An Opponent You Mustn’t Pick a Fight With
“I’m off!”
I climbed into the carriage pulled by Snowy, leaned out the window, and waved.
From today, I’d be traveling with Brother Gene and the others to the Burst Territory. One way took three days and two nights.
“Hey, Brother Gene, do you think we’ll run into any monsters along the way?”
“Hmm, since we’ll be crossing mountains, it’s possible.”
(Do you want to come across monsters, Joan?)
Rosso asked as I chatted with Brother Gene.
“It’s not that I want to come across them, but if it’s tasty meat, maybe we can bring some back as a souvenir?”
(Well, you are Joan. But if you wish for it, won’t you meet them?)
“What do you mean if I wish for it?”
(Because you’ve got Rosso with you.)
“Ah, true. With max luck and all.”
But that wish went unfulfilled. We didn’t encounter a single piece of tasty meat. The trip went smoothly, and by early afternoon today, we were already expected to arrive at the Burst Territory’s capital.
“In the end, we didn’t see any monsters. Not even a Horned Rabbit.”
Brother Gene commented.
(That’s because Pearl’s here.)
“Eh? Rosso, what do you mean?”
(Because she’s a Fenrir, of course. She doesn’t even have to release intimidation—lesser creatures just don’t show up.)
“Ah…”
The mere presence of the legendary beast, Fenrir, was enough to keep weak monsters like Horned Rabbits hidden.
As we spoke, Nat—the man acting as both guard and driver this time—called out.
“Young Master Gene, Young Lady Joan. Looks like we’ve got the monsters you were waiting for.”
“Eh!?”
Even with Pearl here, monsters showed up?
When I poked my head out the carriage window, I saw two large black shapes up ahead.
(It looks like an Owlbear and a Giant Snake are fighting each other.)
“What!?”
Pearl’s extra information stunned all of us. She explained that it was likely a territorial dispute.
“So… what do we do, Young Master Gene?” Nat asked.
“Hmm. Waiting for them to finish could take who knows how long.”
“But… should we even defeat either of them?”
“Huh? What do you mean, Jo?”
“If it’s a territorial dispute, then one of them must’ve been the intruder, right? But if we kill them both, wouldn’t that upset the balance around here and cause other monsters to go wild?”
“I see…”
(Then I’ll go ask them directly.)
“Pearl? Is that safe?”
(Of course. You don’t really think I’d lose to things like that, do you?)
“… Well, true.”
Pearl jumped down from the carriage and strode toward the two monsters.
A few moments later—FLASH! BOOM! CRACKLE!!
“!!”
(Joan, you can come out now.)
When we climbed out of the carriage, the four riding in the rear wagon hurried over as well.
“Young Lady Joan, what on earth just happened?”
Sarah asked.
“I… don’t know. Pearl went to check on things, but…”
“Either way, let’s move. Nat, with me at the front. Orki, take the rear.”
“Yes, sir!”
When we reached Pearl, both the Owlbear and the Giant Snake were collapsed on the ground—still barely alive.
“Um, Pearl… what’s going on?”
(After asking, I found out both were intruders. This whole region already has other monsters, but these two came thinking to invade. Then they ran into each other and started fighting.)
“And… why did you attack?”
(Why? Because I just went to talk, and they picked a fight with me. If someone throws a punch, you punch back, right? Now go on and finish them.)
“Uh… right. Brother Gene…”
“Y-yeah. Nat and I will handle the Giant Snake. Orki and… Zack, think you can do it?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Good. Then Joan, Pearl, Rosso—front support. Sarah and Anny, rear support.”
“Yes!”
Brother Gene and the others finished off the Owlbear and the Giant Snake. For those two monsters, being slain while paralyzed and unable to move must have been the height of humiliation. They glared at us right up until their last breath. But really… they picked a fight with the absolute wrong opponent.
“… All right. I don’t fully get it, but the hunt’s over.”
“Okay, then I’ll store them. Hehe, now we really do have souvenirs.”
I touched both the Owlbear and the Giant Snake, putting them into my Storage.
“Then let’s move on!”
＊＊＊＊＊
At long last, we arrived at the Burst capital. As we passed through the gates, Belle was there waiting. Riding a beautiful chestnut horse, she came up to the carriage window. I opened it just as she reached me.
“Welcome, Joan.”
“Been a while, Belle. Thanks for coming to meet us.”
Led by Belle, we headed to the lord’s manor—her family’s estate.
Once there, Brother Gene and I were shown into the parlor. Nat and Orki took the horses to the stables, while Sarah, Annie, and Zack carried our luggage to the guest rooms.
“Once again, welcome to the Burst Territory. You must be tired from your journey.”
“No, thank you for inviting us. Um… what about Eric?”
“Ah, Brother Eric should arrive by evening. And… his mother, my aunt, will be with him.”
“Your aunt?”
“Yes. She said she wants to meet you, Joan. Honestly, I don’t really know why either.”
As we sipped tea and chatted—
Click.
The door opened, and a man about Father’s age entered. His reddish-brown hair, like Belle’s, was slicked back, and he had a sturdy build.
Brother Gene and I quickly stood.
“It is an honor to make your acquaintance. I am Gene Lampail, second son of Margrave Lampail.”
“Pleased to meet you. I am Joan Lampail, eldest daughter of Margrave Lampail.”
“Ah, so you’ve come from afar. I am Cedric Burst, Count of Burst and Belle’s father. Let’s see… Young Master Lampail, you’re classmates with my nephew Eric, aren’t you? He often speaks of you. And… Young Lady Lampail, you must be the same age as Belle, the one she has exchanged letters with since childhood?”
“Yes. Young Lady Belle has always been kind to me. Through our letters, I even managed to learn my writing properly, and I’m very grateful.”
“Joan…”
“Is that so? Belle, too, has enjoyed writing to you. It helped her grow out of her shyness. We should be the ones thanking you. I hope the two of you will remain good friends.”
“Of course!”
What do you think about this chapter?
