A Journey for Two

After Rujierd disappeared from sight, I stood at the city gates for a long time.

Sunlight fell on the stone pavement, bleaching the spot where Rujierd had just stood. There was nothing on that stone, as though no one had ever stood there at all.

Rujierd's gone. He's really gone.

Rudeus and I had followed him ever since we first arrived on the Demon Continent. No matter what dangers we faced, he was always at the front. The poisonous lizards of the Demon Continent, the swarms of scorpions in the desert, the kidnappers on the Millis Continent. Every time, he charged in first, and Rudeus and I backed him up from behind.

Now he was gone.

From today on, I would be the one at the front of the party.

Starting today, I'm solely responsible for Rudeus's safety.

When the thought occurred to me, my hand tightened around my sword hilt without my noticing. The leather on the hilt was a little rough, chafing my palm until it hurt. But the pain actually helped clear my head.

Rudeus waited beside me. He didn't rush me or offer any words of comfort. He just stood there, one hand in his robe pocket and his staff in the other.

He was probably sad too, but he wouldn't say it.

This idiot. He's hurting too, but he still has to pretend he's fine.

"Let's go," I said.

He glanced at me and nodded.

We walked side by side toward the Adventurers' Guild in town.

The shops on either side of the street were opening one after another. People splashed water and swept outside their doors, the water pattering against the stone pavement. An old man selling bread set freshly baked loaves of brown bread on a wooden rack outside his shop. Warm steam and the toasty aroma drifted down the whole street. A child ran out of a shop and nearly bumped into me, clutching a large piece of bread, with flour still on his mouth.

Rudeus walked on my right. His pace was neither fast nor slow, just as usual. But I noticed that his right hand kept squeezing something in his pocket. He was probably nervous.

What's he nervous about? Is he worried we'll run into danger, or is he worried about me...

The Adventurers' Guild was in an alley in the center of town. An iron sign hung outside, bearing a picture of crossed swords and a shield. The door was wooden, and it creaked when we pushed it open.

It wasn't big inside. The counter was on the left, and several tables stood on the right. A few adventurers sat drinking in a corner. The air smelled of ale and roast meat, mixed with the tang of leather and rust.

A middle-aged woman stood behind the counter, her gray hair pinned up at the back of her head and her apron stained with grease. She looked up at us.

"Are you here to register an adventuring party?"

"Yeah." Rudeus walked up to the counter. "Two people."

The woman took out a sheet of paper and a pen.

"Party name?"

Rudeus thought for a moment.

"Dead End."

The woman's pen stopped. She looked up at us with a very strange expression.

"...'Dead End'? Are you sure?"

I slapped the counter.

"Got a problem with that?"

The woman looked at me, then at Rudeus, and finally at the nameless sword on my hip. She probably thought a fifteen-year-old girl carrying a sword taller than she was didn't look quite normal.

"...No." She pushed the paper over. "Please sign here. The registration fee is two Asura silver coins."

Rudeus pulled a purse from his pocket and placed two silver coins on the counter. I noticed his hand was trembling slightly.

Is he nervous because we're running out of money? I guess we really don't have much left. We spent almost everything we earned on the Demon Continent crossing the sea.

The woman handed us our registered tags. They were two small pieces of iron, engraved with "Dead End" and our two names.

I hung my tag at my waist. It was much lighter than my sword, but it still felt heavy, with a weight I couldn't quite describe.

Dead End. A road leading nowhere. The three of us chose that name at an adventuring guild on the Demon Continent. Rudeus intends to keep using it, partly to scare off those annoying people and partly to clear the Superd Race's name.

"Do you have any requests?" I asked.

The woman took a stack of papers from beneath the counter.

"There's a pack of forest wolves in the woods north of town, about seven or eight of them. They're not high-level, so they're suitable for a new party. The reward is five Asura silver coins."

"We'll take it," I said.

Rudeus glanced at me but didn't object.

The sunlight was bright when we stepped out of the guild. I squinted and tucked the iron tag into the cloth pouch at my waist.

"I'll go first. You just stay behind me," I said.

"Okay."

The woods north of town weren't far away. We reached them after about an hour's walk. They weren't particularly large, but the trees were dense. Pine branches and needles blocked most of the sunlight, and a thick layer of fallen leaves covered the ground, rustling underfoot.

I walked in front, gripping my nameless sword. Come to think of it, Rudeus had given me this sword. He'd said Master Roxy's father gave it to him, but he didn't need to carry a sword, so he gave it to me.

Rudeus followed about ten paces behind me, his expression alert.

Ten paces. That's the distance Rujierd taught us. Any closer and I'd get in his way; any farther and he wouldn't be able to support me in time. Ten paces is just right.

After about fifteen minutes, I smelled blood.

It was faint, mixed with the scent of pine resin and rotting leaves, but I could pick it out. Three years on the Demon Continent had made my nose much sharper than an ordinary person's.

"They're nearby," I said.

Rudeus stopped.

"How many?"

I crouched down and examined the paw prints on the ground. They weren't large, about the size of my palm, with four toes and deep claw marks at the front. They led deeper into the woods.

"At least five, maybe more."

"Got it."

He undid the cover on his staff.

I stood and continued forward. After about twenty paces, I saw them.

Five forest wolves. Their fur was gray, and they were smaller than any monster I'd seen on the Demon Continent. The largest was about waist-high on me. It lay beneath a pine tree, gnawing on a bone still streaked with blood.

When they saw me, the largest stood up and let out a low howl. The other four rose too, their fur bristling and their teeth bared.

They're so small. Compared to the ones on the Demon Continent, they're practically puppies.

But I didn't let my guard down. Rujierd had told me never to underestimate an opponent.

The largest wolf lunged at me.

I sidestepped and swept my nameless sword across, striking its belly and cleaving it in two. The lower half of its body flew into a tree.

Too much force. It's so light, much lighter than the scorpions on the Demon Continent.

The other four pounced at once.

"Two on the left!" Rudeus shouted from behind me.

I heard him. A Rock Bullet flew past my right side and struck one of the wolves circling around from the left. The wolf flew back, snapping two branches. A large hole had been punched through its body, and it rolled over a few times before going still.

Another lunged at me head-on. I raised my sword to block, and the wolf's teeth clamped down on the blade with a creak. The blade was much harder than its teeth, and the wolf couldn't bite through it.

I shoved hard, sending the wolf three paces back, then rushed after it and finished it with another strike.

The last two lunged from either side at once.

"Eris, on your right!" Rudeus shouted.

I ducked, and a second Rock Bullet flew over my head and struck the one on the right. The one on the left pounced in front of me, and I swung my sword upward, hitting it in the jaw.

The wolf flew back and landed several meters away, where it too lay still.

Everything around us fell quiet.

Only birdsong and the rustling of wind through the leaves remained in the woods.

I stood where I was and caught my breath. Five wolves, in less than a minute.

So weak. Compared to those three years on the Demon Continent, this is nothing.

But I didn't relax. Rujierd had said the most dangerous moment came after a fight. I had to make sure every enemy was dead, then check myself for injuries.

I went over and checked each wolf, making sure they were all dead.

Then I checked myself. There was a shallow scratch on my left arm, probably from one of the wolves' claws. It wasn't deep, just broken skin with a little blood seeping out.

"You're hurt?" Rudeus came over.

"It's nothing. Just a scratch."

He took my arm, examined it, and frowned. Then he pulled a roll of bandages from his robe pocket.

When did he get bandages ready? I had no idea. He can use so much amazing magic, but for some reason he's no good at healing. He told me before that healing magic requires an understanding of the human body, and he just can't picture it, so he has to do it the clumsy way. It sounds stupid, but that's Rudeus for you. He can do everything except this.

"Please sit down. I'll bandage it," he said.

I sat on the root of a pine tree. He crouched beside me, unrolled the bandage, and began wrapping my arm.

His hands were deft. The bandage was neither too tight nor too loose, applying just enough pressure to the wound. His movements were gentle and steady, as though he was afraid of hurting me.

His hands are so warm. His fingertips tickle a little when they touch my skin.

I watched him as he bent his head over the bandage. His eyelashes were long, casting a small shadow in the light. The beauty mark beneath his left eye was easy to see. His lips were pressed slightly together, and he looked very serious.

Then he looked up, met my eyes, and smiled at me.

"There."

I froze for a moment.

My face began to burn.

What's wrong with me? I see him every day. What is there to blush about?

He tied off the bandage and stood up. "Let's go back and turn in the request."

"Oh... okay."

I stood up too.

Neither of us spoke on the way back to town. But I noticed that as we walked, he never dared to look at me.

Idiot. It's not like I'm going to eat you.

It was already afternoon when we returned to the guild. The woman behind the counter was a little surprised to see us back so soon.

"You finished?"

"Yeah, there were only five."

She counted out five silver coins and placed them on the counter. I put them in the purse.

Rudeus was leafing through a stack of information sheets at the guild. They contained information collected from various towns: requests, missing-person notices, and all sorts of miscellaneous news.

I leaned against the counter, waiting for him as I thought back over the fight.

Five forest wolves, dealt with in a minute. It sounded fast, but that was only because the opponents were so weak. Forest wolves weren't even as fast as the lowest-level monsters on the Demon Continent. What if we'd faced something like the desert scorpions instead? What if it had been something ten times faster than a scorpion?

I looked down at my hands. There were old calluses on the fingers of my sword hand, earned through sword practice. But were these hands fast enough?

Not yet. Rujierd said Sword Saint Rank is only the starting point. Truly powerful people, Sword Kings and Sword Emperors, are several times faster than I am now. If I ever encounter an enemy on that level, my current speed won't be nearly enough. I have to get stronger, faster. That's the only way I can protect Rudeus.

I clenched my fist. My nails dug into my palm, hurting a little.

"Eris."

Rudeus's voice pulled me back. He was holding a sheet of paper, his eyes fixed on one of the pages.

"Hm... what is it?" I asked.

He didn't answer right away. His eyes stayed on the page for several seconds.

Then he looked up at me.

"Zant Port." His voice was a little tense. "My father may have left a message there."