"Hurry up."
The sound of dozens of horse hooves climbing the mountain was heard, accompanied by a firm command.
From knights in heavy armor.
Even the knight wearing shoulder armor.
A lion-shaped flag symbolizing Histania was fluttering on the mountainside.
Rowan, who was at the forefront of them, had a troubled expression on his face.
It's not like we're fighting a formidable enemy.
It wasn't like I was fighting the Demon King's army.
It wasn't even about suppressing the rebels.
But Rowan's lips were parched more than ever.
"Nothing will happen. You know, Father, that youngest is a coward. That coward is not the type to risk his life."
The first is comfort mixed with sarcasm.
"That's right. I told you he'd be hiding in the inn like last time and then come back. I'm sure he'll be holed up in his room by the time he gets back to the mansion."
The second son's irritated cackling was heard, but Rowan heard nothing.
-Please save me… I don’t want to die like this.
There was only one thing occupying Rowan's mind right now: the last image of the youngest child revealed through the blue window.
'I must have been hallucinating.'
The youngest daughter is brutally killed by an orc.
The image of her searching for her father, sword in hand, blood-soaked, was still vivid. It was too real to be a hallucination, and her daughter's voice calling for her was also clearly audible.
Isn't it absurd that Hannah died? The daughter of the Histania family, to a mere orc?
For a moment, my eyes went dark.
Rowan shook his head sharply and shook off his distracting thoughts.
"It must have been because the first one said something strange. The circumstances combined to make me think something strange."
'Is it because I've been working too hard lately?'
"As the second son said, the youngest is timid. He'll definitely be there when he gets home. I have to make sure he gives up his sword when I get back."
A thousand excuses raced through Rowan's mind, but he knew the hallucinations he'd seen weren't simply the result of fatigue.
I don't know why I see that.
Was this punishment for being so cruel to his daughter all this time, or was it a prophetic dream like the prophets had?
What is certain is that it was not a hallucination or magic, but something like an actual memory.
The Sword Master, who had reached the peak of his physical power, was struck by mental magic.
There is no way to get caught and no way to get caught.
If that were possible, the empire would be full of wizards by now.
'It's just a simple worry.'
Rowan urged himself.
It's not that I hate the youngest.
It's just that he didn't get as much attention as the other kids. I thought he was doing well.
Because his father was worse than this.
But why do I continue to feel regret? What if my youngest daughter were to die, like the hallucination the blue spear showed her, searching for herself until the moment her breath was taken by the orc's greatsword, and she died alone?
What would happen to him if he saw his daughter found dead?
Should I be angry at my daughter for bringing shame to Histania's name? Or should I just sit there and cry?
Rowan didn't even want to imagine it.
He hated to imagine himself, frail and crying, clutching his daughter's body, belatedly regretting it. It was unsightly, to regret something that had already happened. If that was the case, he should have done better from the beginning.
If you are a knight.
At least for a knight, death is always near… .
"Stop...stop!"
One of the knights in the vanguard pointed to the thicket and spoke. She extended her palm toward the approaching group.
"There is a body."
Among the bushes where the knight's gaze was directed, there was a cold corpse.
For a moment, Rowan's heart seemed to stop.
All sorts of negative thoughts were swirling in my mind, and a cold sweat formed on the reins I was holding.
A white hand visible through the bushes.
The long hair and sword that looked to be about a meter long reminded him of someone he knew well.
Rowan quickly dismounted.
'No. This can't happen.'
If his son saw this, he'd surely find it hilarious. The Commander of the Knights dismounted without even trying to control his expression. He laughed at the very thing he hated most, but his mind wasn't sharp enough to think about such trivial things.
Rowan ran quickly towards the bushes.
The knight crouched down and examined the body.
Immediately afterwards, a small nameplate was lifted from his hand.
Rowan's body gradually stiffened.
'please.'
'It shouldn't be.'
"That's just a fantasy. Don't be afraid, Rowan."
For a moment, Rowan thought he was disgusted.
-I was glad I eavesdropped when my brother and father were talking. My father said he had improved his skills by hunting orcs in the Hamel Mountains when he was young…
Hannah, who had heard the story told to her eldest child, was depicted climbing the mountain with an expression full of anticipation.
and.
-Ah... If it were my father, he would have fought without being scared. I'm sure he'd praise me if I caught him.
Even the sight of him trembling while holding a sword towards an orc four times his size.
Rowan's eyes were tightly shut.
‘Oh my god, please…’
I never thought the day would come when I would find God.
The Pope would laugh at himself.
The knight, who was searching the body with its face crushed, spoke with an adventurer's badge in his hand.
"I'm 51 years old. I'm a class A adventurer."
Rowan's pale complexion gradually regained its warmth.
"From now on, I will move alone. The knights will split into five groups and proceed with the exploration, focusing on the orc colony."
"yes!"
At the end of the knights' roaring response, Rowan spoke coldly.
"Hurry up."
***
"You can do it like this."
An oak grove atop the Hamel Mountains. Pink mats were neatly laid out there.
Hannah, who was pouring green tea and serving sandwiches and potato salad as if she were at a picnic, looked at me with a relieved expression.
"How do I do that!"
"It's simple. Just swing your sword at the carotid artery and they'll fall down with a thud. Easy, right?"
“It’s possible because you’re a butler.”
"No. Maybe Hannah can do it too?"
I tilted my head and said to Hannah.
"maybe?"
Around the mat lay the corpses of orcs scattered in disorder. Not only were the corpses of the red orcs, reputedly difficult to deal with, but also those of orc warriors, their bodies and heads neatly separated, bidding farewell to the world.
Now it's Hannah's turn to show.
I looked at Hannah with great anticipation.
"I think this much is possible, right?"
"How is that possible!"
We took our seats closest to the top of the mountain.
Monsters with the modifier "Elite" are rare monsters that boast high prices.
Even if it's a monster with the same name, if it's labeled as an elite, it has 3 to 4 times more power.
In the original, Mikhail was frequently trampled by elite monsters, so he vaguely remembers the characteristics of their habitat.
First, elite monsters must not be touched by human hands.
Because the parts of elite monsters are expensive, they are often used by adventurers, and because they are rare, they mainly live in groups in isolated areas.
Because of this, Hannah and I settled on a mountaintop where no one would go, and we were able to find a habitat for quite a few elite orcs.
Of course, there were more elite orcs than expected, which was also a problem.
'There are too many corpses.'
The surrounding area was filled with towering corpses of adventurers. The bodies of well-equipped, veteran adventurers, aged and well-worn, lay in an unusually dense pile.
Occasionally, there were instances of people doing things that weren't orcs, but they weren't anything to worry about.
Because Hannah's growth is important right now.
As I showed off my strategy by slaughtering a decent orc, Hannah sighed and examined my posture one by one.
It was a good posture.
"You've already chopped off a few orc heads, so why are you so scared? Don't worry too much."
"That was just a regular orc... This is the first time I've caught an elite orc."
"it's okay."
I trust Hannah.
I think it's possible, if I keep it and Hannah's skills are good enough.
Orcs are dull.
They're guys who wield heavy greatswords and aim for powerful blows. Hannah, on the other hand, is nimble and fast.
When swinging her greatsword once, Hannah has enough agility to dodge and even counterattack.
She may not know her talent, but I'm sure Hannah's talent is agility.
In the original, it would have failed because he lacked the strength to inflict fatal damage on the orc, but it would be different now.
Hannah stood up, supporting herself on her knees.
"Okay. Let's give it a try. If something happens, you'll help me, right?"
"Of course."
Yeah, if anything happens, I can help you.
Thinking so, I lifted a stone toward the huge oak tree visible at the end of the mountain.
“Huh? Why are you reaching out that way…? There’s a little orc over there.”
As I reached out to the giant orc, Hannah smiled awkwardly and our eyes met. I flashed her the provocative smile I had learned from the young lady.
If you're going to do it, you should do it with a strong guy.
"Okay. Get ready."
"No. Butler, please wait a moment?"
"Shoot!"
-Exactly!
The orc's scream echoed with a dull thud.
-Woooo!!!
I quickly hid behind Hannah.
"go for it!"
I didn't forget to cheer you on either.
"This fucking thing..!"
I just realized Hannah was so good at swearing.
***
Hannah successfully captured the orc.
And there were no fatal injuries.
He finished the battle brilliantly with only minor injuries.
"Thank you for your hard work."
"I know. You've had a hard time."
It was nice to see him become more shameless, like me. As they say, if you're humble, no one will notice.
I handed her a bottle of water, which she was very proud of.
"It was perfect. I especially admired how he dug in between the sides and targeted the vital spot."
"Really?"
"Yes. Of course, if I had been just a little bit later, I would have been on a blind date with the goddess."
“Tch… And?”
"yes?"
Hannah blushed.
The way she glanced at me as if embarrassed and then quickly turned her head away reminded me of a girl her age.
“And nothing more? Oh… I think there’s a lot to praise today….”
"Pfft."
"Why are you laughing!"
"Just like that."
I guess I still don't have enough praise.
────────────────
[Q. The short-lived, unfortunate extra 'Hannah']
1. Give compliments that boost self-esteem.
(9/10)
2. Make the 'favorability' level 40 or higher.
[Favorability: 51]
3. Defeat the 'Elite Orc Inspector'.
(1/1)
────────────────
I thought the quest would end if I caught the orc and praised him, but it seems like he's become resistant to the praise I've given him so far.
It's not that it's hard to praise someone, and they did a really good job today. I shouldn't be stingy with it.
only.
It would have been better if there were no uninvited guests.
"We have a guest here?"
A man resembling a locust emerged from behind a tree. He had been observing us without making a sound, and then, upon confirming Hannah's retirement, he appeared.
He was looking at Hannah and me and snickering.
A dagger hung on the waist.
A physiognomy that would suit Tang Langquan.
A man with three unlikable traits that will hit you in the back of the head if you get close to him.
It was a bandit that could be seen everywhere.
only.
The only flaw is that he is a bit of a bad bandit.
The bandit's clothes were covered in adventurer badges. He had them plastered all over his armor, as if they were collectibles, and it was quite a sight.
I know him well.
He doesn't know me.
There was only one person in the novel who walked around with such an unpleasant impression and strange attire.
Adventurer hunter.
He was a villain who hunted numerous adventurers in the middle of the novel, entered a pagan cult, and became a mad archbishop.
And tricky magic.
He was a strong man who used special black magic to inflict great damage on Ruin.
'So that's why there were so many adventurer corpses. They seemed like they were skilled enough to hunt elite orcs.'
The black magic circles that appeared on the floor here and there, and the grinning locusts, were all quite disturbing.
I looked at him and said.
"Wow. He's a villain."
A wart that is really annoying.
I continued my self-introduction.
"I'm a villain too."