CHAPTER 47
The Waning Moon Forest, where the trees were so dense they replaced the sky, and only night existed. Within it, red lightning flashed.
The source of the lightning was Aranseol.
She was hunting the Jagi Species, small, green devil-like Fantasy Species that emerged from between the trees.
The Jagi Species fought with awl-like swords coated in poison.
As such, a single hit from their swords was a fatal blow.
But her opponent was Aranseol.
She unleashed her swordsmanship, which she had trained in until now, to its fullest extent.
Not a single one of the Jagi's swords ever reached Aranseol.
Instead, whenever their swords met hers, a current of electricity would flow through their bodies, making them tremble before their heads were sliced off.
Watching this, I understood why Attribute Awakeners received so much attention.
Just by adding an attribute to her sword, Aranseol's combat power had doubled.
At that moment, a flame shot through the air.
The small fireball simply streaked across the sky and incinerated a Jagi's head.
The fireball didn't stop there.
It intervened freely even as Aranseol fought, searing Jagi after Jagi as it passed.
Fire magic, Red Breath.
Until now, I had thought all fire magic was just about making things go boom.
But there was also fire that could be wielded with such freedom.
The one controlling the flames was, of course, Babiyen.
With her outstanding magic skills, she eliminated only the Jagi Species without causing any damage to the forest.
Watching this, I understood why Bulldog had desperately insisted on the importance of a proper mage.
The refinement of her magic was on a completely different level from the mages I'd seen on the streets.
"What is it? Do I finally look impressive to you?"
As Babiyen gloated, I turned my gaze from her. I then looked at Horizon, who had just slipped past Babiyen's back.
The Jagi Species that had been trying to aim for the mage's blind spot.
Horizon, who had shot out towards them like an arrow, drew her sword.
With a clean draw, a Jagi's head flew high into the air.
Horizon didn't stop there, piercing its heart to confirm the kill before cutting down the next Jagi.
Small, but fast.
Her fluffy black hair helped to conceal her in the darkness.
She was strong.
I could see why Aranseol rated Horizon so highly as a swordsman.
In an instant, the Jagi pack was annihilated.
Horizon had even used her shadows to chase down and eliminate any fleeing Jagi in advance.
In the meantime, I collected the magic stones from the Jagi and carved out their eyeballs.
Jagi eyes were used in medicine, so they were a must-have.
"I-I'll help!"
"No, it's fine. You rest. There's not much for me to do anyway."
Horizon, having moved all the Jagi with her shadows, tried to help, but I waved her off.
Aranseol had tried to help earlier, but she didn't know how to butcher them and only caused losses, so I had her step back.
Babiyen just made a sound of disgust and didn't even try to help.
I'll make sure that girl learns how to butcher monsters one day.
Filling my bag with Jagi parts made me feel proud.
That was all money. Money.
As I picked up the pack, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
Why do I feel like I'm playing the role of a porter in this team, too?
Wait, this is weird. I'm supposed to be a precious, high-class Holy Mage.
My eyes fell on my teammates, who were taking a breather.
I had gathered them, but my team was strong.
At the very least, each one of them was at the level of a Silver-grade pioneer.
It was so much more comfortable in the 2nd World now than when I had come with Bulldog.
And that very fact was diminishing my own presence.
A Holy Mage is most effective when their teammates are injured.
But Aranseol, Horizon, and Babiyen rarely got hurt.
This was already our fifth encounter with a Jagi pack.
Yet, not a single one of us was injured.
"Is everyone okay? No injuries?"
"Yeah, nothing really."
"What about a small scratch?"
"I'm telling you, there's really nothing."
"I think Babiyen cracked her head. Let's treat it right away."
"Aah, don't come near me with those eyes!"
A team where my existence was fading.
In the end, my role here was also that of a porter.
I finally became a Holy Mage, so why am I still a porter?
With such bitter thoughts, our team cruised along smoothly.
Still, perhaps because it was such a smooth pioneering trip, unlike my first time in the 2nd World, I felt at ease for the first time in a long while.
Right, this is what a normal life is like.
If another incident were to happen this time, it would mean God didn't just hate me, but had completely abandoned me.
"It would be nice if it could always be like this."
"You have a strange knack for getting caught up in things, Harua."

Aranseol said as she handed me a cup of warm tea.
We had gathered in a nearby tree hollow for a rest and a meal.
After handing me the tea, Aranseol sat down next to me.
"The 1st World is still not quite done with summer, but it gets cold in the 2nd World as night falls."
"That's because the location is completely different."
With Aranseol next to me, I could feel her warmth.
Ever since I became certain I didn't have a heart, I've felt the cold more acutely.
Of course, the fact that I was alive and moving without a heart still didn't make any sense.
But this world was so full of things that didn't make sense that I had come to just accept it.
I guess the mana circulates the blood left in my body or something.
"It's less cold when I'm next to you, right?"
Aranseol smiled, as if she knew what she was doing.
The Oegak Tribe has a higher average body temperature than humans.
Thanks to that, being with Aranseol felt like having a large dog next to me.
"If you're cold, this girl could light a blazing fire for you, you know?"
Babiyen provoked, twirling her staff.
"How did Babiyen become so twisted? She was so nice as Baby Babiyen."
"It's because you keep talking about that, that this girl has become like this!"
Same old Babiyen.
"I-It's ready!"
In the meantime, Horizon finished cooking the soup.
She handed me a bowl, and I sliced some jerky into it and dipped a hard piece of bread. Only then did I feel alive.
The warmth in my stomach made my whole body relax.
I could feel the others' faces relax as well.
For both Babiyen and Aranseol, this was effectively their first proper foray into the 2nd World.
Because of that, they must have accumulated fatigue from the outdoor activity without even realizing it.
It would be best to eat a full meal.
It was then.
Horizon, who had stuffed her small mouth full of bread, paused and put down her soup bowl.
The moment I saw that, I knew from my months of experience.
"Horizon."
"Yes, someone is approaching."
Horizon's gaze changed.
It was the look of a pioneer that the usually timid girl sometimes showed.
The moment we heard someone was approaching, we entered a combat stance.
I put out the fire I had lit for our meal.
Meanwhile, Aranseol drew her sword and Babiyen finished her casting preparations.
Horizon also tapped the ground with her foot, quietly assessing the situation with her shadows.
Rustle-
Soon, three figures emerged from the bushes.
They were all suspicious individuals wearing hooded robes.
Axes and swords were strapped to their waists.
The bloodstains on the tips of their weapons made it impossible to tell if they were from humans or Fantasy Species.
"We've already claimed this spot. What is your business?"
When I asked, the eyes from within the robes stared at me intently.
"Transferee."
He called out to me, murmuring quietly.
"A female Transferee with black hair, purple eyes, and unusual boots. Have you seen her?"
The serial killer who had been active for a while.
He was asking about the crazy woman who had killed me once.
These were the Avengers.
I heard the Regular Army had caught most of them, but there were still some left.
"I have not."
"You're not covering for her just because you're both Transferees, are you?" one of the Avengers asked with a venomous attitude.
Aranseol's eyes narrowed slightly.
She had sensed the indiscriminate murderous intent towards Transferees.
It was a common behavior among those who had lost family or friends to a Transferee.
I paid it no mind and opened my bag to show them.
Inside were the Jagi eyes and magic stones I had gathered today.
It was proof that I was diligently working as a pioneer.
"We are just here to do our pioneering work. I would appreciate it if you didn't misunderstand."
"The words of a Transferee…"
"Enough."
The one who seemed to be the leader of the Avengers stopped the one who was about to argue.
"My apologies. Sorry to have disturbed your rest."
"It's alright."
"As thanks for your cooperation, I'll tell you one thing."
He glanced at the forest and spoke.
"Among the pioneer teams this time, though it's not widely known, there are some from the Radiant Faith."
My body froze.
Those rotten cultists.
They never get tired, crawling all the way out here.
"They are also looking for the killer, just like us. I recommend you don't trust them just because they're a fellow pioneer team."
It seemed the Avengers had an acquaintance in the Radiant Faith.
Well, the Avengers were also hunting the No-Named Transferee serial killer. It was the same goal.

Some of the Avengers must have converted to the Radiant Faith.
After all, the Radiant Faith was the group that hated Transferees the most.
"Thank you for the advice."
"We'll be on our way."
The Avengers turned and left.
It seemed their leader was originally a pioneer.
That's why he left a piece of advice for us, his fellow pioneers.
"Harua, what are you going to do?"
Aranseol asked for my opinion.
I was tangled up with the Radiant Faith in various ways.
That's why she was looking at me with worried eyes.
If I had my way, I'd grab them and ask about Bulldog.
But if a Transferee did that, they'd just try to tear me limb from limb.
It was better to wait for Madame Karuang to get the information.
"Let's not worry about it. Their goal is the killer anyway, so they probably won't bother us."
More importantly, that serial killer woman.
It's amazing she hasn't been caught yet with so many people chasing her.

I knew she had an invisibility Ability, but I never thought she could hide this well.
The Avengers must be so frustrated that they're searching the entire 2nd World.
"Let's rest a little longer, then move on."
Due to the nature of the 2nd World, it's not good to stay in one place for too long.
At my suggestion, we finished our meal, and after letting it digest for a while, we started moving.
We earned a decent income by hunting Jagi Species along the way.
I considered aiming for a higher-grade Fantasy Species, but we decided not to push our luck.
We had two people on their first real trip to the 2nd World.
An unforeseen problem could arise.
Rather than taking an unnecessary risk, we could just come back next time.
By the time three days had passed in the 2nd World, including breaks and sleep, Aranseol, being a swordsman, was doing relatively okay, but Babiyen was showing signs of fatigue from sleeping outdoors for three days.
Since she was the one who insisted on coming, she didn't show it, but it was plain to see. She was a mage, so it was natural for her to have less stamina.
This was enough.
"Horizon, let's start heading back. Please try to avoid combat with Fantasy Species as much as possible."
"Ah, yes! I was just setting a course in that direction."
The recommended stay in the 2nd World is a maximum of five days. So, Horizon had tactfully been planning our route back.

Thanks to Horizon's quick thinking, we were able to head towards the Moss Flower Cave smoothly.
This trip to the 2nd World was a great success.
We had earned enough money to satisfy even Babiyen.

Next time, it might be okay to aim for a higher-grade Fantasy Species.
That was what I was thinking.
"H-Harua-ssi, there's a commotion near the entrance of the Moss Flower Cave."
"A commotion?"
"Yes, yes, it looks like someone is fighting."
I covered my face with my hands.
Of course. Just my luck.
Something just had to happen at the very end.
I was tired too, having been on edge for three days.
I just wanted to deal with it quickly and go home.
"Can you go see what's happening?"
When I asked Horizon, she quickly grasped the situation with her shadows and returned.
A moment later, I received a dumbfounding answer.
"That Transferee we saw at the Pioneer Guild Hall and Arshel-ssi are having a dispute."
What the hell is that about?