By Zephyria 
Where else would I have to discuss something like this?
The next day, after defeating a group of Orcs and during a short break, I called Marianne aside. We couldn’t get out of each other’s sight even during our break. Besides, everyone here was a Martial artist, so they had sharp ears.
So, with the others behind my back, I intended to use Sound Transmission to talk.
Marianne whispered in a small voice, “No way,” sounding incredulous. “Such an obvious ploy?”
[Let’s use written conversation.]
Marianne let out a scoff, a sound of disbelief, then picked up a twig and drew lines on the ground.
“Such an obvious ploy?”
What else could I do? I couldn’t stand it any longer.
I could feel everyone pretending not to look while still paying attention to us, so I sat down, shielding Marianne’s writing with my body. Then, I quickly explained the situation using Sound Transmission.
Marianne, listening with an incredulous expression, drew lines on the ground.
“You have to make up for it with your body, what else can you do.”
[With my body?]
“Just give me a passionate kiss.”
I blurted out, “That’s absurd!”
“Ah, but you said to use written conversation! What do you expect me to do if Mikael shouts?”
“…”
“No, but isn’t Mika also going too far? Lately.”
Startled, I covered Marianne’s mouth with my hand. Muffled sounds. The child, pretending to be suffocated, struggled and tugged at my wrist.
Sighing, I let go. Marianne again shook the twig on the ground with a rustling sound, writing in an elaborate script.
“Kids these days are so fast. They kiss even at twelve!”
[But…!]
“It’s just that our Prince,”
Marianne chattered rapidly, speaking aloud.
“Is cute, adorable, delicate, lovely, and seems like he’ll pop like a sparkling bubble—!”
Startled, I covered her mouth with both hands. My face was burning with embarrassment, all the way to the top of my head. Seeing my state, Marianne giggled, her shoulders shaking, and wrote on the ground again.
“I know you can’t bring yourself to touch him because he’s like that… but aren’t you already doing everything you shouldn’t be doing?”
[No, when did I ever.]
“Honestly, there’s a limit to pretending not to see??????”
Marianne drew five question marks. Seeing the increasingly frantic question marks, I was speechless. Marianne, glancing at me having calmed down, shook her shoulders and laughed, then wrote below.
“And the Prince’s birthday is at the end of October. We’re returning in early November, you know that, right? There’s no time to get a gift. And not even in the capital, but in the Widdrow Duchy? That’s impossible.”
“…”
“Honestly, you haven’t even thought about a birthday gift, let alone prepared one, have you? Am I right or wrong?”
…That was true.
How could I have prepared a gift for Ruben’s birthday, which would be six months later, when we were coming to the Yuil Mountains to hunt monsters? Swallowing my rising breath, I covered my eyes with one hand.
Marianne tapped my shoulder with her own.
“There’s no other way. Do as I say.”
[…No, how.]
“Should I tell you that too?”
After a moment of thought, I nodded. Marianne erased all the written conversation she had written with the edge of her hand and began writing something on top. I watched intently. I let out a gasp, but held it in.
Marianne chuckled, observing my expression.
When I shook my head, she wrote something else. No. I couldn’t do that either. After thinking for a long time, I let out a sigh and shook my head. Then, Marianne erased everything she had written before and after, and even sprinkled water on it with Magic to destroy the evidence.
Rubel would always ask me what I talked about after I spent time with the children.
But today was different. He didn’t ask anything. He just looked at me kindly, blinked a couple of times, and quickly looked away.
My earlobes felt hot for no reason, and I couldn’t meet Ruben’s gaze for the rest of the evening.
❖ ❖ ❖
October.
We could all now be called skilled monster hunters.
As Hugh Benson had taught us, we skinned the Orc hides, wiped off the blood, and layered them together, inner side to inner side, outer side to outer side. We severed the Troll’s head and filled special glass bottles with its blood, stacking them neatly in our bags.
Elvin was particularly good at dismembering monsters. He jokingly said that he used to eat monster meat when he was with Felix. Since we couldn’t verify the truth of his statement, all the children were horrified and shook their heads.
Minotaur horns and tail hair, Troll blood, Orc hide, Kobold Shaman’s staff… Our luggage grew heavy with such odds and ends. Yet, the heavier the load, the lighter the children’s steps became.
Hugh and Marianne spoke only in single words about what they would do once they reached the Duchy.
“Bathtub soak.”
“Turkey.”
“Bed.”
“Lamb chops.”
“Rose lotion.”
“Beef.”
“Hey, Senior, do you only think about eating?”
“What’s better than that? Speak briefly since you don’t have the energy to talk.”
“Hmm, fresh strawberries.”
“Spicy meat stew.”
It was like that.
Is there a better teacher than practical experience? From the first day of May to the end of October, the swords of the party, who had annihilated monsters once every day, or once every three to four days, while roaming the vicinity of the Yuil Mountains for a full six months, had become noticeably sharper.
Occasionally, a few sustained minor abrasions, but they were so insignificant that they could be healed with a single spell from Marianne, who was clumsy with Healing Magic, so there was no need to worry.
The Healing Artifacts we had brought in bulk remained almost entirely untouched. Hugh Benson argued passionately that preparations were always insufficient, and unused artifacts could be used almost indefinitely, so it was actually a gain.
I periodically took Ruben’s and Benjamin’s wrists to check if their Dantians were intact and if there were any abnormalities. Due to the high Mana Concentration, their Dantians had expanded at a much faster rate than I had anticipated, and I was very worried they might fall into Cultivation Deviation.
However, both of them were fine. They now showed off their ability to endure even in areas with over 40mp without suffering. Hugh Benson and Elvin Brooks were also curious about the mana cultivation method and I taught it to them, but even after just a brief theoretical explanation, they shook their heads, saying it wouldn’t suit their bodies.
Indeed, Mind methods are meant to be learned at a young age.
Even if the Hip-Circle Light mana manipulation method was created by relying on Divine Power, I couldn’t be sure it would have excellent effects on seniors who had trained in different ways since childhood. Therefore, I didn’t force it.
And finally, at the beginning of the last week of October.
At the dinner table, Hugh Benson immediately slurped down his meal as soon as he received his bowl and let out a long breath. I watched him with concern, thinking his mouth must be burning from drinking the hot stew like that.
He grinned broadly, as if refreshed, without showing any signs of pain.
“Tomorrow morning, we return to the Widdrow Duchy. If we encounter a small monster village on the way, we’ll defeat it, but at full speed, as quickly as possible! Let’s go back!”
“Yay!”
Only Marianne cheered at his words, spoken with a somewhat excited tone, even swinging his fist. The rest of the men, realizing the situation belatedly, clapped their hands and cheered. Perhaps because it wasn’t the first time, or perhaps because they hadn’t expected anything in the first place, Hugh Benson nodded without complaint and continued.
“It’s dangerous to move at night, so we can’t, but we’ll reduce our sleeping time too. We need to arrive at the Duchy as soon as possible to deliver the news.”
“And eat turkey?”
“Yeah. Fucking urgent.”
He made a trivial joke, but I didn’t miss Hugh Benson’s fleeting glance at Ruben’s neck. Since no significant traces were found after that, I needed to report the death of the pendant’s owner and check if there were any other related matters.
Besides that important matter, my heart was troubled by other things as well.
Just in case, I asked Hugh Benson, “What is today’s date?”
“Today? October 22nd.”
“Estimated arrival date?”
“If there are no battles in between, it’s October 30th. If there are more than three battles, it’ll be November 4th or 5th? We should be able to reach the Widdrow Duchy around then.”
“…Hmm.”
“Why?”
“No, I was just curious.”
“What a bore.”
Hugh Benson shooed the children away, telling them to prepare for bed without further ado. We tidied up after eating and prepared for sleep.
My gaze drifted to the bright light cast by the white moon and red moon, high in the sky. Without Magic Lamps, all the stars seemed close enough to fall.
Marianne, who clearly knew why I was so troubled, glanced at me and smiled. The child mouthed words. Her lips protruded in a small circle, then stretched wide sideways, then formed a small circle again. I knew exactly what those shapes meant.
G-i-v-e u-p.
I considered scolding her with Sound Transmission but stopped myself. It wasn’t something to be fixed by scolding the child. It was more important to manage my own heart. My mind was busy pondering various things.
However, I couldn’t easily let go of my feelings.
If I could just hurry a little more, we could arrive at the Duchy before Ruben’s birthday. At least on the day itself, I wanted to find and give him something more wonderful and special. At least writing a card would put my mind at ease.
No matter how many days I pondered and thought, I wanted to buy something good, even if it meant emptying my savings. Would it be right to receive something so precious and just brush it off with a few words? I desperately prayed that there would be no battles on the way back, or perhaps just one.
However, as if heaven would not help me.
We encountered a group of Goblins, and then a group of Orcs.
Days passed, filled with anxiety, sighs, and counting the days on my fingers.
Hugh Benson, who had been running ahead briskly, suddenly stopped. The party, following him at a distance, all stopped.
Far across the open plain, something was crawling and moving in one direction.
“Fuck, what is that?”
Hugh Benson muttered, spitting out the words. Everyone was struck dumb, unable to speak.
Just eight days before arriving at the Duchy, on October 26th.
We saw hundreds of Trolls, crawling and swarming.