After signing up at the town hall, I happily waited until the next day, then rushed to the meeting point near the town gate first thing in the morning. The sun had only just risen, but plenty of people had already arrived. The town’s hunting dogs were the first to come greet me, circling around me affectionately. By the canal, I spotted Luka. She wore a close-fitting brown hunting outfit with a green shawl draped over it, and her brown hair was neatly arranged. Luka looked as beautiful as a painting today, too, but she was busy preparing her arrows with the other hunters. I’d wait until later to say hello.

“Elsa, over here!”

A mercenary with a battle-axe strapped to his back waved at me. He had dark skin, and his smooth, bald head looked like a peeled egg. It was Uncle O’Neil. He’d been the first to buy one of my healing potions, and he’d helped me spread the word about them, too.

“Good morning, Uncle O’Neil.”

“I didn’t expect you to come, too. Looks like this autumn hunt’s going to be a huge success.” Uncle O’Neil patted my head. “Hey, why’ve you brought a crossbow? Did you sign up as a hunter or a mercenary?”

“A mercenary… I think…”

That was when I remembered—I hadn’t actually chosen a role.

“If you’re a hunter, stick with Rosen and the others later. If you’re a mercenary, I’ll look after you.”

“That’s great!” I opened my canvas bag, revealing the potions inside. “I’ve prepared a whole bunch of potions for today’s hunt, but I still hope nobody gets hurt.”

“That’s wonderful.”

“That’s our genius Alchemist.”

“Thanks so much, little Elsa.”

The mercenaries were all thrilled to see the potions, though I sincerely hoped we wouldn’t need to use even one.

At seven in the morning, the hunting party set out right on time. A few hunters and scouts led the way, with a supply wagon in the middle of the group and mercenaries and hunters spread out around it. The hunters outnumbered the mercenaries by a landslide—there were thirty of them. It looked like every hunter in Nagu Town had come. The mercenaries, by comparison, numbered only ten. Uncle O’Neil was in command, and it was clear he had a lot of respect among them. Since my sword was still being repaired, I brought only a crossbow and a little knife for cutting meat. Maybe because I didn’t have a melee weapon, I was assigned a seat on the supply wagon and ended up as good as part of the cargo.

The party traveled toward Teardrop Lake for the whole day. By evening, we reached our first campsite: an open space right beside the post road, enclosed by a wooden fence. Everyone quickly got to work. Some people repaired the damaged sections of the fence, others set up tents, and a few lit a campfire. Under Rosen and O’Neil’s direction, the mercenaries and hunters worked together, and before long the camp was ready.

After a peaceful night, the party set out again in the early hours of the morning. This time, we left the post road and followed a bumpy dirt track deeper into the forest. After two difficult days on the road, we finally reached the scenic Teardrop Lake. The blue water reflected the distant mountains, while golden leaves drifted down from the birch trees along the shore. If there was such a thing as a paradise on earth, surely this was the kind of place people meant.

“All right, everyone. Don’t just stand around admiring the view—let’s set up camp.”

Uncle O’Neil’s voice interrupted my daydreaming. I hurriedly jumped down from the supply wagon and helped the others carry whatever I could manage. In the country called the United Kingdom, fifteen counted as adulthood. I looked like an adult, too, so I did my best to do my share and work alongside everyone else.

“Little Elsa, that’s heavy. Let me carry it for you.”

“Elsa, careful! I’ll help you hold it steady.”

“Dear Elsa, be careful not to get stuck in the mud when you fetch water.”

For some reason, everyone had turned into my parents. In the end, I didn’t get a single thing done, because whenever I was given a task, someone else rushed to do it for me.

“That’s our Elsa,” Rosen remarked, stroking his goatee. “She’s done a perfect job of boosting everyone’s morale.”

Wait, was I just a mascot?

The camp should’ve taken a whole day to set up, but we finished in only half a day. I sat in the tent I’d been assigned, hugging my knees and looking glum, with nothing to do.

“Elsa.” Luka came over and handed me an apple. “What’s wrong? Not used to camping?”

“Hmph. I just feel like I’ve become the camp mascot.”

Pfft—hahahaha! That heartless girl actually burst out laughing. Damn it, I’m never speaking to you again!

“It’s all right, Elsa.” She stopped laughing. “You’ve been one of us for a long time now. Here on this perilous frontier, we can only survive by supporting each other.”

A powerful sense of belonging welled up inside me. I’d been part of this place for so long, and I hadn’t even realized it.

I really was a foolish, unfeeling idiot.

Night fell, and the campfire roared to life. A hunter sat on a tree stump, playing a six-string guitar. Its melodious notes drifted through the night, rode the chilly autumn breeze, and faded over the still surface of the lake. After dinner, since I hadn’t managed to get a night-watch shift, I could only head back to the tent to sleep. To my surprise, Luka was already waiting inside. It turned out we’d been assigned the same tent. The thought of sharing a tent with a beautiful girl was enough to make anyone excited.

Damn it, why am I a beautiful girl, too?!

Early the next morning, the hunt officially began. Rosen split the hunters into two groups. One headed north of Teardrop Lake, aiming to track the deer roaming the mountains. The other went deep into the forest to the west. Their task was more dangerous: hunting wild boars. Unlike domestic pigs, wild boars were bad-tempered and had two dagger-like tusks. They were also tough-skinned and thick-bodied, so if things went wrong, people could easily get hurt or killed. Naturally, I joined the wild boar hunting party as the Alchemist (apothecary).

The hunting dogs, which had been barking and fussing noisily, fell silent as soon as we entered the forest. I followed behind the big dogs with a backpack full of medicine and a crossbow in hand. After three hours of hiking, we reached a ravine—or rather, a ditch. It was about ten meters wide, with one side five meters high and the other six. At the far end stood a steep stone wall ten meters tall, impossible for a wild boar to climb. The hunters quickly set up a barricade at the ditch’s entrance and built shooting positions on both sides.

Once everything was ready, it was the dogs’ turn to take the stage.

“Go get ’em, boys!”

Rosen blew a whistle, and the hunting dogs immediately took off. A few hunters went with them, and before long they’d disappeared into the forest. Everyone else took their positions. The hunters near the barricade readied their spears, while those lying in wait on the high ground on either side of the ravine prepared to shoot. All that was left was to wait patiently.

I sat beneath a tree and waited patiently for two hours. Suddenly, the hunting dogs’ barking rang out in the distance. The hunters, who’d been resting up, sprang into action. I quickly grabbed my crossbow and took up a shooting position, moving with all the crisp efficiency of a soldier. Then I saw something astonishing: more than thirty wild boars, big and small, charged into the ravine all at once. The hunters at the entrance immediately lowered the barricade, trapping them like turtles in a jar. Then came the fun part: target practice. The hunters on the high ground on either side kept shooting arrows, and the startled boars ran in every direction, kicking up clouds of dust. The battle between hunters and boars ended with the boars strewn all over the ground. Just as I was about to celebrate the victory with everyone else, a sense of danger suddenly crept up behind me. I glanced at the bushes and saw a group of little green people, no bigger than children, sneaking closer. The mercenary standing guard had his back turned to them.