Chapter 11: If It’s Your First Battle, Then Prove You Can Protect

So far, the journey had taken us along a peaceful and quiet highway.

It almost made you want to let your guard down. That was when—

"Lord Raiga! Lord Yuto!"

Suddenly, someone called out to us. We turned around.

And standing there was—

"Karen?"

"I thought it was you, Miss Karen."

While I was surprised, Yuto seemed like he had expected it somehow.

He spoke with a touch of bitterness.

"She came chasing after us at an insane pace. I considered she might be an enemy, but she didn’t have any killing intent."

"How the hell could you tell?"

"Magic. Something called Detection Sonar. You send out mana in a circular wave and find anything it bumps into along the way… It’s exactly like the sonar from our world."

Yuto answered casually.

"…That’s a form of advanced magic, you know?"

Karen, who had been proudly grinning like she'd pulled off a perfect surprise, froze mid-expression in shock.

"I read about it in one of the magic books at the castle, tried it out, and it just worked. Barely takes any mana and it's really practical."

Apparently, the private lessons had brought Yuto and Karen closer.

Maybe because they were the same gender, they’d grown fairly close. She was his first friend in this world, but honestly, I wish he’d stop being so formal with me.

"But if one of those signals was Karen, does that mean the other three are enemies?"

His tone was calm, but the content was sharp.

"Their mana signatures are weak, so they probably aren’t much of a threat. All right, Raiga—your turn."

He took the heavier pack I was carrying and nodded for me to go.

I returned a silent nod. This was all part of the plan.

One of the three “gestures of sincerity” we agreed on:

I would protect Yuto.

While I went to face the enemy, she’d stay back and watch our stuff.

It was Yuto’s way of making sure he wouldn’t have to see blood.

"Wait, Lord Yuto isn’t going to fight?"

Karen, unaware of the promise, was clearly confused.

"Yeah, I can handle this on my own. What about you, Karen? Will you wait here with Yuto?"

"…No. I’ll fight too."

"Got it. Just be careful, okay?"

He said it like he was running out to a convenience store.

His casual tone, lacking any real concern, felt to me like a sign he had complete confidence in our victory. I could feel the corners of my mouth lift on their own.

Yuto had said, “It’s not that far,” but in truth, it took quite a while before we reached the enemy.

Which might just be proof of how wide the range of that detection magic really was.

First, we decided to scout. From the shade of the trees, we surveyed the enemy.

"Those are… a Fire Goblin and a Red Orc."

"Are they strong?"

"Not particularly. But this is your first battle, right? Don’t let your guard down."

She was trying to advise me, but Karen’s voice was trembling.

She couldn’t hide her fear.

She was a noble—royalty, from the looks of it. Maybe she’d been trained as a “Saint,” but it wouldn’t be surprising if she had no real combat experience.

"Please don’t underestimate me. I’ve taken down goblins and orcs many times before."

Perhaps she noticed the look I gave her, because she flared up in protest.

"Sorry, sorry. It’s just… you looked scared for someone who’s done it before."

"…! This is my first time."

"First time for what?"

If this isn’t her first battle, then what is?

"Fighting as a duo. Until now, I’ve always fought alongside lots of knights."

"…I see."

So she really was a sheltered girl.

"Well, we’ve got no choice but to fight, right?"

I drew the sword from the scabbard hanging at my waist and took a stance.

It was a dead copy—a forged replica of the Holy Sword. They said it was crafted to be eventually given to the “Hero.” It apparently had no special name. I’d heard the original was called “Arondight,” so I named mine “Galatine.” There was no way I could bring myself to call a knockoff “Excalibur.”

When Yuto heard that, he said, “Sounds good to me,” though the corners of his mouth twitched.

—He was probably thinking it was some kind of edgy, chuunibyou or cursed eye stuff.

Well, he wasn’t entirely wrong.

Back in middle school, I’d devoured that kind of literature with admiration. Looking back now, my mental state then was definitely off. Youthful folly, you know.

But the sword in my hand now was undeniably a demon sword. Naming it was a man’s romantic dream. Yuto didn’t seem to get that part.

—It fits perfectly in my hand.

Strangely, Galatine felt like a longtime partner, sitting just right in my grip.

The murderous intent approaching cut through all unnecessary thoughts. Although, to me, that intent barely felt like a breeze.

“Here they come!”

Karen’s warning cry, almost a scream.

“I know!”

I dashed forward and slashed with Galatine.

The goblin split clean in two and stopped moving. Without hesitation, I swung again and cut down the other one. It felt like cutting tofu—no resistance at all.

—What about the orc?

I glanced over to see it turn on its heel and run, leaving its goblin companion—a silent corpse—behind.

Did it abandon them?

Even though it was an enemy, no—especially since I was the one who killed its comrade—I felt some discomfort. Despite the overwhelming power gap, could it really just abandon its own and flee?

“Ice, become my spear and pierce my foe! Icicle Spear!”

Karen’s incantation.

Suddenly, ice appeared before us, shaping itself into a spear as the spell dictated, and flew toward the orc. Desperate to flee and not watching behind, the orc was easily pierced and died instantly.

“We have to eliminate monsters as soon as we find them. If they’re heading for the royal capital, that’s one thing, but nearby villages with no way to defend themselves could be attacked.”

Karen said this while I stood dumbfounded.

“I see… Wait, monsters? Those looked humanoid, aren’t they demons?”

“Yes. The distinction between humans and animals versus demons and monsters, simply put, is whether they understand language. Whether they look human or not doesn’t matter.”

The Twin Star World was once split between the Human World and the Demon World.

Humans and animals lived in the Human World. Demons and monsters lived in the Demon World. Though now they seem intermixed, the distinction remains.

According to Karen, creatures with high intelligence that can speak, like dragons, are considered demons even if they aren’t humanoid. In fact, they’re even objects of worship for dragon-people.

So, what distinguishes creatures of the Human World from those of the Demon World is whether they possess magic stones within their bodies. All beings from the Demon World store their magical power in these magic stones.

“Break the magic stones from the corpses of goblins and orcs. This applies whenever you face any monster or demon. You must be absolutely sure to crush them.”

Karen instructed us.

“Why’s that?”

“If the magical power left in the stones merges with the soul of the dead, they become undead—immortal revenants. Though that only happens if left unchecked for years.”

She explained this as a fundamental rule for adventurers and knights.

We moved toward the corpses and started smashing each magic stone.

Luckily, they were mostly located near the heart or brain, so it wasn’t too difficult. Still, it turned into a rather gory scene.

If Yuto had been here, he might have fainted.

Karen, on the other hand, was used to it and handled the task methodically.

“Let’s bury the bodies.”

Karen cast the Tunnel Digging spell.

After a short incantation, a small hole opened. We threw the bodies inside. Repeating the spell, the soil covered them completely.

“Other monsters might come looking for carrion, after all.”

I was genuinely impressed.

If I had been fighting alone, I’d have left the corpses as they were—potentially allowing tragedy to unfold somewhere beyond my knowledge.

“Thanks, that helped a lot.”

We exchanged thanks and decided to return to Yuto.