Chapter 127.1 : Journey Toward Restoration Part 4

.. .. ..

The next day after Aisia met with Rio

Rio-tachi went toward the east road in order to escape from earl Claire territory.

And the man observing them from far above ―― Lucci.

Lucci is currently separated from Arein and in the middle of monitoring Rio-tachi while riding on the back of a flying griffon.

On a side note, while Aisia’s reporting the situation to Rio, Arein is employing the adventurers to look for even more people.

Though Lucci is monitoring Rio-tachi from above the cloud to the point that he can be mistaken as a bird, all of the relevant information about him leaked out since Aisia is tailing right behind him.

Nevertheless, Lucci is completely ignorant of that situation.

「Ceh, are you kidding me. And here thought it was a good thing to go with Arein」

Lucci is grumbling while yawning.

Though his current duty is to investigate the surrounding information and Rio’s skill, Arein forbade him to have a direct contact while still on the highway.

That’s in order to thoroughly get the information about Rio-tachi during traveling.

Naturally understanding Rio-tachi’s ability also fell in that category.

Though he knows how skilled someone is just by observing someone’s movement during their daily life, combat is needed to gauge their real skill.

Nevertheless, though one is usually attacked by demons or bandits when one is traveling on the highway, such lucky coincident doesn’t happen this time.

One thing and another, two hours has passed and Lucci becoming even more frustrated when monitoring Rio-tachi who is moving at their own pace.

「Argh, it’s so damn troublesome. Shall I go ahead and pull some demons toward their direction? 」

Lucci is muttering such dangerous words.

As soon as that idea appeared, he is steering his griffon ahead toward the direction where Rio-tachi will come to.

And then, a few minutes later,

「OOh」

Lucci is overlooking herds of demons within the vast forest that is spreading at the side of the highway. He found a group of orcs.

（If that guy’s ability is as what I heard, this much should be easy peasy for him right?　Well, let’s incite those demons then）

The demons will rush right away when they saw the silhouette of human. So it’s easy to pull them toward Rio-tachi.

Lucci made his griffon to descend at the same time as he thinks of that plan.

historical

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Rio-tachi continued walking on the highway that led to the east.

Since talking during travelling will make them consume even more stamina, their conversation was kept to a bare minimum.

Moreover, everyone’s gait, save for Rio and Vanessa, seems heavier due to the fatigue that accumulated during their constant movement these few days.

At that time, Rio suddenly came to a stop. The other party members who are slightly behind him also stopped moving.

「Is it a Demon? 」

Since they were ambushed a few times by demons during their journey, Celia asked that question without feeling peturbed at all.

「Yeah, maybe」

「How impatient」

While saying so, Rio and Vanessa placed their hand on the hilt of the sword on their waist while glaring at the forest on both sides of the highway.

Though unable to see the figure of the demon who is hiding themself behind the densely packed trees, Celia-tachi could hear their cry a moment later.

And then, the herd of orcs who made such cries appearing before their eyes 10 seconds later.

There’s eight of them with height reaching 2 metres. They wore crudely made loincloth of leather with a simple looking spear and club which is most likely made with thick wood.

The orcs are looking around restlessly when they’re entering the highway.

And then readying their battle stance while raising a war cry once they find Rio-tachi.

「Herd of orc huh. Their numbers aren’t as much as goblins but this number is still a bit too much. It’ll be troublesome if they come close」

The distance between two parties are less than 100 metres. Vanessa said those words while looking at the approaching orcs.

Even if they can’t use magic, orcs are a formidable opponent even for armed soldiers.

To the point that being able to beat three of them without any victims is already quite an achievement.

「Right. Let’s send a hail of attack magic and then enter the gap created by that. Since I’ll go at them first, Vanessa-dono is to deal with the opponents that slip out from the barrage of the magic」

Since it’s been decided that Rio is the commander in case combat happened during the journey, he gave an instruction that they should go with the vanguard, middle guard, and rear guard formation.

「Understood!　Celia-kun, please release the attack magic at Haruto-dono’s signal」

「Understood. Ready at anytime, Haruto」

Celia’s stepping forward and stand on Rio’s side.

「Then, please release your magic at my signal」

「EH! 」

The orcs is shortening their gap with Rio-tachi during above conversation.

Now the distance between them is around 50 metres.

「NOW! 」

「《Multi Thunder Lance》」

At the same time as Rio signal, Celia is pushing her hand forward, controlling her magical power and then chanting the aria of the spell.

Thereupon, several magic formation which turning into magic equation is appearing in front of her, which then fired thunder lance in the next moment.

In the blink of an eye, the thunder lances is piercing through the body of the orcs who can’t even avoid the incoming attack. The next moment, the thunder lance is dispersing and then became a lighting that struck on the body of the orcs.

「GUGI! 」

Four orcs is falling while scattering the smell of charred meat in the air.

Other orcs faltered in seeing the fall of their comrades.

The moment the orcs feet faltered, Rio’s sword decapitated the neck of three orcs.

The decapitated head of those orcs showing a shocked expression as if they can’t believe what they just saw.

「Splendid.......」

Just like lightning. Vanessa is astonished in seeing such a brilliant assault that made the orcs fail to recognize the moment of their own demise.

The one and a half handed sword in Rio’s right hand is shedding a brilliant silver light, the gem that is attached to the hilt of the sword also flashed for a moment.

One orc left.

When that orc noticed that it is the only one left despite their previous superior number―― He, the only one left swung down the club in his hand in his fit of rage toward the puny human on his side.

But, Rio just shifted his body to the side by half a step, the club of the orc ended up cruelly smashing the ground.

Rio quickly stepped forward and then slashed his sword from the orc’s shoulder all the way to the waist the moment they passed each other, bisected the thick meat shield of the orc.

The next moment, that orc crumbled on the ground and left behind a piece of magic stone upon its death.

「............ Magic stone」