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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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I woke up at dawn.
The rising sun, reflecting off the white snow, quickly brightened the surroundings.
While I had aired out the tent last night, Dorothea, the human furnace, had quickly warmed it up again, and I had slept comfortably, despite the cold.
I stretched my stiff body and crawled out of the tent.
I wasn’t the only one awake. A few people were already moving about.
“Ugh, it’s cold.”
I rubbed my hands together, my breath visible in the cold air.
It was the middle of winter, and the wind was biting.
I made sure the tent flap was secure and then looked for a place to meditate.
There was a snow-covered cedar tree not far from the campsite.
I walked over, sat down cross-legged on the snow, and began to meditate.
Swoosh
Mana was more abundant in places where nature was preserved.
The mana, carried by my breath, flowed into my dormant mana furnace.
The furnace began to spin, slowly at first, then faster, generating wind mana.
Whirrrr—
Circulating the generated mana throughout my body, from head to toe, was a process known as a full cycle.
It was a warm-up exercise. Starting the mana furnace without any preparation was different from preheating it.
It was a habit I had developed after learning our school’s secret breathing technique from my master.
It took about thirty minutes for the mana to circulate through my body and return to my head.
The time would likely decrease as I became more proficient, but for now, it seemed like an eternity.
My master had recently reached the seventh tier. I would have to ask for her advice when I returned to the Emerald Tower.
Rustle
“Hmm?”
I opened my eyes at the sudden sound.
The man with the slitted eyes, who had wanted to join our party before we left, was doing something.
At first, I thought he was gathering firewood, but then I realized he was twisting branches together, making a knot.
A trail marker, commonly used by hunters.
A way to mark a path and avoid getting lost in the forest. But to be doing it here, at this time?
It was as suspicious as his slitted eyes.
As my suspicion grew, the man, having finished his marker, turned to head back to the campsite and saw me sitting under the tree. He jumped in surprise.
“Gah!”
I looked at him with a deadpan expression.
“What are you doing?”
The man, flustered, picked up the branches he had dropped.
“I didn’t think anyone was here.”
“I was just meditating in a quiet place.”
I replied nonchalantly, and the man, with an awkward laugh, bowed deeply.
“I’m sorry for disturbing you! I’ll be on my way now!”
He scurried back to the campsite like someone with a guilty conscience.
Well, with us here, we can handle anything.
My meditation was over. It was time to return to the tent.
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When I returned to the tent, Vanessa was putting on her armor.
“Good morning.”
“Huh? Oh.”
Vanessa, still half-asleep, replied a moment later.
I waved at her and went to the back of the tent, where Dorothea was still asleep.
I was rummaging through my bag for my toiletries when Dorothea, who had been scratching her stomach and drooling in her sleep, suddenly sat up.
“…I’m hungry.”
“Are you an animal?”
I looked at her with a disgusted expression and then placed a towel on her head.
“Let’s go wash up. We can eat after.”
Dorothea, grumbling, finally got out of bed after I prodded her again.
I already missed Eva, her adjutant.
If she hadn’t been promoted to commander-in-chief of Hamburg Fortress, she would have been taking care of Dorothea instead of me.
I helped Dorothea out of the tent, and Vanessa, who was behind us, said,
“Take your time. I’ll pack up the tent.”
“Really? Thanks.”
Less work for me. I wasn’t about to complain.
As we stepped outside, Dorothea, who was wearing only thin clothes, shivered in the cold.
Even a fire witch couldn’t withstand the winter cold in her bare skin.
Dorothea quickly put on the coat I was holding and wrapped it tightly around herself.
We then headed to the river near the campsite.
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There were about thirty adventurers in our caravan.
Including the fifty or so members of the merchant company, and excluding the elderly and infirm, there were about sixty to seventy combat-capable individuals.
An ordinary group of bandits wouldn’t dare attack a caravan of this size.
But if the number of bandits wasn’t “ordinary,” that was a different story.
Swoosh!
As I was struggling with the icy water at the river, a volley of arrows rained down on the campsite.
I was speechless.
Speak of the devil. We were being attacked by bandits in the early morning.
It was undoubtedly the work of that suspicious slitted-eyed man.
“KYAAAAAH!”
The campsite, which had been bustling with people preparing breakfast, was thrown into chaos.
A few men, struck by stray arrows, fell to the ground, bleeding. Then, the sound of hoofbeats grew closer.
Thump, thump, thump, thump!
Dorothea, who had washed her face with the icy water, wiped her face with a towel and said,
“Looks like we have bandits.”
“Should we help?”
“Vanessa is there. Let’s take our time.”
Dorothea said, tying her long, red hair into a ponytail.
Her hair was a bit messy, and she probably didn’t feel like braiding it.
“Yeehaw! Kill the men and rape the women!”
The bandits, who had been hiding nearby, charged into the campsite, their mohawks a vibrant display of colors.
We watched from a distance as a group of bandits charged towards our tent. We offered a silent prayer for their souls.
Slash!
It happened in an instant.
A horse, running at full speed, suddenly stumbled and collapsed.
The rider, thrown from the horse, rolled to Vanessa’s feet.
The bandit, wounded and dazed, tried to speak, but—
A longsword was thrust into his mouth.
Stab!
The bandit, who had been groaning in pain, died instantly.
Vanessa’s movements were efficient.
She killed with a ruthless precision.
The title of “Master” was given to those who had reached the pinnacle of their craft.
A level of skill that only a select few among aura users could achieve.
The position of captain of the Demon Lord’s guard wasn’t something you could get by cracking jokes.
“UAAAAAAAAH! Kill her!”
The other bandits, seeing their comrade fall, changed their target and charged at Vanessa.
In combat, the high ground was a significant advantage. Attacking from above was much more effective than attacking from below.
It was one of the reasons why cavalry was a nightmare for infantry.
But for a master like Vanessa, such disadvantages were irrelevant.
After all, a dead man was a dead man.
Screeeech—
A sword-cry.
The sword, unable to withstand the immense mana Vanessa had poured into it, shrieked in protest.
A long, whip-like blade of blue aura extended from the tip of her sword. She swung it three times.
First slash.
The horses’ legs were severed.
Second slash.
The bandits’ hands, holding their weapons, were cut off.
Third slash.
Their heads were lopped off before they could even feel the pain.
Thud, thud, thud!
A fountain of blood erupted, staining the white snow red.
Vanessa, her expression unreadable behind her helmet, flicked the blood from her sword and then, as if nothing had happened, resumed dismantling the tent.
She was completely unfazed by what had just transpired.
Like someone who had accidentally stepped on an ant.
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