Dream Life Chapter 38: “East Forest”

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 At 4:00 p.m., after seeing real combat for the first time, the Zack Quartet returned safely to Castle Hill.

 

 Sharon, who was pale at first, was in good spirits when the village came into sight. Mel and Dan were apparently terrified of their first battle, but with their childlike adaptability, they were talking about the battle from the moment we entered the village.

 

 

 I was holding Sharon’s hand and thinking.

 

 

(The wild dogs are as weak as goblins. Still, I was left cowering in fear…) (Zack)

 

 

 I fundamentally didn’t understand the idea of fighting for my life. The other party was direct with the intention of killing me. I was frightened by the pure intent to kill that was directed at me.

 

 In peaceful Japan, it is unlikely that anyone would ever have the intention to kill me and to kill me seriously.

 

 

(The enemy I might face in the future is someone who would challenge the gods. Can I keep calm once such a person’s murderous intent is directed at me…?) (Zack)

 

 

 

 Back at the mansion, Guy goes on to explain to my grandfather and father what happened in the forest.

 

 When Guy apologizes for putting me in danger, my grandfather gives a small shake of his head.

 

 

“It’s normal to be in danger in the forest. And with you guys with him. There was no real danger. Isn’t that right, Zack?” (Govan)

 

 

 I could only nod in agreement. If I had said anything, I would have confessed that I was trembling with fear and made Guy and the others feel responsible.

 

 As Guy and the others backed away, I proceeded to tell my grandfather what I felt.

 

 

“…the wild dogs, the enemy, felt so horrible. I never thought the will to kill me would be so intense. …Am I a coward?” (Zack)

 

 

 My grandfather listened to my story in silence, neither laughing nor getting angry. When I finished, he began to speak slowly.

 

 

 

“Let me tell you about my first battle. I was 13 years old when I went into battle. At the time, I was a new squire in the garrison of Welburn, the capital of the County of Roswell…” (Govan)

 

 

 My grandfather began to tell me the story of his first battle, not of the horror I had felt.

 

 My grandfather was born into a family of soldiers in the northern province of the Empire of Caelum, the Count of the Roswell Frontier territory, and at the age of twelve, he joined the Knight Order as an apprentice.

 

 

 He was confident in his skills from that time and was assigned to the garrison as a squire in just one year, as he could fight on equal terms with a fifteen-year-old squire.

 

 

 The northern part of the Caelum Empire was basically a peaceful land, although the emperor in the imperial capital sometimes sent his troops to the Holy Kingdom of Lux in the north at his whim.

 

 His grandfather was born a commoner, but became a squire at the age of thirteen, and was said to have grown in stature.

 

 

 At that time, there were frequent cases of caravans being attacked by bandits around Welburn.

 

 About 100 companies were dispatched from the garrison to subdue, and their grandfather was also selected.

 

 The bandits had the cruelty of killing all, including escorts and merchants. However, on the other hand, he also has the cunning of skillfully inviting the subjugation team to the hilly area where the visibility is not clear, and the subjugation team is at the mercy of the bandits.

 

 

 Grandfather’s squad was acting as a scout team to search for the bandits’ whereabouts and was separated from the main squad.

 

 The bandits ambushed the scouts and attacked with several times the force. Outnumbered and taken by surprise, the scouts were cut down and killed before they had time to fight back.

 

 

 My grandfather was so terrified that his body would not listen to him, and he was prepared to die if he was killed here.

 

 But the bandits were cunning. They intentionally let my grandfather, who was still a child, escape and tried to lead the main group away. Grandfather was unaware of this and returned to the main group, half-crying.

 

 

 The commander of the strike team, the company commander, saw through the bandits’ trap and diverted one platoon behind the bandits while making it look like he was rushing to the scene.

 

 

 My grandfather was assigned to the company commander’s squad after his own squad was wiped out, and he watched his command behavior closely. At first, he could not forgive the company commander for abandoning his own people, but he changed his mind when he saw the company commander destroying the bandit group in a subsequent battle and weeping in front of the bodies of the scouts.

 

 

“…You need to make calm decisions on the battlefield. You protected your young comrades in your first battle, and you watched the battle even more calmly. There is no shame in feeling fear. He who does not feel fear cannot be truly strong. My first battle was terrible. I was so afraid that I could not do anything, I might have put my allies in trouble. Compared to that, you have done well. You’ll get over your fear.” (Govan)

 

 

 My grandfather’s words made me feel a little better.

 

 I was relieved to hear that my grandfather, who had risen to knighthood on the strength of his sword, was not the only one who had felt fear in his first battle.

 

 

 But I don’t know if the story is true. It could have been made up to empower me.

 

 Still, I felt that my grandfather’s empathy for my thoughts would help me overcome my fear.

 

 

 When I left my grandfather, Liddy was waiting for me.

 

 

“I heard you had your first fight. How was it?” She was talking to me mischievously, but I could see on her face that she was worried about me.

 

 

“I was scared. I’m still talking to my grandfather about it. To be honest, I’m not sure I’m cut out for fighting.” (Zack)

 

 

 

“I guess you’re right. I don’t expect you to become a warrior like Govie anytime soon. But that doesn’t mean you’re not cut out for fighting. You just don’t have enough experience. You will get stronger as you gain experience. I guarantee it.” (Liddy)

 

 

 Liddy looked a little amused by the seriousness of my expression.

 

 

“Thank you. I’m going to go to the forest as much as I can from now on. At least I don’t want Liddy and the others to get hurt because I was cowering in fear.” (Zack)

 

 

 Liddy laughed at my words but soon became serious.

 

 

“I’m glad to hear that, but you mustn’t push yourself too far, and you mustn’t get carried away. You’re too quick to get carried away.” (Liddy)

 

 

 She hugs me as she says this.

 

 

“I’ll try not to push myself too hard, but I’m worried about Sharon. Mel and Dan seemed to be doing okay, but Sharon was pretty scared.” (Zack)

 

 

 Liddy laughs a little,

 

 

“I’m sure she’ll be fine. You were with her, weren’t you? Then she’ll have good memories for the future.” (Liddy)

 

 

 I had no idea what she was talking about, but the next day Sharon came to the house with a smile on her face, just like any other day.

 

 The only change was that she wanted to learn swordsmanship.

 

 I asked her why.

 

 

“I was scared yesterday, so I wanted to become stronger… So, I wouldn’t be afraid of getting in the way of Master Zack…” (Sharon)

 

 

 I was embarrassed by her words but immediately went to talk to my grandfather about it.

 

 

“Sharon is a mage. The basic plan is for self-defense. If that is the case, it would be better to learn from Lydia, whose fighting style is different from mine and Mel’s, which is to defeat enemies with a sword.” (Govan)

 

 

 When I mentioned this to Liddy.

 

 

“Govie is right. The purpose of a rearguard’s swordsmanship is to deal with the enemy’s attacks. I will teach her in between magic training.” (Liddy)

 

 

 From that day on, Sharon learned sword and magic from Liddy.

 

 

 Liddy uses a short, one-handed sword, with which she plays down swords and thrusts with quick movements. With her weak muscles, she does not have the slashing speed of my grandfather, but she uses a lightweight sword with minimal movement, making it quite difficult to attack.

 

 In fact, even in a mock battle with my father, who is about level 30, she can get to a pretty good vantage if she stays on the defensive.

 

 

 Sharon was a little intimidated at first, but she came to be able to handle a sword rather easily, probably because she watched us train every day.

 

 

 

 

 Training in the forest was added to our daily routine.

 

 Guy or Hector would accompany us into the forest, and after a month we began to go into the relatively dangerous East Forest.

 

 

 Then, on July 7. Finally, our second actual battle was to take place.

 

 

 The day was hot and humid from the morning, so much so that we were sweating after the morning drill.

 

 After hearing the bell ring at 8:00 a.m., we headed for the eastern forest with Hector, Guy, Will, and Rob the hunter. We descended Castle Hill and entered the forest through the south side of the reservoir.

 

 

 Compared to the West Forest, the forest is thick with trees, and even in the summer sun, the forest is dimly lit, and visibility is poor.

 

 Rob, a large, silent hunter with a beard, leads the way through the forest, knocking down underbrush and bushes as he goes.

 

 

 Hector follows behind Rob, then us, Will, and Guy.

 

 I was equipped with a short sword, not short for me, and a small round shield. I have no armor that fits, just a leather hat, vest, and gloves.

 

 Mel has no shield, only a sword, Dan has a short bow and dagger from practice, and Sharon has a dagger for self-defense.

 

 

 This is only our third time in the East Forest, and we all walk behind Hector with nervous faces.

 

 Today we plan to stretch our legs near the base of the Aquila Mountains, entering an even more dangerous zone than usual.

 

 

 With the noisy chirping of cicadas as our background music, we continue east through the forest for four hours until we reach the upper reaches of the Woodford River.

 

 

 The Woodford River is about five meters wide and clear, with large boulders rolling in its path.

 

 The green of the trees reflected on the surface of the river, and the fish glistened as the mid-day sun shone on the riverbed.

 

 

 We were tired from our trek through the deep forest. However, since there were no instructions from Hector, the captain, we stood, not sitting down, waiting for instructions.

 

 

 Hector looked around and announced that we would rest here.

 

 

“We’ll rest here. Guy and Rob, check the surroundings for danger. Will, stay close to Master Zack and the others. Master Zack, there are many monsters in this area, so be on your guard.” (Hector)

 

 

 I nodded, and then I warned Mel and the others to be on their guard.

 

 

“Dan, Mel, Sharon, you too, be on your guard. You must obey my orders. You understand?” (Zack)

 

 

 The three of them replied cheerfully, “”Yes!””

 

 

“As soon as Guy and Rob return, we will eat here. Master Zack, please take a break.” (Hector)

 

 

 Guy and Rob soon returned and reported that we were out of danger.

 

 We drop our backpacks and sit down.

 

 As I unloaded my pack, I looked at the forest, full of life.

 

 

(I’m tired, indeed. I’ve never been this far before. It’s still an amazing virgin forest. It’s completely untouched by human hands.) (Zack)

 

 

 As usual, I spread out my lunch made by Molly, the head maid.

 

 Recently, both Mel and Sharon seem to be adding their own dishes to the mix, and they share them with me. Sometimes the food has a weird taste, but it is well done for a girl of about eight years old.

 

 

 We rest for an hour or so and begin to follow the river back to the village.

 

 The Woodford River flows into Black Pond, a river with abundant water that often attracts wildlife for a drink.

 

 On the way back, Rob, the hunter, was the only one ahead of us as we proceeded in search of prey.

 

 

 Hector, walking in front of us, quietly raises his hand and lays himself down.

 

 We also silently lay down, but all four of us scurried around, not knowing what was going on.

 

 Guy and Will joined Hector from behind, checking the situation.

 

 

“Rob seems to have found something. It doesn’t look like prey. Until Rob comes back, Will, please escort Master Zack and the others. Guy, I want you to be ready to cover Rob at any time.” (Hector)

 

 

 I didn’t see it, but it seemed that Rob had spotted something ahead of us and signaled to Hector.

 

 After a few moments of hiding, we heard a rustling sound, and we tensed up, wondering if a monster had appeared. But it was Rob who appeared.

 

 

“There are goblins in front of us. There are more than ten of them. What do we do, Master Hector?” (Rob)

 

 

 Rob reported in a slightly accented voice and waited for Hector’s decision.

 

 

“Guy, I need an exact count. Do a reconnaissance.” (Hector)

 

 

 As he does so, he licks his finger and points it upward, perhaps to check the direction of the wind.

 

 

“If we’re going to go around, we’ll have to go upwind. Rob, Will, depending on the numbers, be ready to fight.” (Hector)

 

 

 They nodded, and Hector turned to me.

 

 

“It depends on the numbers, but if it’s twenty or so, we’ll annihilate them.” (Hector)

 

 

 I thought about Mel and the others, and asked, “Is it impossible to avoid them?”

 

 

“If we don’t cross the river, we will be crossing upwind, and there is a risk that the enemy will notice us and attack us. In that case, I think it would be less dangerous to attack by surprise and destroy them all at once.” (Hector)

 

 

“I understand. I’ll leave it to Hector’s judgment,” I said and nodded.

 

 

 Hector nodded back at me and then gave instructions to the four of us.

 

 

“Around here, it should be about twenty to thirty. If that’s the number if they are that many, Master Zack, please attack them with magic. Sharon and Master Zack will also use magic. Dan, you take aim with your bow at the enemies we missed. Mel, protect Sharon.” (Hector)

 

 

 We nodded quietly and began to prepare ourselves.

 

 

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