Probably to be expected, but we had to leave Cystie's money with the old village chief as collateral, and now we were heading to the forest on the outskirts of the village to exterminate some goblins. This kind of setup really made it feel like a proper request. In games, I used to run around different areas completing requests like this to level up all the time. We had just arrived at the village, and now I was heading straight into the forest. My spirits were high. Being a Dullahan, I didn't feel fatigue anyway. Besides, I was just happy to be talking to people and taking action after so long. Cystie, on the other hand, seemed a bit grumpy. Even though this forest was in the same region as the one we'd been in before, it was amazing how different the scenery could be depending on the animals and monsters that lived there. The trees here weren't particularly tall, and it wasn't very dark, but there were so many animal trails from all the creatures passing through that it felt like a natural maze. I had a feeling that goblins might attack at any moment, using the animal trails and thickets to their advantage. "Here, you should carry this," Cystie said, stopping as she walked beside me. She handed me something that had been hanging from her waist. I unwrapped the cloth covering it, revealing a scabbard with a gold and blue color scheme. It was about sixty centimeters long - what you'd call a short sword or dagger. The scabbard and hilt were intricately engraved with golden patterns, and at a glance, I could tell it was quite valuable. When I pulled on the hilt to peek at the blade, a beautiful white edge revealed itself. The blade gleamed as it reflected the sunlight. I carefully slid it back into the hilt. "This looks pretty expensive..." I hope this thing alone isn't worth enough to buy a big mansion, right? If it were that valuable, I wouldn't feel comfortable using it. "It's not that expensive," Cystie replied. "But that doesn't mean you can just go breaking it." "Really? You're not going to charge me a fortune later if I break it, are you? I'm completely broke, you know." "I'm not gonna! More importantly! I forgot to mention earlier, but stop yanking on my cape so roughly!" Cystie brushed off my doubts and emphasized her warning to me. "W-Wait, don't tell me your cape is the really expensive item here!?" When I pulled on it earlier, it didn't seem particularly high-end. But maybe it's made of some special material or has some magical effect as armor. After all, this is a fantasy world of swords and magic. There's bound to be magical weapons and armor. "That's not it. It's worth less than the dagger. ...But this is a keepsake from my mother, so it's the most precious thing to me." Cystie narrowed her almond-shaped blue eyes, clutching the cape of the same color as if it were a treasure. It must have been something her late mother used or made for Cystie. I handled such an important item so roughly. I think I understand now why Cystie kicked me back then. "Sorry. I'll be more carefull from now on," I apologized sincerely. "I-It's fine. Just make sure you actually are, okay?" Cystie waved her hands side to side, smiling. People who forgive easily the first time can be scary if you repeat the mistake, so I made a mental note to be extra cautious. "Yeah, thanks. I'll do my best not to break the dagger," I promised. "...So there's a high chance you might break it, huh?" Cystie replied with a hint of exasperation. ◆ "There they are, the goblins," Cystie whispered. We eventually spotted our target goblins while exploring the forest further. Currently we were peeking at them from behind some bushes.

These monsters had green skin and faces like oni, with pointed ears and big noses - the quintessential fantasy creatures. Four goblins were walking along an open path, clubs in hand. If they had been moving through animal trails, they might have been harder to spot, blending in with the bushes and trees. But they were just casually strolling down an open road, making them easy to find. The goblins in the Demon Forest were known for their cunning, hiding by camouflaging themselves with branches and leaves, then leaping out from the shadows to ambush their prey. It seems monsters can vary in behavior depending on their environment. "Alright, Duke, charge in and draw the goblins' attention," Cystie instructed. "I'll use that opening to chant and cast a spell." "Got it, leave it to me." I crept as close as I could without being detected, then burst out of the bushes all at once. These were the same creatures I'd faced many times in the Demon Forest. There's no way I would lose to some low-level goblins like these. At this point, I was more curious about Cystie's magic than anything else. Seeing Cystie and me emerge from the bushes, the goblins retreated cautiously. Then, as if to psych themselves up, the four of them started making grating noises. I drew the dagger I'd borrowed from Cystie and brought it down on the head of the goblin in front. It was just a brute force strike, but the blade sank into the goblin's skull, splitting it in two like butter. Wow, it actually cut! In fact, it cut way better than I expected. I didn't think it would split him in half. "Oh, I guess it lives up to its fancy appearance. The sharpness is exceptional!" Seemingly understanding that I had taken down one of their comrades, the goblins raised their voices in agitation. "H-huh? Could that dagger really have split a goblin in half like that? W-well, never mind that now, we're in the middle of battle," Cystie's voice came from behind. Most of it was drowned out by the goblins' strange cries though. If they had time to howl, they should just come at me. As I was thinking that, one of the goblins immediately leaped at me. There's no way I could take damage from a mere wooden club, but it was coming at a speed I could easily counter, so I kicked it like away like a ball. My kick, imbued with a Dullahan's strength, connected with the goblin's side - and the goblin went flying, scattering vomit as it soared through the air. "...Huh?" I heard Cystie's dumbfounded voice from behind. The other goblins, watching their comrade fly off, backed away fearfully. I suppose that's how everyone would react after seeing their ally sent flying like a ball right before their eyes. "Hey, where's that magic you were going to use?" I called back to Cystie. I was eager to see some magic in action. "Ye, yeah I know! I'm about to cast a spell, so get out of the way!" Cystie called out. "Alright!" I happily moved away from the goblins, causing them to look at each other in confusion. At that moment, Cystie's shout echoed through the area. "Oh crimson flames, gather in my hand and release your power! 'Fireball'!" "Wow!" A fireball materialized from Cystie's outstretched hand. It was the most quintessential spell, practically synonymous with magic itself. As I watched with mounting excitement, the fireball shot straight towards the goblins... "Huh?" The fireball was heading towards the goblins, but it suddenly swerved as if drawn to me. Hey, hey, why is the fireball coming towards the person who just dodged it!?

"It's a bit dangerous, so move out of the way!" Cystie shouted. Wait a minute, I already heard those words earlier and moved far away from the goblins! The unexpected fireball that came to where I had dodged hit me right in the side. As it exploded, it scattered flames all around. "...Ah..." Cystie's voice leaked out. At the same time, I felt a small impact and a slight warmth on my side. This was possibly the worst thing that could happen with a mage - friendly fire. "Hey! Why are you hitting your ally?! The enemy's over there, right?! Over there!" As I waved away the black smoke filling my vision, I shouted in indignation. She was lucky that I'm a Dullahan with high defense, but if I had been a normal human, this wouldn't have been a joke! It's inexcusable for a mage who's supposed to provide support from the rear to misfire on an ally and end up supporting the enemy instead. It didn't hurt, but I can't rely on a mage who does this. "I-I'm sorry! But... you seem to be fine even after getting hit by a Fireball..." Cystie said surprised. "You blast your ally with a Fireball and then have the nerve to be impressed? I'm speechless!" "Well... your full-body armor seems to be really sturdy. It doesn't look damaged at all. I wonder if it has magic resistance too?" Cystie said with a grin, trying to flatter me. "Why are you obviously trying to compliment me now?! It was hot, you know!" Well, compared to a wyvern's flame, it wasn't really painful. It felt like something slightly warm hit me. But for her sake, I should act like it was a big deal. Or at least, that's what a normal reaction would be. "...Normally, that kind of attack wouldn't end so harmlessly." "Are you saying you hit me with that on purpose?!" I exclaimed. "N-No, that's not it! I really was aiming for the goblins!" Cystie protested. "Then why did the Fireball fly towards me after I dodged?! It clearly curved as if it was targeting me!" That sharp curve couldn't have been anything but intentional. "I-It can't be helped! I can't control it properly!" Cystie shouted back, her shoulders trembling as she got defensive. I had only asked for a proper explanation, but she seemed to be getting upset. Despite her composed demeanor that made her seem mature, she might actually be quite childish. What does she mean she can't control it? "H-How have you been traveling like this?!" I asked, bewildered. "...Well, you see, I usually traveled with others," Cystie mumbled, averting her gaze as she responded to my reasonable question. "And what happened then?" "...I accidentally hit them in the back with a Fireball. B-But! My Fireballs hit the enemy one out of five times, you know?"" I was very concerned about the other four times. Moreover, if that was the case with Fireballs, I shuddered to think how disastrous her control over other spells might be... She had been exuding an air of beeing a capable mage, so I had thought she was an excellent magic user. But it turned out she was an incredibly incompetent one. This was practically magic fraud. Give me back my expectations about magic. "...Huh? Come to think of it, where did those goblins go?" I suddenly realized. "...I think they probably ran away?" Ah, damn it all!