Chapter 6: The Rat Hunt

The next morning, the four members of the hero’s party emerged, opening their doors with peculiar expressions.

“Hmm…”

“Ahaha…”

“This feels strange.”

“Me too. It’s like…”

They felt none of the usual fatigue from sleeping outdoors. That was only natural. They had slept in a warm room with soft beds.

It was practically no different from the inn they had stayed at until yesterday. And the one responsible for this was the owner of the door that remained firmly shut.

“Is this magic? Something’s surrounding us.”

“I thought I felt something strange. So it was magic.”

She had even set up magic circles that seemed specifically designed for them. Frankly, it was too comfortable.

Even if they were the hero’s party, they were still human. They wanted to sleep comfortably and avoid night watch duty if possible.

That’s why they were so pleased with the rooms provided by the small, white-haired mage. But precisely because of that, they couldn’t continue using them.

“…I’m going back to camping tonight.”

“It would be nice to have such comfortable nights every time, but it’ll ruin our habits.”

The hero’s party’s battles and travels didn’t distinguish between day and night. Monsters were active day and night, as were the demons, their superiors.

“Hmm, then how about we each use them once every few days? It feels wrong to not use them at all…”

“We shouldn’t have accepted them from Rui in the first place.”

Just once. That was the number of times the hero’s party had abandoned camping and night watch for a comfortable sleep. And they had already tasted the comfort of sleeping indoors.

Now that they had received the keys from her, the vow to “not sleep in rooms anymore” would undoubtedly be broken.

“…Anyway, shall we get ready?”

“Yes.”

Raphilia took on the task of waking the mage. The others prepared breakfast, scouted the area, and organized their supplies.

Knock, knock.

“Yeees…”

“Rui, breakfast is ready.”

“Ugh…”

“Uh, oh. Rui, your clothes.”

“…Oh.”

Noticing Rui emerging in her pajamas, Raphilia quickly ushered her back inside, preventing a repeat of the previous incident. The incredibly skilled mage was extremely weak in the mornings. Everyone in the hero’s party was now fully aware of this.

“Haa…”

The white-haired mage’s yawns, unlike yesterday, didn’t cease until the hero lifted her onto his horse once more.

Today was quite busy. She had to finish the gravity reduction formula research she had been working on since yesterday, as well as prepare for the event that Raphilia was so eagerly anticipating. And there was something she absolutely had to take care of in the village they were heading to.

‘What am I, a career woman?’

Except for her clothes, hair, and general demeanor, she was no different from a cold city woman. Leaning her head against the hero’s arm, she used her pen to write down the equations for the formula.

‘I should make shoes for the next equipment.’

Shoes seemed to be the best way to utilize the gravity reduction formula. The examples she gave the hero would all shine when applied to shoes.

‘Then I need to examine their feet.’

Unlike gloves, shoes required checking the user’s foot shape and size. Their feet accumulated more fatigue than their hands from long journeys. And ill-fitting shoes could lead to injuries.

“Hero.”

“Huh? What?”

“Show me your feet later.”

“…Huh? Feet?”

“It’s necessary.”

She didn’t receive a verbal response from the hero, but she interpreted his silence as tacit agreement and flipped the page of her notebook. The other heroines would probably show her their feet if she asked. Checking their feet was a trivial matter.

‘Should I design the shoes to match the gloves?’

The crafting process for shoes was more complex than for gloves, but she could solve that with formulas. By the way, there was one thing she had come to appreciate since becoming this body: her improved aesthetic sense.

Thanks to that, she didn’t create “functional but ugly” items. If she had, she might have had to hire a personal designer.

“Hero, I think we’re almost there. I can see the terrain described in the request.”

At Aria’s words, she lifted her head and looked ahead. The road was still laid out in the middle of a flat plain, but a mountain was starting to appear in the distance.

Considering that Intrell Village, the one that issued the request, was located on a mountain ridge, they must be almost there.

She shifted her position, as the four seemed to be picking up speed.

“Rui, we’re going to run.”

“Okay.”

With those words, the sound of galloping hooves began to shake the earth. As expected of the horses gifted by the emperor to the hero’s party. Even at this speed and rough terrain, her backside didn’t hurt too much.

The mountain scenery became clearer, and a small village came into view.

Intrell Village. A village located between the southwest and south of the empire.

Situated in the middle of a vast plain, it served as a midpoint connecting the south and west. Thanks to its role as a midpoint, there were various inns and restaurants within the village catering to outsiders.

And these outsiders included armed groups like adventurers and mercenaries. But the reason this village specifically requested help from the hero’s party was because of the current unusual circumstances.

‘Wasn’t there a mobilization order issued in the west around this time?’

The previously mentioned Twilight Fortress. Because of it, various monsters were appearing in the surrounding area.

Several villages and cities had been affected, and adventurers and mercenaries from the west were all heading there. So why wasn’t the hero’s party, arguably the strongest force, heading there directly?

Firstly, the adventurers and mercenaries were putting out the immediate fires, and the monster groups near Intrell Village were growing rapidly. Most importantly, the noble managing the area around the Twilight Fortress had sent a letter saying, “[We’re fine],” allowing them to focus on this area.

“Oh, Hero!”

“You must be the village chief. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Thank you so much! Even the children are having to ration water, it was truly a desperate situation…!”

“We’ll take care of it, so don’t worry.”

The hero gave a reassuring smile. He had simply offered comfort, but the villagers already looked as if they had won a war.

‘This is the hero?’

Just a single smile from him captivated everyone, from heroines to extras. She honestly suspected he might be some kind of incubus. But since there was no such description in the novel, he was just a normal human.

“Can everyone gather? Let’s formulate a plan.”

At the hero’s call, the four of them, including Rui, gathered around him. The five of them entered the village chief’s house and began their meeting.

She took out her notebook and pen to record the meeting. Then she projected a translucent map in the air and waited for the hero to speak.

“The monsters the village guards spotted are mainly of two types: goblins and orcs.”

“They’re not that difficult.”

“Yes. But there are too many for the villagers to handle. They suddenly multiplied, and the village couldn’t react in time.”

She marked the monster hideouts mentioned by the hero on the map. The four seemed surprised by the translucent map floating in the air, but they soon shrugged it off with a “figures” and focused on the map.

“Rui, thanks. This is their main hideout. But they could be in other places too. This was discovered a week ago, after all.”

During that time, the villagers wouldn’t have had the time or resources to scout while defending their village. Since goblins and orcs were especially adept at multiplying, their numbers were likely higher than the last sighting.

‘If we were any later, the village would have been attacked.’

When monster numbers reached the limit of their territory, they would attack surrounding lifeforms for new food and territory. They probably would have attacked tonight or tomorrow night. The animals near the river might already be dead.

“We’ll prioritize extermination. But we can’t neglect the village’s defense either. Everyone understands?”

“Yes. Even if goblins and orcs are weak monsters, they’re still monsters.”

“The river flows north and south on the opposite side of the village from the mountain. And since this is their initial base, the attack routes are…”

She drew additional lines as the hero spoke, fleshing out the plan.

“To eliminate them efficiently, we should attack from both sides. Aswell, if you start your attack here, I’ll be on the plains…”

“Your vision will be limited in the mountains, so I’ll wait and intercept any stragglers heading towards the village…”

While the three attackers actively discussed, Rui and Aria quietly listened. This battle wasn’t difficult, but it would be lengthy, so Aria’s power as a saintess wasn’t crucial.

Furthermore, the gloves Rui gave her minimized any potential damage, making it more beneficial for her to stay out of the fight. Aria, aware of this, offered to remain in the village.

“I’ll prepare some holy water and potions for you. I think it’s better for me to stay here and treat the patients.”

“That would be great.”

Finally, everyone’s gaze turned to Rui. The hero asked,

“What will you do, Rui? You can come with us, or stay here.”

The three of them could handle most monsters anyway.

“I’ll stay behind.”

“Alright. Then let’s each prepare and meet at the village entrance.”

With those words, the three left the house with determined expressions.

“I’ll go to the clinic. I saw a lot of elderly patients earlier.”

“Okay.”

The four of them quickly disappeared. Left alone in the house, she sat on a chair for a moment, then opened the door to her lab and went inside.

Rummaging through her mountain of magic tools, she found two iron rods. Small rods bent at a right angle, engraved with various formulas. They were about the size of switches.

“Hmm, how do I activate these?”

She had made them a while ago, so she couldn’t quite remember. Was it by hitting them? Or by snapping them like a switch?

Snap.

“…Not by snapping them.”

She tossed the broken rod back into the lab and grabbed a new one. She then started hitting the remaining two rods. One of the rods, after enduring her punches, suddenly lit up with blue letters and started moving on its own.

The rod spun and stopped in a certain direction. The bent end of the rod pointed towards the vast plain, the opposite direction of the mountain and river.

“So you were hiding here.”

Now, she was going to hunt a rat. A rat hiding near the village, unbeknownst to the hero’s party. A pathetic rat that wouldn’t provide them with any growth or lessons even if they caught it.

Creak. Creak.

Holding the slightly moving rod in both hands, she started walking in the direction it pointed.