There wasn’t really enough leeway to be taking such a leisurely detour, but still—since I’d come to a region I normally never visited, I’d been poking around off the beaten path here and there…

By the time the sun had started to dip and the surroundings had grown dim, I thought I heard the voices of several men…

I only noticed because I was flying slowly—had I been moving faster, the wind might have drowned it out. Still, it was probably a battle against monsters or beasts.

“…Hmm? Akame.”

I was up high thanks to the 【Floating Orb】, but with the area so dim, visibility was pretty bad.

Even with 【Fairy Eyes】 and the snakes’ vision activated, in the end, I was still the one doing the looking.

My senses felt off…

Let’s leave this to the snakes.

I closed my eyes and shared their vision, and soon even small creatures that I hadn’t noticed before appeared in my sight.

As I thought, they’re far more perceptive than I am…

Then, after a moment of scanning the area, their sharp senses finally locked onto the source of the noise.

It was about 100 meters behind me, off the main path.

Two men who looked like adventurers were locked in combat with nearly ten small monsters—whether they were Goblins or Kobolds, I couldn’t quite tell.

Judging by the numbers, probably Kobolds?

A short distance away from where the fighting was taking place, three other men stood watching.

They looked weaker than rookie adventurers—probably merchants, and the adventurers were likely their hired guards.

The adventurers themselves didn’t seem weak, but the poor footing and visibility, plus the need to keep an eye out for threats beyond the monsters in front of them, had slowly driven them into a losing battle.

They were barely keeping the monsters occupied, but at this rate, they’d fall soon—and then the merchants behind them would be attacked too.

What’s more, Goblins and Wolves were beginning to circle them from a distance.

Maybe they were hoping for scraps—or preparing for round two…

Either way, they’d be wiped out if this continued.

“Hmph!”

With a short breath, I activated 【Prayer】, 【Wind’s Garment】, and 【Amber Shield】.

This was still Zelkis territory, and I wasn’t sure if I should get involved… but passing by like this felt like fate.

Guess I’ll take this one!

◇

“Hey!? Those guys are still over there!”

“They must’ve frozen up! If this keeps up, they’re gonna get wiped out! Then us holding the line will have been for nothing!”

As I silently descended from above toward the battlefield, I could make out the men’s voices in the clamor of battle.

I had wondered why they were fighting off the main road, but they must’ve charged in on purpose when the ambush began—to act as decoys.

Apparently, they had instructed the merchants to run while they held the monsters back.

But whether the merchants literally froze or not, they were clearly paralyzed by fear.

Even watching from above, I’d been wondering why they hadn’t done anything, just crouching there instead of fleeing.

Sure, there was always a chance they’d run into other monsters if they escaped, but if they didn’t move from there, they’d be surrounded eventually…

Down below, the adventurers were debating whether to abandon the merchants and break out of the encirclement.

It wasn’t surprising—they were running out of options, and that was better than dying.

Well… it would count as a failed mission and come with penalties, but in this situation…

I could understand how they felt.

Which meant—it was time to step in, before they ran!

“I’ll take the rear! You guys stay as you are!”

I shouted loud enough for them to hear and activated 【Shadow Sword】 and 【Serpent’s Tail】.

Landing at the very back of the group, I swung my right arm in wide arcs.

The adventurers were momentarily startled by my sudden appearance from above, but they must’ve had experience—they immediately began to regroup.

I’d leave things to them for now.

Now then—my side.

It’s been a while since I last fought monsters.

The sharpness of 【Shadow Sword】 was as great as ever—perfect condition!

Each time I swung my arm, a monster was cleaved in half with a single blow.

The area was dim and it was risky to fight in close quarters, but with the extended reach of the enhanced 【Shadow Sword】, and by using 【Serpent’s Tail】 for suppression, I could fight safely.

Normally I’d charge in with a spell like 【Scarlet Bee Needle】 in the chaos, but I wanted to end this in one hit if possible—so no need for 【Scarlet Bee Needle】 this time.

Let’s keep going like this.

More importantly…

“How’s it going over there!?”

“No problems! Keep at it!”

A short reply came back after I checked in.

“Roger that!”

Just a few left.

There were still some stragglers in the area, but for now, let’s finish off these ones!

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Sera ・Blessing・【Hideout】+1 【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind’s Garment】

Blessed Item・【Floating Orb】+1【Shadow Sword】+1【Scarlet Bee Needle】【Fairy Eyes】【Dragon’s Lungs】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Serpent’s Tail】【Ankle Bracelet】【Amber Shield】【Purple Wings】【Red Sword】【Monkey’s Arm】・8 cards

Seriana・【Area Detection】・【】・0 cards

Elena・【】・【Green Fang】【Amber Sword】・4 cards

Alec・【Power Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・10 cards