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“That one please, Noche!!”
“Leave it to me, nya!”

Even in the grasslands, magic beasts appear. The ones that inhabit this area are mainly an insect-like creature called the “Dig Ant” and a wolf-like magical beast called the “Grass Wolf.” Both dig holes in the ground to make their nests.

Right now, we were under attack by a pack of Grass Wolves. Normally, they wouldn’t attack a group that’s stronger or larger than their own, but it seems we were targeted as prey simply because we were traveling alone.

“‘Slash’ nya!”
“Yelp!”

Sufi and Noche cut down the two Grass Wolves that had attacked from either side with a single strike. It wasn’t quite like decapitating a goblin with a single blow, but the brown-furred wolf rolled onto the ground, dripping red liquid from its neck.

Sufi kept running, keeping pace with the other Grass Wolves and felling any that attacked her with a counter-strike. Or rather, even though they’re on the smaller side, she’s basically playing a game of tag with fully grown wolves.

“Nya! Hssha! ‘Slash’!”

Meanwhile, Noche skillfully maneuvers at close range, mixing in kicks and punches to take down the wolves. They’re both strong, but their fighting styles are completely different—it’s fascinating.

Actually, both of them have clearly learned how to use Arts properly. Also, seeing the wolves get mercilessly slaughtered is a bit bittersweet for me.

Well, Sufi doesn’t seem to care at all, and as for Filia, she’s just casually eating rabbit meat. Maybe my sensibilities are just a little unusual, though…

“Alice! Watch out!”
“Yeah.”

The wolf, which had been lying low, pounces from behind. I dodged by shifting my body, while bracing my right wrist—holding a dagger—with my left hand for support, and slashed the wolf’s carotid artery as it passed me…

…Ugh, that’s a nasty feeling.

“Eh?”
“Alice! Are you okay!?”
“Phew, phew… mhm…”

Oh no, I moved so fast all of a sudden that my heart’s racing and I feel lightheaded.

“Grr…”
“Tch.”
“Get away!”
“Arf!?”

The wound seemed shallow, so I kicked the wolf in the side just as it got back to its feet. At the same time, Sufi flew in, slashing with her sword and sending the wolf—who had been momentarily frozen—flying.

You’d think the Glass Wolf would be heavier, though…

“Alice, are you okay? Sorry.”
“Huff, I’m fine, huff, something like that, haa, I could handle it alone.”
“You don’t look okay at all, Alice! I’m sorry, I was right next to you…”

It’s understandable that Filia couldn’t move immediately because of her luggage. Even so, she was still able to move if she needed to. I’m not actually injured, and I did manage to deal some damage.

The reason I’m slumped down and can’t move is just that I ran out of stamina from fighting back—I’m a little surprised by my own lack of stamina.

“Lacking rear guard’s defense is a problem, nya…”

Noche sighed as she sheathed her sword in the scabbard on her belt.

The other wolves… oh, they’re already taken care of. It seems the one that attacked me was the last one.

Having learned basic combat techniques, Sufi and Noche have gotten seriously stronger. They don’t even bat an eye at a monster of this caliber anymore. It’s supposed to be an ‘E’ level monster, though.

There’s no size difference between the fallen ones, but it’s impressive that they kept attacking right up until the very last one.

“How do we skin them, nya?”
“……Hmm…”

I’ve heard wolf meat isn’t very tasty, and the only materials we can get are fur, fangs, and claws. I don’t see the point in spending time on it.

“Shouldn’t we just leave them?”
“Then let’s put them in Alice’s pocket and take them with us, nya.”
“…………”

My feeble protest was swiftly dismissed.

Reluctantly, I unhooked my pocket and handed it over, watching as Sufi and the others tossed the blood-dripping wolf carcass inside.

Well, it’s still far better than storing it inside our living space in Apartment 404.

“Alright, let’s hit the road, nya.”
“Wooo.”
“……wooo.”

I reattached the pouch to my stomach and started walking again. It wasn’t far to the second rest stop.

■■■■■

“Over the valley—”
“Over the hill—”

……With the rest stop right ahead, I was woken up by Sufi and the others’ cheerful singing.

I must have drifted off again while being carried on their backs. My body feels super sluggish.

“Woke up? Alice has a fever, so you’re going straight to sleep as soon as we get there, okay?”
“…Mm.”

It seemed we’d been walking nonstop since leaving the gate this morning, and on top of that, the sudden movements during the battle had completely drained my stamina, resulting in a fever.

…That’s weird. I was carried on Sufi’s back the whole time. I only landed a single, spectacular counterattack at the very end.

Being carried by someone really takes a lot of energy, huh.

“There’s no one here.”
“Lucky us, nya.”

Beside the main road, the grass has been mowed into a circle, creating a clearing where the brown ground has been trampled flat.

It’s called a rest stop, but there aren’t any actual facilities here. It’s a clearing that formed naturally as the environment was gradually adapted to allow travelers to rest along the way.

The requirements are a flat spot near a water source. Since there’s a constant flow of people, magic beasts tend to stay away.

There are post towns, but they’re a few days’ walk away. For now, we’ll keep moving by hopping from one rest stop like this to the next.

To be honest, since we have Apartment 404, we don’t really need to stick to camping here. But if we just set up camp anywhere in this open grassland, we’ll stand out like a sore thumb, and there’s a risk of getting attacked by monsters.

“We’re here, Alice. I’m going to pitch the tent, so hang in there a little longer, okay?”
“Mm…”
“Noche, where are we camping?”
“Right in the middle, nya!”

That’s going to be conspicuous.

“The edge is better. If we’re too conspicuous, it might cause trouble. It’s a hassle.”
“Tch… Fine, I’ll put up with it.”

It’s fine for ordinary travelers or merchants, but since adventurers rely on their reputation, they seem to care quite a bit about this sort of thing. Getting into a fight around here would do more harm than good.

Filia takes a tent out of the large backpack she’s carrying and starts setting it up at the edge.
By the way, the backpack is filled entirely with tents; I asked Chytis Philip to arrange for a slightly larger one. It cost quite a bit, but it’s made of waterproof fabric using a new technology called “slime coating.”

The finished tent is spacious enough for four people. It’s also very well-made.

“I’ll go gather some stuff to burn, nya.”
“Green wood is fine too.”

I have some mana left over today, so if they bring some back, I’ll dry it out. A few branches from the scattered trees we can see should be enough.

“Alice, make sure you get some proper rest until then!”
“Okay.”

I watched Noche run off, then followed Sufi into the tent.

I pulled the door out of my pocket and secured it to the ground near the center of the tent.
Hehehe, with a sturdy tent like this, no one can see inside from the outside. I jammed the key in and opened the door—just like that, the entrance to our usual Apartment 404 was ready.

For someone from the modern world, this really feels like home.

I secured the door with a stopper and brushed the dirt off my feet. Heading to the Japanese-style room I use as a bedroom, I lay down on the futon Sufi had quickly laid out for me.

“Alice, be a good girl and go to sleep, okay?”
“…Sufi, we’re the same age… never mind.”

Sometimes I worry that Sufi treats me like a much younger kid. Let’s get dinner ready after a quick nap.

“Sufi, even with my fever, we’re still moving on.”
“…Why?”

It’s not that we’re pressed for time, but I want to avoid staying in one place for too long just because of a fever.

“The fact that we’re being targeted hasn’t changed. If they realize we’re not there, they might come after us. Chytis Khaleed’s attempt to buy us time will eventually be noticed too.”
“Mmm…”

Logically speaking, traveling under Chytis Khaleed’s protection would be the safest option. He wouldn’t even consider making children travel on foot.

But in terms of raw combat power, Sufi and Noche are already at a level where they could likely hold their own against D-rank adventurers, and I’m a decent alchemist myself. I’ve got a trump card, too.

With all these factors combined, we might just be able to pull off something reckless.

“I want us to cover as much ground as we can while we still can.”
“…Alright.”

Thank goodness I managed to convince Sufi. Now all that’s left is to head for the port.

It looked like this trip was going to be a peaceful one.

***

#Author’s note:#

Alice’s counterattack was actually pretty awesome. She just runs out of stamina right away whenever she does a combat maneuver.