I can hear the sound of victory cheers somewhere, but right now, I’m in no position to care about that.

  Since becoming this body, I’ve trained hard and leveled up, but in the st battle, if I had lost focus even for a moment, I would have been defeated.

  The w of the jungle.

  I understood that I hadn’t yet grasped its true essence.

  But I’m gd I realized here that I had been somewhat optimistic.

  With my game experience and knowledge, I was confident that I could find a way to win against any monster and seize victory.

  I had that kind of pride.

  Using the bamboo spear as a crutch, I lean against it to catch my breath.

  The sun has set, and I can feel the sweat cooling rapidly on my body.

  While the cold feels pleasant on my overheated body, my throat is parched, and I’d rather have water right now.

  Even though I pushed my body to the point of feeling this thirsty, the cold sweat won’t stop.

  A monster with completely superior stats—the Crawling Dragon.

  Liberta Css 1 / Level 50 Basic Stats: HP 60, MP 40 BP 0 EXBP 0 Skills 2 / Skill Slots 4 Spear Mastery Css 7 / Level 22 Magic Edge Css 9 / Level 4

  Just one battle, and my skill proficiency skyrocketed like this. If this were a game, it would be like one of those crazy challenges some YouTubers do.

  I realized during the fight. No, not just during the fight—right after it started, I knew.

  I was cking in every way.

  Theoretically, it was a fight I could win. Because I knew the theory, I knew the path to victory.

  But.

  “Haha, reality is harsh, huh?”

  I didn’t know how steep that path would be. The environment where I can continue, where I can respawn after death.

  I now understand that both of those would be insanely cheaty in my current situation.

  I felt death when the bamboo spear deflected the attack and sent my body flying. I felt death when I was stared at by those ferocious eyes and the creature opened its huge mouth to attack. I felt life when I saw the monster scream after taking damage. I felt fear from the hatred directed at me by the monster, enraged by the pain. I felt terror knowing that one wrong move would mean death.

  “I see, I see. So that’s why leveling techniques don’t develop in this world. Of course, of course.”

  It wasn’t a fight I could take lightly. I muttered self-deprecatingly to myself, trying to suppress the impulse within me.

  “Young man, are you alright?” “Ah, yes. I’m just a bit drained and can’t muster any strength.” “That’s understandable. With that small body, you faced a dragon and led us to victory.”

  A life-and-death battle. This wasn’t something I could experience in a game.

  Before I could sort out the emotions I felt from that experience, I was spoken to.

  “You’re covered in wounds. Unfortunately, we used up all our potions in the st battle, so all we can do is bandage you up. It’s better than nothing.”

  The fact that one wrong choice could lead to the party’s colpse and the brink of annihition made me fight recklessly.

  It didn’t matter if I looked pathetic. I focused on surviving and dealing damage, expanding my field of vision and pouring all my energy into defeating the enemy.

  As a result, just as Lady Esmeralda said, my body is covered in scratches and cuts, and my clothes and armor are caked in mud.

  Now that I’ve calmed down, I can feel the stinging pain all over.

  “You all, once you’re done treating yourselves, tend to the young man.” “My dy, it’s fine to prioritize him. Leg just woke up and started healing himself.” “Leg’s awake? That’s good.”

  I was led by the hand to where the knights were, and one of them brought over a healer they had hidden.

  “My dy, I’m sorry for being useless at such a critical moment.”

  The man in priestly robes, still pale and weak, bowed his head, but Lady Esmeralda shook hers.

  “It’s fine. It was my fault for being too naive. I’m just gd you’re alive.” “My dy.”

  It’s only because we defeated the Crawling Dragon that we can see this scene.

  “……”

  I know another outcome of this battle. If you interact enough with Lady Esmeralda’s younger sister, Iris Edelgard, you’ll hear about Lady Esmeralda’s final moments.

  Iris Edelgard was afflicted with a certain illness and given only a few months to live. The deadline for treatment was two months after the diagnosis. As one of the four great ducal families of the southern continent, the Edelgard family should have been able to obtain the necessary treatment.

  However, due to a plot, they couldn’t obtain the materials for the treatment, and Iris Edelgard’s life was slipping away.

  Not wanting to give up, Lady Esmeralda, her older sister, gathered her most trusted subordinates and set out to obtain the final material—the Crawling Dragon’s parts.

  “My dy!! We found it!! We found it!!”

  The Crawling Dragon’s body is gone. All that remains are the dropped items.

  The knight who confirmed this joyfully held out a dark red object in both hands.

  In the event story involving Iris, the only one who returns with this is Lady Esmeralda. And even then, she’s completely poisoned, battered, and on the verge of death when she finally reaches the mansion, handing the materials to the doctor before breathing her st.

  “I’m gd. I was worried that after such a battle, we might not have gotten it, but it seems my fears were unfounded.”

  The Crawling Dragon’s blood sac. The blood of the poison-controlling dragon can, depending on how an alchemist uses it, become either poison or medicine.

  In fact, the Css 6 potion that becomes useful mid-game requires the Crawling Dragon’s blood sac. Dragon materials are known for their exceptional performance in creating powerful healing potions.

  Unlike the game’s ending, seeing her relieved like this makes me feel that risking my life was worth it.

  “And this as well.” “Is this a scroll?” “Yes, the drops from this battle are these two items.” “I see.”

  The area is now completely dark as night has fallen. The only light comes from the fireball Lady Esmeralda has conjured.

  The light illuminates the knight’s hands as he holds the dropped items.

  One is the dark red blood sac of the Crawling Dragon. The other is a scroll wrapped in old paper.

  There are several possible scroll drops from the Crawling Dragon, and all of them are useful.

  If possible, I’d like to check the contents of the scroll.

  But from what I know of the nobles in the game era, they wouldn’t let me do that unless we were on good terms.

  That’s just how southern nobles are.

  Even after all this effort, there’s a good chance I’ll just get a “good job” and that’s it. After all, the idea that serving a noble is an honor in itself is deeply ingrained.

  Even my favorite character, Iris Edelgard, was like that until her affection level increased.

  “Young man.” “Ah, yes.”

  Just as I was about to tell myself to be content with the experience points, I was called and looked up.

  “This is yours.” “Huh?” “The fact that we were able to defeat the dragon is thanks to your leadership. It would be a disgrace to the Edelgard family if we didn’t reward you for your efforts. Besides, if you hadn’t been here, we would have surely been wiped out.”

  She gently held out the scroll with both hands.

  “So please, take it.” “Y-yes.”

  For a moment, I hesitated, but since she offered it so readily, I accepted it.

  “Young man, as a substitute, may I take this blood sac?” “That’s, uh, yes, that’s fine.”

  I got a fair share. Is this really okay?

  The knights are nodding, so it seems fine, but no matter what, the scroll is far more useful and valuable than the blood sac.

  I was prepared to give up the blood sac if it dropped, so this is like a stroke of luck.

  “I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Meeting you might have been fate, sent by the gods to save my sister.”

  Hearing that as a reincarnated person, I can’t say it’s impossible.

  But seeing her smile so happily at the blood sac, combined with the shadows from the fireball’s light, makes her expression a bit scary, my dy.

  “Well, I can’t say for sure.” “That’s true. No one can fathom the will of the gods. But I can’t help but feel incredibly fortunate today.”

  Lady Esmeralda, being Iris Edelgard’s older sister, looks a lot like her. Seeing her smile like this reminds me of her in the game.

  “...Well then, I should probably get going.”

  But I don’t want to get involved any further. This was an unexpected encounter, and while noble-reted quests have great rewards, the hassle that comes after often outweighs the benefits.

  “Where are you going?” “Ah, I’m thinking of heading back.”

  Originally, I pnned to use the transfer pendulum to return before sunset. But now that it’s dark, the area is completely pitch bck.

  Nel and Amina are definitely worried.

  “? I haven’t heard of any settlements nearby. Do any of you know of a vilge with children around here?” “No, there shouldn’t be any mountain huts either.” “Besides, even if a child were riding a Tackle Deer, it would be strange for them to be this deep in the mountains.”

  So I wanted to leave quickly, but now the question of where I came from has resurfaced. Being stared at by Lady Esmeralda and the knights, I can’t exactly say I came from the capital.

  “That’s right. I forgot in the heat of battle, but young man, where are you from?”

  Lady Esmeralda tilted her head, her slightly dirty golden drill curls swaying. I’d like to answer her question, but doing so would undoubtedly drag me into more noble-reted troubles.

  Having helped her sister, it’s certain that the duke-reted quests will change.

  “Young man, we’re not bming you. It’s just that it’s gotten dark, and we need to set up camp. If there’s a pce nearby where we can rest, we’d like to take shelter there. You’ve fought alongside us, so you must be tired too.”

  But after getting involved this much, just saying goodbye seems careless.

  “Of course, we’ll pay extra for lodging.”

  In that case, it might be better to accompany them for a while and then part ways... but if I take too long, Nel and the others will worry. However, I don’t want them to know about the transfer pendulum. It might even get confiscated.

  From fighting alongside them, I can tell they’re good people.

  What should I do?

  According to the knight’s assumption, I must be a boy from a hidden vilge around here. Unfortunately, no such vilge exists.

  “Unfortunately, I’m not from around here either.”

  For now, I’ll stick to not lying. Making up a story and having it exposed would make things awkward.

  “I came here for a certain task, riding a Tackle Deer. I got caught up in the battle while on my way.” “I see. May I ask what the task was?” “I was mapping the area. There are materials I need around here, so I was making a distribution map.”

  I’m not lying. I didn’t say the materials were pnts.

  I took out a hand-drawn map from my tool bag and showed it to them, and they seemed convinced.

  “In that case, young man—oh, I realize we haven’t asked your name. I am Eugen, a knight serving the Edelgard family. These two are my colleagues—” “I’m Getz.” “I’m Bilil. And the one leaning on my shoulder is—” “You called my name earlier, but I’m Leg, a healer serving the Edelgard family.” “Ah, I’m Liberta.”

  Now that I think about it, we hadn’t introduced ourselves. So I gave my name as well.

  “Liberta, that’s a good name. I am Esmeralda, daughter of Duke Edelgard.”

  With Lady Esmeralda’s introduction, the self-introductions were finally complete.

  Now, the problem of what to do next has come full circle.

  “So, Liberta. You said you’re heading back, but are you sure you’ll be fine alone?” “Yes, I have my weapons, and I’m used to moving through the mountains, so I wouldn’t want to trouble you, my dy.” “Are you su~re?” “Ah, yes.”

  No, it’s not back to square one—it seems like a different route is being set.

  “It’s better to be honest from the start, don’t you think?”

  If I refuse, it’s just going to be an endless loop of the same options, isn’t it? She’s smiling so contentedly, but I already know what’s coming next.

  “In that case, why don’t you camp with us tonight, and tomorrow I’ll have my carriage take you back!!”

  She smiles as if it’s a brilliant idea, and I can tell it’s out of kindness. I get that, but...

  What do I do? If I accept, it’s going to take forever to get back.

  “By the way, where is the carriage?” “Don’t worry, it’s just a two-day walk from here. I have my servants and guards waiting there.”

  That’s not exactly close, is it? Or is it just me?