kscans

Chapter 10 - The Dog-Eared Race and Her Worries

Day two. We left the stone-paved road and walked along an unpaved path. It was a forest trail, just wide enough for a single horse-drawn carriage. We started encountering monsters that disguised themselves as trees, as well as wolf monsters. The tree-like ones were called Wood Wraiths. They specialized in surprise attacks, making them easy to fall for on the first strike, but they had no mobility, so they were easy to defeat. The wolves were troublesome because they appeared in packs and tried to overwhelm us with their swift movements. Apparently, there were non-monster wolves as well. Since both would attack, they were all just called wolves. We were facing three of them.

"Don't just focus on the enemy in front of you. Grasp the whole situation."

Famu was in the vanguard, taking on the attacks of two wolves. She tried to deal with them one at a time, but the attacks from the one she wasn't focused on were preventing her from gaining an advantage. I tried to provide cover with my earth magic, but my timing with Famu was off, and our attacks ended up concentrating on the same enemy, which it easily dodged. The third wolf circled around and bared its fangs at me. Caught off guard, I couldn't evade. Aidan fired an arrow, felling that wolf. Now free, I moved to Famu's side to assist. Once it was one-on-one, we could overpower them. Famu and I defeated our respective enemies.

"Alright, it dropped a Mana Seed."

The one I defeated dropped it. I picked it up.

"By the way, how should we split the drops?"

I asked Aidan.

"You defeated it, so you keep it. I don't need any."

"I can't do that. I'm already so indebted to you, I'll suffocate and die."

"Hmm. Then we'll sell it for cash when we get back to town. We'll split it fifty-fifty. You hold onto it until then."

"Got it."

I nodded and put it in my storage. Aidan watched me.

"Come to think of it, you also found a Mana Seed in the fight with the goblins five days ago. And you used Mana Seeds to trade with the slave trader and at the church."

"Do you know about special skills?"

It didn't seem like I could hide it, so I decided to tell him.

"You mean 'Divine Grace,' right? A skill that's given to an individual, separate from their profession's skills."

Apparently, you could normally only have one special skill.

"My special skill increases the rare item drop rate for all party members."

"I see. So there's a skill like that."

"Aidan, do you have one too?"

"Yeah, I have a combat-type skill."

He didn't seem to want to elaborate.

"Famu doesn't have a special skill. Is there a way for her to get one?"

He gave me a strange look. It made sense. I already had a special skill, so I was supposed to know.

"You should know. It's not something just anyone can obtain. That's why it's a Divine Grace."

I see. If it's a Divine Grace, maybe I can ask Laciel for one.

We encountered and defeated two more wolves.

"You're too focused on the individual. Look at the whole picture. See the whole as an individual."

That was a difficult request.

"It's your eyes. You're staring too hard at the enemy right in front of you."

My hands were full with the enemy right in front of me; I didn't have the luxury of paying attention to anything else.

"The wolves move with coordination. You two don't have that."

I couldn't argue with that.

"Well, it's not something you can learn in a few days. First, think about your ally. You two need to think more about each other."

Teamwork between me and Famu, huh?

"Famu, why do you rush out and try to fight alone?"

Aidan asked. Famu glanced at my face, then looked down. It had been the same when we were doing gathering quests. Whenever a monster appeared, she would always get between me and the monster and try to fight first. It didn't seem like she enjoyed fighting. It was like she didn't want me to fight.

"Are you trying to protect me because I'm weak?"

"That's not it. I don't want to answer."

Her sudden refusal to answer surprised me. But I needed to get it out of her.

"One-on-one is fine, but when there are multiple enemies, we need teamwork."

"...Yes."

She replied, but she clearly had no intention of answering.

I shrugged my shoulders with exaggerated theatricality. I'd never done it in my old world, but it was a pose I'd always wanted to try.

"Aidan, I'm sorry. We can't go on like this. I'd like to abandon the quest."

"What?"

Famu was shocked by my words.

"No! Is it not enough for me to try my best to get stronger?"

"Let's go back to the city. We need to think about what to do from now on."

As long as Famu wouldn't talk, continuing the quest was dangerous.

"I have things I want to keep secret, too. Do I have to tell you everything, Master?"

"No, you should never tell anyone the things you want to keep secret. I have tons of secrets myself. But this is a matter of life and death."

If we continued to fight like this, the chances of Famu getting hurt would increase. It would be one thing if she could be healed, but I couldn't bear the thought of anything worse happening.

"...There were so many people in the city. But I was alone. You were the only one who noticed me, Master. I have no one but you. I don't want to be alone. I want to protect you."

Famu suddenly started saying something very sentimental. She was a young maiden, so it couldn't be helped. It was almost a confession, but it probably wasn't romantic love.

"We've only known each other for three days. Why go this far?"

"The number of days doesn't matter,"

Famu cut in, her words overlapping with mine. She was so pure it was dazzling. I placed my hand on Famu's head. I'd been harassing her so much I'd forgotten, but she was just a kid. It would take time for her to stand on her own. She needed someone's help. And she was trying to push that responsibility onto me. What a pain. But it wasn't an unpleasant feeling. In fact, it made me happy. I ruffled her hair roughly.

"I understand how you feel, Famu. The basic plan for battles will be for you to be the main fighter, and I'll be in a support role. But that's just the basic plan. We'll need to experience different patterns depending on the situation. We'll use this quest to test them out. We'll have Aidan check on us."

"Really..."

Famu started to ask something to confirm, then stopped. I had no intention of making Famu the main fighter. Under the guise of testing, I would sneakily establish a different formation and make it the norm. As she gained experience, her perspective would probably change.

"Alright, Famu? Aidan, let me know if there are any problems."

"I have no problem with that,"

Aidan nodded.

"Yes, sir,"

Famu also nodded.

We found a shady spot under a tree to take a break. We were taking longer rests than yesterday. Getting proper rest while camping in a tent required experience. Our sleep was also being cut short by taking turns on watch duty. We needed to let our bodies get used to the journey. Famu smelled some fruit and went off to pick it. It was just me and Aidan.

"Don't be too hard on her. That's a characteristic of her race,"

Aidan said.

"Hm? You mean Famu?"

"The dog-eared race has high perception and is skilled at reading people's emotions. And those who take on warrior-type professions, in particular, devote their lives to serving the master they have chosen with loyalty."

"Is that so? Well, I'd rather she didn't rush out in front then. It's a problem even if she just gets hurt."

Aidan nodded.

"You are afraid of fighting monsters. She senses that and is trying to fight in your place. That determination is also reflected in the profession she chose."

I remembered telling Famu I was scared. But she had been like that even before then. So she really was sensing what was in my heart. And the Miburō of my world, while they engaged in internal strife, the core members' feelings were pure, and they were loyal patriots. And their pale blue-green garments were those of the loyal retainers they idealized. She was trying to become the Miburō of this world. Just then, Famu returned. Our conversation was cut short.

We ate the fruit Famu had found. It looked like cherries.

"It's sour,"

Famu said. It did seem to lack sweetness, but I supposed that couldn't be helped since it was wild.

"You feel sourness more when you're tired,"

Aidan said.

"Is that so?"

"Well, that's my experience."

I stretched as I listened to their conversation. The season was apparently heading towards summer. The sun was getting stronger.