After disposing of the goblins on guard, we decided to enter the cave.
Mee, a thief, was listening to us with her ear to the ground near the entrance.

By the way, some people who underestimate the adventuring business say that you don't need to go into caves to beat the goblin hordes that lurk there.
But I'm skeptical of that idea.

According to them, we can burn fires at the entrance and send smoke into the air, or we can use the phenomenon of dust explosions, such as those that occur in mines, to wipe them out.
However, it is my opinion that these strategies are not feasible and are nothing more than theoretical theories.

Moreover, in a situation where the enemy is not aware of our presence, even if we could send smoke accurately, the act itself could be a risk of alerting the enemy to our presence.
It is necessary to decide whether it is worth it to abandon the advantage of surprise.

Then, it occurred to me to ask Satsuki.

'Is it possible for Satsuki to attack the enemy by taking them by surprise? Does it mean that you can't attack unless you come forward fairly and squarely?'

I asked, and Satsuki smiled and shook her head.

'I'm sure I'll come to terms with that. There are samurai who say that's not fair. I'd rather be a samurai who can help my fellow samurai.

'Hmm ...... I see.'

The difference between that and killing an incapacitated target was not clear to me, but I decided not to mention it.
She seemed to be in the midst of a struggle of her own, including that.

'I can't hear any footsteps in the immediate vicinity. Maybe it's a pretty deep cave.

Mee, who has finished listening, reports the results.
Then she took out a fire box and a lantern from her backpack, started a fire with a familiar motion, and transferred the fire to the lantern.

Meanwhile, I took out a torch from my pack and asked Mee to transfer the fire to it.
Then the beastman girl tilted her head curiously.

'Isn't it possible to create a light with magic?

'It is possible, but the more magic you use, the more mana you consume in your body. But if you have a low-cost alternative, you should use it.

'I see, I see.

Mee seemed to be convinced, and lit my torch as well.

In addition, the consumed mana will be slowly recovered by taking a rest.
In particular, sleep in a comfortable environment is the most efficient, and it is known that even when you have used up all your mana, you tend to recover fully after six to eight hours of sleep.

As a result of my training at the academy, I have built a body that can store a lot more mana than normal people, and the degree of recovery of mana when I rest is much better than normal people.

However, even so, if you keep on wasting without thinking, your body will eventually run out of mana.
The ability to conserve and manage mana is an important skill for all mages.

'But, William. But, William, why do you need more torches when Mee has already prepared the lights?

On the other hand, Cyril, the priestess, asked me such an honest question.

'It's dark in the cave, so I understand the need for a light. I wonder if there's any point in preparing torches on top of that.

This was not a suggestion of futility, but an expression of a desire to learn.
I like the attitude that a wise person should take, inquiring whether something seemingly useless has a purpose.
I had seen a glimpse of high intelligence in this priestess named Cyril.

'Ah. This is from a book I've read in the past, written by an adventurer, but you never know what kind of accidents you might encounter while adventuring. On the other hand, the loss of light in the dark can be fatal for us human adventurers. To spread the risk, we should have more than one light. Besides, a lit torch can be useful for burning away cobwebs and other minor obstacles.

'...... I see. So you're relying on the wisdom of past adventurers. I thought mages were all big-headed and thought the empirical wisdom of adventurers was ridiculous, but I guess you're not so sure.

It seems that she saw my character in the same way that I saw hers.
I have the impression that she speaks a little too openly, but I personally don't dislike this kind of person.

'If I imitate Satsuki's way of speaking, there must be such mages. But I believe that such fools are the first to die. I really don't want to die early for nothing.

The priestess chuckles as I say this.

'William, you're a funny guy.

'I didn't mean to make a joke.

'Your sense of joke telling is devastating.

Mee teased from the side.

'Is that so?'

'Yes.'

It was a terrible thing to hear.
If possible, I would like to refrain from such comments that would break the spirit of challenge.

'Come on, let's go. The sun is going to set.

Satsuki said, and the sun was actually setting in the sky.
We finished our chatting and decided to switch our minds to exploring the cave.