"Rei!?"
Mirene’s scream echoed across the battlefield.
Her eyes were fixed on the scene where Rei was shielding Basrero, covering the boy with his own body and leaving his back completely exposed to the Icebirds. It was a horrific sight—several ice arrows had driven deep into that defenseless back.
The damage from such a volley seemed like it should have been lethal. For a fleeting second, the thought that Rei had been killed flashed through Mirene’s mind.
"That hurts, you damned poultry!"
The very next moment, Rei whirled around with a roar of fury. A single, sweeping strike of his Death Scythe lashed out, cleaving through an Icebird before it could even register a protest.
The sheer speed and sharpness of the blow were terrifying. The bisected Icebird actually took a few stumbling steps forward before its body slid apart, spilling gore and viscera onto the frozen ground as its life flickered out.
"Wait... what? How!?"
Mirene stared, utterly bewildered. She had seen the ice arrows sink into Rei’s back with her own eyes. Nearly ten of them. Yet he was wielding his great scythe as if he hadn't felt a thing.
The Icebirds circling the wagon weren't about to overlook her confusion.
"Kikikiki!"
Two Icebirds, their beaks coated in magical frost, dove toward Mirene, aiming their ice blades straight for her throat.
"Mirene, look out!"
Ekryl’s arrow whistled through the air, joined by a shield held by one of the reinforcement adventurers. The small shield—crafted from wood and leather for maneuverability rather than heavy defense—caught the impact of the Icebird’s beak. An instant later, the adventurer slammed his shield down, pinning the monster to the earth before crushing its skull underfoot.
"Mirene, you're the leader of this relief unit! Get a grip!"
The adventurer’s sharp reprimand snapped her back to reality. Mirene hurriedly scanned the area.
The battle was almost won. Less than twenty Icebirds remained. As long as they stayed focused, the rest of the unit should be able to finish the job without further casualties.
"Rei! I'm sorry, but keep an eye on Basrero!"
"I’ve got him... hup!"
Rei swung the Death Scythe again, bisecting another bird and drenching the ground in a fresh coat of blood and guts.
But he was limited. All Rei could do now was pick off any monsters that dared to approach him and the boy. He couldn't go on the offensive or close the distance himself.
"Hic... ugh... hic..."
Basrero was sobbing, his fingers white-knuckled as he clutched the hem of Rei's dragon robe.
The Dragon Robe—that was the secret. It was the only reason Rei had survived ten ice arrows with nothing more than light bruising. Crafted from the hide and scales of a dragon, the garment possessed an incredible resistance to both physical and magical attacks. A volley of ice arrows from a mere Icebird didn't stand a chance of piercing it.
"Stop crying! You’re the one who snuck along on your own! I can't do anything about that now, so just keep your head down and stay quiet so you don't get in our way!"
Basrero flinched at Rei’s irritated growl.
To his credit, the boy managed to wipe his eyes and swallow his terror. He glared at the remaining Icebirds, clearly trying his best to avoid being a burden. His hand still gripped the hem of the dragon robe with desperate strength, but for Rei, a silent passenger was far better than a screaming one.
"Flying Slash!"
Since he was pinned in place, Rei extended his reach. He couldn't risk a large-scale fire spell in the middle of a melee, so he opted for one of the Death Scythe’s most versatile skills.
The blade of vacuum sliced through two Icebirds that were hovering above, waiting for an opening. They fell in four pieces, raining meat, organs, and blood onto the defenders below.
"Eek!? Gross! What—ugh, I’m covered in blood! Who did this!?"
Phabel shrieked as the gore-rain painted her armor, sword, and shield a visceral crimson.
Rei ignored her hysterical shouting. A bit of blood was a small price to pay for not being blindsided from above. He ignored the complaint and scanned for his next target.
A few minutes later, the flock had been decimated. Only three Icebirds remained. One of them let out a piercing, high-pitched screech.
"Kikikiiiiii!"
It was the retreat signal. Upon hearing it, the last of the monsters beat their blue wings and soared northward, fleeing into the distance.
"Are we... are we safe?" a spear user man from the escort unit muttered.
"Yeah! We did it! We’re alive!" a male adventurer with a sword roared in triumph.
The cry spread like wildfire. The caravan guards and Mirene’s reinforcements broke into a thunderous cheer.
Five minutes later, once the initial euphoria of survival had passed, the merchants and adventurers began to truly take stock of their surroundings.
The road was a grisly mosaic of Icebird feathers, blood, meat, and offal. But worse was the damage to the caravan. One wagon had been completely demolished.
The horses that had pulled it were slaughtered, and the six adventurers who had been assigned to guard it lay dead in the dirt. Naturally, the merchants who had sought shelter inside the wagon had shared their fate.
"Six adventurers down," Rei noted grimly. "They were probably singled out as the biggest threat."
"Ugh... blegh!"
At Rei’s feet, Basrero lost his stomach. It was the first time the boy had ever seen human corpses.
While the boy retched, Rei watched the survivors. The merchants, the guards, and Mirene’s team were beginning the grim work of gathering the dead for cremation, salvaging goods from the wreckage, and piling up the mountain of Icebird corpses.
Cremation was essential. Leaving bodies out was an invitation for disease or, worse, spontaneous reanimation into the undead. And even if those didn't happen, they would simply be eaten by scavengers.
Rei didn't join the effort. Basrero was still clutching his dragon robe with a death grip. He couldn't exactly help haul bodies while a traumatized child was tethered to him, so he and Set remained on the periphery, acting as sentries while Rei babysat his student.
"...Teacher..."
Having finally emptied his stomach, Basrero looked up at Rei, his voice trembling.
Rei met his gaze with a steady look. "Remember this. If you decide to become an adventurer, this is a sight you will see more times than you can count."
"..."
Basrero forced himself to look at the funeral pyres, fighting back a fresh wave of nausea.
Ten minutes passed in silence before Rei spoke again. "Basrero, why are you here? Did it never occur to you that you would be a hindrance?"
"I... I just..."
He had been confident in his training. A week of intensive combat training had made him feel stronger, and Rei had praised his natural talent for offensive strikes. That praise had gone to his head. When he heard a caravan was under attack and realized most of the city’s seasoned adventurers were busy drinking at the guild tavern for the winter holidays, he decided there wasn't enough manpower.
Of course, not every adventurer in Gilm was a drunkard. Many used the winter to train or study in the library. Even those drinking at the tavern weren't necessarily lazy; physical skills deteriorate quickly without use, and a single day of rest often requires three days of work to regain. Most spent their winter in a cycle of training and occasional celebration.
But Basrero didn't know that. He only saw a lack of soldiers and decided that even his meager skills would be better than nothing. He had stowed away in a wagon, hoping to help.
Then the actual battle started. For the first time, he saw what a real struggle for survival looked like. He saw flesh tear and blood spray; he heard screams of pure despair. The sheer reality of it had paralyzed him with fear.
He had drawn his sword and stepped out to help, but in the end, his only contribution had been getting in Rei’s way.
"I... all I did was get in your way, didn't I?"
"That’s right," Rei replied, his voice devoid of mercy. "I only survived because I was lucky. Any other adventurer would be dead right now—because of you."
Rei forced the boy to look at the reality of his actions. Basrero’s face crumpled, and fresh tears spilled over.
"I’m sorry... I’m so sorry... I—"
Rei watched the boy sob for a few minutes.
"Guruuu."
Set, who had been keeping watch behind Rei, let out a soft cry and nudged his partner, silently urging him to be gentler.
Rei let out a small sigh and reached out, placing a hand on Basrero’s head. "If you understand your own recklessness, that’s enough. Fortunately, this robe is a magic item. Attacks of that level barely leave a mark."
He ruffled the boy’s hair.
"Besides, today was supposed to be the final day of your combat training anyway. I’m fine, and you’ve learned exactly how dangerous the real world is. In the long run, the lesson was worth the risk."
"But, Teacher... I... I almost..."
Basrero was a bright child—bright enough to realize exactly how close he had come to causing a disaster. He couldn't stop the tears from flowing.
"Ah—sorry to interrupt while you’re busy, but do you have a moment? It’s about the loot distribution..."
The speaker was the spear user man, the leader of the unit Rei had reinforced.
"The distribution? Right."
Rei pulled his hand back and looked around. The mountain of Icebird corpses had grown quite large, but there was a problem.
The original flock had numbered over fifty. However, the pile of corpses didn't even reach thirty. The reason was Rei’s fire magic; his spells had been so powerful they had incinerated many of the monsters entirely, leaving nothing but ash. There were no magic stones, no proof of subjugation parts, and no materials to harvest from those birds. It had been total overkill.
Rei noticed several of the adventurers Mirene had brought from Gilm were already bickering over the remains.
They were arguing over shares and credit. Rei was just glad Mirene and Ekryl weren't involved in the petty squabble.
Still, adventurers fought for profit. It was their livelihood. Demanding a fair share was only natural, especially for the guards whose equipment had been damaged in the fray. Rei and Set had clearly done the most work, so the spear user man had approached him as a representative, likely anxious about how much the powerful newcomer would claim.
"I’m not looking for much," Rei said, glancing at the two leaders of the escort units. "Just give me two Icebirds and we’ll call it even."
Rei didn't need the money. He just wanted the magic stones and a bit of Icebird meat.