Things went smoothly this time

---

“Anne. Walk more normally. …Ah, don’t grab my arm like that!”
“Ms. Claire, I cannot go on…”

While Tilura and Mr. Ekenhart seemed like a family on a hiking trip, Ms. Claire and Ms. Anne were bickering.
The reason was that Ms. Anne was exhausted already.
Ms. Claire had gotten the hang of it last time, so she did not seem particularly tired. But Ms. Anne was not used to being in the forest, and would constantly trip over the roots of trees.
Besides, she stayed in the mansion most of the time and hardly exercised, so it was no surprise that she lacked energy.

That being said, she would likely refuse if I suggested that she ride on top of Leo.
She was still afraid…
The only reason she did not stop and rest now was because Leo was walking behind her.

“Now, we are almost there, Anne. Keep walking! And stop grabbing me!”
“Ohhh… I can’t…”
“Lady Anneliese, you will be able to rest soon. Do not give up.”

After walking a little further, we could hear the sounds of the running river.
Though, since there were a lot of people and a lot of sounds, you had to strain your ears to hear it.
At this point, Ms. Anne was practically leaning on Ms. Claire’s back, while Ms. Lyra pushed her encouragingly from behind.
Johanna did not join them, as she was on guard duty. But she still chuckled at the sight.
Well, at least she hadn’t stopped…

“Nothing had appeared…”
“Indeed. Last time, you encountered orcs on the way, didn’t you?”
“Yes. Though, good Leo walked in the lead, and defeated them swiftly before anyone else could.”
“While I heard that there are many orcs in the forest, I suppose one doesn’t encounter them that quickly… And we have Mr. Takumi’s herbs this time, and cannot sense anything. So they must not be around.”

I heard Tilura and Mr. Ekenhart talking up ahead.
They were asking Sebastian about the orcs.
Mr. Ekenhart sounded a little disappointed. But I thought we should be happy that there would not be any unplanned encounters.

In fact, several of us had eaten sense enhancing herbs before entering the forest.
They were herbs that made it easier to detect the presence of others.
Aside from me, they were eaten by Mr. Ekenhart, five of the guards, and Sebastian.
Leo didn’t need to eat them.

But thanks to the herbs, I could sense movement quite far away. But it seemed to be just the trees moving in the wind.
I did not sense any monsters, like orcs or trolls.

“So there are no orcs… How disappointing…”
“Wuff…”
“Well, we will start searching for them tomorrow. I’m sure it will not be hard. Still, I don’t know why it’s something you would look forward to…”

While Tilura was merely puzzled that we didn’t see any, Liza seemed disappointed.
Leo also sighed in agreement.
While Liza was merely curious, Leo saw them as food, so the sentiment wasn’t exactly the same…
I suppose she wanted to eat orc meat again. Ms. Lyra had cooked it for her previously.

From what I understood, Ms. Helena sometimes cooked with orc meat as well.
Of course, food tastes differently depending on who made it and where… Perhaps Leo just have a preference for Ms. Lyra’s more simple style of cooking.
That would not really be surprising. Ms. Helena’s food was more luxurious…which was not something Leo was used to.

“Wuff-wuff?”
“No, I don’t think that you should go out and look for them. Don’t worry, we brought food with us. And we will find orcs tomorrow, without a doubt.”
“Wuff…”

Leo must have really wanted to eat some, as she suggested that she could go out and hunt some orcs.
But I didn’t think that we should split up yet. And it would be best for all of us to continue on to the river.
Leo barked as if disappointed.
I suppose being in the forest reminded her of the taste…which was like pork.

“Hehe. Good Leo must be hungry then.”
“Haha. It looks like it. She really enjoyed the orc meat last time, when Ms. Lyra cooked it.”

The maid walking behind me laughed after observing our conversation.
And so I explained it to her.

“So that’s why. Please don’t worry, good Leo. You will have plenty of delicious food for dinner. …Well, Ms. Lyra will see to it…”
“Wuff-wuff.”
“Ms. Lyra…”
“Yes, I can only help. Like with the washing and cutting… But I am not very good with the rest… I don’t know why, but there are strict rules that I can only assist with the cooking.”
“It’s that bad…?”

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My Beloved Dog is the Strongest in Another World