Chapter 141 The Hero'S Journey
――It's been a few days since I started traveling with the Hero.
I've been keeping a slight distance, watching my friends fight from a safe spot.
"One more to go!"
Everyone responds to Lukas's voice. It's been a series of amazing combo attacks.
During the battle, they take turns having one person stay by my side. This time, it's Julius. He's got a friendly personality and has quickly become close with the party members, but I'm still trying to figure out my distance with him.
With a loud crash, the monster falls. Seeing Marta rush over to search its corpse, I realize the battle is over.
"Good job, everyone!"
"Thanks, Laura."
I hand out healing potions and towels to Lukas and the others who have finished fighting. In my mind, I think I'm like a manager for a school club, but it's not something I'd say out loud to them.
Since the monster was quite tough, we all decide to take a break and sit down in our own spots. Lukas pulls me over, and I sit down with him at the base of a tree.
"Laura, aren't you tired?"
"I may look it, but I've got more physical strength than you think. Remember how I trained in Emme Village?"
"Haha, that's true. Even I was told by Vake-san that I've got a lot of physical strength since I started traveling."
Growing up in a rural village naturally makes my legs and hips strong, and ym physical strength is honed through daily life. Although this journey is unaccustomed, I'm not exhausted yet.
Lukas and the others are all naturally athletic, even on this journey to defeat the demon king. Sometimes, his serious gazes make me nervous, but when we chat like this, I'm reminded that he's my childhood friends. That's why I feel the weight of their title as Hero's companions, a heavy responsibility.
He's a human who has been given a little more than others, but he's not that different. And yet, he's shouldering the fate of this world...
Suddenly, the water spirit that was sleeping in my bag until just now poked its face out. And then, with a burst of energy, it jumped out of the bag and transformed into a wolf right before my eyes.
"Woof!"
It spun around once on the spot, changing from a puppy to a wolf.
I couldn't help but stand up. The wolf then rubbed its body against me, making a low growling noise.
On its head was a blue stone. No mistake, it was the water spirit.
"Has it changed forms?"
"Yeah, it looks like that monster we fought earlier."
Lukas stood beside me, stroking the wolf's fur as if to confirm.
It was then that I realized what my childhood friend said ―― the water spirit's current form was similar to the monster Lukas and the others had defeated earlier. However, the actual monster was about 2 sizes bigger.
It didn't seem like a simple case of growth...
Just then, the green light orb, Wind Spirit Wentle-sama, appeared out of nowhere and twinkled.
'Ah, is it imitating?'
"Imitating?"
'We spirits don't have a fixed form. We find a favorite form that suits our dwelling place as we live for a long time. But this one hasn't found its own form yet, so it's imitating the monster it saw earlier.'
The water spirit let out a louder cry than usual. Was it imitating the cry as well?
Marta, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, asked Wentle-sama with a curious expression, her cheeks flushed.
"So, can Wentle-sama and the others also take on monster-like forms if they want to?"
'We can, but it's no use trying to become a huge dragon or something! And we're not much help in battle either. As spirits, our role is to provide protection and blessings to the land, not to fight!'
Marta's face clearly fell at Wentle-sama's answer.
"Aww, it would be so easy if you could just defeat them with spirit powers..."
'If I were that strong, I wouldn't be sealed away by monsters.'
"Are you saying that yourself?"
Marta burst out laughing loudly. I thought it was rude, but when I saw Lukas beside me trying to stifle a laugh, I couldn't help but laugh quietly too.
――After that, the water spirit, still not used to changing its form, quickly returned to its usual puppy form.
* * *
It was during our lunch break, and we were resting in a grassy field with a great view.
Diona, Marta, and I were chatting when Julius came over with "that" in hand.
"Laura-chan, want to use this?"
"...A bowgun?"
Julius handed me a small bowgun and a small quiver. I had seen characters in anime and games wear them on their arms as weapons, but not in "Last Brave.".
I took the bowgun, which looked a bit worn out but was still a sturdy piece.
"It's not a bowgun, but a crossbow... It's a bit old, but even a young kid could use it, so it's not too heavy. The attack power might be low, but it's better than nothing, right?"
"Ah, thank you very much."
I was surprised by the sudden gift of a weapon, but I sincerely thanked Julius. He left, saying "I can do some repairs, so let me know if it breaks."
I wondered if this might have been used by Julius's younger brother, considering his comment about a young kid being able to use it.
I couldn't help but think about things I didn't know, but I looked at the crossbow again. It seemed to work by setting the arrow and pulling the trigger like a gun.
The quiver had just the right size of arrows packed tightly inside. Were they handmade or bought from a weapon shop?
It was embarrassing to say this after receiving the gift, but I didn't expect much from its attack power. It was just for self-defense in a pinch――
Then, an idea struck me.
"...Can I shoot poison, too?"
I thought of filling a long, thin container like a test tube with poison and shooting it like an arrow. That way, we could deal significant damage.
I glanced at Diona and Marta's faces, and they both nodded enthusiastically.
"It's a bit reckless, but it might just work."
"Let's give it a try, Laura!"
The 2 of them pushed me from behind, and I hastily filled a container with water and set it to the crossbow.
Since it wasn't a specialized container, setting it up was a bit of a struggle. But the moment I pulled the trigger, the container shattered, unable to withstand the shock, and got my fingers wet. Failure.
I wiped my wet hand with the towel Diona brought, letting out a disappointed sigh.
"It's no wonder the container broke from the shock. And it's going to cost me to replace it, too..."
"Maybe you should just apply the poison to the arrowhead instead?"
"Well, it's better than nothing, and it might increase the attack power a bit..."
Marta nodded in agreement with Diona's suggestion.
I also nodded, thinking that I could synthesize the poison and apply it to each arrow when I had the time.
Just then, a water spirit flew out of my bag.
"Woof, woof!"
The water spirit faced us, puffing out its chest and letting out a proud snort.
"Oh, you're going to protect Laura?"
"That's reassuring, isn't it?"
Marta and Diona laughed, but I frowned.
If anything happened to the water spirit, the path to the holy sword would be closed off. I couldn't let that happen.
"Ugh, we can't afford to take any risks..."
"Well, Wentle did say that the spirits aren't that strong, after all..."
We all nodded in agreement, exchanging glances.
Right now, I always had a guardian with me during battles. That meant we were essentially down one combatant.
Lukas and the others told me not to worry about it, but in reality, I couldn't let anything happen to me or the water spirit. It wasn't that I felt guilty about it, but I still felt a sense of responsibility.
Thinking that I had no choice but to apply the poison to the arrowhead, I looked at the water spirit sitting in front of me, looking pleased with itself, and an idea struck me.
The enhanced Drinking Water of the Spirits might be effective against monsters.
"...Could I make an arrow using The Drinking Water of the Spirits from this kid?"
It was Diona who bit into my murmur.
"Ah, I see That might be a good idea indeed."
"But what about the arrow made with The Drinking Water of the Spirits?"
At times like this, Marta would interject with a calm and collected comment.
I, who had spoken out of impulse, was taken aback, and my words got stuck.
"Um, if I could somehow solidify the water and make the arrow itself The Drinking Water of the Spirits, that would be..."
"That's so vague~."
Marta's straightforward words pierced my chest like a dagger. However, it's true what she says, so I can't say anything back.
While I was still reeling, Diona called out to the water spirit.
"How about it, can you do it?"
"Grrr..."
The water spirit tilted its head, moving its ears, and Marta also called out to it.
She explained The Drinking Water of the Spirits with gestures and all.
"Can you bring out The Drinking Water of the Spirits? Hey, your mom, Fontapuune, made an amazing water!"
――It seemed to have reacted to the word "Fontapuune.".
The water spirit closed its eyes, let out a strange cry, and a small water droplet appeared in mid-air. "Wow!" we all exclaimed in unison.
We gazed at the water droplet floating in mid-air, which was unstable but gradually growing larger――and then it burst.
"...It broke apart,huh?"
Diona was the first to speak up. Marta, with a slightly excited tone, said to Diona, who looked a bit disappointed.
"That's okay. If Spirit-sama practice, you can do it, right? Let's try practicing without pushing yourselves too hard?"
"Is it okay to make Spirit-sama do that...?"
Marta gave my hesitant shoulder a strong pat.
"We're trying to save the world, so we need to borrow some power! Wentle and the others Senpai will teach you!"
Wentle-sama appeared in response to Marta's call, taking on the form of a green light particle.
Wentle-sama circled around the tired-looking water spirit, twinkling.
'Hmm, well, it looks interesting, so I'll help out! But this kid can't even understand our language, right?'
"Yeah, yeah, education is important, after all."
Marta's proposal was always helpful, but her careless words made Diona and me exchange a bitter smile.
However, even if we put aside the story about the crossbow, if the water spirit could freely control the enhanced "Drinking Water of the Spirits," it would be incredibly convenient. It would also be a big help to Lukas and the others.
It seemed that today would mark the beginning of special training to master the water spirit's power.
* * *
When camping at night, we divided the tasks among ourselves to prepare the fire and food. Arnold used his magic to quickly start a fire, but since it would be a burden on him to maintain it with magic, we needed to gather firewood that would continue to burn once lit.
Marta was in charge of gathering firewood today.
"I'll go gather some more wood, okay?"
"Oh, I'll come with you. Julius, you too."
"Alright!"
Vake was clumsy with his hands and bad at cooking, so he usually went to gather firewood. Diona was usually in charge of cooking.
I was often excluded from both tasks and told to rest my body, but I called out to Diona as she began preparing. It was unbearable to just wait for food to appear without doing anything.
"Diona, I'll help."
"Thank you, Laura."
I didn't have much to do to help, though. While Diona skillfully chopped the ingredients, I only watched the soup's heat and did some taste-testing.
Tonight's dinner was a soup made with mountain vegetables. The delicious aroma stimulated my appetite, and my stomach growled softly. So embarrassing.
Lukas and Arnold were chatting casually while keeping an eye out for any monster attacks. Before the demon king's revival, most monsters wouldn't dare approach if we had a fire going, but that's not the case now.
As we traveled together, I realized something. Heroes' journeys are never a walk in the park. They always have to be on their guard, thinking about the worst-case scenario.
――Before long, Diona's cooking was done, and Marta and the others returned with a bunch of wooden branches.
I handed out the soup that Diona had portioned out to everyone. Lukas smiled kindly, Vake let out a hearty belch, Marta already had her spoon at the ready, Julius received his bowl with a distant smile, and I handed it to him.
Then,
"Arnold-san, help yourself."
"Ah, sorry about that."
Arnold, who rarely spoke during our journey, received his bowl with his usual expressionless face.
Arnold always walks at the front. As I walked behind him, with Marta and Diona guarding both sides, I couldn't even meet his eyes.
Even though we're traveling together, I feel like he's more distant than when we were in the castle, working as alchemists.
――The peaceful dinner time flew by in an instant. After eating, all we had to do was sleep.
As we were cleaning up the dishes, Marta suddenly spoke up.
"To be honest, I kind of like camping. It's like a slumber party with 3 girls all snuggled up together!"
"Hey, hey, this isn't a game, you know?"
Julius couldn't help but interrupt, and Marta raised an eyebrow in response.
"This is a tough journey, so we should enjoy the parts we can, right?"
"Oh, I agree with that. We can't keep going if we're always miserable."
"Exactly, Vake! You get it!"
With Vake's agreement, Marta's voice became more lively.
Julius's determination to complete his journey was clear, but at the same time, I couldn't help but feel a little lighter seeing Marta and Vake trying to enjoy themselves.
Suddenly, Marta pointed to the area under her eyes. And then,
"Julius, you too, get rid of those dark circles under your eyes."
With those words, she entered the women's tent. Julius was left with a complicated, hard-to-describe expression, as if he was worried about something.
In this world, Marta and Julius didn't get along, or so I thought, but it seemed they had a somewhat different, yet not bad, relationship. I felt relieved on my own.
Before going to sleep, I said goodnight to the men's group.
"Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Laura."
Lukas, representing the men, replied. I exchanged a brief glance with my childhood friend, and then I too entered the tent.
Marta was already lying down at the farthest end. We were going to sleep in a row, but I was wondering where to sleep when Diona, who had followed me in, pushed my back.
"Laura, take the middle. It's going to be cold tonight."
"Is it okay?"
I turned around to ask, and Diona nodded with a gentle smile.
"Let's snuggle up and sleep!"
Marta hurried us along.
We ended up sleeping in a row, with Marta at the farthest end, me in the middle, and Diona at the front. As soon as I lay down, Marta snuggled up close to me from the left, and Diona did the same from the right.
It was warm. They must be trying to keep me from getting cold.
I was tired, and before I knew it, sleepiness overcame me. I let go of my consciousness, unable to resist the sleepiness――
Suddenly, I heard a small voice from outside the tent. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but it was 2 familiar voices.
(Lukas and Arnold...?)
That's right, those 2 were on night watch tonight, I remembered.
(What are they talking about, I wonder...)
Their conversation wasn't exactly lively, but it continued smoothly without interruption.
Childhood friend and senior. What were they talking about, I wondered, and a little curiosity arose――but I couldn't resist the sleepiness, and I fell asleep just like that.
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