Leo searched for the orcs

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“Next, there are the people who will fight the orcs that are lured out… First, Takumi will fight them. Is that alright?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”

Mr. Ekenhart said that I should be the first one.
As I had battled against orcs before, I could show Tilura how to do it.
I opened my hands that I had been clenching without thinking about it, and took in a deep breath.
It would be fine… I fought them before in Range village. It would be easy as long as I stayed calm.

Last time, it had been so sudden. But this time time, I would be fully prepared, so in terms of conditions, I had the advantage.
As this was part of our training, we were to not eat any strengthening herbs. But I knew that I had become stronger since the last time…!

“And then next is Tilura. Are you ready?”
“Yes! I will do my best!”

As I talked to myself and tried to remain calm, Tilura was brought up next.
After all, the whole point of this trip was so that she could experience a real battle against orcs.

“Mmm. Watch Mr. Takumi closely, and learn from him, alright?”
“I understand!”

Tilura answered in a voice that showed that she too was nervous.
Don’t worry. If I could defeat them, then so can you, since you are always training so seriously, Tilura.

“And then…there is Sherry. Is that alright, good Leo?”
“Wuff!”
“Kyu…”

Lastly, there was Sherry, who was to learn how to hunt orcs.
Unlike Tilura and me, Sherry was not eager… But since she was a fenrir, she would surely be fine.
…I think?

“Now, I hope that all of you stay on your guard. These are monsters. Even with Leo around, you never know what will happen. So be careful so that you are not injured. That is all.”
“Yes!”

Now that everything was decided, we all took our positions.
Mr. Ekenhart, Tilura, Sherry and I waited with Leo a few meters outside of the forest.
Liza, Ms. Claire, and Ms. Anne were behind us with the butlers and maids by the river.
Just in case, the non combatant kept their distance.
As the river was at their back, there would be little risk of them being attacked.

Out of the remaining guards, Johanna was with Ms. Claire, while the other one was next to Mr. Ekenhart.

“Mr. Takumi. When you’re ready.”
“Very well. Leo. Can you tell us where the monsters are?”
“Wuff. …Wou-wou. Grau-wuff.”

According to Leo, there were two orcs close by.
I then told Phillip and the others, so that they could head in that direction.
It was hard to describe it, as there were no markers in the forest, but since they had eaten sense enhancing herbs, they would be able to detect the monsters when they were close.

“We will go then.”
“Mmm. Be careful.”
“Yes!”

And so they went into the forest while holding their swords out and ready.

“…Mr. Takumi. It is quite boring to just wait…”
“Mr. Ekenhart. They have only just gone in. While I understand that it is boring, you should be more patient…”
“Yes, father! You should be prepared so you can face anything!”
“Tilura, you are too tense. You won’t be able to fight properly like that, you know? Well, it’s your first time, so it cannot be helped. In general, no one fights at their best the first time.”
“Is that so?”
“Mmm. Well, the first time, yes. But it’s a good thing that Tilura is facing orcs, which are relatively easier opponents compared to humans. Because when you are this nervous on your first time, you are likely to only be able to show half of your ability.”
“I see. Well, I suppose it is natural for people to be scared at such times.”

It was the same with sports. Being nervous meant you would not be able to play at your best.
I didn’t have any experience like that, but I heard that when playing in a different location or environment, you would often make mistakes that you wouldn’t usually make.
On the other hand, there were some people who did their best under pressure. But they were in the minority.
And while I didn’t want to think about fighting with other humans, it might be something I had to consider in this world.

In preparation for such a time, experiencing battles against monsters would then affect the way one acts when it comes to war.
While monsters and humans were different, it was better than not experiencing anything.
When thinking about it like that, I had fought both, which was a decent amount of experience…even if it didn’t feel like it.

Next Chapter

My Beloved Dog is the Strongest in Another World