ALL NOVEL Chapter 32
Shione crumpled her expression as she watched more than 80% of her shots go off target.
It looked like the face of a child throwing a tantrum because things weren’t going her way.
Hitting the enemies, who were rampaging like that, with a bow wasn’t an easy task.
So it wasn’t surprising that her arrows were getting stuck in the ground or trees.
Since she had only just started shooting, aiming for the tiny head of that little goblin was bound to lead to misses.
“With the distance and the target size, it’s not surprising that you’re missing. Next time, aim for the relatively larger torso instead of the head.”
“But still…”
“You’ve only just picked up a bow, and your opponents won’t wait around for you to take your shot.”
“Um.”
“So, rather than practicing to hit a small head from the start, it would be better for you to focus on making valid hits first.”
“I understand. I’ll do that.”
At my words, Shione agreed, letting go of her stubborn desire to aim for the head.
I had been worried about what to do if she insisted on only aiming for the head, so I was quite relieved.
I glanced around, surveying where Shione’s arrows had landed.
She really had shot a lot. Many arrows had missed the goblins and were stuck in various places or lying on the ground.
At this point, it was commendable that she hadn’t pierced any of our allies nearby.
I had a rough idea of where the arrows were.
“I’ll go recover any usable arrows.”
“…It’s troublesome because of me. I’ll help too.”
“Then I’ll take care of this side.”
“In that case, I’ll gather the ones from over there.”
Shione and I went about collecting arrows.
We didn’t bother picking up arrows that were stuck in the trees or had damaged tips.
We had plenty of arrows from our supplies, so it was fine not to be overly cautious.
After gathering arrows with Shione and returning to the carriage, it wasn’t long before the carriage started moving forward again.
Dealing with the goblins didn’t take much time.
We were getting closer to the Beltlin Mountain Range.
*
We arrived at the Beltlin Mountain Range.
The mountains glowed green, basking in the warm summer sunlight.
As it was a season of life awakening, the mountains must have been teeming with mountain bugs and various creatures. The green monsters and wolves would likely fill the mountains as well.
Our real hardships began from the point where the carriage could no longer advance.
Carrying the supplies, we entered the mountain in a long procession.
Even establishing a simple base took considerable time.
Moreover, the blazing sun made what was already tedious and tiring even more torturous.
‘Of course, I secretly left the bags I couldn’t fit to Bronte.’
I was struggling enough on my own.
If it weren’t for my newly made kind friend, Bronte, I would have truly been in trouble.
Thanks to that, by the time we had built our base, both Shione and I were completely exhausted.
“I can’t take this anymore…”
Saying that, Shione went towards a nearby tree.
The tree’s shade blocked out the sunlight, and a cool breeze began to blow.
Without hesitation, she leaned against the tree and sat down.
“If only we could rest all day and then head back.”
“You have 20 minutes left of break time.”
“…I know well enough without you telling me.”
Shione puffed her cheeks, making a pouty face.
Just then, someone approached us.
It was probably Siabel.
Among the soldiers, there weren’t any who were friendly with Shione.
Besides, there wouldn’t be any reason for them to start a conversation with her.
So the person who would come looking for Shione was certainly predetermined.
Just as expected.
“Siabel, sister!”
Siabel Shianella appeared before us.
Upon confirming her sister, Shione lifted her heavy body to greet her.
“What’s going on?”
“I came to let you know that the teams have been decided.”
“Teams, you say…?”
Shione’s complexion deteriorated instantly.
It seemed she was already getting the chills at the thought of climbing the mountain with unfamiliar people.
Shione was exceptionally averse to talking or traveling with strangers.
Was it because of her strong sense of vigilance?
Her appearance was closer to that of a puppy, yet her behavior was exactly what you’d expect from a cat.
Fortunately, Shione’s expression brightened shortly after.
Since not only ordinary soldiers but also knights who handled mana were dispatched, several teams had been formed centered around the knights.
Siabel, being aware of Shione’s feelings, took her into her own team.
After delivering her message, Siabel turned sharply back toward the other soldiers.
In that moment,
“Hmm.”
Siabel’s gaze landed on me.
It was reminiscent of the look Ainel Shianella had given me when she first saw me.
Her cold and heavy blue eyes seemed to pierce through my innermost thoughts.
While she had been friendly when talking to Shione, why was she suddenly looking at me like that?
I tried to respond calmly to Siabel’s gaze.
“…Is there something you wish to say to me?”
“No, not particularly. It’s nothing.”
What on earth, to be staring like that without anything to say?
I was unnecessarily getting nervous.
After that brief incident, the break time ended, and we finally began to search the mountain for monsters.
*
Should I call it fortunate? The terrain of the mountains wasn’t too treacherous, making the ascent not as difficult as I had feared.
Of course, that was just a relative statement, and the glaring sun and heat couldn’t be ignored. It was still exhausting.
Having become a servant of a noble house, I had thought I would be spending my life cleaning and maintaining the mansion.
But looking at my current state, it was hard to tell whether I was a servant learning domestic work or a mercenary.
It has been quite some time since we started wandering the mountains.
“Lady Siabel, I’ve found traces of goblins. They seem to be close by.”
Finally, one soldier had succeeded in locating monsters.
The enemy was that weak goblin, but it was a perfect training target for Shione.
There were not many, and it wasn’t necessary for Siabel to engage, so a few soldiers with us joined Shione in confronting them.
As Shione retrieved an arrow from her quiver, Siabel’s gaze followed her intently.
It seemed Siabel had not seen Shione shoot at the shooting range much.
It was probably fascinating to her that Shione drew a bow.
Taking a deep breath, Shione nocked an arrow.
I offered Shione one more piece of advice.
“Goblins can be incapacitated by hitting their bodies instead of aiming for their heads, so feel free to aim for the body.”
“Okay.”
With a small nod, Shione pulled back the bowstring.
I expected her to release it in a sliding release again, but she held the draw for a moment to aim more confidently.
Shione, you’ve finally graduated from the mindless sliding release.
As Shione’s calm gaze met the goblin, it turned its body towards her.
As soon as the goblin caught sight of Shione,
Phew!!
The arrow shot out swiftly.
“Kek!! Kieee!!”
The goblin began screaming as if it were facing the end of the world.
Shione’s arrow, which had once only sliced through the air, successfully pierced through the goblin’s green skin.
Caught by the intense pain in its belly, the goblin could do nothing but scream.
Thanks to that, other goblins turned their attention to its cries.
“Let’s take care of them quickly.”
“I’ll handle the ones over there.”
The soldiers also drew their swords and charged at the goblins.
Perhaps because she felt she had successfully hit her target, Shione wore a slightly excited expression.
“I’ll take care of the goblins that come close, so just shoot comfortably.”
“Will you really do that?”
“Leave it to me.”
“Okay, I’ll trust you.”
With me ensuring her safety, Shione’s focus completely shifted towards her target, ignoring everything around her.
She seemed to have fallen into her own world.
To ensure her concentration wasn’t broken, I kept watch around us.
“Kek!!”
From afar, the goblin’s sharp screech echoed.
A goblin was charging at us, dodging the gazes of other soldiers.
Since Shione was aiming at a different goblin, it didn’t seem like she could deal with the one rushing towards us right away.
“…What a bother.”
I muttered under my breath while nocking an arrow to my bowstring.
Dealing with a defenseless charging goblin was as simple as putting an arrow through its head.
Unlike Shione, I immediately released the arrow using the sliding release.
Phew!!
“Kek…!”
The arrow pierced right through the center of its forehead.
The goblin that had been charging at us fell forward and collapsed.
It felt satisfying to both draw the bow after a while and see a clean hit.
With Shione protected, it didn’t take long before all those goblins were rolling in the dirt.
“Good job.”
“How about it, feeling a bit more confident now?”
I nodded at Shione’s words.
Most of her arrows shot from dozens of meters away had hit the body.
I had thought she would miss a lot more than this.
Even with the body of a superhuman awakened to mana, this result was quite impressive.
“Not just a little but significantly improved. The archers might get jealous.”
“The archers?”
“What archer could shoot so skillfully in such a short time?”
“At least I appreciate the compliment.”
Shione’s lips curled up toward her ears as she spoke.
It seemed my words had filled her desire for recognition.
I led that Shione back to where Siabel was.
As if she had been waiting for us, Siabel immediately spoke to Shione.
“Shione, your shooting skills are quite remarkable.”
At those words, Siabel’s gaze, for some reason, was fixed on me, who was lurking behind Shione.
As if Shione alone wasn’t enough, what was with this girl…?