Arriving at the ranch, they immediately spotted a large pack of white wolves—big ones, each larger than a grown man.
A single wolf was enough to make your blood run cold, never mind a whole pack.
Green, bloodthirsty eyes; bared fangs; livestock blood smeared around their mouths… just looking at them was terrifying.
That's how it felt to Megumin and Yunyun, anyway.
Shichen, on the other hand, was briefly wondering if he could keep one—white fur was nice—but after looking them over, not a single one was "cute," so he gave up.
Darkness was already excited, itching to rush in and get chewed on.
Frieren hugged herself and shivered; she was underdressed—she'd only just arrived and hadn't had time to buy winter gear. On the upside, these white wolves could be turned into fur coats.
"Frieren, ready? The sooner we finish, the sooner you can dive back under a blanket," Shichen said with a grin.
"Ready," Frieren answered, face suddenly serious.
"Heh. Megumin, you two fall back. Yunyun, you can attack with Frieren."
"What about me? What about me?" Darkness asked, hopeful.
"You fall back too," Shichen said without even looking at her.
"W-why?" Darkness wilted at once.
"This job is for Yunyun and Frieren. The next one will be you and Frieren."
"You promise? Let me in on the next one."
"Relax. If I 'lie,' I'll make it up to you, okay?"
"Compensation…" Darkness felt her throat tighten again—that stuck, hard-to-swallow feeling was back.
"Ready?" Shichen ignored her and looked to Frieren.
"Hurry up," Frieren said, bracing herself.
"Come here." Shichen used a Taunt skill on the wolf pack.
"Awooo—!" In an instant, the wolves turned those green eyes on Shichen, bared their fangs, and charged.
A quick count: at least thirty—just a sea of white.
Shichen threw up a barrier and trapped the pack inside.
"Go."
"Lightning!"
"Fireball!"
Mana gathered. Lightning and fireballs hammered down from above, smashing into the wolves.
"Roooar—!" The pack couldn't withstand that kind of damage. Bodies charred and dropped instantly; the ones only caught at the edge howled in pain.
The wailing didn't faze Yunyun or Frieren. Neither was the soft-hearted type in a fight. Yunyun cast while scared, worried her damage might not be enough—she still didn't quite grasp her own power. Frieren cast without a change in expression. She just wanted to finish and get back to bed. Winter was perfect for staying under the covers with manga and novels—and cola.
She'd had Shichen bring lots of cola; no risk of running out.
"Careful, you two. Don't ruin the pelts," Shichen reminded them.
"Shichen, what do you want wolf pelts for?" Megumin asked, curious.
"It's winter, isn't it?" Shichen smiled and slipped an arm around her shoulder. "I'll make you all a few fur coats."
"You'll make them?" Megumin blinked.
"Do you want one?"
"Of course! And get me a pelt too."
"No problem. I can even make you some underwear."
"That won't be necessary…"
"Right, you don't need it."
"Shichen… you just said something you shouldn't have."
"Did I? I was only telling the truth."
"You really said it! Fine—right off the bat, huh? Do you look down on me for being small? You do, don't you? I'm so disappointed!"
"Disappointed? Then I won't go cast Explosion with you."
"Absolutely not! You have to cast with me every day—that's your compensation!"
"Hmph. If you want me to keep you company, just say so."
"That's not it!" Megumin huffed, face red, and turned away.
"Hey…" Frieren came up to Shichen.
"Hm? What's up with you—aren't you finishing off the pack?"
"It's finished."
"Huh?"
Shichen looked into the barrier and saw wolves strewn everywhere—blackened, brown, and white.
Good thing he'd told them to hold back, or the entire pack would have been roast wolf.
Looking at the smoking corpses, Shichen could almost smell the meat. He wondered if wolf tasted good. Better not risk it; who knew if they'd eaten people.
"Not bad," Shichen said, ruffling Frieren's silver hair in praise.
"Mm…" Frieren didn't love that "reward."
"Can we go back now?"
"No way. We've still got one more job."
"Do you need me for the next one?"
"Even a token role is fine. Also, you used intermediate magic—didn't feel anything?"
"No. It was dull."
"You…" Shichen shook his head, helpless.
"Shichen, what about these wolves?" Yunyun asked, excited.
She'd heard what he and Megumin said and was looking forward to a gift.
"Take them with us first."
Shichen ruffled Yunyun's hair too, then stored the wolf corpses in the Gate of Babylon.
"Amazing—how did you do that?" Yunyun's eyes went wide as the bodies vanished.
"A storage item of mine."
"What a great storage item."
"I think so too. But what's mine is yours."
"Mm…" Yunyun's cheeks flushed.
"tsk." Megumin clicked her tongue nearby.
"Got a problem?" Shichen shot her a look.
"Do you seriously want everything?"
"What 'everything'? I just don't want you drifting apart. I want your friendship to last so you can stay best sisters."
Leaving the ranch, Shichen warped them straight to the outskirts. He didn't plan to make them walk—he'd sensed a nasty presence and took everyone right toward it.
"ROAR!"
Before they even arrived, a violent bellow rolled the air itself and battered their ears.
"That's—!"
"What a scary sound…"
"You two, hold onto me," Shichen said, taking Yunyun and Megumin by the hand and pressing on.
The moment his big hands held theirs, both of them felt at ease.
"One-Strike Bear—One-Strike Bear—here I come!" Darkness charged ahead, thrilled.
Frieren followed silently. As long as they finished off the One-Strike Bear, she could go lie down and read. This world was fine and all, but not as interesting as manga and novels. Oh, and that goddess—she wanted to see if the woman was as noble as the stories made her sound.
They soon found the One-Strike Bear: a standing bear with yellow fur and a ring of black fur around its neck.
Its limbs were thick with muscle, its face savage, its massive fists easily capable of killing with a single blow—no wonder it was called a One-Strike Bear.
"ROAR—!"
Noticing them, it bellowed and charged at high speed.
"Ah—!" Megumin cried out. If Shichen hadn't been holding her, she might have sat down on the spot.
The bear's aura was terrifying.
"I'll go!" Darkness raised her sword and stepped in to block.
BOOM!
The impact blasted the dead branches and leaves around them into the air and sent Frieren's long hair streaming.
"Roar?" The bear blinked, surprised she'd stopped its first blow. It drew back and struck again.
Darkness's sword rang, clear and bright, but she didn't budge an inch.
"Mmh—nice. Good force. More!"
"ROAR—!" Angered, the One-Strike Bear turned into a Combo Bear, hammering away, but it still couldn't move Darkness—she didn't even sway.
"A-amazing!" Yunyun breathed.
"Now's not the time to admire it. Attack the bear," Shichen reminded her.
"But… what if I hit Darkness?" Yunyun asked, worried.
"Then aim better."
"I'm scared…"
"Fireball!"
Out of nowhere, Frieren lobbed a fireball that smacked the bear right in the head—without a bit of splash damage on Darkness.
"ROAR—!"
It worked—the bear's head was bleeding now—but it only stoked its fury. It howled and pummeled Darkness even harder.
Darkness just held her sword across her chest and let its fists slam home without taking a step back. The force was just right for her.
Keeping the blade at her chest was Shichen's old instruction—otherwise she'd just stand there and let the bear hit wherever it wanted.
"Darkness!" Yunyun cried, anxious.
"I'm… fine… I can take it…"
Shichen could tell she was perfectly okay, but he didn't say so—he turned to Yunyun instead. "Trust yourself. You can land it precisely."
"I…"
"I believe in you."
"Shichen… got it!"
Yunyun's eyes hardened with resolve. She leveled her staff at the One-Strike Bear. "Lightning!"
~~~
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