Under Attack

Sparse patches of afternoon sunlight dappled the forest.

Every so often, a seed-eating mouse popped out of a tree, happily gnawing on a seed of some unknown kind. Occasionally, one paused to watch the four people passing beneath the trees with curiosity.

"You said you were letting them take the lead, but really, you just wanted to drink more before setting out, didn't you?"

Galan glanced sideways at Glenn, who was walking ahead. Seemingly trying to hide his guilt, Glenn absentmindedly scratched his butt twice.

Beside him, Theresia covered her mouth and chuckled, the tips of her red hair dancing in the breeze and giving off a pleasant scent of sandalwood.

Reno followed at the rear, looking aimlessly around at their surroundings.

"When did you turn into such an old drunk? If drinking really does make you sick, I won't come and save you. You can learn your lesson."

Glenn turned around and put on a wounded expression.

"Ever since that last incident, booze has been my emotional support. I don't have a family of my own, so you've got to let me have something to look forward to... Hehe! But look at you. Not only do you talk more now, you're getting more and more aggressive."

Do I talk more?

Galan was taken aback by that and couldn't help recalling the days when he had first met Glenn.

Come to think of it, although they had gotten along well back then, he really could count on one hand the times he had teased Glenn the way he occasionally did now.

Without realizing it, he really did seem to have become more talkative.

Looks like I really have been influenced... The faces of Lia and Duncan appeared in his mind again.

At this time, Lia was probably wearing a deeply reluctant expression as Duncan supervised her copying out the important passages from "History of Magic."

Although Lia usually studied it diligently, Duncan believed she still needed to copy the important parts several more times to help them stick. It would also be of great benefit to cultivating her temperament.

"What was Mr. Galan like before?"

Hearing Glenn say that, Theresia leaned closer, curiosity in her eyes and a gleam of gossip in them.

Seeing how interested the young woman was, Glenn eagerly began to chat.

"Hey! This kid used to be a man of few words, always making himself seem all mysterious, with a lot going on beneath that quiet exterior. When I first met him, he was wandering around the city like a headless fly. I only helped him because I felt sorry for him."

As he spoke, he put on a deeply rueful expression.

"Who knew this kid would be so famous now? Apothecary Galan, ho ho! I really couldn't tell back then that he was such a genius."

"Ahem..."

Galan grew a little embarrassed at Glenn's words and turned his gaze toward the woods beside the road.

After all, Glenn really had helped him a great deal at the beginning. Without him, Galan probably wouldn't have adapted to this world so quickly after reincarnating, much less played his role well.

But that was also why, when Glenn ran into trouble, he had taken the risk of accepting it.

Even if he didn't want to get caught up in trouble, repaying kindness was one of his principles in life.

If he had stood by and watched Glenn cut off his own arm and spend the rest of his life in gloom, Galan would never have forgiven himself for doing nothing.

Apart from the sounds made by the group, the road was silent.

This was the only main road from Rogley to Windmill Village. After word spread that monsters had invaded the town, no one came this way anymore.

Even merchant caravans bound for Rogley had to take a long detour and pass through elsewhere.

"Mr. Reno, have you never had a regular party of your own?"

Galan looked back at Reno, who had been following at the rear the whole time. The man's presence was far too easy to overlook. Whether at the association or on the way here, he had simply watched the scenery without saying a word.

"No. I only join adventurer parties now and then and take part in a few commissions to earn some extra money. Actually, I prefer the leisurely days at the church."

He explained with a smile.

"So you're a monk at the local church."

Galan thought carefully, but he had been to the church twice before and didn't seem to have seen this face either time. He couldn't help feeling a little puzzled.

"Are you really..."

"Mr. Galan, I seem to... have a bad feeling."

Reno interrupted Galan's question and suddenly spoke with a serious expression.

For a while now, he had felt someone watching their group, but no matter how he looked around, he couldn't determine where the gaze was coming from.

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Glenn, who was walking at the front, stopped and placed a hand on his black sword warily.

Now that Reno had mentioned it, he also felt that something was wrong.

This stretch of road was far too quiet, so quiet it was eerie.

"Theresia."

"Something's approaching us fast."

Theresia quickly drew her wand. It was an exquisite wand set with a ruby, a match for her dazzling hair.

"My magic has sensed monsters approaching... No, they've been around us all along. They actually suppressed their magic, and I didn't even notice them..."

An arrow shot out of the woods without warning, heading straight for Theresia's head.

Clang!

She reacted quickly, deploying Defensive Magic and deflecting the arrow. But immediately afterward, great volleys of arrows flew out like a raging storm, hurtling toward the four of them.

Seeing this, Theresia fully deployed her Defensive Magic, enclosing all four of them as they huddled together.

"[Goddess's Three Spears]"

As arrows rained down against the barrier, Reno expertly opened his scripture. White light appeared on the pages of the [Chapter of the Great Fire of Judgment], gathering beside him into three holy spears.

"Whoosh—"

The holy spears shot out from within the barrier and flew straight into the forest in the direction the arrows had come from. A moment later, a series of vicious roars rang out.

Several monsters with human bodies and wolf heads emerged menacingly from the woods.

Not only were they wearing armor, they also carried shields and weapons. Clearly, they weren't the sort of monsters with low intelligence.

"Werewolves?"

Seeing this kind of monster for the first time, Galan looked at the wolf heads and blurted it out.

"No. Real werewolves wouldn't appear at a time like this. They're just a subspecies with some werewolf genes."

Glenn drew his black greatsword and took up a stance.

"But it looks like they've learned how humans fight too."

Watching the dozen or so monsters before him assume offensive and defensive positions, Glenn found them somewhat troublesome.

"Intelligent monsters like these are the most troublesome to deal with."

When the last arrow fell, Theresia released her Defensive Magic and let out a long breath.

Keeping it fully deployed for a long time consumed too much of a mage's magic. Fortunately, there had only been one wave of that fearsome arrow barrage. If it had come a few more times, she probably wouldn't have been able to hold out much longer.

Glenn kicked hard off the ground and dashed out the instant the magic was lifted, his massive figure charging straight at the monsters.

This was Glenn's way as a warrior—no matter what enemy lay ahead, all he needed to do was swing his weapon and charge forward.

Now, clad in armor and fully armed, even a collision at this speed relying on his weight alone could cause tremendous damage.

The fierce-looking wolf-headed monsters were actually only half Glenn's height.

Facing Glenn as he bore down on them, they roared and did not retreat. Instead, they raised their shields and braced themselves to meet his charge.

Several in the rear raised their spears, seemingly intending to skewer the charging human.

"Hey! I gave you too much credit. You don't look so smart now!"

Unexpectedly, Glenn suddenly leaped into the air in the middle of his high-speed charge, soaring above the monsters. Even Galan, watching from behind, was startled: with such a huge build, Glenn could actually jump so lightly. Was he really forty years old?

Although Galan had heard him brag while drinking before, this was his first time seeing Glenn in actual combat, and he couldn't help being surprised.

"Open sesame, you beasts!"

He raised the black greatsword in his hands high in the air, a halo of light coating it beneath the blazing sun overhead. With a tremendous rush of air, Glenn crashed down among them like a meteor, cleaving the three monsters beneath him and their shields apart from top to bottom.