Reckless Act (5)

“It appears endlessly.”

As the sun slowly set, even Catalina grumbled that she was sick of it.

As we headed towards the center of the forest area, the demon king army and monsters came endlessly.

We fought non-stop and invaded the surrounding area.

As I slowly became exhausted, the monster army began to decrease.

Finally, the entire Demon King’s army retreated and the battle ended.

A mountain of corpses and a forest covered in blood.

The unpleasant air and bad smell caused headaches.

Not only me but also my colleagues were breathing heavily with tired expressions.

Malcolm fell to the ground, and Celica and Tyria were also sitting on the floor.

“Everyone… “There are no injuries, right?”

“Yes. It’s okay…”

Even Kayla, who always kept a blank expression, had a dark expression.

Fortunately, only Erina was resolutely keeping her equipment in order.

The rest were busy panting and trying to catch their breath.

“My lord. The sun is slowly setting. It is dangerous if things continue like this.”

“Okay. “First, we need to find a place to camp nearby.”

Sadly, the sun sets quickly in the forest area.

After dealing with the devil’s army all day, it seemed like the road was finally open, but it was time for darkness to come again.

Since we couldn’t continue the fight even after dark, we had to hurry.

“Malcolm. Wake up and wake up.”

When I forced him to give him water and get him up, Malcolm barely managed to gather himself and get up.

As I walked over the corpse and left the place, the commotion died down and silence came.

Everyone is exhausted from the battle. No one had the strength to open their mouth.

It was inevitable because I had to move without having time to rest.

Even in the jungle area, there was no wind, so the heat rose.

The speed of the march was slowing down due to the endless thick vegetation blocking the path.

‘The cave is not far away now.’

Even if I found Makiella like this, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to properly confront her.

Even though she herself couldn’t fight, she couldn’t take the numerous test subjects lightly.

Especially when you think of the giant golem guarding her side.

There was a possibility that if you rushed in hastily, you would be hit back.

Of course, since you have Erina, you won’t lose at all.

“There is no one around here. Rest assured.”

Even while everyone else was exhausted and moving around, Erina did not flinch and maintained vigilance.

Even just yesterday, he seemed to be having a hard time.

On the contrary, he was fine now as if nothing had happened.

In fact, if you consider the time spent fighting, today was even longer.

I couldn’t tell where the stamina came from.

While continuing to walk, Erina’s steps stopped.

“What is it like over there?”

The place she is pointing to is a vacant lot with few bushes.

At least it is a space where you can make a fire and pitch a tent.

There was no need to look for a better environment, and I quickly made a decision after seeing Malcolm’s earnest eyes.

“Good. Let’s all prepare for camping.”

“Yes…!”

As soon as my order was given, Malcolm put down his bag and started setting up the tent.

While everyone spreads out to make a fire or bring firewood and set up a tent.

I walked forward, wary of my surroundings.

If traces of a monster were found nearby, we had to withdraw quickly.

Erina seemed to have sensed my thoughts and followed me to reassure me.

“Don’t worry. “There are no monsters nearby.”

You can trust me because your senses are more sensitive than mine.

As I sighed and tried to collect firewood nearby, Erina came out.

“You are resting comfortably. “I will do it.”

“No. Let’s do it together.”

I couldn’t be the only one resting while everyone was busy.

We shared the firewood and asked Kayla to start the fire, and the bonfire was completed in no time.

When the tent was finished, darkness was coming.

In a space overflowing with plants, the sunlight quickly disappeared and the night came.

For dinner, beef jerky, cheese, and bread.

Everyone must have been hungry, so they ate quickly and focused on the meal.

“Ha… “I should have brought some beer.”

Meanwhile, Catalina kept wondering if she was drunk.

Malcolm quietly breathed a sigh of relief next to him.

Even when I left the central battlefield, I almost got into trouble because Catalina tried to bring me alcohol.

With Malcolm’s stubborn persuasion, I was finally able to dissuade him.

If you try to drink in this situation, you could easily end up in big trouble.

“When I get back later, I’ll have to have a drinking party with Julia.”

“I won’t care if I party or make a fuss later. “Be patient for now.”

“No way. “If I just had a sip of alcohol right now, I would be able to sleep well.”

Catalina regains her appetite as if she is disappointed.

After finishing the meal, everyone seemed to be exhausted and lay down on the bed with sleepy eyes to rest.

In particular, Celica was blinking as if she was about to fall asleep at any moment.

“Everyone looks tired, so let’s sleep early today. “I keep my watch alert the same as yesterday.”

“Yes… I understand… “

As soon as the command was given, Celica went into the tent, closed her eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.

And Catalina took a quick look and left a message to me.

“Let Malcolm sleep, and I’ll be on watch by myself.”

Originally, Catalina and Malcolm had to be on guard first.

Malcolm looked so tired that he wanted me to change for him.

Then Malcolm waved his hand and said it was okay.

Looking at his condition, I didn’t know if he would be able to properly keep watch.

“Good. “Except for Malcolm and Serica, let’s keep watch one by one.”

It was a little unsettling, but it couldn’t be helped.

The people with the most stamina are Malcolm and Celica.

The two people were excluded from watch duty, and the remaining people divided their roles in order.

“Good. I will protect it first. “Go in quickly and go to sleep.”

“Sister. Sorry. I…”

“Stop talking nonsense and go quickly and get some sleep.”

Catalina sat down at the bonfire and kept the fire going.

The rest of the people went into the tent and got ready for bed.

Meanwhile, Celica was closing her eyes, probably already falling asleep.

When I saw her sleeping with such a peaceful expression, I too was falling asleep.

“Let’s sleep quickly. “I must find Makiela tomorrow.”

“Yes. I understand…”

Although Tyria wasn’t as tired as Celica, her voice seemed weak.

Malcolm had nothing to say and fell down on the bed, almost fainting.

Everyone must have been quite tired and quickly fell asleep.

It was worth it since we had been fighting all day.

‘It’ll be difficult if it’s like this tomorrow too.’

Considering the distance between the garrison and the forest area, there is not much time left.

At most, tomorrow and the day after.

If the search was delayed, there was no choice but to return to the station empty-handed.

In that case, not only would it take even longer, but there was also a possibility that Makiela could run away to another place.

Through this expedition, we had to find and subdue Makiela.

At least today, we drove out most of the Demon King’s army and inflicted losses.

If you pay attention to the monsters and test subjects that live in the forest, you will be able to find the cave.

I made plans even before I fell asleep.

I laid down in bed, closed my eyes, and immediately fell asleep.

***

“Master…!”

I came back to my senses with Kayla’s urgent voice.

As soon as the monster’s cries hit my ears, I lost sleep.

When I opened my eyes and looked around, morning had not yet come.

That means someone attacked us.

As soon as that thought occurred to me, I immediately got up and looked for a weapon.

“Everyone wake up!”

Just as I was about to quickly wake up my colleagues and get ready for battle, Erina stepped forward first.

Before I even got up, Erina, who had already prepared for battle, went out to the tent.

The battle began against the monster.

“There are not many opponents. “Only five chimeras have been confirmed.”

In other words, it is not a surprise attack by the Demon King’s army.

It seems that a group wandering around found us.

Just as I was about to head out after quickly preparing for battle.

Lightning struck along with a flash of light outside the tent.

Soon, the chimera’s cries of pain rang out.

The moment I went outside, the chimera was already lying on the floor.

“Tsk, that’s really fast.”

Catalina put down her great sword again.

Kayla also stopped deploying the magic circle and retrieved it.

“It’s all over. Seohyun. Please go back in and sleep.”

Erina puts away her long sword as if it was nothing and returns to the tent.

Suddenly, I noticed that her expression had darkened significantly.

Perhaps because she couldn’t sleep properly, Erina gave Kayla an irritated look.

“Tsk… “

Erina clicks her tongue and goes back into the tent.

Then Kayla averted her gaze with an expression full of guilt.

Maybe he got irritated because Kayla was on watch at the same time.

No matter how much Erina hated Kayla, it was an incomprehensible behavior.

Just as I was about to question it, Kayla confessed in a low voice.

“Sorry. “I almost ended up in crisis because I reported it late…”

“No. You did your job.”

In the first place, Kayla did her job and there was absolutely no reason to blame her.

It seems that Erina has become more sensitive as enemies flock to her even while she sleeps.