I’m Not Good at Offensive Magic, but I’ll Do My Best With Support Magic!

「Hey, if you want, why don’t you come with us?」

When I received my reward from the Wings of the Fire Dragon as promised and told them that I was leaving for the next city, Eugene-san, the leader, suddenly said those words to me.

「No, I’m going to be heading west, so I’ll be going in the opposite direction from everyone in the Wings of the Fire Dragon…… but I appreciate the sentiment」

I’m happy to be invited, that’s how I really feel, but I’m headed to the Republic of Artika, a beastman country in the west of the continent. It’s a place where various beastmen gather, and where the kings of the various countries discuss and manage their affairs.

「But you don’t have to go all the way to that country, do you? Even though the war is over, it’s still rough around the borders, you know?」

About 15 years ago…… The scars of the war that took place around the time I was born seem to have not healed. As proof of this, the number of children like me who are placed in orphanages is still increasing.

There are rumors that the war, which was supposed to have ended, is still going on under the surface. Everyone in Rūdo Empire knows that military exercises are held daily in the Imperial City of Rūdo, and that many weapons and magic items are gathered in the Imperial City…… Even I, who was at an orphanage.

「I’m fine. Besides……」

I took off my hood.

「…… ! Beast ears and black hair……」

Yuan

I could see the expressions on the faces of everyone in Wings of the Fire Dragon twitch.

No Beastman has black hair. It is not the beastmen who have black hair, but the humans.

In other words, the only ones who have black hair and beast ears are those who have been given life between humans and beasts.

And those who do will be called abominations and will be subject to contempt and discrimination.

「Therefore, I can’t cause too much trouble for you all…… Of course, I won’t forget the other rewards, though」

I smile mischievously at them.

「I don’t mind. If Yuan wants to come, she can」

「That’s right. Yuan-chan, your fox ears are so cute, you know?」

It was not Eugene-san, the leader of the group, but El-san who said this to me while hugging me gently. And, as if in sympathy, Luka-san also pats me on the head…… Is it my imagination that he subtly touches my ears?

「That’s right. I wouldn’t be able to be an adventurer if I had to worry about that」

「Yeah, yeah! I am a Dwarf and this is how I look!」

It seems that Roy-san’s race is Dwarf. However, I’ve heard rumors that dwarves are short and muscular and are good at blacksmithing, but Roy-san is almost two meters tall and looks like a walking mass of muscles.

「Maa, it’s not so much what you look like, it’s what’s inside. If you’re an adventurer and you’re worrying about such things, you’ll never make it to the top. You can’t last long if you’re judging your clients only by their looks」

「That’s true. If Eugene hadn’t been tricked into taking the job by the beauty of the lord’s daughter, as he did this time, we wouldn’t have been in such danger」

「Well, that’s the thing……」

「It can’t be helped. Eugene wanted to be popular, so he became an adventurer」

「That’s not true!?」

「Then, why is Eugene taking such good care of Yuan-chan?」

「Well, I owe her my life……」

「No, it’s because she’s cute」

「I won’t deny that she’s cute, but that’s not the reason, okay?」

I don’t like it when people say I’m cute in front of others. After all, I am an abomination. I’m an outcast …… Although I’m happy to be a part of the conversation.

That’s why I can’t bother these kind people.

I break free from El-san and Luka-san’s encirclement and put my hood back on deeply.

After all, it’s unsettling to keep exposing the features of an abominable child to others.

「Ah…… A little bit more……」

Luka-san tells me so, but I decline with a smile.

「Now, if you need anything else, please let me know. Thank you for all your help」

Bowing deeply, I bid farewell to the Wings of the Fire Dragon.

「Ah, if something happens, I’ll risk my life to help you, jō-chan」

「Umu, let my muscles do the work!」

「Thank you very much. But please take good care of your life, okay?」

「Yeah, if you ever get tired of being alone, you can always come to us」

「It’s hard to be the only one who can heal, so I’m glad for your help. Mainly because of a musclehead that get hurt easily」

「Ehehe. I’ll be counting on you to be there」

The more we talk, the more I hesitate saying goodbye, so I bow my head again and begin to leave the city.

「Hey, El. In the end, jō-chan is a little girl, wasn’t she?」

「Secrets of a Maiden」

「Can I take that at face value?」

「I wonder. At least El and I figured it out, which is good」

「Don’t worry about the details! jō-chan is jō-chan!」

「Well, yeah, I guess」

The conversation of the Wings of the Fire Dragon was secretly captured by the excellent pair of fox ears.

It will take 5 days to get to the next town from here, even if you go through the village.

It has been almost 2 months since I set out from the village near the Imperial Capital, and it seems that once I reach the next city, I will finally be halfway to the border.

I hope nothing happens to me until then…… However, it seems to be a rule of being an adventurer that things don’t work out that way.

「Hm…… There’s a battle between humans and monsters up ahead」

While I was using one of my auxiliary spells, detecting a presence, I saw a reaction about 500 meters ahead of me on the road.

From the images that come to my mind, there are 5 blue dots indicating humans and 2 red dots indicating monsters. 2 yellow dots to represent animals…… A merchant, perhaps?

The red dot is about the size of a fingernail, though, so I know it’s less dangerous. But more than that, the blue dot is also small and weak, so the situation is about 50-50.

The ability to detect presence can represent humans, monsters, animals, and others in terms of color and size. If Goblins, for example, are the size of a small mole, the Flame Dragon I fought recently will appear the size of a clenched fist. It would be strange to describe it as a dot, but it’s an A-Rank monster, and it’s easy to see how much of a threat it is.

Anyway, it’s definitely the best way to get to the city roads, so I’ll proceed to help or observe.

Ahead of the road, 2 Orcs were attacking a carriage.

「Dammit, why did Orcs appear in this place!」

「Move your body, not your mouth!」

The battle has apparently just begun. The blue dots appear to be 2 adventurers and a merchant, as expected. The adventurers are most likely escorts hired by the merchant.

The male adventurer swings his sword and the female adventurer fires her bow as a backup, but they can’t seem to inflict any decisive damage.

In response, the Orcs grasp at the adventurers with some damage and swing their fists whenever they have a chance.

The male adventurer in the front line makes a sound, drawing attention and avoiding the Orc’s attack.

It looks like a back-and-forth battle is unfolding, but this is likely to drag on.

If the request is to kill 2-3 Orcs, the difficulty will be D-Rank. From the looks of things, the adventurers seem to be struggling quite a bit, so I’d say their skill level is about the same as mine, E-Rank.

「Um…… I’m an adventurer myself, do you need any help?」

I hesitate to call out to the busy adventurers, so I decide to call out to one of the merchants shivering in the carriage.

The merchant was surprised to be suddenly approached, but he nodded while making a trembling sound.

「Yes, please」

Now that I have the merchant’s approval, I can participate in the battle. And now, 2 Orcs, maybe my auxiliary magic can be useful!