Chapter 30

After breakfast was completed, I decided to tell Myura the plan for the day. “Myura, we’re going to be leaving the town today.”

“Yes my lady? Is there a need to do something outside the city? I believe my lady said she was not leaving town until tomorrow?” Myura asked.

“I want to see how capable you are in a fight. You did say you had leveled both Sorceress and Warrior and worked as an adventurer for a while. I want to see that kind of Myura today.” I explained. “I’m sure that you still have your adventurer gear?”

“Yes, I’ve kept it stored in my room in the servant quarters. Shall I go get ready and meet my lady out front?” Myura said.

“Please do so.” I commanded.

Myura curtsied and left the room with the breakfast tray. I don’t really want to do it, but the best option was to just go accept some request from the guild that was suitable. Then I’ll let Myura fight some monsters and see how she does. I’d normally just test her myself, but it’s just that I doubt Myura would actually fight against me seriously even if I did display how strong I am. She’ll be thinking thoughts like ‘I can’t hurt my lady!’ or ‘Even if she’s stronger than me, what if I get in a lucky attack!?’. Maybe that one girl won’t be there at the guild?

I finished getting dressed and left the inn. I wasn’t sure how long I’d be waiting for Myura so I amused myself with examining and playing with Coa. I hadn’t paid that much attention to it but Coa had reached probably 35 to 40cm in length now. In the 7 days since I tamed her, she’s grown to almost twice her previous size. That seems a bit ridiculous unless there are reasons she was that small? Perhaps she was the runt of the bunch and now that she gets to eat as much as she pleases, she’s just catching up on growth? No way to really know, unless I ask someone that knows something about her species. I didn’t really take much notice of her siblings, I only examined her parent that was 1.3m in length. I should probably find someone to ask about her stat growth too. Maybe Myura knows something? If not, someone in the guild might. Maybe check with Fio too?

“My lady, I’m sorry to keep you waiting!” came a voice to my left.

I turned my head to look and there was Myura, but she gave off a much different atmosphere in this getup than she did in her maid dress. She was wearing mostly grey leather but her chest piece was thicker and a dark black. Her under piece had hanging parts that resembled that of a robe. Her boots were fitted with metal and she was wearing long chainmail gauntlets that had heavier pieces of metal affixed to the back. Her left gauntlet looked especially reinforced. She had tied back her dark hair, but I questioned whether or not she even needed to since her hair wasn’t that long in the first place. She had a few pouches tied to her, belt which completed the outfit. I didn’t see a weapon though.

“Do you not use a weapon?” I asked.

“I have it stored away at the moment my lady.” Myura replied. “Shall I pull it out for my lady to see?”

“Oh, no need. There is no problem since I’ll see it soon enough. Let us go to the guild and select a suitable request.” I said.

“My lady, we’re going to go hunt monsters?” Myura inquired.

“Yes. I wish to see Myura’s abilities. Do not worry, I will hang back and let you handle the fighting yourself. If anything does attack me, I am perfectly capable of defending myself too.” I stated.

I could tell that Myura wasn’t happy with what I just said but she agreed and nodded anyway. She’s probably recognized that this was a test and she didn’t have a choice after all. She’ll probably fight harder if she thinks she has to protect me too.

When we got to the guild, to my dismay I saw Fara at the counter. I was hoping she wouldn’t notice me but that was not to be. She got a wide grin on her face before she said “Oh, if it isn’t my newest suitor? Here to sweep me off my feet?”

Myura gave me an odd look but didn’t say anything. I kind of wish she had, because damn do I feel embarrassed right now. “I told you, that was just a joke!” I said pointedly at Fara. “Myura, go ahead and find a request on the board that is right for your abilities and that can be done today. I’ll wait here.”

Myura was still giving me that odd look, but she went over to the request board anyway. Fara’s eyes followed her. “I’m surprised. I never thought Myura would be doing adventurer work again. It’s been almost six years I think since I last saw her here in her gear. I thought she had retired and was happily working at that inn. Did something happen?” Fara asked me once Myura had moved out of hearing range.

“She wants to join up and work with me, I guess you could say? I kind of want to see how good she is before I agree though.” I explained.

“Really? You know she’s a Tier 3 and you’re only Tier 5, well not like that’s really a great judge of strength since a lot of people can get strong without ever registering. Usually higher rank adventurers don’t group with lower though.” Fara said.

“So you’re saying she’s pretty good then? Anyway I had something I was curious about. Does anyone here know anything about feathered serpent dragons and how they are as adults?” I questioned.

“Serpent Dragons? I know a little about them. Are you fine with just general information?” I nodded. “Alright, then their average level is about 30. Not really that strong. While they have high intellect and wisdom stats in comparison to other beasts their level, not many of the wild ones can actually cast spells. I’ve heard some Beastmasters that have raised them say good things about them as supporting partners since they’re small and can comfortably ride on their owner without any issue and then provide some extra magic firepower. That’s basically all I know. Most people that raise them, raise them with the intention of being a pet, not a fighter.” Fara said.

“That does help a bit, thanks. I have to decide how I want mine to grow. I’ve already for the most part ruled out making her grow toward physical stats but unsure if I want to let her grow natural or make her grow more mentally.” I replied.

“I’d recommend you to a Beastmaster, but none are around right now. There is one higher level one that is based in this town but he goes off for long expeditions regularly. He won’t be back for another two or three weeks at the earliest.” Fara stated.

“Yeah, I most definitely can’t wait around that long.” I saw that Myura had finally chosen a request and was making her way back over to us. “Oh, Myura is coming back, so we can end the conversation here.”

“Hello Fara. I’d like to take this request.” Myura handed the paper over.

“Alright, I’ll note it down for you. Good luck.” Fara replied.

“Thanks. My lady, we can leave now if you’re ready.” Myura said.

I ignored Fara’s widening eyes. “Yes, let’s get going. Bye Fara.”

Once we were out of the guild I decided to ask about the request. “Myura, what did you choose to hunt?”

“My lady, there are reports of a small group of Spike Apes that have moved into the woods to the east. It will likely take some travel to get there but it should be possible to get back to town around late afternoon or early evening. Is that alright with my lady?” Myura inquired.

“That’s fine. I have set aside the entire day for this if necessary.” I stated.

“I would also like to replenish my supplies. It’s been awhile since I left the town so I need to buy ingredients and drinks for your lunch.” Myura said.

“Once again, that’s alright. Also, It’s going to be our lunch, not just mine. Be sure to get enough for yourself as well.” I ordered.

“Yes, my lady.” Myura smiled and said.

After that I just followed Myura around as she shopped. I tried to give her money, but she insisted that she would use her own today. While I listened to her bargaining and the prices she was paying, I came to the conclusion that the money I had given her yesterday was likely not enough for what she came back with. She had probably used her own money yesterday as well to cover the difference.

Once the shopping was done, Myura spoke to me, “My lady, shall we rent a horse for traveling to the location?”

“I don’t think we need to. Would the horse even be able to travel into the woods?” I asked.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Myura had a slight grimace. “Likely not, my lady.”

“Then let us go on foot. I am used to traveling like so.” I said.

“As you say, my lady.” Myura nodded.

Afterwards, we met no problems leaving town through the eastern gate and Myura and I walked along the road for a while. I decided to open up some conversation to break the monotony. Plus I noticed that Myura was feeling very tense so I thought it help her loosen up a little. I’m not sure if it was just the fact that this was her first time fighting in a while or because she was with me, but I hoped some conversation would help. “Myura, what are Spike Apes?”

“My lady has never heard of them before?” I shook my head in response. “They are strong beasts around level 60. They also breed and multiply relatively quickly so it’s important to wipe them out as soon as possible when they are sighted.”

“Level 60? That’s quite a bit higher than the rest of the monsters in this area.” I replied.

“Yes, their habitat is quite far to the north. Occasionally a male and a few females will break off from that area and move to a new area to inhabit. This group was sighted only a few days ago, but they must have traveled a long ways to get to here. I’m astonished they weren’t seen and hunted sooner.” Myura explained.

“I see. Will you be alright fighting a group like that? You have yet to actually tell me your levels.” I said.

“Oh, that is true. I apologize my lady if I worried you unduly. I am a level 49 Sorceress and a level 43 Warrior. I have hunted a similar group of these before so there won’t be any issues.” Myura stated. “I have also yet to show you my weapon which was a grave mistake on my part. If we had been attacked while on the road I might not have been able to adequately protect you.” Saying so she opened the pouch on her right side and pulled out what was to my great surprise, a spear. I had been expecting a staff or maybe a sword or something like that. The spear was only about 1.5m long so it wasn’t that large. Actually, there wasn’t that much that stood out about the spear. It was just a wooden spear with a small metal point at the back end, and of course the larger spear head at the other end. The only thing that seemed clearly out of place was that, right below the spear head in the wood was what appeared to be an orb. Below that orb was a slightly smaller orb and then below that one was a much smaller orb. Does she use the spear itself as a magic focus?

“That’s an interesting choice of weapon. Can you use magic with it?” I inquired.

“Yes, but it’s not as effective as using a staff. My fighting style is a bit odd my lady.” Myura said embarrassedly. 

“I’m looking forward to seeing it then!” I exclaimed. Ahh, that might have been a mistake. I just made Myura even more tense.

“I will definitely meet my lady’s expectations!” Myura stated.

The rest of the journey I managed to make her relax a bit by letting her play with Coa. After about an hour or two, we entered the woods and started making our way deeper. We were attacked a few times by monsters, but Myura easily finished them off with simply a thrust of her spear so they weren’t really a good judge of her skill.

“My lady, we’re close to where the Spike Apes were seen. Please be careful from here on. I will definitely protect you though, so do not worry.” Myura said.

“Myura, please focus on yourself. I will make sure to not get involved in the fight, so put all your concentration on that.” I ordered.

Myura nodded unhappily. She’ll probably disobey that order in an instant if one of the the things goes for me.

It was another half an hour before we found one our targets. My first thought upon seeing it, was that their name was apt. It looked like a gorilla that had small spikes at its knuckles along with a mane of spikes around it’s head. It’s small tail was also covered with spikes. Wait, aren’t apes not supposed to have tails?

My errant thought was interrupted by a roar from the monster, followed by it rushing forward at us. Myura met it’s charge with one of her own and crashed into it while thrusting the spear in one hand. The thrust caught the monster in the chest. The monster tried to punch out with its fist, but Myura met it’s punch with the back of her left gauntlet.  Myura withdrew her spear and as soon as she did, a spike of ice shot into the wound she had just left. The monster roared again and tried to grapple Myura, but again she met the attack head on by slashing with the spear and blocking with the gauntlet.

Unlike my own fighting style that prioritized dodging, it didn’t look like she would bother doing so. She exchanged blows with the monster while steadily wounding it with slashes and thrusts as the openings presented themselves. Occasionally a blast of some magic would also land on the monster, usually following an attack Myura had just done. She was using magic with a lot of precision rather than power. Which made sense really given her fighting style. If she went with some powerful fireball or something with how close she was, she’d just end up wounding herself.

What surprised me the most was how smoothly she was moving and exchanging blows with the monster without taking any damage herself. As someone with most of their levels as a Sorceress, I would expect her to be less physically fit. If I had to judge by my own standards, I’d compare her to a player that had a Physique value of about 150 to 200, which was ridiculous. If she had all those levels in a physical fighting class it might be possible, but split with something like a magic class?

After a few furious minutes of fighting the monster was dead and Myura was breathing heavily. “I’m quite impressed Myura. Are you okay? Did you overexert yourself?” Based on what Myura said earlier, there should still be another two or three of them to fight. Plus with how loud this one was, I’m sure the others are going to be coming soon.

“I’m… alright… just… a bit… out of... practice.” Her words were drawn out due to her taking breaths. “This one was only one of the females. The male will be larger and more vicious, especially now that one of its mates was killed.”

A loud screech followed by a roar was heard in the distance. “Do you require assistance for the others Myura?” I asked.

“No, my lady. I am ready for them now.” Myura answered. She readied her spear and took a stance.

The first to come out was one that was similar in appearance to the one that Myura had already killed. It was very slightly smaller, but that didn’t make much difference since it was still basically the size of a gorilla. Following behind it though, was a much larger one. Probably a good half meter or more taller than it. Unlike the females it didn’t just have spikes but it also had long claws as well as two large spikes jutting out of its shoulders and elbows. It finished off the look with large horns that came up out of its head. It gave out a ferocious roar when it saw the corpse of the female and rushed at Myura.

Myura met it calmly like she had the female. She took its charge head on and extended her spear as far away from her as it would go and then exploded a fireball right at the tip. The beast barreled right through the flame, and Myura was forced to guard against a punch that came her way. She stumbled backwards from the force but quickly steadied herself and blocked the next blow that immediately followed without flinching. The problem was that the other female wasn’t going to wait around doing nothing. It came at Myura from her side and she was forced to step back to give herself more room. As she stepped back, she tapped the bottom of the spear against the ground and the earth erupted where she had just been standing. It threw the female up into the air and it came crashing back down into the earth with a cry.

The female was struggling to get back to its feet, but the male paid it little mind other than to roar loudly and continue its barrage of blows against Myura. She was on the defensive. The beast wasn’t giving her any time with which to counter. At least while that was how it appeared to be at first glance, Myura was actually leading it around. Where was she leading it to though? I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary for her to take advantage of in that direction. It’s just the same trees that are all around us. About all she was doing was leading it further away from me. Oh, was she going to do something big and flashy and doesn’t want me to get caught up in it?

My guess turned out to be right on the nose. After she had gotten to about thirty meters away I felt a large rush of magic suddenly converge on her. For the first time in the fight, she dodged a blow by falling backwards to the ground while simultaneously thrusting her spear upwards. The spear went into the monster’s upper chest and then there was an explosion of ice. The ice shot up into the monster like a giant icicle piercing through its body. It struggled to escape but the ice was already lifting it off the ground while digging deeper through its body. The monster started slamming its fists at the ice and I could see cracks start to form. It was then that the ice exploded sending shards flying upwards into the beast while dropping it the ground. Many shards missed though and went past it up into the air before falling back to the ground. I looked at Myura but she had covered herself with a layer of earth and the shards could only impact it harmlessly. The beast was covered in wounds, not to mention the large hole in its chest and it finally collapsed dead.

Myura quickly rolled out of her makeshift shelter and went toward the still unsteady female and finished it off with some spells without getting close. Afterwards she fell down out of exhaustion. I walked over to her and like earlier it seemed like she had greatly overexerted herself. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing heavily. What I could see of her body showed she was covered in sweat. Also, I hadn’t noticed it when she was fighting, but she was now holding her left arm in an odd way. It wouldn’t surprise me if she had injured it, taking all those punches.

“Myura are you alright?” I asked. If it was just exhaustion then there was nothing I could do other than getting her some water.

She opened her eyes to look at me. “I’ll… be… okay… my lady. That… attack… takes… a lot… out… of… me.”

“You performed excellently! Rest for now.” I said.

Her eyes closed again and a small smile could be seen on her face. Her chest was heaving with her attempts to draw in air.

She had done much better than I had expected her to. Once she was recovered, I needed to ask her about how she was fighting so proficiently.

It was then that there was another roar coming from the woods. I hadn’t noticed it because I had been so focused on Myura’s fight but another two Spike Apes came out of the trees, one male and one female.

Myura’s eyes had opened as soon as she heard the roar. She was desperately trying to lift herself back to her feet. “My... lady… please… run… I’ll… hold… them… back.”

Of course, I didn’t listen to her. I stepped between Myura and the apes. I had my back turned to the apes. “Myura, lie down and don’t move. I’m not going to let you do something silly like sacrificing yourself for my sake. I don’t like those kind of things at all.”

“But… my… lady…” Myura gasped out. “My… lady… watch… out!”

I heard the small sound of my shield taking a hit. I turned to look and the male had its fist near my body. It was looking at me confused. I kicked Myura’s spear up into my hand from the ground. “Myura, I’ll be borrowing this for a short while.” I turned around and stabbed it straight into the monster’s head, killing it instantly. Afterwards I kicked the beast, throwing it off the spear and back into a tree. The female tried to follow up on the attack of the male, but it was much too slow, and I killed it with another thrust. “See, Myura? Nothing to be concerned about.”

I turned back towards her. She was holding herself barely off the ground with her elbows and staring at me with an expression dyed with despair.