A Subjugation Quest With Ram

“Oh, a subjugation quest?”

“Ram…?”

The next day, when Flare and I visited the Adventurers’ Guild, we ran into Ramulfa, or Ram, whom we’d met yesterday at Shield of Hope.

“Hey there, Flare-chan!”

“Ah, hello, Ram-san.”

Flare greeted her with a polite bow.

“Yesterday, at the Temple of Melfaria, we learned that defeating enemies with skills is one way to accumulate Skill Points. So I figured we’d focus on completing subjugation quests as adventurers for the time being.”

“That makes sense!”

Ram nodded.

“Oh, would you like me to help?”

“Huh?”

“It’d be more efficient with me along, right? And it’d reduce the risks, too~”

“Well, that’s true, but… are you sure?”

“Ehehe, I’ve usually got plenty of free time!”

Ram smiled brightly.

“I’m part of the Royal Knights’ Independent Operations Unit. During peacetime, we’re basically free to do whatever we want. Everyone gets to decide how they train.”

“Independent Operations Unit…”

“It’s where the knights who are a little eccentric, or skilled but not suited to working in groups, end up. Basically, the misfits of the order. I’m not very good at following fixed schedules and training routines myself… Ahaha.”

“…Wouldn’t that make things difficult when you have to participate in military operations as a knight?”

“Well, our unit’s orders basically boil down to, ‘Rush to the rescue when our allies are in trouble, fight however you like, and as long as you crush the enemy, anything goes!’ It’s a perfect fit for me!”

“I-I see…”

“Just so you know~ I’m pretty strong!”

Ram grinned.

“I promise I won’t slow you down, so pleeease let me come along!”

Having a swordswoman like her handle the front lines would make things much easier for Flare and me, since we primarily relied on [Fire Arrow], a long-range attack skill.

…No, wait a minute.

Come to think of it, if I learned Ram’s skills, wouldn’t I be able to use swordsmanship skills myself?

The description said I could ‘learn any skill I’ve seen once,’ but did that include skills I’d only seen through [Skill Appraisal: Ultimate], rather than actually witnessing someone use them?

With that thought in mind, I attempted to learn all of Ram’s skills.

…Or rather, I tried to.

Bzzzt!

A sound rang out, accompanied by a message.

Ram possessed four skills, so I’d have to choose three of them.

I mentally reviewed her skills once more.

system_star
[Slash: High Grade]
[Thrust: High Grade]
[Whirlwind Slash: Intermediate Grade]
[Concentration: Intermediate Grade]
system_end

Actually, I’d already learned [Concentration] from Flare.

In that case, there was nothing to think about. I’d take the first three.

Ding-a-ling♪

A cheerful sound rang out, and I successfully acquired [Slash: High Grade], [Thrust: High Grade], and [Whirlwind Slash: Intermediate Grade].

Did that mean I now possessed the abilities of a swordsman, too?

Still, I had no actual combat experience as a swordsman.

All right, I’d accept her offer after all.

“What do you think, Flare?”

“Of course!”

Flare smiled and nodded at my question.

“Then we’re counting on you, Ram. And welcome—to our party, Silver Orb.”

“It’s a pleasure to have you with us, Ram-san.”

“Yaaay! I’m looking forward to working with you two!”

Ram gave us a cheerful smile and bowed.

The newly expanded Silver Orb’s first assignment was to subjugate a C-Rank monster known as a Big Wolf.

“I have a skill called [King’s Domain] that weakens enemies. Once I use it to slow the monster down, Flare and I will finish it off with [Fire Arrow].”

As we headed deeper into the forest where Big Wolves lived, I explained our strategy to Flare and Ram.

“So what should I do?”

“There’s always a chance a Big Wolf could ambush us and I might not react quickly enough. If that happens, I want you to engage it in close combat and keep its attention on you until I can activate [King’s Domain].”

Of course, if things got dangerous, I intended to fight using the swordsmanship skills I’d just learned from Ram.

That said, I wasn’t a professional swordsman, so I’d prefer to leave most of the close combat to her.

“I see… Basically, my job is to protect you and Flare, right?”

“Can I count on you?”

“Of course! I’m confident in my swordsmanship, so you can count on me~”

At that very moment, a rustling sound came from behind us.

Simultaneously, an enormous wolf-like monster charged toward us with the speed of an arrow.

It was a Big Wolf.

So it was trying to ambush us from behind—!

“Whoops! I’m not letting you get anywhere near those two~”

Unlike Flare and me, who instinctively flinched, Ram reacted instantly, drawing her sword as she spun around.

Clang!

She effortlessly stopped the monster’s ferocious charge.

“[Slash]!”

Then, with a single flash of her blade—

The Big Wolf staggered backward, spraying blood.

All right, now was my chance—!

“[King’s Domain]!”

I activated my skill.

It was the skill I’d acquired during my recent battle against the Goblin Lord and subsequently evolved.

Grrrgh!?

The Big Wolf’s movements immediately became sluggish.

It charged toward us, but its movements were so slow that we could easily outpace it.

We put some distance between ourselves and the monster again, luring it toward an area where the trees weren’t so densely packed.

…After all, I didn’t want to start a forest fire.

Eventually, we reached a small spring, where Flare and I activated our skills simultaneously.

“”[Fire Arrow]!““

Countless flaming arrows struck the Big Wolf, sending it flying.

An explosion erupted, but most of the flames merely swept across the surface of the spring.

Good. We’d managed to defeat it without starting a fire.

Just then—

A familiar sound rang out, and a glowing message appeared before me.

Oh, was this it?