It wasn't long after that I started flying to get back to my friends.

(Hmm ......? That's ......)

I caught a glimpse of a figure in the forest below.
It wasn't an orc.

The figure was hiding behind a tree, peeking at the village, just a short distance away from the elf settlement I had just seen.

At first I thought it might be an Elf who had escaped, but even from a distance the figure seemed to be a familiar silhouette.
Yes, it was like...

Irene? But how could she be in a place like this?)

Eileen, the princess and knight of the Grace Road Kingdom, is a childhood friend of mine, so it's not hard to recognize her.

But she is supposed to be working as a princess or a knight in the royal capital of Gravesburg.
There is no reason for her to be in a place like this. .......

(......In any case, do I need to approach and work with him?)

That's what I thought, and I decided to go down to the figure.

Whether it was a survivor of the elves or not, it shouldn't be there.
It should be retrieved and reunited with Finola and the others.

But as I approached, I saw...

It's Irene. Why are you here ......?)

Her short-cut silver hair, and her silhouette with a slight girlish charm despite her male attire, were definitely those of my childhood friend.
I finally descended close to her.

' ? I'm not sure what to do.

Irene noticed me and put her hand on the sword at her waist.
I don't want her to accidentally cut me, so I take some distance from her and land on the ground.

Then I released my Metamorphosis and revealed myself to her.

'Irene, why are you here?

'Huh, ......?'

Irene looked at me, her hand on the sword at her waist, and looked dumbfounded.
Then she pointed at me and snapped her mouth open.

'Nah ...... ah ...... u,will......? Why ......?'

Irene's gaze moved from my face to the bottom of the screen.
And then she turned bright red with a puff of steam.

...... Hmm?
There's something wrong with you.

But this is not the time to be worrying about such trifles.
I approached Irene, took her hand and led her away from the scene.

'What the heck ......? Will, why are you grabbing my hand? Where are you taking me in this dark place?'

'Irene, I have a lot of questions about why you're here, but let's get out of here for now. It's not safe for you to be anywhere near that village.'

'Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, Will! I don't know what's going on. ...... Why? Why?

'We'll talk about it later. Follow me.

'Agh. I get it, but ...... yeah ......'.

Irene followed me quietly, but there was still something wrong with her.
She seems to be struggling with something, occasionally throwing a glance at my lower body and then turning her face away again with a blush.
It's a mysterious behavior.

I was curious about her gaze, so I turned my attention to my own lower body.

And that's when I finally realized the reason for Irene's strange behavior.
So that's what it is.

I was completely naked when I released my metamorphosis.
Since I had been exposing my whole body to the open air in the form of an eagle without any clothes, I hadn't noticed the strange feeling.

'...... Sorry, Irene. I forgot about my outfit. I used the Metamorphosis spell to make myself look like this, but you're still a girl, no matter how casual you are. I'm sorry to have shown you something so unsightly. But I don't have any clothes on hand right now, so please excuse me.

......Uh, okay, okay. I'll give you a break. ......'

I'm sure you'll be able to understand that I'm not the only one who has a problem with this.

But the next thing I know, she's shaking her head as if she's remembering something, and then she turns serious and asks me.

'Anyway, why is Will here?

'That's my question. Why is Irene in a place like this?

'I came to a nearby village on a mission to exterminate orcs, and the cave I was asked to kill had no orcs in it. I also heard that a large army of orcs was seen heading towards a nearby elf settlement, so I came here to scout it out. ......'

'I see. We were on a quest to kill orcs, and we met some elves from another village. We were hired by the elves, and that's how we ended up here.

'Well, when you say 'we', do you mean Satsuki and the others are here too?

'Yes. They're not here, but they're nearby with a group of elves.

'I see. I also have a group of apprentice knights waiting in a nearby village. I'm not sure I'd want to take my apprentices anywhere near a pack of Orcs of that size,......, even if I had heard about it. I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it.

When she said this, Irene fell silent.
I looked at her as she followed me, and saw that she had a regretful and thoughtful expression on her face.

Then she turned her head and mumbled.

'...... Those Orcs are unforgivable. ...... But I can't take on that many on my own. But the apprentices are only a liability if they don't lose their lives, and even if they don't, they're not enough of a force to overcome the difference in strength between the two sides. ......

I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure I'm not the only one.
She then looked up at me with eyes that held a strong will.

'Hey Will, I need a favor. I want to defeat the Orcs and rescue the Elves. But I can't do it alone. So, Will, I need your help.'

After she said that, she looked down awkwardly again.

'But this is my own idea, not a request from the government. I can only offer you what I can personally give you as a reward. But please! I want to save them from that hell, even now!

That was Eileen's sincere wish.




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