'I just want to make sure you're all on the same page here.

I look around at my companions and open my mouth.

They're all wrapped up in ropes, and I'm sure the orcs can see me.
It's a bit uncomfortable, but it can't be helped.

After making sure that all the girls nodded, I spoke the following words.

'The scene that unfolds ahead is an unmistakable hell. It's the hell of this world right there in plain sight. The elves are being ruthlessly violated and humiliated, their lives, dignity and bodies. I can't say for sure that we won't be one of them if we go on. We can still turn back now. Do you still want to go on, do you?

I asked my friends.

As an adventurer, there's always the risk of death.
But on the other hand, there are risks that adventurers should not face.
I looked over at Satsuki, Mee, and Cyril, and checked the status of the reward.

'The reward for success is two hundred gold coins. A reward of fifty gold coins per person is equivalent to completing a typical E rank quest five times, which is equivalent to three months' wages for a day laborer, but you could say that's about it.

But even in a 'typical E' quest, there is of course the danger of death.
That's not to say there aren't dangers in every adventure.

As for Irene, even the reward is irrelevant.
She is acting out of compassion and for her own justice.
I also speak to her.

'Eileen, I want you to think about this again. Is it a belief worth risking your life to defend?

'...... Does that mean I should abandon the elves? I just promised to be a good neighbor and help each other.

Irene glared at me, looking a little pissed off.
She's as stubborn as they come. It was typical of Irene, but...

'Yeah, I'm saying you should consider that option. After all, it's only the life of an Elf you don't know very well.

'...... Hey Will, are you serious about that?

Irene's anger increases.
It's almost as if she's trying to kill you.

But I can't retreat here, either.

'Yeah, I'm serious. Before I go any further, if one of you decides to go on, I'll go with them. In other words, Irene, if you decide to go ahead, I'm not going to let you go out there alone, so I'm going with you to support you.'

'What about ......?

Eileen hears my words and raises her voice in an absurd manner.

'No, because Will said that he couldn't bet his life on my feelings back then.

The 'that time' that Irene refers to is when I met Irene on my way back from scouting in eagle form.

And I do remember that I said something like that to her.
But...

'No, I've changed my mind about that. If I think about it, abandoning Irene is not an option for me. You're the most important thing in my life, the one thing I'll never lose, my best friend.

'Isn't that right?

For some reason, Irene lost her temper.
Satsuki, Mee, and Cyril are laughing at her and shrugging their shoulders.
I don't know, but anyway...

'The important thing is where to go from here, Irene. If you keep going and I keep following you, Satsuki, Mee, and Cyril might say they'll follow you.'

'...... Yeah.'

'In other words, your decision might threaten the lives of Satsuki and the others. That's what I mean when I say the lives of the elves are 'just'. The lives of Satsuki, Mee, Cyril and Irene are tens of thousands of times more important to me than the lives of the elves who are not so close to me.

'............ What's that? That's not fair.

Hearing my words, Irene turned her head away with a thoughtful look on her face.

But this is necessary.
For once, I can't have her acting rashly.
And to keep her from acting rashly, it's better to appeal to her emotions than to her common sense.

But if she's not short-tempered and has come to a conclusion after careful consideration, I won't deny her that.
I don't want to abandon the elves either.
To put it bluntly, I'm still in doubt too.

If you ask me if it's really too late, I think it's not really too late.
We can't save the dead, but we can save the living.
For example, if Satsuki and the others were in such a situation, would you consider it too late and abandon them?

'Hey, William. Can I tell you my opinion?'

That's when Cyril asked me.
The way he looked at me was serious and powerful.

I motioned for Cyril to continue, and she nodded and said the following words.

'I don't want you to misunderstand me, but Irene is not the only one who is moved by feelings. Regardless of the reward, I too have justice. I can't forgive the orcs and if there is an elf life I can save, I want to save it... I don't want to live with my beliefs. I don't want to live with this belief, even if it's a belief that's akin to hypocrisy, seeing only what's in front of me.

Cyril put his hands on his magnificent chest wrapped in pure white robes and appealed to me.

And there was one more.
The beastman girl, her cat ears twitching, opened her mouth.

'Mee can't tolerate Orcs either. I have to slit their throats one by one. And since William has come this far, he has a good chance of winning, doesn't he?

'Yes. Not a hundred.'

'Then, as usual, Mee will go for it. Mee and the others are adventurers. If we think too much about risking our lives, we can't do anything.

Following her, the kimono-clad girl opened her mouth.

'You know, sometimes I wonder if Will thinks he's our protector or something.

'No, that's not ......'.

You can't say that ...... isn't.
I think Satsuki might be right about this.

'We may be unreliable, but we're Will's "friends". So, how should I put it... well, just think of it as a big boat and leave it to me! No matter if it's the Orcs or not, I'll take them all out!

Satsuki said and smiled.

Hearing this, my mouth dropped open.
That's absurd.
When it comes to Satsuki, there's no such thing as calculation.



Then, Irene teased Satsuki from the side.

'Well, I don't think you can do it, Satsuki. Why don't you just leave it to me?

'Ugh, shut up! This is a matter of mood! It's just a matter of mood!

'Haha, I can't leave this to Satsuki. Right, Will?

'Yeah, I guess so.

'What? Even Will! That's terrible!'

When Satsuki started to cry, everyone in the room started to laugh.
Strangely enough, before I knew it, the place had warmed up.

And above all, everyone's will was firm.
In summary, I looked around at the girls and said.

I looked around at the girls and said, "So, let's unanimously agree to move forward, shall we? As I said before, it's going to be a hell of a scene ahead, isn't it?

When I asked this, Irene looked at me like I didn't understand her.

'So, we're going to hit that hell and destroy it, aren't we?

Seeing the confident look on Irene's face, I felt like I'd been robbed.

'Yeah, you're right. Then let's go and destroy hell.

''Oh!''

The girls responded to my shout with their own approval.