Translator & Proofreader: TheDoru
「There it is, everyone take cover.」 (Naoto)
In a small voice, Naoto signaled with his left hand for everyone to stay low.
The four followed Naoto and ducked behind the bushes
「…Is that a goblin?」 (Ryou)
Ryou, who moved next to Naoto, looked at the creature ahead and whispered.
「Wow, creepy.」 (Yuki)
Behind them, Yuki unintentionally let out a squeal and hurriedly covered her mouth with her hands. Ryou and Naoto put their index fingers over their mouth and turned around at the exact same time.
“Quiet….”
Yuki nodded several times, keeping her mouth covered.
We don’t want to be found now.
All five of us here were thinking that.
It had been two weeks since they were summoned to this world. They had received training in swordsmanship and magic, and had mastered the basics of fighting. Not it was time for the next step.
This is the actual battle training.
This forest, called Sharl, is located north of the royal capital in the Kingdom of Elraen. Many of the monsters that appear in this forest are low-ranked goblins and forest wolves, making it a great hunting ground for adventurers just starting out.
This was the first time they had seen a demon.
Naoto and the others frowned nervously.
The creature in front of them was a goblin, a humanoid creature about 120 to 130 centimeters tall.
The goblin’s skin is green and lusterless, with a distorted bald head with a dimple in the middle and pointed ears and chin. It has a hooked nose that is oddly large compared to the size of it’s face. Red eyes and a mouth with fangs peeking out.
The figure was an ugly thing that they had never seen in their original world.
「How do we do this?」 (Naoto)
Naoto asked this without taking his eyes off the goblin.
There were five of them, each with a club or a rusty sword in their hands.
Goblins are ranked at the bottom of the list, but for ordinary people who don’t have the means to fight them, they are a deadly monster to encounter.
Even if they are brave, Naoto and his team, have no real combat experience, the goblin is not an opponent to be careless about.
「….It’s probably best not to go there.」 (Ryou)
Ryou responds.
I don’t want anyone to get hurt in the first battle. That’s what Ryou was thinking as he observed the position of his opponent.
「Hozumi-san and Hazuki-san will take the lead…..」 (Ryou)
「Me, Aomi and Yuki will approach and kill it…..」 (Naoto)
「Don’t block their line of fire.」 (Ryou)
「Right.」 (Naoto)
Ryou and Naoto nodded at each other and drew their swords.
「Erika, Honoka, aim at the middle of the goblin and fire your arrows and magic at it.」 (Naoto)
「I understand.」 (Erika)
Erika quietly pulls out an arrow from her quiver.
「Yes.」 (Honoka)
Honoka began chanting a spell in a quiet voice.
「I’ll take the left, and you take the right. Keep the timing.」 (Naoto)
「Alright.」 (Yuki)
Yuki puts all her strength into her fist with the hand armor attached.
The goblins handn’t noticed them yet.
「3…..2…..1….let’s go!!!」 (Naoto)
Erika shoots an arrow at Naoto’s signal.
「Gale!」 (Erika)
A blow with the wind attribute.
「Flames of the fighting spirit, scatter in the sky of the sixteenth night….. Flare Barrett!」 (Honoka)
Honoka shouted, and a fireball of the size of her fist flew.
At the same time, Naoto, Ryou and Yuki jumped out from both sides.
Erika’s arrow pierces the head of one goblin.
The fire magic pierces the chest of the other one and it burns.
「Whoaaaaa!」 (Ryou)
Ryou, who had taken the lead with his speed, jumped into the rest of the pack and cut down one of them.
There are two left.
「There’s another one over here.」 (Naoto)
Naoto shouts and turns the attention of the two goblins on him.
He turns around and cuts one of them in half with a sidewalk cleave.
One more to go.
Yuki slams into the belly of the remaining one who was confused and tried to excape, with the attribute of fire.
The goblin is blown away and doesn’t move a muscle.
It’s over.
「Haahaa」
Ryou, Naoto and Yuki sat there and violently gasped.
「Uuu」 (Yuki)
Yuki paled, pressed her mouth shut and ran behind a tree.
「Yuki-chan!」 (Honoka)
Honoka rushed to Yuki’s side, who was cowering.
「Are you okay?」(Honoka)
Erika bent down in front of Ryou.
「My hands… are still shaking…」
「Me too….」
Ryou and Naoto put down their swords and looked at each other’s trembling hands.
It was the first time they had killed a living character.
And even though it was a demon, it still was a humanoid creature.
During the battle, I was so self-conscious that all I could think about was defeating my opponent.
But…
There is a distinct feeling of flesh and bone being cut off in my hands.
The elation of having defeated an enemy and the disgust of having killed a living creature mixed together made me feel awful.
「I think I’m gonna throw up too」 (Honoka)
「….I understand….」 (Yuki)
Yuki is huddled of the tree, having her back rubbed by Honoka.
Unlike Ryou and Naoto, who used their swords, Yuki struck the goblin directly with her fits, which were armor on them, albeit with mithril.
「Are you okay, Takashina-san?」 (Ryou)
Ryou glanced at Yuki, and quickly returned his gaze.
It’s better not to look at her too much, and she doesn’t want to be seen, he thought.
「I’m fine, I’m just going to have nightmares for a few days.」 (Yuki)
「….That means us too, right?」 (Ryou)
Ryou loosened his mouth and Naoto nodded. The two of them laughed out loud.
「Are you sure you’re okay? I thought you had a blue face and then you suddenly started laughing.」 (Erika)
Erika furrowed her brow and tilted her head.
「We’re fine now, more importantly, is Erika okay? And Honoka too….」 (Naoto)
Naoto alternately looked at Erika in front of him and Honoka who crouched next to Yuki.
「We are…. okay. Unlike Hinata-san, we didn’t directly…」 (Erika)
「Yeah, it was from distance.」 (Naoto)
As if to follow up on Erika’s hesitation, Naoto responded.
In fact, as Naoto said, the attack was made from a distance with a bow and magic, so they did not really feel it.
「It was a very impressive battle.」 (Lester)
The one who appeared through the bushes was Lester, the swordsmanship instructor.
Lester had been following them along, keeping a certain distance.
Of course, Naoto and the others knew this.
「Cool judgment, good strategy and slaughtered all the enemies in one blow each…. That’s quite a few for your first battle.」 (Lester)
Lester’s narrow eyes narrowed further and he nodded again and again.
It left a bit of a sting in my heart. However, no one was injured, so I guess I can give it more than a passing grade.
「I’ll follow you while keeping my distance, then.」 (Lester)
Lester lightly bowed and walked away through the bushes, just like he appeared.
「Then we’ll be on our way.」 (Naoto)
After Yuki returned with a completely empty stomach, the team members went into the forest again.
On the way, they encountered several groups of demons, but they were able to deal with all of them without any trouble.
In addition to goblins, there were also slime that live in damp places. (The ones that Ryou had imagined were round likes Puyo Puyo, but in reality they were more like giant amoebas)
A unicorn rabbit called an almiraj. This rabbit is about the size of a medium-sized dog, with a long, pointed horn on it’s forehead.
However, like goblins, both species were of the lowest rank, and the method they attacked with was simple, so it was more like hunting than fighting.
With this in mind, my aversion to killing demons gradually faded, and I was able to fight more calmly compared to the beginning.
However, once the goblins took them by surprise, Yuki was too panicked to move quickly. The same was true for Erika and Honoka, who were in a situatuion where they had no time to brace their arrows or chant spells.
This time, almost by reflex, Ryou protected Yuki, and Naoto, taking advantage of the slight opportunity created by Ryou, defeated the two goblins and saved the day.
「Thank you for earlier」 (Yuki)
They finished their lunch in a slightly open area of the forest and were sitting around chatting when Yuki sat down next to Ryou and bowed.
「Ah, yes.」 (Ryou)
Unlike her bossy appearance, Yuki is surprisingly honest and sensitive.
「Are you okay with the injury…..?」 (Yuki)
When he covered for Yuki, he suffered a wound on his left arm. The wound was quite deep, but he did not bleed to a life-threatening extent, thanks to the immediate treatment he received from the accompanying healer.
「Don’t worry about it.」 (Ryou)
Ryou lightly tapped his left arm.
「Your clothes got torn up….」 (Yuki)
Yuki looked at the large tear in the left sleeve of Ryou’s clothe and shivered.
Right after he was injured, his arm had turned bright red and was nearly torn to shreds, dripping blood like a gush of water.
It was inevitable that a normal high school girl would be disturbed to see such a wound and bleeding like that, especially when it was cause because someone defended her.
「But the blood got cleaned up by magic, so I’m fine. It’s useful isn’t it, the life magic?」 (Ryou)
Unlike offensive, healing and auxiliary, life magic is mainly used in daily life and can be cast relatively easily even with low amount of magic.
Among them, many adventurers and merchants can use [Allumage] to start a fire and [Prople] to wash away dirt and odors with ultrasonic waves.
「Yeah, thanks a lot.」 (Yuki)
A smile finally appeared on Yuki’s face, which had been downcast since then.
Ryou deliberately shifted the subject subtly.
Yuki also knew exactly what he did.
“To not make me…. feel uncomfortable, right…..?”
Yuki could barely keep away from smiling.
「….Aomi, are you actually a natural?」 (Yuki)
Yuki looked at me while tilting her head.
「Eh? What do you mean?」 (Ryou)
「Oh, no, sorry, it’s nothing.」 (Yuki)
Yuki hurriedly shook her head.
「Pfft」 (Naoto)
「You’re not aware of it, are you, Aomi?」 (Erika)
When Naoto gushed, Erika and Honoka giggled along with him.
Ryou twisted his head while furrowing his brow, unable to comprehend the situation.
「Thank you so much for your help, thanks to you we didn’t get hurt, but you got hurt for me, so…. Sorry!」 (Yuki)
Naoto stood upright with an apologetic expression on his face, bent his back bowed his head vigorously.
「You’re overreacting, Hinata-san.」 (Ryou)
「No, this time, your instantaneous insight and judgement really helped!」 (Naoto)
Naoto’s words were proved soon after.
Translator & Proofreader: TheDoru
「There it is, everyone take cover.」 (Naoto)
In a small voice, Naoto signaled with his left hand for everyone to stay low.
The four followed Naoto and ducked behind the bushes
「…Is that a goblin?」 (Ryou)
Ryou, who moved next to Naoto, looked at the creature ahead and whispered.
「Wow, creepy.」 (Yuki)
Behind them, Yuki unintentionally let out a squeal and hurriedly covered her mouth with her hands. Ryou and Naoto put their index fingers over their mouth and turned around at the exact same time.
“Quiet….”
Yuki nodded several times, keeping her mouth covered.
We don’t want to be found now.
All five of us here were thinking that.
It had been two weeks since they were summoned to this world. They had received training in swordsmanship and magic, and had mastered the basics of fighting. Not it was time for the next step.
This is the actual battle training.
This forest, called Sharl, is located north of the royal capital in the Kingdom of Elraen. Many of the monsters that appear in this forest are low-ranked goblins and forest wolves, making it a great hunting ground for adventurers just starting out.
This was the first time they had seen a demon.
Naoto and the others frowned nervously.
The creature in front of them was a goblin, a humanoid creature about 120 to 130 centimeters tall.
The goblin’s skin is green and lusterless, with a distorted bald head with a dimple in the middle and pointed ears and chin. It has a hooked nose that is oddly large compared to the size of it’s face. Red eyes and a mouth with fangs peeking out.
The figure was an ugly thing that they had never seen in their original world.
「How do we do this?」 (Naoto)
Naoto asked this without taking his eyes off the goblin.
There were five of them, each with a club or a rusty sword in their hands.
Goblins are ranked at the bottom of the list, but for ordinary people who don’t have the means to fight them, they are a deadly monster to encounter.
Even if they are brave, Naoto and his team, have no real combat experience, the goblin is not an opponent to be careless about.
「….It’s probably best not to go there.」 (Ryou)
Ryou responds.
I don’t want anyone to get hurt in the first battle. That’s what Ryou was thinking as he observed the position of his opponent.
「Hozumi-san and Hazuki-san will take the lead…..」 (Ryou)
「Me, Aomi and Yuki will approach and kill it…..」 (Naoto)
「Don’t block their line of fire.」 (Ryou)
「Right.」 (Naoto)
Ryou and Naoto nodded at each other and drew their swords.
「Erika, Honoka, aim at the middle of the goblin and fire your arrows and magic at it.」 (Naoto)
「I understand.」 (Erika)
Erika quietly pulls out an arrow from her quiver.
「Yes.」 (Honoka)
Honoka began chanting a spell in a quiet voice.
「I’ll take the left, and you take the right. Keep the timing.」 (Naoto)
「Alright.」 (Yuki)
Yuki puts all her strength into her fist with the hand armor attached.
The goblins handn’t noticed them yet.
「3…..2…..1….let’s go!!!」 (Naoto)
Erika shoots an arrow at Naoto’s signal.
「Gale!」 (Erika)
A blow with the wind attribute.
「Flames of the fighting spirit, scatter in the sky of the sixteenth night….. Flare Barrett!」 (Honoka)
Honoka shouted, and a fireball of the size of her fist flew.
At the same time, Naoto, Ryou and Yuki jumped out from both sides.
Erika’s arrow pierces the head of one goblin.
The fire magic pierces the chest of the other one and it burns.
「Whoaaaaa!」 (Ryou)
Ryou, who had taken the lead with his speed, jumped into the rest of the pack and cut down one of them.
There are two left.
「There’s another one over here.」 (Naoto)
Naoto shouts and turns the attention of the two goblins on him.
He turns around and cuts one of them in half with a sidewalk cleave.
One more to go.
Yuki slams into the belly of the remaining one who was confused and tried to excape, with the attribute of fire.
The goblin is blown away and doesn’t move a muscle.
It’s over.
「Haahaa」
Ryou, Naoto and Yuki sat there and violently gasped.
「Uuu」 (Yuki)
Yuki paled, pressed her mouth shut and ran behind a tree.
「Yuki-chan!」 (Honoka)
Honoka rushed to Yuki’s side, who was cowering.
「Are you okay?」(Honoka)
Erika bent down in front of Ryou.
「My hands… are still shaking…」
「Me too….」
Ryou and Naoto put down their swords and looked at each other’s trembling hands.
It was the first time they had killed a living character.
And even though it was a demon, it still was a humanoid creature.
During the battle, I was so self-conscious that all I could think about was defeating my opponent.
But…
There is a distinct feeling of flesh and bone being cut off in my hands.
The elation of having defeated an enemy and the disgust of having killed a living creature mixed together made me feel awful.
「I think I’m gonna throw up too」 (Honoka)
「….I understand….」 (Yuki)
Yuki is huddled of the tree, having her back rubbed by Honoka.
Unlike Ryou and Naoto, who used their swords, Yuki struck the goblin directly with her fits, which were armor on them, albeit with mithril.
「Are you okay, Takashina-san?」 (Ryou)
Ryou glanced at Yuki, and quickly returned his gaze.
It’s better not to look at her too much, and she doesn’t want to be seen, he thought.
「I’m fine, I’m just going to have nightmares for a few days.」 (Yuki)
「….That means us too, right?」 (Ryou)
Ryou loosened his mouth and Naoto nodded. The two of them laughed out loud.
「Are you sure you’re okay? I thought you had a blue face and then you suddenly started laughing.」 (Erika)
Erika furrowed her brow and tilted her head.
「We’re fine now, more importantly, is Erika okay? And Honoka too….」 (Naoto)
Naoto alternately looked at Erika in front of him and Honoka who crouched next to Yuki.
「We are…. okay. Unlike Hinata-san, we didn’t directly…」 (Erika)
「Yeah, it was from distance.」 (Naoto)
As if to follow up on Erika’s hesitation, Naoto responded.
In fact, as Naoto said, the attack was made from a distance with a bow and magic, so they did not really feel it.
「It was a very impressive battle.」 (Lester)
The one who appeared through the bushes was Lester, the swordsmanship instructor.
Lester had been following them along, keeping a certain distance.
Of course, Naoto and the others knew this.
「Cool judgment, good strategy and slaughtered all the enemies in one blow each…. That’s quite a few for your first battle.」 (Lester)
Lester’s narrow eyes narrowed further and he nodded again and again.
It left a bit of a sting in my heart. However, no one was injured, so I guess I can give it more than a passing grade.
「I’ll follow you while keeping my distance, then.」 (Lester)
Lester lightly bowed and walked away through the bushes, just like he appeared.
「Then we’ll be on our way.」 (Naoto)
After Yuki returned with a completely empty stomach, the team members went into the forest again.
On the way, they encountered several groups of demons, but they were able to deal with all of them without any trouble.
In addition to goblins, there were also slime that live in damp places. (The ones that Ryou had imagined were round likes Puyo Puyo, but in reality they were more like giant amoebas)
A unicorn rabbit called an almiraj. This rabbit is about the size of a medium-sized dog, with a long, pointed horn on it’s forehead.
However, like goblins, both species were of the lowest rank, and the method they attacked with was simple, so it was more like hunting than fighting.
With this in mind, my aversion to killing demons gradually faded, and I was able to fight more calmly compared to the beginning.
However, once the goblins took them by surprise, Yuki was too panicked to move quickly. The same was true for Erika and Honoka, who were in a situatuion where they had no time to brace their arrows or chant spells.
This time, almost by reflex, Ryou protected Yuki, and Naoto, taking advantage of the slight opportunity created by Ryou, defeated the two goblins and saved the day.
「Thank you for earlier」 (Yuki)
They finished their lunch in a slightly open area of the forest and were sitting around chatting when Yuki sat down next to Ryou and bowed.
「Ah, yes.」 (Ryou)
Unlike her bossy appearance, Yuki is surprisingly honest and sensitive.
「Are you okay with the injury…..?」 (Yuki)
When he covered for Yuki, he suffered a wound on his left arm. The wound was quite deep, but he did not bleed to a life-threatening extent, thanks to the immediate treatment he received from the accompanying healer.
「Don’t worry about it.」 (Ryou)
Ryou lightly tapped his left arm.
「Your clothes got torn up….」 (Yuki)
Yuki looked at the large tear in the left sleeve of Ryou’s clothe and shivered.
Right after he was injured, his arm had turned bright red and was nearly torn to shreds, dripping blood like a gush of water.
It was inevitable that a normal high school girl would be disturbed to see such a wound and bleeding like that, especially when it was cause because someone defended her.
「But the blood got cleaned up by magic, so I’m fine. It’s useful isn’t it, the life magic?」 (Ryou)
Unlike offensive, healing and auxiliary, life magic is mainly used in daily life and can be cast relatively easily even with low amount of magic.
Among them, many adventurers and merchants can use [Allumage] to start a fire and [Prople] to wash away dirt and odors with ultrasonic waves.
「Yeah, thanks a lot.」 (Yuki)
A smile finally appeared on Yuki’s face, which had been downcast since then.
Ryou deliberately shifted the subject subtly.
Yuki also knew exactly what he did.
“To not make me…. feel uncomfortable, right…..?”
Yuki could barely keep away from smiling.
「….Aomi, are you actually a natural?」 (Yuki)
Yuki looked at me while tilting her head.
「Eh? What do you mean?」 (Ryou)
「Oh, no, sorry, it’s nothing.」 (Yuki)
Yuki hurriedly shook her head.
「Pfft」 (Naoto)
「You’re not aware of it, are you, Aomi?」 (Erika)
When Naoto gushed, Erika and Honoka giggled along with him.
Ryou twisted his head while furrowing his brow, unable to comprehend the situation.
「Thank you so much for your help, thanks to you we didn’t get hurt, but you got hurt for me, so…. Sorry!」 (Yuki)
Naoto stood upright with an apologetic expression on his face, bent his back bowed his head vigorously.
「You’re overreacting, Hinata-san.」 (Ryou)
「No, this time, your instantaneous insight and judgement really helped!」 (Naoto)
Naoto’s words were proved soon after.
