Oukoku e Tsuzuku Michi

Chapter 210: Irregularities of the Forest Part 1

Aegir POV–

When the sun eventually rises in the morning, each of us grab our weapons and gather outside the city.

Celia and Mireille went with the safe choice and brought one-handed swords, while Gido and Christoph brought the standard sword issued to them for being part of the escort squad.

Gido also carried his personal bow on his back.

「We might have to do some fighting...... so Mireille, you can stay in the inn if you want.」

It would feel awkward to have her fight after I brought her here as my lover.

「Well, we’ve already come this far. It isn’t in my nature to sleep in the inn and leave everything to you either. I wouldn’t be able to stay calm like that.」

It’s been a while since I’ve fought together with Mireille, so might actually be enjoyable.

In the worst case, Christoph is also here to block at least one hit.

I ignore the dissatisfied man and take a look around me.

Mack and Kroll have eccentric weapons.

The muscle giant Mack is wielding a two-handed mace, a cudgel which is about one meter long and has an iron head.

It seems like a crude weapon but the metal part is covered in bumps and the whole thing seems incredibly heavy. You won’t get away scot free after getting hit by this thing.

When held by this guy, this large mace also appears to be a one-handed weapon.

「Let me try holding it.」

I try wielding the weapon out of curiosity and it truly was as heavy as it looked.

If I swung it around with one hand, I’ll probably lose my balance.

「I’ll try too...... gyaah! H-help!」

Celia wanted to test it out as well, though she got pinned by the pole when I handed it to her.

Mireille and Gido try lifting the mace together.

It’s a weapon suitable for the muscular Mack.

「Anyhow, Kroll......」

「I’m terribly sorry......」

For this outing, Kroll was treated as just an accompanying servant and didn’t bring a weapon.

What he brought with him in a hurry was a stick he borrowed from the inn and the lid of a pot.

At least keep a sword on your hip.

「I didn’t think that even I would have to fight-, oww.」

「You’re relied on by women. It doesn’t make sense for Mireille to fight while you don’t.」

Celia, look down on him.

「......」

When Celia’s cold stares hit Kroll, he resigns himself and readjusts the rod and lid in his hands.

That’s good.

「Now that I think about it, we’re like a hero and his party who appears in those stories we hear all the time.」

Everyone laughs at Christoph’s light-hearted remark.

We do resemble that group a little.

「Mack is the beefy warrior who is proud of his strength.」

「......」

Mack flexes his muscles out and poses.

He might not say much, but he’s a reliable man.

As the captain of the Engineer Corps, he is more involved with the construction of camps than fighting, however, his abnormal strength allows him to easily carry the luggage of five people by himself.

When I asked the prostitutes in Rafen, they tell me his cock is monster-class too.

As I thought, those with large dicks are strong.

「Gido is the archer who never misses.」

「Haha...... you’re making me blush.」

Gido has a forced smile on his face.

His skill with the bow is in the upper echelon even amongst the mountain nation and he’s practically an expert when compared to the rest of us.

Pipi is probably still better at hitting targets, though his strength when pulling his bowstring is enough to allow him to penetrate most armor.

When we have to fight at close-range, his swordsmanship is top class too.

He’s only 16, yet he’s already skilled and dependable, plus he has a good head on his shoulders, which was why he was appointed as a platoon leader for the escort squad.

He is also quite popular among the girls in the city because of his serious personality.

Apparently, they can’t get enough of his rather handsome face which still retains a youthful look.

Many girls feel sad after hearing he’s married, but knowing he’s able to make a living conversely increases his popularity further.

Incidentally, the girl in charge of preparing the food for the escort squad has approached Gido, telling him she’s fine with having cheating sex.

「Celia-chan is the acrobatic fighter who excels in nimble strikes.」

「Don’t look at me.」

Celia’s expression doesn’t change at all.

Her skill of aiming at the opponent’s joints and gaps in their armor is something neither Mack or I have, moreover her skill with throwing daggers is excellent as well.

She has extremely agile movements and can flip to the back or front in a flash.

Irijina tried to imitate her and ended up angering Nonna when furniture was destroyed, but that’s a story for another day.

In addition, her senses are exceptionally keen and she is usually the first person to identify any threat.

That sensitivity might be the reason she gets turned on so easily from her nipples and clitoris.

「Mireille is the female warrior. Call her big sister1.」

「What the heck is that?」

Mireille sighs in disgust.

She looks like your typical warrior lady.

As a woman, she’s taller and more toned than others and being a former mercenary, she’s by far stronger than average men.

She doesn’t usually stand out because of Irijina, but she’s very observant and at least won’t panic or do anything foolish.

Her rough tone contrasts with her ability to care for others and the abundance of her motherly love, and that makes her attractive in her own way.

Apparently, Nonna and Catherine tried desperately to cure her rough tone.

「Kroll is...... a trainee, I guess.」

「You’re probably right...... for someone like me who can’t even get hard...... I’m just a good-for-nothing.」

Kroll hangs his head dejectedly.

He’s been doing physical labor as a servant so he’s got some muscle on his body, plus he occasionally trains with Irijina, but still, he can’t be considered skilled if you compare him with Gido and Celia who train on a daily basis.

I’ve asked Lola and Mira, the two women he made into his lovers, and they tell me even though his dick is on the small side, his thrusting is fairly persistent for his age.

However, there is something they hesitated to tell me .......something that happened recently.

I wonder if that has anything to do with how dark and self-torturing he is lately.

「And there’s me! I, Christoph, am the hero and the one who will save the world......」

「Wait a sec.」「Wait right there! Getting so full of yourself even though you’re just Christoph!」

Me and Celia jump in at the same time.

「No matter how you look at it, Aegir-sama should be the hero! How can you disregard that and name yourself the hero!?」

「No, no matter how you look at it, carrying such a large spear makes you muscular warrior number two! I’m telling you, in terms of appearance, I should be the hero!」

Christoph puffs out his chest.

That may be true if referring to the heroic stories.

He’s about as tall as me and his body looks strong and well-trained.

But in fact, everything is just a bluff and he’s the weakest man out of all the escort squad.

In arm wrestling, he’s lost to Mireille and broke his arm against Irijina.

He’s the longest serving member of my army and a veteran soldier who has survived countless battles, yet he still has no achievements to date.

Mack is the captain of the 200-man Engineer Corps, Gido is the platoon leader of about ten escorts and Christoph is still a private.

I want to promote him, but there is no reason to do so even if I look favorably on him.

However, he has an inherent cheerful personality, is fairly liked by the squad, and is more importantly highly valued by his superstitious friends for the ‘blessing of luck’ he imbues them with every time he touches their head before a battle.

「Someone like you is just a meat shield. You’re just a piece of equipment.」

「How cruel!!」

Christoph and Celia make a huge fuss while the rest of us laugh and continue on the path.

It didn’t take long for us to reach the forest where the city girls go to pick wild vegetables.

We didn’t say much to the Libatis soldiers before coming out here so I want to get back within the day if possible.

Let’s start looking around immediately.

Celia and Gido get serious as soon as we enter the forest.

「She said that the outer ring of the forest is not a particularly dangerous area, right? Her daughter should have went deeper into the forest before going missing.」

The two of them shake their heads while remaining silent.

「No...... this place isn’t safe. It’s probably here.」

「Visibility is poor, but there has been unnatural movement in the grass ever since we came here. It’s probably hiding somewhere here.」

Celia feels something unsettling while Gido narrows his eyes and surveys his surroundings.

This is different from what that woman told us, it is better to be careful.

As we progress deeper into the forest, even I can hear the rustling of grass.

「It’s coming......」「Yeah, I think it’s waiting for the right opportunity.」

It happened right when the atmosphere became the most tense.

「Uwaaaaaah!!」

Christoph trips on a rock and falls over.

When everyone’s attention was directed towards Christoph, shadowy figures flew out altogether from the grass around us.

「It’s here!」

What appeared in front of us were several wolves. They rushed at us in a straight line.

「Gido!」

「Right!」

Gido quickly readies his bow.

Without panicking, he releases two volleys with a speed I wish the archers in my army could learn.

The two arrows do not stray from their targets and sink in between the wolves’ eyes.

After letting out loud whining sounds, the two beasts collapse to the ground. Another one rushes forward, slipping past its fallen brethren, but Gido doesn’t seem fazed.

He holds his aim steady and waits until the wolf jumps before releasing another arrow through its windpipe.

Gido is using the powerful composite bow meant for military purposes and steel-tipped arrows which can even pierce through armor.

Firing at such close distance caused even the feathers of the arrow to be buried into the animal, killing the poor thing instantly and silently.

「They’ll be coming from all around us.」

The first three wolves were finished off, but the onslaught continues.

「These wolves!」

Celia rushes out and zips by the wolf while skillfully slashing its throat.

She bends her body backward to avoid the fangs of another rushing wolf and cuts its soft stomach area before kicking it aside.

「Dowah!」

A wolf comes charging at me from the side while I was watching Celia fight.

I was about to counterattack but it’s head is already crushed.

「......sorry.」

Mack lowers his head slightly before swinging his mace and sending another wolf flying.

I see, he’s the one who’s flinging them all away.

Kroll is about to face-off in a battle to the death with one of the wolves.

「Take that! And that!」

He desperately fends off attacks with the pot lid while swinging his stick, but since his weapon is just a wooden rod, it isn’t enough to defeat the wolf.

The fight is one which not only highlights how important skill is, but also how valuable it is to have a weapon of decent quality.

「They’re strong...... these wolves aren’t anything special.」

Mireille and I don’t even have to fight.

We rushed over to help those in danger just in case but it looks like the battle will end without us having to make an appearance.

「They’re used to fighting after all.」

Compared to an army of charging heavy infantry, these wolves seem cute.

「Truly, pretty much everything has changed since I first met them......」

Mireille notices something mid-sentence and shouts loudly.

「Everyone, be careful! These things have collars around their necks. They are owned by someone!」

「What!?」

Now that I look at them again, I can see a worn-out collar and a rope attached to their necks.

It’s unthinkable for normal humans to keep wolves as pets, which means.......

「On top of the trees, goblins!」

Sensing that we perceived their presence, the goblins make nasty squealing sounds.

At the same time, rocks and crude spears get thrown at us.

I see, they were planning to attack collectively after their wolves caused confusion and chaos amongst us.

However, they’re too late, the wolves are already getting wiped out.

They have lost their chance to attack at the same time.

「Mack and Mireille will handle the enemies on the ground. Celia and Gido, fall back and prioritize dealing with the goblins in the trees. Kroll and Christoph will protect Celia and Gido.」

「「Yes!」」

Everyone moves according to my instructions.

Celia sheathes her sword and hurls her throwing daggers while Gido shoots down goblin after goblin with his bow.

Wooden spears come flying at us as a form of counterattack, but most of them can easily be evaded.

Mack and Mireille eliminated the wolves on the ground and even the goblins who sicced them on us.

「Ugggooooah!!」

Mack was especially lively, using his mace to literally crush the goblins.

After all, his weapon was the same size as those critters so their defenses were pointless against him.

「I can’t lose either.」

I step forward with my spear.

First, I kick away and kill the wolf fighting Kroll in a life-or-death battle, then charge to the front.

「Sorrah!」

I sever the foreleg of the wolf at the joint.

Next, I decapitate the goblin who turned to face me, and then stab the leftover abdomen before hurling the body at the goblins in the trees.

「Woah, that was close.」

I grab the fist-sized stone which was thrown at me by a different goblin and chuck it back towards the trees in full force, accurately hitting another goblin and taking out half of its head.

「Giiiiiiiih!」

Two goblins holding sticks jump at me from the left and right.

Coming at me from both sides is a decent idea, but the range of our weapons are different, so it won’t work unless you approach me directly from the side.

I wind my arm back and make a full turn with my spear to send both of their heads flying.

「Woah! Do these things not die without spraying nasty liquids?」

The spurt of blood splashed on me.

Their blood stinks.

「Don’t say something so ridiculous when you’re cutting heads off left and right......」

Christoph comments as he confidently faces off against a goblin with his sword in hand.

The creature roughly one meter in height is already trembling in fear before fighting the well-built Christoph.

「Fufufu, curse your ill luck for placing you in front of me!」

As Christoph slashes at the monster, the goblin somehow blocks the attack with his stick and is forced to take a step back.

「Hahaha, you can’t win if you defend all the time! Although it’s impossible for you to win against me in the first place!」

Christoph pressures the monster with a smug smile on his face.

Still, why are you having such an intense fight with a goblin?

These opponents should be ones where you can easily finish off in a single strike if you are completely armed.

「I should probably end this soon! This little bastard!」

Christoph kicks the goblin to the ground and moves in to deliver the finishing blow.

However, he took too long and the creature was able to cry for help.

Three fellow goblins gather in front of him.

「Wh-what the-!?」

Now that the enemy has increased in numbers to four goblins, the tables have turned. Christoph couldn’t escape.

He tries to defend but quickly gets his sword knocked out of his hands by the goblin’s stick.

「Help me pleeeeeaase!!」

「What are you doing, idiot!」

Gido changes his aim after hearing that pathetic plea and shoots down two goblins in front of Christoph, however the remaining two goblins close the distance to finish off the weakest man with their sticks raised above their heads.

「Good grief.」

I step forward and deflect on stick with my spear while blocking the other one with my gauntlet.

What’s so scary about these weak goblins holding sticks?

「Hmmph!」

I punch the face of the goblin with my left hand and smash its head, making sure I don’t get its blood on me this time. I kick the other one down and stomp on its head.

「Fuu...... that was a dangerous fight.」

「What are you doing against mere goblins. Just go sleep in the back or something......」

As I shake my head in disappointment, I feel something hit the back of my head.

「Guh!」

I turn back and see goblins hidden in the nearby treetops.

I guess they threw a rock at me.

The rock itself wasn’t big and it didn’t really hurt that much, but getting hit after telling off Christoph in the manner I did doesn’t make me look good.

It makes him smile a little.

My reason flew out the window from the anger and feeling of being uncool.

I’m most definitely not venting my anger out on them at all.

「...... how dare you do something like that.」

It’s all your fault.

I glare at the goblins up in the trees.

The monsters who are cheering after a clean hit start becoming frightened, but I’m not going to show any mercy.

「I’ll kill all of you...... get down here.」

I rush at them with my spear, which prompts the goblins to leap from branch to branch and escape.

「Don’t run, fight me!」

I give chase and run faster, finally getting in range to one of them on their way to another branch.

「There you are.」

I bisect the goblin in half while it’s still in mid-air.

I am covered in that stinky blood again but I don’t care.

「I’ll do the same to the rest of you. You’re all dead.」

I can’t distinguish the goblins from each other.

So I’ll kill all of them.

It’s too much of a hassle to chase after them.

I’ll just chop down all the trees here.

Fortunately, the trees in the outer circumference of the forest aren’t too large.

If I cut all of them down, they’ll have no choice but to stay on the ground.

Three goblins managed to escape to the top of a relatively big tree...... don’t underestimate me.

「Fhmph!」

I swing my spear at it with full strength and the tree falls down accompanied with cracking sounds. The goblins scream as they are brought down with the tree.

One falls to the ground and dies after breaking its neck, while another one breaks its leg after falling and is not able to move.

As I punch the face of the creature writhing in pain, the last one who can still move runs away.

「I won’t let you run.」

I run after it.

The goblin isn’t particularly fast and I’m not particularly slow.

When I’m within range, I pierce the monster in the back, then roar loudly.

「Who’s next!?」

Suddenly, the goblins who were facing off against Mack and Mireille scatter in all directions.

「Wait, don’t run!」

I shout while pursuing and crushing the fleeing monsters.

Wait, why am I getting so angry over something so insignificant like goblins?

I realize that I’m doing this without any reason, but it would look uncool if I put down my spear now after yelling like that.

I guess I’ll kill as many as I can reach for now.

Trees get toppled and goblins get crushed.

「Uggaaaaaaaah!!」

「......who’s the real monster here?」

「A rock was thrown from above, eh......」

I hear Christoph speaking.

Shut up, it’s all your fault.

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