The Exiled Noble Rises as the Holy King: Befriending Fluffy Beasts and a Holy Maiden with My Ultimate Cheat Skill! Volume 1 E-Book

Yu Okano

• Herausgeber: J-Novel Club
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Serie: The Exiled Noble Rises as the Holy King: Befriending Fluffy Beasts and a Holy Maiden with My Ultimate Cheat Skill!
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Seitenzahl: 268

Beschreibung

Noah used to have it good as the son of a duke. But when the almighty state religion excommunicates him, he’s suddenly tossed into a monster-infested forest in the middle of nowhere! Young an inexperienced, his odds of survival are grim. His only hope is if he can master his unique “Holy King” skill, which gives him the power to recruit monsters and humans alike—and make their skills his own.

Thankfully, Noah’s a natural-born leader in the making. He quickly assembles a whole host of fluffy underdog friends, and he’s now determined to build them a safe haven away from civilization. Lying low, however, won’t be easy with the Church of Astral’s best assassin on his trail. The Holy Maiden of Swords is out for blood, and the one thing that might stop her in her tracks is...falling in love at first sight?!

In a magical world where nothing is certain, can Noah learn who to trust? Will his curious “Holy King” skill be a gateway to glory or a tragic fall? Find out in this fun-filled adventure!

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Cover

Chapter 1: Exile

Chapter 2: Dependent

Chapter 3: Capturing a Base

Chapter 4: A Disturbance

Chapter 5: Living with Aht

Chapter 6: A Confession

Chapter 7: Graduation and a Temporary Farewell

Side Story: Liber’s Determination

Extra Chapter: The Final Trial of the Purgatory Forest

Afterword

Illustrator’s Afterword

Color Illustrations

About J-Novel Club

Copyright

Landmarks

Table of Contents

Color Images

Chapter 1: Exile

“Noah Olipiage! You are hereby banished from this house!”

So bellowed the Duke of Oraculum—my father, Seto Olipiage.

I was his eldest son and the would-be successor to his title. And yet my father had just announced that I would be thrown out.

Objectively speaking, this was incredibly cruel. Nobles who had been banished from their homes in the kingdom of Oraculum had practically no means of survival. The noble families of this country were often granted powerful divine protection from the gods. These blessings came with a great deal of respect, but those expelled from their houses lost both their divine protection and elite status. I’d even heard stories of ex-nobles who were surrounded by assailants and beaten to death almost immediately upon exile. Though in most of these cases, either their people already despised them or there were some other factors at play.

Even ignoring the extreme cases, it was difficult to survive with so few options for getting a job or earning one’s crust. That’s why exile from one’s noble house was a very uncommon occurrence...but my father had spoken. The implications of this statement alone were self-evident.

“F-Father, I’ll die if you do that! Please reconsider! Give me a chance! What have I done to deserve this?!” I pleaded with him, desperate to somehow preserve myself. The chances of having my sentence retracted were slim. But even if there was no chance at all, I knew that I wouldn’t survive otherwise.

There’s nothing else that I can do, I thought.

Despite this, my father spoke. “In truth, I had high hopes for you. You are brilliant and have excelled in your studies since early childhood. That much cannot be denied.”

“Th-Then...”

“With that said, you already know my reasons. The Church of Astral has declared you an apostate. I cannot permit you to remain in this house.”

“I...”

It was just like he’d said. The Church of Astral—the state religion—had recently branded me an apostate. Of course, I hadn’t done anything to deserve it.

The Church of Astral had been around since the founding of the Oraculum Kingdom. It was an organization which legitimized the king’s right to rule, but was also a fearsome group known to mercilessly persecute apostates. Wherever its armed forces—in particular, the Order of Paladins—marched through, not even the hardiest weeds would spring back up in their wake. House Olipiage may have been one of the leading noble families forming the very backbone of the country, but if it incurred the attention of these forces, it wouldn’t come out unscathed.

I was the root cause for putting the house in almost certain jeopardy. Let alone keeping me as heir, just letting me stay in this house was out of the question. I knew that much.

I knew, but even so, there was nothing I could do but plead with my father.

Ever since I was young, I’d studied lots of different subjects to prepare for when I became the next duke. That knowledge would definitely come in use if I were to go into town. But though I’d received a costly education, I was still an ordinary human. Father had commended me as brilliant, but my grades were largely average. If I’d been the greatest warrior of the century, maybe I’d still have been able to get along after being banished from home and chased away by the Church.

But I knew myself. I didn’t have any power remotely like that. That was why I wanted to stay, even if I had to cling and beg. Then, my father could reason with the Church one way or another. If it came down to it, I could accept being kept on a tight leash for the rest of my life as long as I could just remain here.

I tried to show him how pitiful I was, but to no avail. Anyone could tell from his demeanor that my father had no intention of showing mercy.

However...

“I will say that this is against my wishes. However, Noah... Putting myself aside, please think of your mother Lin and younger brother Zeld. If the Church treats the whole family as apostates and chases us out, I can’t protect us all. It may seem cruel, but if banishing you alone will resolve things...”

“Father... No, I must apologize. I acted selfishly.”

I’d understood that from the start. I’d just decided to whine a bit until he made himself absolutely clear.

Besides, this was a necessary argument. Now father wasn’t the bad guy. On the contrary: he was being kind to me, even. The same went for my mother and brother. It was good that they weren’t here, because they would definitely have taken my side. Father knew that well, so he’d probably had them shut up in their rooms.

I chose not to mention them. Doing that just wouldn’t feel fair. If I had asked them for support, father might have instead chosen to oppose the Church despite knowing it could cause the fall of our house. Both father and I understood this. In effect, this conversation was a mere formality with the outcome already decided. A pretense to let the chamberlain and maids bear witness to the foolish son whining for the impossible. So that the women would spread word that the foolish son had been completely cut off from the family.

My father’s kindness, and my final smidgen of respectable behavior, would turn this into a sympathetic tale that would be easier for people to believe.

At the end of our “performance,” father pronounced his verdict upon me once more. His voice sounded weary, but it was still powerful enough to be clearly heard by everyone in the room.

“Noah Olipiage... No, from this moment forth, you are simply Noah. Because there are...discontented citizens on the outside, I will show mercy to you and send you off somewhere safer. That will be the last time we shall meet. After that, you may venture anywhere you please. I will inform the Church of this as well.”

In other words, he wouldn’t know where I was once my exile truly began. He’d assert to the Church that the family had nothing to do with me. He’d show that much resistance, at least.

That was enough. The Church was just that fearsome.

So I nodded and gave him my only response. “I appreciate all that you’ve done for me up to this day.”

∗ ∗ ∗

“Stop it here!” came a shout from outside the coach.

The shout was from my...no, House Olipiage’s escort of knights. I’d been banished from home a few days ago, and was presently being sent “far away” by coach. Even when I asked where I was being taken, nobody would give me an answer. When the Church came asking after me later, my father would probably want to say, “I told them to just dump him wherever, so I don’t know.” If he actually had given detailed instructions, it was still more prudent to not tell.

After all, the Church had plenty of mages and wielders of special skills to go around. There was no telling if someone out there could reconstruct the details of the conversation we’d had there in my father’s office in the Olipiage house, even days after the fact. There were plausible whispers that people with those kinds of skills actually existed.

I’d tried to ask the soldiers about it, but they’d maintained silence toward me. That was disappointing, since we’d been able to have cordial conversations back when I was at home. But they had families of their own to consider, so they had to keep their jobs and stay loyal to the Olipiage family.

In other words, after they left me someplace, they had a duty to return to the house and deal with the Church’s rigorous questioning. In those circumstances, we could expect the Church to use any of the means at its disposal. It was entirely conceivable that they might even have their minds read.

Are there really any special skill-wielders who can do that? I had my doubts...but the Church’s track record made it seem like the only explanation.

For just one concrete example, a child of a prominent figure had supposedly been hidden somewhere where nobody would ever find them, but was rescued after interrogating just one man. A man who hadn’t said a single word.

Exercising caution was about the only thing you could do.

While I contemplated this, the canopy of the coach rustled open and a familiar face peeked in. It was Bach Rogue, the captain of the Duke of Olipiage’s knights who were escorting the coach. He had stern features and a serious look in his eyes. He was also the one who had taught me how to use a sword. Thanks to that, we’d had a pretty friendly relationship before, but...

“Noah. Get out,” he curtly ordered me to exit the coach.

This was by no means the first time he’d taken a tone of authority with me, so it wasn’t startling. During my swordsmanship lessons, he always spoke harshly and forcefully so I wouldn’t be coddled. But otherwise, he never forgot his manners. Hearing him speak so sternly to me like this made it clear that my status really had drastically changed.

I thought I’d mostly come to terms with the fact, but having it thrust in my face so bluntly made me feel unexpectedly...sad? Or perhaps the right word was “empty.”

My exile guaranteed the bare minimum of safety for my parents and brother. I was okay with being a necessary sacrifice for them. But I couldn’t go back anymore. I couldn’t return to the light or ever live a happy life again. My sentence had been pronounced.

Moreover, I was about to be ditched who-knows-where. It was almost like I was just being told to go die. Actually, that was pretty much the case.

I’m starting to really hate this.

Bach pulled me out. Once I was beyond the canopy, I found myself in a forest so dense that there was hardly a road through it anymore. The only tracks on the ground were the furrows left by the coach I’d been in and the horseshoe prints of the knights’ steeds. Everywhere else was overgrown with unchecked, moss-covered tree roots. It wasn’t a current road—it had probably been in use ages ago and then been abandoned a while back, while still being maintained by the wild animals and people with unsavory professions who passed through occasionally.

That was probably the story here, right?

They weren’t really going to abandon me here, were they?

I’d naively hoped that they’d at least leave me at a village or something, but I never would’ve expected that they’d seriously bring me somewhere completely uninhabited.

To be fair, going to a populated area as an exiled noble meant running the risk of getting mobbed, but I’d heard that if I could just grit my teeth and work hard for a while, there was some chance that I could be accepted as one of the villagers. I’d placed my hopes on that possibility...but I’d been completely off the mark.

What am I supposed to do?

What’s going to happen to me?

As these kinds of thoughts raced through my mind, Bach explained things. “This is the western region of the kingdom. Strictly speaking, this area isn’t incorporated into the Oraculum Kingdom. It’s a place commonly known as the Purgatory Forest. Noah, you’ve heard of it before, haven’t you?”

“P-Purgatory Forest?! Are you serious?! If you leave me here, I really will die!”

The words “Purgatory Forest” shook me to the core. When I saw that they had brought me to an uninhabited forest, I’d expected it’d be some small grove in a sparsely populated region, far away from the urban areas. But this was infamous for being monster territory.

Sure enough, monster territories had no people around, were located beyond the kingdom’s lands, and were definitely remote. That wasn’t the issue here, though. What was extremely problematic for me was that these were places where powerful monsters dwelled, determined over a long period of time to be unfit for human residence. Anyone who could survive after being abandoned in such a place would have to be a warrior or mage with an inhuman level of strength.

And you’re leaving me here?!Give me a break, seriously! I clung to Bach and his knights, who had merrily begun preparations to return home already. “W-Wait, please! Can’t you just drop me off a little closer to civilization? In this place, there’s no way I can—”

Despite my pleading, Bach callously peeled me off. “Noah. This is an order from the master. It cannot be disobeyed. Give it up,” he replied gravely. He didn’t tear me away roughly, but rather with the tough love of a teacher admonishing his rebellious student. It gave me a little bit of comfort, but this was still a death sentence, so it was no real help whatsoever.

Bach continued. “I’m leaving you with a few days’ worth of rations and a short sword. This is a parting gift from the master and myself. I’m not supposed to say this, but... Noah? Don’t give in. Survive. I won’t say this is goodbye forever. Farewell.”

With those final words, he took the lead of the coach and went off into the distance.

I stayed there for a while, at a loss.

“Don’t give in”? Even if I choose to not give up in this situation, I’ll still die within a few days anyway, won’t I?

Doubts swirled around nonstop inside my head.

∗ ∗ ∗

I’ll just have to die. There’s nothing else I can do.

Those were the only thoughts that came to mind. But even so...

“I’m not ready enough for death that I can abandon all hope yet.”

Abandoned somewhere within the monster territory known as the Purgatory Forest, and at a loss for what to do, I suddenly came back to my senses and murmured to myself. Saying something like this in the middle of the woods seemed like a bad idea, lest I tempt fate and give away my location to a keen-eared monster, but it didn’t feel like my sanity would last unless I could express these things out loud.

After all, I’ve just been left to fend for myself in a place with monsters so dangerous that even the army has given up on it.

I can’t see it any other way than being told to just die. But I don’t want to die. So what am I gonna do? I’ve gotta survive somehow...

I guess I should check what I’ve got with me first.

Come to think of it, I’d been told that they’d left me with rations. True enough, in the empty spot where the carriage had been now sat a cloth bag, about half my size.

A bag half as big as a fourteen-year-old boy wasn’t all that large, but probably enough to hold a few days’ worth of food. Checking the contents, I found...

“Jerky, salt, bread...not much in the way of vegetables or fruits, looks like. Oh, there’s an apple here. But just one... Well, it won’t keep long, so I guess this is it. The rest is mostly preserved foods. There’s not much water. Am I supposed to go out and find some myself? In this forest? You’ve got to be kidding.”

Water was going to be my lifeline. It was a bigger priority than other foods, but I hadn’t been given much of it. If I didn’t find a source of water today or tomorrow, I’d be done for. That was just how little there was.

As for food, I’d been told it was a few days’ worth. If I had some water to go with it, though, I could last for a week. Preserved food really was an incredible innovation.

There was a moderately large rock of salt included, so if I hunted my own food, I could survive for a while without getting tired of the taste. But would I really be able to hunt for myself? I’d hunted rabbits and the like in human-managed forests before, but I didn’t really have any experience beyond that, nor was I used to fighting monsters. I’d learned enough swordplay to put up a decent fight against another person, but I wasn’t nearly skilled enough to qualify as self-reliant.

That made me remember something. “Right, my card... Oh, here it is.”

I patted my clothes and found it in the right pocket of my hemp trousers. It had been snatched away from me at one point while I was getting thrown out, so I’d been afraid that I’d never get it back. But as I’d hoped, my father hadn’t gone that far. Then again, this card had already been attuned to me, so there’d be no point in anyone else keeping it. It’d only be good as scrap material. Although, it was still worth a fair amount, and could probably fetch an especially tidy sum as it had come from a duke’s household.

This item, commonly known as a “status card,” was made out of a silvery material called mythril. It was a consolidation of advanced magical technology. By simulating a link to the <Akashic Records>—the Divine Intellect—it could display various details that someone might not know about themselves...or something like that. It had been explained to me at length before, but I honestly didn’t understand the finer details. Actually, I don’t think the mage who’d explained it to me in the first place understood it that well either. It was based on ancient technology which had been repurposed for use in a limited function. As there wasn’t a lot of analytical study on it, it was entirely possible that the mage’s explanation was largely incorrect.

Either way, I didn’t give it too much thought. Regardless of how exactly it worked, I’d looked for my status card because it would give me important information that I sorely needed right now.

I channeled mana into the status card, which began to faintly display text.

Name: Noah

Species: Normal Folk <Human>

Titles: Former Noble of Duke Olipiage’s House, Apostate of Astralism, He Who Bears a Mission

Root Skills: <Holy King>

Derived Skills: None

General Skills: <Swordplay 3>, <Wind Magic 2>, <Fire Magic 2>...

“Not much different—Wait, what’s this? ‘He Who Bears a Mission’? That wasn’t there before my baptism...”

I tried tapping on that title to learn more about it. The card had a function where if an entry was pressed, it would display text describing it to some degree. According to what someone else had told me, this was also thanks to the Akashic Records. I didn’t place much stock in that, since I had my doubts about whether such a generous entity existed in the first place.

Then who was responsible? Honestly, I wasn’t sure. But it was ancient technology. Anything goes, right? That was my reasoning.

Sadly, no matter how many times I pressed that strange title, there was no response. I’d heard this kind of thing could happen when no further explanation was possible. It was more common with titles, presumably because the gods had no interest in such decorations given among common people.

Then please don’t be interested in my “Apostate of Astralism” title, I hoped with all my heart. But when I sighed and pressed it, it said:

Apostate: One who has disobeyed the teachings of Astralism. In Noah’s case, he became one as a result of possessing the <Holy King> ability.

But it was true that everything had started when I gained the root skill <Holy King> at the baptism. That was why things had progressed to the point where I’d been abandoned in this place.

“There’s not much I can do about it now, I guess. I should go look for a source of water first. Then I can sit down and think about things,” I said to myself, then set off into the forest in the direction where I’d caught the scent of water.

∗ ∗ ∗

“I’m saved! At least I won’t die of dehydration.” I sighed in relief. I’d just discovered a spring, small though it was. It’d have been nice to find a big lake instead, but I’d have to be on high alert for monsters coming to drink at a place like that. I was better off with a spring of this size.

I could see around the whole body of water with just a quick look. It was plain to see that there weren’t any animals here besides myself. Once I’d made sure of that, I carefully checked the murkiness of the water and whether there were any animal remains in the spring. Then, I took the metal vessel which had been left by my family’s guards and dipped it in, using it as a ladle. I gathered stones that were lying around and made a rudimentary stand, under which I laid out suitably dry wood which I’d picked up on my way here. Then I chanted a spell.

“Spirits of fire, answer my prayer and bestow a spark here. <Petit Fire>.”

I felt as if something escaped my body, and sensed a convergence of energy in the center of the wood stacked under the water-laden vessel. It was an accumulation of mana. In answer to my prayer, the mana materialized into a small flame with a fwoosh. This was fire magic.

My ineptitude as a mage was evident from the “2” value for the <Fire Magic> general skill listed on my card. But even at 2, I could still do the most basic of spells, which would be exceedingly useful in this survival situation. Being able to ignite fires, albeit small ones, significantly improved my chances of avoiding wild animals and monsters. Of course, some monsters didn’t fear it, but it was common knowledge that most animals and monsters were instinctively afraid of fire. That was how we humans had secured places to live in a world where monsters were far stronger than us.

Fire was power.

Though, honestly, water magic would’ve been a lot more convenient for me...but I hadn’t learned any. Magic required compatibility, and I only had the aptitude for the elements of fire and wind. That wasn’t too bad in comparison to the general population, but in noble circles, it would be considered unremarkable. Anyone with real talent would be compatible with all four basic elements: fire, water, wind, and earth.

Even then, only the top students of the magic academy actually had that. The average noble child had about the same capabilities as me. I simply hadn’t inherited my father’s command over all four basic elements as my younger brother Zeld had. Even with me in exile, the house would be secure if he inherited it. I’d hoped to inherit the house myself, but there was no way that was happening now, no matter how much I bent over backward for it.

That’s enough thinking about that. Anyway, water comes first.

I figured it would be much better to boil water before drinking it, so I waited a while for the fire to do its work. “It should probably be fine by now,” I supposed, extinguishing the flame.

I covered the handle of the metal vessel with a thick cloth so that I wouldn’t get burned, then carried it over to a nearby table I’d cobbled together in my surplus of spare time. It needs some time to cool. I can’t drink it when it’s boiling hot, after all. Well, it shouldn’t take that long.

As I was thinking this to myself—

“Gugyagyah!”

“Kekehh!”

“Kakah!”

—I heard strangely gleeful cries.

They didn’t sound very close, but I could still hear them clearly, so I had to take caution. If I didn’t go check, that might very well give them an opportunity to sneak up behind me and attack while I was unaware. I reluctantly left behind the cloth bag I’d lugged along and quietly crept toward the voices, with the short sword I’d been given out of pity in hand.

The Purgatory Forest was inhabited by monsters, but not all of them were dangerous. It went without saying that regular monsters lived there too. Similarly to how bugs are practically everywhere in the world except for bitterly cold climates, even places like this had a wide variety of creatures that resided closer to the bottom of the food chain. At least, that’s what I’d read in a book once.

I don’t know how much of that is true, but I’ll just have to trust it.

My knowledge was limited, but as far as what I did know, the identities of the monsters I’d heard screeching must have been... I thought as much.

As I hid among the shrubs and thickets, I came upon the monsters.

They had lumpy green skin, pointy witchlike noses, and stood about as tall as a human child. They were holding what I assumed to be clubs, wearing what looked to be worn-out loincloths. Simply put, these monsters were...

“Goblins. Those things really are everywhere. Hm?”

At their feet was something that concerned me far more. I could tell from their voices that they were reveling, but I couldn’t tell why just by listening. Once I got close, though, I discovered the reason.

There were three goblins in all, but there was something else squirming at their feet. The goblins were entertaining themselves by kicking it around.

They were toying with an animal.

They were wicked enough to take joy in mistreating others.

I became strangely furious, maybe because I could empathize with a small, helpless creature being toyed around with by other people, its life now turned into a nightmare. Foolish though it may have been, I found myself standing upright with short sword in hand.

“Whoooooa!!!” I gave a shout and rushed at them.

∗ ∗ ∗

It was an extremely dismal fight. Scratch that, it barely even qualified as a fight.

Despite everything, I had been instructed by Bach in swordplay, and had the skills to show for it. Specifically, I’d learned enough to achieve <Swordplay 3> listed under general skills. How good was this, you may ask? Well...only slightly better than a rank amateur.

In the first place, the Swordplay skill included multiple advanced techniques. Even if you reached the highest rank of 10 in the normal category, it didn’t guarantee that you could vanquish any monster.

Nonetheless, a mastery of 10 was a significant accomplishment...but as I’d shown no indication of getting anywhere near that level, you can probably guess how proficient I was. That being said, I wasn’t a flimsy excuse for a fighter either. I had reason to believe that I could take on a measly goblin. Bach had even complimented me on being tolerably good in spite of my lack of real combat experience.

But reality was cruel.

My breath became ragged when I swung the short sword. As the goblins in front of me approached threateningly with their clubs, I was struck with greater fear than I’d ever felt before. Fighting mock battles with wooden swords in safe surroundings was meant to have acclimated me to that kind of fright. Yet to actually come face-to-face with something that wanted me dead was a whole new level of terror.

Even so, I knew that if I didn’t fight tooth and nail here, I wouldn’t live to see tomorrow. So I fought like my life depended on it.

I fought dismally. I was dragged through the muck and beaten with clubs. Tree branches cut my skin and rocks scraped my knees. I was in pain from head to toe. But I was fully aware that if I stopped moving for even a moment, the monsters would kill me without mercy.

How long did I fight for? I lost my sense of time passing. The goblins’ attacks finally stopped once I was at the point where I couldn’t even tell if I was breathing.

The reason why was clear enough. As I panted for air, at my feet lay the three goblins, now nothing but silent corpses.

I’d killed the monsters.

This was a first for me.

I wasn’t completely new to killing creatures. Bach had ordered me to help butcher livestock before, to get me accustomed to dismemberment. I don’t think many sons of nobility were made to do that kind of work, but Bach apparently used to be an adventurer, so he was more strict about these kinds of things. That experience certainly must have paid off, because even though I’d just killed living beings by my own hands, I hardly felt any shock. The fact of the matter was that the goblins were dead, plain and simple, and the immediate danger had vanished. That gave me relief.

“Wait, that’s not the only thing. Is it still alive?” Once I’d realized that the battle was over, I finally came back to my senses and remembered why I’d decided to pick a fight with the goblins. It was because the goblins had been inflicting harm on what looked to be a small animal. It was still lying there on its side. I rushed over to it and checked to see if it was still alive.

“Is it breathing? Yeah. It doesn’t look too badly injured, actually. No broken bones either.” When I placed my hand to its mouth, I definitely felt the flow of air. I ran my fingers along the small body’s front and hind legs to be sure, but it didn’t feel like anything was broken. Of course, I wasn’t a doctor, so there was no guarantee my diagnosis was correct. For the moment, though, it didn’t seem to be in critical condition.

“That’s good...but I shouldn’t just leave it here. Besides, I should probably get away from these dead bodies. But first, I’ll take whatever materials I can get. No telling what there’ll be,” I said to myself. There was no real need for me to say it out loud, but I hoped it would help maintain my sanity. I certainly would’ve hushed up if there were any monsters around.

I mentioned “materials” because monster carcasses, including those of goblins, were valued for being used to make weapons and magic tools. That said, there was only one common material that goblins and their ilk were good for. Using my short sword, I carved close to the goblins’ hearts. When I did, a small pebble-like object came loose.

“It’s a mana stone. So they really do have them. I never would’ve imagined that I’d be vanquishing my first monsters right after getting exiled from home, but I’m actually feeling pretty thrilled about it. Maybe I can survive this after all?” I tried to encourage myself, but I understood perfectly well that reality was harsh. Killing a mere three goblins wouldn’t guarantee my survival in the Purgatory Forest. Still, coming out of that fight the victor was definitely preferable to the alternative.

That’s enough pessimism. I’ll start by doing what I can.

“I’ve got their mana stones, so for now I’ll go back to base camp where the spring is. I should probably move from that spot soon too. Oh, and I better take this little guy along.” I gently picked up the animal, still lying unconscious, in my arms.

It was an adorable creature. Why it was in this forest, I didn’t know, but...it was a kitten. Unmistakably a kitten.

“Both you and I are out of place in this nasty forest. Let’s both try our best to survive, okay?” It shouldn’t have been able to hear me anyway, but I thought out loud to the kitten as I headed back to my camp.