The smile remained on my face as I struggled to sit up.
For a while, I just sat there and thought.
Then I noticed my spear lying beside me.
The blade was chipped and slightly cracked.
There were also several cracks around the shaft and the area between the blade and the handle.
I needed to repair it.
This was the first time I had used my spear more than my sword in a real battle, and this was the first time I had pushed it this far.
I had gained a lot of experience with it.
But the spear had paid the price.
As the sun slowly disappeared, Seban brought some food.
After we ate, he looked at me.
"No need for you to take night duty."
"This is a safe point."
"Rest properly."
He also sprinkled some anti-monster powder around the area.
It was mainly used by mercenaries.
It was somewhat expensive, but the powder was made primarily used by silver and higher mercenaries. Once scattered around an area, it could protect a camp during long journeys.
We slowly crawled into the small tent.
I closed my eyes.
Through the gaps in the trees, I could see the moon rising in the dark sky.
Eventually, I fell asleep.
Morning came.
I wasn't awakened by the forest sounds.
I wasn't awakened by Seban either.
I was awakened by a loud crashing sound.
BOOM!
The sound came from only one direction.
I immediately knew.
The battle had begun.
I forced myself to stand.
Seban was already outside.
Rusty was nearby, eating something.
I had no idea what he had found.
Using the tree and my spear for support, I managed to get up.
I couldn't walk properly.
I could only drag my feet across the ground.
When I reached the edge of the safe point, I looked toward Seban.
He was standing there, listening.
It seemed like the final battle had already started.
I wanted to be there.
I wanted to fight beside them.
But I couldn't.
My body simply wouldn't allow it.
I slowly sat down on the ground.
All I could do was listen.
The sound of weapons clashing and explosions echoed through the forest.
I didn't know what was happening.
I didn't know who was winning.
I didn't even know how many people were dying.
But I could feel the battle through the distant sounds.
For a while, the noise remained intense.
Then slowly…
It began to fade.
The sounds became quieter.
And quieter.
Until the forest became almost completely silent again.
Seban brought me some food.
We sat at the safe point and ate.
I couldn't help feeling disappointed.
I had wanted to be part of the final battle.
Instead, I was sitting here listening to it from a distance.
The afternoon passed slowly.
As evening approached, a crow landed near our position.
A small message was tied to its leg.
Seban took the message and read it.
He looked at me.
A smile appeared on his face.
"Kid."
"We won."
"We've been ordered to regroup at the main base."
Those were the words I had been waiting to hear.
I smiled.
Finally.
We could go home.
Seban helped me onto Rusty.
He then patted Rusty's neck.
Rusty seemed to like him.
That surprised me.
Rusty wasn't usually friendly with people he didn't know.
But somehow, he had accepted Seban.
This time, Seban didn't run through the trees.
There was no reason to hurry anymore.
He wanted to avoid making his injuries worse.
So he walked whenever the ground was solid enough.
When we reached swampy ground, he didn't run either.
He simply moved carefully and steadily.
We continued toward the old lizardman nest.
As the sun began to disappear, we finally reached the main camp.
The place where the lizardman nest had once stood.
I noticed something strange on the fence.
Several lizardman heads had been placed there.
Unlike them, the heads of some lizardmen had strange black crow-like marks painted across them.
Others had feathers and scales attached to their faces.
I stared at the sight as we slowly approached the gate.
A man holding a spear stepped forward.
"Identify yourself."
Seban opened his coat and showed his Mercenary Office badge.
The guard looked at it.
Then he looked at Seban.
In my head I thought
A scout…
with a Mercenary Office badge?
For a moment, I wondered if Seban's badge was fake.
But this wasn't the time to ask.
The guard looked toward me.
I was sitting on top of Rusty.
I showed him my own Mercenary Office badge.
He examined it.
Then he looked back at Seban.
He stepped aside and allowed us through.
As we entered the camp, I could hear voices, laughter, and singing coming from inside.
For the first time in what felt like forever…
I knew I was finally safe.