Only distanced from the walls of the main city of the Kingdom, by a few miles, I found myself in a vast plain field of short grass in the late afternoon. There was nothing else to see, except a small number of forests over the horizon I was facing.

Well. This is the place… So—what? I'm just supposed to wait for them to show up?

So devoid of anything notable, that there wasn't a single gust of wind, to make my skirt sway even a little bit; nor cool off the slight signs of sweating my forehead had made, and… some other parts.

Pretty sure it wasn't just the sun's heat that was causing all that.

The quest seems so simple, yet its vague description mentioned multiple targets at once. Mmmn. Still though. Looks like I might've bitten off more than I could chew despite all this just being a Novice-ranked quest; but it's too early to panic. You’ve done this way too many times to bother counting.

Focus, Lily. Focus…!

Multiple scaly, cerulean heads popped out from the ground in my general vicinity. Land Lizards hissed the moment their jaws lined with yellowish, pin-like teeth revealed themselves. My eyes started sweeping across the field as the sun caused a number of their exposed scales to luster.

One, two… s-seven lizards!

The moment they fully resurfaced, I was able to immediately register their height to be the same as mine, them standing confidently on their two legs.

I breathed slowly.

…to light I call, its magic shall befall… from the reaches of the heavens, I summon thee!

"[Triple Light Beam]!" I exclaimed, thrusting my staff forward.

A sizable magic circle formed like an outstretched halo above my targets' heads as they moved. Just then, a set of three, intense beams of light smote them from above. One light, there came seared lizard flesh. Two lights, another one bit the dust. Their reptilian brethren charred, burnt to a crisp. 

The ones remaining synchronized in hissing right at me.

Eek! I’m only doing this because I have to, I swear!

Soon after, they all started sprinting around me in circles. My eyes followed them without turning my head completely as I breathed slowly.

I'd have to wait for a better chance. Attacking now would just make them disperse.

One of them ticked clockwise, while the other two wound opposite.

…with beloved light as my companion, I call upon your holy protection!

"[Light Barrier]."

A bubble-like curtain wrapped all over me, which, after the count of two, faded into a barely visible sheet of a magical force field.

Another layer to my preemptive cast earlier should be good.

I raised my staff and lowered my head, only occasionally seeing reptile feet pass by in intervals.

The direction of the noises changed. The rush of footsteps drew nearer and nearer. My barrier held strong as expected. They bounced off, ran off to different directions. Forgoing the need to dodge, I closed my eyes and focused on channeling a more hard-hitting spell.

…with this light bent, a magic I seek be lent… Command my surroundings by the might of my own will…

Reopening my eyes, they all closed in to attack for the second time.

"[Force of Light]!" I thrusted my staff to the ground.

A huge white magic circle stretched from under my feet. The attacking Lizards that got caught in its area were made stationary, slowly hovering a few feet off the ground with legs still flailing and struggling. Azure light pulsed out of the circle once. 

Then came a secondary pulse, abruptly knocking each of them off into all sorts of directions.

While that seemed to have dealt a significant amount of damage, one of them managed to land back on their feet and only one of them was incapacitated for meeting the ground. The last of the three got its head stuck to the ground. I aimed one cast of Triple Light Beam on that one rooted in place. A cloud of dust enveloped the field from that burst of magic… but then came one sprinting out from the smokescreen, on a speedy path towards me.

I heaved a deep breath and readied my chant. "Light Barrier!"

Just as the new barrier had formed, the lizard made contact. It bounced off and ran away again. At that moment, I just finished uttering my incantation for the next spell.

"Triple Light Beam!"

Ha! You’re slower than a speeding egg! Tackling me head-on just made you the freest target!

The magic circles that floated in the sky called forth three vertical beams of light that converged on its head. Its limbs ran stiff, causing itself to trip over a rock, bounce backwards, then roll and graze itself face-first all to the friction of the grassy terrain. It laid motionless on the ground right in front of me and stayed down.

But then-

!!

A scaly head vaulted itself from underground with its jaw clamping onto my left boot. Offering me a bloodshot glare, it gnawed vigorously at the mana barrier.

"Get off get off get off get off!!"

Over and over, I swung my staff on its head. The beast sharply cried in agony as it continued to stick onto my foot–

"GET OFF!!"

…until it finally stopped moving, from all the bruises and splinters it took. Only after, I noticed what that did to my staff.

Aww, I just got this fixed this morning… 

Sparks of light mana briefly seeped out from the fresh wooden wounds.

"This—suuucks!"

With the same foot, I bashed that stupid lizard’s head back into the burrow it popped out from. I breathed deeply at the sight of it before I looked around.

Okay. Barely any opportunity to lose my cool… I could’ve sworn I only defeated six so far.

Then there it was: the last Land Lizard of the group, standing there from a distance, as if a spectator to the fight. Its legs were quivering, visibly shaken, repeatedly glancing over each of its fallen brethren. I didn't even need to speed up my incantation.

Sorry… Not sorry. "Triple Light Beam!"

Accepting its fate, it just stood there and took all three hits from that one spellcast.

With the last body hitting the floor, I was able to sigh with relief, loudly.

I brought out the quest paper that led me here, walked around the area, and faced it towards the dead lizards when I got near one. Nothing happened visually so I wasn't entirely sure how it worked its business, but apparently it just works. No need to keep giving myself a headache with its inner-workings.

Never question anything. The only explanation for everything I’d need in this world is either: ‘I don’t know’ OR ‘cuz magic’.

I looked back to the last Lizard I killed…

Could’ve just been less heartless about it. But I do still recall making that first mistake before… It ended with that very type kicking my back in, almost bending it in ways it shouldn’t.

Nope, nope.
It would be waaaay more merciful to wipe them all out than leaving one alive to suffer for it later!

Or at least that's what this fantasy-life game taught me.
Thinking it over like that probably does make me sound like a potential genocidal psychopath… 

I shook my head repeatedly.

Bleh…
Not like they’re intelligible creatures normal people would sympathize with anyway!

Having recorded all confirmed kills for the quest I was on, I stuffed the paper back into my bag and left the area objective, before making my journey back home.

. . .

Traversing the same dirt path, woven through the uneven and open plains, my attention was suddenly caught by the roar of a dragon. Or at least, close to it. That's when I saw from a distance, a party of adventurers: five people converging in an area battling a Wyvern. Explosions riddled the place, and mayhem could be seen and heard even from where I stood.

I was quite far from there, so that much really warranted my notice.

All the action wasn’t where that attention was invested, however. It was with how each of the members in the party functioned.

Mmm… Let’s see.

 
One drew its aggro, making the most noise aside from the monster, him being a male [Tank]. 

Beside him was a [Warrior], a bulky man that backed-up the tanker's efforts. 

There were two ranged artillery behind them, offering sustained offensive support: a lean male [Fire Mage] and standard-built female [Archer].

 
The last one, stationed further back from the group, seemed to be a mage woman that wore expensive-looking, clergy-type clothing (more priestess than nun) that stood out from the rest and accentuated her rather… busty features despite being fully clothed. Viewing side-view, of course.

A [High Priest]?

Having raised her staff into the air, magic circles were conjured all over their vicinity. I didn't know what they were for or anything. The circles spawned portals, whose glittery, lingering effects were all that I cared to focus on–

!!

…until a rain of light mana was brought down upon their enemy through those portals. 

Only a few barrages later, the spell rain stopped and the Wyvern roared its last.

They did it! Even just spectating from this distance, I could understand how hard it must've been… That High Priest lady especially was amazi–

Immediately after, the outlandish female mage turned towards me, and… smiled?

!!

Shocked, that urged me to start moving again and avert my gaze. 

I headed back to walking the path… just long enough before I snuck in another glance back onto them. They were huddling together for a moment, before one of them leapt into the air with his fist raised. 

They all seemed like good friends. This little glimpse of their event alone was enough proof for me to assume so.

…Friends, huh.

It reminded me of a time, when I felt like I was really happy to have accomplished something, with someone else to witness it. At least one.

"I wonder how she's doing out there on her own…" I muttered to myself as I reminisced.