Vol 2 Chapter 27 – A Woman’s Battle, a Man’s Obliviousness【Vol 2: The Blazing Labyrinth and the Lonely Witch】 

A few days had passed since Lilia joined the party.

To head for our next destination, 《Mist Forest》, we pulled out from our remote wasteland base and started traveling along the highway.

(…Even so, what is this atmosphere?)

As I walked in front, I was breaking into a cold sweat inside from the two pressures I could feel behind me.

One was the quiet, impossibly sharpened sword aura coming off Lilia.

The other was the high-density mana coming off Elmina, like it could explode at any second.

Those two presences were crackling and throwing off sparks behind me.

Physically.

Every time Lilia’s sword aura brushed against Elmina’s mana, space warped slightly and little discharges snapped in the air.

(Why is this happening…?)

I had absolutely no idea.

Ever since Lilia joined us, these two had been like this nonstop.

They barely even talked—just kept checking each other.

(Maybe they’re still tense since it’s their first meeting.)

“…Hey, you two.”

I finally couldn’t take it anymore, so I stopped and turned around.

“Can’t you try to get along a little more?

We’re companions now. We’re traveling together from here on out.”

Both of them twitched at my words.

But neither looked at the other.

“It’s not that I don’t want to get along. I’m simply staying alert at all times as Fuyuya’s guard.”

Lilia said it with a cool expression.

Elmina instantly snapped back.

“Hmph!

Guard, my ass. I already keep a detection barrier around Fuyuya at all times. There’s no need for you to wander around with a sword out!”

“So you can’t even stay alert unless you rely on magic?

A swordsman uses all five senses to read a presence. That’s the basics.”

“Wha—!?

Are you making fun of my magic!?”

“I only stated a fact.”

(Oh, come on… here we go again.)

This pattern again.

It starts with something tiny, turns into an argument, and ends with the two of them glaring at each other across me.

Seriously, how did this happen?

“Listen, both of you. We already decided roles on the road. Front line is me and Lilia, back line is Elmina. Scouting is all of us. No problem, right?”

“No problem. But, Fuyuya.”

Lilia smoothly stepped to my side and took position on my right.

“I’ll guard your right side. Leaving your dominant-hand side open is unthinkable for a swordsman.”

“Hah?

What are you even saying!?

You can’t block magic attacks, can you!

What are you gonna do if we get ambushed from long range!?”

Now Elmina planted herself on my left.

“The spot next to Fuyuya is mine!

If I keep a wide-area defensive barrier up at all times, I can handle any surprise attack!”

“When it comes to physical attacks, my sword can respond faster than your barrier.”

“And what are you gonna do if a wide-area curse comes flying at us!?”

Yank. Yank.

““…………””

Before I knew it, both of them had grabbed one of my arms and were pulling me left and right.

It had turned into an actual physical shoving match.

On my right was Lilia, on my left was Elmina, and both of them were giving off absurd pressure in completely different ways.

(Why does a fight break out just over who walks next to me…?)

I seriously couldn’t understand it.

I just knew it didn’t feel good watching teammates fight.

“Alright, alright, I get it!

Enough already!

Both of you, keep your distance from my sides!

I’ll just walk in the middle!”

““That’s not allowed!””

“Why not!?”

They shut down my suggestion in perfect sync.

In the end, after several more minutes of arguing, they somehow settled on a bizarre rule: taking turns walking next to me.

When Lilia was on my right, Elmina glared from behind in a bad mood, and when Elmina was on my left, Lilia quietly released fighting spirit.

Being stuck in the middle of all that was exhausting beyond words.

(Haaah…

Well, still…)

I glanced sideways at the two of them in their hostile mood and let the corner of my mouth soften a little.

(They really have gotten comfortable with each other now.)

That’s right.

To him, these two just looked like they were bickering playfully.

(They were so awkward at first, but now they throw their real thoughts at each other without holding back.

That can only mean they acknowledge each other as companions and trust each other.)

(They’re good rivals who push each other higher. Nice. Really nice.)

Lilia and Elmina were both geniuses who had reached the top of their fields.

Having someone your own age you can seriously compete against—

that had to be good for their growth.

His spectacular misunderstanding only made the sparks flying between them burn even hotter, and he didn’t notice it at all.

◇◆◇

That night, we were setting up camp in a forest by the roadside.

Next to me while I prepared the campfire, Lilia efficiently got the rations ready, and Elmina set up a monster-repelling barrier around us.

They argued plenty, but when it counted, they worked in perfect sync.

That alone proved they were both pros.

“…Hey, you two.”

Listening to the fire crackle and spit sparks, I spoke quietly.

“I’ve decided where we’re going next.”

Both of them looked up at my words.

“Where are we heading, Fuyuya?”

“Let me guess, somewhere annoying again.”

Lilia’s question and Elmina’s exasperated voice.

I spread out the map for them.

“Here. 《Mist Forest》.”

“The forest said to hide an elf village.”

“Yeah. We’re going to find our next companion.”

Elmina frowned at that.

“A companion?

With me and this swordswoman here, aren’t we already enough? What else could we possibly need?”

“Not firepower. What we’re missing.”

I looked back at both of them with a serious expression.

“Our party’s combat strength is easily top-class on the continent. Me and Lilia in the front, Elmina in the back. There’s no gap in our formation. But we do have one fatal weakness.”

“A weakness…?”

“Yeah. We don’t have a reliable way to recover if a companion takes a fatal wound.”

Both of them drew in a breath at my words.

“Elmina and I can heal minor injuries to some extent with magic. But that’s just first aid. If we get hit with a powerful curse or a deadly poison we can’t detox, there’s a real chance our skills won’t be enough.”

Our party was too offense-heavy.

All of us had top-class power in our own fields, but because of that, we’d neglected “defense”—especially what comes after someone gets hurt, the part where you stabilize and recover.

“We’ve got a front line and a back line. But if we don’t have a ‘healing hand’ that can reliably save someone when they’re hurt, someday we’ll lose someone. I will never accept a future like that.”

I clenched my fist tight.

Did they notice that, despite my firm words, my voice trembled just a little?

“That’s why we’re going to find one. The best healer there is—the one who can keep our ‘lives’ connected.”

My finger pointed to 《Mist Forest》 on the map.

In the original story, the elf healer who gets betrayed by her companions and falls into distrust of humans—Sylphy.

I would save her and bring her into the party.

That was my next goal.

“…Hmph. Well, if you’re saying it, I guess I don’t mind going along with it.”

Elmina looked away, but she seemed to understand my resolve.

“Fuyuya’s right. I was aware of how important a recovery specialist would be too. I don’t know what kind of person this is, but if you’ve chosen them, then I trust your judgment.”

Lilia, too, placed complete trust in my decision.

(Alright. It’s settled.)

Staring into the campfire, I quietly hardened my resolve.

Lilia and Elmina, my two strongest companions.

And the third companion we were about to meet.

My party still wasn’t complete.

It was going to become stronger. More perfect.

Fuyuya had no idea the two heroines were throwing fierce sparks over him, and no idea the journey ahead was about to bring a new wave of chaos.

He simply burned with determination toward one goal: forming the strongest party.