Not knowing what to do and just nervously biting her lip, Natalie finally instinctively unleashed a flame attack into the mouth of a wolf-type monster that thrust its muzzle almost to her face.

Whoosh.

“Grrrraaaaah!”

After the monster that had swallowed a blue fireball withdrew its head with a painful cry, Natalie immediately opened the door and jumped out of the carriage.

She judged that since she had performed an attack, the barrier would soon break anyway, so it was better to come out and fight alongside the members.

“Oh no! Natalie!”

McClain, who was facing a monster near the carriage, frowned sharply and gestured for her to quickly climb onto the carriage roof.

Having seen his gesture, Orlando, who was already on the carriage roof, stretched out his hand as if to help her.

“Pereira! Here! Take my hand!”

Natalie also extended her hand to grasp his, but before their fingertips could meet, it happened.

A flight magic she hadn’t even used activated, lifting her body.

“Hmm?”

This wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

To use magic, one needed to chant spells, engrave formulas, or draw magic circles—some kind of procedure.

Of course, there were cases where magic could be activated instantly without such procedures. But that was only possible if the magic had been memorized in advance or if one’s level was extremely high.

“How did this…”

But there was no time to calm her bewildered mind. There wasn’t even time to figure out what had happened.

They were surrounded by what looked like at least seventy or eighty wolf-type monsters, fighting frantically.

When she was just listening to the sounds from inside the carriage, she hadn’t realized so many monsters had gathered.

It was astonishing that six knights had been holding them off.

And now it was time for her to do her part.

Natalie quietly selected targets where her attacks would be most effective, recalling the number of spells she had additionally memorized before departing this morning.

“Orlando! I’ll block the rear! Stone Wall!”

As she cast Stone Wall, which she had memorized to use as a shield, rocks rose from the ground behind the carriage to form a solid barrier.

She thought it would be better to block at least one side rather than being attacked from all directions as if they were being driven into a corner.

McClain raised his eyebrows in surprise, as if he hadn’t expected her to use such magic.

His gaze lingered on her briefly before dropping away as new instructions fell to the formation.

“Move! Block the remaining three sides!”

Thanks to Natalie, they had fewer sides to defend, but the problem was that there were too many monsters.

The creatures seemed to howl periodically, causing nearby monsters to gather.

They swung axes and swords relentlessly and rained down arrows. Yet the number of monsters showed no sign of decreasing.

“Huff, huff, d*mn! These things are endless!”

“Hah, too, many, of them.”

Even Munash and Muki, known for their stamina, exhaled rough breaths while grumbling.

Jorel, with the least endurance among them, was the first to start giving way.

“D*mn it! Orlando! I need support over here!”

The monsters, seeming to sense exactly where a breach might occur, began to swarm toward Jorel as if waiting for this chance.

Natalie, supporting them by occasionally throwing fireballs, grew anxious. She even had the ominous thought that they might not escape this place unscathed.

This must have been why they had so desperately sought a mage.

Self-loathing washed over her for not fulfilling her role properly.

Meanwhile, she noticed Jorel staggering as he retreated. Without thinking, Natalie stretched out her hand toward him and shouted urgently.

“Roll sideways, Jorel!”

Immediately after, with a whoosh, an enormous stream of fire erupted from Natalie’s fingertips. Like water gushing from a fire hose, thick and fierce flames swept past, incinerating the monsters that had swarmed toward Jorel and turning them pitch black.

The firepower was so strong that creatures in the flame’s path were completely reduced to ash.

In fact, even Natalie herself, who was casting the flame magic, was startled by its tremendous power.

It was a moment when her expectations about skill acquisition, which she had tried to suppress, began to bloom again.

※※※

The monster extermination, which they had feared might drag on until nightfall, fortunately ended before sunset. This was thanks to Natalie’s unexpected and tremendous performance.

The members dragged their exhausted bodies to the lord’s castle in Deloa territory.

As they passed through the uninhabited residential area and what must have once been a thriving marketplace, the members gradually fell silent.

This was because the desolate, even eerie landscape made them realize what they were facing.

Only after they finally reached the lord’s castle and assigned temporary quarters did the members regain their usual vigor.

Dry bread, jerky, tea, and a few glasses of low-alcohol drinks were suitable materials for relieving the day’s fatigue and satisfying hunger.

“You were truly amazing today, our mage!”

“I didn’t do much. I’m more worried that I might have gotten in everyone’s way.”

Natalie waved her hand with an embarrassed face, but the members’ praise was endless.

“Didn’t you take down dozens of monsters by yourself, Pereira? That’s more than enough to qualify as a member of our expedition.”

“That’s right! You were truly amazing.”

“Better than Munash. You’re really strong, Pereira.”

Everyone joined in the praise. Actually, it felt closer to adoration than mere praise.

“All of you took down far more than I did. I’ll work harder from now on.”

In the end, Natalie decided to escape the situation due to overwhelming embarrassment.

It was also because fatigue, which she had forgotten about, was gradually creeping up on her.

“Then I’ll go rest for tomorrow. Could someone let me know when it’s my turn to stand watch?”

“Oh, mages are usually exempt, so you can sleep soundly until morning. You need to recover your magic power too, don’t you?”

Orlando waved his hand dismissively.

However, Natalie found it more burdensome to receive special treatment just for herself. After all, she had already been traveling comfortably alone in a carriage until now.

“No, I should certainly do my part. My magic power has already recovered sufficiently, so it’s fine.”

“Still, please rest well today. We can handle the watch duty ourselves.”

“That’s right. Miss, you’ve done enough today. Don’t push yourself anymore.”

“Go upstairs and get some good rest, Pereira.”

Just as Natalie reluctantly rose to her feet at the members’ urging, McClain’s strangely subdued voice held her footsteps, cutting through the noisy goodnight greetings of the members.

“Pereira, let’s talk for a moment.”

The place McClain took her, pulling her by the arm, was the stable behind the inn.

It seemed he had brought her here, where the horses and carriages were tied, probably because it would be dangerous to move too far from the other members in a situation where safety was difficult to guarantee.

“What’s the matter?”

The man had been frowning silently for a while, as if something was bothering him. Only after Natalie asked his business did he question her in an accusatory tone.

“Listen, Natalie Pereira. What are you trying to do?”

“What do you mean, what am I trying to do?”

“Did you really join the expedition to see the game’s ending? I’m asking if you really came along to exterminate monsters.”

“Yes, I did. I mean, if I didn’t come to exterminate monsters, what else would I have come all this way for?”

Natalie couldn’t understand what he was trying to say. In response to her perplexed, almost incredulous question, McClain shook his head and muttered as if to himself.

“D*mn it, why do you have to exterminate monsters so impressively? It’s not like you’re trying to exude charm rather than use magic.”

“What? What are you saying, Sir Lindhart!”

She tried to object, asking what nonsense he was spouting. She wanted to ask why he was picking a fight over something that deserved praise. But before she could even open her mouth, the man cut her off with a fierce expression.

“Do it with me!”

“Do… what?”

To Natalie’s question, the man ground out between clenched teeth.

“The romance you’ve been so desperately wanting!”

At these unexpected words, Natalie frowned.

She had long given up on following the original plot. She had also abandoned any intention of trying to persuade this man.

Moreover, his affection was now barely over halfway, and it wasn’t even increasing well.

Not only that, he ranked last in terms of ranking. The only reason to choose this man as the male lead now was nostalgia for the original story.

After brief but intense deliberation, Natalie looked up at McClain with a regretful smile.

“I appreciate your consideration, Sir Lindhart. However, I was already exploring other routes, so I think it’s best to decline your offer.”

Leaving the man with an expression as if he’d lost the world, Natalie returned to her room first.

That was a good decision. When would I ever get that man’s affection score, which isn’t even halfway there, up to 100%?