Chapter 2: The Swordsmanship Prodigy Saintess

I Have Been Reborn (2)

1.

At the convent, the day ends after evening meal.

The girls return to their rooms to prepare for bed.

I took off my habit and changed into everyday clothes instead of pajamas.

A dark indigo dress worn and faded with time.

When I first put it on, it felt awkward since the hem flopped around everywhere.

But now… I’m used to it. It’s actually comfortable.

“Where you going?”

A girl poked her head out from the top bunk where she’d been reading a book.

Her name is Millie.

My roommate, and like me, an orphan raised at the convent.

“Just out to the forest for a bit.”

“At this hour?”

“A quick walk. Ate a bit too much at dinner.”

I patted my belly.

“Eugh, you liked that stuff?”

Millie scrunched her face in disgust, tongue sticking out.

I thought back to tonight’s menu:

Vegetable soup — boiled until the veggies practically melted.

Yeah, I guess that’s not exactly appealing to a kid.

But for me, it was decent.

Compared to the pig-swill porridge we used to get on the battlefield? This was gourmet.

“You shouldn’t be picky. Gotta eat a balanced diet. Especially when you’re young. If you don’t, you won’t grow properly, and you’ll end up short forever…”

I taught Millie the importance of eating everything without being picky.

It's advice for a child from a responsible adult.

I emphasized it even more because I grew up hungry.

“But Elia, you’re shorter than me.”

Millie hopped down from the bed and stood in front of me.

We’re really measuring height now?

…Okay, I’ll admit she’s slightly taller.

Just a little! Barely noticeable!

“I’m still young, okay? Just wait. One day I’ll shoot up, and you’ll be looking up at me.”

Seriously.

Anyway, time to wrap up this chatter.

“If the dorm matron asks where I went, tell her I went to the bathroom.”

“Got it.”

I opened the window.

And jumped.

It was the third floor, but I wasn’t worried.

I grabbed the branch right outside, then slid down a long trailing vine like a rope and landed smoothly.

“Have fun~!”

Millie waved casually as if she was used to this.

I waved back and headed straight for the forest.

A thick darkness settled over the woods.

Tonight was a full moon… but the clouds were so dense, only a faint trace of moonlight filtered through.

“Can’t see a thing…”

I stood at the forest’s edge and closed my eyes, focusing on the flow of air.

Cool night breeze brushed against my soft skin.

I let the air guide me — painting images in my mind.

Trees… rocks… the shapes of the terrain.

Before long, I had a rough layout of the forest.

I opened my eyes.

“Let’s go.”

I picked up a fallen branch that looked vaguely club-like and began running deeper into the woods.

Thanks to the mental map I’d formed, I weaved through obstacles with ease.

As I ran, I couldn’t stop smiling.

That thrill — it had been so long.

The pounding in my chest.

The possibility of hunting a beast made my lips twitch upward.

“…Oh?”

I felt it.

A beast’s mana, faintly mixed with the night air — like it was trying to hide.

That way.

I turned toward it.

And gave chase.

The further east I ran, the more clearly I could feel it —

Its mana prickling against my skin like static.

“Found you.”

Glowing purple eyes floated in the dark like foxfire.

It moved lazily between the trees, unaware it was about to become prey.

Hope it’s a strong one.

“Hssss…”

I took a shallow breath between clenched teeth.

Steadied my breathing.

Etched my target into my vision.

“Hup…!”

I kicked off the ground.

The dirt caved in beneath my foot as my body launched forward like an arrow.

Even in the dark, my golden hair trailed behind me like light.

Whoa.

I only used a bit of mana to strengthen my body, but it felt light as a feather.

The world blurred behind me.

In just a single step, I was right in front of the beast.

Its eyes widened in shock, clearly not expecting a girl to suddenly appear out of the shadows.

I twisted my body midair and brought the branch down squarely onto its head.

–Crack!!

A clean, satisfying crunch of its head shattering echoed through the woods.

“Huh? That’s it?”

…Too easy.

Didn’t even count as a warm-up.

I really didn’t think it would go down in one hit.

Tap tap.

I poked the collapsed beast with the branch.

Still warm. But no movement.

“Huh… well that’s disappointing.”

The anticlimactic finish left a bitter taste in my mouth.

“Wait… isn’t this kind of small?”

I recalled what the village chief had said, that the footprints were the size of a human palm.

But this thing’s paw was barely the size of my fist.

Too small.

I bent down and examined the beast’s corpse more closely.

Its fangs weren’t fully developed, and its fur was still soft.

It was a little different from the wolf beast I knew.

“Is this a pup?”

A small one.

Which meant… a big one had to be nearby.

Now that would’ve been a letdown…

Just as I was about to resume scanning the forest—

The surrounding bushes rustled violently.

A few seconds later, multiple pairs of glowing purple eyes flashed in the darkness.

Roughly 15 of them.

“Grrrrrrr…!!”

A massive wolf beast stepped forward, heavy pawfalls shaking the earth.

The mana radiating from its body was completely different — thick, sticky, and vile.

That must be the mother of the pup I just crushed.

So this thing was lurking in the woods all along.

If it had reached the village, the damage could’ve been catastrophic.

Good thing I found it first.

“Still though… isn’t that thing a bit too big?”

Am I the one that’s small now?

Or is this just absurdly oversized?

The village chief clearly said palm-sized prints, but this thing looked like it would leave prints the size of a human head.

Even better.

I grinned and dashed straight toward the beasts.

*

2.

Three adventurers entered the forest.

The silver emblems on their chests proved that they were silver-ranked adventurers.

At the front was a warrior clad in leather armor with a sword on each hip.

His youthful face still full of energy and optimism.

His name was Dian — the party’s leader.

He had become an adventurer at a young age, and his eyes gleamed with ambition.

Beside him was a girl in a blue robe, cradling a staff taller than herself.

The party’s mage: Piara.

“L-Let’s come back during the day… please…”

“Are you serious? The thing only comes out at night. How are we supposed to catch it during the day?”

The man who scolded Piara, who was mumbling as if she was scared, was Arold, and he was this party's scout.

From the pouch on his belt, Arold took out a small yellow orb.

He pressed his thumb and forefinger against it—

Crack.

The orb splits with a faint crunch.

Tiny fragments crumbled away as a small spirit fluttered up, glowing brightly and illuminating the darkness.

An one-time use Light Fairy.

It would follow them for about three hours, lighting their way like a floating lamp.

“Dian…”

Piara clung to Dian’s sleeve, teary-eyed.

“Don’t be scared. If it’s a wolf-type beast, the threat level’s only 2. We’ve taken down threat level 3s before, remember?”

Dian gently reassured her as he led the party deeper into the forest.

“Ah… r-right…”

Piara stumbled, sticking close behind him.

The glowing fairy light drifted forward, following their pace.

The party searched thoroughly, cutting through the darkness of the forest.

“Arold, let us know the moment you spot anything.”

“Got it.”

“Piara, don’t panic — just be ready with your protection magic.”

“O-Okay!”

Despite being the youngest in the party, Dian handled his leadership duties calmly, guiding the others with experience and composure.

“Movement to the west. Multiple targets.”

Arold, walking ahead while casting detection spells, suddenly reported fast-moving activity just ahead.

“M-Multiple?! Wasn’t there only one?”

Piara paled, voice trembling.

The quest clearly said it was one wolf-type beast.

There was no mention of a pack.

“How many?”

Dian’s tone remained composed as he quickly assessed the situation.

“Wait… seven— no, six… huh? Five…?”

The readings were disappearing fast.

The detection spell was functioning properly.

There were no mana barriers interfering, and no jamming fields nearby.

But the magical signatures were vanishing rapidly, one after another.

“Two…!”

Arold’s voice trailed off in confusion.

They had no idea what was happening.

“You don’t think… another party is getting wiped out by the beasts?”

That was a possibility.

Normally, only one party is assigned per quest.

But out here in the countryside, clerical errors happen more often than they should — they had experienced it before.

The Adventurer’s Guild had listed one beast.

So if multiple were involved, it likely meant another party had stumbled into a fight.

“Let’s move! Lead the way!”

Arold rushed ahead.

Dian and Piara followed close behind.

“We’re almost there!”

“Get ready for battle!”

Not knowing what they’d run into, Dian unsheathed his sword.

Arold pulled out a dagger, gripping it tight.

“I-I’ll cast from back here…!”

Piara positioned herself a little behind, preparing her spells.

A gust of wind swept through the forest.

The clouds that had been hiding the moon drifted east—

And moonlight poured down, illuminating the dark forest in pale silver.

“Kuuoohh!!”

A monstrous howl shook the trees.

Is that the cry of a wolf-type beast?

That was not the howl of any creature they recognized.

“…One.”

Arold’s quiet voice sent tension through the whole party.

Something strong enough to wipe out other adventurers that quickly—

This was not a normal threat level 2 monster.

At the very least… level 3.

No, probably level 4.

Dian and Arold crept forward slowly, breath held—

“…?”

But there were no monsters.

Or rather, there were.

More than ten wolf-beasts lay sprawled across the ground, their skulls smashed in.

“What... is that...?”

One of them was enormous, easily the size of a horse.

Its head had a thick tree branch impaled straight into the crown.

And in front of them—

“Whew… That felt great.”

—stood a girl, golden hair glinting in the moonlight, brushing it back as she smiled sweetly.

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