Klen seemed to have thought of a good spot and rode ahead, with Brother and I following side by side behind him.
He kept riding for so long that I wondered where he was taking us.
He finally stopped the horse when the feeling of refreshment from riding freely across a wide area began to set in.
“How about here?”
The place we arrived at was far off the path people traveled.
A wide-open blue sky, a refreshing breeze, and a vast plain where the grass gently swayed.
The scattered trees on it looked like beauty marks dotted onto the landscape.
It wasn’t a scenery unique to the Valuncio territory, but it was a decent spot.
And then…
—Shhhhaa.
A monster glaring at the sudden intruders.
[There’s a monster!]
Wrapped around the branch of the tree standing tall next to us was a large snake, hanging loosely.
Its elongated, slit pupils flashed as it hunted for prey, and its long, thin tongue flickered.
If it were only one, it could be considered a coincidence.
But as if its cry had just been transmitted to the surroundings, a shadow dropped from the tree, quickly slithering and approaching us.
That tree wasn’t a dot on the vast plain, but rather the territory and home of each snake.
This place was literally a snake den.
[And of all things, a snake! Are you out of your mind?!]
As Aren flapped its wings in shock, Klen quickly grabbed it and placed it on his shoulder.
And as if to appease it, he offered the cookie he brought.
[Do you think I would fall for a mere cookie…!]
The piece of cookie pressed against Aren’s beak, which was grumbling and shouting, slipped into its mouth.
The creature quickly clamped its mouth shut.
Instead, it hopped right next to Klen’s cheek and quietly chewed the cookie.
I stared at that scene, dumbfounded, and my eyes met Klen’s.
We had a similar incident before.
What does this man think of Caldrich?
“Isn’t this a good opportunity to show the power of Levatein?”
But the problem was that my heart was utterly swayed by those words.
Wasn’t this the perfect opportunity to show my sword and my skills to Brother?
“Oh, Adrian. That monster is a type I haven’t seen before? Have you fought it?”
“…”
Brother’s joyful voice reached me, despite my efforts to hide my feelings.
On the other side he pointed to, a large snake with colorful patterns was already coiled and sitting.
The skin covering it reflected the sunlight, glittering as if it were made of iron.
It’s good if Brother Marcus is happy, but isn’t that a poisonous snake?
“You’re going to catch it, right?”
“Well, it doesn’t seem like they intend to let us go quietly either…”
As soon as I finished speaking, Brother drew his sword and dashed toward the snake den.
I couldn’t just stand there and watch, so I quickly jumped off my horse and followed behind him.
“Brother~ It’s dangerous to go alone.”
But I know best that there is no danger to him.
[D-Don’t worry! If it becomes dangerous, I will personally rush over to help!]
Even though its voice was faintly trembling, Aren shouted loudly as if it would rush over immediately.
But Klen, sitting calmly on his horse, silently watched us.
His composed eyes felt more like encouragement, telling us to go relieve our stress.
In the snake den, where large and small snakes gathered, Brother swung his sword refreshingly, enough to relieve the stress of anyone watching.
—Kieee!
The small snakes fell to the ground below the trajectory of the sword.
And he deftly avoided the attacks of the creatures that crawled on the ground and darted toward him with sudden speed.
Brother was focusing on the flashier, larger snake monster, which seemed to be the leader among them.
Brother, who rushed straight toward it, didn’t spare a single thought for his back.
This wasn’t because there were no monsters left in the path he took, but because I was following behind him.
—Sssshaaah!
“Hah!”
Naturally, all the snakes that tried to strike his back were cut down by my sword.
Brother’s eyes briefly glanced back at the sound of the sword sharply slicing the air and cutting the snakes.
Even in that momentary glance, envy was heavily apparent.
Perhaps if this hadn’t been the work of a famous blacksmith and the prize for the hunting competition, he would have coveted it.
Not that I would let him take it, though.
Vwoom—
As if channeling that regret and envy, Brother’s sword swung even harder.
‘Hmm. His skill hasn’t rusted, after all.’
As expected of the presumed leader, the creature was strong.
Furthermore, true to its elaborate appearance, it even spat venom between its attacks.
The substance that flowed from its fangs made a bizarre hiss as it hit the ground.
The surface of the ground seemed to have melted a little?
But Brother expertly avoided the venom and plunged his sword into the steel-like hide.
—Kieee!
The hide was not easily pierced by a single blow.
The blade didn’t sink deeply but merely scratched the surface and bounced back.
Brother stepped back and moved, aiming for another opportunity.
If I cooperated, we could catch it quickly, but he clearly wouldn’t want that.
My opponents were only the other snake monsters visible around him.
Even while swinging Levatein, I kept glancing at Brother.
He was seriously observing the movements of the snake circling him.
And the moment the creature’s movement suddenly disappeared from his sight, Brother swiftly leaped upward.
Instantly, the thick body that was about to trap its prey sprang up like a coiled spring, following him.
But as if he had anticipated everything, Brother knocked the snake’s head with his sword.
He quickly twisted his body and aimed for the spot he had just stabbed.
He struck that spot again with his sword.
It went a little deeper, but it was hard to say he inflicted a proper blow.
‘…I want to lend him Levatein.’
This time, Brother seemed determined; he planted his feet on the ground, took an unshakable stance, and gripped the sword with both hands.
He didn’t budge even when the snake that had leaped up fell toward him with its mouth wide open.
And then his eyes flashed.
Cha-aak—
“Oh!”
He leaped into the body and accurately pierced the spot where the wound had opened.
Kwang!
The snake’s head violently hit the empty ground as it thrashed afterward.
No matter how hard something is, once a hole appears, it is easy to break down.
His sword moved instantly, splitting it in half.
“Phew…”
Brother turned around triumphantly after dealing the final blow to the fallen snake.
None of the snake monsters that swarmed around us were moving.
A smile crossed our faces as our eyes met, and I approached Brother and raised my hand.
Clap, our palms met with a pleasant sound.
[I didn’t need to step in after all! Well done.]
Aren flew toward me only after the monster’s life was completely extinguished.
Its excited voice didn’t tremble at all, as if it had fought alongside us.
It wasn’t bad to appreciate the scenery after moving our bodies like this.
This plain, which I had thought was not much different from others, now felt a little more refreshing.
