Dream Life Chapter 39.2: “Actual Battle”

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“Is Rob all right? He looked hurt?” (Zack)

　Rob was crouched on his right leg, sweating and still in pain.

　I confirmed that I had enough magic MP and cast a healing spell.

“I’m going to cast a healing spell. Let me see your injury.” (Zack)

　The shin of his right leg was swollen. It was not broken, but it seemed to be badly bruised.

“O Arbor, God of Wood who created the forests. Spirit that nurtures life, heal my wounds. I offer the power of my life as payment. With the power of healing, Heal.” (Zack)

　The swelling in Rob’s leg gradually went down, and his expression became more peaceful.

“I think it’s healed now, but does it still hurt?” (Zack)

　He shakes his head at my words.

“Young master Zacharias is really as amazing as they say. Thank you so much for your help.” (Rob)

　He bowed his head several times, but I stopped him with my hand and asked, “Hector, is anyone else hurt?” He smiles and shakes his head, “Just Rob.”

　I feel my nerves break right there, and I almost slump in place.

　I look behind me and see that all three of Mel and the others are sitting on the ground, and it seems that the tension has already been broken. The three of them were staring vacantly at the corpses of the goblins they had defeated.

　I went over to the three of them and checked over them one by one.

“Mel, that blow you just delivered to the arm was like Grandfather’s. You did a great job.” (Zack)

　Mel’s face lit up with happiness at my words.

　Next, I headed for Dan.

“It’s not every day you get to cross an enemy with a dagger. Still, your arrows were dead accurate.” (Zack)

　Dan nodded, smiling.

　Then I sat down in front of Sharon, who was looking absentminded.

“The magic you just did was amazing. Even I could only kill one with one shot, but to kill two with one spell.” (Zack)

　Sharon did not react much to my words. On the contrary, suddenly she moved close to me, she began to tremble.

　I take hold of her hand with my left, which is untainted by goblin blood, and ask,

“Was it scary at the end? I was too. Even us who were trained by Grandfather, we were scared, but… There are no more goblins, so don’t worry.” (Zack)

　Sharon had tears in her eyes, but she seemed to calm down a bit when she noticed my hand.

　After confirming that the three of us had calmed down, I asked Hector if I could wash off the blood on the riverbank,

“Understood. Guy! Rob! You’re to escort Master Zack and the others.” (Hector)

　We headed for the banks of the Woodford River, where the goblins were hanging out, and there we cleaned off the goblin blood from our hands and bodies with a hand towel.

　Mel, who had cut off an arm, had the most blood on her, and her face was dotted with blood as well.

　I also had blood stuck to my right hand and chest area, and it was hard to get it off.

　When I got some of it off, I noticed that the smell was still there.

“Let’s go take a bath after we get home. The smell would not come off unless we bathe in hot water.” (Zack)

　I rinsed the blood off my sword and wiped it with a cloth, and suddenly the feeling of stabbing the goblin to death came back to me. I looked at my own hand.

(It was the first time I killed a humanoid monster with my own hands… I don’t feel guilty or repulsed. But I don’t like that sensation, that complicated feeling when it pierces the skin cuts through the flesh and severs the bone. …I wonder if I’ll ever kill someone with my own hands one day…) (Zack)

　As I stared at my hands, Sharon called out to me in concern.

　She was in the back, so she didn’t get any return blood, but she was following along with me.

“Did you hurt your hand? Are you okay?” (Sharon)

　She looks into my face and worries about me.

　I laughed and said, “I’m fine.” I showed her the palm of my hand, said, “Thanks for worrying about me,” and patted Sharon’s head with a pat, pat.

　She blushed and mumbled that she was glad.

　After finishing wiping the blood off the sword, we returned to the area where the battle had taken place.

　The goblin corpses were gathered in one place, and Will was collecting the magic stones.

　Hector taught the other three how to retrieve the magic stones, and each of them helped. As expected, they could not do it in one shot, but after repeating it several times, all three of them were able to successfully retrieve the magic stones.

　Then, each of them received the magic stone of the goblin they had defeated as a souvenir, and the three of us were happy to show it to each other.

　As I stood in front of the pile of goblin corpses, I thought about Mel and the other three.

(All three of them, including Sharon, are adapting to the situation. Perhaps it’s because they don’t have the common sense of a Japanese like me, but it’s amazing that they can smile in front of the bloody corpses of monsters. I’m probably the least able to adapt out of all of us…) (Zack)

　Thinking that the smell of blood will attract other monsters, I take out my magic stone and immediately set off for the village.

　On the way, Rob, the hunter, spotted a single magnificent stag.

　The stag was about a hundred meters away, and he approached it cautiously, hiding his huge body well. I watched him carefully as he approached.

(He is indeed a hunter. The wary deer was unaware of his presence. I guess his level of Stealth and Detection is pretty high…) (ZAck)

　When he gets close to about 30 meters, the deer senses danger and starts looking around.

(That was thirty meters, right? It’s a good distance, but there’s nothing you can’t hit at that distance… where is Rob?) (Zack)

　While I’m focused on the deer, Rob is hiding in the grass, out of sight and invisible. So I had completely lost sight of him. Like me, the stag seemed puzzled by the presence that disappeared.

(The skill of concealment is pretty tricky. If a wild deer can’t detect the whereabouts of even Rob’s huge body, I, as an amateur, would be completely taken by surprise. I’ll try to improve my Detection and Stealth skills as much as I can…) (Zack)

　The stag seems to decide that he was mistaken and starts grazing again.

　Just as the stag’s head was in the grass, Rob stood up and fired an arrow.

　When the stag saw Rob standing up, it let out a whistle-like squeal of a bleep and tried to run away with a leap.

　However, Rob released the arrow a split second earlier, and it hit the stag in the hindquarters accurately.

　The stag limped away, but was unable to avoid Rob’s next arrow because it had shot through his hind leg, the key to his leaping ability. A second arrow pierced the stag’s neck, and the deer went down with a thud.

　Hector and the rest of the group were happy to have hunted a big one, but the hunt was making me think about what I wanted to be.

(I don’t want to be a warrior. Rather than a fair fight, I should aim to outwit and outmaneuver my opponents. For that purpose, the skills of Detection and Stealth would be useful. Both of them must have been at talent level 3, so I should be pretty good at them. But who can I learn it from…) (Zack)

　Unfortunately, I can only see my own skills using References.

(I guess I’ll have to ask my grandfather. I wonder how he’d react if I told him I wanted to master the skills of a scout?) (Zack)

　After the stag was dealt with, we proceeded through the forest again, but without encountering any monsters, and arrived at the village without incident.

　Rob offers me the deer he killed, saying it was a thank you for the healing spell.

　I refused because the bruised leg should be treated, but Rob doesn’t show the any sign of backing down, “It’s how I feel. Will you accept it?”

　I was at a loss, so I said, “I’ll take a piece of the meat. Could you deliver it to me tomorrow?” But he was not convinced. Guy intervened and finally agreed to bring me the best part of the meat in the best condition.

　After parting with Rob, I asked Guy why he was so obsessed with it.

“If you get hurt so badly that you can’t move in the woods, it will lead to your death. This time, Hector, myself, and Will were there, so he won’t die, But for a hunter, having his injuries healed in the forest is the equivalent of having his life saved.” (Guy)

　The situation is the same not only for hunters but also for adventurers, and the survival rate of a party with a healer and a party without one is said to vary greatly.

“If Master Zack becomes an adventurer, he will be in great demand. If he can use a sword, attack magic, and Recovery Magic, I think he could join even the most prestigious parties at your age.” (Guy)

　Generally speaking, the ratio of healers to the population is about one in a hundred. Furthermore, healers are very important to the village and are highly valued. For this reason, few become adventurers risking their lives, and their population is low to begin with.

　Adventurer parties usually consist of four to six people, and if all parties were to seek healers, the demand would be overwhelmingly outstripped by the supply.

　Furthermore, if a healer who is not good at fighting were to join a small party, the strength of the party would be reduced at once, so healers who can fight are very popular.

　In fact, many adventurers and mercenary healers also serve as archers, so they are not defenseless as I thought they would be.

(I see. I guess a healer like Liddy, who is also a first-rate archer and can also use offensive magic, is very valuable. Healers in this village don’t go into the forest, and if they are injured so badly that they can’t be moved deep into the forest, they will have to die. …Still, one whole deer is too much.) (Zack)

　Once back at the compound, I report to my grandfather about the battle with the goblins.

　When Hector reported our battle results, my grandfather was unusually surprised.

“Zack killed one each by magic and sword, but Sharon killed two by magic, and Mel and Dan each killed one by blades. I almost forget how old they are.” (Govan)

　Hector reported further about me.

“I wasn’t surprised that Master Zack defeated the goblins, but the way he instructed Mel and the others was like watching a veteran commander. Will was also moving under Master Zack’s direction… and if he has that kind of overview, it is not surprising that he will be in a position to lead an army in the future…” (Hector)

　Hector seemed to be watching me exactly since the beginning.

　I was listening to his report feeling and bashful, but then I saw my own bloodstained figure.

“Grandpa, I have nothing to report, so I’m going to take a bath.” (Zack)

　I joined Mel and the others and headed for the public bathhouse south of Castle Hill.

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