It was noon, yet the sun overhead didn’t feel scorching at all.
Instead, the cold wind sweeping across the open plains made passersby want to wrap their clothes tighter, though it still offered a lazy sort of warmth.
The convoy that had departed Solus City this morning toward the border was massive, numbering over a hundred.
At the center of the formation was the carriage carrying Cecilia and Dorothy.
Near the two carriages were the supply wagons transporting this expedition’s provisions, heavily guarded by cavalry and infantry at both the front and rear.
The entire force was personally commanded by General Maggie.
The examinees were positioned farther out in smaller groups.
Some traveled with hired mercenaries, while others had formed spontaneous teams on their own.
Each group moved differently—some by carriage, some on horseback, others on foot.
They all maintained a certain distance from one another, forming a radial pattern centered on the army as they scouted outward.
Within the military formation, everything was peaceful, but on the outskirts where the examinees roamed, over a dozen small skirmishes had already occurred.
“Haah!”
Rita swung her sword and slit the throat of a wild dog lunging at a fallen examinee.
Blood sprayed out immediately, and the dog whimpered and twitched a few times before collapsing lifelessly.
As she finished off the dog, several more dog corpses lay scattered at Momoka’s feet.
Ever since Rita had returned Momoka’s gun this morning, Momoka had been buzzing with excitement, running back and forth clutching her weapon like a child with a new toy, getting especially fired up whenever a fight broke out.
Rita glanced at the pile of dog corpses and then at the spear behind Momoka, sighing involuntarily.
Her own strength and speed surpassed Momoka’s, but if Momoka wielded that spear all the way through in a duel, Rita wasn’t sure she could win.
Whether it was the various abilities granted by the Succubus or the human combat style, she still had many shortcomings.
It looked like she needed to figure out a way to make up for them.
After a few minutes of fighting, the remaining few wild dogs whimpered and tucked their tails, running off into the distance.
The examinee who’d been attacked by the dogs scrambled to his feet, glancing nervously at the corpses before loudly thanking Rita and Momoka, then hurriedly escaping.
“Our mission is to ensure the route is safe, but after a whole day, all we’ve encountered are these beasts—not even magical beasts.
Do we really need this many people?” Rita wiped her sword and casually asked.
“According to the intelligence, there should be some Goblin Camps nearby. Normally, we would’ve run into goblin scouts by now, but Valfis’ intel says that a few weeks ago, some madwoman went around twisting goblin necks, forcing them to retreat deeper into the wilderness for refuge.”
Momoka poked each corpse with the tip of her gun to make sure they were definitely dead, then slung her weapon behind her back.
She noticed Rita’s expression freeze.
“Rita, why the weird look?”
“Ha! Who could twist a goblin’s neck with bare hands? That’s definitely a lie,” Rita waved her hand, teasing.
What do you mean ‘twisting goblin necks everywhere’?! It was those goblins wearing flowers and plants who provoked me when I was escaping, so I had no choice but to fight back! And Valfis went and embellished that into some official intel?
That Valfis—why can’t she just let me be even after running off?!
“Yeah, I also think it’s a bit exaggerated, but it’s good there’s no Goblin Camp nearby. It’s just a pity we don’t know where Valfis ran off to,” Momoka nodded and then started complaining.
Valfis came to the test specifically to observe me.
Now that her identity’s exposed and she helped me once, there’s no need for her to stick around here.
Rita wasn’t sure whether it was good or bad that Valfis wasn’t around.
But if she had stayed after I found out her identity, it probably would’ve only made things harder for me.
“Maybe she just did poorly in the first round and decided not to continue?” Rita tried to defend Valfis, then pressed on.
“That’s true. Let’s keep moving and not think about it.” Momoka urged and grabbed her gun to continue forward.
The two of them moved on with the main army, and for the next half day, they encountered no enemies.
Before long, the sky darkened.
Marching through the night was unwise for an army hoping to steadily reclaim the outpost, so the main force halted before sunset and began setting up a temporary camp.
Night posed dangers, but it was also a great chance to earn points, so some groups chose to push deeper under cover of darkness, acting as the vanguard for the entire force.
Most, however, preferred to rest near the main camp.
After all, everyone had been traveling all day, and for some who’d never experienced this before, it was mentally exhausting.
After a rather unnecessary dinner, Rita sat by the campfire.
Momoka, already sitting nearby clutching her gun, immediately handed her a cup of low-alcohol wheat beer.
“Drinking when we still have to march tomorrow?” Rita asked but didn’t refuse the pleasantly flavored ale.
“No worries, just a little. Besides, Albert’s drinking too, isn’t he?” Momoka sat cross-legged, pointing with her cup to Albert sitting across, then glanced at Promi off by himself in the distance. “Too bad Strongson says he won’t drink no matter what. And Promi won’t even join us.”
Strongson, the bald giant, was gnawing on a chicken leg.
On his stick over the fire hung the rest of the bird. Hearing himself mentioned, he scratched his nose sheepishly, “You brought this much, how can I be the one to drink it all?”
“If you don’t drink, you don’t drink. Sounds like you’re saying Momoka didn’t bring enough for you,” Albert joked, raising his cup toward Momoka and Rita. “Rita, any issues with Her Highness the Princess?”
“No issues, no issues. I’m never far from the main army, so even if something happens over there, I can respond immediately.” Rita said, turning to show the sword hanging at her waist.
Momoka pointed toward the center of the soldiers’ camp where several tents were surrounded on all sides in a protective formation. “With so many guarding the night watch, normal dangers can’t get near. We’d be the first to be attacked if anything happens.”
“Besides, Lady Cecilia said that if I stayed over there all the time, people would think I was slacking, which might affect my points. So most of the time, I decide how to act myself,” Rita added.
Strongson bit into his chicken leg. “I can’t say for myself, but as long as you top four keep moving normally and don’t lose your recording stones, you’ve got enough points to advance, right?”
“About that. But precisely because of this, we have to make sure this mission succeeds with minimal casualties. This isn’t just a test—it’s a step toward defeating the demon race. That’s why I’m working with Rita.” Momoka clenched her fist.
“So, you two stay together?” Albert asked.
Momoka replied, “No, Rita stays in the middle.”
“Two beds,” Rita quickly added, but immediately saw the puzzled looks around them.
“Isn’t that obvious? You expect me to sleep on just one bed?!”
“I always suspected your relationship with Her Highness wasn’t ordinary. Can you share some with us?”
“Are you guys stupid? We all carry recording stones! How could we gossip about something like that?”
Their chatter continued as the campfire crackled, and this wasn’t the only fire burning. Everyone shared their gains from the day.
Whether examinees had hired mercenaries or relied on their own strength, no one was injured during the march today. The closest was the examinee who was almost attacked by the wild dog pack but was saved by Rita.
Most fights had been with beasts, but because the army made such a ruckus, most beasts fled. Thus, the few skirmishes were small and happened near the outer edges.
One group, however, had encountered monsters. They had ventured so deep that they disturbed a Jungle Blindhead Crab resting underground.
The Jungle Blindhead Crab was actually an insectoid magical creature. Its head was roughly human-sized, sprouting eight crab-like legs nearly two meters long. Its biting force was strong enough to snap a human head off in one bite.
Fortunately, that team of examinees was no novice, and after a fierce battle, they successfully killed the Blindhead Crab.
Because a considerable number of people were on foot, the marching pace was much slower than usual. The Blindhead Crab’s appearance so close to the city was definitely abnormal.
Time passed, cups slowly emptied, and the camp gradually grew quiet as people returned to their tents to rest.
Some tents posted night guards, but few enemies would dare assault such a large encampment. They hadn’t gone very deep yet; the noise alone scared off most beasts, and demons rarely appeared in places like this.
Though it was time to rest, Rita didn’t immediately return to Cecilia’s tent. Instead, she followed Momoka to Momoka’s tent.
“Hm? Not going back?”
“Not in a hurry. I have something to talk to you about.” Rita stood seriously at the tent entrance, hesitating for a long moment.
“Actually, there’s something I’m a bit embarrassed about, but I really have no choice. Can I ask you a favor?”