It was a sword that embodied both the orca’s heavy black weight and its cunning.
The power of the ocean’s strongest predator.
And the wisdom to use humans for efficient hunting.
The swordsmanship of the Linnaeus family, which combined these two traits, was one that wielded the blade with overwhelming force.
An ordinary person would lose their balance, unable to withstand such power.
But if the one wielding the sword was a descendant of the Linnaeus family, the story was different.
With a bold swing, the sword slashed through three goblins at once, as effortlessly as slicing tofu.
Just one strike.
Orca, who displayed a feat even a grown man would struggle to perform, calmly readjusted her grip on the sword.
There were still far too many enemies left to cut down.
As if to fill the void left by the fallen goblins, more swarmed in.
Seeing them, Orca scoffed and stepped forward with her right foot.
To channel power into the sword, one’s center of gravity must be firm.
The ground caved in beneath her foot, sinking up to her instep, and her body tilted forward.
Then, with a diagonal slash from left to right, her sword mercilessly tore through the throats of the green-skinned dwarfs.
The goblins’ screams rang through the air.
But what annoyed Orca even more was their wailing.
A hint of irritation crept onto her face.
‘So noisy.’
I wanted to finish this quickly and go pet the cat.
Thinking of the pure white cat napping on the roof of the carriage, Orca tightened her grip on her sword.
Meanwhile, the knights watching Orca effortlessly cut down the goblins murmured in admiration.
“…No matter how many times I see it, the Linnaeus family’s swordsmanship is astounding, Captain.”
“That’s why Lady Orca is so incredible. She mastered that technique at the age of ten.”
“Ten years old… you say?”
“Yeah. Even younger than the young master.”
Hearing this, the knights who had no prior connection with Orca gazed at her back with intrigued expressions.
The pride of Linnaeus.
The young orca of Linnaeus.
Whether she would become the master they would one day serve remained uncertain.
“To have two heirs who have so perfectly inherited the blood of the orca… the family is truly blessed.”
Some knights, upon hearing the guard captain’s remark, looked uncomfortable.
But they quickly masked their emotions, adjusting their expressions to match their comrades, concealing their true thoughts in an instant.
‘So this was the first sign.’
He, who knew the original story, leisurely licked his front paw while observing the knights.
It was still a long way off, but it was rare to be able to sense the creeping presence of such schemes this early on.
“Anyway, stay on guard! The numbers don’t add up! Prepare for battle!”
Goblins could multiply to triple digits within months if just a single male and female pair were left alone.
There was no way there were only forty of them.
Since the original story had a scene where the knights fought against monsters, he had expected this to happen.
Scratching his neck absentmindedly, he remained unfazed.
Sensing movements in the forest, the knights drew their swords and formed a battle formation.
The real fight was about to begin.
In the tense atmosphere, he stretched leisurely.
It would work out fine as long as things followed the original story.
He could either take a long nap or seize an opportunity for extra gains.
After all, the tutorial of Academy Chronicle had hidden rewards.
‘Might as well grab some points while I’m at it.’
If he was going to play the role of a cat caretaker, he might as well go all in for a bonus.
With that conclusion, he kicked off the ground.
As the chaotic battlefield was suddenly intruded upon by a small white cat, Orca’s sword, which had been cutting through goblins three or four at a time, naturally turned toward the unexpected intruder.
“Dangerous!”
“Meow.”
The goblins’ attention instinctively shifted toward the cat.
But they didn’t even attempt to attack it.
Because before they could react, it had already leapt onto their heads.
Their sluggish reflexes couldn’t keep up with the nimble cat’s movements.
After all, their physical capabilities were only on par with human children in their early teens.
“What in the world…”
Orca, with a complex expression, watched as the cat dashed across the goblins’ heads as if they were stepping stones.
What even was this?
Most wild animals would flee in terror at the sight of a goblin horde, yet this cat had bravely infiltrated their ranks.
If it were a bear or a wolf, she could understand—but a cat, barely three handspans tall, was taking on such a reckless act?
Having hopped across goblin heads and infiltrated the rear, he narrowed his eyes.
‘Found it!’
At the very back of the goblin horde—
There, standing alone with a staff longer than its own body, was a single goblin.
Its face was partially burned, likely from a past injury.
As the goblin commander spotted the white cat charging toward it, it panicked and swung its staff.
But to a cat who had fought for three years to secure its own territory among stray cats, such an attack was hardly a threat.
Even if it wasn’t as much as the monsters, the agile movements honed among the alley cats who loved to fight were enough to take on a goblin.
“Huh?”
“Die, you facially impaired bastard!”
The claws extending from the cat’s pure white front paw slashed across the goblin’s eyes.
Even if a cat’s claws weren’t enough to end a life in an instant, they were more than capable of adding one handicap on top of another in a neat 1+1.
As the commander clutched his eyes and screamed, the goblins, realizing what had happened, started to panic.
If it were a massive goblin army, it would be a different story, but in a small village unit like this, there was no one to replace the commander.
Naturally, the goblins’ morale began to plummet.
And there was nothing better for Orca than an opening like that.
The ground exploded, and goblins were sent flying.
Orca, who had torn through the goblin horde in a straight line, turned to the cat with a frantic expression.
“Cat! Are you alr—?”
“Meow.”
Orca’s eyes filled with confusion.
Well, it was understandable.
The goblin commander’s weak spot had just been ruthlessly attacked by a cat.
Orca stared at the cat, completely unsure how to react after witnessing the merciless clawing of the goblin’s crotch.
“Kueeeee…”
“Cat, it’s dangerous, so come here.”
“Meow.”
As if understanding her words, the cat walked over to Orca’s feet, holding the goblin commander’s necklace in its mouth.
‘What the hell…’
The fact that goblins had ambushed them in the first place was already strange, but the cat’s unexpected actions were just as baffling.
But even though the goblins were gradually retreating, the battle wasn’t over yet.
“Come here, cat.”
“Meow.”
Having no reason to refuse, the cat quietly nestled into Orca’s arms.
—————
The carriage journey would soon be over.
A week-long journey—the first of its kind in my life—was coming to an end.
Feeling restless, I entertained myself by rolling the goblin commander’s stolen necklace back and forth with my front paws.
If this were a game, the item would be called ‘Forgotten Knight’s Necklace’.
As a tutorial reward, it wasn’t some massive plot device or a game-changing item.
Even if you missed it here, you could get it elsewhere.
But since it came with the condition of defeating the goblin commander before he escaped, it was quite useful early on.
In the game, this item reduced magic damage by a whole 10%.
With so many magic-wielding enemies, it was something that always earned its keep.
The problem was, I had no way of knowing if it actually worked.
I couldn’t just hand it to Orca and tell her to take a hit from a spell to test it.
And it wasn’t like I could visit an appraiser and ask them to evaluate it.
I didn’t even have a status window.
The only way to confirm the effect would be to equip it and check for myself…
But heading into a magic attack just to test it would be sheer insanity.
There was no way a fragile cat could survive a magic blast.
I had no intention of becoming a roasted cat.
So, I’d just keep it for a future linked quest.
Skillfully using my front paws, I slipped the necklace around my neck and hid it beneath my fur.
A sharp-eyed person might notice it, but most wouldn’t.
“Lady Orca, we’ve arrived at Phelisec.”
The shade that had covered the sun vanished as the carriage came to a stop.
It was time for me to part ways with Orca.
Without hesitation, I leapt off the carriage roof.
Orca, who had just stepped out, naturally turned her gaze toward me.
“…Are you leaving?”
She wasn’t going to try and stop me?
That was good for me.
I might have wanted a friend, but I had no desire for an owner.
“…Take care.”
“Let’s meet again sometime.”
“…!?”
I took in Orca’s rare, surprised expression and then dashed into Pelisec, the city built around the Pelisec Academy.