We made it just in time, I guess you could say.

As we hurried through the cave, we had succeeded in eradicating a group of Orcs that were ahead of us.
The Lightning Bolt spell I had cast had pierced two Orcs that seemed to be of a higher species with a straight line of lightning, and the remaining Orcs of the normal species had been destroyed, led by Satsuki.

Since there were no diverging paths in this cave, it was safe to say that the defeat of the orcs was complete.
As for the rescue of the elves, I think it can be evaluated that we managed to save them before they were wiped out.

I drape a blanket over the half-naked elf girl crouched in front of me, then call out to her.

'Are you alright?

'Yeah, yeah, thanks ....... But my friends are more ...... than me.'

The elven girl blushed and said that she was worried about her friends.
She seems to be the leader of the elven band.

She is slender and beautiful as an elf.
She looks to be about the same age as Satsuki and Cyril, or even younger, but since she is an elf, we cannot be sure of her actual age.
Her fluffy, sky-blue hair is swept back, and her eyes of the same color are looking at me as if they were in a fever.

'The wounded are being treated by my companions. She's a good Priestess (Holy Order). Leave her to me and she'll be fine.'

As I say this to the girl in front of me, Cyril, who was nearby performing a healing miracle on another elf, interrupts me.

'It's nice that you trust me, but there's a limit to what I can do. Please don't expect too much from me. Also, although he's not seriously injured, he's still injured, so don't push him too hard. I'll treat the more dangerous patients and then come back to you.'

Yes, sir. That's right. Take it easy and stay put for a while.'

I point the second half at the elf girl and she shakes her head.
Then she squeezed the blanket around her, looked up at me, and asked me a question.

'Who are you people? Why are you here ......?'

'We're adventurers. We've been asked by a nearby village to exterminate the orcs that live in this cave. Who are you?'

'We are warriors from an elven settlement near here. ...... Though we're warriors, we're still like this. Because of my incompetence as a commander, ....... Maybe I should have just become the orc's plaything. That would have been a good punishment.

The girl turned her head and smiled thinly, as if mocking herself.
Her eyes were shaking as if she was about to start crying.

Her eyes were shaking as if she was about to start crying. I thought about giving her a lecture because of the mess she was making, but I didn't think she would accept that.

I thought about it for a while and then kneeled down in front of her.

'I'll be a little respectful. It may be uncomfortable for you to do this to a stranger you've never met before, but...'

I say no and put my arm behind the elf girl's back, cradling her head.
The girl's forehead hit my chest.

'What ......?

'You're desperate now. You need to calm down a little. When I was a child, my mother used to do this to me and it calmed me down, so I tried to copy her. If it makes you uncomfortable, let me know.

When I said this, the girl shook her head.
Apparently, she was not uncomfortable.

But...

'......? What's wrong?

Satsuki, who was standing nearby, Cyril, who was healing her, and even Mee, who was helping her, were all looking at me in a stunned way.
Satsuki opened her mouth.

'...... Hey, Will.

'What is it, Satsuki?

'I want you to do that for me too ...... later.'

'Why? Satsuki is calm enough.'

'I'm not calm. My heart is pounding.'

'...... I see. Let's talk about it another time.

Since Satsuki's request did not seem urgent, he decided to avoid it for now.