Chapter 49: To play

We were under attack. "Kill both orcs and elves! No distinctions!" The order was quick. From a disorganized band, I brought forth order. The general I was hollered his orders. My soldiers were all organized. All at once. At least they were quick-witted, the orcs. The same goes for White-haired and Hideous, thankfully. And it was time to fight. Just like that, out of the blue.

"J-Just like that!?"

Yes, White-haired. Just like that. Though he had a hard time believing it, he didn't take long before he entered a battle stance. Elvish runes in one hand and a sword on the other. So he could use a sword, I thought.

"H-Hey, colleague!" Hideous was quite panicked too. More panicked, even. What could be on his restless mind? The Legendary Noble Spirit of the Forest - that was my new identity - he still had to apologize to? Seizing both shoulders of his colleague, he said they didn't have to fight. "Let's just bounce!" In his restlessness, he decided to act differently.

White-haired, as a response, urged him not to be stupid. We heard their leader, the paladin, who said there were no distinctions between the two races of enemies. And also, White-haired cursed, from the looks of it, we were cornered. The enemies were far too numerous. Taking a quick peek behind us, Hideous' complexion turned pale—he quickly replaced it with his usual twisted face of fury.

The orcs were already engaged in battle. Up ahead, the symphony I so appreciated rang out, amidst the thunderous roars and shrill screeches of the enemies. And from behind our back, a handful of human soldiers closed in on us. Compared to the other organized force of human soldiers, these ones seemed rather disorganized and petty, but they were still a threat. All of them, as wary as could be, approached the group of elves with eyes full, watching out for any opening.

The orc leader was quick to get down to the job. And we were just situated behind him and his troops. The enemies' ranks were tightening on us by the minute. Both White-haired and Hideous spat cursed seeing that unfold before our eyes. Biting his lip and frowning, thankfully for the elves, White-haired also knew to be quick-witted. His words were quick and clear.

"Listen, Hideous! You and I protect the princess! It'll prove complicated if we stay here though! We have to mingle with the orcs!" White-haired saw right. From a certain angle, the human battalion, which rained down a rain of spells, swords, and arrows on the orcs, chose not to totally surround them. They quickly would, however. The elves had to be quick and go there. White-haired said we were allies, so that was what they had to do. In a jiffy, and sneakily enough, both of them took on a formation to go forward. But hey, that was when they realized there was something wrong with their plan of action.

"What's that about protecting me?"

We were in the middle of a war. Right in the heart of yet another battlefield. Roars of victors resounded through a wide area. The sad whimpers of those who fell, though they were stifled, still carried to our ears. In the midst of all this, under the strong sun beating hard down on us, people sweated, struggled, and fought. And here I was, standing firm in my place, refusing to move out with them. It was the first time the kinder elf yelled so fiercely at me.

He said we needed to move, and now. But the helpless princess who should have desperately stared at him, trembling and wishing for her guardian's help, turned into a monster again.

He tried to get me between himself and the other elf, but I so violently brushed off his arms that he had to stop. When I then glared at him with icy cold eyes, he also had time to cast his eyes downward in submission. My eyes only said 'Get off the way.' Then I turned my back to him, and with a Quick Pace, I flew onward in the mass of enemies.

Wasn't it fine for the princess to have a little fun too? And to be reminded she had the right to live? And to then climb over her mountain of dead enemies, declaring then and there that she would not shy away from the people who wanted to take her life? Or maybe, rather than the princess' will it was the monster's will? The same monster that used her as a Receptacle. It most probably was.

White-haired really wasn't okay with letting me go on my own. I'd just be next door playing with the other kids, really, he had to relax a little. Or did he want to grow bald before even the old man did? I yelled at him back not to grow bald too quickly.

And it was Hideous that helped me make my case then. He hollered that I was fine on my own—of course, the Noble Sacred Spirit, or whatever he meant by that, was fine on his own—and pressed him forward to the orcs. I'd rather they worry about their own safety than mine. From that point on, I wouldn't pay more attention to the elves. I knew we'd just reunite afterward. What I didn't know, at the time, was that one of my elves would be dead and cold by then, ha ha ha.

The orcs, now. They were forming a defensive formation. All them boys together like a huge wall. Sticking shoulders to shoulders, they were forming a rampart. In the middle of their formation, there was the orc leader, both yelling words of instructions and cheering from behind them, protecting his boys from behind, jumping here and there, and cutting people with a spear. That man was a fighter.

And instructions from their enemy rang out with a thunderous holler too. A big man, sharp as a sword and squared as a rock shouted and the formation changed. Some of his soldiers backed off and stood by. There happened to be many units in their plan. Unit A still attacked. Unit B now stood by. And Unit C already stood by. The humans were organized. Their soldiers were powerful. Unit A redoubled with hatred and desire for blood and smashed on the orcs' rampart.

Spreading the bits of my consciousness everywhere around using Mana Perception like a champ, I wanted to take it all in. It was my first time witnessing that particular facet of the world, which interested me very much. This scene, to my young eyes, was the essence of life. I wanted to take it all in.

That was further stimulation for my inexperienced self. After a week of living, learning, and being stimulated by the world, the monster still had a long way to go. And stimulation was what nourished your experience, intelligence, and wisdom. And the monster wanted to be superior. That's why I took it all in.

What I described earlier was the whole picture of it. Part of this bigger picture, then, was the monster. The monster observed and looked at the scenery, remembering it had once been so far off in the distance, but it now reverberated all around the monster, on the road, where all the masses waged war against one another. Blended into this picture, the monster's eyes—my eyes sparkled in awe.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! That is... so great~! All that is!" the monster cackled.

With my fancy elvish dagger in one hand, leaning back, forth, right, and left, I danced and avoided every obstacle I was passing by. It was an easy task. Surviving seemed easy. The folks weren't so focused on me, after all. Then again, considering my little and benign persona, I guess that made sense. The people after me had a real problem for going after the boyish little princess.