Dense Forest
After the bath, Veirya wore on new clothes, while the young man finally let out a breath of relief. The tense atmosphere was almost erased by Veirya. After getting dressed, her silver hair was still dripping with water. Nevertheless, Veirya already went to the blacksmith, which was located at the centre of the camp.
The blacksmiths that followed the army were the lifeline of the soldiers. They were responsible for mending soldiers' armour and weapons. Their armour merely served as a placebo effect when they were up against demons, but it was enough to help them feel reassured. To Veirya, however, she viewed her armour as an important tool that determined the difference between life and death.
Veirya picked up her armour. It was a quality half-body armour and helmet. Veirya wore on her breastplate and fastened the straps on both sides. The heavy weight of the breastplate provided psychological insurance. She always wore this set; she'd always ask for it to be adjusted and repaired every time she returned from a battle. Her armour had been tidied up, but it was still damaged, which demonstrated how brave its wearer was on the battlefield.
Veirya then drew her long sword and scanned it carefully. She swung it a few times. There were several more swords that were virtually the exact same on the table, but Veirya chose three long swords after going back and forth for a long time. She strapped it to her belt then picked up two daggers and strapped them to the rear of her belt.
The young man quickly lifted up the backpack on his back and opened it: "Madam Veirya, I have prepared your backpack as per your request. There are ropes, medications, hooks, grind stones, flint, lamp oil and an axe."
Veirya checked the items inside. She took the items out and earnestly checked every single one of them before nodding. The young man didn't receive the praise he desired, sadly for him. Veirya didn't say anything. She, instead, shoved the backpack back to him. Then, she placed the swords she selected on his back: "Carry them properly. Don't lose them."
"Madam Veirya, A-Am I supposed to carry things?"
The young man was quite astonished. He genuinely didn't think Veirya would use him as a courier. When he was first assigned to the legendary Veirya, he thought that he was finally considered a valuable asset to the military; he thought he'd get to become a hero alongside Veirya. Alas, he finally realised that she saw him as nothing more than a courier.
"Mm."
Veirya didn't hesitate to throw her backpack to him. She didn't provide an explanation, either. The young man was wearing the armour and cloak that his ancestors passed down to him. Additionally, he also had to carry his own backpack and weapons. Now, he also had to carry Veirya's spare weapons. He was the descendent of a reputable family, yet was oppressed. Veirya walked outside without paying the young man any attention.
It was supposed to be the start of his legend, yet he was in no mood for it. There was no tension and no stimulation. There was nothing but a heavy weight on his back and disappointment. His initial fear and concerns disappeared. As for whether or not that was a good thing, it was a question mark.
Veirya's mission for current mission was to exterminate the demon den. The demons had occupied a military camp that originally belonged to the elves. The elves had set up a military camp between the trees that was easy to defend but difficult to capture. Even though it was old and worn down, it wasn't the easiest place for an army to attack due to it being located in the forest. To ensure that money could be safely transported during their upcoming advance, they had to clear the area. Initially, adventurers formed teams to attack the camp, but no team ever returned after entering. Hence, Veirya's mission was to personally eradicate the demons there.
At first glance, the mission was practically a suicide mission. But nonetheless, if he was successful, he'd be revered as a hero on par with his father, and he'd be granted an audience with the Queen. As a result, the young man spent ages preparing for the operation. He had gathered countless bits of information pertaining to the camp. He even went to the elves to ask for a map, whereas Veirya didn't do a thing. When they last went into the forest, she fell asleep after staining herself with demon blood. Having to carry Veirya's luggage, left him with nothing but hopelessness and disappointment.
Veirya wore her usual emotionless expression. She didn't know there were lots of demons present and that it was a camp that was hard to capture. Nevertheless, she didn't show any emotion and didn't prepare anything. She entered the forest with her attendant as she always did.
The forest was under the elves' jurisdiction. Humans weren't family with the area. The map the scouts provided contained some mistakes. The densely packed trees were practically all glued together. There were literally no spaces between the trees. To make a comparison, they were essentially a wall that prohibited anyone from passing through. Therefore, it appeared as though there was no traversable path in sight.
Veirya stopped in her tracks, and the young man quickly halted. He glanced over to Veirya. He thought that she might've gotten lost and didn't know where to head. He assumed that it was a chance for him to demonstrate his competence. Thus, he rushed to say, "Madam Veirya, I have a map that the elves gave me. I believe that I can lead us there."
"Axe."
Veirya didn't pay any heed to what the young man instead. He lingered for a moment then reached for the backpack but suddenly froze. Initially, he grabbed the map, only for Veirya to not ask for it. She threw him out of rhythm. He looked at Veirya and tried to feel out what she was thinking: "Madam Veirya, do you really not need the map?"
"Axe."
Veirya spun around. She looked at the young man with a seemingly displeased gaze. She extended forth her hand and waited. The young man had no choice but to give up on his map and hand her the axe. The axe wasn't one specifically designed to chop trees. Frankly, it was just a small axe. Chopping branches with it wouldn't be an issue, but chopping trees multiple times the size of a human being? That was impossible. Strictly speaking, if one had the patience to spend an entire day chopping away, they could chop down one in one day. But nonetheless, chopping down one tree would be useless for their purpose… There were more trees to cut than they could count. No matter how he looked at it, creating a path by chopping down trees was impossible!
Veirya didn't seem bothered. She didn't waste a moment; she grabbed the small axe and horizontally swung at a tree without a word. The axe got stuck in the tree. Admittedly, Veirya was strong. If the young man was the one who swung the axe, it probably wouldn't have gotten stuck in the tree.
"You will not be able to chop it down with that…"
Before he finished his sentence, Veirya sprang into action, literally. She leapt up and kicked the tree branch. The old tree cracked and collapsed loudly as an avalanche with just a small dent and a fly kick. The dent made by the axe slowly widened until the tree slowly slanted before totally collapsing.
"Aaaahhh!!!"
The young man was frightened by the loud rumble. At the same time, he couldn't believe that it took one kick to bring down such a tree. It was supposed to be impossible.
"This can't be real!! How can a human possess such strength?!" silently exclaimed the young man.
"Hollow trees. It's just a little trick used by elves."
Veirya kicked the hollow tree on the ground. It was a huge tree; however, it was hollow as she said. It looked sturdy, but, in actual fact, was merely a thin layer of timber. It was empty inside. The young man looked at the tree branch feeling astonished. He then looked at Veirya in disbelief.
Veirya calmly picked up her axe and said, "Normal trees. Wouldn't be so close together. Don't fall behind. Continue advancing."