Let's be a good adventurer today.
　That's why I took on one request.

　Defeating Orcs.

　Orcs are E-ranked monsters.
　In terms of their physical abilities, they are not that different from F-ranked goblins.
　However, Orcs are more intelligent and have the characteristic of fighting with weapons.

　Even though they were weapons, they were crude things like swords carved out of stones and spears made of wood.......
　Even so, for low ranked adventurers, an opponent with a weapon is a threat.
　If the opponent is holding a weapon instead of bare hands, the risk of being injured increases dramatically.

　It's an opponent that should not be underestimated, but.......

Tania, Tania. Let's see who can take out more of them, okay?
'Hmmm, how silly of you to challenge me to a fight. All right, I'll take it.

　The two of them were having a generous conversation.
　For the most powerful species, orcs are not the enemy.
　I know that, but........

Be careful, both of you.
Meow?
'We're still just fledgling adventurers. If you are overconfident in your abilities, you may make an unexpected mistake. There's no need to be overly cautious with Orcs, but that doesn't mean you should forget to keep a reasonable amount of tension.
Yeah, I'll be careful!
But an orc?　It's only an E grade demon, okay?　You don't think I could ever be that bad to you?
No, I don't think so. But you might get hurt, right?　I'm trying to tell you that you'd better be careful.
Totally. He's a worrier.
You sure you want to be careful?
Okay.

　I got a reasonable reply.
　My words don't seem to have reached Tania.
　If nothing happens, that's fine...



----------



Hey, Kanade, they're headed your way!
I got it, meow!

　We rushed into the orc dwelling and crossed blades.
　There are maybe 20 enemies?
　There were more than I expected.

　However, right after the war started, Tania released her magic power and intimidated them, so the orcs' will to fight fell at once.
　Knowing that the strongest species had arrived, the Orcs fell into a state of panic.
　They panicked, exposing their gaping bodies.
　We're going to destroy them one by one.

Hmmm, that was easy!　Eeyore.

　Tania waved her tail like a whip and popped one of the orcs.
　The orc was blown away by the furious force and rolled over and over on the ground, falling down as it was.
　Not long after, its body turned into a magical stone.

''Unya........nyah nyah nyah!

　Kanade stands in front of the orcs who are trying to escape, and Kanade delivers a rush of fists.
　Each strike is very heavy, a precise strike that precisely hits the vital point.
　The orcs that were trying to escape all fell before Kanade's fists.

　I should say that's as good as it gets.
　The two of them were destroying the crowd of orcs at a breakneck pace.
　I can't lose, either!

'Phew!　Ha!

　I guess I thought I could handle it, as a human.
　Orcs rush towards us, but without panicking, I shoot them down, one by one, with my fists.

　When more than one of them came together.

Fireball!

　I blasted them all together with a magic that adjusted its output.
　Thanks to Tania's training, I've become much more familiar with handling magic power.

''Rainer, this one is done.
I'm done with mine.
It's over for me, too.

　The orc herd had disappeared cleanly.
　It seems to have been annihilated without incident.

That was easy.
Meow.
Thanks, you two. You made it possible for me to get this done.
Hmmm... you can thank me for being part of this group... can I ever thank you for that?　And you can worship me while you're at it, okay?
Don't get cocky.
It's a fact.
We'll just get the magic stone.

　They each dispersed and collected the magic stones that were scattered all over the place.
　It's a pain in the ass to collect the magical stones when dealing with a bunch of demons.
　Shall I think of an easy way to collect them?

'What?　I still want to be a survivor.

　I couldn't see it because it was hidden in the grass, but I could see one orc lying on the ground.
　When it dies, its body disappears and turns into a magic stone, so it's proof that it's still alive.

''Crunch, I'll give you a tome.
'Tania, be careful. You never know what a cornered demon will do.
It's all right. It's all right. He's an orc.　They're not my enemies. This will soon be.........Huh?

　Suddenly, the orc got up and clung to the approaching Tania.

'What the hell is this guy?　You.........!

　Tania tries to pull the orc off, but it doesn't work.
　It's probably because Tania is too flustered to move well because of the suddenness of the situation and because her opponent is dying to show his fire foolishness.
　The orc clings to Tania's body, brandishing a dagger made of stone...

Tania!

　Orcs swinging their daggers down...
　I cracked my arm into its orbit.

　The dagger stabbed into my arm and sent a sharp pain.
　But ... Tania is safe.

"Rain!
Neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

　Kanade rushed over and ripped the orc off of Tania and kicked it straight into the sky.
　This time the orc died and turned into a magic stone.

''Rain, you're okay!
It's crying and........something.
But there's so much blood...

　Tania's face turned blue and panicked.

'It's okay,'
But!
'You've forgotten.　I can also use healing magic, you know. I'm a novice, but if you have Tania's magical powers...
'Oh....'
"Heels.

　He held his palm over his injured arm and focused his magic power.
　I chanted a magic.

　It's a beginner's level recovery magic, but thanks to Tania's magical power, the wound was quickly closed.
　That's amazing.
　Isn't it as effective as the advanced ex-heels?

It's all good.
Lane, are you in pain?　Doesn't it bother you?
'Thanks for worrying about me, Kanade. But I'll be fine.
Neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
....

　While Kanade was relieved, Tania looked gloomy.

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

　He stutters slightly.

'....I'm sorry...'
What?
Lane, you were saying.　You told me to be careful and yet I was afraid to be careless. I'm just an orc after all...
'Well I guess that's just the way it is.

　Tania is the most powerful species.
　There's no end to being wary of an opponent like an orc, if you're wary of every single one of them.

　Although he said such words, Tania remains with a face that looks like she's about to cry.

It's a good thing that you're not the only one," he said, "because of me.......I injured Rayne.......I managed to use my healing magic, but maybe it would have been irreversible.... ...my fault...my fault...my fault...I'm so, so sorry...

　Tania bowed deeply.
　In response, I.....

What...?

　Gently, he patted Tania's head.

'Thank you for worrying about me,'
'What?　No, I mean... what?　Don't you get angry...?
'Just be careful next time. Besides ... Tania, you're already sorry for that, right?　And there's no point in getting angry about it.
But it's my fault that Lane...
Good. It's better than Tania getting hurt.
Huh!

　With a huff, Tania's eyes widened.
　Turning her wavering eyes to me....
　Then he looks like he's going to cry again.


'Yeah. Maybe it's stupid. But that's just the way it is.
Why do you have to...
Tania is a friend. I know we haven't known each other long enough to know each other, but I find it strange that we're so important to each other. What can I say?　Just by being with you, you can feel Tania's kindness, or you can see that she approves of us... so I just wanted to respond to that... but I can't get the story straight. Nah. Anyway, it's only natural to help your friends, right?　Don't worry about it.
"...Rain...
If it happens again, I won't hesitate to help Tania.
"...stupid... but thank you...

　Tania had a complicated look on her face, as if she were crying or laughing, and once again she murmured in a small voice, 'Baka.