Chapter 16

The space beyond the clearing was too tight for the horse and carriage. Layis tied the horse to a tree, and they proceeded deeper.

“Have you done-”

“Magic shielding on the horse, magic signals, space scanning? All done. I’m not a child,” Layis scoffed, leading the group deeper. Ayisa only meant to ask about the shield. She never heard about everything else being a thing. Layis led the group, Ayisa followed in the middle, with the boy bringing up the rear.

The forest here reminded her of the one at her old home by Niat Lake. Maybe the lake was closer than she expected? Considering how long it took for them to get here, Ayisa doubted she could grab her book. Even if the forest was close, she still needed to consider the time required to navigate to her hut. It didn’t have a clear path leading to it from the main road. A lot of walking would be required.

Maybe I can learn how to ride a horse…? But it’s useless anyway…

She shook her head. A book of dubious origins, with information that might or might not be correct. What if it was dangerous? What if it secretly tricked her again? She must let go of it. For her own good.

“Stay on guard, Ayisa. This is no training field.” Layis warned, glancing to make sure Ayisa and the boy followed her.

“Ah, right, sorry.”

They cut through the leaves and branches blocking the way. The further they went, the denser the foliage cover became. Some monsters attacked them on the way, but these weren’t a threat.

Soul. Fire. Right Hand. Pen. Tip. Spear. Pen Tip. Boar. Attack.

Flames spewed forth from the tip of her pen, forming a spear and piercing through the attacking boar’s head. The monster fell with a thud.

“You've gotten used to that quickly,” Layis said, examining the dead boar.

“... Am I not supposed to?”

“Each weapon has its own shape and characteristics. Those require time to get used to.”

“You really are a natural for this, Ayisa.”

They didn't have space for the boar, so Layis cut out the valuable parts like its horns and left the rest behind. To Ayisa, it was an unfortunate waste of resources, but both Layis and the boy said that the rest of the body wouldn't do anything but weigh them down.

Even until now, the boy hadn't mentioned his name. Layis kept calling him “you” so no luck there.

After twenty minutes in the shade, they came upon a Tawurof resting in the forest. The second it saw them, it howled, rising to its feet, ready for a fight. Had it been expecting trouble? Or maybe it had detected them. Some monsters could detect people approaching, even remember a certain person.

The monster glared at them. Ayisa had her fair share of monster fights. She gripped her pen, glaring back.

“Time to get serious, Sebastian.”

“... Sebastian? Your name is Sebastian?” Ayisa asked in disbelief. Out of all the names that existed out there, it was the one name she hadn't expected.

“No, it is not.” Not Sebastian shook his head. “My actual name is Eric.”

“...”

“That is a good name, no?”

“He's Eric Weimaster, Rivernfor’s son.”

“... What!?” Ayisa shouted, surprised. Now that she mentioned it, they do look quite similar. She felt embarrassed for not noticing the signs earlier.

“I’m not sure this is an appropriate time for chit-chat.” Layis pointed toward the monster with her eyes, the rustling of trees accompanying her words.

The monster howled, more and more appearing in the gaps between the trees.

“Whoa, isn't that a bit much?”

“How many are there?”

There seemed to be a large number of them. Eight, if Ayisa counted right. Their request only called for three.

“Are we really going to fight them?” Eric said, uneasy.

“... It does seem a bit risky.”

Layis kept her wand on the monsters, expecting them to lunge forward at any moment. “It's a common quest anyway. Let's retreat.”

They began stepping back, only to realize Ayisa hadn't moved.

“Ayisa?”

She stared at the Tawurofs. They need three. Maybe she could scare the rest.

… Can I use an emotional attack on the other Tawurofs? But… will it work? I mean, that doesn't seem to exist in the books.

She had used the attack before. When she fought multiple monsters at once, attacking some with emotional magic made them run away, leaving her with fewer enemies. But the books didn’t say it existed. Were those memories real? Did she actually fight that way? Nobody knew about the element. What if she tried using it and failed?

On the contrary, what if it didn’t fail? Wouldn’t that give them the chance they needed?

I’ll… try it one more time.

“Just three… those three, then?” Ayisa pointed to the three in the front.

“Ayisa, you can’t be thinking of attacking them? Eight is too much, even for you!”

The Tawurofs had already begun running at them. They leaped above the fallen branches and sticks with great ease. They would be here within ten, no, five seconds.

I… now's not the time for doubts!

She gripped her pen, stacking magic elements in her mind, following the ways she had been instructed.

Soul. Emotional. Right Hand. Pen. Tip. Flames. Within Tawurofs. All Tawurofs Except The Three In Front. Attack.

Arranging such detailed magic took time, but she finished it before the Tawurofs reached her. Her pen glowed black, but there was no visible effect. Five Tawurofs screeched to a halt. They howled, turned around, and cried as they ran back into the forest. The three foremost Tawurofs didn't realize what had happened to their friends and continued their attack.

“Watch out!” Eric ran and stood in front of Ayisa.

He took the tube out of his belt and swung it across her front, using the force of the swing to extend the weapon. With a press of a button, it opened, forming a shield made out of cloth and metal. The first Tawurof crashed into it.

“Take this!” Layis roared, blades of wind striking them from above.

They struck the Tawurofs’ skin, drawing blood, the force pushing the two back. One remained, clinging to Eric’s weapon, holding on for dear life.

Eric pushed a button, drawing it back. The Tawurof lost its grip. With the undeployed weapon, he struck the Tawurof on the head, then made another horizontal swing to the other side. It howled as it was thrown into a tree.

The other two growled, determined to continue the attack.

Soul. Ice. Right Hand. Pen. Tip. Spears. Pen Tip. Tawurofs. Attack.

The glow of her pen changed, now turning deep blue. Shards of ice as sharp as spears stabbed the Tawurofs from above, smashing against their necks. Such an attack wasn't enough to kill them, but it slowed them down.

“Ice attacks? They're dirt, Ayisa!”

“Dirt? But they're silver?”

“That's just their appearance!”

Monsters often had appearances with a different color from the element that dominated their bodies. This tricked predators into attacking with the wrong element. A lot of monsters were made from more than one, although one element stood out above the others. Hitting them with elements they're weak against would kill them faster.

I’ll have to study monsters more!

In the table, ice was on top, with lightning to its right. Below lightning was dirt, and on its left was wind. Using wind magic would not only hurt them, but it also pushed them away.

A dash of wind struck them from above. Ayisa glanced at Eric, his weapon glowing light green. She followed up, switching to wind magic, striking from the front. The wind sliced through their mouths, blood pouring out. Layis piled up on the attack, pinning them down.

“Hold the attacks!” Eric strided forward. He used his weapon like a cub, fusing it with magic as he swung it. It struck the monsters on their heads. They could do nothing but scream as the attacks overwhelmed them.

After so many attacks, the three Tawurofs died, blood pouring out from their cracked skulls. Ayisa let out a breath of relief, looking at where the monsters lay. She lifted her eyes to find Layis and Eric staring at her, awe flickering in their eyes.