While we were traveling through a dim forest, the birds in the sky suddenly began flying around like crazy, and at the same time a tremendous roar echoed through the air. I realized that it was that roar that had startled the birds into fleeing.
My master had already told us, "Do not neglect your vigilance." I was scared, yet at the same time thrilled. It was my first time experiencing anything like this—both the feeling and the situation.
And then the magical beast appeared. My master called it a "giant wolf." In that moment, a feeling bloomed within me—one I hadn't felt even when fighting my master for the first time, nor when I first heard the roar of that giant wolf.
Th…at feeling was "happiness."
The stirring sensation deep in my chest wouldn't settle. It was new, something I had never felt before. And there was only one thing I desired.
"To fight that magical beast."
"Hey kids, step aside. I'll handle that beast," my master said as he unsheathed his sword.
The moment I heard those words, another feeling welled up inside me. It was…
"Anger."
I was angry at my master. Not because he had done anything wrong. But because I had already known that he would say, "Step aside, I'll handle it."
So I said to him, "Don't worry. I will fight that beast."
Of course, I didn't think he'd just agree so easily.
"Hah…? Are you out of your mind? A brat like you thinks he can challenge that beast?"
"You really think I'm gonna allow something like that?"
I understood it was dangerous. But even so, I had no intention of retreating. I simply couldn't stop myself from challenging it. Maybe I couldn't understand danger because I was a child. Even so, I had to fight.
"Master, I know it's dangerous. Just looking at it gives me goosebumps. But that's exactly why I want to fight. If I wasn't going to fight, then there was no reason to leave the palace in the first place. I could've just spent every day enjoying myself."
"Hey brat, are you interrogating me? No—feels more like I'm being lectured."
"Hehehe, don't say that, Master."
"That's right, gran—
"Kids, move!"
That was close… looks like that beast is reaching its limit already.
"Y-yeah, Grandpa, I want to fight too."
"You too…? What a pain. …Fine, you can handle different attributes anyway. I'll let you fight. But you two will take down the smaller ones. If you're going to insist that much, then I'll fight the giant wolf and stall it. I won't injure it and I'll hand it over to you at the end. Just this once, since it's your first time. Give it your best."
So we dealt with the small magical beasts, while our master used the giant wolf as his "playmate." That old man truly is confident. I'm honestly jealous.
"Alright Lilia, you handle long-range. I'll go in close."
"Okay."
Even with the enhanced wooden sword, it was hard to deal any damage to the beasts. Then I got an idea: I wrapped wind—my attribute—around the wooden sword. That way I could attack from mid-range. I wasn't as good as Lilia, of course, but this was the time to test the two years of training in the palace. I rushed forward and slashed. Some parts cut well, others didn't.
Those were probably the weak points.
"Hey, you two planning on finishing anytime soon? I'm about to die over here…"
"What do you mean you're about to die, Master?"
"No… I'm dying of boredom."
The moment I heard that, I finished off the remaining beasts. And next was the big one. I couldn't wait anymore. I knew it would be difficult, but I had no intention of backing off.
"Alright Lilia, let's go."
"Yeah."
Then our master stopped playing and guided the giant wolf toward us.
The giant wolf lunged at us. We dodged at the last moment, but even the pressure from its lunge cut my cheek and blew away the leaves on the ground. It tried to attack again, this time even more ferociously.
As it charged, Lilia protected us with a magical shield. Even so, the impact was strong enough to slice nearby trees. I couldn't attack it with a wooden sword like the other beasts, so I had no choice but to use magic together with Lilia. And Lilia was really good—"good" wasn't even enough to describe her. She could fire magic without chanting, and so could I, but that didn't mean I was above her.
While we exchanged spells with the beast, something unbelievable happened. When my wind attribute touched Lilia's fire attribute, her fire magic suddenly grew as if they had fused.
I realized those two attributes really had great compatibility. So I asked Lilia for a spell that could stop its movement. Lilia then turned the ground beneath the beast into a swamp. While it struggled to break free, we charged up our combined wind-and-fire spell, and the moment it broke out—
—we fired it.
Wind and flames burned and tore through its body, and that's how we achieved victory.
"Hahaha! Kid, you're amazing.""Well done, you two."
And that's how we won our first battle. But of course, that didn't mean the dangers of our journey ended there.