The Blessings of my Sister and I
As I was on guard, I heard a cracking sound from the nearby trees, and three orcs appeared from the bushes.
Orcs are humanoid with pig-like faces, robust bodies, strong physical strength, and they are dangerous monsters that attack with clubs and martial arts.
The three orcs approached slowly, making thudding footsteps and holding clubs in one hand.
Seeing this, Liam drew her twin swords from her waist and leaped out in front of one of them.
Then, Kreiss and the other five split into two groups, drew their swords from their sheaths, and faced off against two of the orcs.
The orcs, whose view was blocked, let out a roar of anger.
“SQU-EEEL-OH!”
The three orcs swung their clubs wildly, and Liam and Kreiss’s group could only dodge the blows, unable to get close.
Perhaps because the sun had completely set, and only the flames of the campfire were not enough to accurately grasp the movements of the monsters.
While watching everyone’s battle, I thought about this, and perhaps thinking the same thing, Sister Emilia, cast a light magic spell high into the sky above her head.
Sister Emilia is the only one in the Kingdom of Critonia who has the blessing of the “Saintess.”
In this world, when you turn five, you undergo the “Oracle’s Rite” at the church and are blessed by the Grace of the Goddess. That’s the blessing.
To undergo the “Oracle’s Rite,” you need to make a substantial donation to the church, so most nobles have blessings, and only few commoners do.
There are various types of blessings, and depending on the blessing, the gifts (skills) you can use differ.
Sister Emilia has received the blessing of the “Saintess,” which allows her to use the derived gift, light magic.
Of course, I also have a blessing.
It’s not as rare as the “Saintess” though.
The light released high into the sky illuminated the clearing as if it were midday.
Blinded by the brightness of the light, the orcs stopped moving for a moment.
Taking that as a signal, Rune cast a fireball at the orc facing Liam.
The orc, hit in the face, flailed its body while shielding its face with both arms.
Taking advantage of the opening, Liam dove into the orc’s bosom and bisected its belly with the twin swords he held in both hands.
After watching Liam’s fight, I shifted my gaze to Kreiss and the others.
It seemed that Kreiss and his group were struggling in their fight against the two orcs.
The training of the Knights is for combat against people, and they have not received training in subduing monsters.
No matter how strong the Knights are, fighting against monsters might be a different matter altogether.
“Alright, I guess it’s about time I made a move.”
I said, as I released the mana within me.
My blessing is that of an ‘Assassin.’
It’s quite problematic for someone of the Royal family to have such a dark blessing.
That’s why, apart from my family, only a few within the Royal Castle know about my blessing.
Using the mana within me to enhance my body, I ran across the clearing with a speed undetectable to the senses.
I circled behind the orc and leaped, thrusting my sword into its neck.
The orc spurted blood from its neck and fell to the ground, lifeless.
“I am grateful for the support.”
Kreiss said, bowing and then running off to join the last remaining orc being fought by his comrades.
The battle continued for about fifteen minutes, but the orc was eventually defeated by Kreiss and his team.
No matter how strong an orc is, it can’t win against five Knights.
After the battle, Sister Emilia, clapped her hands towards Kreiss and his team and smiled.
“Well done, Kreiss and everyone. Good work.”
“I apologize for taking so long against the orcs.”
“As long as you can defeat it, no matter how long it takes, there’s no need to worry.”
“We shall also train in subduing monsters as soon as we return to the Royal Castle.”
Kreiss averted his gaze from Sister Emilia and ran his hand through his hair.
As I sat on the ground, relieved, Liam and Rune approached.
“I’ve never seen such quick movements before. Could it be that you have the ‘Assassins’ blessing?”
“Yes, but it’s an ominous blessing for a noble to have, so please keep it a secret.”
“Ian, that’s amazing!”
Rune exclaimed, her eyes shining brightly.
The light that Sister Emilia had cast faded, and the surroundings were enveloped in the darkness of the night.
We decided to give up on our meal and rest in the tent.
Kreiss and the others took turns keeping the fire and standing watch.
Inside the tent, I wrapped myself in a blanket with Sister Emilia and rested my body.
Perhaps due to the fatigue from the unfamiliar activity, sleepiness quickly overcame me.
I was sound asleep when I was shaken awake to find Sister Emilia’s beautiful face before me.
“Whoa, you startled me!”
“I’m happy I could take my time looking at your sleeping face, Ian.”
“Stop it. I’m not a little kid anymore.”
“To me, you still are a very cute child.”
I feel like I can’t win against Sister Emilia in an argument.
I let out a big sigh, took off the blanket, and stepped outside the tent, where Kreiss and Liam’s group had already started preparing breakfast.
Today’s breakfast is stuffed meat, fried eggs from bird eggs, and white bread.
After finishing breakfast, we quickly packed up and set off deeper into the forest.
We took short breaks every two hours as we walked.
The forest scenery was full of trees, and I would have gotten lost if I were alone.
We were often attacked by monsters, but we combined our strength to subdue them, and at dusk, we looked for a clearing to camp.
Then, five days after entering the Primitive Sea of Trees, we discovered a Dwarven village in a deep valley.
As we slowly made our way down the steep slope, the dwarves were waiting for us with weapons in the village.
I attached a white handkerchief to a branch I found on the ground and waved it broadly from side to side.
“We don’t want to fight! We don’t want to fight!”
“What have you come here for!? Leave this place at once!”
“We would like to deepen our friendship with the dwarves! Please, hear us out!”
As I approached the dwarves saying this, one of the dwarves stepped forward.