After parting ways with Irene, I took to the skies and flew towards the fires lit by the elves.

When I got close enough to find the place, I returned to the place where I had taken off my clothes, released my Metamorphosis, and headed on foot to the place where the elves were gathered.

'Oh, Will, you're back!

Satsuki, recognizing my appearance, came running up to me.
Standing in front of me, she folded her hands behind her back in a shy manner and said to me with an upward glance.

'Hey, you must be tired. Do you want to eat? Would you like a bath? Or do you want to take a ...... bath?

'...... What are you talking about?

Satsuki has always been a bit strange, but this behavior seemed particularly unintelligible.
It's not as if there's a bath in the house at this stage, and it's a standard phrase for newlyweds.

...... No, I see.
This is Satsuki's joke to soothe me after a tiring reconnaissance.

If that's the case, then it would be chic to joke back at her as well.
I thought for a moment and replied to her as follows.

'No, Satsuki, I changed my mind. I think I'll take you. Do you mind?

'Pya?

When I put my hands on Satsuki's shoulders, imitating the kind of rude male protagonist you see in some adventure stories, the kimono-clad girl stiffened as if she had been petrified by the basilisk's glare.

'What? No, no, wait, ......! That was a joke, and I'm not ready for ...... that.'

While saying this, Satsuki closed her eyes tightly.
The joke seems to have worked.
I make a small gut-punch in my heart and tell her the truth.

'Oh, it was a joke, too. It was quite fun. A joke can soften a man's heart. I'm learning.

'Is ......? I'm sorry.

He took his hand off Satsuki's shoulder and patted the girl on the head.
Somehow, lately, not only Mi, but Satsuki as well, has a cuteness that makes me want to pet her head.
I guess you could call it a small animal-like charm.

While we were doing this, Mee and Cyril, who were watching us from behind, began to murmur in whispers.

'Why does Satsuki believe that kind of ....... I'm sure you've noticed that William is a natural.

'Yeah? You might be too upset to notice if you're the one involved.'

'Oh, ...... that may be the case. In that case, William's natural ability to say it's a joke is also surprisingly troublesome.

'Well... I'm not sure what to make of it.

'Well, I think only Satsuki got the benefit of the doubt.

What was leaking out was a story that I couldn't quite understand.
I'd be lying if I said I didn't care that my name was mentioned, but if it was a topic of conversation among the women, it would be foolish to go out of my way to intervene.

Besides, if it was really necessary for me to ask, they would tell me.
I thought about it and decided to turn the conversation back to work.

'Anyway, here are the results of the scouting. There were no Orcs to be seen in this neighborhood. The Orc hordes are currently staying in the Elven settlement where Finola and the others were. I've scouted that elf settlement as well. ...... To be frank, I don't want you to see that place. It was such a mess. The ugliness of the orcish nature of the race is very different from what you know and what you see in person.

When I told them this, the three girls' expressions turned serious.
And it was Cyril who opened his mouth next.

'Hey William... do you think you can win this battle?

The eyes of the three gathered towards me.
I chose my words carefully and answered her question.

'...... It's hard to say. But the odds are good, and there is good news. On the way back from a reconnaissance, I met Irene and arranged for her help. It will be her personal help, not the national order, but it's still great to have the help of that monster.'

''Is ......? The princess, why?

The Satsuki below me looked surprised.
Naturally, Cyril and Mee also rolled their eyes.
Well, I suppose that's true.

'I was surprised too. We're supposed to meet up with them as soon as they're ready, so they'll probably show up in a while.

Meanwhile, as we were talking, two elves walked up to us from a nearby campfire.
They were Finola and LeFania's mother and daughter.

'William, you're home.

'Welcome home. How did it go?'

'I'm sorry for the delay. I'll tell you the results of my reconnaissance.'

Then I explained the same thing I had told Satsuki and the others to Finola and the others.
That there were no Orcs around, and that there were many Orcs in Finola's village.

Finola shook her head sadly when she heard this, and Lefania clenched her fists, muttering 'I can't forgive you ......'.

But if anger alone could win a battle, it would be no hardship.
Finola seemed to understand this, and hugged and soothed her angry daughter.
Finola herself has lost a true neighbor or been mistreated, and yet she refuses to let her emotions get the better of her.
Or perhaps she is controlling herself by hugging and soothing LeFania.

And Finola, as the commander of this place, brings up another concern.

'I understand the situation with the orcs. But there are a few other problems. One of them is that.'

Finola pointed straight at a dark cloud that was slowly drifting towards us in the night sky.
I saw it when I was scouting as an eagle, but now it's much closer than then.

'With that cloud cover, it'll probably rain heavily here soon. But even though we've moved our base from the cave, we're still not prepared to weather the storm. If it rains all night, everyone will lose their strength, and not a few will catch a cold. If we stay close to the big trees, we can survive for a while, but still. ......'

Finola's concern was justified.
It is easy to forget when living under a roof, but the function of a house to protect against wind and rain plays an extremely important role in human life.

When we are engaged in a life-threatening battle, we tend to neglect everyday sicknesses such as catching a cold, but of course, this is not a problem to be neglected.
Health is the capital of everything, even in battle.
Even excellent warriors like Satsuki and Irene may fall behind the Orcs if they go into battle with a cold and a fever.

Even if you are not a fighter, you cannot ignore it, and if you catch a cold and do not regain your strength, in the worst case, it may kill you.


A person's life force cannot be taken away only by fighting with weapons.
Therefore, Finola's decision to choose that cave as a base was a reasonable one.

However, I was not completely unprepared for the suggestion to move the base.
I told Finola what I thought.

'You can leave that to me. I'll use the cottage spell.