“So, you’re the ones who’ll be providing our escort?”

Upon arriving at the location specified in the request, several merchants greeted us with those words.

Among them were several wagons carrying women and children, indicating a fairly large-scale movement.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“You look like children.”

“However, I’m a magician, and she’s also a skilled magician, so I assure you we are quite capable.”

“My, my, you’re magicians. In that case, we’re relieved.”

And so, the escort of the merchants began.

The merchants led the horse-drawn wagons, and we rode on the wagon’s platform as it moved forward.

According to them, there were monsters that appeared in the Oskuro Forest, a forest they had to pass through on their way to the neighboring town.

That’s why they requested an escort from the guild.

“Well, it’s not a forest where monsters often appear.”

One of the merchants said that.

If no monsters appeared, our services might not be needed.

Incidentally, Orobas was sleeping soundly inside the wagon.

Apparently, it was because he’d been drinking.

The thought of throwing him out of the wagon briefly crossed my mind.

“Focalor, have you become even slightly inclined to teach me wind magic?”

“I don’t understand. Why would you think I would?”

As expected, there’s no chance of that changing.

“I thought that through this, I could show how magic can help people.”

“It’s possible to help people even without magic. In fact, I heard that most of the people at that guild were not magicians.”

Certainly, most adventurers are not magicians.

They use swordsmanship or spears to fight monsters.

In the first place, magic is the act of using magical power to create phenomena, but in reality, magical power is not only possessed by magicians.

It is said that even the everyday actions of moving one’s body or thinking, things anyone can do, require magical power.

So what is the difference between magicians and non-magicians? It’s the absolute amount of magical power.

Magicians possess a vast amount of magical power, allowing them to manipulate spirits and the like.

And those swordsmen and spear users also, in fact, utilize the small amount of magical power they possess.

By using specific breathing methods and what are called specific movements, they amplify their small amount of magical power to strengthen their bodies.

They call this series of actions mana manipulation.

Mana and magical power ultimately refer to the same thing, but they seem to have their own policy regarding the term “mana.”

Apparently, skilled swordsmen and spear users can overwhelm even ordinary magicians.

As an aside, magicians call mana manipulation enhancement magic.

However, enhancement magic is considered a barbaric technique and has few practitioners. I, of course, have never learned enhancement magic.

“However, there’s no sign of any monsters appearing.”

“Well, it’s best if they don’t.”

I talked to Focalor about this.

And then, it happened.

“Aaaahhhh!!!”

A scream was heard.

It came from another wagon.

I hastily stood up.

But Focalor was faster than me.

She rolled off the wagon and ran towards the scream.

“Hmph!”

She let out a breath.

Then, she released a gust of wind from both hands, blowing away the monster that was about to attack the child.

“A Giant Claw Wolf, Gara-Robo.”

Seeing the fallen monster, I identified it.

A characteristic of the Giant Claw Wolf Gara-Robo is that they attack people in groups.

As expected, numerous Giant Claw Wolves Gara-Robo were lurking in the forest undergrowth.

This might be a bit troublesome.

That’s what I was thinking inwardly.

Incidentally, Orobas was sleeping soundly.

He showed no sign of waking up.