Extra in a Romance Fantasy

109 – The Hero’s Tomb (4)

Thus, Max, Johanna, and I stepped out of Darville and into the forest, but that didn’t change the atmosphere around us.

After all, the surroundings were still overwhelmingly noisy.

Even before we set off from Darville, the crowd was so dense that it could be described as a throng.

Now that we had entered the forest, they still filled the space around us without significantly thinning out.

“I can’t tell if we’ve entered a forest or if we’re just on a picnic at the hill in front of my house.”

Max muttered with a peculiar expression as he took in the scene.

It was a result of the fact that the mountain of people gathered for the purpose of visiting the Hero’s Tomb had a similar departure time.

The sheer number of people gathering in Darville was already an unusual occurrence, so it could be described as a rare sight, considering we might never see such a thing again.

“Thanks to this, we won’t have to encounter any monsters… but this is still quite bothersome.”

Not particularly fond of the scene, Max clicked his tongue with a sour expression.

I found myself agreeing with him.

I’ve never been one to prefer crowded places.

While it might be safer to stick together like this, this group didn’t really need to worry about safety in the first place.

Johanna’s opinion, as another member of the group, didn’t seem to differ much either.

She didn’t say much, but her expression wasn’t particularly bright either.

“Well, still, it should get better later on.”

Max added.

As he said, this situation wouldn’t last forever.

Even if the destination was the same, the paths we chose along the way could differ, and above all, the pace of progress would inevitably vary from group to group.

In other words, the number of people would gradually decrease.

With that thought settled, we continued walking through the forest.

*

During our journey, we hoped for no troublesome incidents rather than worrying about danger.

It was unlikely that a monster would approach such a large group of people, so the next concern would naturally be the people themselves.

Those who knew the forest well would understand that one should not act recklessly even in such situations, but most of the individuals heading to the Hero’s Tomb this time were outsiders.

They were not well aware of the forest’s dangers.

Given that it was an unfamiliar and often spoken-of dangerous place, it would be convenient if everyone acted cautiously, but honestly, I didn’t hold high hopes for that possibility.

After all, most of the people gathered here were warriors.

As Anton said, warriors often have strong pride.

And that is usually true the more skilled they are.

Everyone gathered here had some level of skill.

When such individuals are gathered in one place, the likelihood of problems arising is low.

Sure enough, problems did arise.

“Talking big without any real skill.”

“Looks like your eyes are just holes in the ground.”

It hadn’t been long since we entered the forest from Darville, and already warriors were starting to quarrel, and now it was frequent enough to be described as brawls breaking out everywhere.

Fortunately, thanks to the valiant efforts of the mercenaries leading their respective groups, it hadn’t escalated to violence yet, but it was certainly noisy.

“What’s going on? They’re fighting again.”

Max frowned as he watched two warriors arguing.

“What are they fighting about this time?”

“Who knows? But… I can guess without needing to hear the details.”

I hadn’t heard the specifics, but I had a rough idea of why the two warriors were quarreling.

It was probably over something trivial.

To give a concrete example, it could be about someone’s gaze being displeasing or a tone of voice being rude.

I could say it was merely baseless speculation, but I was confident the likelihood was quite high.

After all, the reasons for the quarrels that had occurred around us so far had all been like that.

“There’s never a quiet day.”

Johanna looked at them with a face that clearly showed her discontent.

“Well, if it’s just noisy and nothing more, it’s still bearable for now.”

Saying this, Max tuned out the escalating argument and began to walk again.

Johanna followed behind him.

As Max said, this level of noise was still acceptable.

Although the surroundings had become noisy due to various issues, it was, quite literally, just noisy.

Our group hadn’t been directly caught up in it.

However, perhaps it was the very thought of that which was the problem.

“Oh. I didn’t expect to see such a beauty here.”

Before long, we found ourselves entangled in that annoying situation.

A lone man had begun to persistently engage our group in conversation.

And the target was none other than Johanna.

In a way, it might have been inevitable for such a thing to happen.

Among so many people, there were hardly any women, and even among them, Johanna’s appearance stood out even in the bustling center of Darville.

With no monsters appearing and the forest being less dangerous than we had heard, it was only natural for eyes to wander.

And it was only a matter of course that Johanna caught those wandering gazes.

Johanna, the subject of the man’s relentless pursuit, remained silent, ignoring him completely.

As if she had no intention of engaging at all.

Her rejection was expressed with such clarity that there was no room for doubt, yet the man showed no sign of retreat, as if he possessed an indomitable will.

If there had been mercenaries hired by him, they might have recognized Johanna and stopped his advances in shock, but for some reason, there were no mercenaries in their group.

Only a few men who seemed to be part of his entourage were visible.

Could it be that he hadn’t hired any mercenaries? The thought crossed my mind.

Considering the potential dangers that could arise in the forest, it was a ridiculous notion, yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was entirely possible for the man before us.

In this situation, I found it hard to understand why he would approach a woman like that.

He might have been overly confident, or perhaps he thought that with so many people around, he could simply follow along without needing to hire mercenaries.

In any case, the man was persistent and showed no signs of giving up.

As this situation dragged on, I turned my gaze to Max and asked,

“Is it alright to just leave him be?”

“Let it be. If it bothers him, he’ll take care of it himself.”

—

Even though the same group was suffering, her words were astonishingly calm.

Yet, I felt they weren’t entirely wrong.

She wasn’t someone Johanna needed to protect, nor was she a child, so perhaps it was right to let her handle her own affairs.

In fact, intervening unnecessarily might be a sign of disrespect towards her.

Convinced that Max was right, I decided to remain silent and quietly observe the situation.

However, perhaps having reached her limit of patience, Johanna furrowed her brow and finally spoke up for the first time.

“Get lost.”

A very succinct statement.

The firmness and intensity of her words had enough pressure to make an ordinary person turn on their heel immediately.

“This one has a charming spark, doesn’t she?”

It seemed the man was anything but ordinary.

“To not only be striking in appearance but to possess such charm as well? I find myself even more drawn to you. Why not join our group? I could host you very comfortably.”

“…Hah.”

Johanna let out a small sigh.

It was a clear reaction that indicated her displeasure with the situation.

Yet, despite such a response, the man’s words showed no sign of stopping.

“Looking at the members of your group, they seem rather incompetent, so the road ahead will be dangerous. Therefore, why not come with us—”

Thwack!

The man’s mouth, which had shown no signs of stopping, suddenly fell silent after a sharp sound echoed.

And the man…

Thud—

Suddenly rolled his eyes back and collapsed roughly onto the ground.

“W-What? Hey!”

The members of his group rushed over, quickly grabbing hold of him.

And looking down at them with irritation in her eyes, Johanna said,

“Take him and get lost.”

“……!”

The man’s companions widened their eyes.

They understood through her words why he had fallen.

That there had been a strike so swift they couldn’t even see it.

—

Fortunately, whether it was due to understanding or instinct, the man’s companions took care of him and quickly retreated.

Then they completely disappeared beyond the crowd.

““…….””

And the surrounding people were watching that series of events unfold.

Their gazes were naturally mostly directed at Johanna.

“Now it’ll be a bit more comfortable.”

That was Max’s remark as he observed the scene.

And indeed, it turned out to be as Max said.

From that point on, those who had been bothering Johanna began to appear less frequently.

They weren’t entirely absent, but each time they did show up, they ended up in the same state as the first man, and after experiencing that a few times, no one dared to approach her again.

Thus, the group regained their peace, and we continued to move forward.

As we ventured deeper into the forest, the number of people around us gradually decreased, just as expected.

The path sometimes split, and there were those who moved at a slower pace.

However, there were still many people, and because of that, monsters did not ambush us, and no significant incidents occurred.

While I was hoping that this state would be maintained until we reached the grave, an incident finally took place.

The first death occurred among the group.