I want as much experience as possible. I heard from the Successive Heads that you can gain experience by repeating the same things, but the amount you gain from environmental changes and new experiences is on a different level."
From the Successive Heads, that is.
The Second Generation, whom I could no longer meet, had been well-versed in matters like these.
I planned to use that knowledge and believed it would be more efficient to gain a variety of experiences rather than repeating the same thing over and over.
Of course, diving into the Dungeon and continuously slaying Monsters was also an option.
It would let me gain all kinds of experiences, but the downside was that the travel time was wasteful.
"Eva, you looked sleepy from this morning — you weren't listening, were you?"
When Novem said that, Eva latched onto her.
"Forgive me, Novem. Besides, yesterday when I sang, the villagers gathered around. They got to hear me perform!"
Watching Eva act cutesy toward Novem, I let out a sigh.
I already knew the reason she'd stayed up late, and I'd been awake at the time too.
That was because the Seventh Generation had riddled me with holes over and over inside the Jewel. I'd thought she'd go easy on her granddaughter, but she said she wouldn't die and never once eased up on her attacks.
Every single one of the Successive Heads was, frankly speaking, stronger than me.
Not just in raw power — they each had their own fighting style.
The same went for the sword. I couldn't beat the Third Generation.
Compared to the Third Generation, I didn't think my swordsmanship was inferior in terms of skill. Yet when we fought, the reason I lost was that the Third Generation possessed something that went beyond the gap in accumulated technique.
Besides, she was genuinely skilled at using her Skills.
She made full use of the Skills she had awakened herself.
I sensed a reaction approaching nearby, stood up, and gripped the handle of my Saber — and then—
"Oh, a horned rabbit. I'll take it!"
Eva, bow at the ready, released an arrow that pierced the horned rabbit through its vitals the moment it showed its face, attempting to close in on us.
"...I hate elves."
I heard the Fifth Generation's resentful voice from inside the Jewel, but I ignored it and looked at Eva.
Ever since we'd entered the forest, Eva's movements looked different.
"Do you get stronger when you enter the forest? Man, you're actually pretty skilled."
It was a small bow, but it packed real power and Eva had it down cold.
"Not really. But we did end up in the forest a lot, and my clan is originally a group of elves that came from the forest. Our bows and equipment are pretty specialized, after all."
She said it with a smug grin, so I—
"And yet when you sing, your outfit is skimpy and flashy. Is showing skin your thing?"
Just then, Miranda and the others finally caught up, so Eva headed off to collect her kills while grumbling at me.
"The audience is completely different! I don't want to hear that from Laiel!"
She stuck out her tongue and bounced nimbly through the forest. Covered head to toe in mud, Aria watched her go.
"Elves really come alive when they enter a forest, don't they? I'm jealous."
It looked like she had tripped at some point after they'd gone in.
Clara pulled a towel from the luggage, dampened it with a bit of magic, and handed it to Aria.
Aria set her equipment on the ground and began wiping herself down.
Novem was standing guard at a slight distance from the group, keeping watch over the surroundings.
Miranda reported their results.
"Three Goblins and six Grey Wolves. I know that sounds like a lot, but finding them was tough work. I panicked when they almost ambushed us out of nowhere."
Even Miranda had her struggles in this unfamiliar environment.
We had accomplished our objective for now, but we decided to keep gaining experience in the forest a while longer.
Eva approached with a horned rabbit in hand and, upon seeing Aria—
"What, you fell down?"
She giggled.
"You're so noisy! It's not like I grew up in the forest like you did!"
I thought about how Aria usually carried herself, and how she didn't mind being seen naked. Could Aria adapt to the forest right away? That was starting to seem possible.
Eva shrugged her shoulders, looking slightly exasperated as she set her prey on the ground and drew the knife at her waist.
"Well, let's get this cleaned up here then."
Eva began skinning the horned rabbit, humming a little tune.
From the Jewel came the anguished cries of the Fifth Generation and the fed-up voice of the Third Generation.
"I hate this woman!"
"I'm the one who hates the Fifth Generation for calling a horned rabbit cute. Honestly, it's no wonder a Kirin that acts like a small child would fall for him."
I held back the urge to nod at the Third Generation's sardonic remark and instead examined the materials from Miranda and the others.
The stripped materials and Magic Stones ranged from good condition to poor. They must have made a mistake when finishing off their prey.
(Well, earnings-wise, this time around it doesn't really matter. For now, I just want to gain as much experience as possible.)
We moved through the forest, taking frequent breaks.
Then.
"Hey, if we're going to keep our distance anyway, why don't we try Rael's skill? Connection, I think it was? Why not use it on me?"
At Miranda's sudden suggestion, Aria spat out her words.
"What— what are you saying! It's a kiss, a kiss! And a grown-up one at that!"
Aria was flustered, while Clara blushed slightly and adjusted her glasses.
Novem kept glancing my way— was she worried about me?
Eva, noticing Novem doing this, said:
"…Do we really need to use it? You haven't even tested it yet. If you let your guard down in this forest, you'll be in for a world of hurt."
Miranda had been keeping me in check.
The Fourth Generation spoke, from within the Jewel.
"Well, humans—once there are three or more, factions form. No, no, this is where Rael gets to show his stuff. Do your best!"
(Give me some real advice! Come on, this is exactly when I need your guidance!)
I gripped the Jewel, rolling it between my fingertips to demand advice, and the responses came in order starting from the Third Generation.
"I only had one wife, so I wouldn't know."
"Same here. Multiple partners... I don't really get it."
"Do nothing. That is all."
"...Things didn't exactly work out for me, so I can't give advice."
"I was devoted to Xenoa alone."
Useless, every last one of the Successive Heads.
The atmosphere in the area grew tense, and Miranda broke in with a smile.
"Well then, let's try it when we get back. I'm free anytime, you know."
That's what she said.
Leaning forward to meet my eyes while I was still sitting, she flashed me a bright smile.
"N-No, that's—! I-I don't really have much experience with this sort of thing..."
I averted my gaze, stood up, and put some distance between us—when Clara spoke up.
"And yet you tried to kiss a Kirin?"
Days had passed, but within the group, I was still being treated as a pervert who had tried to kiss a Kirin and driven it into a rage.
And I—
"…Novem, take a break. I'll keep watch."
I fled the scene.
I heard tsking and someone saying "She ran away," but I ignored them and swapped shifts with Novem.
"Then, I'll leave it to you."
"Sure."
Novem rejoined the group with a smile and a word of thanks, but once I was out of earshot, their conversation came through in scattered fragments.
Inside the Jewel, the Third Generation's bored voice rang out.
*"Tch, couldn't you have held out a bit longer to keep us entertained?"*
*(Why on earth would I need to entertain you lot?!)*
I held back my irritation and activated my Skills to survey the surroundings.
For practice, I decided to check farther out than usual.
A map of the area materialized in my mind, displaying numerous red dots.
*(The Grey Wolves are still around. Looks like there's a slightly larger pack deeper in the forest. It'd be easier if they came this way.)*
As I was thinking that, I spotted a complex pattern of dots — yellow, red, and occasionally flashing blue.
I turned my gaze in that direction, and the other party immediately pulled back.
A cold sweat trickled down my back, and I felt a slight sense of relief as they withdrew.
"…Did it follow me?"
That reaction belonged unmistakably to the Kirin — May.
"For tonight's dinner, we'll be using the chicken that our dear friend Chicken loves so much, and making a stew! Now then, Assistant Shannon, did you cut all the ingredients properly?"
At the building in the village where adventurers and travelers stayed, Monica was preparing things alongside Shannon, getting everything ready before Riel and the others returned.
If Shannon entered the forest, she would be nothing but dead weight. And she knew it perfectly well, using that as an excuse to avoid going in.
But that didn't mean she could do nothing.
Under Monica's watch, she would clean and prepare meals for her companions when they returned.
"You always call her Shannon — just her name, no honorific — or treat her like some little brat. So why does she get '-san' when she's your assistant?"
"Hmph, it's a matter of formalities. Now then, the ingredients are... You little wench!!"
Monica looked at the vegetables Shannon had cut and erupted in a thunderous shout.
"W-what?! They're fine, aren't they?! They're cute, aren't they?!"
The vegetables Shannon had cut had, incredibly, lost most of their volume and been transformed into stars and heart shapes.
But the cuts were lopsided, as if she had carved them by shaving with the knife.
"Listen to me! When you make shapes like that, you use molds! Putting aside the shape itself — discarding the leftover parts is... Well, let's just chop them up finely and toss them in. And since you went through the trouble of making them, when you put them in the pot, do it gently!"
It was Monica's own brand of kindness that she tried not to destroy the star- and heart-shaped vegetables Shannon had made.
"Leave it to me. Anyone who eats this is a winner, right?"
"Are there no prizes, or is eating those vegetables the prize...? Anyway, let's get the prep work done."
When Shannon tried to toss the ingredients into the pot, Monica stopped her once again.
"You hopeless idiot!! What do you think cooking is?!"
"But I usually only wash dishes or peel skin! I already helped out, so isn't that enough!"
Monica's twin tails whipped about as she lectured Shannon, absolutely livid.
"The one who ordered me to teach you cooking is Chicken! For this Monica, following Chicken's orders with the utmost effort and delivering the finest results is my mission! I will beat housework into you until you're perfect, and I'll take on this task with the resolve to be called a demon if that's what it takes!"
Watching Monica's declaration of determination, Shannon looked thoroughly unhappy.
And then Shannon glanced behind Monica.
There stood village youths—though rather than young men, they were more like twelve or thirteen. The boys were staring at the Porter parked beside the building.
At first glance it looked like they were merely peeking, but that didn't seem to be the case.
"What are you kids doing?!"
When Shannon shouted, the boys were startled and ran off.
Monica let out a sigh and resumed cooking.
"It's fine? They looked like they were trying to steal something."
Monica said to Shannon while she continued with the food prep.
"The cargo door on the Porter is locked. They can't open it. Still, what on earth did they come here to steal... Don't tell me it's the unobtrusive maid outfit I'm currently making!"
Shannon stared at her with a look of absolute disbelief, wondering if she was serious.
"If you'd just get away from the maid outfits, this whole problem would be solved. What do you mean 'unobtrusive maid outfit'? The whole point of a maid outfit is to stand out—it defeats the purpose!"
Shannon resumed helping, but when she glanced around with her eyes, she spotted the boys had crept closer again.
They probably thought they were hidden, but Shannon could see them perfectly clearly.
And she could also sense the feelings they held toward her—ones that were far from friendly.
Jealousy, fear, and contempt.
"Doesn't seem like we're very welcome," Shannon remarked.
To that, Monica—
"Is that any reason to stop working? If you don't keep at it, I'll have to report you to Miranda."
"You're such a coward! Why are Automatons so shameless?!"
Monica snorted with laughter.
"Hah! I don't care what anyone thinks of me except Chicken. Cowardly? Why, I'll take that as a compliment."
Monica and Shannon cooked together in high spirits, though Monica occasionally kept a wary eye on their surroundings.