Morning. You ready?　Mako.
I'm here now.
Let's go.

　We exchanged like a couple and then met up with Lucy.
　The meeting place is the entrance to the guild.

　Nevertheless.
　Once again, Lucy is a beautiful woman.
　Being able to form a party with such a beautiful woman, I wouldn't abandon the other world.
　However, there is one thing that bothers me.

''Isn't it cold?''

　Even though it's already spring, it's chilly in the morning.
　I'm wearing a long-sleeved shirt and a jacket, while Lucy is wearing light clothes.
　She's wearing a camisole-like shirt and a short skirt.
　I'm wearing a cloak, but it's hardly a protection against the cold.

I'm not a fan of this. Don't worry about it.
Hmm.
　Lucy says it like it's nothing, but that exposure to wholesome high school boys is hard for the eyes to see.
　The bare shoulders and thighs of the fashion are dazzling to the eye.

　I quietly set my 'clear water' skill to 80 percent.
　This will cut out most of the annoyance.
　I pretend I don't care and change the subject.
　I stood in front of the guild's notice board.

''Do you have any good quests?''
Hmm, that doesn't look good.
　A quick look at the list of advanced quests, like 'Defeating the Gryphon', 'Exploring and Defeating the Minotaur of the Labyrinth', and 'Delivering the Scales of the Fire Dragon'.
　It's impossible for us.
　The only other quests that we can do are the errand level quests like 'Collecting Herb' and 'Delivering Horned Rabbit Meat'.

'Oh my, it's not Makoto and Lucy. Looking for the new party's first quest?
　It looks like Marie has just arrived at work.
''Good morning, Marie-san. Do you have any good quests for me?
'Hmmm, a party of two bronze ranked wizards... That's a tough one.
　He gave me a puzzled look.
　It's just the way it is.

"Maybe we'll turn it into a goblin hunt. Safe and profitable.
You're the expert.
Marie, I'm going out.
Okay, be careful. I'm sure you'll be fine, Makoto.
What about me?
Lucy, you have to listen to your friend, Makoto. We don't want any trouble, okay?
Well, what is it?

　Lucy is unhappy, but the last party was a brawl that broke up.
　It's no wonder she's worried.
　We waved to Marie and left the guild.


　◇


Hey, Marie has a thing for Makoto, doesn't she?
What?
　What are you talking about, all of a sudden?

'No way.'
I mean, you've only been so nice to Makoto.
That's because I'm new, you know?
　The rest of them must be worried about this poor status.
　When I first showed him the soul book, he was quite surprised.

''Other adventurers don't seem to take care of you when you reach bronze rank. Rumor has it that Mako is the only one who is always on the lookout for him.
No, no, no.
　I don't know about that rumor.

You think too much, don't you?
Doesn't Makoto get involved every day when he's eating dinner?　You know, Marie-san, you used to drink at the guild every two days or so until Makoto came along, right?
Yeah, huh?

　You think Marie is interested in me?
　She is a beautiful, older sister.
　Large breasts.
　I swallow my spit.
　Would I, a virgin, be able to lead her gently?

　I mean, no!
　I think you've been in a hurry since you heard about Fujiyan.
　I'm not such a gruff guy.

'Don't be silly, let's go.
Oh, I'm so off topic.
'Just do it. Even against goblins, you have to take it seriously or you'll get hurt.
　For now, let's get back to the subject of quests.

'All right. Hey, where are you headed today?
It's near the Devil's Forest, where they always hunt goblins.
Yeah, it's not too far.　It'll take you half a day just to go.
I'm fine. I'm fine.
Really?
　Lucy looks worried.
　Well, you'll know when you get there in person.

　I greeted the guard at the west gate and left the city.
　Just outside the gate, we are in the forest.
　We walked along the forest road for a while.　

"So, yeah.
　I ask him something I've been wondering about.
'Lucy is an elf, right?'
　My first party companion is an elf.
　I can brag about this one to Fujiyan!

Yes, I do!　You can see it in these ears!　
'Oh. That's right. 'So there are red-eyed, red-haired elves too?' said Lucy, and then she looked away with a huff.
'Well, I'm a half-blood. I'm not a pure elf...''
What?

　Oh, it was a bush snake.
　Maybe it's because of his half-breed that he's had such a hard time before?
　I can't help but wonder if it's because the other elves left him out.
　If that's the case, it's bad news....

I'm sure you've heard the same thing.......well, my grandfather is the chief of the elven community, so I've cut up his village to pieces for anyone who messes with me.
　Lucy, who is so good at this, not a single cloud.
　Oh, this guy is so brazen.

"Does it bother you that I'm not a pure elf, Mako?
　He stares at me with an uneasy look on his face.
　Hey, hey, where was that brazenness earlier?

''I merely asked because it's the first time I've met an elf since I came to this world.
Oh, yeah, right.
　Lucy looks relieved.

　Hmm, it's hard to talk to a party.
　I don't know how far I can go in to talk about it.
　It's a high degree of difficulty for a commie.

　We walked for a while in the woods and headed towards the creek that runs along the side of the road.
　I guess I'll be around here.

'Hey, which way are you going?　Is that the river over there?
It's okay. Come on in.
　I walked on the water surface.
　This is the 'water surface walk' of water magic.

"So it's naturally unchanted.
Come on, come on.
　He beckons Lucy to him.

'I can't use 'surface walking', you know. I mean, what are you going to do after this?
I don't care. Just give me your hand.
　Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed his sleeve and pulled him into the river.

'Kyah.'
Just hold on to it. It interrupts the magic.
Don't yank on me so fast!
Ancillary magic such as "water walking" can be activated when the user and the body part are in contact.
　The effect will disappear if they are separated.

　Well, you can cast magic for two people.
　This way you can save your magic power.

'It's so fluffy on water. It's so weird.
Hold on tight. It's going pretty fast.
What does that mean?

(Water magic, water flow)

'What?　Ehhh.
　Lucy's astonished voice rises.
　'We're making our way upstream.

'We're only moving the water under our feet!
　Hmm, I'll be d*mned.

"What is this?
"I guess it's an arrangement of 'Water Demonology and Water Flow' "I named it 'Water Demon Method, Moving Water Trail.'
　The image is a moving walkway, like the one in the train station.
　Maybe they wouldn't be used like this in this world.

'Weirdly named magic...'
Shut up. Let's speed it up.
Hey, wait. I'm not ready.
　Accelerate all at once.
　This moment of acceleration feels the best.

'Kyah!
　A scream echoed through the forest.
'Hey, don't yell at me,'
Don't be ridiculous!
　We ploughed through the forest, all at once.


　◇


I think I need to take a break. I think I'm drunk.
　Lucy wobbled and leaned against a nearby tree.
'Sorry, I was going too fast,'
　Reflection.
　I'm in a bad mood.

No, I'm fine. It's amazing, we're near the Devil's Forest in half an hour. That's how you always get around.
Yeah, we're just getting there.
Are we near the Devil's Forest?
Yeah, so no shouting. We're surrounded by goblins.
'What?!'
　Lucy rushes over and grabs the sleeves of her clothes again.

'How many of them?'
Maybe 40 bodies. As usual.
'What!　That's a lot!
That's about it, around here. Even the closest one has some distance between them. It's foggy today, so there's little chance of them noticing us.
You're good at that.
I come here every day.
"Hmmm, that's a goblin cleaner.
　Don't use those two names.

I'll just go hunting for the nearest one.
　It would be better for Lucy to hunt the nearby demons so that she could slowly cast her magic.



◇Lucy's point of view ◇.


I'll see you in a minute.
　Saying that, Makoto disappeared into the fog.
Is she using her "covert skill" to erase the sound of her footsteps and her presence?
　There is no longer any sign of them.

''Don't leave me alone in this place...''
　The thought of being so close to the Devil's Forest suddenly made me feel uneasy.

''--!

　Faintly, in the distance, I heard a sound.
　I'm an elf, so I have a good ear.
　Still, it was enough of a sound to make me wonder if I was imagining it.

　After a while, Mako comes back.

'I took one down.'
I don't see what you're talking about.
　I say sulkily.

--scratch.

　A small, goblin is looking at us!
　He made a motion, trying to get his friends.

'Mako!'
I'll be fine.
　As Makoto turned one hand towards the goblin, the goblin's mouth and eyes were suddenly covered with something white.
　Is that........that thing......controlling the fog?

''~!''
　The goblin seemed to be confused, unable to speak.
　Makoto noiselessly approached and thrust the dagger into the goblin's heart.

　It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with your friends.
　The dagger he pulled out remained clean as well.
　With a thud, the goblin collapsed.
　There was no sound as it fell.
　Perhaps it is using the 'Covert' skill to muffle the sound.

(While using the skill, he's also manipulating the fog and manipulating the demon's blood so that he doesn't get blood back?
　This guy is doing some pretty outrageous things out of the blue.

You know?
　It's easy.
　Don't look at me like that.

　This is a wizard who has been training in proficiency for a long time?　It's great.
　But what he's doing is like an assassin.

I'm gonna go hunt some more.
　With that, Mako disappeared into the fog again.



''This is the result of today's battle.''
　In about an hour, Mako has hunted about 10 goblins.
　Basically, he approaches them from behind in covert and hunts them quietly.
　If the goblins are unlucky enough to notice him before he gets close, he seems to immediately use magic to cover his eyes and mouth.
　As a result, they don't call their friends.

'There's a lot of fog around here, so I can use magic all I want.
The Devil's Forest is covered in mist all year round.
　Even within the guild, everyone was wondering why the rookie Makoto was always hunting in the dangerous Devil's Forest.
　That riddle has been solved.

I'm not very powerful. I can only use such petty magic.
I don't know.
　I think it's a big deal.

By the way, can I see some of Lucy's magic next?
　Oops, here it is at last.

"Does it take a long time to chant, as I recall?
Well it's going to take at least three minutes.
That's a long time.
　Ugh, would I have been gasping?
'Well, fine. We've taken out most of the nearby goblins, so I'm sure they won't notice us right away, even with the long chanting.
Have you thought that far ahead?
Since we're here, I'd like to take a closer look at the magic of the royal class.

　Mako's eyes sparkle.
　A look of anticipation?　Like.
　Oh, was that such a character?
　I thought you were cooler than that.

Then I'll get ready.
　I can't fail.
　You break up Jean and Emily's party into a fight, and there is no one in the McAllen Adventurer's Guild who is willing to venture with you anymore.
　Start chanting.
　But it's an elementary fire magic fireball.

''Awesome.''
　Makoto murmured.
　I doubt it.
　The fireball is getting bigger and bigger.
　One meter, then two meters.

　In the end, a fireball the size of a house was created above us.

This... this is not good.
　Mako's face is drawn up.
　But I'm so focused on the magic that I don't have time to answer.
　My hands are shaking.
　I'm desperate because I'm holding the huge mass of flames I've generated in a sphere.

''Fireball!''
　A huge fireball was released in front of me.
　A thumping sound like something heavy falling to the ground and a thud, and the ground shook.
　A pillar of fire rises from the ground with a force that scorches the heavens.
　The magic power is gone from your body and you feel a little languid.
　Ah, that's refreshed!

Huh, you're a force to be reckoned with, me!
Great. The trees in the great forest are on fire.
　Makoto said with admiration.
　It's been a long time since I've been able to use a fireball with 1(-)split(-) power.

　It felt so good!
　Ah, but is the fireball too powerful?
　The Demon Tree in the Great Forest was hard to burn.
　However, they were roaring and burning like it didn't matter.

　''Ah, that?
　That was a bit much.


　--You caught fire.