Who Needs Magic in a Fantasy World Anyway?

Chapter 59: Monsters

"Did we get everything?" Koko asked as she inspected the camp the next morning, making sure that they had everything stowed away inside of their travel packs.

"Everything but our motivation..." Mary answered with a yawn, still seeming to be half asleep despite having been up for hours already seeing as her's had been the last watch.

"Then we'll pick that up along the way. Let's move out!" Koko cheered, though the others were anything but ready.

"Can't we find a river or something to bathe in first? I'm completely covered in dirt and tree sap..." Emily whined.

"I can sleep while you do that." Mary agreed.

"Will there by any monsters close to the rivers?" Wallace asked towards Koko in concern.

"You... Suck it up guys! You've been in school all of this time to become adventurers, haven't you?!" Koko asked in exasperation. "In some dangerous situations, adventurers can go for days without sleep. They travel for days on end without being able to wash once and all of that with the constant threat of being attacked by monsters that are a whole long stronger than anything we'll find in this forest! Why are you all complaining now, why even bother becoming adventurers in the first place?!"

"M-my father made me join to try to meet people my age..." Wallace looked away while sounding dejected.

"It would look good on my records, so I was using it to become a Court Mage afterwards!" Emily explained before looking up at Koko with tears in her eyes. "Is it true that we won't be able to take baths for days?!"

"I don't care about the other stuff, but a girl needs beauty rest! You should know this!" Mary yelled, seeming to be concerned about sleep more than anything.

"You guys..." Koko closed her eyes and slowly shook her head at the kids in front of her while not knowing what to say back to them. Of all of the stories she'd ever read about adventurers, she'd never met a group as unmotivated and as disorganized as this one. However, apparently she didn't have to say anything as she suddenly felt a hand tapping her shoulder.

"K-Koko..." Wallace almost whispered.

"What?" Koko opened her eyes and asked only to see that he was looking at her with wide eyes while shaking. She almost asked what was wrong with him before she finally realized that he was taller than her and he was actually looking over her head, and she turned around now to see what they had been looking at. And while she hadn't seen anything there before, Koko smiled now as she spotted at least tell small green creatures that all had enormous noses with small black eyes behind them.

"W-what do we do?" Emily asked with a trembling voice.

"Oh! It's goblins!" Koko clapped her hands excitedly, quickly reading their name plates to see that the highest level among them was twelve. "Alright Wallace, get in front. Mary, if you know how, create two barriers to our sides so that they all group up together. Heal when necessary and watch out for if they try to circle around us. Emily, once they're all grouped up, use any damaging spells that you know of while they're all clumped together."

"U-up front?!" Wallace asked in a panic.

"Brace, put your shield out in front of you and follow what they trained you to do at the academy." Koko said in a relaxed voice as she moved beside the knight and gently moved him into the correct position. "Trust in what you were trained to do and don't worry. There might be a lot of them, but they're all weak monsters and all of us will be standing right behind you to help whenever needed, alright?"

"A-alright." Wallace lifted up his shield despite his trembling body. "You'll be with me, right?"

"I won't let go so that you know I'm here." Koko sighed as she lightly pushed her hand against his back in order to hopefully improve the knight's courage. "Emily! When you're in between spells, be sure to look behind us along with Mary so that we don't get flanked!"