Ronan wakes me up in the middle of the night. I have no idea how long I've been asleep, but I doubt it's been more than four or five hours.

"My lady, my birds tell me that the orcs are approaching our territory."

Our territory. What used to be the giant bear's territory until recently.

"Alright, thanks," I reply, jumping to my feet.

Any drowsiness I might have felt disappears the moment I hear the enemy is coming.

Okay, maybe I'm being a little dramatic, since I don't think they pose much of a threat to Ronan and me. But the fact that armed orcs are about to enter my lands stirs something deep inside me.

Is this because of the Dark Queen contract? Or am I just this territorial and never realized it before?

Doesn't matter. If they're attacking, I'm already up, wide awake, and ready for battle. I don't even need breakfast.

"Lead the way," I tell him as I quickly grab my backpack and weapons.

I slept in the goblin cave with the same clothes I came in yesterday. There's no way I'm putting on a nightgown in a place with so little privacy. In fact, they wanted to give us each a small cave to sleep in. Considering there aren't that many caves to begin with, that would've meant the goblins cramming together even more. No, thanks. There are already enough—if not all—of the females pregnant.

So, the two of us have been sleeping in the large common room. A couple of the living she-bears have also stayed here, showing constant reverence to the cub, like some sort of honor guard.

"Aren't you going to wake up the four goblins?" I ask Ronan when I see he's still here.

"No need, my lady. I already did, through our mental link."

I nod, and soon after, Galp and the other three warriors enter the cave, armed and ready. We head for the exit, where six bears are already waiting for us—four zombies and two skeletons.

According to the images Ronan was receiving from that undead bird—the one that patrolled far beyond our territory's borders, venturing deep into the mountains to keep watch over the mountain pass from above—the orcs were still approaching. It wouldn't be long before they left the mountains and entered the forest.

"Ronan," I say as a thought occurs to me, "if a giant bear is supposed to live and rule here, why are orcs even coming this way?"

Ronan shrugs.

"I would guess it is the same reason those big wolves invaded the other day from another part of the forest. They are not seeing the usual routines or presence of the bears, so they probably want to check if this territory is still well defended."

I frown.

But not because of the wolves. The goblins told us about that last night at dinner. I didn't think much of it. If anything, more wolves just mean more pelts.

No, I frown for another reason. Aren't wars supposed to be forbidden by the gods in this world? Then again, these are animals, not people. And what about me? If I defend this territory, will I get smited by a divine lightning bolt?

"Is something wrong, my lady?"

"Won't we be offending the gods by fighting in a territorial war?" With so many taboos, saying the word out loud feels strange.

"No, this is not about human kingdoms. In fact, this forest is within our own kingdom's borders—Alverdan. But animals do not acknowledge human sovereignty; they have their own territories. And as for the mountains where the orcs are coming from, they belong to the neighboring human kingdom; but I highly doubt the humans have any real presence in the more remote areas. The orcs have probably been settled there for centuries."

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"From a dungeon overflow?"

"Yes, or remnants from the last war against the Demon King."

"I see," I nod. "Let's go, then."

We mount the bears, and thanks to Ronan's birds—which, I have to admit, are incredibly useful—we know exactly where to go.

Ronan and I ride the two summoned zombies, Galp takes one of the reanimated corpses, and his companions split the rest.

We head left, following the rugged mountain slope. After about fifteen minutes, we reach the entrance to the pass, where the orcs are still making their way through.

"Are you sure this is the way?" I ask Ronan as I eye the narrow path winding up the mountainside—a steep, rocky slope with barely any vegetation. There's no sign of the orcs yet.

Of course, I don't doubt him. It's just that if we had to cross that path ourselves, the bears would barely fit, and we'd probably have to dismount and go on foot at some point.

No wonder this was one of the giant bear's borders. I can't even imagine it climbing up here—it wouldn't fit.

"Yes, my lady. The path widens further ahead," he replies. "For now, let's hide in the forest, up in the treetops, and ambush them the moment they enter your territory."

I like how that sounds—my territory. Maybe this whole goblin village thing is going to my head. Then again, as a gamer, I always enjoyed having my own house in MMORPGs and fighting for territory with my guild.

We follow Ronan, moving the bears deeper into the forest to keep them hidden, yet close enough to respond quickly when their master calls. The rest of us climb into the trees.

I'm pleased to find that, thanks to my agility, it's easier than I expected. My strength isn't incredible, but it's already greater than what I had on Earth. And since I've leveled it up a bit, I'm stronger than the average commoner in this world.

I already told Ronan I'd leave the strategy to him. I also mentioned that I've improved my earth magic—I now have a 50-meter range and can manipulate up to 25 cubic meters of terrain.

Honestly, I'd use that to try and trap them in a stone cage or summon hands from the ground to grab them.

But, like I said, I'm leaving the strategy to him.

As we wait for the enemy to arrive, I ask Ronan mentally about his plan.

"My lady," he responds telepathically, "I want your little wolf to kill as many creatures as possible. My soldiers will also fight, both to test their coordination with my mental commands and to earn influence points. Also, I would like to keep one orc alive for interrogation—to find out what they are after and whether they are really trying to confirm if the bear king is still here."

"And the strategy?"

"Be ready to soften the ground beneath their feet—deep enough for them to sink up to their chests or necks, as if they were caught in quicksand. Then harden it. To stone, if possible, like you have done before."

"With my earth channeling. No problem. You already know how much ground I can cover."

"It will be when they get close to these trees, so that both you and I are within spell range. Mine is 30 meters. I will give the signal right before I start casting my exhaust. The casting time is 10 seconds."

"Perfect. Thanks, Ronan."

I don't have a casting time as such; it's more about how long it takes me to picture the volume of earth I want, feel it, connect with it, and give it a mental command. Once that's done, actually pronouncing my spell takes just a moment.

We fall silent. Soon, my sergeant informs me that the orcs would already be in sight if not for the trees blocking our view. If we were standing at the mountain's base, looking toward the pass, we'd see them by now.

About twenty minutes later, I start to hear them. I have to wait a little longer until they come into view. They're entering the forest through the most logical path, right in front of the pass. And there, hidden, we wait.

There are seven orcs. I focus on checking their levels. (I learned to see their health bars by concentrating, but that wouldn't make sense right now since they should all be at 100%.)

Orc Sergeant, Level 8

Orc Scout, Level 8

Orc Warrior, Level 7

Orc, Level 6

Orc, Level 6

Orc, Level 6

Orc, Level 6

As for the troops under my command, my system grants me some information:

Ronan Velbrun, Vassal Sergeant, Level 8 – Soul Weaver

Galp, Vassal Soldier, Level 6

Bramp, Vassal Soldier, Level 5

Lolp, Vassal Soldier, Level 5

Scamp, Vassal Soldier, Level 4

Influence points available: 1 for each soldier kill. Up to 4 for the sergeant's leadership.

Oh, my gosh! Ronan is a Soul Weaver?

I'd been calling him a necromancer because, with his high dark magic, he can raise the dead.

Soul Weaver... In the game, there was no one with this specialization. It wasn't even available when you hit level 7. Though, neither was mine.

Hmm… Could it have something to do with his ability to reconnect the souls of the dead to their bodies? I wonder.

And that's not the only thing that caught my attention. The system even tells me how many influence points I can earn.

Anyway, for me, the priority is the pup. Though, I won't deny that I'm tempted to kill them myself, seeing as they're dungeon creatures and, unlike the forest animals, they actually give XP.

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