We went to the adventurer's guild in the city of Atratia and confirmed the order for the quest.
We then headed for the village that had asked us to kill the orcs.

At the village, we were told of a cave where Orcs lurk, and we headed there immediately.
We walked for a while through a dense forest, but the sun was still shining through the trees, and eventually the trees became sparse and we saw a cave gaping in the bottom of a steep cliff.

It was around mid-afternoon.
In front of the entrance to the cave, under the brilliant rays of the gentle sun...

'What is that? Is that orc sleeping?

'...... Probably not. I'm sure it's ...... dead.'

In front of the cave, an orc - a hulking subhuman monster with a pig-like head - was lying on its side.
From a distance, Mee described it as dead.

As they approached the entrance to the cave, they saw that the orc on the ground was indeed a corpse.
The neck, heart and eyes had been pierced with some kind of blade, and the body was bleeding from there.

'He was pierced in all the vital points with a slender sword or something. It could be the work of a very skilled person, or...''

That's what Cyril said, and he looked at me.
I felt that she was probably thinking the same thing as me, so I nodded.

'Ah. There's a good chance that you'll have these wounds if you've been incapacitated by a sleep spell or something.

'And judging from the way the blood dried, I don't think it's been that long since he died. There might be someone else in this cave.''

Mee added after taking a closer look at the orc's corpse.

In other words, there is someone who killed the orc guards and entered the cave before we came.
And judging from the timing, there is a good chance that someone is still in the cave.

For a moment, I wondered if I had received the same quest as another adventurer by some mistake, but the villagers I spoke to didn't seem to think so, and I doubt that's the case.
If there was a request from another village, it might be possible.

'Mee, please be on the lookout and prepare the lights just in case.

Yes, sir. William has wizard's eyes, right?

'Yes, that's correct. It's about time he knew what we were up to.

'We've been on a lot of adventures together, haven't we?

I nodded my head as she gave me a bright smile.
I'm sure this is the result of the magical power of fascination that this girl Mi possesses.

As I look at her, I cast the Wizard Eye spell.
Then, I created an invisible 'eye' in the air in front of me, and slowly advanced it into the cave.

Since the Orcs at the entrance had been killed, it was highly likely that the 'visitor' was an enemy of the Orcs.

However, an enemy of an enemy is not necessarily a friend, and even if it is not the case, if you enter a place where the situation is confused, you may get caught up in an unexpected situation.
Therefore, it is advisable to acquire as much information as possible before entering the cave, risking your own safety.

We move our 'eyes' into the cave.
The cave is covered with earthen walls, and the tunnel is quite spacious in both width and height, as if it was chosen by giant Orcs as a roost.

And so, after the 'eye' had walked through the cave for a while...

'Three dead orcs in the hall. ...... Now there are traces of a battle. ...... And ......'

He mumbles about what he saw with his 'eyes', including the purpose of passing the information on to his companions.

'This orc corpse doesn't look like it was pierced only in the vital points. There are arrows lodged here and there, as well as numerous other puncture wounds.

He probably had to fight a muddy battle, unlike when he killed the Orc guards in front of the cave.
And as proof...

'...... There is another non-orc corpse. It's hard to tell because the head is crushed, but it's probably the corpse of an elf.

'An elf?

Cyril, who picked up on my mumbling, asks me in return.
I switch my vision from 'eyes' to my own and nod towards Cyril.

'Ah. I can't be sure because the head was not intact, but it must be because I saw a skinny humanoid with long pointed ears. It was probably a clubbing blow to the head.

'Doesn't sound like a sight you want to witness. Is that the only body that looks like an elf?'

'Yes. But the cave still goes on. I'll continue on.'

I turn my sight back to my eyes and follow them to the passage at the end of the hall.
I enter the passage at the end of the hall, and after a while...

Soon my vision caught sight of the scene.

'...... This is not good.

I brought my vision back to my own and refocused my wizard eye.
Then, as I was about to step into the cave, I realized that I was about to go ahead without the approval of my companions.

'Not good, what? Are there any Orcs that look really strong?

At Satsuki's words, I shook my head.

'No, it's true that I saw a figure that looked like a higher species of orc, but what's more problematic is the situation of the elves there.

'The elves? There is a group of elves in the back here?

Mee shook her head at that question.

'Yes. But two of them were seriously injured in a trap, and the rest are in a desperate situation, attacked by many Orcs. I don't know if I can get there in time, but I don't want to leave those elves behind if I can help it.

I suppressed my urgency and told my three friends what I had seen and my thoughts.
Then Satsuki, Mee, and Cyril...

'Heh, that's nice. That's my Will! Of course I'll ride with you.

'Since you're William, you're not planning to push yourself, are you? Then I'm with you.

'I like that about you. If it's a time-sensitive situation, let's hurry.

All three of them agreed with my idea, and we immediately entered the cave.

When I told Satsuki, 'I've told you many times, I'm not yours,' she showed her disappointed face.
I wonder if it's a good idea to try to create an established fact in the heat of the moment.