"I think it's okay to do it."
Why not? That was Cassian's prevailing thought. Running back was an option, but if he wanted to get the most out of it, he couldn't back down when the situation was unknown.
Everything here was basically unknown. Besides, Valeriane seemed to want to stay, and no one specifically seemed to want to leave, not to mention that it was a test to help some people in trouble.
There was no reason not to do it if he could... and even though their fates weren't predestined, it never hurt to help a MILF in danger. In fact, he could help many.
All of this was the basis for Cassian's simple answer.
"Well, since Cazzy decided, and so did the little Knight and the little dragon, I think we're the majority. Even if Yefi wants to leave, it doesn't matter."
"I-I don't want to leave, I was just saying it was dangerous. I'll stay too, after all, I still have to pay my debt."
"Even though we're the majority, we still have to ask Miss Ellys' opinion."
"...I think it's okay to do this test."
"Oh, come on, there was no need to ask, it was obvious what she would choose. Well, anyway, with that, everyone .... "
"..." (I-I too)
"Ling-Ling is also okay with staying."
"Ah! Right, Yefi's sister. I really don't understand that skill, ugh. Well, anyway, we all agree, little knight. Oh, by the way, if we had chosen to leave, would you have accepted it?"
"...You really like asking annoying questions, haah~...And yes, we're a team—and you, like the others, put your faith in me. You're my priority. I was ready for this when I took the lead."
"Yes, as stuck-up as ever... although lately I'm starting to like you more. I think we can be good friends, don't you think?"
"(¬_¬ )... It seems the decision is unanimous. Although there was no explanation for the sudden appearance of the residents, we can only chalk it up to a peculiarity of this place—or something divine, like Plouthys—since this is one of his test.Now, all we can do is give it our best and complete the objective of this test."
..
.
"Haah~ well, I will respect your decision. As for what you have to do, it's simple..."
In the end, they met with the boss again. This time, the boss seemed prepared and invited them to breakfast while listening to their verdict.
Upon learning that they would indeed take the test, he had a somewhat difficult and slightly contradictory expression, probably because of what he said earlier about his opinion as a person and his opinion as a leader.
Anyway, he didn't argue with them anymore and explained their situation clearly and briefly.
Several days ago, they had noticed strange movement among the beasts in the surrounding area. After some scouts investigated, they realized that a large tide of beasts was nearby.
It was so large that there could be between 8,000 and 10,000 of them. The village only had about 600 skilled warriors. The situation seemed very disadvantageous, and extermination was possible.
Of course, they were still some distance from the village, and there was a chance they would pass by without affecting it. For that reason, they even extinguished their fire, which had been burning for generations, to avoid attracting their attention at night.
And they had that hope, until they appeared. The chief said that Pluthys had prophesied that on the day his people were destined for extermination, he would send someone to prevent it.
The chief explained that this is what everyone in the village knows, and the reason for their attitude toward them when they saw the stigma of their god. the fact that for them this is a test by Plouthys is something that only he, as the leader town, knows.
In short, with their presence here, it became obvious that these beasts were inevitable, and so they needed to prepare for the fight that would likely come at nightfall. ...
.
..
"Well, Saviors, here's the first thing to do. You will help hunt these beasts."
When the Leader town finished his explanation, he assigned tasks for the preparation. The first was to accompany Yefaziel to collect an important material for the fight against the Tide; this material came from beasts.
Yefaziel led them along the path and explained why it was an important task. After about fifteen minutes, they arrived at an open place where they could see the beasts grazing.
They looked like giant three-meter-tall bison, black with red manes that looked like they were made of fire. In fact, in some places, people could already be seen hunting them.
"Is this really an important task? It seems like something that would be given to anyone."
Naelune questioned, looking doubtfully at the persons hunting the bison. There were at least several dozen of them in this open field, but Naelune didn't think that was anything unique or critical that would really help the town.
"I'm sorry you see it that way, but they are actually a big problem. They are in the opposite direction from where the Tide is coming, and if they gather, they could attack us from behind. Besides, they're excellent material for many things besides food: they can be used to make weapons and spare armor for tonight."
"Don't worry about what she says, Sir Yefaziel. I know that in a situation like this, even the smallest thing can make a difference, and it definitely doesn't seem useless."
"Oh! Thank you for your understanding! You don't need to hold back, you can eliminate them all. We usually maintain a balance, but this is no time for that when the town are in danger of extermination. And don't worry about the corpses, they will be collected by the people nearby."
..
.
"Another one down,haahh~ these things aren't hard to kill. I still don't understand why we have to do this. I mean, we kill them so easily."
"But I feel like they're tougher than golden spiders, and they burn a little when you hit them."
"Really? ... Ah!, I know what's going on. There are some beasts that are weaker or resistant to different types of attacks. I guess these are resistant to blunt attacks like your fists, Cazzy. I mean, my water spells go through them easily."
"It's not just that. Having the fire attribute, they seem to be inherently more vulnerable. But it's true that, even in a large herd, they don't seem dangerous and we can handle them with ease."
"Oh, now you get it, Little knight. he making us do useless work just because we're young."
"You keep going on about that... I mean, so what if it's trivial? Even though it's just a test, it's not like the previous ones, so we have to think logically. Even though they treat us favorably, it doesn't change the fact that we are foreigners here. Besides, you heard it yourself: he doesn't trust us or our abilities, and logically, he's right."
"Tsk!, this is silly. But I hope the reward is worth it, making us do these meaningless things."
"But you know, Luna, the boss said we had to prevent the extermination of the town, right? Maybe we just have to fight at night, and this is more like a sub-mission... or sub-test?"
"Huh?... Ah! Now that you mention it... rather, in that case, doesn't that make it even worse, making us do things that aren't even ours to do, shouldn't they give us VIP treatment and take care of us until our time comes?".
"Well, maybe it is useful, and this will help increase our chances."
"Come on, really, how bad can it be?"
"Oh, but they could also increase the reward, there could even be hidden requirements like: killing 100 bison guarantees you a skill."
"Oh, my servant, when you don't talk nonsense, you're actually useful. I also thought this was pointless, but your words are true — in cases like this, the more that's done, the better. Fine, I'll go on alone from now on. You'd only slow me down."
"Hey! Wait, Miss Celestine, before..."
"Yes, that's a good idea. What Cazzy said makes sense, and I can handle many of those bison on my own. ,little knight, I also want to go on my own. ."
"...Alright, but you won't go on your own..."
With that said, the group split up again. Valeriane was going to do it like the night before, but Yefeng, in desperation, said he'd rather go alone than be with Naelune and Celestine in their group.
Seeing him cling to her in desperation made she realize her mistake. His watch duty probably wasn't peaceful with both women being so difficult.
In the end, Valeriane accepted him into her group. In fact, when she realized this, she had intended to separate Naelune and Celestine before an incident occurred, but under Naelune's provocation, both had rushed off in what seemed like a competition to see who could kill the most.
In the end, they split into those three groups, though there was someone who was not entirely satisfied with this arrangement.
..
.
"So, Ling-Ling, I have to feel it and circulate it according to the instructions, right? Yes, I certainly feel how it runs through my whole body, and following that same principle, I use it to activate the tecnic and then..."
BOOM!
"..." (I think... it has to be faster...)
"Oh, that's why I didn't feel like I absorbed and returned the impact as the information says, it was just a blow... hmm, if it's like you say, I have to be quick and do it at the right moment."
Cassian was hunting bison, but in fact he also began to put his Art into practice.
During their guard duty, they talked about many things, including how the arts work.
Cassian thought now was a good time to practice the martial art he had received.
Yesterday he learned circulation during guard duty; it really wasn't a big deal, just moving mana throughout the body.
Yeling had praised him for being able to circulate so quickly, but Cassian didn't really think it was that difficult, since he just had to follow what the book said.
And with Yeling clarifying his doubts and explaining the terms he didn't understand, it was easy. And now he wanted to use the only technique whose name seemed strange to him.
Now that he found that bison were tough but not very dangerous—although some were not alone and sometimes came in groups of two or even ten—he thought it was a good time to practice.
Yeling also told him that real experience was important.
So he began to kill them while practicing his Art, and he asked Yeling—who was watching him from the side—about things he didn't understand.
Of course, she didn't practice the same art, and they didn't have the same techniques, but her general knowledge was good and helped Cassian a lot. He felt he was getting closer and closer to getting the hang of it.
"..." (If you say the name, it can help and...)
"So you're saying that it's okay to say the name to get a visualization, and as a kind of trigger, so that later, just by thinking that name, I can almost automatically perform the art, right?"
"..." (Yes)
"You're very good at explaining... hmm, but Ling-Ling, why don't you practice yours? I mean, if you have that level of knowledge in the art, you must have some knowledge in fighting, right? Besides, why haven't you done anything until now and just stayed in your shadow?"
"..."
"Huh? What's wrong, why aren't you saying anything?"
"..." (I-I'm sorry)
"Huh? Why are you apologizing? I'm asking because I originally thought your combat power was zero, like Lys, but with what you know, it shouldn't be like that—ah! Or are you one of those people who is good at explaining but not at doing it?"
"...nf" (I-I, sniff!...)
"Huh? What happened? Why do you suddenly look like you're about to cry? What did I do now?"