[17] Cute Witch is of the demon race

Dazed by the unusual figure in front of me, I froze, staring at the woman. Her expression was flat as she observed my silence.

"Excuse me, if there's nothing else, could you please step aside?" she said.

Snapping out of my daze, I quickly stepped aside and motioned for her to pass. My gaze remained fixed on her as she walked away, searching for a place to sit.

'Oh dear, what am I thinking?' I shook my head several times to clear my thoughts, sighed softly, and then made my way back to the inn.

...

...

A few days had passed, and I had been staying in this city for three days, learning a few things. Thanks to Ciel, it was easy for me to handle everything as though I was born with the talent, like a jack of all trades.

I made various items and recreated products from Earth to sell at high prices in the market. After gathering enough money for survival, the next step was to establish a trading company with stable income. The purpose of this was to help those who were suffering due to the lack of common sense in this world.

To be honest, despite the beauty of this world, the lives of the people within it were not so great. Ciel-sensei had gathered some information from conversations on the streets or in the bar and concluded that this world was worse, very bad.

Firstly, morality. I was too focused on the stories from other worlds in Earth's novels depicting beautiful worlds with good, ethical, and moral people. The reality was much harsher if examined closely, much like Earth during the medieval times. Given my situation, I was entitled to make negative comments, but I tried to restrain myself because my soul came from a modern world.

Secondly, danger. Many areas in this world were inhabited by dangerous monsters, causing at least 1000 lives to be lost every day. Not only monsters but also the presence of magic and various forces defying logic made certain situations extremely perilous.

However, this is the world I now live in, and I must find a way to survive and make a difference.

Currently, I was registered with the adventurers' guild, trying out the thrill of being an adventurer in this fantasy world. When else could I enjoy the exciting and exhilarating life of an adventurer?

It seemed I had underestimated the danger, but I was very confident because Ciel was by my side. I was sure everything would be fine. With spear combat skills and magic, I was confident my life wouldn't be in too much danger unless something absurd, like a supervillain or an evil god, appeared right in front of me.

Walking through the snow, I had accepted a C-rank mission to find medicinal herbs. It was quite simple, located in the northeast of the city where I was staying. Calmly, I gathered the needed herbs.

After my woven basket was full, it was time to return to the city. However, along the way, I encountered a group of adventurers fighting a pack of Luster Grizzlies. My eyes caught sight of the blue-haired sorceress I had accidentally bumped into at the bar!

Observing from a distance atop a hillside, I saw that their party composition was quite complete. They had a fighter, a sorcerer, a tank, and a ranger. It should have been easy for the party to handle. But it seemed they were struggling?

[Let me confirm, don't equate otaku logic with real life. Do you seriously think they can handle a B-rank monster pack?]

Suddenly, Ciel warned me in my head, as if scolding me for unconsciously applying otaku logic to this situation.

I scratched my cheek and chuckled sheepishly at Ciel's comment in my head. Perhaps she was right; I needed to be more realistic in such situations. Since they seemed to be struggling surrounded by the bears, I decided to help.

Actually, I had my combat gear stored in spatial storage, a technique I learned after Ciel-sensei taught me. Honestly, I couldn't rely on Ciel to assist me at all times; she would only discuss topics that were truly necessary when I spoke up or in certain situations.

No problem, the key requirement for the storage spell was reaching tier-4 magic circles. Yesterday, I had achieved that.

Grabbing a newly purchased spear—neither too good nor too bad according to Ciel—I prepared to take action. Alright, time to be the benefactor.

'Great Deity who knows all, grant me ease in assisting these people,' I said in my mind, praying to the deity Bilbe.

With the spear in hand, I slid down the hillside, moving swiftly towards the battlefield.

Unforeseen misfortune had befallen the adventurer party. Initially, they had only intended to take a simple quest to investigate the movements of monsters in the northeast region, near one of the fortresses in the Ronoa Kingdom bordering the Wyrm's Whiskers area.

The sorceress in the party, named Roxy Migurdia, was a girl from a demon clan on the demon continent. Roxy was caught in this misfortune as she needed extra funds for her journey to the Shirone Kingdom.

She was here to take a job for a week before continuing her journey to become a tutor for the royal family. The reason she joined this party and took the quest was quite simple: to earn dinner. Roxy wanted to save money for her future needs.

However, the difficulties faced by the party were far beyond their expectations. Luster Grizzlies, B-rank monsters, came in groups and overwhelmed them. Despite their party composition being quite complete—with a fighter, a sorcerer, a tank, and a ranger—they were still struggling against the brutal attacks of the monsters.

Coincidentally, one of the party members had provoked the pack of bears by accidentally taking one of their cubs. As a result, they were now in a highly dangerous situation.

"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't taken their cub!" the fighter in their party shouted angrily.

"Hey, it was an accident, okay!? The cub itself came close while I was peeing!" the ranger replied, sounding panicked.

"Guys, can we postpone the arguing and focus on our current situation?" Roxy shouted, trying to calm the internal conflict among them.

As they argued, the Luster Grizzlies drew closer, displaying their deadly claws and fangs. The party was truly in grave danger, and they needed to find a way to survive quickly.

"Then why don't you hold them off with your shield!?" the fighter shouted with a careless tone, causing the tank in their party to look at him with anger.

"Do you want me to sacrifice myself or what, huh!" the tank replied, his voice filled with anger and frustration. "Do you think this is easy? They're B-rank monsters, not just ordinary goblins!"

Roxy tried to stay calm, though the situation was growing more critical. They were now at a dead end, cornered by the terrifying pack of Luster Grizzlies. Unfortunately, they were completely surrounded with no way out.

"If I die today, it's all your fault!" the ranger shouted, his voice trembling with fear.

"What nonsense!? You're the one who lured them here, damn it!" the fighter retorted angrily, his gaze full of hatred and frustration.

"I didn't mean to! The bear cub came towards us first!" the ranger yelled, his voice rising higher with the overwhelming fear.

The tank tried to ease the tension by raising his shield higher, preparing to block the incoming attacks. "Stop arguing! Focus on defence! We need to survive!"

Roxy took a deep breath, trying to calm her own fear. She recited a spell quietly, while the tank fought desperately to hold off the brutal attacks of the Luster Grizzlies. The sharp claws of the monsters scraped against the shield, creating a loud, tension-filled noise.

Amidst the panic and chaos, suddenly a flash of light fell from the sky, landing hard behind one of the Luster Grizzlies. The flash easily ripped through the monster, causing it to fall instantly. All eyes widened in shock, unable to believe what had just happened.

From behind the flash of light emerged an adventurer with a spear in hand, his face full of determination and courage. Without giving the other monsters time to react, he moved with lightning speed, leaping towards the next Luster Grizzly. With powerful and precise movements, he swung his spear, piercing through the monster's thick hide and tearing it to the heart.

One by one, the Luster Grizzlies fell rapidly at the hands of the adventurer. He dodged nimbly, evading claw and fang attacks while continually directing his spear at the vital points of the monsters. Monster blood splattered around him, creating a brutal and terrifying scene.

Roxy, who had been panicking, could only remain silent, mesmerised by the adventurer's strength and skill. Even the tank, ranger, and fighter in her party were speechless, only able to watch with wide eyes.