Chapter 83 — As Long as I'm Not Embarrassed, Someone Else Will Be
Mist drifted through the withered forest.
The twisted, misshapen branches looked even more sinister beneath the haze.
Leiya advanced calmly, her expression unchanged.
Elias followed in silence, his overwhelming mana nearly blanketing a hundred-meter radius.
The red-haired youth held his sword high, darting glances left and right as he nervously scanned the surroundings.
"Leave the pathfinding to me—Brian!"
"Lady Leiya has nothing to fear!"
"This ancestral blade of mine has slain countless demons!"
Watching his theatrics, Elias couldn't help but comment:
"As long as you stay farther away from Lady Leiya, no one needs to worry."
"—Hah! Elias, where do you get the nerve to lecture me?"
Brian sneered.
"You're supposed to be her guard, yet you're hiding behind her like a turtle retreating into its shell!"
—Rustle!
"What was that?!"
Brian's eyes bulged.
"I swear I just saw some strange gray creature dash past!"
Elias: (≖_≖)
"A rabbit."
"So, Young Master Brian—you've slain countless demons, yet you don't recognize a rabbit?"
"—Heh, just a trick of the eye."
Brian waved it off casually.
"The fog's too thick today. If visibility were better—"
—Whoosh!
"W–WAAAH!"
Brian jolted violently, his sword hand shaking as he nearly dropped it.
"Did you see that?! A lightning-fast attack spell shot over our heads!"
Elias: (≖_≖)
"A bird."
"To be precise, a bird flying slightly faster than average. That's all."
"—Oh? Is that so?"
Brian straightened instantly, confidence returning in full force.
"Of course I knew that all along!"
After all—
As long as I'm not embarrassed, then the embarrassment belongs to someone else.
"Elias, I was merely testing your alertness, that's all."
"—I see," Elias replied flatly.
The mist continued to curl around them.
And somewhere between the fog, the bravado, and the poorly concealed fear—
the hunt quietly moved forward.
Elias gave a slight nod.
"Although I'm not sure what there is to be wary of when it comes to rabbits and birds, I thank you nonetheless, Young Master."
"Hmph. At least you know your place~"
Brian heard only the word 'thanks', turned around grandly, raised his sword once more, and strode forward with confidence—
—Crack!
This time, the sound came from beneath his feet.
"Lady, be careful! There's an ambush!!"
Elias fell completely silent.
Leiya: (≖_≖)
"Young Master Brian… that was just a tree branch you stepped on and snapped."
"—A… a branch?"
Brian lowered his head, stared at it, and felt his composure crack just a little.
"Oh—so it was a branch~"
"But never underestimate a branch!"
"After all, magic is a world of imagination! Surely Lady Leiya can imagine the horrific scene of being pierced by a branch and dying a tragic death!"
Leiya walked past him without stopping, expression flat.
"Sorry, Young Master Brian. I honestly can't imagine that."
Elias followed her, muttering softly as he passed:
"Yeah… that really is hard to imagine."
Brian: (ᇂ_ᇂ|||)
Hearing their footsteps fade, he suddenly snapped back to his senses, flailing as he hurried after them.
"Lady Leiya, wait for me!"
"The path ahead is truly dangerous!"
---
Meanwhile—
Frieren and her three close friends were crouched together in the tall grass.
"Do you see that?" Frieren whispered, pointing.
"That Purple-Scaled Serpent coiled around the tree."
"A mercenary friend of mine—Julie—told me that giant snake scales are rare materials. And the rarer the color, the higher the value!"
Zanni's eyes lit up.
"Purple scales are pretty rare, right? That must be worth a fortune!"
"—Shh! Lower your voice."
Camilla stopped her, then looked toward Yuna, whose eyes—and even her blue hair—were trembling slightly.
"Yuna, I know you're afraid of snakes. Camilla and I can handle it."
"—No… no."
Yuna shook her head, even though her whole body was shaking.
"Eight years ago, during the Staff of Sanctity trials, I hid behind the two of you the whole time."
"We barely passed three rounds by luck… and I couldn't even bring myself to meet Lady Serie's eyes."
"Zanni, Camilla—it was my lack of talent that held you back. So today—"
"—Don't say that."
Zanni gently patted Yuna's head.
"We were barely over ten years old back then. Passing three trials was already incredible."
"Being judged unqualified by Lady Serie was only natural."
Camilla nodded and squeezed Yuna's shoulder.
"Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. We may have talent in mana, but your brain is way sharper than ours~"
Frieren nodded enthusiastically.
"Exactly! We all play to our strengths!"
"This snake is on us!"
Yuna looked at the three of them, her eyes growing moist with emotion.
"Zanni… Camilla… Frieren… thank you. I'll do my best."
She wiped her tears, then focused sharply on the serpent.
"I've read about it in the monster compendium. Its vital point is the heart."
"But its scales are extremely tough—so rapid, concentrated attacks work best."
Zanni and Camilla exchanged impressed looks.
"See? Your brain really is amazing, Yuna!"
Frieren grinned smugly.
"Rapid, concentrated attacks—that's my cue!"
She raised her hand and pulled a glowing short blade from her storage pouch.
The others leaned in.
"A light-attribute magic tool?"
"But… can just one blade really pierce those scales?"
"—Trust me~"
Frieren flicked her green twin-tails confidently.
"Let me show you what it means to be a great mage's disciple!"
"Alright! Camilla and I will draw its attention from both sides!"
The moment they dashed out from the grass—
Frieren leapt into the air.
The light blade followed—and split into ten in midair!
Yuna stared in shock.
"Ten-fold light blades?!"
"With that power—"
—BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Golden flashes erupted across the serpent's body in rapid succession!
—BOOM!
The final blast struck.
The massive serpent fell from the tree, crashing lifelessly to the ground.
Only then did Frieren land lightly, imitating Elias's tone:
"It's already over."
---
Just moments earlier, Elias had heard the explosions from up ahead.
Then he felt the dispersing mana—
…his mana?!
Tch…
Light of Ten Blades, huh.
So Frieren and her three noble friends were close by.
He really shouldn't let Leiya run into Frieren.
As Elias was thinking this, Brian had already shrunk behind him, pale with fear.
"H-Hey!"
"I didn't imagine that one!"
"There was an explosion over there!"
"Lady Leiya, it's far too dangerous—we should change routes!"
For once, Elias agreed with him.
"Young Master Brian is correct."
"My lady, the path ahead is dangerous. We should change direction."
"—Dangerous?"
Leiya let out a mocking laugh.
"Elias, you're the strongest warrior my father personally chose for me."
"With your powerful protection, what danger could possibly frighten me?"
"So I order you—"
"Continue forward."