《Kamigoroshi no Eiyuu to Nanatsu no Seiyaku》 Chapter 0 Chapter 0 As I woke up, I felt a bit nostalgic. As I raised my head from the wooden table, the joints of my body ached a bit. Probably because I slept in a weird position. I stretched my body muscles which felt really nice. Next, I shook my head as an unpleasant *gokigoki* dull sound came. Due to that sound, the old man shopkeeper behind the counter gave a frown and looked towards me. ¡°You¡¯re finally awake.¡± His words sounded especially harsh as he polished a cup in his hands. Envying that behaviour a bit, I opened my eyelids heavy due to alcohol and turned my face towards him. ¡°Yeah, the sake here is really delicious. I was able to see a really good dream.¡± I think it was a dream of the past. I felt something inside my chest be a bit warmer. I wonder if my oldrades were still doing fine. Thinking that, I once again shook my head. I had shared everything with those guys and girls. Summoned as a Brave, expectations as a hero, and was wished to kill a god. ¡ª-It¡¯s really nostalgic. In my chest dwelled nostalgia about those days and a slight bit of regret. Behaved like a brave, returned triumphantly as heroes and were envied as God-yers. I wonder how myrades think about me who ran away from that pressure. They would probably resent me, I concluded. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t have the courage to ascertain that. And I had no intention to do so either from here onwards. On the counter dimly lit by a candle, I brought out a copper coin from my almost empty purse and spoke with a dried voice. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the calctions to you.¡± ¡°Yeah, just go back already. Don¡¯t get drunk and fall asleep on the side of the road alright?¡± ¡°haha. I¡¯ll be careful.¡± Getting up from my wooden chair, I ended up stumbling a bit. I can¡¯t move my legs properly due to the alcohol. Looking at me like that, the shopkeeper once again gave a sigh. It seems the time has already be quitete. Even though it¡¯s night, there¡¯s no other customer who is still drinking here. Well, another reason might be that there aren¡¯t many inhabitants in the first ce as well though. I once again bowed towards the old shopkeeper who kept the store open till I woke up and left the store. The cold wind stroked my body and I felt sobering up a little. Actually, my steps are still quite unstable. Thinking that this is the end of a man who was once a Brave and had been cheered as a Hero, I could onlyugh. It has been 3 years since we were summoned. It took 2 years to defeat the Demon God. The past 1 year, I parted from myrades and drew back to this vige to live leisurely with money received as the reward for killing the Demon God. Maybe, they might have already forgotten about me. When I thought that, rather than feeling miserable I felt relieved instead. I was not someone who had the capacity to be a Brave or a Hero. A different world¡ª-13 people who were summoned from Earth to be Saviours. To defeat the ¡®Demon God¡¯ that wanted to destroy the world, 12 people with cheat skills were summoned along with me. I was not a magician that could easily defeat the world¡¯s strongest magician easily, neither was I swordsman that could cut up a 10m golem with a single sh. It¡¯s not like I have good mind, neither am I good at strategies nor am I good at healing people. I¡¯m not skilful enough to make lots of items either. It was painful to be with those guys and girls who could do that/ Different world summoning. Saviour. The Divine Protection of the Goddess. The trust of the royalty. The expectations of the people. I really think that those 12 who moved forwards while bearing all that are really amazing. But unfortunately, all that was too heavy for me. ¡°Ah¡­..I¡¯m sleepy.¡± In the night sky, the moon shined with a reddish tinge. That colour was the proof that this was a different world. I drowsily sighed. If I kept on sleeping like that, I think I would dream about the past again. Somehow confident of that fact, I kept on walking through the streets at night. In this world that has no electricity, it became awfully dark after the sun set. In the royal capital, there were street lights made of magical energy so it was slightly brighter but that was not so in this rural vige where I currently am. Relying on the dim light of the moon, I headed for the inn where I have rented a room. I yawned once more. What should I do tomorrow? I thought about it as I kicked the pebbles with my hide boots. Well I¡¯ll think of something somehow. Taking some requests at the adventurer guild to earn some small change, eat meals and drink sometimes. Three years aftering to this world. 2 years were spent in defeating the demon god and the remaining 1 year in the way I mentioned above. The other guys seem to be using their abilities to make a living apparently. Poprising a game that was popr in our original world, improving the government and improving the living standard in general. I even heard that they were living as knights at the royal castle and earning money by defeating monsters as well. Well, changing the world sounds much more difficult than saving it actually. But they still must be living to their fullest I think. I¡¯m sure they would not be living a life like me who has trouble for money. ¡°It¡¯s cold.¡± As the night breeze stroked my body, I shivered from its coldness. And I sighed. No inte, no car, no way to go back to our world and no way to get into contact with parents or friends. It¡¯s just like our connections were instantly severed. But still, I still can¡¯te to hate this world. Unable to hate it but at the same time unable to like it like the others either, I have been living here half-assedly. If I was asked whether I like it or hate it, I¡¯ll probably say I like it. But I really can¡¯t say that with much pride. Really, what am I doing? *Sigh* As I looked up, the reddish moon was looking down on me. ¡°I need to gather some money.¡± Since I paid the hotel charges in advance and in full, I¡¯ll be fine for a while but the contents of my purse will soon be empty. A Brave summoned from another world and a God ying hero¡ª¨CI¡¯m one of them. But even then, I¡¯m troubled about the money for tomorrow¡¯s meal right now. That reality was reallyughable. Chapter 1 Hero and the Newbie Adventurer Chapter 1 Hero and the Newbie Adventurer Yamada Renji was a normal working adult of the society. His dream during his childhood was to be a pro baseball yer. At school, his results were around the hundredth rank in a school of 400 students. His hobby is reading. After graduating from high school, driving also became one. It¡¯s not like he hated being social either. ording to him, without revealing too much individuality and to blend in with the surroundings was also a part of social disposition. He was not a leader type of person. If one were to describe him, he was a mob character no.3 or viger C type of a person. His age was 28 this year. He was summoned when he was 25. After getting summoned, the first thing he felt was not enjoyment like the other boys and girls around him but was- what about work? How to earn our livelihood? And other such truly realistic things. This world was made with 3 countries and 5 continents. Firstly, the country where Yamada Renji and the others were summoned, the human country [Imnesia]. The country ruled by the demi humans, [Elfreim]. This country was built on thergest continent. And, the continent of darkness where the demons live, [Abenelm]. It ruled over three continents and is thergest country. 13 humans were summoned to this different world. One of the three gods that created this world, the goddess [Astraera] gave them blessings in the form of cheat-like powers and they became god yers. Most of them were in their teens and were students. The only one in their twenties were me and 2 men and 1 woman. No matter how I looked at it, it was an inconsistent group. (T/N: yup, the POV changed somewhere in between. Probably when they started exining the world.) ¡­¡­It¡¯s a really nostalgic memory. We fought, shed with each other and separated. But still, in the end, we joined hands with each other, overcame dangers andughed. Our rtionships weren¡¯t exactly bad but they were not really good either. There was a fight to decide who will take the Holy sword of the Goddess. Who to save, who to abandon. We even cried at reality during such times. Asking for food even when we could not read, and then sharing shitty food with each other was also something that happened. The guys going to peek at the women¡¯s bath and then returning while almost getting killed, was also a great memory. At that time, we felt more risk to our lives than the times when we faced high level demons in the area. Yeah, it really is a nostalgic and much missed memory. . . . [Are you awake yet, sleepyhead?] That voice came from near my pillow. It resounded inside my head. A voice like a man yet like a woman¡¯s, it was a neutral gendered voice. As I turned my sleepy eyes, I saw the medal that I had gotten used to seeing in this past year. The rim is golden and in the centre, a jade is attached. Around it, 7 different coloured stones have been embedded. Three years ago, I received this talking medal before leaving on the journey to defeat the Demon God. It is the origin of the cheat skill that I, Yamada Renji, possesses. It¡¯s a medal that talks, has a soul and a will of its own. ¡°¡­¡­.Good Morning.¡± [You¡¯re still weak at mornings as usual.] Leave me be. I muttered inside my mind as my head swayed due to hangover. As I raised my body, dazzling sunlight shined through from the gaps between the curtains. ¡°I overslept.¡± [Seriously. It seems you had fun alone yesterday night it seems.] ¡°I just went drinking.¡± [I wonder about that.] Getting up from the bed, I poured water out of the water jug kept on the table inside my ss. As I drank it in a single gulp, I felt the pain from my hangover getting a bit lesser. [Go wash your face. It looks really bad.] ¡°Are you my mother?¡± [I wouldn¡¯t want a child like you ever.] Seriously. This lifestyle that depends on how I live every day. Although it can be called having freedom but right now I have neither my own house nor any savings. A guy who will have to discuss with the contents of his wallet before deciding on today¡¯s meal; no one would want to take a guy like that as a son. Continuing our usual conversation, I poured water from the jug inside the basin installed in the room. This world does not have a water line supply system. The manager of the inn would go to the river everyday to bring water for use. Water is precious here. Washing my face with that water, I shaved my beard. By the time Ipletely refreshed myself, both my hangover and drowsiness hadpletely subsided ¡°ahh I really want to live an enjoyable life.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Really.¡± The medal and I both gave a sigh. Well, I wonder if I can use the word ¡®both¡¯ here. I and one thing would be a better way to say it. As I thought such things, I finished changing. My clothes were a tunic and dark green trousers. With this, I also look like a person from this world. Sword? Of course I don¡¯t have something like that. This world as a world of swords and magic but unfortunately I had to pawn off the famous sword I received from the kingdom since I was low on money. If I had sold it to a collector, I could have received quite a big amount but unfortunately the one I sold it too was a weapon shop in a rural vige. So I only received enough money to feed myself for one week. After knowing that, I was scolded by this medal for two days straight. I have a personality that doesn¡¯t dwell too much on the past. I did feel down about it though. ¡°Let¡¯s work hard to collect medicinal herbs today as well, I guess?¡± [A God ying hero is working hard to collect medicinal herbs¡­¡­.pathetic.] ¡°Such honest and in jobs are also important you know?¡± [Let the vigers and newbie adventurers do it, such in and honest jobs. And you should take on the more riskier jobs.] ¡°No way, it¡¯s scary.¡± Even I think it¡¯s pathetic. During the journey to defeat the Demon God, I fought against a 3m big wolf, a 10m big devil and even human eating nts. But, each and every one of them were defeated by myrades. A swordsman that possessed inhumane ability, a mage that was said to match even a God, and a warrior that could swing a weapon bigger than himself with ease. Surrounded by such guys, I was nothing more than a viger C level of guy. It¡¯s amazing they didn¡¯t abandon me I think. Rather than that, I still think its weird that I ended up journeying with such guys. It¡¯s amazing I came out alive. That must be the greatest miracle ever. . . . In every vige and town of the Imnesia continent, there will always be an adventurer guild no matter what the size of that vige or town was. There, requests from the people were collected and thosepleted such requests were rewarded. The Demon got had been defeated and the number of demons had decreased but still the upation of adventurers continued like always and did not die out. That was because there were still other jobs like collecting medicinal herbs or collecting some specific ingredients and materials or arresting thieves etc as well. An adventurer was the biggest and the most risky job in this world. Leaving the demon god aside, even normal demons could not be defeated by adventurers easily in one-on-one battles. Physical strength, Intelligence, magical energy. Even with high levels in all these fields, a slime famous in RPGs was still the worst enemy one could face in reality. It won¡¯t die no matter how much you cut or hit it. They needed to be either burned or frozen by magic to be defeated. What the hell is that monster?! That was how I cursed it the first time I saw it. Even I have a somewhat strong self-confidence. Just the fact that I stuck through till the end of the journey to defeat the Demon King granted a small level of pride to me. But nevertheless, I have no intention to go fighting demons alone. If I was with that cheat group, then it might have been fine but I don¡¯t have such a power. Goblin? Kobold? Those guys live in swarms and I would lose my life if I slipped even a little. I have no intention to solo such monsters. I, who only had the answer ¡®no¡¯ to most of the things, should just diligently go to the nearby forest to collect medicinal herbs as usual. Deciding that inside my heart, I came in front of the guild. Inside my pocket, the medal isining as usual. This cursed medal is rmending me to go defeat demons for some reason. Well there are reasons behind it as well but, that¡¯s, well, I¡¯ll exin gradually. Or rather, it¡¯s a major pain in the ass. [Renji, you¡­..that face, it¡¯s the same face you make when you feel doing something is a pain.] ¡°I intend to properly do my job.¡± Just what does this medal think of me? I can perfectly earn enough money to keep myself living. Also, don¡¯tin about someone¡¯s face from inside a pocket. I was born with this face. Comining inside my mind, I opened the door of the guild. Inside a few adventurers were there. Most of them were younger than me. Just one of them was big enough to be mistaken for a bear. In Imnesia, it was not unusual for people to work at the guild from their early teens. Or rather, it was a world where children less than 10yrs old were also working to earn money. By the way, the jobs done by children were no risk jobs like gathering medicinal herbs to which I have taken a liking to. I, who had yet to get bored of gathering medicinal herbs, became the centre of attention of all people inside. ¡­¡­their gazes hurt. I apologised inside my mind. Really sorry, to take the jobs for newbies. Also, only I can hear the voice of this cursed medal. This really is a cursed medal. Just how many times had I embarrassed myself during the beginning¡­¡­.just remembering it makes me irritated. It could make so that everyone else could also hear it, but it¡¯ll stand out too much so that¡¯s also troublesome. I don¡¯t want to stand out. Not a God ying hero but Viger C. That¡¯s my current stance. ¡°Good¡­¡­Morning?¡±(Renji) ¡°It¡¯s afternoon already. You must have overslept after drinking too much tillte at night, right?¡± Now that¡¯s harsh. While thinking that, I walked towards the boy who said that while sighing at the reception. And suddenly I realized. ¡°Good morning?¡± ¡°Hello.¡± I answered like this who gave her greeting with a smile while tilting her head to a side. To think that she would actually reply back to my greeting¡­¡­. I¡¯m the one greeted first yet I¡¯m the one who is surprised as well. Her honey coloured hair swayed as a pleasant smell came to my nose. She had looks that would make 7/10 people say that she was a beauty. The rest 3 would probably say that she was extremely beautiful. She had green eyes, a tall nose and a slightly small mouth. Her height was around the average height of a woman. She came to around my shoulder. Her clothes were simr to a normal adventurer made out skins of various monsters. The gemmed ne around her neck was the only womanly thing among her boorish attire and equipment. Well, I tried to give an impression like an expert but somehow this girl doesn¡¯t really feel like an adventurer. Also her equipment looks brand new as well. ¡°Are you a neer?¡±(renji) ¡°Ah, so you can tell?¡± The beauty gave a smile. So this is what a smile that feels like a flower bloomed looks like. As I looked from above, I could also see the valley made by forcefully wearing a breastte over her¡ª-oh my. ¡°Your face is grinning.¡± ¡°Children should shut up.¡±(Renji) [¡­¡­.How deplorable.] Shut up. Don¡¯t interrupt my concentration to remember this beauty who I might never meet again. ¡°Are you here to look for a job? I also want to take the job to collect medicinal herbs though.¡±(renji) She had nodded when I asked if she was a neer but is she really nning on bing an adventurer? No qualifications are needed to be an adventurer. As long as you don¡¯t have any criminal record, anyone can be one. In truth, even a criminal can be an adventurer if he can fake his social status. Most of the women who try to be adventurers are usually ones that have money problems. The rest of them have some kind of mission like us. Well, that¡¯s a rare exception though. Most of the adventurers take this job to earn money quickly. If you want to safely earn money then you should be a shopkeeper of a store like this young boy. But the girl in front of me was¡­¡­..at least it doesn¡¯t look she has money problems. Or rather, I wouldn¡¯t doubt it if someone said that she was actually a noble. Somehow, I can feel some sort of elegance that¡¯s not found in us unrefined adventurers. Also, I decided to warn her so that she doesn¡¯t take my job as well. I heard a sighe from inside my pocket, but it must be my imagination. ¡°No, I here to subjugate demons.¡±(beauty) ¡°¡­¡­.¡± I moved my sight from the beauty towards the boy at the reception. ¡°No way. That¡¯s impossible. Without any experience its too dangerous.¡±(boy) ¡°Thought as much.¡±(Renji) ¡°Or rather, you should be the one to subjugate demons and not collect medicinal herbs.¡±(boy) ¡°No way, it¡¯s too scary.¡± Look here, I pointed towards my waist. There was no weapon there. I had pawned off my sword, though I spent it all yesterday night¡­¡­.that¡¯s a bit sad. I don¡¯t even have something like a dagger. All I have is this body. Do you want me to fist fight with a demon? That¡¯s impossible. With my fists, I can¡¯t even break open fruits let alone things like rocks. A monster that could break rocks with his fists was¡ª¨Cfor the time being, let¡¯s just say, that I have 2 acquaintances that can do that. They are cheat holders after all. ¡°Lazy bastard.¡±(boy) ¡°My dream is to earn money while enjoying and live my life in peace.¡±(renji) [Abandon such a dream.] Don¡¯t find faults in my dream, you stupid medal. ¡°That¡¯s a brilliant dream. Can you earn moneyfortably?¡±(beauty) ¡°Dreams are called dreams because they nevere true.¡±(boy) My heart was pierced by the beauty¡¯s smile who was encouraging my dream. Also, the boy at the reception counter said some philosophical things as he sighed. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to be a proper adult if you¡¯re like that, boy.¡±(renji) ¡°If it means bing someone like you, then I¡¯m fine with not bing a proper adult.¡±(boy) Such harsh words. Shrugging my shoulders, I stretched my hands towards the bundle of requests kept on the table. This bundle was divided into three categories. They are- gathering of materials and herbs, escorting vigers or carriages, and subjugation of monsters/demons. If one were to go to the royal capital, the thickness of each bundle was- monster subjugation the biggest, second was escort missions andst and the thinnest was material procurement ones. Well, that¡¯s inconsequential, I¡¯m not going to go there anyway. If I was found by my oldrades it¡¯ll be troublesome. While I was thinking of such things, the woman was moving towards the bundle of monster subjugation requests. She has such pretty and thin fingers. Yup, she really is aplete newbie adventurer. ¡°Is there any subjugation quest that even I can do?¡±(beauty) ¡°No.¡±(boy) Immediate reply. Well it¡¯s obvious though. As she looked towards that bear faced adventurer inside the guild, he averted his eyes. Probably, she might have consulted him before I came here. His face is rough, but maybe he had invited her to his party. The woman is beautiful after all, nobody would be reluctant to invite her but subjugating monsters was really not eptable. The people of this world do not possess cheat like power like me. They have to fight with their lives on the line even after expertly training in sword or magic. The main reason for the deaths among young adventurers is due to them recklessly taking on subjugation quests like this woman, out of curiosity, and get killed. That¡¯s all there was to it. But I silently handed one of the memos from the collecting items pile and gave it to her. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous you know?¡±(Renji) ¡°I¡¯m well aware of the danger.¡±(beauty) *funsu* the woman struck her chest with her left arm. It swayed. It really swayed slightly behind the armour. [Tch] Inside my pocket, I felt killing intent leaking out as the medal clicked its tongue so I quickly averted my gaze. It¡¯s because it is unbing of a gentleman to stare at a woman¡¯s chest, obviously. *ahem* I coughed once. ¡°I can¡¯t really rmend that.¡± ¡°But still, I can only subjugate monsters now. That is the only way left for me.¡± Those words sounded really serious. It could be, that her voice felt like crying a bit as well. Her voice was serious but¡­¡­I looked towards the boy at the reception behind the woman. He was shaking his head. Well obviously. If they allowed a newbie to go on a monster subjugation, it¡¯ll be considered as a failure of the management staff of the guild. After earning some experience through herb gathering and escort missions, only then is one allowed to take subjugation quests. Also, they will still not be allowed to go alone. It must be a party of at least 2 or 3 members. It¡¯s the same for even pro adventurers who have been doing this for many years. That¡¯s how strong the monsters of this world are. Even the lowest Goblin or Kobolds, if they attacked in a swarm, could make those pros be extremely cautious. And Slime is traumatic experience. If a magician took care of it from long range then it¡¯ll be fine, but if an adventurer challenged it at close range, it was nothing less than a nightmare. ¡°It seems you have special circumstances but you see.¡± Only this cannot be helped with. That has been decided by the guild. As an adventurer, one must abide by the rules. If you cannot do so, then you¡¯re just an ouw. I took one page of herb gathering and handed it over to the woman. ¡°First finish herb gathering and escort missions. Soon, you¡¯ll be able to get experience for monster subjugation within 1 month at least.¡± I can¡¯t say anything more than that. Looking away from me, the woman left the guild. It seems she¡¯ll ept the herb gathering quest. ¡°Too bad. I wanted to get closer to her¡­..¡±(renji) ¡°Renji-san wouldn¡¯t suit her at all. Yup.¡±(boy) Don¡¯t say that happily boy. I¡¯ll cry. As I saw the woman off, my shoulder was pped from behind. As I looked back, the bear faced old man was there. ¡°You weren¡¯t wrong. I had said the same thing.¡±(bearface) ¡°I see.¡± I wonder if it¡¯d be fine. Looking at her, I feel that she might do something reckless alone. I¡¯m saying that from experience. Well if I need to thank someone, it¡¯d be therades I had travelled with¡­¡­I felt her actions were very simr to those youths. In this case, will it be my responsibility because I didn¡¯t lend her a helping hand? ¡­¡­.I want to think that¡¯s not so. [That girl is going to do something extremely rash.] I sighed. I should have known. I took a memo from the herb gathering bundle and left the guild. I brought out a coin from my pocket and flipped it with my thumb. As I grabbed the coin as it fell, I opened my palm. The coin was, tails. It¡¯s a miss. ¡°Shall we go, Ermenhilde?¡± [Roger that, my master.] I heard the neutral gendered voice, as if it was having fun. Chapter 2 Hero and the Newbie Adventurer (2) Chapter 2 Hero and the Newbie Adventurer (2) When you think of monsters you think of forests. I don¡¯t know who started this, but it is apparently a part of the mistakenmon sense of this world. By the way, we also thought the same when we first came to the world. A bit away from the highway were the grasnds and even further were the dark forests. There, the encounter rate would be higher, was what one of our game expertrade had said. But that¡¯s not actually true. Sure, there are definitely monsters in the forest. But in actuality, those grasnds and ins were actually more troublesome. Especially, those goblins that the woman with the honey coloured hair was looking for. Those guyse in swarms. They would definitely not act alone. The least would be in a group of three but at times they also move in groups of 10 as well. If it was a cave, they could be dealt with without getting yourself surrounded by them. But in a in grasnd, they¡¯ll surround you with numbers and attack from your blind spot. Is that woman aware of such things? [Your personality is still the same.] ¡°Really¡­..even though it won¡¯t do me anything good.¡± Since I couldn¡¯t refute it, I agreed. Just how many times have I worked like this for free. Even though I have money problems, I still do things that won¡¯t earn me anything. Also its pretty difficult when everyone around you puts faith in you. No matter what anyone says, defeating monsters is the most rewarding job of an adventurer. An adventurer who doesn¡¯t fight will be looked at with a suitable gaze. Especially me, who doesn¡¯t take any other quest than herb gathering which is free of danger. But that¡¯s because I can live with just that. I won¡¯te under any danger. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be able to stay alive. Especially me, who was the weakest among the 13. [Haah] Don¡¯t sigh, I¡¯ll also be sad. A rescue fairy had note nor was I requested by anyone. So, there will be no reward. It¡¯ll be just work for me. I understand if you want to sigh. I understand but please forgive me. Isn¡¯t saving a person a beautiful thing? I wish I could get a reward for that as well though. If I can save that beautiful woman, I think I¡¯ll ask her about it. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m a saint. And I can¡¯t live on just air either. I need money to keep living. To eat, to rent a room at an inn, and also to get some equipment, I need money. ¡­¡­.seriously, we really workedpletely for free when we were heroes. Everything might have been for the sake of the people but it was never for our own self. It¡¯s really a truth I can cry to. [O.Renji, near your feet.] That¡¯s unusual. The cursed medal Ermenhilde raised a voice with excitement. Just as that voice had said, as I looked near my feet, I saw a copper coin. In this world, the value system was copper coin -> gold coin -> silver coin, in that order. Normally you¡¯d think that gold should have more value but gold could not be enchanted with magic and it was heavier on top of it. Well silver was also heavy but it could be enchanted with magic and was also useful against ghosts and undeads making them lose regenerating power, or turning them to ash. Due to that, in this world, different from the usual fantasy world, the value of silver and gold had been reversed. This made me think that the Gold Armours shown in Fantasies must have been so heavy. I want to try wearing that once. Though I think I won¡¯t be able to even move after that. Well anyway, leaving that aside, I picked up the copper coin from the ground. ¡°Good job.¡± [With this you can buy two pieces of bread.] For the time being, my problem for today¡¯s dinner has been solved. By the way, one piece of copper coin can buy two pieces of bread or one piece of jerky. To have lunch at a slightly stylish restaurant, you¡¯ll need about 20 copper coins. Fufun, while humming, I walked through the ins with light steps. You really should always help people. Yup. [¡­..Ah, I feel like crying a bit.] ¡°Can you even cry with a body like that?¡± [Shut up¡­¡­¡­this poor lifestyle, it¡¯s piercing into the core of my body.¡± Looks like, it is feeling down. Probably, due to overly huge pride, it was unable to bear the fact that it actually became happy from finding small change on the road. It happens sometimes so I should just leave it be. Even after feeling down so much, if it actually felt happy from finding small change, there is already no room for saving. Also, there¡¯s the fact that Ermenhilde found it faster than me, so it really can¡¯t be helped. As I walked while flipping the copper coin with my thumb, I heard the faint sound of swords shing. ¡°As expected¡­¡­¡± I gave a sigh. Why do young ones always do reckless things. As I moved my gaze, I couldn¡¯t see the woman. In my sight was a 3m big rock that had been marked by the vige. I had thought that she¡¯d move towards the ces that stood out, and it seems I was right. Probably, the woman is currently on the other side of the rock. To make sure that I¡¯m not toote, I trotted closer towards the rock and decided to peek and see the situation. The first thing that came into my sight was the woman with honey coloured hair that I had just met earlier. Some parts of her clothes had been torn, but at least she still looks fine. I breathed a sigh in relief. And facing her was a monster at the same height of an elementary schooler, with ashen skin; it was Goblins. In its hand were long swords, battleaxes and hammers that must have been stolen from an adventurer. It had a big and tall nosepared to its face and its ears wererge as well. If one were to put the two ears together it might be big enough as its face, I think. Goblins looked like proud creatures to me. Though it is only my personal judgement gained from the many times I had to fight them. Those Goblins swung their weapons lightly and were slowly driving the woman to a corner. [fumu. So she was still alive.] ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back to normal?¡± [Shut up. I¡¯ll kill you.] ¡°yeah, yeah.¡± While ignoring its threats and jeers, I observed the woman as she fought the numerous Goblins. Not much time must have passed since the start of battle. Back then she didn¡¯t have a weapon but right now she had pretty good looking short sword. She must have gone to the weapon shop after parting from me and then gone off to hunting. Probably, it¡¯s been around 10mins or so. But still, the woman was breathing heavily and was holding the light short sword with both of her hands. There were 5 goblins and each of them seemed prettyposed. After all they are superior in both skill and numbers. If they attacked while surrounding someone, even a intermediate level adventurer could face defeat. They could instantly take care of a newbie adventurer. But without being to forceful, they¡¯re waiting for their enemy to weaken and stop moving. That¡¯s the most troublesome part of monsters. They had the intelligence to make sure they have the advantage in a fight. This time, they were using their difference in numbers to weaken their enemy. Because this an open grasnd, if they surround the enemy, they could attack from blind spots and even if the enemy were to block it, he¡¯ll still exhaust lot of concentration and stamina quickly. When inside a cave, there are times when they eveny down traps as well. Ambushes or pitfalls, etc. that¡¯s how intelligent they are. Especially humanoid monsters are strikingly so. [She doesn¡¯t look like she¡¯ll hold much longer.] ¡°I know.¡± In my sight, the woman keeps on getting cornered. The only reason they haven¡¯t killed her yet is because they¡¯re ying with her. When your prey is just one and an amateur at that, it¡¯s not weird for them to have sadistic tendencies. Well thanks to that I was able to make it in time though. I know that it¡¯s already a miracle for her to have held out against 5 goblins for 10 whole mins. While thinking that, I brought out the medal from my pocket and gripped it in my left hand. ¡°Lend me your strength, Ermenhilde.¡± [Roger that, my master.] The jeering atmosphere till nowpletely disappeared. While fighting, it is always serious. The opponents are just small fry but there¡¯s a difference betweenposure and carelessness. I know that human lives can disappear easily just because of slight carelessness. In my left hand, warmth started appearing. The magical energy of the source of my cheat ability, Ermenhilde, took form. One knife. Five Daggers. There are no decorations. It¡¯s a boorish weapon with stress on utility. Confirming the weapons, I put the medal back inside my pocket. Holding the knife in my left hand, I fixed the daggers on my belt. ¡°Really, as long as I have you, I don¡¯t really need to buy any weapons.¡± [Don¡¯t mistake their use, definitely.] ¡°I know.¡± I¡¯m a [God yer] and you¡¯re the [God ying Weapon]. I won¡¯t forget that in my whole life. As I said that, I jumped out from the shadow of the rock and threw a dagger. Without even being able to perceive me, the dagger pierced through its head and the goblin died. Red blood stained the grasnds. Taking out another dagger, I once again threw it. I bring down another one. That makes 2 down. After that they finally be aware of the intruder that is me and put up their guards. I threw another dagger but it was struck down by the long sword. I wanted to finish them off with just daggers but¡­¡­.I guess that¡¯s that. The world isn¡¯t such an easy ce. ¡°Ah.¡± I ignored the woman as she raised a sound in relief. 3 remain. I¡¯m at a disadvantage if we consider just the numbers. I have confidence in my superior ability, but if I get surrounded, I could only lose then. Changing the knife to my right hand, I held a dagger in my left. Two sword style. But, unfortunately I¡¯m a right hander. ¡°Shaa!!¡± I stopped the long sword¡¯s attack with my dagger. With having the ability to avert the attack, my left hand went numb but I swung the knife and tore its throat away. The sharpness of weapons created by Ermenhilde is terrific. I didn¡¯t feel any resistance at all. The spurt of blood soiled my clothes and struck my cheek as well. I ended up frowning due to its unpleasantness. By the time I took care of this one, the other two of them attacked me from both sides at the same time. I threw the dagger in my left hand towards one of them. Since my hand was numb, let alone proper aim, even the de was not in the front. But still, it stopped its advance to strike down the dagger with its weapon. And their cooperation to attack together also got disturbed. In that instant, I faced the other oneing towards me. It raised the hammer overhead but before it could bring it down, I cut apart the its handle. The goblin, who was holding it with both hands, lost its bnce and the hammer lost its effectiveness. Probably it didn¡¯t expect the iron grip to be cut apart, the Goblic seemed to panic and stopped moving in front of me. In that instant, I beheaded it. One more remaining¡ª¡ª-as I looked back, the remaining one had run away at full speed. ¡°fuu.¡± I breathed a sigh in relief. I did it somehow. I wiped away the blood that stuck my cheek and clothes. This, will the stain even go away after I wash it? If I need to buy a new one, it¡¯ll mean more expenses. [Good good, it seems your skill hasn¡¯t dulled yet.] ¡°No way.¡± I was just lucky. I don¡¯t know why but this medal always misunderstands me for someone very strong. Please leave me alone from that. Just because I now those 12 Godyers doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯m also as strong as them. Unlike the others, I¡¯m not that strong. My physical abilities are bit higher than the people of this world thanks to the World transferpensation, but I¡¯m still confident of losing against a first ss swordsman or a magician. Even the fight against goblins, those guys could have done it much better than me. One-hit kill. That¡¯s how they would have done it. If it was a magician then one magic attack from a long range. Those kinds of guys are the [God yers]. ¡°I not very good at fighting.¡± As I muttered that, I walked towards the woman, who was the main objective this time. Due to the sudden developments, she was sitting in the grasnds while she raised her eyes and looked at me dumbfounded. That action looked pretty cute. [You¡¯re grinning again.] ¡°¡­¡­.¡± I want to believe that¡¯s not true. I hid my mouth with the sleeve of my clothes and *ahem* cleared my throat. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re so fixated on subjugating monsters but if you¡¯re this reckless you¡¯ll die very easily, you know?¡± Die. The woman shuddered on hearing that word. Probably, she didn¡¯t even think about herself dying back at the guild. It¡¯s prettymon among newbies. Also, the fact she¡¯s still alive makes her pretty lucky. Normally, without anyone to help, she would have been tormented to death by the goblins. I cut off the fangs of the goblins with my knife. If one were to hand it over to the guild, you can get reward for the subjugation. Not just goblins, it¡¯s the same for every monster. Normally one would bring back a part that can be used as material or a part that won¡¯t decay. If its something as big as a dragon, even if you were not to subjugate it, you can get quite a lot of money from selling its scales. Well, the reward for goblins is about 10 copper coins I think. Since I had not epted the request officially, it might be a little lesser though. By the way, in case of herb gathering, even after spending the whole day, you¡¯d earn about 5 copper coins. As expected, killing monsters earns a lot of money but it¡¯s bad for my heart. I don¡¯t like it. ¡°if you have learned something, then raise your abilities by first doing the jobs given by the guild¡ª¨C¡®kay.¡± As I put the goblin fangs inside my pocket and looked back¡­¡­the woman was crying. She was sobbing really badly but tears and various fluids were falling out. I panicked and looked away as the woman was making an expression not expected from an adult. [You made her cry, you made her cry.] ¡°Are you a child?¡± As I muttered in a small voice, I hit the medal inside my pocket. I rummaged through the goblin¡¯s equipments to find something valuable till the woman stopped crying. [¡­¡­.this is basically a robbery.] Or rather, if the opponent weren¡¯t monsters this would definitely be counted as a robbery. ¡°It¡¯ll earn me some money after all.¡± [This is a scene that really makes me doubt whether you¡¯re actually a hero or not.] The long sword is too chipped, the hammer¡¯s grip was cut apart, so these two won¡¯t get me much. But it¡¯ll still get me something so I still decided to take it back. The battleaxe was still fine so it should get me quite some money. It¡¯s a good find. The equipment was pelt and breasttes but¡­¡­.but it stinks like hell so I¡¯m wondering what to do. Will it even be usable even if I took it back? Even if I leave it here, the corpses will be eaten by other monsters and the equipment would end up being reused by other goblins or kobolds with intelligence. Unn, as I was thinking, I felt a presence behind me. As I looked back, the woman had stood up. ¡°Have you calmed down?¡±(renji) On my question, the woman gave a nod. It seems she¡¯s still feeling down. Well, it¡¯s pretty obvious though it can¡¯t be helped. One actually recovers from something like that quickly would be the weirder one. ¡°Then, let¡¯s return to the vige. I¡¯ll see you off.¡± Shouldering the battleaxe, I held the sword and the broken hammer in my empty hand. I decided to leave the armour. I should be able to get quite the sum from just these weapons. I can¡¯t ask this woman to feel such a stink either. The weapons, and in my pocket were the 4 fangs of the goblins. I¡¯d be able to live luxuriously for two days with that. My footsteps became lighter as I realized that. Although my objective was supposed to be saving the woman but I didn¡¯t feel like my objective had changed either. [¡­¡­.how deplorable.] ¡°It has be your favourite phrase in the past year hasn¡¯t it, those words?¡± [Kuh] ¡°?¡± As the woman looked at me with a questioning gaze as I talked to myself, I replied her that it was nothing. I unconsciously ended up talking out loud. I really can¡¯t help that. I think it¡¯s normal as a human to talk back when someone talks to you. Chapter 3 Hero and the Newbie Adventurer (3) Chapter 3 Hero and the Newbie Adventurer (3) After ordering some tasty drinks at the only inn of the vige, I came and sat in front of the woman at the table. She seems to have calmed a lot from the battle against the goblins but her expression was still dark. Well,ing so close to dying, I guess it¡¯s only natural. It¡¯d be nice if this doesn¡¯t be a trauma for her though. Since the atmosphere didn¡¯t allow me to talk either, we just faced each other waiting for the drinks to arrive. It seems she was the same as she fidgeted around. Is it weird of me to think that that action of hers looked actually cute? Since she was still equipped with the leather breastte, the gap in between was¡ª¨C [You¡­¡­.really treat every woman the same.] An extremely fed up voice came. Although I was the only one who could hear it, I still felt a bit down. Well, in actuality, my heart isn¡¯t actually that weak though. Living in this different world, even if one doesn¡¯t want to, his mind and heart will be trained naturally. ¡°Um, thank you very much.¡± As I was thinking other things, the woman in front of me gave her thanks. As she bowed, her honey coloured hair hung down and hid her expression. Putting her hair back with her fingers, she looked towards me with nervousness in her eyes. Huh? She seems to be frightened of me? [Although they were just goblins, you did kill 4 of them alone after all.] Oh, so that¡¯s why. Although I used a surprise attack, I ended up working too hard it seems. I guess I overdid it. In the guild of a rural area like this, she must not have expected that there would be such a strong adventurer. Though, I was only lucky this time. The fact that the daggers flew straight, that I was able to block the goblin¡¯s attack and the surprise attack had made them panic, all were lucky things due to which I was able to win so skilfully. [After showing such a violent fight, it¡¯s only normal for an amateur to be fearing you.] ¡°Shaddup.¡± ¡°?¡±(woman) I ended up saying that out loud involuntarily again. The woman, who couldn¡¯t hear Ermenhilde, looked at me questioningly. After all it must have looked like I was talking to myself. In fact, the woman didn¡¯t even seem much rmed considering the current situation. She must have nerves of steel. From here onwards, when saving someone, I¡¯ll try to save them by helping them run away rather than fighting the monsters. Well, I have saved people quite a few times in the past year but failed to do the aforementioned every time though. While I was thinking such things, thendy of the inn brought us fruit juice. By the way, my drink was simply milk. Even though I didn¡¯t ask for it, she automatically brought the cheapest one for me. I¡¯m thankful that she is aware of the pitiful state of my purse. I thanked her with my gaze and gave a thumbs up. [¡­¡­this is so pathetic.] ¡°Milk is good for the body. I love it.¡± [Your favourite is still alcohol which isn¡¯t really good for the body though.] I can¡¯t deny that. Today my purse is warm, I think I feel good already. ¡°¡­¡­.Um.¡± ¡°Go ahead and drink it. When you¡¯re tired it¡¯s good to drink sweet things.¡± 24 copper coins. That was my earnings for today. Considering that I can live through one day by spending only 8 copper coins, I think I can live for 3 days without any problems now. Thus expenses weren¡¯t a problem for me right now. Luxury also enriches one¡¯s heart as well. While thinking of such philosophical things, I wondered if I was actually correct on that point. ¡°Thank you, very much.¡± Holding the wooden cup with both hands, she started to slowly drink. She must not have realized herself but her body was demanding for sugar as she quickly drank it all. She sure is drinking with an enjoying expression. While looking at her, I also began to drink my milk. This milk that was not voured like the ones in modern Japan is, honestly speaking, very ordinary. But I still drank it well. It would be ridiculous to waste some of it. That would be so wasteful. ¡­¡­.but I did understand why children did not like milk now. ¡°Then, um,¡­¡­.can I at least know your name?¡± The taste of the milk was getting even worse but the atmosphere seemed to have gotten a bit lighter so I decided to try and talk to her. Why this newbie adventurer woman was so fixated on monster subjugation quests? I don¡¯t really want to pry any deeper into her matters but if she has some important reason I could think of helping her a little with that. She¡¯s a beauty after all. I don¡¯t really need any more of a reason to get to know women. [The milk is getting on your beard¡­¡­Pfft.] Oops. I wiped it with my sleeve. Nice, Ermenhilde. [¡­..Pathetic.] Leave me alone. ¡°I¡¯m called Francesca. Francesca Barton.¡± ¡°Barton¡­¡­¡± [What, so she really was a noble.] She has a family name. In this world, normal people don¡¯t have family names. Only nobles and families with Knight lineage are allowed to have family names in this world. From her atmosphere, I did think that she might be a noble, but I actually didn¡¯t expect it to be true. It¡¯s rare for nobles to be adventurers. There are basically nil of such cases. There are times when a noble might be an adventurer seeking thrill and excitement but that¡¯s usually the second or the third son of the family that cannot seed the house. Also, most of them would soon quit after facing the hardships of such a lifestyle. I have been in parties (T/N: Adventurer party.) with such people and they were usually reluctant to even sleep in a tent outside. I wondered what were they actually expecting of an adventurer. And those second and third sons would also, in the end, open up a business and get into administration work. They basically do not have any money problems after all. So it¡¯s only obvious to chose a peaceful method of earning money rather than living the dangerous life of an adventurer. There are lot of things like management and administration that they would need to learn but it¡¯s still better than risking your lives I think. Thus, it was rare for a Noble to be an adventurer. Especially for a beautiful woman like her. After knowing that she was a noble, I got worried that she might actually be burdened by some kind of huge debt after getting cheated. That actually sounds usible. In this case, she must be the daughter of the Barton household but¡­..I¡¯ve never really heard the name before. It¡¯s probably a lower level noble family. ¡°I am Renji. I¡¯ve been an adventurer for three years now.¡± I should just give my name here. The name Renji is definitely rare, but it¡¯s not like no one else might have it. But my surname Yamada is definitely one of a kind. I doubt there¡¯s any other Yamada in this whole world. Thus, I decided to only use Renji as my name so that I don¡¯t stand out. ¡°Three years¡­.¡± She cutely inclined her head to the side. Well, I understand what she wants to say. If one stays an adventurer for three years, he will only be at an intermediate level. At such a level, it would be very surprising for someone to have easily defeated goblins like I did. Well it¡¯s actually thanks to the World transferpensation though. Also my cheat, Ermenhilde. Without those, I would have really been nothing more than viger C. ¡°So, why is a noble trying to be an adventurer¡­¡­.¡± And, monster subjugation, on top of that. On being called a noble, Francesca-san¡¯s expression became gloomy. Could it be, that she doesn¡¯t like being called and treated as a noble? ¡°I have some circumstances.¡±(Francesca) ¡°fuun.¡± I gulped down the milk. It¡¯s still tastes bad. ¡°Are those circumstances the reason why you¡¯re so fixated on monster subjugation?¡± ¡°yes.¡± Well I don¡¯t really care whether she¡¯s a noble or not, it doesn¡¯t really matter to me. Rather than that, are those circumstances such that she has to risk her life? The actions she took today were not risking her own life but abandoning her own life. I ended up bing curious of these circumstances of hers. It won¡¯t hurt just listening to her. Also, I smelled money. She¡¯s a noble as well as a newbie adventurer. If I were to help her, I might get some rewards¡­¡­or something like that. But that¡¯ll depend on the details. I want to avoid anything dangerous. I took another sip of the milk, and urged her to continue. If it sounded something really dangerous¡­¡­well, imight try helping her a little I think. ¡°Actually, there was a test at the academy¡­..¡± ¡°¡­¡­hm?¡± ¡°If I fail at that test I will have to drop out.¡± What, it was much lighter than what I was expecting. But I wonder how it rtes to her bing an adventurer. If it¡¯s a test then stick to your desk and study like crazy. ¡°Should I read the textbook?¡± ¡®She was anxious about the practical test and decided to practice against actual monster.¡¯ If she had died for such a reason, her parents wouldn¡¯t have been able to even cry. They would have cried in the end though. ¡°Uu¡­¡­I¡¯m good at making notes but practical tests are¡­..¡±(Francesca) [Wow a typical big-headed person.] Don¡¯t say that. I hit the medal from above my pocket. Ouch, my thigh actually hurt. ¡°Well, you do seem bad at physical exercise.¡± ¡°uu.¡± She must have been sensitive about it as she moaned and looked downwards. She actually feels like a small animal. Also, I could see her cleavage¡­¡­.well with such a rack it¡¯s only normal that she¡¯d be bad at physical exercise. After understanding this, I felt that it couldn¡¯t be helped that Francesca was bad at it. In fact what do you actually eat to get something like that? Among my formerrades, there was a woman close to my age. She was, well¡­¡­.that. If I were to put it in words, when looking there you would get done in so nobody did so. By the way, ¡®done in¡¯ here means ¡®to be killed¡¯.(T/N: it could have also meant as doing it with her but unfortunately that¡¯s not the case here.) I want you to tell her what you eat normally to get something like that. ¡°Exercise is, well, learning to move your body properly right? You should stop trying to fight monsters for that.¡± As expected, I could not tell her directly that she was not suited for it. Well, it might have been fine even if I said that though. It is true after all. Now that I have heard her situation, I can¡¯t rmend her to subjugate monsters. If she tries to do it even then, then I¡¯ll have no choice but to directly tell her that. ¡°That¡­..the physical skill test is actually demon subjugating itself.¡±(Francesca) ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± [This girl is going to fail hard.] I thought the same thing. Or rather, what kind of school makes its students hunt monsters. There¡¯ll even be casualties. Isn¡¯t that bad for a school in various ways? ¡°What school is this?¡± ¡°It is the Magic City Academy, around three days from here by carriage.¡± It ended up being an extremely big school. The Magic city was as its name suggested, the whole city was meant as a ce for all sorts of magicians toe together to learn and research magic. Simrly, there are also Tactics City, Commercial Sciences city, Steelworks city etc as well. The Tactics city is a ce where those who can¡¯t use magic gather. There they are taught the way to use swords and spears and also battle tactics. People who graduate from there usually end up as Knights or soldiers in the Royal capital. In this city there are more Dojos rather than schools. Basically it¡¯s filled with muscle headed idiots. Most of them barely know how to read and write and can make basic calctions sometimes. The Commercial Sciences city was, as its name suggests, a city where trade andmerce is prosperous and is also called the biggest city of the human country [Imnesia]. I think its even more lively than the Royal Capital as well. Also, there are schools here that teach aboutmerce etc as well. Well it¡¯s good that a lot of money flows there, but the city also has its dark parts and I can¡¯t really say that the public order is good there. The Steelworks City is the city of cksmiths. After inviting elves and dwarves from the country of beastmen [Elfreim], they create magic enchanted weapons and Mithril weapons there. The magic weapons or Mithril weapons sold all over [Imnesia] are produced and manufactured only in this city. Its not very efficient but apparently there are problems like politics, cirction of funds and goods etc. Every big vige also have a ce to learn but if one wants to learn something seriously, it¡¯s normal to go to one of these cities. Though, its usually only rich nobles or absolute geniuses who get their expenses paid by the people of the City that actually go there. A child of a rural vige won¡¯t be able to pay the expenses and end up being expelled and returning back. Then that means that the woman in front of me is definitely a rich noble family¡¯s youngdy. The Magic academy¡­¡­that ce¡¯s physical test is monster subjugation, is it? I guess I was mistaken to think that sharing research reports was more magician-like. ¡°Could you not have made a party with your ssmates?¡± ¡°Actually that was the n but everyone seems to avoid me¡­¡­¡± ¡°What the heck?¡± [Seriously what?] I could only sigh while fed up. I don¡¯t know the reason but those ssmates that are making this woman to do something like monster subjugation alone are definitely crazy in their heads. Either they don¡¯t know the dangers involved or they have some hidden reason behind it. I don¡¯t know what level of noble is she but still she¡¯s a noble family¡¯s daughter. If a problem urred, the school will also have to take responsibility. It sounds troublesome. ¡°Um, I had a request¡ª¨C¡°(Francesca) Ah, as expected. I knew what she was going to say next. The problem is whether I should ept or not. I don¡¯t really have a problem. And, if she¡¯s a noble, I should get a good reward as well. But the problem is why was this woman made to fight against monsters alone. It¡¯d be fine if its just me over thinking things but what if something happens? I really don¡¯t want any trouble. I don¡¯t really mind teaching a noble woman what an adventurer is like. Even I, if told that I could get closer to such a beauty, would quickly ept it. But, I really hate trouble. I also have my special circumstances. I really hate trouble as well as standing out too much. But I need money. I really want it. If it¡¯s a reward from an adventurer the, maybe gold coins¡ª-no maybe even silver coins¡­..(T/N: silver>gold here) ¡°Could you to please teach me the way of fighting?¡± ¡°yeah, sure.¡±(renji) While bending forward, she looked at me with sincere eyes. Right, she was leaning forward. As she did that, the greenery suppressed by the leather breastte certainly swayed. And before I realized, I had already epted her. [I won¡¯t get angry so tell where were you looking when you gave your answer? Just say it.] ¡°Your eyes don¡¯t seem to be lying so I guess¡­..it¡¯s fine.¡±(renji) I averted my gaze. It¡¯s not like I suddenly felt guilty of anything. I wasn¡¯t really scared of Ermenhilde inside my pocket either. The scenery outside the window waspletely cloudless. . . . When we returned to the guild, the bear faced adventurer was not here anymore. Probably, he must have taken some newbies to teach them the way of hunting. In such a rural vige, young ones were precious military resource after all. They needed to be perfectly trained from the basics so that one day they could also pass this knowledge on to the next generation. The boy at the reception was looking this way with an amazed face. ¡°I¡¯m surprised¡­¡­Renji-san has brought a woman with him.¡±(boy) ¡°fu¡ª¨CEven I am able to do things when I want to.¡±(renji) [You don¡¯t do anything usually though.] Shaddup. I cursed at the medal inside my pocket, which made a tsukkomi with a fed up voice, within my mind. But even then, that voice still sounded somewhat happy, probably because I actually did some actual work for once. That too, a monster subjugating job that I don¡¯t do at all no matter how much it asked me for it. I hope that it doesn¡¯t take this as an opportunity to start scolding me to do more jobs like this. Well, after I get the reward for this I¡¯ll be able to live peacefully for some time though. ¡°But still, Magic City eh? She sure came pretty far to search for a prey.¡± I¡¯m pretty sure that there are a lot of guilds there. It might have been troublesome to search for the required monster subjugating quest but at least the danger would have been lesser. But even so, to have spent three days to havee to this far off rural vige is quite unthinkable. ording to her, till she came from the Magic city till here, there was no request to defeat the monsters that she needed. I guess something like that can also happen. If a student was going to hunt, it would only be a goblin or a kobold. And he would also be escorted by a pro as well. ¡°Now then, what kind of monster are you looking for?¡± I had been requested to teach her the way of fighting but if I don¡¯t know the target I won¡¯t be able to do that after all. During the times when we were trying to defeat the Demon God, I had fought with most types of monsters so I am a bit aware of their characteristics. If it¡¯s a monster whose subjugation will appear in a rural vige then even I should be able to properly teach her that. Yes, I was thinking this. With a simple request, I could a great reward. ¡°It¡¯s an Orc.¡± ¡°Pig eh?¡± [If it goes well, you¡¯ll be able to get a luxurious food as well.] Orc. It wasn¡¯t actually a pig but was a monster that had a nose and fangs like a pig. In the first ce, there are no pigs in this world, so the word pig itself was nonexistent. As I saw Francesca tilting her head at my weird words, I felt calmed down. That Orc. It¡¯s height was around 2m. Its special characteristics were its physical strength and stamina. It was pretty tough due to itsrge body. It¡¯s movements were, as one would expect, dull so as long as one doesn¡¯t let down his guard and be careless, I¡¯ll be able to manage it¡­¡­..probably. I looked at Francesca. ¡­¡­.Her stamina probably won¡¯tst till I kill it. ¡°Does your test also have a time limit toplete?¡± ¡°1 month. I have already used up around 1 week so only around 20 days are left.¡± ¡°Then we have quite a lot of time.¡± Goblins and Kobolds appear in the grasnds but Orcs only appear in caves and forests. Or sometimes theye to human habitations and fields for hunting. Orcs normally eat anything. Vegetables, meat, even humans. Thus, if it appears in a vige, a subjugation request is sent out quickly. And since they are easy to kill, such requests are dealt with quickly. It¡¯s pretty strong but very dull. Its meat is sold at a high price since its really delicious. The rewards for the request as well as the earnings from selling Orc meat. I could live for almost 10 days easily with such ies. Since there are no caves nearby, we¡¯ll have to head deep inside the forest or in the worst case, head to a nearby vige which is close to a cave. It¡¯s been 1 month since I settled here. I guess it might not be too bad to move now I think. To have met Francesca must have been a good opportunity. ¡°Guess I should prepare to go on a journey.¡± ¡°journey, is it?¡± ¡°For the time being, our objective is to search for Orcs.¡± [This journey sure has a weird objective¡­¡­..] I agree. But that¡¯s very like us. I lightlyughed with my partner, Ermenhilde. And our newpanion looked at me curiously. Chapter 4 Hero and the Newbie Adventurer (4) Chapter 4 Hero and the Newbie Adventurer (4) What are the important things needed on a journey? When I came to this world, I thought it would have been easy to just walk from one vige to another or one town to another. Riding a carriage as it swayed would be a great thing in this different world. ¡­¡­..That was not a very happy memory. What¡¯s important is food and provisions. That too, things like dried meat or crackers that wouldst long. Though they aren¡¯t very tasty. Dried meat is pickled with salt so the taste is as you would expect. Not to mention that it is stiff. Very stiff. I ended up yearning for the tender cooking of the modern world in just a week of staying in the different world. The crackers are tasteless. They are only meant to fill the stomach. You could say that I had underestimated living in a fantasy world. Thinking about how food is avable in the modern world as canned, sterilised and perfectly packed, I felt as if the humans in our world were geniuses on par with God. We had to prepare our own food. It won¡¯t suddenly appear out of nowhere. You could say that we were being too na?ve but we really did think like that back then. ¡°Now then, let¡¯s go and buy the things necessary for the journey.¡± After talking with Miss Francesca about the above things, we decided on doing the preparations together. Of course I had excluded the things about the different world. That¡¯s because it seems that nobody had taught her anything rted to journeying and travelling. Guess that¡¯s normal though. Usually, such things are taught by seniors in the guild or you learn through years of experience. A newbie adventurer like her doesn¡¯t have any person like a senior in the guild and obviously she doesn¡¯t have any experience either. Well in this case I¡¯ll be the senior but¡­¡­ ¡°Even if I say that..¡± I only need a few change of clothes and food for a few days. And a nket and water, that¡¯s all. Well since I can¡¯t use magic, I guess I¡¯ll also need a flint and some oil as well. They also sell things like tents but since its too bulky I have never bought it since I travelled alone. Whenever the weather worsened, I would simply rest under a rock or the shade of a tree till it cleared out. That helps in saving money after all. But since a woman would also be travelling with me, I guess I¡¯ll need to buy that as well. As expected, even I wouldn¡¯t make a woman sleep outdoors. Not to mention, that she¡¯s a noble. ¡°Now that I think about it, if you¡¯re a student at the Magic Academy, then you should be able to use magic as well, right?¡±(renji) ¡°Ah, yes, somewhat¡­.¡± As she said that, Miss Francesca seemed to act a little bashful. Along with those looks, she really looks cute. [Oi, stop grinning.] Oops. ¡°Then can you create a fire?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Then we don¡¯t need a flint. If she can create a fire with magic, then we¡¯ll be fine as long as find some dry wood near the ce we camp. Magicians are really convenient during travels. They can create fire when sleeping outside and can also create clean water as well. Magic is really convenient. You could even call it an all-purpose thing. The magicians in this world use magic by imagining a phenomenon within their minds. Unlike games, chanting isn¡¯t really needed usually. But to create a fireball and to shoot a fireball are two different things. That¡¯s where the most difficult part of imagininges. This what the great magician of this world and that almost-Chuunibyou magician said to me. To create a fireball, all you needed to do was to imagine a fireball above your palm. Rest, you can simply depend on using you magical energy needed to create it. But to shoot out the fireball, you had to first imagine the fireball and then also imagine its trajectory perfectly as well. The higher the level of magic used, the moreplex it is to perfectly imagine the details. Also, the magical energy used is also important. The magicians need to imagine a lot of things at the same time apparently. To help this, chants are used. By speaking the spell words, the imagination bes deeper and more clear and distinct. The higher the level of concentration, the more detailed the imagination is, the better and stronger the magic will be activated. That is how the magic in this world works. Actually, there are a lot ofplicated forms behind it as well but myrades were all God-ying cheat holders after all. They simply ignored all that and released super strong magic like it was normal. ¡°If you can use magic, then you should been able to take on atleast some goblins after gaining some experience I think.¡± ¡°uu¡­¡­.i¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Uh, no, you don¡¯t really have to apologise there.¡± Magic is really convenient and powerful. She had said that her speciality was taking notes then not just fireball, she should be able to use ice de or wind de as well. Its power is iparable to the strike of a normal sword. The fireball could burn their bodies, ice de could pierce through skin and leather armour easily. And the wind de could sh at the opponent without being visible. But there are times when a magician bes useless in an actual battle. That¡¯s because when shing swords with an enemy in front them, they don¡¯t have theposure to think about anything else. When someone ising at you to take away your life, you can¡¯t really think of an image of a fireball inside your head after all. That¡¯s why it is normal for rushing towards magicians to enter into closebat against magicians. Well, there are first ss magicians that can keep on using magic even when in closebat as well though. But it¡¯d be too harsh too expect that from a newbie adventurer like her. ¡°All that¡¯s left is the weapon, eh?¡± She had a new short sword but I had nothing. I did have the God-ying cheat Ermenhilde but that¡¯s not something I can calmly show off to others. The title of ¡®Hero¡¯ was too troublesome which is why I had gone off on a journey alone. I have no intention to tell that I¡¯m a hero now. As I thought about what to buy, I sighed. If it was going to turn out like this, I shouldn¡¯t have sold that worn-out sword that I got from those goblins. While I sent Miss Francesca to go buy some clothes and underwear for herself, I went around to choose a weapon for myself. [This is going to hurt your purse hard.] Seriously. I looked towards the brand new long sword and battle axe leaning against the wall. Each and every one of them was costly. At an average, each costed about dozens of copper coins. The even costlier ones costed few gold coins. The cheapest one was an iron knife. The cost was 8 copper coins. Rather than a knife for fighting, it was more like a tool for housework. I decided to buy that one in a single nce. Honestly speaking, I didn¡¯t really need any weapons from such shops. After all I already have a partner weapon to which I could entrust my life with, Ermenhilde. But I was not going say that out loud. If I did, this medal of mine would start getting cocky after all. I had ended up saying something like that many a times back then¡­¡­.myrades had started to be suspicious of me. I had been shouted at that I was raising a death g before our fight with the Demon God. I think I had been influenced by myrades too much. How nostalgic, really. I wonder if those guys are still doing well? As I gave another sigh, and picked up one of those knives. Suddenly, my gaze went towards the sword that I had sold aftering to this vige. It was a famous sword given to me by the king of [Imnesia]. Its de was made of mithril and had been forged by a dwarf. The decorations had been done by an elf and been granted the divine protection of the spirits of the earth and forests. On the amethyst embedded on the handle, the emblem of [Imnesia] would appear when you pour magical energy inside it. There were only 13 of these swords in this world. Such a famous sword would be priceless. It was not something that could be sold at its true cost in such a rural vige. Probably, it would be sold at a proper cost when the peddleres to the vige next time. If they knew that I had sold such a famous sword in such a rural vige, I would probably be imprisoned for lese majeste. This might be a littlete but I ended up sweating a little when I thought that. ¡°It¡¯s an amazing sword¡­¡­you can tell just by looking that it¡¯s a top ss item.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Francesca called towards me as she saw that sword. She must have bought the clothing I had told her to, she was holding a luggage wrapped in cloth with her. In this world, paper was very valuable. The have a method to make paper but it is not very stable. Since there are no machines and it is made through hand, the production can¡¯t keep up. That¡¯s why, during shopping if someone buys a small thing, he¡¯s given that as it is. And if the thing bought isrger, it is given by wrapping it a neat piece of cloth. ¡°It¡¯s a rare sword. Any swordsman would want that.¡±(renji) ¡°It seems to have been made from mithril, must be the work of a dwarf¡­¡­.I can also sense magic. I wonder if it was refined by an elf?¡±(fran) ¡°Well¡­¡­ I haven¡¯t really heard of a method used by elves that could refine Mithril.¡± I bragged a little. ¡°If no price has been set that means that they must not want to sell it.¡± After all it was made by an elf and a dwarf together who are famous for always being on bad terms. If they knew the story behind its creation, there was no way a price could be set for it. I smiled wryly as Miss Francesca talked about it with gleaming eyes. She must be pretty confident about her knowledge if she could talk about mithril and other such materials. ¡ª-I guess it was true that she was good at taking notes at ss. I guess I should try talking to her about such topicster. While thinking about things as if they were unrted to me, I brought the iron knife to the counter. [What, do you still have some attachments with that sword?] ¡°Well, it¡¯s the same for me whether it¡¯s a mithril sword or an iron knife.¡±(renji) ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s true. Mithril is very strong against ghosts and undead. To put it at the same level of iron is¡­.¡±(fran) Francesca reacted to the words I spoke to Ermenhilde. Within my pocket, Ermenhilde started snickering towards this mismatched conversation. ¡°That¡¯s true. I guess its notparable with iron.¡±(renji) But both of them were simple weapon. They could never rece my partner Ermenhilde. I put the iron knife along with the tent and other things on the counter and brought out 20 copper coins. This really is going to hurt my purse. The shopkeeper who knew of my financial condition, gave a wry smile and gave me some extra dried meat for free. [I wonder what kind of Hero takes donations from vigers.] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± I heard a somewhat philosophical voiceing from inside my pocket. Why does it want me to be a hero so much? I really don¡¯t want to have a title like a Hero. As I sighed, the shopkeeper misunderstood it as getting down due to my huge expenses and further added some free crackers as well. My eyes were now already nailed on the coins being taken by the shopkeeper rather than on the mithril sword. I felt like I heard a sigh that only I could hear but I ignored it. For a human to keep on living, money is more important than weapons. While carrying quite a bit of luggage under my arms, I gave another sigh. I really should have worked a bit harder to raise money I think. . . . As I left the store, we first moved towards the inn to drop our luggage. As expected, it would be troublesome to carry it all the time with me. And then we decided to take a break there as well. I didn¡¯t ask for milk but asked for only water that was free. Any more expenses would have an effect on my meal tonight. I feel sorry for Miss Francesca but I had to ask her to pay for her own expenses. [¡­..Undependable, as usual.] Shaddup. While being disappointed from that voice that seemed to be enjoying this, I drank water. It¡¯s lukewarm. I guess it might be too much to demand for cold water from a inn of a rural vige. In the royal capital or any other slightly big towns, a magician would make the ice but there¡¯s no way a magician would live in a vige like this. Well, there¡¯s one in front of me but she¡¯s not a worker of the inn. ¡°Tomorrow, we¡¯ll leave the vige.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes.¡±(fran) That was thest confirmation. I had exined everything else before we went shopping. After leaving this vige, we¡¯ll walk towards the neighbouring vige. We won¡¯t use a carriage to increase her physical endurance and stamina as well as to help her gain experience in travelling. After hunting down the Orc she might go back to her school but for now she¡¯s an adventurer. Then, during this time, I¡¯m thinking of training her like a normal adventurer as well. That should increase my reward and the person herself agrees with it. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be troubling you from here onwards.¡±(fran) Saying that, she bowed her head. I would in fact be troubled if we were to move by carriages so I¡¯m actually thankful. Obviously, by trouble I mean financial ones. Carriages are only used by people who have surplus money. Also those who want to keep themselves perfectly safe during the journey. Merchants and dealers are usually the ones who use them. They put up escort missions in the guild quite a lot as well so there are times when I had also escorted them. They are pretty rich and also prepare meals during the trip so it¡¯s not really bad. Well, sometimes there are also those merchants who act too-familiar and those who deal with ves as well though. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Youck stamina so it¡¯s perfect for it.¡±(renji) ¡°uu.¡± I ended up giving a wry smile as she was at a loss for words. In the first ce, it¡¯s rare for a student to go on a journey. Since they¡¯re always studying while sitting on their desks, its normal that they don¡¯t have any stamina. While thinking of such things, I looked outside from the window. I saw a boy who looked like an orphan. Sitting on the road, he seemed to be in a daze waiting for someone to give him money or food. There are a lot of orphans in this world. Before the Demon God had been defeated, the monsters had been attacking the viges, burning houses and killing the people constantly. Due to that, even after a year has passed, there are still a lot of orphans like that. They have orphanages set up as well, but the number isn¡¯t sufficient enough. Quite a lot of myrades seem to be working to change the situation but it still hasn¡¯t been nned out perfectly yet it seems. In the first ce, the concept of welfare programmes itself didn¡¯t exist here, there¡¯s no way they could make visible changes in just one year. Even if it¡¯s one of the heroes that saved the world that is calling for it. The ones who have the money are the nobles. To make them understand, we aren¡¯t eloquent enough. Even the God ying cheat holding heroes are also humans in that case. Well, there is a guy who¡¯s making a lot of money by using such a cheat and trying to change the world as well though. For example chess, or shogi. This world, that had forgotten ways to enjoy due to the threat of monsters, have beenpletely immersed in this game. As a means for amusement, one set of each game is being sold for money. I think it¡¯s pretty well done. I wonder if I lived more admirably, will my life be a bit more easier? I think that might be true. I wonder if I¡¯m just incapable of such things or is it just because of everyone else¡¯s cheat skill. Well, it¡¯s probably the former I think. While thinking that, I was given a gold coin. ¡°It¡¯s the advance for the reward.¡±(fran) ¡°n, thanks.¡±(renji) One gold coin. It basically equals a 100 copper coins. By the way, 100 gold coins = 1 silver coin. I don¡¯t think I remember even seeing a silver coin in the past one year. In the first ce, nobody needs that big of an amount to live on normally everyday. I think it¡¯s been a long time since I saw a gold coin as well. By the way, I¡¯m aware that there are quite a lot of gold coins stuffed inside her purse. I just ended up seeing it idently while we were shopping that¡¯s all. I didn¡¯t have any ill intentions at all. I think it can¡¯t be helped that I ended up seeing that but as expected of a noble. She¡¯s so careless and defenceless, I feel like she¡¯ll get robbed sooner orter. Also, it might be a bitte to say this but, I think it would have been much better if I had gotten this before we started shopping. I would have been able to make a bit more better preparations for the journey. Well, we¡¯ll still need to live on dried meat though. I really want to somehow change that fact. I have been thinking about it all the time aftering to this world but someone like me who can¡¯t even cook can¡¯t really do anything about it. [Haah.] I wonder if that sigh was towards the defenceless Francesca or towards the unworthy actions of the hero that was looking inside other people¡¯s purses. Or maybe it¡¯s uselessly thinking about something stupid. ¡­¡­..in any case, it must be something rted to me. ¡°From tomorrow we¡¯re going on a walking journey. Let¡¯s take a proper rest today.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes. Please take care of me from here onwards, Renji-san.¡±(fran) As she asked with such a wide smile, even I started feeling happy about this. This must also be some kind of talent. [You¡¯re making an undisciplined face again, how deplorable.] ¡°All men are like that.¡±(renji) We¡¯re weak towards smiles made by beauties. It really can¡¯t be helped. ¡°What are you going to do about lodging?¡±(renji) ¡°I have rented a room at this inn as well.¡±(fran) As she said that, I looked towards thendy as she gave a smile. Well, she¡¯s also running the inn here as well. It must be pretty convenient. ¡°¡­¡­.I¡¯m not really a morning person you see¡­..¡±(fran) Thought so. It really is convenient. It seems this is gonna be a fun journey. [Your face, face.] Oh shaddup. Chapter 5 Hero鈥檚 Journey Chapter 5 Hero¡¯s Journey Yamada Renji is a God-yer. But, he thinks he is not a hero. Only he thinks that though. Receiving the blessings of the goddess, and getting the god-ying cheat power, he is one of the 13 people who saved the world. They refer to their powers as a ¡®cheat¡¯ but for the people of this world, it is the power of the gift granted to them by the goddess. The brave boy received the power to [remain undefeated]. As long as he himself did not ept his own loss, he would attain the power to overturn any situation. Whether it be a game, quarrel, war, or a battle to the death. Even if the opponent was someone many levels above him, as long as his will didn¡¯t ept defeat, the world itself would support him. This super ability was that boy¡¯s cheat. The girl known as the Grand Magus received [God-like magical power]. That magical energy could bring down lightning, overturn the earth and crush everything in her surroundings. A power that could make a natural disaster into a reality through imagination; her power could send countless monsters to oblivion. Even if the opponent was a dragon or a giant, her magic could destroy them as well. Truly, her magic was God-like. Another girl wished for a power to make contracts with the monsters. There was a limit that only 3 monsters would follow hermands but controlling a flying dragon, an immortal knight and a prank loving fairy, her presence was befitting of that of a god-ying hero. Another girl was a [Saint] that could heal any and all injuries. One was a chunnibyo wannabe magician that possessed the Evil Eye in his left eye that could see future. One was the world¡¯s greatest cook. Etc. They truly were very uniquerades. The journey was painful and difficult. But, it was still fun as well. There were a lot of heart breaking memories but not all the memories were like that. The hero Yamada Renji had also wished for a cheat. To defeat the Demon God, to return back to their world, to live. And what he had received was the talking medal that was a God-ying weapon and a slightly enhanced physical ability. Why was it a talking medal? Why had the goddess granted a will to a weapon? The goddess [Astraera]. A weapon did not require a will of its own. Isn¡¯t that something obvious? If a weapon had a will¡ª¨Cit¡¯s obvious that you¡¯ll get attached to it. Taking,ughing together, struggling together, supporting each other, sharing our pains and joys, travelling together and saving each other. That¡¯s why, the hero Yamada Renji thought of finding a different lifestyle for his partner Ermenhilde other than that of living as a weapon. He ended up thinking about such things. The ¡®weapon¡¯ Ermenhilde changed to his ¡®partner¡¯ Ermenhilde. But still, the Godying weapon tried to remain as the ¡®weapon¡¯ Ermenhhilde. Just how much was it distressed by that, Yamada Renji didn¡¯t know. He didn¡¯t know how much this choice had hurt the ¡®weapon¡¯ Ermenhilde and had cornered it. And he didn¡¯t realize how much was it all ording to that ill-natured woman, goddess Astraera¡¯s ns. But the end conclusion was even beyond the goddess¡¯ expectations. The ¡®weapon¡¯ Ermenhilde chose him, the hero, and went on a journey. . . . As I opened my eyes, it was already morning. [¡­¡­.This is rare. You woke up without my help for once.] ¡°You¡¯re supposed to greet first. Good Morning Ermenhilde.¡± *yawn* As I yawned, a sigh came from beside me. [Those words, I return back to you.] ¡°Well, that¡¯s true as well.¡± Kakaka, itughed. [T/N: Shinobu from monogatari seriesughs like this as well if you¡¯re wondering.] I¡¯m not really the type to greet someone properly either after all. Especially when I wake up after drinking a lot thest night. ¡°I saw a nostalgic dream.¡± [Did you dream of the other world again?] As I told about my dream while I changed my clothes, Ermenhilde asked thus. Aftering to this world, we used to dream about our original world a lot. We had been enjoying this new world, but somewhere deep inside, everyone missed their own world. In the first ce, you don¡¯t get to experience something like being summoned to a different world a lot of times after all. Even after receiving my partner Ermenhilde, I dreamt a lot about my original world. Though, it was just a mere dream. After waking up, I¡¯ll be back to this different world. After about half a year had passed, I stopped dreaming about that world as well. The younger ones in our group saw them for almost a year though. Sometimes they even cried in their sleep. I was an adult. I couldn¡¯t cry when young ones were crying in front of me after all. Anyway, leaving that aside. ¡°It was bit more nostalgic than that.¡± Somehow, I was unable to tell Ermenhilde that I had dreamt about it. The Goddess [Astraera]. She¡¯s the existence that gave us our cheat powers and the goddess that is worshipped by the humans. The beastmen worshipped a god known as the Spirit God and the demons worshipped the Demon God. She was one of the three pirs that is said to have created the world. I have met her but I don¡¯t know how she looks like actually. For some reason, my memories of that part seem to be hazy. I can¡¯t remember it back. But I expect that she was extremely beautiful considering that she was a goddess. I really want to talk with her once. [So?] ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± [¡­..I see.] While hearing Ermenhilde¡¯s usual fed up voice, I washed my face and shaved my beard. Some parts are not shaved properly. Yup, once again I¡¯m perfectly looking like a Viger C. ¡°Perfect.¡± [You still haven¡¯t shaved properly.] ¡°Isn¡¯t that just fine?¡± While talking about such stupid things, I put Ermenhilde back inside my pocket. I put on the worn out overcoat, fixed my knife on my belt and carried the luggage. ¡­¡­I fell like I look more like a merchant than an adventurer but, well whatever. Next time, maybe I should buy some cheap armour as well. It¡¯s more adventurer-like. It might be a bit too dangerous to face off against an Orc in just a tunic after all. Well it¡¯ll be fine as long as I don¡¯t get hit. . . . After meeting up with Miss Francesca, we left the vige after finishing our breakfast. By the time I finished my partings with the Landy and the guys from the guild, the sun had already reached high in the sky. I¡¯m feeling slightly excited as well. As expected, an adventure feels great no matter how old you are. Even if it was in a different world with who knows what unknown dangers. No, maybe that¡¯s why I¡¯m a bit more excited than normal. The distance wasn¡¯t veryrge but it wasn¡¯t exactly small either. It¡¯ll take about a day to go to the neighbouring vige but since I had a newbie with us as well, it might take slightly longer. Even then we still have quite a lot of surplus time though. ¡°Should I carry some luggage for you?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll be fine.¡± I had a bit more luggage than Miss Francesca. As expected, the tent made the luggage bulkier. If I were to leave that, my luggage was definitely less than hers. It seems that fact that women paid special mind to what and how much they needed to wear was the same even in this world. Men are usually fine as long as they have clothes for just a few days. ¡°Haaa¡­¡­this¡¯ll be the first time I¡¯ll be travelling on foot.¡± It seems she was also slightly excited considering how her voice sounded to me. As I smiled wryly towards her, she hung her head embarrassed. ¡°Well, it¡¯ll be a good experience for you.¡±(renji) To connect viges to each other, a highway made of white stones had been made. It was an absolutely normal white stone, but for some reason it emphasized that this was ¡®the path for humans¡¯ and thus monsters tended not to attack here. It was not a certain fact but it was much safer than not walking on the highway. To monsters, humans were simply prey but for humans, monsters were meant to be immediately subjugated. It¡¯ll be a battle to death every time these two existences would meet each other. If they don¡¯t want to risk their lives, the monsters will note near the ¡®path for humans¡¯. As long as they aren¡¯t cornered too far though. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll be safe more or less as long as we are on the highway so let¡¯s take it easy.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes.¡±(fran) We walked down the highway together. Since I was the taller one, her hair gently danced near my face asionally. I smelled something really nice. There¡¯s no way the bath in a rural vige would have something like a shampoo or soap, so this must be the sweet smell unique to only women. As my thoughts started to tilt towards the slightly perverted side, [¡­.Tch.] It was not a voice of warning or objection but the sound of clicking tongue. I took one step away from Miss Francesca silently. It was not like I would really do something but somehow I started feeling guilty. So I shifted my consciousness from the beauty Miss Francesca towards the highway. Not a single stone was too round or sharp. Though not exactly perfect, the highway had been built very neatly and uniformly. Even carriages and horses could easily travel on this. Thus, transportation was much smoother and transactions between viges would be better. It was easy to walk for long times on this as well. After walking for some while, I realized that miss Francesca was starting to fall back a little. As I looked back, her breathing had already be disordered. She was also sweating as her long pretty hair was sticking to her forehead. As I looked above, the sun was shining brightly overhead. This world also has proper 4 seasons. 1 year was of 360 days. There were 9 months, every month consisting of 40 days. It was slightly different from our original world but the difference wasn¡¯t that big. They were called simply like the [1st month], [3rd month] etc and were very easy to remember as well. Currently, it was the [6th month]. In terms of Japan, it would be the time where summer had ended and autumn had begun. The nights were slightly cold but during the day, it was still hot. It was such a season. While thinking of such things, I waited for Francesca to catch up to me. [This is gonna be hard going.] ¡°We were the same when we came to this world as well, I think.¡± [That¡¯s also true I guess.] I brought Ermenhilde out who was snickering inside my pocket. I flicked it with my thumb. The god ying weapon medal rotated in mid air as it shined from the sunlight. While wasting time like that, I waited for the newbie adventurer Miss Francesca. I really like carefree journeys like this. It makes me realize that I¡¯m still in a different world. When I¡¯m enjoying the journey I really think about it from my heart. . . . The campfire made snapping sounds as it flickered. After walking this whole day, I understood one thing. ¡°uu¡­¡­¡± Miss Francesca¡¯s stamina was worse than I thought. She was currently massaging her legs after rolling up her trousers that she had bought for travelling use. She had also removed her breastte as well. Thus, her figure as she leaned forward to massage her legs was a pretty tempting sight for any man. Every time she massaged her legs, they would move and sway and then sway again. Honestly, its not something she should do with a man in front of her. Though, it is a great perquisite for me. Other than her bountiful chest, her slender yet fleshy legs were also very favourable to watch. [Oi, hentai.] Those words are definitely not something you should say to your partner you know. As my face cramped due to the violence hidden in those words, I shifted my gaze from her legs towards the forest. ¡°We will arrive to the next vige by tomorrow.¡± While adding some dried branches to the fire, I spoke. The original n was to reach there by tomorrow early morning but considering our pace today, it¡¯ll be around afternoon by the time we reach there. But it¡¯s not like we¡¯re really in a hurry either so I guess it won¡¯t hurt to take this leisurely. I can say it from my experience that nothing goodes out of making too much haste. ¡°Sorry. I was being too slow¡­.¡±(fran) ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Everyone¡¯s like that at first.¡± Even we had almost felt like dying just from muscr pain and fatigue. It¡¯s somethingmon with every new adventurer. I¡¯m really envious of those heroes whose HP won¡¯t fall no matter how much they walked. Not to mention they get fully restored just by staying a night at an inn. ¡°Even Renji-san was like this?¡±(fran) ¡°I was about to die from getting cramps and muscr pains.¡± On Miss Francesca¡¯s question, I said the same thing I was thinking just now instantly. It¡¯s actually really dangerous to get muscr pains during a journey. If one were to get attacked by monsters, he wouldn¡¯t be able to fight at his max strength. To struggle for your life as you fight, I don¡¯t even want to think about it. Muscr pains are really dangerous. Your feet would get cramped if you try too hard as well. ¡°Is this your first time sleeping outside¡­¡­.I guess not.¡± She did say she had been travelling on a carriage. There would be times when you have to rest in the middle of the road even when travelling with carriages. In such cases, one would either sleep inside the carriage itself, or put up some tents separately. Considering her, I think she must have slept inside the carriage. While thinking such things, I stood up. ¡°We¡¯ll be walking tomorrow as well so do your best to relieve your fatigue.¡± Basically, continue with your massage. Well, I should at least set up the tent and stuff in the time being. I wouldn¡¯t mind massaging her either but, in that case, I¡¯m perfectly aware of what would happen to my partner Ermenhilde¡¯s affection points. In the first ce, I am suspicious whether any affection points actually exist though. [I think we were supposed to train her in fighting monsters as well though?] ¡°If we were lucky to actually meet some, then yes.¡± Bringing out the tent from inside the luggage, I started the preparations. Since I¡¯ll be keeping watch during the night, it was a small tent for one person use. Well, just having a roof above you when sleeping outside gives a great amount of peace. Though, I have already be bold enough to not really care about such things anymore. In fact, when I had juste to this world, I wasn¡¯t able to sleep even with a tent though. I really was so sensitive and delicate back then. In many ways. Let¡¯s just say that I have matured up. Yup. Chapter 6 The God Slayer and Orc Chapter 6 The God yer and Orc By the time we reached the next vige, the sun had already begun to set. I think we took even more time than I had originally thought. By the original n, we were supposed to reach here by today morning but it¡¯s almost night already. Miss Francesca beside me looked towards me with an apologetic face. She isn¡¯t saying anything probably because she knows it was her fault that we¡¯rete. She might be ming herself more than normal actually. Even though we men would be unable to say anything if she just looked at me with sad upturned eyes. Well, I wasn¡¯t really going to scold her in the first ce. While thinking such things, I looked towards the vige. The poption is probably only 50 people. There are around 10 wooden houses that can be seen. Since the sun was setting, the men seemed to be returning back from the fields and were ncing towards us travellers. It sure looks like a calm and peaceful vige. It really has an atmosphere that calms you down. As we moved towards the inn, we asked for two rooms. The receptionist asked to confirm whether I really wanted 2 rooms but I decided to ignore that. ¡°Please prepare two rooms and meals for tonight and tomorrow morning as well.¡±(renji) Saying that, I ced one gold coin on the counter. He seemed surprised since a rural vige inn like this one might not see gold coins too often but he soon brought out the copper coin change. Normally I would negotiate here but since Miss Francesca is also here now, I¡¯m wondering what to do. Thinking for a moment, I lost the chance to negotiate in that moment. [That¡¯s because you try to act cool in front of women. If you are going to sigh in grief now, it would have been better to have just bargained as usual.] As you say. I gave a sigh and the innkeeper also gave a wry smile towards me. Well, considering that he opened an inn in such a remote vige, he¡¯ll try to earn as much as possible in such situations. I decided to give up and hope for good food. ¡®This is why you¡¯re always out of money.¡¯ I felt I heard a voice like that from somewhere. For the time being, let¡¯s just smack that medal inside my pocket a bit. ¡°We¡¯ll rest the whole day tomorrow so be sure to rest properly.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­is that fine?¡±(fran) Unlike before, she looked at me with upturned eyes and a happy expression and my cheeks loosened a bit. If I had a daughter, it¡¯ll probably be like this. [You sound like a deviant.] Did you not have anything better to say? I¡¯ll really get hurt you know? As my cheeks cramped, she looked towards me while raising her head confused. ¡°n, yeah, with those legs, your pace would fall after all.¡±(Renji) ¡°Sorry.¡±(fran) ¡°No need to apologise. In fact, I think it¡¯s amazing that you didn¡¯t say you want to return.¡±(renji) . . This inn had two floors. The first floor was the diner and the second floor had the private rooms. There were no things like keys and the rooms had an internal lock only so we needed to take care of our own valuables. Well magicians had it easy since they could conveniently imagine a key and a lock. ¡°Umm.¡±(fran) While I was thinking such things and was about to go and leave the luggage on the second floor, I was called for. ¡°Thank you very much.¡±(fran) ¡°Like I said, no need to worry. Journey¡¯s are meant to be enjoyed.¡±(renji) At least for me, journeys are such things. Without any objective, roaming around this world leisurely, it broadened my perspective. In that sense, I¡¯m lucky that I met this girl who gave me a temporary objective for a journey. Not to mention that I¡¯ll get a reward forpleting that objective as well. The request was the subjugation of an Orc. Considering our pace, there¡¯s still a long way to go. We have a lot of time, and there¡¯s no need to hurry either. I, for once, am really thinking of fully enjoy this journey. Bringing out the medal Ermenhilde from my pocket, I flicked it with my finger. With a dry sound, it twirled and rotated and I caught it with my right hand. ¡°I like going on journeys. That¡¯s why, I am in fact thankful towards Miss Francesca foring to me with this request.¡±(renji) [For someone who likes journeying, I feel that you werezing around in that vige for way too long though.] I really like journeying but I also like Sake andzing around as well. While giving such an excuse within my mind, I began climbing the stairs. We had slept outside for only one night but as expected, one doesn¡¯t recover as much while sleeping outside. After visiting the barter, I should quickly go to sleep I think. ¡°Well, Miss Francesca should go by her own pace. I¡¯ll match myself ording to that.¡±(renji) ¡°..¡­.Yes.¡±(fran) Maybe she was thinking of something, her response was a littlete. But, if she had something to say she¡¯d probably do so. Thinking that, I headed towards the room. She doesn¡¯tin, doesn¡¯t act on her own, and listens to what I say. Frankly, there¡¯s nothing more I need in apanion. After gaining some experience in killing monsters, she should be able to be a good adventurer. Since she¡¯s a student of the Magic Academy, she¡¯d probably be a schr or something like that in the future though. But that¡¯s not something I need to care about. To help her achieve the objective of sessfully killing a monster. That¡¯s my objective. . . . The vige¡¯s bar was one size smaller than the bar in the previous vige. Well, this vige barely has any travellers. I should be d that they have a bar at all. While thinking such things, I sat by the counter. There were a few men inside the bar. The gazes of the bartender and the men turned towards me. Outsiders must be really rare here. While ignoring the gazes, I put three copper coins on the counter. Normally, I should have first gone to the guild to confirm the request but since we¡¯re resting tomorrow, might as well leave that for tomorrow as well. [That doesn¡¯t mean that the first ce you have toe is the bar you know?¡­¡­] I ended up giving a wry smile on the voice of my partner Ermenhilde. It¡¯s the same as always, it can¡¯t be helped. Just give up. ¡°Give me something light.¡±(renji) Without looking at the menu, I randomly ordered. Normally I can drink all, whether it be wine, ale or whisky so I¡¯m good with almost everything. ¡­¡­..though I be unable to even move the next day if I drink a too strong one in high quantity. Well, alcohol worth 3 copper coins won¡¯t be enough to get me that drunk I think. Sometimes, the bartender would bring out a strong one intentionally to harass me but, that also feels nice in its own way. It¡¯s what you could call the true pleasures of journeying. ¡°Are you a traveller?¡± The bartender, who brought out my alcohol in a wooden cup, asked me so. As a snack, he also brought out some fresh vegetables and some kind of grilled meat together with the drinks. Probably its orc meat or some other one from the fields. Orc meat can be obtained cheaply in the market. It is high in nutritional value so unlike goblin meat, orc meat can be turned into money. The elementary and intermediate level adventurers hunt them in groups so there¡¯s nock of such meat in the market. With just some slight seasoning, it¡¯s delicious to be eaten after grilled. Some people tend to not eat it saying that its monster meat but I don¡¯t really mind that. I did mind it long back ago though. ¡­¡­..Humans will always grow. If one were to be so picky in such things, he won¡¯t be able to go on journeys. While thinking about Orc meat, I took the te which had the sd and the meat. I did have dinner with Miss Francesca but alcohol needs snacks to go along with it. Yup. (T/N: True Dat XD) Miss Francesca was now already asleep back at the inn, probably because she was too tired. Tomorrow she¡¯ll be having muscr pains, definitely. It should heal by the day after tomorrow. ¡°Yeah, we came today. We¡¯ll leave by the day after tomorrow.¡±(renji) Answering that to the bartender, I took the cup. By the smell, I think its Apple Ale. It really has a nice smell. It seemsing to this vige was a good decision. As I took one sip, the perfect level of bitterness and a refreshing smell spread inside my mouth. ¡°Are you specialised in killing monsters?¡±(bartender) ¡°Does it look that way?¡±(Renji) I answered his question with another question. The bartender¡¯s expression became sharp for a second as if assessing me, then quickly turned to a gentle smile. ¡°Not at all.¡±(bartender) ¡°You have good eyes.¡±(renji) I shrugged my shoulders. It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t fight even weak monsters but I can brag that I¡¯m good at staying out of too much trouble at least. Well, I doubt there¡¯d be any problematic monsters near such a rural vige anyway. [No no, you¡¯re supposed to deny his assessment there¡­¡­.] I refuse. Don¡¯t want any unnecessary trouble. I don¡¯t want to deal with any danger either. Well, even though I say that, I am still going to subjugate an Orc. Even I think that I¡¯m being painfully contradictory. While listening to Ermenhilde¡¯s sad voice, I took another sip of the apple ale. ¡°Did something happen?¡±(renji) ¡°Nowadays, Orcs seem to be gathering inside the nearby forest it seems.¡±(bartender) ¡°¡­¡­¡­.fuun.¡± It seems, our journey might end sooner than I expected. Thinking that, I drained my apple ale. ¡°Tell me more, in detail.¡±(renji) Saying that, I gave him the cup. ¡°Recently, Orcs seem to have settled down in the forest. And have been damaging the fields as well.¡± ¡°Well, does sound like what an Orc would do.¡± As he refilled my Ale, I answered to the bartender¡¯s words. An Orcs eating habits are famous and the first thing thates under damage is the fields of a vige. If the Orcs were met with resistance there, they¡¯d go back to their dwellings and live inside the forests only but I doubt such a vige would have any warrior that could face an Orc in battle. And it doesn¡¯t look like many Adventurers stop by here. Probably only some travellers and peddlers would asionally make a stop here. Even if they send a damage report to the capital, god knows how long it¡¯ll take for a knight squad to arrive here. Although helping and aiding even such rural viges was also a part of the job of the knight squads but it usually takes months before they¡¯d be able to move out here. The number of knights isn¡¯t very big either and not to mention there is ack of funds. To do anything, it costs money. It¡¯s one thing that was same in our previous world as well. Though there are knights who move even without money but they usually end up hated by their superiors even if they get the love of the citizens. Basically, there¡¯s still a long time before knights begin to move. [Our luck is being surprisingly good for some reason.] ¡°It¡¯s because we act as good people every day.¡±(renji) Taking the cup from him, I gulped down half at once. ¡°How much can you pay?¡±(renji) ¡°You don¡¯t really seem very strong to take a job like this. By looks at least.¡±(bartender) Oh shaddup. [That¡¯s why I said to shave properly.] Is it just me or are yourints really getting more and more like as if you¡¯re my mother? I really want to think that I¡¯m just imagining this. ¡°I have a magicianrade.¡±(renji) ¡°That young girl is a magician?¡± The bartender¡¯s face became a bit surprised. As expected of a small vige, the info about us soon travels fast to everyone. It seems they already know that I and Miss Francesca are working in a party. Well, it¡¯s not really surprising though. Vigers in a rural vige are all friendly with each other. Info like this gets spread around really fast. ¡°She¡¯s a student at the Magic Academy. She¡¯s apparently top of her ss.¡±(renji) ¡°Hou, that¡¯s pretty amazing.¡± It seems they he knew about the magic academy so he seems to realize that the top of the ss is a trustable title. Of course, it¡¯s aplete lie though. I think it¡¯s fine to lie that much. Probably. It might even turn out to be true. [You really get carried away with the flow and lie very normally sometimes, you know¡­..] ¡°So, how about it? Did that increase your trust in us?¡±(renji) Ignoring those words, I talked with the bartender. I told myself inside my heart that it was a necessary lie to gain more info. Adults really are too dirty. ¡°I guess so. It¡¯s not like we¡¯d lose anything either so I might as well make a request.¡±(bartender) ¡°That really is cruel way of putting it.¡±(renji) As Iughed, another Apple ale was prepared for me. Since he gave it to me even though I didn¡¯t ask for it, it seems it¡¯s his treat to me. ¡°There seem to be three Orcs inside the forest.¡±(bartender) ¡°3 eh?¡±(renji) That¡¯s quite a lot, I thought so inside my mind. Well, since they are very slow, there are many ways to deal with them. We can separate them, or burn them with Miss Francesca¡¯s magic from long range as well. Even if we mess up, we could quickly run away and try againter as well. I thought up various ns inside my head. ¡°Also, one of them is excessively strong. The young ones of the vige were unable to even touch it.¡±(bartender) ¡°Strong?¡±(renji) ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a ck Orc apparently.¡± ck? I thought of the High Orcs but they aren¡¯t the type that appear in a ce like this. They usually live only on the continent of demons. They don¡¯t live on the Imnesia continent. In the first ce, a monster like that would have obliterated a vige like this in the very first attack. But then, what else could it be? A ck Orc. Is it a new mutated species? Or is it simply a normal Orc that just happened to be ck in colour? ¡°Did you think of something?¡±(bartender) ¡°Now then, for the time being, I¡¯m considering whether to take up the request or not.¡±(renji) If it¡¯s a simple Orc then there¡¯s no problem. Even with three of them, worst case scenario, we¡¯ll simply have to run away. I am perfectly aware of its slow speed. But, that ck Orc. It¡¯s bothering me a bit. ¡°For the time being, we¡¯ll go and check up on the forest the day after tomorrow. We¡¯ll decide after that whether to ept the request or not.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes, that would be fine.¡± Although he talked but it didn¡¯t seem like he was expecting much of us. But that¡¯s pretty normal. After all we¡¯re just adventurers passing through. It¡¯d be weird if they were expecting too much of us. And not to mention, that I look no better than a normal viger. He wouldn¡¯t think that I could take on a strong Orc. I¡¯m just a humble God ying traveller from a different world after all. [Here you¡¯re supposed to use me, the god ying weapon, upfront and deal with it¡ª] ¡°Well, I¡¯ll work just hard enough to not die.¡±(renji) In the first ce, it bothers me that the vige is still safe even though such a strong Orc is living nearby. If it really was that strong, rather than attack just the fields, it could have simply attacked the vige directly and taken whatever it wanted. Although I want to avoid fighting an unknown enemy, since our objective is also to defeat Orcs, I¡¯ll have to look for them. Since those Orcs are attacking the vige means that I can also expect a reward as well. Combining it with the reward I¡¯ll get from Miss Francesca, I should be able to earn quite a sum this time. With that much, I won¡¯t have to be worried about my travel expenses for some time as well. After all¡¯s said and done, travelling around does require money as well. Since I had beenzing around for the whole past month, I¡¯m in need of money all the more. Also, if I don¡¯t get a bit serious now, I¡¯ll probably be scolded by my partner, Ermenhilde as well. [fumu¡ª-it seems like I¡¯ll finally have an opponent worth fighting against.] The God ying weapon, Ermenhilde said that with a delighted voice. But, I¡¯ll be using only the iron knife though. ¡­¡­¡­..It really sounds too impossible, I really think so. Well, I could even try and put some traps in the forest. For that, I¡¯ll have to decide while scouting the forest. ¡°We¡¯ll run away if we feel like we can¡¯t win so don¡¯t resent us for that, alright?¡±(renji) ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The reward will be given only if you seed after all.¡±(bartender) ¡°Well that¡¯s good to hear.¡±(renji) That means, we¡¯ll have to kill those Orcs if we want any kind of reward. And if we are unable to, we get absolutely nothing. Since it was pretty understandable, Iughed a bit. ¡°Then, one more drink to at least congratte us in advance.¡±(renji) As I said that, the bartender gave a wry smile as he filled my cup again. He¡¯s a good guy, I think. [You are, as usual¡­¡­.I don¡¯t care even if you bete tomorrow, alright?] ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s a rest day, I can drink as much as I want.¡±(renji) As I said that, my wodden cup was filled once again. As I looked at that, my cheeks ckened. This really is one of the many pleasures of travelling around, I think. I can get to taste the delicious things of different viges. While eating the Orc meat and sd, I drank the Ale. Such luxury. [¡­¡­.haa, how deplorable. You should moderate your eating habits really¡ª-] While hearing the usual catch phrase of my partner Ermenhilde, I drank my alcohol. The journey with Miss Francesca might end pretty quickly. I¡¯ll feel a bit lonely then. I¡¯ll have to separate from that healing chest of hers as well. While thinking of things that would get me yelled at by Ermenhilde, I stayedte in the night. Chapter Interlude 1 Interlude ¨C The Girl¡¯s Day (1) Francesca Barton is a noble. She had two elder sisters and since she could use magic, she was admitted in the Magic Academy. Apparently, her family wanted her to live a safe life. Like a Schr or a Merchant. And certainly, Francesca did have talent in those fields. But, she liked magic. The moment when imagination is turned into reality. The radiance of magical energy. The exalting sensation she felt when she used magic. Francesca Barton was a magician that loved using magic. She was the third daughter of a noble family. She could never be the sessor of her family. Her parents had raised her with love and care but sooner orter she would be betrothed to some other noble. Then at least before that, let¡¯s try to enjoy life as much as possible. This was the reason why she left her house. Her parents who had raised her like a princess¡ª¨Cespecially her father was extremely worried due to that though. Or rather, he was clearly opposed to this. But still she did it. Francesca Barton was the type that took action always. Albana Magic Academy. Though there are many magic academies in the Magic City, this one was the most excellent and superior among all. Only nobles with a high court rank or those chosen for their incredible talent could only attend this academy. And Francesca who was attending this ce was also a high ranked noble. Her talent in magic was meagre. She could definitely be not called as talented. The assessment from the teacher was ¡®just average¡¯. Her theoretical/ssroom knowledge was slightly above average and practical skill was below average. Although she was a hard worker, it is not worthy of any special mention. This was the assessment made by the Francesca¡¯s teacher. From the point of view of the students, it was slightly different. A serious honour student. She sucks a little in practicals but the effort she put in the ss definitely gave a good impression. And above all, her looks. With her prided honey coloured hair made a perfect match with her smile that gave an impression as if a flower had bloomed. Her personality was bright and cheerful and wasn¡¯t really too shy. Her body that was much more developed than the other girls of her same age would pull the gazes of every boy. Her big jade green eyes, her plentiful chest that seemed to be in imbnce with her delicate body, her slender waist, and her round buttocks, made her a beauty even among the Magic academy that was usually filled with beautiful women. This also brought envy from her underssmen, and jealousy from her ssmates and upperssmen. But Francesca held the title of a noble. For the students, that was also a part that they were interested in. If they could get in her good books, their position would also rise. And if one was to stand alongside such a beautiful woman, even their status as a man would also rise. It was a very obvious way of thinking so it couldn¡¯t be helped that the boys of such an age would harbour such thoughts. Although not daily, she would get words mixed with confessions and ttery at a usual basis. She had even received countless love letters as well. Many became jealous of her due to that as well, but the person herself simply couldn¡¯t help it. Changing her hairstyle to one that wouldn¡¯t stand out, putting on minimal makeup, she tried all such things but it only had the opposite effect. She only wanted to live her school life peacefully but her surroundings didn¡¯t allow this to her. The girl who had a meagre talent in magic was, in fact, the centre of attention of the students. But that¡¯s only what happened till half a year ago. Three students transferred into the Albana Magic Academy. Normally, admission were taken only in the third month and transfers were not allowed. But even so, for the first time in the history of Albana Magic Academy, transfer students were epted. It was obvious that it would be a hot topic for discussion. And to top it off, the transfer students were God ying Heroes. Francesca was surprised. They were an existence only told in fairy tales, in heroic epics. The 13 heroes that defeated the Demon God that had been feared by the humans and the beastmen. And three of them had transferred into her school. It was obvious that she would be excited, that she would be interested in them. Everyone wanted toy their eyes on them. Of course, Francesca was also the same. The[Brave] Souichi Amagi. The [Saint] Yayoi Amagi. The [Grand Magus] Aya Fuyou. God yers that defeated the Demon God. The holders of the [Goddess¡¯ Gift] that were summoned from a different world. Even though they were of the same age, they were saviours of the world. There was no one who didn¡¯t know about them. And what each and every one of them was doing now had been made public. Except for one of the thirteen that had disappeared after defeating the Demon God. Renji Yamada. There was almost no info only regarding him. That was because he had wished so. There were rumours that he was still fighting against the army of demons. The rest of the 12 God yers always said that [It was only him that is loved the most by the Goddess Astrarea]. And of those 13, 3 of them hade to her Magic Academy. Their ss ended up being a different one but, she would end up ncing at them every time they crossed paths in the corridor. They had such a presence or charm. . . . (fran POV) Opening my eyes, and seeing the sunlight seeping through the gaps of the curtains, I woke up hurriedly and a sharp pain ran through my whole body. I writhed in agony on top of the bed. Thinking about what was happening in my chaotic head, I realized that this room was much more modest than my own room. And then I finally remembered that i was currently travelling. ¡°aaa¡­..¡± A voice that did not seem suitable for a young girl like me leaked from my mouth. As I endured the pain for some time, I finally became able to move. And finally, I slowly raised my body. Currently I was wearing a pajama that really doesn¡¯t suit an adventurer. ¡°¡­¡­it hurts.¡± It had hurt even when I had to sleep outside for the first time and had ended up pulling an all-nighter, but right now the pain is worse than that time. Since it¡¯s the first time I¡¯m having muscr pains like these, I don¡¯t know what I should really do about it. The man travelling with me did say to massage well but since I was too tired I had fallen asleep soon after taking a bath. I think, that¡¯s probably the main reason. I regretted as I hung my head, But, no matter how much I dwell on it now, my muscr pains won¡¯t go away. So resigning myself, I endured it and decided to change my clothes. Removing my silk pajamas, I put on thick adventurer like shirt and trousers. I had chosen clothes that wouldn¡¯t emphasize my body line too much but I guess the womanly curves would end up showing even then. I don¡¯t know whether I should be happy for that as a girl or should I feel bad as an adventurer. Thinking about such things, after changing I sat on my bed. I was told that today I should rest but I can¡¯t think of anything to do. Or rather, the pains make me don¡¯t want to move at all. Even while I sit like this, my joints are still aching with pain. ¡°I wonder how everyone is doing.¡± Saying that, I became a bit anxious. Did everyone at school, already finished their exams? Everyone was challenging the monster subjugation exams along with those god ying heroes. For the heroes who saved the world, it would be an easy task. But, for us who haven¡¯t travelled like this, it was extremely difficult. Actually, I had been really at a loss when I ended up having to travel alone. I had invited those who had been unable to make a party with the heroes but for some reason I never got an answer back from them. Maybe they had some pressure from home. Anyway, I ended up having to travel alone. If I had kept waiting, I would have run out of time. Where should I go? What should I do? Without knowing anything, and roaming around in a carriage, I had almost ended up dying in the vige I had ended up reaching. Even though I am a student of the Magic Academy, I don¡¯t have anybat experience. I had believed, without any reason, that it would be easy to fight monsters with magic. If people of the same age as me could be God yers, I could also at least fight. I¡¯m sure, everyone else is also thinking like that. It¡¯d be nice if everyone is fine. Thinking that, I slowly stood up. As expected, every part of my body still hurts. Enduring the pain, I exited through the door. ¡°I¡¯m feeling hungry¡­¡­¡± Judging by the height of the sun from the window, it should be around noon right now. This is the first time I had overslept like this. I could only smile wryly at that. As I came down to the first floor that had been made into a diner, I saw the man travelling with me taking his breakfast right now. Renji-san. An adventurer. The man who saved me when I was about to die. Defeating all those goblins instantly, he is an amazing man¡­¡­.I think. I¡¯m not sure. He¡¯s probably strong but, but I can¡¯t understand what kind of guy he is. He taught me various things as well. He¡¯s really reliable but he would sometimes look at me with the same perverted eyes as those guys of my own age. I guess being older in age doesn¡¯t mean much but for some reason I can¡¯t seem to hate him for it. He would soon avert his gaze and I can¡¯t sense any evil thoughts like normal men. It¡¯s, as if, he¡¯s just looking at me. Am I paying too much attention to it, I wonder? That¡¯s why, I can¡¯t understand him. I should probably be a bit more cautious but I simply can¡¯t think of him badly. Whether that¡¯s because he had saved me from those Goblins or was it Renji-san¡¯s natural virtue, I do not know. ¡°Good Morning, Renji-san.¡± ¡°It¡¯s already noon though.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­haha, mind if we share a table?¡± Speaking that, I sat on the chair. Renji-san was, as usual, ying around by flicking his medal with his fingers. A ping ping sound resounded in my ears. He was simply sitting on his chairzily and was flicking his medal but for some reason he still seemed good looking. It felt very adventurer-like. That¡¯s probably because that¡¯s how I envision adventurers inside my head. While thinking such rude things, I looked around. Is an inn in a rural vige really like this? The customers were only us and a few more men of the vige. ¡°Are you fine with your muscr pains?¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­.it really hurts.¡±(fran) ¡°haha, well, that¡¯s normal.¡±(renji) Maybe my voice seemed funny, heughed loudly. As heughed probably because I hadn¡¯t gotten used to travelling yet, I hung my head in shame and his gaze shifted towards my chest. I hurriedly tried to cover up but, he averted his gaze before that. Really, I can¡¯t understand him. I felt that he was a really weird person. ¡°What had Renji-san been doing until now?¡±(fran) ¡°I just woke up as well.¡±(renji) He stretched his body, saying that. I felt that I smelled alcohol somewhat. ¡°It¡¯s already noon though.¡±(fran) Was Renji-san also tired, I wonder? When we had slept outside, I had soon fallen asleep. It was obvious who had been on watch all night. He had also put up a tent for me and had also prepared the meals as well. And I could simply do my best just to not fall behind while carrying only my own luggage. Thinking like that, I ended up wondering just how much trouble I had already caused for this man. Though he had said that we should go at my pace yesterday. But that doesn¡¯t mean that I could be simply use those words as an excuse. At least, not till we defeat the Orc. ¡°I usually sleep till this time. I¡¯m weak during mornings.¡±(renji) ¡°Is that so?¡± I had many things I wanted to say but if Renji-san says that then so be it. I wasn¡¯t really convinced but leaving it at that, I decided to order my meal as well. Or rather, it¡¯s not like I had a huge appetite so I simply asked for a light soup that would be easy on the stomach. Renji-san also raised his hand and ordered the same soup as me along with a meat dish. Ahh he really is a man. Having meat just after waking up is impossible for me. ¡°Oh right, apparently some Orcs are living in the nearby forest.¡±(renji) ¡°Eh?¡± My head went nk due to the sudden words. Orc, the objective of our journey. Graduation exam¡ª-if I canplete this, I¡¯d be able to sessfully graduate from Albana Magic Academy. And my other objective as well¡­¡­.. ¡°It seems a bit troublesome so I¡¯ll go and scout tomorrow. Then we¡¯ll decide whether to take the request or not.¡±(renji) Just when I was thinking that we¡¯ll go to defeat it as soon as possible, I was told that first we¡¯ll need to do some recon. For me it was it was something we should have done urgently but Renji-san is the more experienced one here. And, his gazes aside, I think he is a reliable and a trustworthy man. ¡°Request?¡±(fran) ¡°Yesterday, the vigers had requested me for it. It¡¯s different that Miss Francesca¡¯s but it is an Orc subjugation request.¡±(renji) ¡°Is that so?¡± Yesterday, I frowned a little but apparently he had epted a request while I was sleeping. Even though I had copsed from travelling for just one day, he really has an amazing amount of stamina. Probably because they are used to travelling, all adventurers can move around like Renji-san I think. ¡°I understand. Will you take me as well?¡±(fran) When I said that, he showed a somewhat surprised expression. Did I say something really that weird? ¡°It¡¯s dangerous, you know?¡±(renji) ¡°Since my objective is to defeat an Orc, I have already resolved myself for this.¡±(fran) When I said that, he put his hand on his chin and began to think. His chin still had a stubble which really stood out. I think it looks really sloppy but it¡¯s very Renji-san-like. Probably because he has this nonchnt leisurely atmosphere around him, being sloppy really suits him for some reason. ¡­¡­.well, just because it suits him doesn¡¯t mean it looks very good though. ¡°I can¡¯t really rmend that.¡±(renji) ¡°¡ª¨Cis that so?¡±(fran) But, even though I had requested, he did not allow me to apany him. Feeling dejected, my voice sank. ¡°There are three confirmed Orcs. Since I haven¡¯t confirmed the situation well yet, I don¡¯t have the confidence to protect you as well.¡±(renji) Does that mean, once he¡¯s confirmed the situation, he can fight while protecting me at the same time? Monsters are a threatening existence. And the more the numbers they have the more advantageous the monsters will be. And he is saying that he can fight against three Orcs while protecting me at the same time. On being told that implicitly, I felt a bit pathetic. This man was, from the very start, intending to fight not alongside me, but while protecting me. ¡°Don¡¯t mind it too much. We¡¯ll be doing the subjugation together. It¡¯s your test after all.¡±(renji) Maybe because he was worried due to my expression, he said that with a bright cheerful voice. Somehow, he¡¯s been considerate towards me from the very start. Finding that embarrassing, I once again hung my head in shame. ¡°C¡¯mon look.¡±(renji) Saying that, he flicked the medal with *ping* sound. The medal that rotated in mid air had a jade gem in the centre and had intricate craftsmanship. It was surrounded by 7 gems of different colours which showed that it must be something of high value. And above all, it had a holy, sacred aura to it. ¡­¡­Though since Renji-san is always flicking it around, its value seems to be lesser than it looks. ¡°It¡¯s heads. It¡¯ll be fine, I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±(renji) Just as Renji-san said that, our order was brought to us. A fragrant smell reached my nose and the empty stomach made an excited noise. ¡°Well, it¡¯s rest day today. First focus on healing your muscr pains.¡± ¡°uu¡­¡­¡± Those words made me embarrassed again and I hung my head down with shame again. The meal brought to us was white bread, sd and a hot steaming vegetable-filled soup. It looks really delicious. ¡°Thanks for the food.¡± Saying that, Renji-san joined his hands once and began to eat. On Renji-san¡¯s tray, along with the same dish as mine, a grilled dish of Orc meat is also present. Thinking that, it looks tasty as well, my gaze moved towards his hands. ¡°That action/gesture was¡­¡­.¡±(fran) ¡°Nn? Oh, its something like a habit.¡±(renji) Before eating, there are words spoken to thank the goddess. Especially, sisters and priests of the church would often do so. When I also ate with my family, I also gave my thanks to the goddess before eating. That¡¯s why, I became curious. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± That ¡®habit¡¯, I felt I had seen somewhere before. But I can¡¯t remember where I saw that. Chapter 7 God Slayer and Orc (2) Chapter 7 God yer and Orc (2) I walked through the pathway that didn¡¯t have much grass even though it was not a pavement, probably because vigers use this path a lot. The sunlight was blocked by the dense and thick trees, and it was dim inside the forest. Walking through such a ce, being careful of not just monsters but normal beasts, snakes and insects as well, is much more tiresome for the mind than one would think. I have gotten quite used to it but it would be painful for a beginner adventurer like Miss Francesca. It was the right decision to have no brought her along with me. I felt a bit relieved now that I was sure that my decision was correct. [We havee quite a bit deep but we still haven¡¯t found them.] ¡°Yeah.¡± I wiped the sweat on my brow with my sleeve. My stamina is still fine but you get tired much more quickly when walking inside a forest. I really want to find those Orcs quickly. As I fixed my breathing after stopping for a while, I begin to walk once again. I had arrived at the ce told by the vigers but there were no Orcs there. Either they had switched their den or they had left the forest itself. Well, it¡¯s probably the former. If there¡¯s no enemy that could endanger their lives, that vige should be a great hunting ground for them. They¡¯ll be able to find prey very easily. I doubt they¡¯ll let go of such a hunting ground that easily. Also¡ª- ¡°A ck Orc. Got any ideas about it?¡± [Let¡¯s see. It should either be a High Orc or an Orc General. But I doubt either of those would live on the Imnesia continent.] In the first ce, if it was either of those two, it¡¯ll be beyond the scope of my skills. I might be able to take care of a High Orc somehow but I¡¯m still not very confident. An Orc General would be too much for me. Also, both of them were existences that lived on Abenelm¡­¡­.the continent of demons. It really must be a new variety¡ª¡ªprobably a mutation or a subspecies. It¡¯ll be troublesome if they start being born all over the ce. [The effect of defeating the Demon God might be affecting the world itself as well.] ¡°¡­¡­I see.¡± Probably it was thinking about something simr, Ermenhilde also spoke simr thoughts to mine. Defeating the Demon God. It was necessary in this world. If one was to believe the Goddess Astraera¡¯s words. The Demon God that was trying to destroy the world. Summoned from another world, to return back to our own world and to save this one, we fought. But, this world had been created by the Trinity including the Goddess, the Spirit God and the Demon God. The Goddess created the humans and light, the Spirit God created the earth and the beasts, and the Demon God created the demons and darkness. I don¡¯t know how much of that is true but it really was an interesting thing. If that was true then we had killed one of the pirs(god) that had created this world. In that case, rather than heroes we¡¯ll be criminals. It would be such a crime that it won¡¯t be weird if we were cursed till eternity for it. But, this world blessed us as the God ying Heroes. If this was a game, it would be over after defeating the demon god. A happy end. The hero will marry the princess and will live together happily ever after. That might have been for the best. But this is reality. Not a fairy tale like a game. The world will continue even after the Demon god was dead. People will have to continue living their lives. Just what kind of effect wille due to killing one of the Trinity, nobody knows. It could be that the Goddess or the Spirit God that made us do so know what will happen. ¡°I really want to finish this and return already.¡± [Again¡­¡­?] ¡°It¡¯s fine because you¡¯re just a medal. I am the one who¡¯s walking, sweating, and it¡¯s hot, my body feels heavy and sluggish.¡± [You reallyin a lot¡ª¨Ctry to act a bit more motivated.] For Ermenhilde, subjugating monsters could be said to be its only desire. Its voice seems to be 20% more energetic than usual. But for me, this is just a scouting run. Since I n to return after confirming the case of this ck Orc, I¡¯m feeling carefree. Basically, the same as usual. Well, if I really will find an Orc by being more motivated, I might as well try that. As expected, I will have to walk away from the normal tracks of the beasts here. I gave a sigh. Monsters, normally, don¡¯t step into human territory. Viges, Towns, highways created by humans etc. Because the monsters know that they¡¯ll be hunted if theye closer. But, once you step out of human territory, ande closer to monster dens, all monsters would instantly bare their fangs. Just like what happened with Miss Francesca. ¡°Now then, what should I do?¡± I brought out the medal from my pocket and flicked it. With a *piing* sound, Ermenhilde rotated in the air and I caught it with my right arm. On opening my palm it was, Tails. ¡°Which one should I walk on now?¡± [You hadn¡¯t even decided?¡­¡­] I smiled wryly towards Ermenhilde¡¯s fed up voice. I decide to step further deep in the forest where the trees were even thicker. With a rustling sound, I walked through the bushes and grass. [Renji, look near your feet.] Suddenly, Ermenhilde realized something on the ground. As usual, my partner really is sensitive towards things fallen on the ground. I picked up the metal object near my feet. It wasn¡¯t money. I felt a bit disappointed. The fallen object was the sp of a belt. It¡¯s a bit of an unusual thing to have found inside the forest. Probably an Orc must have attacked a human. While thinking of that, I bent my waist. I put my nose near to the leaves where I found the metal piece. ¡°It smells.¡± [The smell of an Orc?] ¡°Yeah. They do have a very peculiar body smell.¡± Seriously, I feel deplorable that I have gotten used to this of all the things. I smiled wryly as I spoke Ermenhilde¡¯s catch phrase. But if I had not gotten used to such things, I would not have been able to go on journeys in the first ce. I would not have be an adventurer. Behaviour of goblins, hunting methods of Kobolds, smell of the Orcs. There are many other such things as well which are considered as important knowledge to fight against monsters. It¡¯s a skill which would be useless in the modern world, but I obtained it here in this world. I don¡¯t really consider it bad either. It¡¯s fun to travel along with my partner Ermenhilde. Though I really want to stop chasing after monsters like this. I only want to enjoy the scenery, leisurely, while collecting herbs. I long for such a life style. But even so, right now I¡¯m pursuing an Orc. I guess that¡¯s how life is. [Concentrate.] ¡°I know.¡± I focused my mind with Ermenhilde¡¯s words. I hate fighting but, seriously, I won¡¯t be negligent here. In front of the power of monsters, the life of a human is nothing but a fickle thing that could easily disappear. ¡°Found it.¡± As I moved a bit more forward, in my line of sight¡­¡­.was a clearing, even though we¡¯re this deep in the forest. It¡¯s the dwelling ce of the Orcs that they have made by toppling and mowing down the trees. There, I could clearly see 11 Orcs. ¡­¡­.There¡¯s too many of them. I had only heard about 3 of them. I cursed inside my mind but that won¡¯t change the reality. Their skin colour was the same as normal pigs. But, they walk on two legs and were wearing a trouser-like waist cloth as well. Their hands held various weapons. Their faces were the same as the pigs in our world and their cries were also the same oinking sound. It¡¯s weird how they canmunicate like that. Well, for monsters, thenguage of humans would feel the same I guess. In the hands of those Orcs, there were weapons stolen from humans as well as wooden poles that looked like logs. Swords, hammers, some even had bows. Their equipment was varied but their bodies were more or less the same. With a height of 2m, their body was bby like an obese. Their arms were as big as human child¡¯s but the fact that they could hold a 2-handed sword easily with a single hand proved that underneath that soft-bby skin, they clearly had trained muscles. That body really is troublesome. Although the skin seems soft, but underneath, the muscles are sturdy. Since they do have a huge amount of fat, their legs have a lot of burden on it. But, that fat is able to block des from even reaching till the muscles. The best way to hunt an Orc is to destroy their legs and take away their mobility. Also, they can be taken down by spears or bows. Their excessive fat is also the reason why they¡¯re so slow after all. Even though their upper body grows so much, the lower body remains under grown in fact. An Orc is such an unbnced species. [There are quite a lot of them.] ¡°Way too many.¡± Or rather, how did they swarm so much. Monsters do that but I haven¡¯t seen Orcs swarm like this many times before. While thinking that, I moved my gaze away from the group of Orcs. I¡¯m looking for that ck Orc. 11 Orcs in itself was a big threat but I want to confirm that ck Orc as well. It might be the reason why so many Orcs have gathered here. ¡ª-there it is. I whispered. The ck Orc. It¡¯s look was basically a normal Orc with ck skin. But there was clearly a difference. The 11 Orcs are working but that ck Orc is doing nothing. It¡¯s not a high orc but it¡¯s something with a very simr presence. That was my first impression. ¡°Do you know what that is?¡± [I¡¯m seeing that for the first time. Didn¡¯t see one even during the time we were going to defeat the Demon God.] ¡°Thought so.¡± I thought maybe only I had forgotten but it seems Ermenhilde had the same opinion. Never seen before. That was our answer. I really didn¡¯t think I¡¯d find a new species of monster in such a remote rural vige. You really can¡¯t tell what life has in store for you. I really want to live life in peace though. [Should we kill it now?] ¡°¡­¡­let me think.¡± What should I do? I asked myself. It would be easy to take it down right now but after killing that ck Orc, what will happen with those 11 Orcs? That ck orc is clearly themander type. It¡¯s the existence that is holding them in such a group. Then, what would happen if I destroyed their head? Humans would panic and retreat. A group is weak when their leader is gone. There is a chance that they might attack as well, but there are few humans who do that. But, what of monsters? They¡¯d either run away inside the forest or go on a rampage and attack the vige to take revenge for theirmander. I would be happy if it¡¯s the former but that sounds really difficult. ¡°What do I do, really?¡± This way, the situation of that vige is hopeless. If this group of Orc were to attack the vige, they would only be annihted. 11 orcs are equal to a trained army toon in terms of strength. In this world, a toon is made of three groups of 11-12 soldiers totalling in a formation of around 35 men in a single toon. To kill a single Orc, it¡¯ll take at least 3-4 normal soldiers. A single Orc isn¡¯t a threat but a swarm of monsters is extremely troublesome. Although it¡¯ll be different if there¡¯s a magician in the ranks but for a normal troop with no magicians, their war potential is as said before. Skilled adventurers might be able to fight better but even then, they would still take a single orc with 2 men. ¡°Let¡¯s retreat for now.¡± [¡­¡­mu.] Ermenhilde gave a displeased voice. It probably wanted to wage a battle here and kill that ck Orc. I was thinking the same, but the risk is too high. And not to mention, in my current condition, I can¡¯t disy the cheat power of a god yer. As expected, it¡¯ll be a bit too difficult to kill that Orc with a single knife. Thinking that, I retreated while crouching. Then¡ª¡ª¨C ¡°¡ª¡ª¨C¡° ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± My gaze connected with the ck Orc¡¯s. There¡¯s quite a lot of distance, it might be my imagination. I quickly rejected that thinking. That Orc has definitely be aware of me. And it ignored me. In those eyes, I clearly sensed intelligence. It overlooked me as it did not consider me threat probably. ¡°This is bad, Ermenhilde.¡± [What is?] ¡°That guy is extremely intelligent.¡± Our eyes had met, only that. But, it did not rush at me, nor did it be cautious. It ignored me. There¡¯s no way it¡¯d didn¡¯t realize my presence. I think. No I¡¯m sure. Just by meeting eyes with it, I¡¯ve understood more about that Orc. That¡¯s why, I realized that it is trouble. It is a danger. The fact that it ignored me means that it considers me as not a threat. It¡¯ll be bad to leave that ck Orc alone. That¡¯s my intuition, after spending 2 years while defeating the Demon God. Those intelligent are definitely extremely dangerous monsters. Using traps would bemon, taking hostages, using the enemy¡¯s weaknesses. They are existences that would do anything to win. Honestly speaking, they are harder to defeat than stronger ones whoe and fight head on. ¡°Let¡¯s return to the vige and have a strategy meeting.¡± [Though whether that girl would be of any help in the first ce is pretty doubtful.] ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Though I want to ask for help from the men in the vige as well but I guess Orc would be too much for them as opponents. Monsters are a threat to even trained soldiers after all. It might be too much for the vigers. The only one that can be of any help is Miss Francesca who can use magic. And even that magician is an amateur with no experience. I could only sigh. ¡°I hate trouble. That¡¯s why I wanted to avoid fighting monsters as well.¡± [Then don¡¯t be charmed by women¡­¡­¡­.haah.] Can¡¯t help that. That chest along with those upturned eyes are not fair at all. Or rather, I wouldn¡¯t mind if it was just normal orcs. If they were normal that is. I looked back, but the ck Orc doesn¡¯t seem to be chasing me. If it¡¯s going to ignore me, then I can only fell thankful. When our eyes had met, my stomach had turned cold thinking that I¡¯ll have to fight it along with the 11 Orcs. If it¡¯s going to let me go, then I will run. Wondering about the humiliation of being let go by those pig-like Orcs? It¡¯s much better than dying. There are fight where you simply cannot retreat no matter what but this isn¡¯t one. Even Ermenhilde understands that¡¯s why it didn¡¯t say anything when I chose to fight when I¡¯ll have better chances of winning. It isn¡¯t saying anything but, it does seem to be angry. It really has too much pride. I caressed the medal inside my pocket with my finger. [We, who defeated the Demon God, to turn our backs against mere Orcs¡­..how deplorable.] ¡°It¡¯s better than dying.¡± [¡­¡­For Renji to give a sound argument, this even more painful.] I¡¯ll really cry dammit. In the end, they didn¡¯t chase us even till I left the forest. Chapter 8 The God Slayer and Orc (3) Chapter 8 The God yer and Orc (3) Now then, what should I do? There are 12 Orcs inside the forest. And one of them is a type I have never seen before. If this is a funny story, I want a better one than this. While tilting the wooden mug filled with Ale as I sat near the window of the bar, I thought such things. Just now, when I reported this to the vige chief, he asked me whether I could do something about it. But why? I¡¯m just an adventurer. I am not a monstrous hero or brave protagonist that could remain unmatched even against multiple monsters. That¡¯s why I was pondering, what should I do? There¡¯s a part of me that wants to work hard for the reward though. [You only have two choices, either protect or abandon this vige.] That¡¯s true. I gave a wry smile. Well, I do have various choices in how I should protect them though. If I¡¯m lucky, we might be fine till the squad from the royal capital appears here. The Orcs might even go somewhere else as well. That one is intelligent. It should be well aware of the consequences of baring fangs against humans. Kill and be killed. Humans and monsters. It¡¯s a never ending battle. If they don¡¯t want that, they¡¯d probably note out of the forest¡ª- ¡°Ah, I finally found you.¡± While I was pondering over such things, my employer, Miss Francesca appeared from the entry of the bar. My lips became softer on hearing that beautiful voice that doesn¡¯t really suit a bar. ¡°Ou, Miss Francesca, Over here.¡± As I raised my hand, I gave a small sigh. Probably, she came because I didn¡¯t contact her even after returning from my scouting trip. As expected, alcohol doesn¡¯t taste good when you¡¯re making a irritated face. Seeing her beautiful face, I took another sip of the Ale. Yup, it¡¯s delicious. [You goddamn drunkard.] ¡°Ha¡ª-no mistake in that.¡±(renji) ¡°?¡±(fran) Miss Francesca who sat on the other side of the table looked at me puzzled as I talked to myself. It seems, my mouth bes loose whenever I drink alcohol. It might be a bad habit of mine to reply to Ermenhilde out loud. ¡°Renji-san, what are we going to do about the Orc subjugation?¡± ¡°aa, as expected it¡¯s about that eh?¡± ¡°As expected?¡­¡­we did talk about the matter of Orcs yesterday, didn¡¯t we?¡± Oh right. While we were talking, the shopkeeper came to take her order. She ordered a fruit juice and I also asked for some water instead of more ale. If we¡¯re talking about the job then, as expected, it¡¯s bad manners to be drinking while doing so. Also, I really need to seriously think about it as well. Let¡¯s sober up already. ¡°By the way Miss Francesca, how¡¯s your muscle pains?¡± ¡°uu¡­¡­..it¡¯s fine now.¡± As I asked that, she shrunk back a bit before looking me back in the eyes and answering. Ah, so it still hurts eh? Her reaction is really easy to understand. It seems this woman sucks at lying. Finding her bluff amusing, I ended upughing a bit. At the same time, her cheeks became red and she hung her head down. [Is it fun bullying younger ones?] Of course, it¡¯s super fun. Bullying young ones is the special right of the older ones. Bringing Ermenhilde out of my pocket, I flicked the medal with a *ping*. ¡°It has be a bit troublesome actually so I am hesitating whether we should take up the vige¡¯s request or not.¡±(renji) ¡°We won¡¯t ept it?¡±(fran) As the medalnded in my palms it was, Heads. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of epting it actually.¡±(renji) At that moment, I took the water that the shopkeeper had brought. Miss Francesca also took her juice and took a sip. ¡°But, it¡¯ll be a bit difficult with a simple frontal attack.¡±(renji) ¡°Frontal attack?¡± ¡°Yes, charging at them straight forwardly, or attacking them and burning them directly with magic. Such a fighting style would be difficult.¡± Saying that, I took a sip of water. At such a time, what¡¯s important is the ce where we fight. We¡¯re going to take on 12 of them. It¡¯ll be good to be in a ce where we won¡¯t get cornered. In a forest, if one were to use the trees well, but even the Orcs should be already used to fighting there as well. ¡°It¡¯ll be dangerous if our opponents are 12 of them after all.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­.what?¡± Miss Francesca looked at me as if she was looking at something weird. It¡¯s a bit amusing. ¡°How many, did you say just now?¡±(fran) ¡°12 of them.¡±(renji) ¡°¡ª¡ª¡° Her jaw dropped and she froze like that. She¡¯s making a stupid face which I would have definitely captured if I had a cellphone or a camera. Well, I won¡¯t actually do something like that though. [Well that¡¯s a good reaction.] Yeah, I agree. As I sipped my water, finally Miss Francesca returned to senses again. ¡°¡­.why is Renji-san still so rxed!?!¡±(fran) ¡°I¡¯m not really calm. I¡¯m worrying over what I should do as well.¡±(renji) [It should be said that you¡¯re already used to it, eh?] Well, it¡¯s exactly as Ermenhilde said. In fact, Miss Francesca¡¯s reaction right now is the proper correct one. Even I think so. I was normal person of the society just three years back, how did I be like this? Back then I would be surprised like Miss Francesca at every small thing as well. But soon, I stopped being surprised at anything. 12 Orcs? And one of them is a new species and super intelligent as well. But demons who are higher types of monsters, among them the demon lord, and even among them the existence that made the whole demonic species, the Demon God! Compared to them, though these 12 Orcs are troublesome and scary but it¡¯s something that¡¯d make me panic. What¡¯s really dangerous are existences like that ck Orc and monsters against whom I¡¯m useless alone. Dragons or Vampires, Giants or Undeads. These are opponents that I can¡¯t fight without myrades. ¡°Even if you panic, what we have to doesn¡¯t change.¡±(renji) ¡°But still, 12 of them is¡­¡­.¡±(fran) ¡°Well, it is a bit too much.¡± Iughed. Miss Francesca looked at such a me with drooping eyebrows. ¡°I have a way, that¡¯s why we¡¯ll ept the request.¡± Also that ck Orc. I want to take care of that at all costs. I don¡¯t know why but it really gives me a bad feeling. ¡°¡­¡­.What will Miss Francesca do?¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes. Taking on 12 of them is going to be difficult. Probably, I won¡¯t be able to fight while protecting you.¡± As I said that much, her expression became stiff realizing what I meant. I can¡¯t fight while protecting you so you¡¯ll have to protect yourself. It¡¯s not something that should be asked of a rookie adventurer really, I gave a bitterugh inside my mind. A dangerous job like this would normally by done by even veteran adventurers only after gathering some numbers and in perfect condition. It¡¯s not a request that a newbie adventurer and the weakest God-yer should take on. That¡¯s why, I hate fighting monsters. It¡¯s filled with unexpected circumstances. The earnings are great but the dangers are great as well. As expected, it doesn¡¯t suit me at all I think. ¡°I¡¯ll ept.¡±(fran) While I was thinking such things, she turned towards me with a resolved gaze. Those green eyes were clearly looking at me directly in the eyes. ¡°There¡¯s the case of my test but¡­¡­I¡¯m also an adventurer now. Also, it¡¯s the duty of a noble to help the vigers.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a brilliant readiness of heart you have there but, you might die you know?¡± When I said that, those eyes swayed a bit. As expected, the fear of death is great. Duty of a noble and all that is simply a fa?ade. Humans, anything that¡¯s alive, is afraid of dying. Even I¡¯m the same. There¡¯s no way this girl who¡¯s younger than me won¡¯t be scared. Thinking that, this girl who wants to save these people even though she¡¯s scared looked really strong to me. Even though I turned my back towards the duty of a God yer. [You¡¯re being mean now.] Don¡¯t say that. I ended up smiling wryly to my partner¡¯s words. Maybe she sensed something in me, Miss Francesca looked at me with a slight sullen expression. That expression is also really cute. Man, beauties really remain beautiful no matter what expression they make. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll try to make sure that the danger remains as less as possible.¡±(renji) ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t make a newbie do something too difficult. I guess it¡¯ll sound cooler if I simply say that I¡¯ll protect you though.¡± [No, it¡¯s fine if you say that, you God ying Hero.] That¡¯s impossible, I shrugged my shoulders. That¡¯s not my character after all. ¡°I¡¯ll go from the front and you¡¯ll cause disturbance with your magic from behind. If we try to think of a tooplicated tactic, it¡¯ll only blow your fuse after all.¡±(renji) ¡°Fuse?¡­¡­Eh?¡± ¡°I mean that you¡¯ll end up panicking during the actual thing. You were scared when you were attacked by those goblins right?¡± When I said that, she slightly nodded while hiding her face with the wooden mug. She looks like a small animal. ¡°This time it¡¯ll be even scarier. After all there are going to be 12 Orcs. That¡¯s much scarier than mere 5 goblins.¡± I flicked Ermenhilde (medal) with my thumb. As it rotated in the air, I grabbed it in mid air and, Heads. ¡°It¡¯s heads. We¡¯ll make it somehow.¡±(renji) ¡°No you¡¯re supposed to say that you¡¯ll definitely make it seed there¡­¡­..¡± ¡°I won¡¯t say something like ¡®definitely¡¯. I¡¯m not that amazing.¡± Iughed and then I sighed. But I can¡¯t help it. ¡®Definitely¡¯ That word belongs only to hero protagonists. It shouldn¡¯t be used like a viger C like me. ¡°That medal.¡±(fran) ¡°nn?¡±(renji) Miss Francesca¡¯s gaze moved towards Ermenhilde in my hand. ¡°Is it something precious to you?¡±(fran) ¡°nn¡­¡­¡± I wonder. I carry it along like it¡¯s obvious and is the existence I¡¯m most familiar with. It¡¯s precious but I can¡¯t simply describe it with just those words. [¡­¡­¡­.] Also, this stupid God ying weapon is being suddenly meek right now. ¡°It¡¯s a cursed medal. If I let it go, I¡¯ll die.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­is that actually okay?¡±(fran) ¡°It¡¯s fine really. I¡¯m fine as long as I don¡¯t let it go right?¡± Looks like I ended up worrying her seriously. Making fun of this girl might be amusing or troublesome or just difficult, I think. [Tch] By the way, Ermenhilde was clicking its tongue. It¡¯s fun to tease this one as well, in its own way. Its important to think of difficult things but I guess being carefree like this really suits me. Those Orcs and that new species ck Orc. Well, there¡¯s a mountain full of problems in front of me right now. . . . . ¡°Now then, I think we should start the special training.¡±(renji) We were currently in a clearing a bit away from the vige and the highway. There were no signs of Goblins or other monsters for now. Though some might appear to see what we¡¯re doing as well. ¡°Even though you say Special training¡­¡­..I can only fireball or ice arrow and other such basic magic, you know?¡±(fran) As she said that, she dropped her shoulders in an apologising manner. I wonder whether that was really okay as a student of the Magic Academy but I¡¯ll let it go for now. ¡°That¡¯s enough. I¡¯ll have you imagine something even more simpler than that.¡±(renji) ¡°Simple¡­¡­is it?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Saying that, I pointed towards the ground. ¡°Dig a hole.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­..¡± She looked at me with a really suspicious gaze. For some reason, the magicians of this world specialise only in either direct attack magic or very domestic-based magic. The former include releasing a fireball, ice arrow or making strong lightning fall as well. While thetter includes creating water or crushed ice for use, or lighting dark areas etc. But for some reason they don¡¯t use magic that involve moving objects or digging holes like this. During our fight with the monsters, I did see magicians easily blow up enemy trenches so maybe they find it too inefficient, I think. I find it pretty convenient though, things like pitfalls and traps. Even the [Grand Magus] that was with us first found shy things better but after realizing the merits of using pitfalls, she started listening to me as well. Generally the imaginations involved are, confirming the enemy, creating the fireball, making it fly towards the enemy, and hitting it. Even basic magic require these 5 processes. But pitfalls are basically, looking at the ground, imagining a hole in it. At most, only 2 processes are necessary. Though there is also regting the size and depth of the hole but still it¡¯s still shorter than normal magic. Thus, I was thinking of having Miss Francesca do the same as well. It¡¯ll help her in protecting herself as well after all. The fact that it has a small activation time itself is a big advantage. ¡°A pitfall. You¡¯ll make Orcs fall into them and it¡¯s over. It won¡¯t kill them but they¡¯d be unable to do anything.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Also, since its magic, all she has to do is imagine the hole directly beneath where the Orc is standing, that¡¯s all. There¡¯s no need to go through the trouble of luring them into them either. Afterwards, you can deal with them however you want as long as they are in the hole. Bury them, attack them with magic etc. Since they won¡¯t be able to attack back anyway. Though the value of their meat would fall due to damage but it¡¯s a pretty safe way of hunting them. ¡°That¡¯s an amazing n.¡±(fran) When I exined, she began admiring me for it. For some reason, magicians really like to think of only shy magics. Though I don¡¯t have any proof but I think anyone can use shy magic if he wants. Not to mention that the mental fatigue and magical energy consumption is also huge. Shouldn¡¯t most magicians be thinking of being more efficient? With this, her use of magic should also turn to different directions, I think. [¡­¡­Another weird magician is going to be born.] ¡°How rude.¡±(renji) I flicked the medal with a *ping* [A magician specialising in pitfalls and restraint magics is definitely a weirdo. Your way of teaching is wrong, definitely.] But I really think that¡¯s more convenient though. Restraint techniques are good during few people vs. few people. As expected, only our [Grand Magus] could use such techniques even against a whole army. Using roots of trees and vines, she really was undefeatable inside forests. Well, its all a result of my training though. Since pitfalls are simple, they can be imagined even during closebat so its really convenient. Though I don¡¯t know that since I can¡¯t use magic but since our [Grand Magus] had said so, it must be true. It¡¯s good enough even if it can slow the opponents down during battle since it¡¯ll make them more vignt against you. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll try.¡±(fran) ¡°Ou.¡±(renji) Moving away from her, I sat down on a rock nearby. [You won¡¯t train?] ¡°I don¡¯t know how am I supposed to even train with a knife?¡± In the first ce, my weapon isn¡¯t a knife. Ofcourse, it isn¡¯t a dagger either. I don¡¯t really see the need to train with such weapons. Unsheathing the iron knife, I spun it around my hand. ¡°Orc¡¯s skin doesn¡¯t look like I¡¯ll be able to cut with this.¡± [Obviously. The Hero Yamada Renji¡¯s weapon isn¡¯t something pathetic like that, it¡¯s me.] My lips loosened on hearing that somewhat prideful voice. That¡¯s true. ¡°My weapon, is only you.¡± [Yes.] As I turned my gaze towards Miss Francesca, her body looked to be swaying a bit. Magical energy. A power that every magician holds and is used by them to bring about supernatural phenomenon. Their colours are varied and just like Miss Francesca¡¯s magical energy is colourless, it can be red or blue as well. If I recall correctly, the colour of the magical energy also represents one¡¯s talent. Our [Grand Magus] was golden, [Sorcerer] was dark purple¡ª¨Cin his words, it was the colour of darkness. Both had high level of talent, I think but I can¡¯t really remember who was better. Probably, they were around equal I think. While I was thinking that, a 50cm diameter hole was created right in front of me. It¡¯s depth was¡­.about 30cm. The earth that had disappeared had fallen beside Miss Francesca. She must have imagined digging the earth out to create a hole. ¡°Too shallow. The Orcmander is one head taller than me. You¡¯ll have to make it more bigger and deeper.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes!¡±(fran) I ended up giving a wry smile on the energetic answer from her. I feel like I¡¯m a instructor at a training school. Not that I have any actual experience of doing that though. But, magicians really are amazing. When I look at this, I sometimes feel that maybe I should have also asked for being able to use magic when asking for the Cheat abilities. I would have been unparalleled with magic that didn¡¯t exist in our world. It¡¯s a situation that every man would yearn after. Aah, I really did something wasteful. [What happened?] ¡°Nothing.¡± As I sighed, Ermenhilde asked me in a worried voice. Well, the cheat I had asked for was [the Power to kill even God], that¡¯s why I was able to meet and talk with Ermenhilde like this so I guess my worries are for naught. ¡°I¡¯m really d that I met you.¡± [..¡­.then why the hell were you sighing?] I am being doubted. My partner is really heartless. Seriously. Chapter 9 The God Slayer and Orc (4) Chapter 9 The God yer and Orc (4) The most inconvenient thing aftering to this world was, theck of inte. Inte. The symbol of modern civilisation. The treasury of knowledge. The string of electricity that can connect to anywhere. You can find any and everything on it. What you want to know, what you don¡¯t know, things you find weird etc. And, everyone is connected through it. For example¡ªsomeone you want to meet, someone you want to contact with, someone with whom you want to talk and even with people you don¡¯t know anything about. That¡¯s why, I really want the inte here. Why looking at the clear blue sky, I thought of this. Currently, Souichi-kun should be going to a school somewhere, he should have free time as well. Couldn¡¯t I call him and have him kill these Orcs for a bit? After all, it¡¯s the duty of the Brave to kill monsters, right? ¡°Renji-san, how does this hole look?¡±(fran) While breathing heavily, Miss Francesca asked me so while I was thinking of stupid things. Her expression was filled with confidence and a wide smile. Her hair stuck to her forehead with sweat and her bright smile felt way too dazzling. ¡­¡­.though what she¡¯s saying is very weird. Should a girl of this age be talking about ¡®holes¡¯ like this in such a loud voice? Though I am the type who likes it. But I think I¡¯ll be killed if her parents knew of this. While I thought of such things inside my head, I moved my gaze towards the pitfall created by Miss Francesca. ¡°Not bad, I guess?¡±(renji) ¡°Alright!¡±(fran) Width- 80cm, depth- around 2.5m. It¡¯s a well made hole in which I¡¯dpletely fit. It¡¯s a size out of which an Orc would definitely be unable to get out. Miss Francesca held her both hands and seemed to be filled with happiness. She must be really happy because I think she might be crying a little. Well, after being made to create over 50 holes, anyone would cry I guess. ¡°Then, let¡¯s fill up the holes next.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­..¡± ¡°If you dig then you also have to bury them back. If you leave so many holes beside the highway, I think you¡¯ll be scolded you know?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.even though Renji-san was the one who made me do this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll also help.¡± As I gave a wry smile as she seemed to be a bit angry, I picked up the shovel I had borrowed from the vigers. Seeing me like that, Miss Francesca breathed a sigh. [Ah¡­¡­.It was the same when Aya created these holes for the first time as well right?] Yeah. It¡¯s a nostalgic memory. After that, as a result of the training, a specialised hole creating magician had been born. That really was a pitiful incident, really. It¡¯s a part of the sad past of the [Grand Magus]. Even now it¡¯s the same though. While thinking about such things of the past, I lowered my shovel into the mountain of dirt beside Miss Francesca. And threw it inside the nearby hole. ¡°But, Renji-san can¡¯t really use magic right?¡±(fran) ¡°huh?¡± While I was filling up the hole, Miss Francesca said in a surprised voice. By the way, she¡¯s filling up holes back with magic. Yeah, magic really is convenient. ¡°Why are you so informed about magic?¡±(fran) ¡°I¡¯m not really that informed. Probably.¡± ¡°No such thing. At least, I think only Renji-san has thought of a magic to create such pitfalls.¡± Really? Well probably, I think someone somewhere is still using them, those pitfalls. ¡°I¡¯m told that often. That I have a weird way of thinking.¡±(renji) My way of thinking about magic is simr to elfs and pixies¡­¡­.spirit magic of the demi-humans or so I¡¯m told. Humans are the ones who specialise in direct attack magic. In contrast, the demi-humans use surprise attacks, restraints, status afflicting¡ª¨Cbasically indirect magic. Humans and demi-humans have begun to have a better exchange in culture in recent years since they found amon enemy in the Demon God. Before that, though not to the extent of fighting, they simply tried to keep out of each other¡¯s way. Humans who cut apart, burned down and expanded their territory while destroying nature. Demi-humans, who thanked the earth and lived together with the nature. They couldn¡¯t get along so easily. In that sense, we might have to thank the Demon God. Well, they have such a rtion. They aren¡¯t close enough that they¡¯ll teach other their systems of using magic. Until and unless one was special like us, there would be no way to get such information. [Renji, you¡¯re the weirdest and the most entric of all, after all.] For some reason, my partner said that with a happy tone. While sustaining a wound on my not-so-delicate heart, I sighed. ¡°Ah, sorry¡­¡­.¡±(fran) ¡°Maybe she thought something about it, she ended up apologising like it was normal. That hurts in its own way so please stop. After that as well, while talking about useless things, we filled back the holes. About my journeys till now, what I was doing before I became an adventurer, why I became an adventurer etc. Why is everything about me? Do young nobledies find pleasure in adventurous tales? Surprisingly, she didn¡¯t talk about the Orcs even once, probably because she was scared. Tomorrow, we¡¯ll be fighting. Let¡¯s stop here and rest and face them tomorrow in our perfect conditions. I didn¡¯t say it out loud but Miss Francesca should have also realized it by now. Even while walking andughing, her expression was slightly stiff. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡±(renji) After filling back all the holes, I flicked the medal Ermenhilde with my thumb. As the setting sun reflected on it and made it shine, I caught my rotating partner with my hand. ¡°It¡¯s Heads.¡±(renji) As I opened my hand, just as I had dered, it was Heads. ¡°It¡¯ll go well. We¡¯llplete the request safely.¡±(renji) As I dered that, her stiffened expression seemed to have loosened a bit. Well, I had seen which side I was catching before I actually caught it though. My kic vision is strong enough to be able to do something like that. The Cheat ability isn¡¯t just for show. [As usual, Renji is good with his words, eh?¡±] I returned that fed up voice with a wry smile. Ermenhilde, adults are such dirty beings. I have tricks and secrets but this is perfect to calm someone. As I shouldered the now used shovel and smiled, she smiled back. As long as I can see such smiles, I don¡¯t mind being sneaky. . . . The next morning, while it was still dim outside, we hade to the entrance of the forest before the sun began to rise. To live one has to sleep and eat. Even Orcs sleep at night and be hungry as well. So we¡¯ll be attack while they¡¯re sleeping or eating. We didn¡¯t attack at night because there was a chance to get lost inside the forest. I am used to walking inside the forest but if it¡¯s a surprise attack, I can¡¯t use light either. So the chance of getting lost was very high. With Miss Francesca along, all the more so. ¡°Will it really be fine?¡±(fran) ¡°Well, if Miss Francesca can walk properly, we¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°¡­¡­mouu.¡± Tunic and green trousers along with an overcoat and an iron knife on my waist. Also, I had a 2 small pouches filled with potion. There¡¯s no real chance of using the potion. They are meant to be used after the battle. They aren¡¯t immediately effective like the potions in video games so they can¡¯t really be used during battle. In my pocket was my trusted partner. I¡¯m with my usual equipments. The preparations are perfect. While Miss Francesca was fastening her leather breastte with her fingers, I confirmed my equipment as well. ¡°Are you fine with just that equipment?¡±(fran) ¡°Orcs attacks are strong enough that it¡¯ll be over with a single hit. Even with heavy armour, I¡¯ll get crushed inside.¡± Rather than that, it¡¯s better to simply avoid. Miss Francesca can simply make them powerless with pitfalls while staying out of their range. After inspecting our equipment, we continued into the forest. I know the ce. As long as they haven¡¯t changed their ce of dwelling after that, that is. . . . ¡°Renji-san is amazing.¡±(fran) How long have we walked inside the forest? You really lose the sense of time while you¡¯re walking inside a forest. Miss Francesca was walking behind me with just enough distance that she doesn¡¯t get left behind. After walking through almost 80% of our distance, Miss Francesca talked to me. We both had been silent after entering the forest so I was a bit surprised. Maybe due to the atmosphere, even Ermenhilde had been silent for some reason. Well, I wouldn¡¯t be able to reply if Miss Francesca was beside me so it would have ended as a one-sided bantering though. ..¡­¡­that would have been torture in itself. At times we¡¯ll create pitfalls and traps and mark them. Just in case they mighte useful if we ended up running. ¡°What¡¯s so amazing?¡±(renji) As I covered the pitfall with grass, I asked back. ¡°Even though we¡¯re facing 12 Orcs, you¡¯re still calm as always.¡±(fran) Am I? Normally, I would talk more, fool around and enjoy seeing Miss Francesca pant as she is unable to get used to walking in the forest. When I thought that way, maybe I am also a bit tensed. We killed the Demon God. We even fought against the demons and the Demon Lord. But still, I was scared. Humans die easily. Because I know that. And I am also a human. Even if we¡¯re called God ying Heroes, we¡¯re still humans. ¡°I¡¯m scared. My hands are shivering.¡±(fran) ¡°I see.¡± Me too, I couldn¡¯t say that. After all, I¡¯m the senior here, I¡¯m the elder one here, I¡¯m the man. It¡¯s always like this. Myrades were all younger than me. There was only one woman that was in the same age group as me. That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯tin, even when I was scared I wasn¡¯t discouraged, even when wounded I didn¡¯t cry. I had no choice but to be so. I was the older one, the man, because I was the adult. ¡­¡­.I have such a duty I think. Really. In forests, in dark ces, it¡¯s bad to be too silent. I¡¯ll end up thinking only in the bad direction. Standing up, we began walking again. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. You won¡¯t die.¡±(renji) I simply said just that. There¡¯s no meaning behind it. You will die when your timees and a person who can live through anything will definitely live through it. That¡¯s why, there¡¯s no meaning behind my words. But the silence was painful so I said that, that¡¯s all. ¡°Yes.¡±(fran) But, if simply words can make one calm down then I¡¯ll say that as many times you want. I think that way. I¡¯m not strong enough to show that with my attitude or abilities. My cheat, [Power of God ying], is really weak. I can only use it in limited conditions. That¡¯s why, I¡¯m different from those 12, I¡¯m the weakest. [What is it?] Unconsciously, I was stroking Ermenhilde inside my pocket. There¡¯s no meaning to it. Only¡ª¨Cit was to divert my anxiety. [Even though, you¡¯re actually a coward.] Don¡¯t say things like that. I¡¯m the man here, the adult here. Even if I want to cry, even if I¡¯m scared, even if I¡¯m shivering, I can¡¯t act weak in front of her. That¡¯s what my role is. [Renji won¡¯t die. I¡¯m here after all.] Ah, is that so. I smiled wryly and once again stroked the medal inside my pocket. In that time, we reached our destination. Hiding inside the bushes, I examined the surroundings. The settlement of Orcs. Their numbers are¡­..14 ¡°It grew again.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­.are they sleeping?¡±(fran) In front of our view, in a ce without trees, Orcs were sleeping. Some used tree stumps as pillows, some used their weapons as pillows, some used each other as pillows. Are you a gathering of drunkards? Seeing that human or rather, old man like behaviour, I felt that Miss Francesca¡¯s tension seemed to have lessened a bit. ¡°Even monsters sleep.¡±(renji) ¡°So it seems.¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t teach you this at school?¡± ¡°¡­¡­uu.¡± It seems they don¡¯t teach this. I had told her this before but she must have been in doubt even then. After talking a bit more, her tension lessened a bit more. She¡¯s a student of magic academy after all, they must be teaching only magic. Rather than fighting monsters, they give a more schrly image. ¡°The first stage of the n seems to be a sess.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± If the Orcs were to wake up now, it¡¯llpletely be a head-on battle instead of a surprise attack. But now, we should be able to turn at least half of them powerless. Calming a bit, I searched for the problematic ck Orc. But, it wasn¡¯t here. I tried changing locations but I still didn¡¯t find it. Is it not with this group? It¡¯s a new species, maybe it was removed from the group¡­¡­..no way. That one was definitely the leader of this group. It must be in a different ce. I could search for it but we don¡¯t know when these ones would wake up. The sun would also reach high enough soon. There¡¯s not much time left before the Orcs wake up. ¡°Let¡¯s take care of the small fries first.¡± ¡°Orcs are small fry?¡­¡­I understand.¡± I could only think of Orcs like that but, as expected, for the people of this world, even the lowest level of monsters are a big threat. For even a magician. ¡°Probably, the ck Orc would barge in between.¡± ¡°ck?¡± ¡°Yes, ck.¡± I couldn¡¯t think of any other name for it after all. Other than its ck skin, it lookedpletely simr to a normal Orc. ¡°I¡¯ll be the one to face that one. Miss Francesca, you shouldn¡¯t do something unreasonable and simply take care of the normal Orcs from a distance.¡±(renji) ¡°ck¡­¡­.is it because of that Orc that so many of them have gathered here?¡± ¡°Well, who knows? I¡¯m not a schr either so I¡¯m not sure.¡± Those intelligent guys can think of reasons behind why these Orcs gathered. I¡¯ll do what I can do the best. Killing them. I took out the iron knife from my waist. I nced at its rusty edge and gave a sigh. [If turns dangerous, use me.] ¡°I know¡ª¨C¡° I took a deep breath. Whether I¡¯m tensed or excited, my heart is beating faster. But, there was no sweat on the palms that were holding the knife. Miss Francesca also drew her 70cm long short sword. The tip of the sword was trembling. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡±(renji) I say that once more. ¡°You will not die.¡±(renji) . . . . The surprise attack was a sess. 8 of the Orcs fell in the pitfalls, and their surprised shouts woke up the rest of them. But even then, they were in chaos and were unable to take proper actions. Searching for their weapons, they panicked as they looked at their fallenrades. Jumping out of the bushes, I closed in towards the nearest Orc. While surprised, it was able to swing its punch towards the sudden intruder but even faster than that, the iron knife cut at its underarm. ¡°Tch.¡± [Too blunt.] Seriously. I did expect this but I could only click my tongue when the de couldn¡¯t cut through. But, the ORc that busy looking at me, fell inside the pitfall created by Miss Francesca. A dull could have not reacted when a pitfall suddenly appeared underneath it. 5 remaining. Without minding their fallenrades, two Orcs came towards me with their weapons. ¡°funn¡± Moving to the area between those 2 Orcs, I kicked the knee of one of the Orcs. Orcs had small legs. That¡¯s because it would be impossible to carry their overge body with normal human like legs. This made them unable to make tight turns and lessened their reflexes. Though it looked like I was trapped between two Orcs, they didn¡¯t even face towards me right now. I kicked once again. With more strength this time. This time, with a dull sound, the Orc¡¯s knee bent to an impossible direction and broke. It¡¯s thanks to my enhanced leg strength given by the cheat. If I were to kick seriously, I could blow away even a giant. With that leg strength, the Orc¡¯s one knee was snapped. Unable to understand what had happened, the Orc stopped moving. Finally, the other Orc turned towards me and raised its weapon. ¡°Renji-san!¡± I ignored Miss Francesca¡¯s voice. Avoiding the iing blow with a paper-thin distance, the other fallen Orc¡¯s head was crushed instead by that blow. If it¡¯s impossible with my iron knife then all I have to do is use a different stronger attack. The dull Orcs were good for that. 4 remaining. Also, the Orc that had attacked me just now fell down due to the gravity. Right underneath me, the pig raised its hands high trying to crawl out of the hole. It¡¯s fingers reached the tip of the hole but it simply didn¡¯t have the arm strength in it to carry itself out of there. ¡°3 remaining.¡± Those 3 were running towards me from the other side. I stepped back due to their intensity and ran while dodging the nearby pitfall. I¡¯m not trying to escape though. ¡°Pitfall!!¡±(renji) A pitfall was created in front of my path. Jumping over it, I heard groans from behind me. As I looked back, Orcs that had been chasing after me were reduced to 2. We can do this. A slight sense of hope was born in my chest. But, the 2 Orcs who judged Miss Francesca to be more of a threat than me began running in my opposite direction. I quickly stopped and began to chase after the Orcs that were ignoring me. Since they were slow, I quickly caught up and kicked their back with my full strength. And just like that, another one fell into a pitfall. [What a ridiculous fighting style¡­¡­.only one of them has actually died, you know?] ¡°If I can fight safely then it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Last one¡ª-just as my eyes caught towards the remaining one, the ck Orc entered my view. Since water was dripping from its body, it was probably bathing till now. It really does live leisurely. But, it also proved that it really was intelligent. An Orc that bathes is too weird after all. Maybe it returned in panic, its breath was ragged. ¡°Miss Francesca!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± A pitfall appeared underneath it. But it dodged it by jumping back a second earlier. ¡ª¡ªIt¡¯s not just intelligent but also quick, eh? And, the remaining normal Orc headed towards Miss Francesca without hesitation. ¡°Run! Calm down and¡ª-¡°(renji) [Dodge, Renji!!] While I was trying to speak to Miss Francesca, I was startled. Above the ck Orc, a lump of rock was floating. I know what that is. ¡°An Orc is using magic!?!¡±(renji) As I hurriedly jumped, a rock the size of a human fell down on the ce I was standing earlier. The ground burst and dirt flew up. I was surprised by its strength but I quickly fixed my posture and avoided falling into a pitfall. This is the first time I¡¯m seeing an Orc using magic. No matter how intelligent it is, does it even possess magical energy? There¡¯s a limit to how unfair it can be. As my head was in chaos, I lost sight of the ck orc. [Any injuries?] ¡°None.¡± I briefly answered and gripped the iron knife in my right hand. While crouching, I looked at the surroundings. Hole, hole, hole. The ck orc is¡­¡­.. ¡°Renji-san, are you alright!?(fran) ¡°I¡¯m fine! Rather than that¡ª¡ª¨C¡° What about you? Before I could ask that, the ck Orc aimed for Miss Francesca this time. This time the atmosphere distorted. And the figure of the ck Orc swayed like a heat haze. ¡°It¡¯s not just rocks?!¡± I began to run. At the same time, a hole was created below the ck Orc. This time it fell in the hole¡­¡­it was too shallow. It stopped after falling to its knee level. But, it seems this was able to stop the activation of its magic. A good way of using it. That girl might have the talent to be a pitfall expert magician. While thinking such stupid things, I moved to a position where Miss Francesca was protected by my back and then, I started running towards the ck Orc. The ck Orc gave out a cry. Pointing towards it stomach, I positioned my knife. If I can¡¯t sh it then I¡¯ll just pierce through it. I¡¯ll end this Orc right here. A magic using Orc is definitely a danger. Letting my guard down thinking it was a normal Orc, just how much damages would¡ª¨C ¡°Kyaaaaa!?!¡± ¡°!?¡± Stopping due to the sudden scream, I turned towards Miss Francesca. There, my fellow traveller had been captured by an Orc. Focusing on the ck Orc, I had forgotten about the remaining Orc, I finally realized that. And¡ª- ¡°Aah, I should have known.¡±(renji) The ck orc stretched its arm towards me. Behind me was Miss Francesca restrained by the Orc. I won¡¯t be able to avoid the magic being fired this time. In front of its arm, a fireball appeared. Dark ck, a me I had seen before. As my line of sight matched with the Orcs, I felt like it was grinning. I stopped my legs and faced the ck orc and put strength into the arm gripping the iron knife. Take on the me? That¡¯s impossible. The tunic I¡¯m wearing won¡¯t defend me against that falme. If I dodge, Miss Francesca will die¡ª¡ª- [Good grief.] Unusually, Ermenhilde gave a slight impatient voice. But that voice, made me feel calmer. The ck me becamerger, asrge as a human and it was still growing. Let alone me and Miss Francesca, it would even swallow up the other Orc as well. Well obviously. That¡¯s the kind of me that is. I know. Just how manyrades and enemies that me has swallowed. ¡°Ermenhilde, lend me your strength.¡± [¡ª¨CRoger that.] My, Yamada Renji¡¯s, cheat is very weak. It can only be used in certain specific conditions. That¡¯s why, unlike the other 12, I was the weakest. But, in those certain situations. In a situation where those certain conditions have been fulfilled. I¡¯m also, definitely one of the [God yers]. Chapter 10 The God Slayer and Orc (5) Chapter 10 The God yer and Orc (5) The Goddess dered. That she would give the power to save the world. The Goddess wished. Please save the world. The Goddess smiled. The world shall be saved. The Goddess asked. What do you wish for? . The Brave said. I want an undefeatable will. To never lose to anyone no matter what the time. . The Grand Magus said. I want God-like power. Magical energy that could even create miracles. . The Sorcerer said. I want an eye that can see the future. An eye that can change whatever unreasonable future that maye to them. . The Sage said. I want to use every magic that exists in this world. I want to be an existence that can use all kinds of magic. . The Monster Tamer said. I want friends. Friends that will never betray me and will always believe in me. . The Swordsman said. I want a sword. A sword that cut apart any and everything, even fate itself. . The Warrior said. I want the power to fight. To be able to use all kinds of weapons, I want to be the strongest warrior. . The Saint said. I want power to save others. A power that can heal any wounds, I want a gentle power. . The Wiseman said. I want knowledge and techniques. I want to create convenient items, magic items that don¡¯t exist in this world, I want the knowledge and techniques to build them. . The Cook said. I want to cook food that will bring upon smile to everyone¡¯s faces. I don¡¯t want the power to fight, I want to cook meals that can save a person¡¯s heart. . The Knight said. I want power to protect myrades. A power that can protect even the world, I want to be the strongest shield. . The Avenger said. I want power. Simply pure power to defeat all of my enemies. . . . . My, Yamada Renji¡¯s, wish was very simple. Yet it was aplicated, cruel and unbelievable wish that made even the Goddessugh loudly. That¡¯s why I was provided with, the strongest partner, Ermenhilde. That might have been some sort of pity on me. Me, who could never be a Hero, to have to live along side many Heroes, she might have wanted to give me something that would listen to me and understand me at all times. ¡°Renji-san!!¡± ck mes approached. ck, dark, mes that could easily swallow a human. Miss Francesca¡¯s voice resounded, maybe she was worried for me or she wanted me to do something about this. Letting go of the iron knife in my right hand, I put my left hand inside my pocket. What I grabbed was my strongest partner, Ermenhilde. My weapon, my partner, my trustworthy weapon could only be this one. [Three of the covenants have been released.] From the hand that grabbed Ermenhilde, a jade coloured magical energy gushed out. Seven Covenants that bind my [God ying Power]. Seven conditions that activate it. The method of the Goddess to fulfil Yamada Renji¡¯s wish was truly distorted and beyond saving. A power that did not suit a Hero yet specialised in killing Gods. Conversely speaking, it was a power that had no use except when fighting against Gods. Against normal monsters, it was nothing more than a slightly sharper weapon. Even though it was a power to defeat the Demon God, it couldn¡¯t cut even low-level monsters properly. ¡°That¡¯s more than enough.¡±(renji) But, against a [God]I was not inferior to even any of the other God yers. Three have been released. Probably they are, [To Protect someone], [My own will to fight] and¡ª¨C[Fighting against the Demon God]. These must be the conditions that have been cleared right now. Against a mere Orc, it¡¯s more than enough. A blew away the iing ck mes with simply the hade magical energying out of Ermenhilde. Furthermore, the magical energy took shape and took the form of a sword of the same colour. It¡¯s not simply a beautiful gem shaped like that. It¡¯s a divine sword that could cut apart even a Mithril Golem¡­¡­¡­.that¡¯s only if it¡¯s being affected by the Demon God, that is. Against a normal Mithril Golem, it¡¯ll probably break. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s been three months, right?¡± [¡­¡­Don¡¯t say it. I¡¯ll feel like crying.] 3 months ago we had fought against an Ogre in a rural forest toplete a request, my feelings were excited like that time now. The de of the sword was jade green. The material it was made of was unknown. It was a mysterious sword whose strength changes depending on the number of covenants that have been released. The handle and grip were golden. Underneath the grip was a lump of big jade. Inside it, 7 small gems of different colours were studded. Among those 7 gems, 3 were lightly shining right now. ¡°Renji¡­san?¡±(fran) ¡°nn¡± As I looked back, I saw Miss Francesca who was restrained by the Orc. Her dumbfounded expression looked truly amusing and though it was rude, I ended upughing a bit. ¡°Sorry. I made you face something dangerous.¡±(renji) When I said that, the Orc that was restraining her let go of her and ran away at full speed. Probably it was afraid of the attack that was about to envelop even him as well. Or maybe it was simply afraid of me. I ended up smiling wryly. Even though, normal Orcs pose a bigger threat to me than that ck Orc. Facing its back, I threw daggers of the same jade colour made out of magical energy towards it. Without missing, the daggers struck into its head as if they were being sucked to their target. I gave an apology inside my mind. I had no reason to let it go alive from here. At the same time, while scratching my head I turned towards the girl who had fallen on her bottom . ¡°It¡¯ll be helpful if you don¡¯t get too surprised.¡±(renji) ¡°A, eh¡­¡­yes.¡± [No, that¡¯s impossible. You¡¯re a Hero, you¡¯re like an ¡®idol¡¯ to normal people who can never reach them.] ¡°Where the heck did you learn that word¡­¡­¡­.¡±(renji) It must be him, that chunnibyo patient wannabe Sorcerer. I sighed. I might have toin to him one of these days. Well, it¡¯s been an year since we met though. He must be energetic as usual. I thought of such things. From Miss Francesca¡¯s expression, she must have realized my identity so I didn¡¯t try to hide my conversation with Ermenhilde either. The name Renji was rare but it wasn¡¯t like there was no other with that name. But, Ermenhilde¡¯s name was famous. [The God ying Weapon]. The Sword of the Goddess. Well, its not actually a sword but there¡¯s no need to go and correct them. It is the sword that¡¯s easy to use, I looked towards the jade sword in front of me. And it¡¯s true that this is the mostmon form in which I use it. ¡°I don¡¯t know the reason but if you can use the power of the Demon God then even I can fight.¡±(renji) Why is it an Orc? Why on the Imnesia continent? Why was it born in such a rural ce? What was happening? Does it have a connection with the defeat of the Demon God? There are too many questions but I doubt my opponent can answer them. As expected, understanding an Orc¡¯s words is impossible. That¡¯s why¡ª¨C ¡°Die.¡± I doubt it even understood what I said. I swung the jade divine sword. I¡¯ll have to tell him by my actions.¡ª¡ªck Orc, I¡¯ll kill you. Showing my will with my words and actions, I closed the distance with it. As the cheat in my body became even stronger, I ran even faster than normal. At my full strength I was able to sh swords on par with the Demon God, a mere Orc who can use magic wasn¡¯t even able to react in time. It was a miracle that it was able to even generate the Demon God¡¯s mes in the same direction as me. But I couldn¡¯t simply ignore it either. shing my sword, I cut away four of its fingers. The fingers that were cut away without any resistance flew away in all directions. And then, it screamed. The pig¡¯s squealing resounded in the forest that had been covered in the silence of the morning till now. The pain caused its concentration to waver and the Demon God¡¯s me dissipated. Frowning due to the loud scream, I cut away its throat with the return swing of the sword. That was it. With just that, it was over. The screams disappeared and the ck Orc fell on its knees. The blood spray dirtied my cloak. Oh damn. And, then it sunk in its own pool of blood. A heavy gloomy sound *zuun* marked the end of the battle. After this, all that¡¯s left is to take care of the orcs fallen in the pitfalls. Fuu, as I exhaled, the divine sword turned back into jade green magical energy and dissipated. ¡°I¡¯m tired. I feel like I worked enough for another half year.¡± [You barely did anything at all¡­¡­..] The amazed voice sounded reallyfortable. As expected, it suits me more when I¡¯m not fighting. Maybe it sensed my thoughts, Ermenhilde silently sighed. ¡°Ah, um¡­¡­¡­¡±(fran) ¡°Ah¡­oh right.¡±(renji) I hid my face with my right hand. [Give up. You wanted to protect someone, right? That¡¯s why you got me, the God ying weapon.] Yes. That was the cheat, the [Power of God ying] that I wished for. I wished for a God ying weapon. And, I wanted to protect someone with that weapon. That was what Yamada Renji had wished from Goddess Astrarea. To protect someone with the God-ying weapon. That was a truly distorted, cruel and a hopeless wish. An unreasonable wish that was like a contradiction in itself. ¡­¡­..Why did I wish for something like that? If I were able to return to the past, I¡¯ll go punch myself. No, that¡¯s not it. I was simply, affected by the youths around me. I can say it now, if I got the chance. A power that would make mefortable or give me absolute fortune or something like that. I want such a power. That¡¯s why, I sighed. The words I had easily said, its extremelyplicated implication, by the time I realized it, it was already toote for me to do anything. ¡°Shall we return?¡±(renji) ¡°So suddenly!?! Um¡­.the Orcs?¡±(fran) We can¡¯t carry them back even as corpses. Let¡¯s go back and ask the vigers for help.¡±(renji) The weight of an Orc was about 200Kgs. We couldn¡¯t even carry one of them with us. We¡¯ll have to get a carriage from the vige or it¡¯ll be too difficult to move them from here. But still, it¡¯ll be many round trips before we finish this. If we leave them as corpses, other beasts woulde after them so we¡¯ll leave them just as they are inside the holes. ¡°It¡¯s a good haul this time. With this much it¡¯ll be easy for quite some time.¡±(renji) ¡°U, Um¡­¡­.¡± Hahahaha whileughing loudly I tried to move away with the momentum but from behind me a timid voice came. [It would have been nice if she had been fooled with the momentum, right?] ¡°Don¡¯t say it like it doesn¡¯t involve you, stupid.¡±(renji) [Who¡¯s stupid?!] I looked towards the sky. How should I fool her? Suddenly, my gaze moved towards the corpse of the ck Orc. As if it was mud, it was disappearing into the ground while melting. Miss Francesca also looked towards it while following my gaze. ¡°¡­¡­.Wh, what is that, that ck orc?¡±(fran) ¡°Who knows? It should be either a mutation, new species, or a hybrid or something.¡±(renji) Or was it the revived Demon God? Or did it eat the flesh of the Demon God? Or was it a descendant of the Demon God? Though I have no idea how the Demon God that had been defeated on the continent of demons had arrived to the Imnesia continent. [It looks it¡¯ll turn into something troublesome.] ¡°Don¡¯t say it so happily.¡±(renji) [If Renji would work seriously, then even troublesome things are happy things for me.] ¡°Are you my mother?¡­¡­¡­¡± What kind of philosophical things is this medal trying to say? Also, I am working seriously! It¡¯s fine as long I can spend everyday while enjoying it. While sighing, I began to walk in the direction of the vige. And, Miss Francesca began chasing after me. ¡°Umm, Renji-sama?¡±(fran) ¡°You¡¯ve got the wrong person. I¡¯m just an adventurer, Miss Francesca.¡±(renji) Denying her instantly, I shrugged my shoulders. I mean, an adventurer that has simply killed a God and a great noble. She¡¯s the one with the higher status right? (T/N: Right¡­¡­¡­..c¡¯mon dude¡­.) [Kuku, Renji-sama, eh? Kukukuh¡­¡­.] ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s funny. Laugh as much as you like, it doesn¡¯t suit me I know, goddamn it!¡± I¡¯m not a hero. I can never be a hero. That¡¯s because my wish was a wish that is unreasonable as well as contradictory. My cheat, [Power of God ying] can only work when someone else is in danger. A man who can¡¯t fight without putting someone¡¯s life in danger can never be called a Hero. And that too, without fulfilling many specific conditions, a power that can¡¯t be used at all can only be considered as weak. That¡¯s why I¡¯m weak. Weaker than any of the other God yers. I looked towards the sky where the sun had begun to rise. [An Orc with the power of the Demon God, eh?] ¡°Problematic things are special rights given only to protagonists.¡± [And you¡¯re also one of them.] ¡°No way.¡± I flicked the medal, Ermenhilde, with my thumb. As it fell down on my palm it was, Tails. Aah. ¡°I really hate trouble.¡± A sigh leaked my mouth. . . ¡°By the way, to whom have you been talking to?¡±(fran) ¡°..¡­..I¡¯m just mumbling to myself.¡±(renji) ¡°I, I see¡­¡± [Like I said, it¡¯s impossible. Well, if Renji is fine with this, I won¡¯t say anything though.] As expected it will be painful to treat it as simply ¡®mumblings to myself¡¯. Again, I could only sigh. This is why I hate fighting monsters. Unexpected things always happen. ¡­¡­.Well, it was my bad to have used the [Power of God ying], I guess. It¡¯s really my bad habit to depend on Ermenhilde every time I¡¯m backed into a corner. Chapter 11 The God Slayer and Orc (6) Chapter 11 The God yer and Orc (6) While gazing at the bonfire burning in the centre of the vige, I enjoyed the wooden cup filled with Ale. Yaa~, how wonderful. There¡¯s nothing more delicious than free alcohol. ¡°Puhaa!¡± [You are the happiest when you¡¯re drinking aren¡¯t you?¡­¡­.Haah] Why did you have to sigh there? While confused to Ermenhilde¡¯s reaction, I drank from the cup while sitting on the seat prepared by the vigers. The vigers who had been freed from the threat of the Orcs decided to prepare a feast for me as thanks. Most of the vigers didn¡¯t even know that so many Orcs had gathered there but even though they seem to be super excited with the feast and all. This world barely has many ways for enjoyment after all. Even I felt a bit more excited than usual. The alcohol also tasted better than normal. By the way, there was no one around me. I was alone. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m lonely. Miss Francesca who was surrounded by the vigers looked this way at times but it can¡¯t be helped. She¡¯s the hero of the Orc subjugation this time. I only defeated three of the Orcs after all. The one who defeated the remaining eleven was her after all. See, she¡¯s more suited as the hero than me. Also, it was obvious that a beauty like her would be more popr than a random looking guy like me. [You really like bullying.] ¡°I know.¡± Snickering, I ate the smoked Orc meat and vegetables prepared as the side dish. Fumu, this really goes along well with it. While enjoying the taste of the smoke meat with my Ale, I satisfied my appetite. [What will you do know?] ¡°Let¡¯s see, I haven¡¯t thought yet.¡± [¡­¡­¡­¡­] As I said as if didn¡¯t concern me, an amazed sigh came. No, it really must have been too amazed. But¡ª¨C ¡°I want to meet someone, without everyone noticing me.¡± By everyone I mean my formerrades. And by someone, also I mean my formerrades. On my contradictory words, Ermenhilde gave a sigh again. [¡­¡­the Demon God, eh?] ¡°I wonder about that.¡± But, for some reason, a feeling of certainty is there in my heart. The fact that 3 of the covenants of Ermenhilde were released. If three of them had been released there, they can only be: to protect someone¡ªMiss Francesca, my own will to fight. And thest can only be ¨C In a fight against the Demon god. I can¡¯t think of any else. And it did in fact use the Demon God¡¯s mes. That me was too special for a just a new species of an Orc to be able to use. If such Orcs start appearing unreservedly, it¡¯ll be nothing less than a nightmare. Well, in the end it was just a mere Orc though. Monsters that could use magic existed like flies in the demon continent Abenelm. ¡°Um¡­¡­.¡± While I was thinking such things, Miss Francesca returned with a tired expression. Maybe she was made to drink alcohol by the vige chief and the men, her face was slightly red. As I looked towards the bonfire, couples, lovers and families were enjoying the feast together. ¡°nn, oh well done.¡±(renji) ¡°No, not that¡­..or rather, shouldn¡¯t it be Renji-sama that¡ª¡° ¡°Those kinds of things don¡¯t suit me.¡± I shrugged my shoulders. I know what she wants to say but I¡¯ll deny her in her still. ¡°Also, rather than an old man like me, a beauty would be more popr.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.I don¡¯t really think so though. It was Renji-sama that defeated that ck Orc after all.¡± Averting her gaze, but with a smile, she said so. Probably, she reacted to the word ¡®beauty¡¯ I think. How innocent. [Even though you realize that you still say such things, you really are the worst¡­¡­.] ¡°And you¡¯re bitter as usual as well.¡± Replying that, I sipped my Ale. ¡°Ahem. Rather than that, Renji-sama¡ª¡° ¡°No, can you stop with that ¡®Renji-sama¡¯?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡­it will be too rude of me.¡± ¡°No in fact, making a noble talk like that is rude of me I think.¡± Well, I don¡¯t really treat nobles in the proper manner anyway either though. After all I¡¯m drinking Ale in front of a noble like normal. When you talk about manners, it should be more of that kneeling on one knee and stuff like that. While looking at the stiffened Miss Francesca, I wondered about what I should do. It has been like this all the time afterpleting the subjugation of those Orcs. I am supposed to be just a normal adventurer. And it would look weird if the hero of this vige stayed so humble towards me like that. And I also want myself to be treated as a normal adventurer. I doubt it¡¯d be that easy though. Well, I have somewhat gotten used to such things after being summoned as a God yer to this world. I didn¡¯t want to get used to it but, everyone around me started bowing their heads around me. Living like that for 2 years straight, one would get used to it even if it¡¯s irritating. It really was ufortable to see a 40 year old knightmander bowing respectfully to a 15 year old boy. Even the boy himself was flustered about what to do. (T/N: note that he¡¯s not talking about himself here.) ¡°Well, with this my contract with Miss Francesca is also over. I am praying for you to sessfully pass your test.¡±(renji) Thanks to the reward I received from Miss Francesca and this Orc subjugation, my wallet is warm. I wonder where should I go next. There¡¯s Utano-san and Kuuki-kun in the royal capital. Also Toudou. Able to use all kinds of magic and also fast in thinking. The [Sage], Utano Yuuko, on whom everyone depended during our journey. She¡¯s also the same age as me. Kuuki Yuta, who is currently enrolled in the knights squadron if I recall correctly. He should be 20 this year I think. And, the cook Toudou Hiiragi who has apparently opened up a restaurant in the royal capital. He¡¯s 2 years younger than me at 26. Everyone else is also at other big cities I think. I¡¯m not sure of their exact locations though. If I have to talk about the Demon God, then, let¡¯s go to Toudou. In his restaurant, we can talk while eating his delicious meals which I haven¡¯t eaten in a long time. That might be good. My wallet¡¯s in good condition right now as well. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± While I was thinking that, Miss Francesca was looking at me with a troubled smile. ¡°Wanna sit?¡±(renji) ¡°Then excuse me.¡±(fran) Even though there¡¯s such a beauty in front of me, it¡¯s rude of me to be thinking of other things I guess. Since she seemed to be holding a fruit juice in her cup, a smellpletely different from Ale came to my nose. Wait, she didn¡¯t drink alcohol at all? ¡°What will you be doing from here onwards?¡±(Fran) ¡°nn?¡± While I was regretting the fact that I didn¡¯t take her to a bar even once, she asked me that. By here onwards, she means after parting with her? Even if drunk, I can still understand that much. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of going to the royal capital. That or¡­¡­¡­maybe take some other request in some vige.¡± Well, I have things to do but my destination isn¡¯t set yet. For the time being, I simply want to go eat Toudou¡¯s cooking. ¡°Then, will you escort me till the Magic City?¡±(fran) ¡°No, won¡¯t you be fine with a carriage? I won¡¯t take a carriage you know? Too costly for me.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­I see¡­.¡± [Even she¡¯s amazed.] Shaddup. Just because my wallet¡¯s a bit filled right now doesn¡¯t mean I can start spending on such luxuries. My reward this time was 1 gold coin from Miss Francesca. Also, 4 gold coins for the 13 Orcs. This will be divided between me and Miss Francesca equally. (T/N: Reminder that in this world Silver>gold>copper.) And also, almost every part of the Orc is eatable. Its intestines can be made into sausages and if sold to a merchant as dried meat or smoke meat, 1 Orc could get you 50 coppers, if prepared well, sometimes even 1 gold can be made. And there were 13 of them. The vigers were super happy to have gotten such a stock. It could be sold for money and could also be used as preserved food for winters. Thus, currently I had 3 gold coins in my wallet and also the change remaining from the 1 gold I had received as advance from Miss Francesca. I¡¯ll be able to live a rxed life for some time. ¡°Well, I doubt we¡¯ll get any carriages here though.¡± It seems this vige doesn¡¯t really interact with other viges. It¡¯s not that remote of a ce so it must be because they don¡¯t have any specialties here. If they were ake/sea, they¡¯ll have fishes, the vige I was in before had medicinal herbs and Alcohol. This vige also has alcohol but they don¡¯t have enough to be sold as a special product. And so merchants don¡¯te to such viges. They don¡¯t earn much here after all. They have nothing much to sell means that they don¡¯t have any stock either. They do have Orc meat now but this is only a one-time thing. Let¡¯s hope that they¡¯re able to sell that meat for as high price as possible. ¡°Yes. Also, they don¡¯t know when a merchant will pass through either¡­..¡±(fran) ¡°Well, that¡¯s troublesome.¡±(renji) Though she was able to face the Orcs, I¡¯m still anxious to let Miss Francesca travel on foot alone. Our contract isplete but our rtionship isn¡¯t that of strangers either. I¡¯ll have nightmares if she died alone on the way. ¡°It¡¯ll take at least one week on foot to reach the Magic City, eh?¡±(renji) Saying that, I looked towards her. Somehow she seemed to making an amazingly happy face so I ended up looking away again. That was embarrassing. Young ones really have so much energy. While thinking that, I diverted my thoughts. ¡°I¡¯ll get a reward right?¡±(renji) ¡°Of course!¡±(fran) [You sure don¡¯t forget about that, huh?] ¡°Obviously.¡±(renji) As I flicked the medal, Miss Francesca was covering her mouth with her hand andughing. She can¡¯t hear Ermenhilde but she must have realized who I was talking to. I did exin that to her just in case so at least I won¡¯t be treated as a lunatic who talks to a medal. ¡°You get along well, right?¡±(fran) ¡°Not really.¡±(renji) [¡­¡­¡­] Now it was sulking. That part of Ermenhilde is really cute I think. ¡°I¡¯m envious.¡±(fran) It looks fun to her. Also, since Miss Francesca still hasn¡¯t gotten used to travelling, it might take 10 days to the Magic City. Considering what she said, even with 10 days we should still have enough time for her test. I think, she still has 2 weeks. Well, if we find a carriage in between, it¡¯ll be even faster though. If that happens, I¡¯ll also get relieved earlier. Magic City is full of nobles after all, there might be a few who know me there. If possible, I don¡¯t want to get close to that ce. It might be fine to separate after getting her close to the city as well. While I was calcting such things inside my head, I sipped my Ale. ¡°If possible I¡¯d prefer if it stopped the continuous scolding you know¡­¡­¡±(Renji) [If you lived normally and systematically, I won¡¯t say a thing.] Is that so? If I start living like a normal person, then you¡¯ll start asking me to live like a hero next. As I took another gulp of the Ale¡­¡­the wooden cup was empty. I sighed. ¡°There are God yers even in the school I go to, you see.¡±(fran) ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± [Well isn¡¯t that great. You¡¯ll achieve you¡¯re objective even without going to the royal capital.] No no, it might not be that good. Just when I was thinking what to do about my empty Ale, Miss Francesca gave me another cup. She really is a sensible child. ¡°Thanks¡­¡­¡­is that so?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes. Souichi-sama and Yayoi-sama. Also Aya-sama. Those three.¡± [Those brother and sister and your disciple eh?] ¡°It wasn¡¯t something that exaggerated. Or rather, those guys are far more stronger than me¡­¡­¡± I wonder how can such a person be my disciple? In fact, in terms of ability, won¡¯t I be the disciple? I¡¯ll only be a useless disciple since I can¡¯t even use magic though. [Is that so? I remember her running around you saying Renji-san~ Renji-san~ back then though.] ¡°It was a long time ago.¡±(renji) That doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯ll be the same even till now. In fact there¡¯s a high chance that they¡¯d re at me with cold gaze and ask where I was and what I was doing after leaving them like that. On imagining that, I felt a bit scared. If I was talked to like that by them who I think of like my younger brother and sister, even I won¡¯t be able to recover from the shock. I started feeling depressed just thinking about it. Or rather, those three are together in the Magic Academy eh? They should be around 18 right now. It¡¯s an age perfect for going to school I guess. But even then, while travelling around the world, defeating monsters, fighting the demon lord, killing the Demon God, they were only 15,16 years old¡­¡­ ¡°I¡¯m amazed they didn¡¯t be delinquents.¡±(renji) [That¡¯s true.] We two¡­¡­well, me and an item, recalled such old memories. While we did that, Miss Francesca tilted her head confused since she couldn¡¯t hear Ermenhilde. I guess from the side I must really look weird. ¡°Shall we call it a day?¡±(renji) ¡°Already?¡±(fran) ¡°I¡¯m tired after all.¡± Saying that, I shrugged my shoulders. ¡°I worked enough for half a year.¡±(renji) [Work more!] If I feel like it. Whispering that, I stood up. ¡°Miss Francesca also, we¡¯ll leave the vige tomorrow so go to sleep if you¡¯re tired.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes, I understand.¡±(fran) As I looked up, the red waning moon could be seen. While hearing the voices of the vigers, I began to walk. [¡­¡­.you won¡¯t let her hear my voice yet?] ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure how much I should trust her.¡± I do trust her well. As a person that is. But, I don¡¯t know the circumstances of the noble called Francesca Barton yet. It¡¯s normal for something unexpected to happen during monster subjugation. But even then, is it really not weird for schools to let students gamble with their lives like this in this world? I haven¡¯t heard anything like this but¡­¡­..in the first ce, I¡¯m not sure how schools are like in this world. ¡°I really don¡¯t want any more trouble.¡± [Then you should have just abandoned her.] ¡°haah¡­..you say that as if it¡¯s so easy.¡± [I have a slight understanding of what kind of human Renji is after all.] Stop it, it¡¯s embarrassing. I flicked the medal with a *ping*. ¡°Well, in any case, it¡¯s only till the Magic City.¡± Tails. I sighed, once again. [Even though you hate trouble you can¡¯t abandon even strangers. That¡¯s why, Renji is a Hero.] I have no intention to be one though. ¡°I¡¯m not a Hero. That¡¯s why, I want to live peacefully in a rural vige.¡± To be able to fight only when someone gets into danger. A Hero like that doesn¡¯t exist. Chapter Interlude 2 Interlude 2 The Academy Life of the Brave (Souichi (Brave) POV) Albana Magic Academy. It is the oldest academy with a honourable origin. Publically, that is. True, it is honourable and is definitely the oldest academy in the Magic City as well. Every student that goes there either possesses a high status or is highly talented in magic. But, that doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that all of those students possess a proper personality as well. After all, they are boys and girls in their teens. Even if they know what¡¯s right or wrong, they lose to their own curiosity. They want to indulge in dangerous things, hating boredom, they seek for thrill. And even when they know that it¡¯s bad and dangerous, they still end up doing it. ¡°So?¡± ¡°It really was troublesome, you know? The demon inside the grimoire sealed in the magic room was really strong.¡± ¡°fuun¡± A blue robe worn over a white blouse. One could tell at a single nce that the robe that had gold embroidery was a high ss item. The fabric also looked excellent. I don¡¯t really know but apparently it had been created with a fabric which is very popr with the girls, and both Aya and Yayoi were very happy with it when we first came here. A knee long skirt of the same colour as the robe and underneath it were ck stockings. That was the uniform of the Albana Magic Academy. It is considered as a somewhat obvious fact in this academy that girls don¡¯t show of much of their skin. The uniform remains the same, just with thinner fabric, even in summers so apparently it¡¯s really hot though. My childhood friend wearing that uniform was informing me about the incident that happened in the magic roomst week while puffing her non-existent chest proudly. I¡¯ll get beaten to death if I said that so I won¡¯t though. I have be mature. The mouth is the source of cmity. ¡°Well done, I guess.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.you¡¯re really speaking in a tone as if doesn¡¯t really concern you, you know?¡± ¡°After all it¡¯s a demon that could be sealed inside a Grimoire right? Something like that won¡¯t even be a proper enemy for Aya.¡± The fact it had been sealed inside a grimoire means that most of that demon¡¯s magical power had been sealed inside the book. Even if the seal was released, all the magical energy won¡¯t return back to its body instantly. Then, Aya, who fought on par with the Demon Lord won¡¯t even have any problems in defeating it. Her neat ck hair that had been tied to the left side as side ponytail slightly swayed. Big, cat-like eyes. They were also ck. It¡¯s a bit rare in this other world but she looks like a typical Japanese. Simrly, myself as well as my aforementioned sister, Yayoi, also have the same colour of hair and eyes. ¡°So you sneaked into the Magic Room andid your hands on the sealed grimoire. As usual, I¡¯m envious of your stimting, thrill-filled lifestyle.¡±(Souichi) Saying that, I turned towards the notes spread in front of me on the desk. As for me, I could only worry for the test in the next ss. I looked towards her with a gaze asking her to let me study. ¡°Souichi, you still suck at studies eh?¡±(Aya) ¡°Aya, you¡¯re just too intelligent.¡±(souichi) I had difficulty just getting used to the letters of this world, and at the same time, this childhood friend of mine in front of me could easily read evenplex grimoires. This must be the difference between a genius and a normal person, I couldn¡¯t help but think like that. I may have been praised as the Brave and whatnot but inside I¡¯m still a normal person. I specialise in fighting but suck at studying. Even the Brave is a normal human. ¡°Is that so?¡±(aya) ¡°After all, Aya, you can even read those earthworm like letters of those magic writings. When did you even learn something like that?¡± ¡°Yuuko-san taught me during our journey.¡± On hearing that, I feel that maybe I should have also learnt something like that as well during our journey. Not just how to swing the sword. Well, it¡¯s toote now though. As I sighed, Ayaughed at me. With just that, the whole ss focused on Aya. Aya is cute, or so I¡¯m told. I don¡¯t really understand though. She¡¯s popr with the guys of the ss and some even confessed to her. Even though she sinks them everytime. Aya, already has a guy she likes after all. By the way, my younger sister Yayoi who is in the ss one year below ours, also gets confessed to a lot. And apparently, a condition that first they have to go through me before that has been set apparently. Yayoi said that when she got confessed and got me needlessly involved in the chaos. ¡­¡­.Even though I¡¯m not, why the hell do I have to act like I¡¯m some over-protective elder brother? ¡°I did say that, didn¡¯t I? To read books every time we stopped at inns?¡±(aya) ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±(souichi) Saying that, I dropped my shoulders. ¡°By the way, do you know? A letter came from Yuuko-san yesterday.¡±(aya) ¡°Huh? For what?¡± Just when I was going to finally start reading the notes again, Aya started talking again. Does she not have a single friend? I shouldn¡¯t say that out loud. ¡°Renji-san is near this city apparently.¡± ¡°Eh? This is the first I¡¯m hearing of such a thing!?¡± I raised my voice due to the sudden amazing news. Everyone¡¯s gazes focused on me, in a different meaning than Aya¡¯s, and I cleared my though and calmed myself down. Renji-niichan. During our journey to kill the Demon God, he is a man who travelled with us. The oldest among us all and who was always gentle with us. Even though he waszy, he was amazingly strong. A person who always took the coolest parts. He¡¯s also someone we admire greatly. No matter how painful the situation was, he always walked in front of us. We travelled while chasing his back. ¡­¡­¡­.he got us lost sometimes though. When I was in pain, or tired due to the journey, when I lost someone close to me, he was the one thatforted me. He always stayed by me. ¡­¡­¡­.he taught some weird things to cheer me up though. Peeping, or guiding me through the night city, etc. After that, we were scolded a lot by Yuuko-san though. Even though we concealed ourselves, how did those guys know about it? I still don¡¯t know the reason. Well, I¡¯ll think about such nostalgic thingster. ¡°Was Renji-niichan found?¡±(souichi) ¡°Yeah. It seems he epted a request in a vige near the Magic City.¡±(aya) ¡°Ah, so he really is working as an adventurer.¡± ¡°So it seems. He seems to be helping people as always, I guess.¡± Saying that, Ayaughed happily and somewhat proudly. Why the heck is Aya acting so proud? I shouldn¡¯t say that out loud either. ¡°Before that, he had been exterminating an Ogre in the south right?¡±(souichi) ¡°That was 3 months ago. This time, he had been exterminating Orc that seem to have gathered. I think there were 15 of them.¡±(aya) ¡°haaa¡­¡­..As usual eh? Renji-niichan.¡± ¡°fufun.¡± While I was surprised, Aya puffed up her chest proudly again. No, you aren¡¯t the amazing one, Aya. Heh, I smiled wryly while looking at her face. For Aya, Renji-niichan is special. Since we¡¯re childhood friends, I know since I have been the closest to her. Aya had been always chasing after Renji-niichan¡¯s back. She always went to talk to him on her own. ¡°Also, he sold his Mithril sword to a vige that was having money problems as well. It has be quite a big topic at the Royal Castle, it seems.¡±(aya) ¡°¡­¡­..as usual, the things he does is¡­¡­..¡± He always stays one step ahead of our expectations. I think, there are only 13 of those Mithril Swords in the whole world that we possess. Well, it¡¯s quality is obviously lesser than Er-san but I doubt its something that can be sold dirt cheap. Even a single sword can buy a whole mansion easily. To sell it to a vige having money problems eh?¡­¡­¡­I gave a sigh. Well, obviously it¡¯ll be a huge topic. I hope the King isn¡¯t angry. Though Yuuko-san would be definitely angry, I think. ¡°I think he stayed for about a month in that vige.¡±(aya) ¡°After that, he went for the Orc subjugation?¡±(souichi) ¡°Yeah.¡± He really lives freely, as usual. That is very Renji-niichan-like though. ¡°That¡¯s good right? Renji-san is safe.¡±(souichi) ¡°Don¡¯t say such ominous things, idiot!¡±(aya) I was scolded. Why? Before I could even think that, my head was hit. It was lightly but it still hurts. And once again the gazes of the ss focused towards us. Leave me out of this. ¡°Renji-san won¡¯t die that easily. Mou, saying such unlucky things¡­¡­¡±(aya) She started grumbling now. Well, I think the same way though. But I did get worried since his whereabouts went missing about three months ago. I felt relieved knowing that he¡¯s fine. Aya is the same. Her expression feels much softer than usual. She had been sighing a lot recently so I¡¯m happy as well. ¡°I don¡¯t really get it but sorry.¡±(souichi) ¡°Don¡¯t apologise if you don¡¯t even know the reason!¡±(aya) I was hit again. Why?? Getting hit two times is unreasonable so I looked towards her only to get red at. I averted my gaze. For some reason, I can¡¯t win against Aya. It has been like that since we were children. I ended up sighing towards such a me. When I did that¡ª¨C ¡°Don¡¯t be so weakly!¡±(aya) I was scolded again. In the end, I couldn¡¯t study at all for the test. I could only sigh¡­¡­..haah. . . . After the test was over, I left the ss. It was so-so. In the end, I think I was able to do well. Even though the lesson ended just now, barely any students could be seen. Aya should be with her friends. Yayoi as well. I, for some reason, felt like eating alone. ¡°Time for lunch~ lunch~¡±(souichi) As I moved towards the cafeteria, I felt my lips cken a bit. I must have be happy due to what Aya told me. Renji-niichan. Though I believed that he was fine, it still is a relief to hear it properly. I think it should be the same for Aya as well. Among all of us, Renji-niichan was the one who was the most fixated on [Killing the God]. When asking for the cheat from the Goddess, we wished for fighting power and other convenient powers. But even then, only Renji-niichan asked for a power solely to defeat the Demon God. The [God ying Weapon] Ermenhilde¡ª¨CEr-san. It was a weapon which was like a very normal weapon against anyone except the Demon God. This made Yuuko-san and Hiiragi-san feel very sad at first. Though it could talk and was a funny person. Well, not a person but a medal. In reality, Renji-niichan was only slightly stronger than an average human in fights except when fighting against the Demon God or his descendants. All of us knew that. But even though we knew that, we ended up depending on Renji-niichan. In a fight, I was stronger, I could defeat more monsters. But, the one who defeated the Demon Lord was Renji-nhan and it was also Renji-nhan that dealt the final blow to the Demon God as well. Everytime we were cornered, Renji-niichan was the first one to stand at the very front. Everytime we wished for someone to save us, Renji-niichan was the first one to run to help us. ¡°I hope Renji-niichan¡¯s is healthy and safe.¡±(souichi) Though the journey was harsh, it was fun because everyone was together. This world is a different world and we could trust the 13 of summoned together the most. There are many who are good towards us or get along with us but I guess you can still trust the ones from your own world the most. That¡¯s why I want to be with Renji-niichan. I want to talk to him. I call him nii-chan but he feels more like a father to me. That¡¯s why, I want to meet him and be with him. My reason is obviously different than Aya or Yuuko-san but I want to meet Renji-san as well. But Renji-niichan is going around viges resolving troublesome things. With Er-san on his side, I could imagine him defeating groups of Ogres and Goblins which can¡¯t be matched by normal adventurers. I think it really suits him. It¡¯s not like the Holy Sword that I received from the Goddess. A weapon only to kill the Demon God. That beautiful jewel-like weapon. A weapon not to protect someone, but to simply to kill Gods. And the person who wished to save and protect people with that weapon. That back, we kept chasing after it forever. And finally, we stand here, where we are now. That¡¯s why¡ª- ¡°I really want to see him again.¡± Taking out a copper coin from my pocket, I flicked it with *ping* sound. The coin didn¡¯t rotate properly and I panicked to catch it so that I don¡¯t drop it. Renji-niichan¡¯s habit. Since he always flicked Er-san like that, I tried to mimic him. But, I can¡¯t do it well. Aya alwaysughs at me for it. That it doesn¡¯t suit me. But, I¡¯m not Renji-niichan, neither do I want to be like him. That¡¯s why I only try to mimic him. So that I can persevere and do my best like him. So that I can move forward and be a man on whom people can rely on. I am called a Brave, and possess the Holy Sword of the Goddess but that¡¯s it. The Goddess pleaded all of us to save this world but the one that Goddess holds the dearest is Renji-niichan. That Goddess should be looking over Renji-niichan all the time. That¡¯s why I want to meet him as well. If we can meet him, Aya would also be definitely happy. Both me and Yayoi would be happy as well but Aya would be much more delighted. ¡°I wonder if he¡¯lle and watch thebatpetition in Royal Capital.¡± In 2 months time, a once in a year giant festival shall take ce in the royal capital. The test topete in that will also end soon. I will also take part. Or rather, I was requested to take part in it. ¡ª¡ªI wonder if Renji-niichan would also take part. I guess not, I smiled wryly. He hates standing out after all. But, I¡¯m looking forward to it slightly. 5 people will take part from this magic academy. Me and Aya, the rest of the 3 are yet to be decided. That¡¯s because not every student has returned as of yet. Actually only one is remaining. A senpai who¡¯ste so it¡¯s be a bit of a topic. Francesca Barton senpai. I have seen her once, she¡¯s a really amazing beauty. Will she return, or will the exam period end earlier? 2 days remain till the end of the examination period. Chapter 12 Hero and the City of Magicians Chapter 12 Hero and the City of Magicians As we walked leisurely on the highway, the outer walls of the magic city finally became visible. Finally feeling rxed, the girl walking behind me exhaled deeply. [Finally, we¡¯re here eh?] ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that. She¡¯s also trying her best.¡± The travellersing from the Magic city looked at me dubiously as I talked to myself. But soon their gazes would turn towards Miss Francesca walking behind me. ¡°Are you fine?¡±(traveller) ¡°Eh, yes, I¡¯m fine. Thank you for worrying about me.¡±(fran) I doubt they were acquaintances yet they were worrying for her. It took 10 days to get here. Sleeping outdoors at nights and walking all the time during the day. We did get to stop at inns twice during the journey but the fatigue won¡¯t disappear just by sleeping on afy bed once. Her stamina should be at her limits already. She¡¯s still walking somehow but her legs are slow. While talking with the passing by travellers, she¡¯d take a rest by stopping her legs. [You could have at least carried her luggage for her.] Don¡¯t say that. I lightly struck Ermenhilde inside my pocket. If she¡¯s an adventurer, she¡¯ll have to learn to handle her own things. After the travellers went away, Miss Francesca also began to walk again. ¡°Just a little bit more. Stay strong.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes.¡± Saying that, I also began to walk. This girl is also very patient. During the 10 days we walked from that vige to the Magic City, she didn¡¯tin even once. Her pace started getting slower and slower day by day but she didn¡¯t say anything like ¡®take my luggage¡¯ or ¡®let¡¯s take a rest¡¯ even once. At times her smile seemed to get clouded and sometimes distorted due to pain but that only made her look more favourable. ¡°Was the journey hard?¡±(renji) Lining alongside her who was walking shakily, I asked. Maybe she didn¡¯t expect me talk to her, she looked at me with a hazy expression. Her that stuck to her forehead due to sweat only made her look strangely erotic. Am I also tired from the long journey? I shrugged my shoulders. ¡°This is the first time ever you¡¯ve walked this much, right?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes. It is the first time.¡±(fran) But for some reason, sheughed happily. Understanding her reason somewhat, I also became slightly happy. Journeying with an objective. Completing that objective. You start to feel the connection between people. You start to greet random travellers, adventurers while walking. That¡¯s something which has faded away in the modern world that¡¯s why I love travelling in this different world which makes me feel like that. Maybe, Miss Francesca also began to like journeying for the same reason. Thinking that, I also became happy. I guess, I¡¯m also still young. [You sure are getting along¡­¡­..] ¡°Is that so?¡±(renji) It seems Ermenhilde-san¡¯s mood isn¡¯t very good for some reason. It¡¯s probably sulking because I¡¯m talking to Miss Francesca. Since it happens sometimes, I decided to leave it be. If I was alone with no one around it¡¯d be fine but this is the highway near the Magic City and Miss Francesca was right beside me. There were a lot of people around. If I talked happily to a medal here, I¡¯ll only be seen as a retard. No, I might be treated as some dangerous individual as well. ¡°Well, as long as you gained some good memories, it¡¯s fine.¡±(Renji) ¡°Yes!¡±(fran) She looked at me with a wide smile this time. That expression is really not fair. For a beauty like her to look at me with that kind of smile, I really think she¡¯s too defenceless. It¡¯s not an expression you show to a man you started travelling recently. There¡¯ll definitely be misunderstandings. Getting a bit embarrassed, I shifted my gaze towards the Magic City in front of me. Magic City Oufan. As it name suggests, it¡¯s a city filled with magicians who pursue magic, magic items and other simr techniques. It¡¯s one of the 4 major cities on the Imnesia continent. Surrounded by huge walls, one would have to pass through one of the 4 gates under constant surveince by soldiers in order to get in and out of the city. To the east from here is the Royal Capital and further east of that is the Tactics City. To the north of the Royal Capital is the Commercial Sciences City and to the south is the Steelworks City. The Imnesia continent was made by the Roayl Capital in the centre, the 4 major cities in each direction and further branching countless viges. Around the Commercial Sciences City, not just viges, but several well developed towns are also located. I haven¡¯t gone that side much though so I¡¯m not very clear about it. ¡°I had always admired what is called as a ¡®journey¡¯.¡±(fran) ¡°It¡¯s prettymon among nobles.¡±(renji) [That¡¯s true. Nobles wanting to be adventurers are filled with so much admiration and aspirations that it gets troublesome.] I was not going to say that much though. I ended up smiling wryly. We crossed many noble adventurers but they were all people who didn¡¯t understand anything about being an adventurer. Even though they were in the protection of their parents till now, they suddenly begin to travel the world without anything to try and make a living. Well, without any aspirations, no one would try to be an adventurer either though, I think. We were also the same. After getting summoned to this world, being made to fight something like a Demon God, but somewhere inside, we were still kind of happy. A different world where we knew nothing. In the fights with monsters, even the quality of food was several levels below the current society. At that time, it¡¯s amazing we actually epted something so dangerous like subjugating the Demon God. Even if it was this world¡¯s goddess that asked us of it. In that sense, the nobles who knew of this world better than us could be considered to have be adventurers with a much better reason. There are those who be adventurers simply because they won¡¯t be seeding their house as well. ¡°The world of adventurers is one where you won¡¯t move forward with just admiration alone.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes. I have learnt that perfectly well in the past 1 month.¡±(fran) Saying that, Miss Francesca shrugged her shoulders while fixing her posture and luggage. Seeing her actions that had be more adventurer-like than before, Iughed slightly. ¡°But still, I really had fun. In this adventure.¡±(Fran) ¡°haha¡ª-Something like this is still faraway from an actual adventure.¡±(renji) This girl had only seen a remote rural area. Attacked by goblins, subjugating Orcs, and had simply walked back to the Magic academy. That¡¯s still nowhere near an actual adventure. Elfreim, where the demi-humans live. Abenelm, where the demons live. Elves, dwarves, beastmen, fairies, spirits and many other races. Demons and the Demon Lord and giant and strong monsters that don¡¯t live on this continent. Golems as big as small mountains, demonic beasts. Serpents and krakens that can sink ships. Griffons and Dragons that rule the skies. And¡ª-the Demon God. ¡°An adventure is to risk life and death.¡±(renji) ¡°fufu¡ª-I had my hands full with just goblins though.¡±(fran) ¡°Well, that¡¯s true.¡±(renji) Normally, it is like that. A single goblin would be a threat for a viger. That¡¯s how dangerous this world is. But I think, exactly because it is such a world, the bonds between people are strong and every day you feel truly alive and even walking like this while journeying seems so much fun. Passing through strangers on the highway. Since the poption of this world is not very high, you don¡¯t meet too many people either. In a ce like Tokyo, nobody can imagine how many hundreds of people pass through you in a matter of seconds. But even though there are so many people, how many of them would actually greet you? Calling a random stranger, how many would reply with a smile rather than a suspicious gaze? Cars, trains, airnes. They¡¯re convenient but we know how the world turns out due to pursuing too much convenience. And, exactly because this world isn¡¯t that convenient, the bonds between people are this strong. This world feels much warmer exactly because of that. Maybe that¡¯s why¡ª¡ª-we chose this world. It¡¯s not convenient. There¡¯s no inte nor any telephones. It hurts when you get injured and you could die just because of slight negligence. Even then, this world felt fascinating. Even though the danger to life was always by our side, still we thought of this world as much better. ¡°If it¡¯s Miss Francesca, goblins would soon be of no threat to you.¡±(renji) ¡°Is that so?¡±(fran) ¡°Probably.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.you¡¯re supposed to say ¡®absolutely¡¯ or any other such word there¡­¡­¡­¡± I looked away from Miss Francesca who was grumbling and looked to the front. The gate to the city was in front of us. There was an inspection for entering and about 10 people were standing and waiting for their turn toe. Everyone had to pass through it. Well, we shouldn¡¯t have any problem. Joining the line, I sighed. ¡°With this, we¡¯ll finally be done eh?¡±(renji) ¡°Sorry for all the trouble.¡±(fran) Even though she had been tired till now, she¡¯sughing energetically now. Our destination¡ª¨Cor rather, she must have felt rxed to have reached the ce where she lives. ¡°Well, it is my job after all.¡±(renji) [You¡¯re not being honest.] Saying that, I shrugged my shoulders. ¡°Job, is it?¡­¡­..¡±(fran) Ermenhilde¡¯s fed up voice and Miss Francesca¡¯s slightly sad voice. But, I had no other way to describe it. Job, request. All that¡¯s left is to get my reward. I don¡¯t hate nobles but I don¡¯t really want to get involved with them either. I simply want to leisurely live as an adventurer in this world. For now, at least. I don¡¯t want to involve myself in troublesome things. That¡¯s why¡ª¨C ¡°Yes, job. Well, I had fun with my job since the other party was a beauty though.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­.¡­Mouu¡± Miss Francesca blushed at being called a beauty. She really is cute. [You¡¯re making a sloppy face.] ¡°Well, I was born with it.¡± As I sighed, I lightly hit Ermenhilde inside my pocket with my finger. Seriously¡­¡­my partner is such a smooth-talker. . . . The Magic City had changed quite a bit since the time Ist visited. We had stopped quite a bit of times during our journey to subjugate the Demon God but at that time the city felt less energetic and also had less people, I think. Also, there were lesser demi-humans and beastmen back then as well. But now, the main street was filled with lots of people, the stores and stalls were lively, and there were many different species other than humans walking down the street as well. Unlike a rural vige, I felt overwhelmed from the lines of stone-made houses and buildings along the streets. ¡­¡­¡­I must have gotten a bit too used to the atmosphere of a vige. And, the ones walking on the street were Elves, famous for hating humans. Fairies, with a total size of about 10cm. Beastmen, whose some part of the body was simr to some animal. After the Demon God had been killed, the differences between the various races had also been resolved somewhat. Also, the threat to this world¡ª¨Cthe threat of monsters had not been removed either as of yet. With the subjugation of the Demon God as a chance, they must have begun topromise with each other slowly. I slightly felt regret the fact that for the past half-year, I had been moving around only rural viges. ¡­¡­.but, there are many beastmen in a human city. And they¡¯reughing. Walking alongside humans. To be able to see this scene, I feel that there really was a meaning behind our journey. Iughed that it wasn¡¯t useless. ¡°In the time I didn¡¯t visit, it really has changed.¡±(renji) [You¡¯re talking like a country bumpkin now.] ¡°Well, I did spend most of the time in viges recently.¡± Saying that, I shrugged my shoulders. But, leaving aside beastmen, for even elves and fairies to be here, I¡¯m surprised. As I looked around the surroundings, I really did lookpletely like a country bumpkin. I couldn¡¯t refute that fact no matter what. Even my clothes matched that. As the surrounding gazes focused on me for a second, I became embarrassed and stopped surveying everything. ¡°I¡¯ll return to Albana Magic Academy for now but what will Renji-sama do?¡±(fran) ¡°nn¡­¡­.for the time being, I¡¯ll just find a random inn and rest, I guess?¡±(renji) While looking at the crowd, I replied so. Well I dide all the way to Magic Academy after all, it¡¯ll be a waste to leave already. My wallet is filled as well. It won¡¯t be bad to think of the next journey while eating delicious meal with alcohol. Also, I need to talk about the ck Orc as well. Though I don¡¯t want to bring too much trouble for Souichi and other who arefortably living as students either. I did have such adult-like or rather, guardian-like thinking as well for once. In the worst case, it¡¯ll end up with asking them for help but I do want children to live as children. It¡¯s an adults job to take care of troublesome things¡­¡­¡­..even if it ends in failure. While thinking that, I guess I really have to show up at the Royal Capital. Utano-san¡­¡­.is like ¡®that¡¯ so I should at least meet Toudou for once. I also need to think about the journey as well¡ª¡ª ¡°Well, I¡¯d be in Oufan for the time being. If anything happens, bring a request to the guild.¡±(renji) For the time being. I won¡¯t stay here very long though. When I said that, her expression suddenly became very bright. ¡°Which inn will you be¡­¡­.¡±(fran) ¡°Well, it¡¯ll be some cheap inn somewhere. As usual.¡±(renji) [I want to sleep on a better bed for once.] The quality of bed doesn¡¯t even matter to you. I don¡¯t know whether you¡¯re a metal or not but you¡¯re still a medal. As I gave tsukkomi inside my mind, I shrugged. My partner medal really acts like a human sometimes. I¡¯m not really the type to fuss about the inn. As long as it¡¯s cheap and can prepare meals, I¡¯m good with it. It¡¯s such a big city, there should be some inn with a bar as well. ¡°Then, we might meet again as well.¡±(fran) ¡°that¡¯s true. Well, if there¡¯s a chance, let¡¯s meet again.¡±(renji) Saying that, we parted. That¡¯s all there was. There were no any lingering attachments. I don¡¯t have a stiff thinking like it was a once-in-a-lifetime encounter or something. I took a job and got my reward. We met, parted and might meet again. Since we¡¯re both in the city, there¡¯s a chance we¡¯d meet again. Even after I leave this city, we might meet again if she continues to live as an adventurer. Like I said before, she might request another job as well. The world is vast but the bonds between people don¡¯t disappear that easily. That¡¯s the kind of world¡ª-this world is. ¡°In the end, nothing happened.¡±(renji) [Don¡¯t you hate trouble? Aren¡¯t you happy?¡±] On hearing that, I could only shrug my shoulders again. ¡°Well, troublesome things don¡¯t happen that easily, I guess?¡± [A trouble would be trouble only if you get involved in it but if you don¡¯t, it¡¯s only someone else¡¯s problem after all.] ¡°That¡¯s true as well.¡± I agree with that. And, I don¡¯t have the hobby of getting close to other people¡¯s problems. It¡¯s a different thing if I¡¯m getting a reward though. For the time being I want to enjoy some luxury while wallet is still fat. [So? Where are we heading?] ¡°A ce which has both inn and a bar.¡± I think I heard a sigh from inside my pocket but it was probably just my imagination. Chapter Interlude 3 Interlude 3 The Girl¡¯s Day (2) What kind of person do you think Renji Yamada is? If you¡¯d ask 10 people, all 10 of them would answer ¨C [A Hero]. The ultimate Hero. Saviour. One of the 13 God yers summoned from another world to save this world. ck haired and ck eyed like all others from the other world, he had an excellent personality and never abandoned those in need. Likes children, and it is said that he looked after all the other heroes that were in their teens when they were summoned. The royalty trusted him a lot, and it was popr belief that it was him that helped strengthen the bonds with the Elfreim continent where a different race lived. There were even rumours that the Priests that were directly gifted by their God, the Spirit God, held feelings more than just trust for him as well. The hero who was entrusted with the [Gift], the Goddess¡¯ sword [Ermenhilde], by the Goddess Astraera. He was skilled with the sword andbat, and above all he was diligent and modest as well. It is said that he trained everyday before their journey started so that he could be as strong as possible. Themander of the 1st Order of Knights of the Imnesia kingdom, the man called as the strongest knight, O¡¯brien and his rival and friend, themander of the 3rd Order of Knights, Cerbelie, both of them had been astonished by his level of diligence and his speed of growth. Even in terms of knowledge, along with the Godyer known as the [Sage] [Witch], Yuuko Utano, he had had read all of the books in the royal castle which was an undeniable fact. Everyone would say that he put in more effort in both training and studies more than normal. There were even those who said that the true Brave one was Renji Yamada and not Souichi Amagi whoter on received the Holy Sword of the Goddess and was called as the [Brave]. He was the one who walked in front of the other 12 God yer, showed them the way, and continued fighting. Refusing to surrender, getting rid of the despair; the bards sing that even the Demon God was afraid of his attitude. In truth, he fought one-on-one with the Demon God that had surpassed human understanding and some say that he even made the Demon God retreat. He did not fear the Demon Lord, he did not fear the Dragon, he was the Hero that crossed swords with the Demon God and finally killed him. Even as a God yer, he received the affection of the Goddess and was the one who received the highest level of Divine Protection from her. With the jade-coloured Divine Sword in his hands, protected by the divine protection of the Goddess, he is the great Hero who saved the world. And, after the Demon God was subjugated¡ª¡ª¨Che hid his whereabouts. Many say that he returned to his old world, or that he is still fighting the armies of the Demons or that he¡¯s now living happily with the goddess. The Royal Family had hid the truth and had not been told to anyone. The bards sung about various endings but the truth was still unknown. The only ones who knew the truth were royal family, some of the nobles, and the remaining 12 God yers¡ª¡ª. . . . It has been three days since I, Francesca Barton, returned to the Albana Magic Academy. My journey with Renji Yamada-sama. He taught me the basics of journeying and even helped me withpleting my task. The journey had onlysted 2 weeks but these 2 weeks were definitely the most shocking time of my life. Hero. One of the 13 summoned from another world to kill the Demon God. The God yers. I still can¡¯t believe how social, and easy to talk to he was. I always thought that he¡¯d be more formal and strict type of person. And also, he was very strong. Let alone Goblins, he wasn¡¯t afraid of even more than 10 Orcs. I still remember his back as he faced them bravely. The moment when Renji-sama killed the Orc that could use magic, he really felt like a hero from the fairy tales. ck mes that seemed like they could burn up even the soul. I, who had been captured by the Orc. And Renji-sama stood in the way of those mes to protect me. In his hands was the jade green Divine sword of the Goddess, [Ermenhilde]. He had obliterated that magic with simply the magical energy being released from him. I had travelled with that Renji-sama and hadpleted my test. ¡­¡­..and there was a slight change in my school life. ¡°Good morning.¡± Giving a greeting, I entered the ssroom. Ancient and honourable school is good and all but the old-fashioned sliding door really makes a loud sound on being opened. Due to that, the ssmates talking in loud voices suddenly focused towards me. ¡°Go, good morning¡­¡­¡± Getting a bit surprised, I gave a greeting once again. My cramped voice¡­¡­.didn¡¯t reallye out properly. My heartbeat grew faster a bit I think. While I wondered if someone would say something, everyone¡¯s gazes soon turned away from me. Breathing a sigh in relief, I entered the ssroom. Some of my close ssmates greeted me and I greeted them back. ¡°Say, Francesca-san.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± As I sat on my seat, one of my close ssmates called to me. Yesterday I hadn¡¯t been able to answer properly due to muscr pains but I have calmed down a bit today. Some parts of my body still hurt here and there but I answered with a smile. ¡°That¡­..the test this time, is it true that you took it along with Yamada-sama?¡± ¡°Eh, ah, yes.¡± The change in the gazes of my ssmates. That change was because of the fact that I had travelled with Renji Yamada-sama, one of Heroes. That topic had soon spread all over the school. I had pleaded the teachers to not reveal it too much because Renji-sama, for some reason, had told me that he didn¡¯t want to stand out too much. ¡­¡­..but it ended up spreading in the end though. Is this my fault? I should not have revealed his name so easily. The details of my test. The subjugation of Orcs. There was no problem there. I did seed. But the number was 10 of them. Along with a new species that could use magic. There was no way that teachers would have believed me. They didn¡¯t say that lying but they persistently asked how I had taken down so many of them. On being asked, I ended up telling them about Renji-sama as well. I had even ended up telling them about Ermenhilde-sama¡­¡­.yeah, this is my fault. I hope this doesn¡¯t turn into a serious matter but my stomach hurts a bit. I owe him for saving me and helping me. I really don¡¯t want to cause any trouble for him¡­¡­..haah. ¡°I was saved by Renji-sama.¡±(fran) ¡°Then that rumour was true?!?¡± ¡°Eh, yes¡­¡­though I don¡¯t know what kind of rumour is going around.¡± The ssmate raised her voice happily. Due to that, once again the gazes of my ssmates focused here. This is embarrassing. Any information about Renji Yamada-sama was scarce. His name, appearance and personality¡ª¡ª¨Cother than that nothing else was known from the past 1 year. No other information about him had appeared. Neither to vigers nor to the nobles. There were rumours that he alone had gone back to his own world, or that he was giving burial to the loves ones he had lost during the journey, or that her was living happily with the Goddess. But in truth, it seems he had simply continued journeying. Any info regarding such a Hero would definitely be a huge topic in the school. I had been saved since I was having muscr pains yesterday but I have been asked the same thing countless times from the morning, even at the dorm. About Renji-sama. His personality, what things he liked, things he hated, what had he been doing till now. In just two weeks, there was no way I¡¯d learn so much about him though. But I couldn¡¯t answer something randomly so I had to tell them truthfully that I knew nothing. It¡¯s really true but¡­¡­one guy even said that I was monopolising the info about Renji-sama. Even though, I myself want to know such things. ¡°He was a sociable guy. During our journey, he took care of me as well after all.¡±(fran) ¡°Isn¡¯t that because Francesca-san is a beauty?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I doubt that¡¯s it though.¡± I had no idea how to reply to that so I could only give a wry smile. It was a fact that during our journey, or while sleeping outdoors, I did feel Renji-sama¡¯s gaze at times. But, he neverid his hands on me, in fact his presence alone made me feel safe. Was that what you¡¯d call a natural virtue or was I simply too softhearted, I don¡¯t know. But remembering him calling me a beauty, my heart beat grew a bit faster. Well, from Renji-sama¡¯s point of view, it was either a joke or he was making fun of me. ¡°Can you tell me more about your journeyter?¡± ¡°Umm¡ª¡ª-¡°(fran) I was at a loss for words but the teacher, a middle-aged woman, came into the ss at a perfect time. ¡°The teacher is here.¡±(fran) ¡°Oh¡­..then, see youter.¡± I didn¡¯t know whether to consider myself lucky or to sigh at the fact that this conversation will continue. For some reason, Renji-sama didn¡¯t like being called and treated as a Hero. Even after subjugating the Orcs, he gave all the credit to me and he himself had been satisfied and happy with just drinking some alcohol. Even though he¡¯s so much more amazing than someone like me, but everytime I said that, he¡¯dugh and say that it wasn¡¯t like that. I think he¡¯s just being modest. He doesn¡¯t boast at all and was always worried for me instead. And, even I¡¯m not an idiot. I may be ignorant of worldly matters but it¡¯s not like I know nothing at all. 14 Orcs. The expense incurred in killing them is not a few a gold coins. One-by-one might not be that difficult but for facing more than 10 Orcs at the same time, there was a need for the Knight Orders to take action. The expenses for that won¡¯t ever be just a few gold coins. There¡¯s a chance that the reward alone would be in silver coins. But even then, Renji-sama only asked for 4 gold coins total. Even selling those Orcs would have gotten him double that amount. I¡¯m sure he probably realized that the vigers won¡¯t be able to pay him that much but still, the amount he asked for was especially less. And, half of it had been given to me who was basically useless. He even taught me how to fight and how to use my magic. Let alone being of use to him, I had ended up getting caught due to lowering my guard, but still I had received half of the reward. It was my first ie that I earned as an adventurer, that too along with the Hero Renji-sama. Those two gold coins have be my treasure now. It¡¯s really precious to me. The Academy had apologised for not being able to arrange proper adventurers for my help but now I¡¯m actually thankful for that. Thanks to that, I was able to experience something irreceable. . . . And there was another change in my academy life. That was, after the sses ended. ¡°Francesca-senpai!¡± ¡°Hello Souichi-kun. Thank you foring to the ss.¡±(fran) ¡°No, please don¡¯t mind it.¡± ¡°No need to be so formal towards me.¡±(fran) The ss became noisy. That was not because the sses had ended. It was because the [Brave] hade to their ss. The fact that I had travelled and taken a request along with Renji-sama had of course reached the ears of the [God yers] Souichi-kun, Yayoi-san and Aya-san. Theye to me instantly and asked about Renji-san. ¡°Hello to Yayoi-san as well.¡±(fran) ¡°Yes, hello Francesca-senpai.¡± Souichi-kun and Yayoi-san. Souichi-kun wasn¡¯t very tall and Yayoi-san was tall for a girl, so together they seemed like twins. As a man and a woman they had differences but if they were to wear the same clothes¡­¡­.won¡¯t it be difficult to recognise who¡¯s who? These two were brother and sister and really got along well. Since they had simr appearance, Souichi-san would look very simr to Yayoi-san if he grew out his hair. I also had two elder sisters but I couldn¡¯t really say that we got along well. Or rather, we don¡¯t really interfere with each other¡¯s lives. The eldest sister who¡¯ll inherit the house, the middle sister who has business skills and so our parents have a lot of expectation from her, and then there¡¯s me who has a meagre talent in magic. After graduating, I¡¯ll probably have to marry some noble or some famous merchant family. Then, at least till that time, I decided to live as freely as possible so I came to the Magic Academy. I know that I have asked for a big favour from my family. They didn¡¯t say it out loud but I¡¯m sure that they¡¯d have wanted me to have a more safe school life. Aftering to this school, I have only been able to visit my home at the bare minimum. Once in a month, a letter from my parents woulde so I think I might be making them worry for me. Though the contents of the letters are always ¨Ce back soon or about marriage interviews etc. Since it¡¯s a bit awkward at my own home, I feel happy on seeing them both like this. ¡°Aya-san didn¡¯te together today?¡±(fran) ¡°Aya, she went to the guild today to put in a request¡­¡­¡±(souichi) ¡°Aya-san did?¡± Souichi-kun said that while inkling his head to a side, as if troubled. Aya Fuyou-san. She is another one of the [God yers] in the school and is a famous magician with the title of [Grand Magus]. Honestly speaking, I have no idea why an amazing magician like Aya-san would attend school now. It¡¯s a fact that Aya-san is actually more skilled than even the teachers at this school. She is talented enough to even decipher sealed magic grimoires. Even the teachers are worried about how to handle her, and it¡¯s be a situation where they can¡¯t say anything no matter what she does. She herself isn¡¯t a bad person but due to her abilities and titles, she ahs been unable to make friends of her own age. Even with skills and experience, teachers would still look down upon youngsters, which is one of the bad aspects of this school. So even among the teachers, there were many who hate¡ª-well, not that much but still there were many who didn¡¯t really like her. But it was a fact that she had the skills. And along with the title of [God yer], there was no one who could say anything to her. Also, it was the royal family that rmended entering her into the school. There was no way anyone would cause any trouble with her. But still, I couldn¡¯t understand why the [Grand Magus] would go as far as to request something from the guild. A magician of my level has no choice but to depend on someone but if it¡¯s her, she could do anything, is what I think. ¡°Well, when we asked about Renji-niichan from you, Francesca-senpai, you said that you had requested him to take the request from the guild right?¡±(souichi) ¡°Eh, yes. That¡¯s true.¡±(fran) ¡°So, Aya-chan has been putting up requests at the guild from yesterday so that she can catch Renji-niichan.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Somehow, she¡¯s really cute. Aya-san gives an image of a strong-willed person. nting eyes, and always walks around proudly, and also keeps on shouting at Souichi-kun always¡­¡­ Probably, it¡¯s something normal for them and they¡¯re just being yful I think. But even so, to be like that inside the school, she really gives an image of strong willed person. And she is currently going to the guild after sses just so she could meet Renji-san. The Magic City Ofan has many districts/areas. The Noble district where nobles live. Themerce district where merchants put up there shops. The academy district where the magic schools and Alchemy workshops are located. The pleasure district where inns, bars and other ces for enjoyment are located. These four are the major ones. There¡¯s a lot of distance between themerce district where the guild is and our Albana academy which is in the academy district. Going there after sses means that it¡¯ll be reallyte time. But even so, Aya-san went so that she could meet him, we could only smile wryly at that. ¡°Just like Francesca-senpai had told, Aya-chan actually put up a proper request for gathering medicinal herbs.¡±(souichi) ¡°Somehow, she really is cute. I thought she was more strong willed type of person.¡±(fran) ¡°No¡­¡­.she really is a bit to strong minded¡­.¡±(souichi) As Souichi muttered that in a tired tone, I smiled wryly. Yayoi-san also looked at Souichi-kun with a worried expression. For her elder brother to being unable to match a woman, as a younger sister she really might have things to say. This was another one of the changes to my school life. Due to the topic of Renji-sama, I was able to be friends with Souichi-kun and other [God yers]. ¡°Cut is that fine? Coming just to talk to me, you don¡¯t have anything else to do?¡±(fran) ¡°haha¡­¡­everyone says that but neither me nor Yayoi have anything special to do.¡±(souichi) ¡°Is that so?¡±(fran) ¡°Yes. Both me and Onii-chan are normal students for now after all.¡±(yayoi) Normal students, for now. Those words that left Yayoi-san¡¯s mouth naturally showed their status. Souichi-kun, Yayoi-san, Aya-san. Even though they are all younger than me, those three are bearing the heavy burden as God yers and as devout heroes. And Renji-sama¡ª¡ª-I remembered him saying that he wasn¡¯t a hero. Hero. That title was very heavy. Much more than what I think. While being surrounded by gazes full of admiration and inquisitiveness, still Souichi-kun and others continued their lifestyle as normal students. Other Heroes were all working for the country in some way or the other. Renji-sama. He alone, without the support of the country, without the fame of a God yer¡ª¨Cwas going around saving people he didn¡¯t know at all while roaming from vige to vige. For a reward that¡¯d be small for even an adventurer, he saved a noble like me who knew nothing. I heard from Souichi-kun and others but it seems that he¡¯d been living like that for the whole past 1 year. I wonder who could actually do that. Even though one could live without any troubles if he worked for the country as a hero. But rejecting that, he went around saving viges in rural areas. That truly was the life style of a genuine [Hero]. That¡¯s why Souichi-kun and othersughed happily and proudly when I talked about Renji-sama. ¡°For now, is it?¡±(fran) ¡°Yes, for now.¡±(yayoi) Saying that, both Souichi-kun and Yayoi-sanughed. It was a smile fitting their ages and didn¡¯t one feel the burden as a hero and a god yer they were carrying. Even I felt happy. It was such a smile. ¡°Soon, there¡¯ll be thest selection for the fightingpetition so I¡¯m free till then.¡±(souichi) ¡°Oh, right¡­¡­.¡±(fran) ¡°Francesca-senpai, you should also give your best.¡±(yayoi) ¡°Thank you very much Yayoi-san.¡± Thest selection for the fightingpetition. Only 5 will be chose. 2 have already been decided. With a little more effort, I could also get selected as a participant. If I could fight alongside those 2, I¡¯ll finally have a definite meaning foring to this school. Born as a noble, I had a duty to live as a noble as well. I have no objections to that since I think the same. But, I want to leave with something tangible. Not as the noble Francesca Barton but as an adventurer and as a student of Albana Magic Academy. That¡¯s why I had not realized it yet. The fact that I got close to these 3 [God yers]. The fact that I had travelled with the Hero Renji Yamada, and had defeated Orcs with him. The meaning behind it and just how would that be looked upon. Chapter 13 Hero and the City of Magicians (2) Chapter 13 Hero and the City of Magicians (2) As I stepped outside the thick forest, I could suddenly see the wide blue sky as if the world itself had changed. Since the sun was bright, I covered my eyes with my hand and slightly squinted due to the light. Maybe because my action felt somewhat funny, the handsome young man that took the request with me slightly loosened his cheeks. Thought it was just that, his smile also suddenly felt as bright as the shining sun. So this is what an actual handsome man is like, I sighed inside my mind. I wonder if this was jealousy I felt. But still, even though his gender was the same, I still felt that he looked beautiful. ¡°Thanks for guiding me around the forest. If something happens, I¡¯ll be counting on you again.¡±(renji) ¡°I¡¯m just happy to have found a human that also treats forests preciously as well.¡± On his flowing golden hair was a in circlet with a jade embedded in the centre. Every time the wind blew slightly, his golden hair flew around and it felt as if my whole vision had been covered with gold. Blonde hair and blue eyes. A well-featured appearance and tall height. Wearing green clothes from head to toe, he also wore a deep wooden coloured mantle to help him slip into the forest. And above all, the most striking feature were his pointed ears. Elf. The protectors of the forest, as called by the country of Spirits. An Elf, who supposedly hate humans, was standing in front of me and smiling. Even though he¡¯s a guy, his smile still slightly raised my heartbeat. Even though I¡¯m normal and like only women. ¡°Treating forests preciously or whatever, I don¡¯t really know about that. I simply want to avoid damaging the area in my own way.¡±(renji) ¡°That alone is enough. Humans and Dwarves, cut down forests more than required but you are different.¡± ¡°Well, I wonder. I don¡¯t think my any different from a normal human though.¡±(renji) Saying that, I shrugged my shoulders. Elves hate humans. That wasmon sense in society. Even I think it¡¯s like that. And in fact, we never really had any kind of conversation even after taking the request at first. There are many theories as to why Elves hate humans but I think it¡¯s because humans cut down a lot of trees. Even if they don¡¯t cut trees there were many vast ins. Considering Imnesia¡¯s poption, there¡¯d be no problem in finding ces to live. But even then, humans would cut down forests and expand their own territory. Animals are chased out of their homes, the ecosystem copses, and the resentment gives birth to monsters. Cleared away forests be turned into distorted territories of monsters. The maddened forests be a living ce for monsters. These habitats of monsters further invite more monsters and the weak monsters be prey to the stronger ones. And this leads to the birth of an even more powerful monster. That¡¯s theint Elves have been giving. That it was the humans and the Dwarves that were giving birth to more and more monsters. The excuse from humans was that trees/wood is a necessary ingredient in building houses, is used as a fuel and is also required in making daily necessities like furniture etc. Though iron manufacturing was pretty high levelled here, it still needed fire to be made use of whiches from wood. After all, there are no scientific fuels in this different world. Wood was something that was absolutely needed in the daily life of humans. Both sides¡¯ opinion could be said to correct. That¡¯s why, even now Elves and Humans maintained a certain distance between them. That gap was not something I could fill up, and neither do I feel like doing something like that. Humans and Elves. Restoring and mending rtionships between different races was the job of the royalty. ¡°But well, it¡¯d be nice if they could at least individually get along sometimes.¡±(renji) ¡°Well I wonder about that. Even I am not really friendly with humans after all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± There¡¯s a skill to getting along with someone. What should one do to get someone you hate to work with you? There may be no correct answer to that but you can¡¯t say that every method is wrong either. In my case, I think I try to make the other person interested in the individual called Yamada Renji as a single person. The only reason why Elves and Humans hate each other is because they simply don¡¯t try to understand each other, I think. And true enough, I barely know anything about this elf beside me. I only know what I¡¯ve read in books and what I¡¯ve heard from other people. Elves are called as the people of the forest and treasure nature above all. But the truth might not be exactly what the books say. But to be called as the people of the forest, it¡¯s clear that they hold much more interest and love for forests than humans do. For example, the way of walking in the forest. I don¡¯t know which way is correct but I at least try to be careful to not step on roots or greenery. I try to focus on walking on bare ground or weeds as much as I can. For example, the way of defeating goblins. So that their blood doesn¡¯t contaminate nature, use bare hands instead of knives, that too, use surprise attacks to finish them with a single blow on their necks. In time, their corpses will return to the earth and be food for the animals in the forest. But the equipment worn by these goblins is different. So, I took them off and recovered. Well, I n to sell it after reaching the city though. It¡¯s an important source of my ie after all. Ermenhilde called me a [Bandit] and whatnot but it¡¯s for money. After I did all that, the elf took some interest in me. In what I was doing. Well, from an Elf¡¯s point of view I might have seemed like some entric¡­¡­¡­well, anyone would see me as an entric, I think. Ermenhilde sighed who knows how many times due to that. After gaining his interest, I exined my actions and then exined that I was also interested in an Elf¡¯s sense of values. When I told that I was interested, the other party would also automatically generate some kind of interest in me. ¡°I¡¯ll be happy if humans like you who treat forests preciously would increase.¡± ¡°Me too. Nature is meant to be cherished.¡± And, never deprecate something the other party holds dear. For an Elf, it¡¯s nature. For a Dwarf, it¡¯s earth, and his smithy. Anyone would be irritated if someone were to speak badly of something you hold dear. As long as you can abide by that rule, you¡¯ll automatically gain the goodwill of the other person. That¡¯s how you socialise with someone. Be ready topromise somewhat. Be the one who starts a conversation once. Be the one to extend your hand. It¡¯s something very obvious. ¡°Then, human. If it¡¯s in our fates, let us take a job together again.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be counting on you at that time once more.¡±(renji) Saying that, the handsome elf returned back into the forest. The objective was to subjugate goblins inside the forest. Mine was to collect materials for alchemy inside the forest. Doing both the requests together, today¡¯s earnings should be pretty great. My mood became better. After I confirmed that the Elf had disappeared deep into the forest, I breathed a sigh. [Rather than being over considerate towards others, won¡¯t it be fine if you simply stay indifferent?] ¡°That¡¯ll be even more tiring. Journeying together without any conversation would be hell.¡± [Renji, you have me don¡¯t you?] ¡°If I talked with you in front of other, people will treat me as a retard.¡± [¡­¡­..muu] When I said that, Ermenhilde was unable to say anything back. ¡°It¡¯s fun talking with you. But, it¡¯s not cool to get the cold shoulder from others.¡± [Then just make it so that everyone can hear me¡ª¨C] ¡°Not happening. I¡¯ll stand out to much. Too much trouble.¡± [So that¡¯s the actual reason eh¡­¡­..] I shouldered the bag filled with the requested ingredients and the equipments of the goblins. Inside my pocket were numerous fangs that¡¯ll be the proof of subjugation. Now then, how much will I earn today? The iron armour etc are pretty heavy but it¡¯s more fun to think about the money. . . . ¡°As expected, you earn much more in a city eh?¡±(renji) [¡­¡­¡­I wonder why I feel like crying.] It seems Ermenhilde is still not happy of the fact that I was took armour from goblins. While ignoring Ermenhilde¡¯s voice, I sat down on one of the provided chairs in the guild and took a look at the memos in which requests were written. Today¡¯s earnings have been 35 copper coins. It¡¯s an amount that won¡¯t appear in a rural vige¡¯s guild. Cities sure are nice, really. Well, if you properly subjugate monsters, you can earn at least 1 gold coin everyday. But it¡¯s super tiring so I won¡¯t. Thinking that, I once again felt that adventurer really is a profitable job. It showed why this upation won¡¯t die out even though there¡¯s a constant threat to the life of the person. ¡°I want to keep on earning like this for some time.¡± [I want to kill more monsters if possible.] You¡¯re too violent, partner. Lightly hitting Ermenhilde inside my pocket, I turned the pages of the memos. I¡¯m looking for an ingredient collecting job with a good reward. Since this is the Magic City, there were many ingredient gathering requests for magical experiments that stood out but there¡¯s also danger involved in them as well. If only they were something easy like gathering herbs. I sighed. The ingredients used in magical experiments were mostly things that possessed magical energy inside them. That too, the quantity alone wasn¡¯t important, the purity of magical energy was also important apparently. Though, I¡¯m not really knowledgeable in that aspect. In the first ce, I¡¯m bad with things like alchemy and modern science experiments. Rather than thinking too much while sitting in front of a desk with a sk, I prefer to go and move around my body. But, I¡¯m not a muscle-headed idiot, I think. I want to think that way at least. By the way, the ingredients I gathered today is called spirit grass. It wasn¡¯t some normal grass that was used to make ointments etc but could actually restore magical energy if boiled and drunk so it was wanted as an ingredient for alchemy. These miraculous things grow in sacred grounds¡ª¨Cor rather, the so called power spots. True the rewards are nice but in such ces monsters are strong as well. Maybe because they are feeding on such herbs or maybe it¡¯s simply because of staying in such power spots, these monsters are strong and tough. Sometimes there are even some which have huge bodies. If I were to speak in game terminology, even a goblin would be of a much higher level. So it was obvious that the reward was high. That¡¯s why I was looking for requests that were safe yet gave good rewards. ¡°Which one should I ept?¡± [If you¡¯re not going to be particr about it, does it even matter what you pick?] As I was hesitating, Ermenhilde¡¯s voice resounded in my head. As if it¡¯s that simple! I rebutted inside my head. I may have some confidence with fighting but that¡¯s just that. With dangerous jobses the risk to my life. Unfortunately, I have no intention to take such a risk. For some reason, everyone around me wants me to fight like a hero or something. It¡¯s really troublesome. The number of times I almost died during the journey to subjugate the demon god. Just remembering it makes me feel sick. Killing strong monsters is the job of brave and hero protagonists. And unfortunately, I¡¯m not one of them. That¡¯s why, no matter how much Ermenhilde demands me to, I could only shrug my shoulders. ¡°Oh, this one might be nice.¡± The one I found was a request the same as before, to gather spirit grass from the forest. The reward isn¡¯t bad either. I think, I¡¯ll ask that elf again to guide me around that forest. [You look like you¡¯re having fun.] ¡°I¡¯m scared of danger after all.¡± [fuun] I brought out Ermenhilde, who had started sulking, and patted the rim of the medal. I want to find a way of life for you that is different from being just a weapon. Thinking that, I smiled wryly but it didn¡¯t reach my partner so no reply came. Even though you have a proper consciousness and will, you still live like a weapon. Is it weird of me to think like that? ¡­¡­¡­..If I say that to Ermenhilde, I¡¯ll get scolded though. But really, I want to treat Ermenhilde not as a weapon but as a partner. ¡°It¡¯s the best if you can earn money safely, you know?¡± Near the city there¡¯s an old forest which is called as the forest of magical energy. It¡¯s the ce where I went together with that handsome Elf just a while back. The trees were thick and as the name suggested, it was a ce filled with magical energy. You can get a lot of magical ingredients there but at the same time the danger from monsters is also high. The vegetation that has lived long enough attain life and be Treants and Mandragoras. Mandragora¡ª-it¡¯s of the same type as the nt that is called mandrake in our world. In this world, suitable for a fantasy world, it¡¯s a carrot-like monster with 2 legs and leaves on its head. On being pulled from the ground, it runs away at full speed. They say that you¡¯ll die if you hear its scream but there¡¯s nothing like that. It¡¯s irritatingly noisy and will summon its friends though. I remember that it took a lot of courage to pull it from the ground for the first time. My elf guide began tough at me for that. But I didn¡¯t feel embarrassed. It¡¯s the same for everyone for the first time. ¡°Mandragora, Alraune¡­¡­.they¡¯re all troublesome ingredients.¡± [¡ªit¡¯s the Magic City after all. Aren¡¯t these ingredients used for alchemy normally?] Its voice was still sullen but it finally started talking back to me again so I once again patted the medal. There was no response. It seems it is still in a bad mood. ¡°Is there nothing which could be a bit safer?¡± There are requests for gathering herbs to heal illnesses etc but all of them are cheap. I¡¯ll collect them during my journey and it¡¯ll be fine as long as there isn¡¯t some war suddenly or something. But, Mandragora¡¯s leaves, seeds and roots. The ces where these can be gathered are limited. Experiments can take ce when war isn¡¯t going on as well. In fact, there are experiments that can only be done in safer times. ¡­¡­¡­as expected, the bigger the city the more dangerous the jobs will also be. What should I do? I flicked Ermenhilde with my thumb. It was tails. I ended up sighing. ¡°Let¡¯s stop here for today.¡± [You aren¡¯t taking any new jobs?] ¡°It¡¯s dangerous alone after all.¡± [There¡¯s barely any job for an adventurer that doesn¡¯t have any danger though?] That¡¯s true, I shrugged. But it¡¯s a fact that it¡¯ll be dangerous alone. I have trouble against lot of enemies and not to mention that I¡¯m not familiar with the forest. I¡¯ll have to hire an Elf or a Ranger or I¡¯ll have no confidence in returning back without getting lost. I do have mapped the geography of the forest in my head but I really want to avoid any risk of getting stranded inside the forest and dying. Thinking that, I turned the memos again. ¡°Oh.¡± [Hm?] Herb gathering. The reward was also good. The details were to go to the entrance of the forest and gather some herbs. It¡¯s troublesome to gather herbs so the person put up a request in the guild to get someone to apany them. The client really is whimsical. Well I don¡¯t really mind that so I checked the client. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± [What happened? Why did you stop talking suddenly?] Client Aya Fuyou. It¡¯s name I definitely know. I closed the memo book. ¡°¡­¡­the client was Aya.¡± [¡­¡­..pfft.] Don¡¯tugh goddamnit! For some reason, it seems Aya knows that I¡¯m in the city. She must have learnt that from Miss Francesca. Since I never explicitly told her to not say anything, she must have talked about me as I was their fellow [God yer]. Well, I don¡¯t really mind that and neither do I find this way of looking for me through request bad either. ¡°But seriously, she really has a piece missing somewhere.¡± What would she have done if I had not noticed this request? She should have simply put up a request to find me by name. Well, that¡¯ll be troublesome for me in its own way though. I don¡¯t want to stand out after all. [Seriously, she really resembles you a lot.] ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m not that careless/absentminded.¡± Probably. I whispered lightly. I think heard Ermenhilde sighing but let¡¯s act as if I didn¡¯t hear that. Aya. Fuyou Aya. One of the God yers that travelled with me. Called by some exaggerated name like Grand Magus, she the Hole Digging Magician no.1. No.2 is Miss Francesca¡­¡­..I think. Pitfalls are convenient so please poprize it. ¡°She really is giving a pretty big reward. It¡¯s almost double the normal.¡± [That¡¯s how much she wants to do a job with you, right?] For some reason, Ermenhilde said in an amazed voice. Did I do something bad? I don¡¯t remember doing or saying something like that though. While unsatisfied, I tore out the memo and put it in my pocket. The details were to gather herbs. The reward was 10 copper coins. It¡¯s an amount which is double of that of the market price. I ended up sighing at that. ¡°As usual, she doesn¡¯t have any idea about market prices either¡­¡­..¡± She¡¯d buy expensive things at their given rates and never tries to bargain. Well, from a merchant¡¯s point of view that¡¯s a good thing. A normal herb gathering quest would give about 5 copper coins. She should have at least put it at 7 copper coins or something. Someone else could have taken it before I even saw that, you know. [Things like market prices, Renji doesn¡¯t know them either.] ¡°There¡¯s no such thing.¡± [Are those the words of the man that sold a Mithril Sword dirt cheap?¡­¡­¡­..] ¡°I was having money troubles back then so that was fine.Yup.¡± [¡­.haah.] In the first ce, I have no use for a Mithril sword. It¡¯s a waste of resources. My skill with the sword is only slightly above the normal soldier. It could be a bit higher or lower than that though. ¡°Rather than that, it¡¯s Aya¡¯s request. Aya¡¯s.¡± [That¡¯s right, it¡¯s Aya¡¯s request. Aya¡¯s.] It was aplete fed up voice. I¡¯m used to hearing it but it still hurt me a bit. ¡°What should I do?¡± [You won¡¯t ept it?] ¡°No, I¡¯ll ept..¡± It seems she has been appearing many times after the sses were over so there might be many requests prepared that I might pick up I think. How cute. Though, I¡¯ll die if I wasn¡¯t the actual objective for this though. Out of sheer embarrassment. I think, at least. ¡°But, will the reward increase if I wait till tomorrow again?¡± [¡­¡­.let alone being dropped inside a hole, nobody willin even if you get burned to death or have lightning fall on you.] Will I really have to face that? It seems Ermenhilde really was worried about that so I felt a chill up my spine. True, Aya has a low boiling point. She¡¯s always getting angry at Souichi, or rather, hitting him. It¡¯s one thing if its just skinship between childhood friends but if you add magic into that, it¡¯s apletely different thing. She really can make lightning fall on someone. When all the men had tried to peek during the bath, one really fell upon us. It¡¯s was a miracle that we weren¡¯t burned to death as well. I alone was also especially lectured by Utano-san as well though. It sure is troublesome to be an adult. I think. Don¡¯t peek if there¡¯s a woman¡¯s bath. It¡¯s a savage different world we¡¯re living in, I think it¡¯s fine to act without restraint sometimes. It helps clear your heart and mind, I think. [You¡¯re thinking about weird things again aren¡¯t you?] ¡°¡­¡­are you an esper?¡± I sighed. ¡°Well, let¡¯s put Aya¡¯s request on hold for now.¡± I want to see how far the reward will increase. Well, not that I¡¯d actually take the reward from her in the first ce. It¡¯d be uncool for an adult to receive small change from a child. That¡¯s why, I¡¯m putting Aya¡¯s request on hold out of pure curiosity. For the time being, I¡¯ll simply take the memos so that other adventurers don¡¯t take it. [If it¡¯s Aya, she might even put up gold coins as a reward.] ¡°If that happens, I¡¯ll get scolded by Utano-san the next time we meet.¡± [Let¡¯s hope it ends with just a lecture. Just be sure to give me to some other person when that happens.] ¡°¡­¡­.We¡¯re supposed to share each other¡¯s pains and gains, partner.¡± Saying that, I exited the guild. Now then, I stretched my body. Though I was talking in whispers, I talked with Ermenhilde a bit too much so the gazes from others are hurting me a bit. The number of people inside the guild was less but it¡¯s not like it was empty. I really did it again, I felt depressed again. ¡°After earning a bit more, let¡¯s go to the royal capital next.¡± [Before that, be sure to meet Aya and the others, alright?] ¡°I know.¡± I flicked my worrywart partner with my finger. It was Heads. Yeah. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. We¡¯ll meet.¡± Well, it¡¯s a bit awkward to meet them again after a one whole year though. What should I talk about, how should I act, how should I greet them, etc. Such anxieties are there, that¡¯s why I might dy it a bit. Chapter 14 Hero and the City of Magicians (3) Chapter 14 Hero and the City of Magicians (3) While hearing the sound of crackling bonfire, I yawned. Ah, it¡¯s a nostalgic dream. A ck night with no street lights. We always spent the nights awake while sitting around the bonfire. The children instantly slept due to the fatigue from travelling and only us who were above 20 kept awake while drinking. Me, Utano-san, Toudou, Kuuki. Just us 4 adults. Rest were all young children but even then, those guys were more energetic and more hardworking than us adults. We worked hard so that we can support them with all we had. Utano-san with the knowledge she gained from the Goddess, Toudou with his cooking, Kuuki with his shield. But, yeah, I remember. On that day¡ª- ¡°Renji-san, thank you for today.¡± ¡°ah, no, in fact I should be the one to thank you.¡± Aya who was usually unsociable gave her thanks to me. Who were our opponents¡­¡­¡­¡­an Ogre and a Cyclops, I think. I only remember that they were giant-type monsters. For the first time, I used Ermenhilde¡¯s powers¡ª¨Cmany of the covenants were cleared and I had taken down arge monster. I was desperate so I don¡¯t remember it properly though. At that time, Aya had an image of an always angry girl who kept on quarrelling with Souichi. Well, it¡¯d be weird to be calm even after something weird like getting summoned to another world happened though. In fact, I myself had been wary of my surroundings for a week after getting summoned. I simply couldn¡¯t calm down. That¡¯s why, I could understand Aya ring up at not just me but everyone. And that Aya had unusuallye to apologise to me alone, and we had talked a lot through the night. About each other, about this world, about what to do from here on. The others, probably being considerate, had quickly gone inside the tent to sleep. They¡¯re probably listening us closely though. That¡¯s the kind of people they are. Privacy was at minimum, but because they were such guys, I could get along with them. While thinking that, I threw a dry stick into the fire. When the conversation stopped, only silence remained. The sound wood cracking and the sound of trees rustling due to wind were the only sounds that remained. Normally, I would be drinking along with others while nning what to do next right now but I can¡¯t really make a minor drink now, can I? While I troubled myself over what to do, Aya would be considerate and bring up a new topic. ¡­¡­¡­I really am a pathetic adult. ¡°I think Renji-san is amazing.¡±(aya) ¡°I¡¯m just desperate. From my point of view, Aya-chan or Souichi, you guys seem much more amazing.¡± And it was true as well. 15yrs old. Souichi¡¯s sister Yayoi-chan was only 14yrs old. But even then, they were travelling to save the world. Normally, they¡¯d be in middle school right about now. They are much more amazing than me. If I was in their ce, I might have been whining andining. After all, they were 15yrs old. They¡¯re not a protagonist of a movie or game, to be able to even say that they¡¯ll save the world is amazing I think. ¡°There¡¯s no such thing. It¡¯s because Renji-san and Yuuko-san stay with us, we feel safe and nor insecure¡­¡­..¡± ¡°I see.¡± I threw another piece of dry wood into the fire. At this moment, I think I was happy, no, I was definitely happy. I worked hard, desperately, so that I don¡¯t be a burden to the kids, so that I can help them when they get stuck somewhere. In our original world, just working hard alone wasn¡¯t valued. Results were everything. And I had nor produced any kind of result in this world. My skill with the sword was average. My cheat wasn¡¯t especially amazing. And my personality wasn¡¯t really great either. If I had to say, I was simply going with the flow. But at this moment, on being told so by Aya,¡­¡­..I was really happy. Even someone like me was able to reduce the anxieties of these children, even if only slightly. No matter in what form, I was happy that I had been of use. ¡°You finally smiled.¡±(aya) ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°You were always making a serious face till now. Renji-san, your expression can be scary.¡± Was I really making such a face? I may have been thinking about something too much which might have led to that. Just the fact that I was the eldest, just that had be a heavy pressure on me. ¡°Is that so?¡±(renji) ¡°Yeah. You don¡¯t seem too energetic and only talk much with Yuuko-san and the others¡­..¡± After that, Aya pointed out all of my major shorings on her fingers. In the end, she ran out of fingers andughed while telling me to fix these things. That I don¡¯t talk much, always have a sour look, always go out too much in front against monsters, and always end up with many injuries. I can¡¯t help that. After all, I am the eldest here. I was the senior-most person here.¡ª¡ªJust because I¡¯m weak doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll hide behind children. When I think about it now, I really was reckless. And this time, Aya threw a piece of dry wood into the fire. Her face that shone from the light of the fire was, smiling. But, I thought. If she and others can smile like that, I don¡¯t mind staying reckless. I thought that way. As a result, I almost died so many times though. The smiles of myrades and my life. If I were to ce them on a scale, which would be heavier¡ª¡ª-I didn¡¯t even have to think. But the me of that time was really an idiot, I think. . . . ¡°My magic is too strong.¡±(aya) ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true.¡± The scene changes. We¡¯re still in front of a fire but the ces we¡¯re sitting at are different. That time, we sat while facing each other but now, Aya was sitting beside me. Her expression was smiling so I think she¡¯s happy. I wonder what time does this memory belonged to¡ª¡ª- ¡°When it bes a melee, I end up dragging everyone in it as well and if I start paying mind to that, I start having troubles with a single Orc.¡±(aya) ¡°Well, Aya-chan blows her fuse whenever you get backed to a corner.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..was there a need to say that to my face directly?¡± ¡°Aya-chan sure is weak when you get cornered.¡± When I said that, Aya puffed her cheeks and got angry. After talking to her for a few times I understood but it¡¯s really fun to tease Aya. She gets angry but she doesn¡¯t hit me like she does with Souichi. She simply puffs her cheek and starts sulking. Because that¡¯s too cute, I end up teasing her more. And as I kept on teasing her like that, I started to feel as if she were my younger sister. I don¡¯t really have a younger sister but if I had I might have talked to her like I did with Aya, I think. It¡¯s weird if I say so myself but after talking to Aya like this I became better at conversing with the other youths as well. My feelings to protect them since I am their elder still remain but I started to fight together with them or rather, I depend on them sometimes. Anyway, I feel that I became to fight alongside them rather than simply go away alone to the front. I wonder what kind of change of heart this is. ¡°¡­..Aya ¡®chan¡¯ again.¡± ¡°You¡¯re younger than me after all.¡± ¡°mouu.¡± Seeing her expression that suits her age and not some stiff title like Hero or Godyer, even I feel happier. As Iughed, she got angry at me again. Puffing her cheeks she red at me strongly. She won¡¯t attack me like with Souichi but her expression is clear. But since that seemed even more amusing, I ended upughing more. Even though she¡¯s a magician at a level that I could never reach, her actions show that she¡¯s definitely younger than me. ¡°Isn¡¯t it because you¡¯re too focused on shy magics?¡±(renji) ¡°That may be so but¡­¡­since my magical energy is too great, even with a little imagination, it turns into something excessive.¡± ¡°Oh right, you consulted with Utano-san as well right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Utano-san. A person who wished to be able to use all kinds of magic. Certainly, she¡¯s also a magician but almost everything else is different from Aya. In contrast to the magic of this world thates from imagination, Utano-san can simply use any magic directly as long it is recognised as an [existing] magic. Basically, it¡¯s simr to the magic in games, RPGs, ADVs, and STGs. (T/N: I have no idea what ADV or STG is. Adv is probably short for ¡¯Adventure¡¯ but I¡¯m not sure.) And Aya¡¯s magic is like this worlds, using imagination and magical energy to manifest it. Rather just being of different types, they are twopletely different things. Even though both are magicians, there¡¯s not just a wall or gap between them but a whole cliff. ¡°Then how about manifesting it in some other form rather than just mes or lightning?¡±(renji) ¡°Like rocks or something? Then, I¡¯ll probably make giant rocks rain.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..What the hell, that¡¯s scary.¡± ¡°I still am working hard everyday you know?¡± As expected of the magician that possess the highest level of firepower amongst us. The vector of working hard is sopletely different, I ended up sighing. Even though, here I am still getting desperate when killing a single monster. ¡°No, how about imagining something more simple? Not just mes, ice or rocks.¡±(renji) ¡°What should I imagine then? Even if I imagine a kamaitachi it¡¯ll turn into a tornado, you know?¡±(T/N: google kamaitachi if you don¡¯t know what it is. It¡¯s basically a sharp wind.) ¡°Like I said, why is it always something so violent¡­¡­¡­no, something even simpler.¡± ¡°More simpler?¡± As she threw dry wood into the fire, her ck hair shone crimson from the fire. Finding that magically beautiful, I averted my eyes. What the hell am I thinking about a child who¡¯s almost half my age. ¡°Something like a pitfall, or using vines or nts to restrict the opponents like in the movies.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­.that, in the end, wouldn¡¯t defeat the monster.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine like that. If Aya-chan stopped the enemy¡¯s movements, we¡¯ll deal the finishing blow.¡± With one of the branches, I drew a shitty goblin on the ground. And afterpleting it, I shed it with a diagonal line. ¡°Magic isn¡¯t simply to defeat monsters. Stopping and constraining the enemy is also a perfect strategy.¡±(renji) Well, this girl has no shred of strategy and simply has brute power to crush all enemies though. Completely different from me who¡¯s trying hard everyday just to not fall behind others. I feel envious at the same time feel relieved as well. I don¡¯t want such kids to travel while feeling the danger for their lives like me. Well, everything is simply me reaping what I sowed. The wish to the goddess. The weapon to kill God. It can definitely kill a god, but that¡¯s all it does. It¡¯s a weapon only effective against Gods. It was nothing more than a normal weapon against other monsters, weak¡­¡­..that¡¯s why, I was the natural enemy of the Demon God though. The demons would attack me, hate me, as if I killed their parents. Thanks to that, my life was in danger the whole time we were in the Demon continent. I always regretted that I should I have wished for something more generic/all purpose power. No use crying over spilt milk. They truly are great words. ¡°Un¡­¡­.I guess that I should be able to easily imagine that.¡±(aya) Without realizing my inner thoughts, Aya was thinking about how to make my idea work. She¡¯s fast to hit but I think she¡¯s a serious and diligent girl. Her way of thinking is flexible and will create a magic which will far surpass what I originally imagined. Grand Magus. She really is a genius that doesn¡¯t shame that title. This Girl, Fuyou Aya. ¡°Also, do you really feel no reluctance when¡­¡­.killing living beings?¡±(renji) ¡°¡ª¡ª-¡° As she heard that, her smile stiffened and looked up to me with surprise as if she was choking on breath. I must have asked something I shouldn¡¯t have. It¡¯s an unnecessary emotion in this trip to kill the Demon God. It could be said that it¡¯ll only be a hindrance, a useless emotion. But that was only if nobody said or talked about it. 15yrs old. It¡¯s a sensitive time, in my opinion. At such an age, even if it was to save the world, even if the enemy weren¡¯t humans, even if the monsters were the enemies of humans, it¡¯ll be painful to take away the life of another, I think. It¡¯s something I was meaning to ask Souichi and the others sooner orter as well. It was simply because we started talking together more that I asked Aya first. ¡°But, it¡¯s to save this world¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± It¡¯s a nostalgic memory. I can¡¯t hear anything other than the crackling sound of fire and the buzzing of insects. Even the sleeping breaths of myrades, I couldn¡¯t hear them. The next morning, I remember being teased. ¡°¡ª¡ª¨C¡° To kill a living being. To steal away life. It¡¯s much more heavier than what it sounds like. That doesn¡¯t change even if you have the excuse that you are doing it to save the world. For us who have only seen such things on TV, it was far too heavy. But even so, Aya¡¯s words averted away from that fact. The duty to save the world. If we don¡¯t kill the monsters, demons, and the Demon God, this other world will end. Countless people will die. That¡¯s why, kill. That¡¯s why we fight, that¡¯s the reason why we can fight. The pressure was too heavy but Souichi and the others still took on that duty and continued journeying. Even though I worried about it everyday, my hands tremble everytime, and kept guard every night without sleeping. For someone, for something, for the world, forrades. For me the pressure that came with the title of a Hero felt ridiculous. I felt envious and jealous of them so much that I felt like averting my eyes¡ª¡ª-Everyone was so bright and honest. ¡°Renji-san¡­¡­will we able to return back to our world?¡± ¡°Un.¡± ¡°Will we able to return together?¡± ¡°We will.¡± ¡ª¡ªafter we kill the Demon God. We were summoned to save this world. In novels and fairy tales, it¡¯s something prestigious. Something that¡¯d make your heart race, that¡¯d make you excited and happy. But in reality¡­¡­..lifestyle was inconvenient, the food was terrible, your butt will hurt after riding horses, you legs would hurt if you walk. You still feel fatigued if you sleep outdoors. And even the beds at inns are hard. It¡¯s filled with such inconveniences. There¡¯s no hope or dreams in another world. Especially for me. Compared to others, my cheat was very weak. My physical abilities have been increased from what they were in my world but even then,pared to others, I¡¯ll run out of breath the earliest, my reflexes are dull. I don¡¯t even have magical energy to use magic. That¡¯s why I desperately became stronger. I had no choice but to ept that I, the eldest, was the biggest burden in the group. And to travel with them while epting that, I had no choice but to be stronger. Doing something like leaving everything to kids who have barely lived half my own life, I simply could not do. I requested the people from the Knight Orders to teach me about sword fighting. I learnt reading and writing with the help of Utano-san and a famous researcher. I even tried to learn negotiating skills to be able to be more of use. The [God ying Weapon] I wished for was simply a weapon and its user, me, was an amateur. I couldn¡¯t let monsters take advantage of that. I might be able to fight against the Demon God but at the start of our journey, there were only small fry monsters that we¡¯d face so I could only be desperate. Everyone else was able to be stronger than me with only half of the effort. It¡¯s amazing I didn¡¯t be depressed. Really. ¡°Will everyone be able to return¡­..alive?¡±(aya) ¡°We will.¡± Nobody¡¯s strong. Cheats, sword skills, unequalled magical energy, all are nothing more than a pebble at the side of the road. We came to this world without any kind of resolve. The exaggerated over-the-top goal of saving the world was hiding the reality in front of us. Even though death is right beside us, we have simply be unable to see it. That¡¯s why. ¡°I promise. All of us will return safe and sound together.¡±(renji) In the end, after everything was over, all of us decided to stay in this world though. Even though it¡¯s a world where death is always beside you. But that¡¯s why¡­¡­we had people we could trust that were even closer to us than death in this world. ¡°If I was in danger¡­¡­will you protect me again?¡±(aya) ¡°If anyone was in danger, I¡¯d definitely protect them.¡±(renji) That was an extremely embarrassing thing to say. Me, who was the weakest was proiming that he¡¯d protect hisrades who were the strongest in the world. The word [definitely] was something only meant for the use of protagonists and should not be used by someone like me who was Viger C. To protect someone, you have to constantly put your life on the line. Even if you are close to death, even when you¡¯re full of wounds, even when your spirit is on the verge of breaking, even when you¡¯re in front of an extremely strong enemy. You have to stand back up. You have to keep on holding on to your weapon. You have to speak sharply. You cannot give up. ¡­¡­¡­now that I think back, it really was a miracle I lived through that all. Even though everyone around me could be carefree even when I¡¯d end up all bloody. . . . As I opened my eyes, I ended up frowning due to the sunlight shining from within the curtains. [Finally woke up, sleepyhead?] ¡°n, yeah¡­¡­.right now¡­¡­¡­¡± [It¡¯s almost afternoon, seriously.] I ended up getting sighed at just because I took a nap. Well, even I think that I slept a bit too much for some reason even though I didn¡¯t even drink. ¡°Say, Ermenhilde.¡± [Hm?] ¡°¡­¡­..nevermind.¡± [Wake up already. Get to work, sleepyhead.] I got scolded. While hearing that voice inside my head, I got up from my bed. A nostalgic dream. From when I had been journeying with myrades, a dream with Aya. After that, Aya worked hard as a hole digging magician. In fact, rather than using unequalled magic, it was easier for us when she trapped monsters in her pitfalls. After all, we didn¡¯t have to get dragged into her normal magic anymore. Well, we only depended on that magic when sweeping away a group of monsters that had umted. Againstrge armies of monsters, she did make rocks and fire rain from afar to win before the enemy could even reach us. Against small number of enemies or in closebat, even a fireball would turn into friendly fire so it was troublesome. Even overpowered cheats have their own merits and demerits. ¡°Ermenhilde.¡± [¡­¡­what now?] ¡°Do you think Aya¡¯s still digging holes?¡± [Yeah, she should be .] Immediate reply. Well, it¡¯s normal since it is a great tactic I guess. While thinking that, I changed my clothes. [She probably believes that if she keeps on doing that, Renji will keep on protecting her I guess.] ¡°In fact, I want to be protected by her instead though.¡± [It can¡¯t be helped. You wished for that, and did promise her that after all.] That¡¯s true. I wished the Goddess that I want to protect someone. If it gets dangerous, I promised I¡¯ll protect her. ¡­¡­¡­..that¡¯s why, I could only sigh. I wished and I promised. I cannot change the past. ¡°Or rather, shouldn¡¯t she have forgotten that already? It¡¯s been almost 2 years.¡± [I doubt she would forget that.] For some reason, Ermenhilde¡¯s voice held some sort of confidence. It was such a dangerous journey. I doubt she¡¯d remember such trivial words. That too, it¡¯s been 2 years from then. It¡¯s already a thing of the past. At least, if I was Aya, I would¡¯ve forgotten it. What kind of credibility would those words have if spoken by someone weaker than you? The only reason I remember it is because it was fricking embarrassing for me and a part of my dark history(shameful past). [Women are such creatures.] ¡°No, you¡¯re a medal.¡± [Tch.] It clicked its tongue. What a terrible partner to do that during a conversation. Sighing at such an Ermenhilde, I stretched my body a bit. Stretching my stiffened body, it felt really nice. ¡°Today as well, I¡¯ll seriously do jobs.¡± [Please do. Don¡¯t show your pathetic side, you¡¯re an adult right?] ¡°I get the feeling that I have already done that way too many times though.¡± How many times was I saved by kids? How many times did I attack only through surprise attacks and not frontal ones? How many times did I bow my head to people? How many times did I mourn not being able to protect someone? How many, how many, how many¡­¡­¡­¡­. [Is that so?] ¡°Yeah, that is so.¡± Changing my clothes, I fixed my appearance at bare minimum. While thinking about what kind of job should I pick today. Well, I guess I¡¯ll pick something like collecting herbs, though. It¡¯s easy, and safe. After washing my face, I was wondering about what to do of my beard¡ª¡ª¡ª [I only have memories of Renji looking cool though.] ¡°¡­¡­¡­you, really say extremely embarrassing things sometimes, don¡¯t you?¡± [No such thing.] I, looking cool? I thought about my past but couldn¡¯t think of a single one. Probably the coolest one is when I faced the Demon God one-on-one, I guess. I almost died though. Talking sharply like an idiot and then almost getting killed, I can only think of that as pathetic though. Also, the fact that that was the coolest moment, I really can¡¯t help it at all. ¡°For example?¡± So I decided to ask instead. I also want to know these cool moments my partner speaks of. And, then I¡¯ll exin the reality of that scene as well. Even I think my reasons are truly ridiculous sometimes. [Not stepping back even once against the Demon Lord. You kept on swinging me against the Demon God at the very front. You kept on fighting in front of those heroes you could call the strongest¡­¡­..no matter how many times you fell, you always stood back up.] ¡°Well, I was desperate after all.¡± What the heck¡¯s that? If I didn¡¯t do that, I would¡¯ve died. I wouldn¡¯t havee out of it alive if I didn¡¯t do that. And above all¡ª- I was always full of injuries. If I had not been protected by myrades, I would¡¯ve died countless times. That¡¯s why I did not step back. That¡¯s why I never let go of Ermenhilde. That¡¯s why I stood back up. If I didn¡¯t do at least that much, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to stand alongside myrades. And above all¡ª¡ª when children were fighting with their lives on the line, I couldn¡¯t be the one to retire first. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to die that¡¯s why I fought so hard. That¡¯s why I killed. It¡¯s something very normal, Emenhilde.¡± [Yeah, that¡¯s right. It¡¯s normal.] Because I don¡¯t want to die, I want to live, I don¡¯t want to look pathetic. That was something totally normal and very obvious, and something anyone would do. Cool? That isn¡¯t it. It wasn¡¯t something so great. I was simply scared of looking pathetic and being abandoned by them. I was afraid of being left alone. I was afraid of losing all of myrades in this other world. No matter how many words you pile up, the answer will be the same. I was afraid of getting hated by myrades so I fought desperately. Not for the world, not for someone, not for something. Even if I say I want to protect, in the end I was worried the most about my own self. ¡°It¡¯s something anyone can do, Ermenhilde.¡± For myself¡ª-not for some random stranger, one bes desperate for himself. It something anyone can think of. Something anyone can do. To live, to not die¡ª¡ªit¡¯s obvious that anyone can do it. [Not everyone can do it, Yamada Renji.] But my partner¡¯s answer was the opposite so I could only feel slightly happy. The power granted to me by the Goddess, Ermenhilde. It has been watching me from the sides all the time. It became my sword, my spear, my bow¡ª-my weapon, no matter what the time was and fought alongside me. And, is always trying to make me into a hero¡­¡­.even now, it is with me. Even though, I¡¯m just a normal man who could be found anywhere. [I don¡¯t think like that.] Putting on my mantle, I set the iron knife to my waist. I picked up Ermenhilde that was lying beside my pillow. [It¡¯s because it was Renji, you could do such things.] ¡°I see.¡± *ping* I flicked Ermenhilde. That voice seemed boastful and proud and somehow made me feel really embarrassed. That¡¯s why, to hide my embarrassment, I flicked Ermenhilde like it was usual. It was, Tails. ¡°haah. Guess I¡¯ll have to work hard today as well.¡± [Only half of the day is left though.] With just that, we returned to our usual rtionship. User and his weapon. Partners. That kind of rtionship. Chapter 15 Hero and the City of Magicians (4) Chapter 15 Hero and the City of Magicians (4) While raising a noise simr to scratching ws on a ckboard, monsters with earth-coloured skin came at me while raising their weapons. Goblin. The monster I have fought the most in this world. Inside the deep forest, their repulsiveness became more prominent and gave you goosebumps just by rushing towards you. The Forest of Magical Energy. Its the ce where I came yesterday to collect spirit grass. I had been attacked by goblins that time too but this time the situation is a bit more troublesome. After all, there¡¯s still more?, they areing in numbers that¡¯d make you think like that. Spare me from this. I think like that but the Goblinse at me while I¡¯m sighing. Today also, the elf with whom I formed a party is not in visible range. Probably he¡¯s hiding above a tree or something. I have this image of being able to aim easier from higher ces with a bow i guess. While thinking that, I rotated the knife in my hands. [They¡¯reing.] ¡°I know.¡± Without any kind of strategy, the goblin charged at me head-on. I turned away that attack with the iron knife in my right hand and the long sword being held by the goblin stabbed into the ground. As it panicked to pull it out, I trampled on it with my feet and shed with my knife. I couldn¡¯t cut it apartpletely but since it had torn open its flesh, blood began gushing out. The bloodspray dirtied my mantle as the goblin copsed in front of me. But, the goblins showed no hesitation even after seeing its own kind fall like that. Another one charged at me from behind while screaming. ¡°There¡¯s quite a lot of ¡¯em.¡± This was the 6th one. As I turned back, the 7th goblin died after getting shot in the head by an arrow. As it fell down while running, it stopped near my feet. I doubt there¡¯s any need to deal another blow to it, its definitely dead. While confirming its death with a nce, I turned towards the 8th and the 9th one. I didn¡¯t even look towards the ce where myrade who had fired the arrow was at. Words of gratitude, etc, all will distractions in this situation. I simply cut and myrade shoots. [They¡¯re stilling¡ª¡ªit really feels like there¡¯s just an infinite number of them.] ¡°Anything but that.¡± Swinging the knife in empty air, I got rid of the blood sticking to it. It¡¯s sharpness has begun to fall. The edge is chipped as well. It won¡¯t be able to take any more attacks. I clicked my tongue at that. Well, it was ridiculous to fight monsters with just an iron knife in the first ce. Thinking that, I decided to borrow the long sword that goblin was using before I killed it. As I pulled out the sword from the ground, I felt like my bnce would crumble due to the difference in weight of it. Since I had been using only an iron knife recently, using a different weapon suddenly bes all the more difficult. It¡¯s been a long time since i felt such a weight in my hands. ¡°I¡¯m not good with heavy ones, really.¡± [Wanna switch to using me?] I decided to refrain from that. It would be one thing if I didn¡¯t have any weapon at all but if I am notcking of weapons, I want to avoid using Ermenhilde. Also, if i unsheathed the Godying weapon, my identity would also be revealed. That¡¯d be troublesome. If it was an extremely dangerous situation, I would have no choice but I should be fine for now. ¡°With a proper sword, I should be able to take care of mere Goblins. Probably.¡± [The Elf archer is there as well after all.] ¡°Yeah.¡± At the same time as I answered that, i swung the longsword towards the 2 goblinsing towards me. I used only one hand to attack but the sh was sharper than I expected and cut the through the shoulder of the one running towards me till its chest. But due tock of strength, I was unable to cut throughpletely and my sword remained stuck in its body. ¡°tch.¡± The remaining one goblin swung its rusted axe at me in the meantime. It was aimed at my face but before it could reach, I kicked at its body faster. The leather boots crushed its flesh and the sensation of crushing something hard came through my feet. Faster than I could feel difort from that sensation, the goblin I had kicked bent forward and vomited. Not letting that chance get away, I forcefully pulled out the long sword and struck it at its neck. ¡°fuu.¡± [That was slightly dangerous.] ¡°That wasn¡¯t just ¡®slightly¡¯ dangerous dammit.¡± Throwing away the bloodstained longsword, I transferred the iron knife to my right hand again. As expected, this was easier to use. But, something even lighter yet longer weapon would be more easier to use though. While thinking that, I breathed a huge sigh. I¡¯m tired. Both physically and mentally. This endless fight is making me feel really anxious. If this goes on, I could only expect things to get worse. Deep forest, thick vegetation. Even the sacredness I felt thest time from the hundreds of years old trees was now getting swallowed by this dark ominous forest. Suddenly, once again the bushes swayed unnaturally. As expected, once again goblins appeared from it. And they¡¯re even armed. And there¡¯s four of them¡­¡­My sigh became deeper. But one of them died suddenly by getting hit by an arrow to its head. The remaining goblins showed signs of unrest momentarily due to that and in that time, one more died from another arrow. How many exactly have we killed till now? While I was thinking that, the remaining two faced towards me. ¡°So they still aren¡¯t running away?¡± [And that¡¯s really weird.] Ermenhilde said that. I, and even the Elf archer are probably thinking the same. It¡¯s weird. Even if they¡¯re just goblins, they should have realized the difference in strength after seeing so many of theirrades getting killed. In the first ce, these wild goblins should be more sensitive in that aspect aspared to humans. But even so, there¡¯s no signs of them wanting to run away. I ended up clicking my tongue. I don¡¯t have infinite stamina here. Even if I get an infinite number of weapons, the user is only a slightly skilled human. I¡¯m not sure how many arrows does the Elf still have either. While I was thinking that, one of the goblinsing towards me died after getting shot at the heart with an arrow. ¡°With this¨C¡± I threw the rusted axe lying near my feet towards the goblin. Both the aim and strength of that throw was half hearted and the axe was deflected by the goblin. In that moment, the iron knife, which was the actual attack, stabbed into its face. It stood stock still for a moment then soon fell to its knees. The annoying sound that had been resounding till now, the sound of weapons, all disappeared. It was silence that could hurt the ears. Even after around 15 secs passed, more of them didn¡¯te. I finally breathed in relief. [It¡¯s over, eh?] ¡°¡­¡­.Thank god.¡± [Oh c¡¯mon¡ªyou could¡¯ve fought even more if you use me.] ¡°This much is my limit realy.¡± I shrugged my shoulders. Ah, I¡¯m really tired. I looked at the goblin corpses lying around and began to count them. 12. I tilted my head due to the fact that the number didn¡¯t match to what I had been counting while fighting. Was I unable topletely kill some? While I was thinking that, the Elf guy came down from the sky. Well, I guess he really was sniping from some tree branch. ¡°Are you really a human?¡±(elf) ¡°Well, I¡¯m not an Elf atleast.¡±(renji) Replying that to the sudden words, I pulled out the iron knife sticking in the goblin¡¯s head. While thinking about the fact that the number of corpses didn¡¯t match, i swung the knife once to remove the blood remaining on it. Goblin. They were one of the major and mostmon of the monsters on the Imnesia continent but¡­.. ¡°Wasn¡¯t their numbers a bit too much?¡± [That¡¯s true.] Meeting monsters when going into the grasnds for herb collecting isn¡¯t rare. Since we went into the Forest of Magical Energy this time, the encounter rate would be even higher. That much wasn¡¯t really surprising but this time, their numbers were really too big. It¡¯d wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable if this was a cave or a Goblin dwelling but this number wasn¡¯t something one should face inside this kind of forest. Even I am pretty used to travelling and journeying. I make sure not to get too close to ces that might be a ce where monsters would gather. I wasn¡¯t even cautious since we were near the entrance of the forest. When the battle had begun, I was sure that it¡¯d end pretty quickly. Sure, Goblins tend to flock together. That habit is what makes Goblins more difficult than usual but even so! And they seemed to be even filled with excessive bloodlust as well. Even if we had smaller numbers, it was still ridiculous to attack us directly from the front. Even the fact that they kept oning even after seeing so many of theirrades killed was weird in my opinion. Their actions were different from what a goblin would usually take. Any sane person, if they had bigger numbers, would first surround us then weaken us before going for the kill. But even so, these goblins didn¡¯t even make use of the terrain inside the forest and charged at us head-on blindly. That¡¯s why, I was confused. Maybe Ermenhilde also felt something, its voice was low. Feeling the sacredness of the forest getting tainted by the smell of blood, my mood worsened. ¡°Are you fine?¡± ¡°Yeah, no problems. You seem fine as well.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so tired I feel like crying though. I¡¯ve had enough of monster subjugation for some time now.¡± As i shrugged my shoulders I sighed. I think I also heard fed-up sighing from my pocket as well. ¡°Your personality is really hard to understand.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it the opposite. I simply hate trouble and want to live in peace.¡± [Work seriously.] Am I not working seriously? After all, didn¡¯t Ie to this forest to collect spirit grass?? Though I don¡¯t really feel like doing that request anymore. I¡¯m really tired. I want to go back and sleep. But still, to think that we¡¯d get attacked by goblins again when we both decided to go gather herbs together. ¡°It seems we have some kind of fate with the goblins.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not something good to have.¡± Heughed a little. I remember getting a request to subjugate goblins during the first time as well. And this time as well, we were attacked by goblins. There really might some kind of fate. With Goblins. ¡­¡­.It¡¯s really an ill-fate to have. I want to work more safely. ¡°Weren¡¯t the goblins just now, weird?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­.true, I felt that they were more bloodthirsty than usual.¡± Putting a finger on that well-shaped face, the elf closed his eyes as if thinking something. He might have something to think about this. The fact that he isn¡¯t saying it out loud means that I¡¯m still not trusted well enough. Without really minding that, I kneeled near the goblin corpse nearby. [It¡¯s just a normal corpse. I can¡¯t feel any kind of special magical energy from it.] ¡°Thought so.¡± I checked through the corpse while keeping my knife unsheathed but there wasn¡¯t anything unusual about it. If Ermenhilde didn¡¯t feel anything strange, then there really isn¡¯t anything to it. Well, both me and Ermenhilde aren¡¯t really familiar with magical energy though. I could think of various possibilities but all had very low chance to be true. The Demon Lord or the demons could manipte monsters but they don¡¯te out of their continent, Abenelm, normally. Now that the Demon God has been killed, the chances should be even lesser. The sensation of blood on my fingers wasn¡¯t really pleasant but it was usual stuff for me. I rubbed my fingers with the blood but there was still no change. Am I overthinking this? It really might be just a swarm of goblins. ¡°Well it¡¯s no use investigating it without knowing anything, I guess.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. Also, if there was a change in the monsters in the forest, then we elves would have noticed.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s true as well.¡± Elves should be more sensitive to such things than me. Especially if its something inside the forest. Cutting out the proof of subjugation from the goblin, I put the knife in its sheath and breathed a sigh. As the scent of blood stuck into my nose, I ended up grimacing. I have gotten used to the scent of blood but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll start liking it. Also, my iron knife has also gone bad. I guess, sharpening it alone wouldn¡¯t cut it anymore. After returning to the Magic City, I should see if there¡¯s a better weapon avable somewhere. ¡­¡­Though Ermenhilde would start sulking again if I do so. ¡°It¡¯d be tiring to fight any more goblins. Let¡¯s quickly gather the herbs and return.¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s.¡± Even the Elf would want to avoid tainting the forest with monster blood. Well, they don¡¯t seem to forgive the existence of monsters inside the forest either. While thinking that, I began walking. [This isn¡¯t interesting.] As if I care. Rather than that, I brought out the memo from my pocket. It¡¯s the memo which has the request written on it. In the client¡¯s name part, Aya¡¯s name is written. It¡¯s details involved collecting herbs together with her. The rewards was 50 copper coins. It¡¯s an extra-ordinary amount. ¡°What, did you have another request epted alongside this?¡±(elf) ¡°Something like that.¡± A few days have passed since then. The reward amount has been steadily increasing. She should be getting impatient by now. It¡¯s fun just imagining it. ¡°¡­.You¡¯re making a disgusting face.¡± ¡°I was born with it. Leave me alone.¡± I guess I should go and meet her already. Just as Ermenhilde had said back then, the reward for just herb gathering would probably really be 1 gold coin. A gold coin. That¡¯s way above a child¡¯s pocket money. Well, one way or the other, she is also a hero of the country. She should be having gold coins unlike me. But if I actually made Aya do that while teasing her, how would others look at me if they knew about it¡­.? Well, they¡¯d probably realize that I was just ying around. I¡¯ll still get scolded though. [Seriously¡ª-Are you really that afraid of meeting them?] ¡°Haa~h¡± I answered Ermenhilde¡¯s words with a sigh. As usual, this one is straight to the point. The fact that I was unable to refute it, was it because it was correct or because there was the elf beside me? Without knowing that, I could only sigh and continue into the forest. [It has only been an year. Your bonds won¡¯t disappear in just that much time.] Inside my pocket, I traced the medal with my finger. As usual my partner is straightforward. I lightly patted it. If the Elf was not beside me right now¡­..how would I have answered it back? Well, whatever. I would know the answer when I meet Souichi and the others. The case with the goblins, was it just our bad luck? It was slightly worrying me but it shouldn¡¯t concern me in any case. I have no intention to thrust my neck into more trouble and its the job of brave protagonists to solve such things. I¡¯m not one. I exined myself. I did but¡ª ¡°It¡¯d be nice if nothing really happens.¡± ¡°¡ª?¡± I really think it¡¯d be nice if nothing happens. I hate trouble. I have been involved in way too much already aftering to this world already after all. ¡­¡­now that the world is saved, I just want to live in peace. Chapter 16 Hero and the City of Magicians (5) Chapter 16 Hero and the City of Magicians (5) By the time I returned to the Magic City, the Sun had already begun to set. While holding the bag filled with the gold and silver coins, the reward I got from the guild, I breathed a sigh. I really worked too much today. To think that I¡¯d be able to earn a gold coin in a single day! The reward for 12 goblins was really big. I also sold the equipment I had recovered from them so I would get 1 gold coin even after dividing the reward in two. Let¡¯s have a luxurious dinner for tonight, I ended up smiling while thinking that. Well, I had my fare share of life threatening experience as a result as well though. I really don¡¯t wan to go through something like that ever again. Earning a lot isn¡¯t bad but, I really want to avoid putting my life at risk everytime. ¡°What will you do now?¡±(renji) ¡°I¡¯ll go back to my forest now.¡±(elf) ¡°I see. If somethinges up, I¡¯ll be counting on you again.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± With just that, we decided to split for today. The city at dusk, families buying ingredients for dinner, people returning from their jobs. Getting mixed in that same crowd, the beautiful Elf man disappeared from my vision. Even the way he leaves is cool. His back looks really manly in my opinion. Somehow I feel a bit envious of that. While feeling such slight jealousy inside, I sighed again. ¡°Now then, what to do next.¡± Returning back to the inn to have dinner, have a drink and going to sleep doesn¡¯t sound bad at all. It¡¯s a bit early though. This world has too few ways for amusement. My oldrades have been trying to make chess and trump cards popr but that has yet to spread to the massess. The main reason behind that is that theyck the means to manufacture such things in bulk easily. After they can¡¯t depend on machines like in modern japan and to make such things by hand, they¡¯ll need lot of freebour. For a country that had been living in the fear of the Demon God till the past 1 year, that would be impossible. Young ones were enlisted in the army or working in repairing and restoring towns destroyed by demons. Elders and children were involved in farmwork or household chores. They rarely think of indulging in amusement and their thinking is basically, it¡¯s better to work and earn money than have fun. I guess this will continue for some more time. It¡¯s not like the threat of monsters haspletely disappeared so it¡¯s only obvious. That¡¯s why at night, drinking, exchanging info with strangers and adventurers, fighting each other; that¡¯s basically what most people did. [Isn¡¯t it about time for the Magic Academy to close for the day as well?] ¡°hm?¡± I turned my gaze towards the setting sun. Well, I guess it¡¯s around time for school to end I guess. I once again pondered over what to do. [Oh c¡¯mon. Can you not move forward till someone pushes your back?] ¡°But¡­¡± Now how should I answer Ermenhilde¡¯s question resounding inside my head? I want to meet them, I think. There¡¯s no reason for me not to do so. I haven¡¯t met them for one whole year. The feeling of seeing those children having grown up now is strong. At the same time, what should I talk about when I actually meet them? I end up thinking like that. Anxiety. If I were to put it in words, it was only that. I want to meet them but I don¡¯t know what I should say to them. Considering that I¡¯m supposed to be the elder here, this isn¡¯tughable. ¡®It¡¯s been a long time!¡¯ even though I know that all I have to do is just say that much.. ¡°haah.¡± [Don¡¯t you want to meet them?] On hearing that, I raised my head. ¡°I do.¡± [Then do so. You don¡¯t have any reason not to, so isn¡¯t it simple?] ¡°I see.¡± As usual, Ermenhilde¡¯s straightforward, or should I say simple. I ended up feeling envious of my partner. Though I know I¡¯m simply being irresolute and overthinking things too much. this can¡¯t even be called an actual problem. Being pushed by Ermenhilde¡¯s words, I began walking as I mixed into the crowd. Albana Magic Academy. It¡¯s oldest academy in the Magic City Ofan. Only nobles and those with great talent can attend that ce though nowadays, only nobles or children with simr backing are attending that ce. Basically, rather than a ce to learn and gain knowledge, it has simply be a ce to earn a degree from a prestigious school. Well not all are like that but ording to the citizens of this city, majority of the students belong to that category. Though that¡¯s info I gained while only drinking, but then again, a man¡¯s true feelingse out only when he¡¯s drinking. [Going by the rumours, the ce Souichi and the others are going isn¡¯t exactly a great ce, eh.] ¡°Belonging to a high lineage or pedigree means the more oblingations you have as well after all.¡± Well, it¡¯s not like I have any such experience though. Thinking till that, I sensed a gaze and I turned around. Though I¡¯m in such a crowd but our eyes definitely intersected. A man in a worn-out robe. What reason could it be? To be targeted by a mysterious man?¡­.I could think of way too many. For example, something rted to religion. Though he was the Demon God, there were people who¡¯d still call ¡®Godying¡¯ as a grave sin. Well, it¡¯s not like I can¡¯t understand them. Our powers are too great. There are people who fear that we can also kill the Goddess of the humans or the Spirit God of the Demihumans as well. Truly, it¡¯s not really difficult to understand. A power too strong will always be hated. These kind of things shown in mangas and movies, are actually very true in this actual different world as well. Nevertheless, I neither want to create more enemies nor do I want to indulge in more bloodshed. What will I get from all that? Rather than hating us, spen this energy in recovering from the after effects left by the Demon God. There are others who simply hate us other world heroes, now that the Demon God is dead, we are not needed here, or something like that. Though they are an extreme minority, they do exist. I wonder if Utano-san and Kuuki who are actually at the core of the Kingdom are gathering too much attention to themselves. [What happened?] ¡°No, nothing.¡± While I was thinking that, the owner of that gaze disappeared in the crowd. I wonder what all that was about? Well considering he didn¡¯te to talk, I doubt he has any sort of good will towards me. ¡°Someone was looking atme.¡± [Did he realize that it was Renji and me?] I really had enough of this. I simply want to live leisurely as an adventurer. Also, I doubt that that robed man was simply someone normal. It¡¯s only my wild intution though. ¡°¡­I really am not good with ces with too many people.¡± [That¡¯s a first I¡¯m hearing something like that.] That¡¯s because it¡¯s the first time I¡¯m saying that. In fact, ces with more people are better than less. The man known as Yamada Renji can easily mix and hide inside a crowd after all. Thinking till that, rather than hiding my status it feels more like something a guy with chuunibyou or a hikkikomori would think like. . . . In front of me was a giant gate¡­.It really is huge. The stone gate gave off a sense of pressure and gives an image of blocking anythinging towards it. It was wide enough for 3 carriages to pass through easily alongside each other, and was so tall that I had to raise my head to see its top. On both sides of this gate were armoured guards with spears, 2 on each side, making a total of 4 guards. Behind them was a small iron door probably for these guards and students to pass through the gate. It¡¯d be a pain to open that giant gate each and every time I guess. Do these guys get sry just for standing there whole day?¡­I ended up thinking like that. ¡°How did they even build this thing?¡± [Well, wouldn¡¯t it be made by humans carrying stones, shaping them and thenbining them together normally?] Well, that may be so but it really looks amazing. The Imnesia¡¯s royal castle was also amazing but this Magic Academy¡¯s gate is also incredible. You might call it ¡®the potential of human beings¡¯ but it¡¯s really amazing how people actually carried so many stones to here. Even though it wasn¡¯t like only one man was doing it but still. The stones have been shaped equally in the form of ingots and hundreds and thousands of such ingots have been brought together to make this gate. The door was of silver. It¡¯s useful in driving away demons and is used quite a lot in the royal castle and other such old buildings. In fact, Ghosts and undeads can¡¯t even touch such doors at all. In front of such a big gate, I think low level ghosts won¡¯t even be able toe closer to this. Though it¡¯spletely possible to break and enter through the stone parts. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± ¡°Ah, no. I was just thinking how amazing this gate is.¡±(renji) ¡°What, is this your first time in Ofan? Albana Magic academy¡¯s front gate is really famous but even then it¡¯s your first time seeing it?¡± [Oi, now we¡¯re being treated like we¡¯re some country bumpkins.] Since I was looking curiously at the huge gate, I was misunderstood as such. Answering the guard, I agreed to Ermenhilde¡¯s words inside my mind. Well, it¡¯s not exactly incorrect to say that I¡¯m from some rural ce. I did spend the past 1 year in exactly the remotest of viges. Also, it¡¯d be helpful for me too if I was misunderstood like this. It¡¯d be a pain if they get uselessly suspicious of me after all. ¡°I¡¯d been living a life not rted to a ce like schools, you see.¡±(renji) ¡°I see. Well, only rich ones can afford to go to such ce after all.¡± ¡°Yes. Unfortunately, I have been living my life as an adventurer to meet my daily needs.¡±(renji) ¡°Ah, I guess that makes sense.¡± From my outfit he seems to have judged me as an adventurer¡ªa weak one that is. I don¡¯t know whether I should be happy or sad about it. For the time being, my partner was deeply sighing inside my pocket. [¡­.How deplorable.] ¡°If you¡¯re looking for a job, then you should go to the guild.¡± ¡°Yes, well, I have something to do at the academy.¡± ¡°¡ªfuun.¡± His gaze turned towards me as if looking at someone suspicious. Well, I do look the part. My equipment was just a tunic and trousers. And just a mantle over it. I totally do not look like someone who¡¯d have something to do at a ce where nobles go. Rather than equipment, what I¡¯m wearing is more simr to casual wear. Rather than an adventurer, it¡¯d be easier to believe that I was a normal citizen. The only thing that was something like a proof of me being an adventurer would be the iron knife hanging by my waist. If even that was a long sword, the impression would have been much better. My mantle was stained with the blood of goblins so I might look slightly more adventurer-like I hope. ¡°Is it a request?¡± ¡°No. An acquaintance of mine attends this school so I thought I sgould show my face since I came to Ofan during my journey.¡±(renji) ¡°An acquaintance?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± [Wouldn¡¯t it be fine if you just used the name ¡®Renji¡¯?] Then, I¡¯ll definitely be treated like some sort of fraud/swindler. That would definitely lead to them bing overly suspicious leading to me being interrogated. The result would probably be the same if I used the name of Souichi or the others, I can totally imagine it. A nameless adventurer trying to get close to heroes. Maybe even a normal citizen. These dutiful guards would probably see it like that. ¡°So, will it be fine if I wait in front of the gate for a while?¡±(renji) ¡°¡­.What, so you don¡¯t want to go inside?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a school for nobles right? It¡¯ll only end up troublesome for me.¡± As I shrugged my shoulders, I felt the guards rxing a bit. ¡°So you understand that much.¡± ¡°I do have certain years of experience with my age after all.¡±(renji) ¡°Then, I don¡¯t really have anything special to say to you. Just don¡¯t cause a scene.¡± Saying that, the guard returned to his station. ¡®Sorry for the trouble¡¯ I sent him away with a smile. Seemed like a pretty frank guy to me. [¡­.I just can¡¯t understand.] ¡°Get used to it. Unfortunately, I do not hold a special title like a Hero.¡± There were very few people around the academy. There were a few who were looking at the gate like me, and that was all. Rest were the guards on duty. The giant stone wall dyed by the setting sun gave off a feeling of loneliness as well. On looking closely, there were no weeds growing on the wall. I guess it¡¯s being properly maintained. [No matter how many times I hear it, I can¡¯t get used to Renji¡¯s formal way of speaking.] ¡°You¡¯re being rude, as usual.¡± Even like this, I do intend to maintain the least amount of formality necessary. In fact, among the ones that traveled with me, wasn¡¯t I the one tended to be the most wary of such things? Even the youths, though they were cautious at first, but after getting used to us, lost all kinds of formality in their speech. Only the guys in the age group of me and Utano-san kept this sort of decency in our way of speech. The ones who didn¡¯t mind it all were the school going children group. Getting excited due to going through something like getting summoned to another world, they were super happy. At first, they even thought they were some special humans or something. Though that all disappeared after the journey actually started. Journeys are meant to be tiring. Walking, riding horses, swaying in carriages, etc. There was nothing as great as cars here. Feet hurt after walking, horses would sway, and carriages were hard to sit in. They¡¯d soon startining. And when they finally started getting used to it, we had to climb mountains, entering forests. The enjoyment of getting summoned to another world disappeared very quickly, and living became desperate, fighting after getting frustrated, and thenughing after making up. [I wonder if Souichi and the others are healthy.] ¡°They probably are. Though Souichi and Aya are probably still fighting a lot.¡± [That¡¯s true.] I ended upughing imagining those scenes from an year ago. Close childhood friends¡­in fact one could say that they got along well a bit too much. ALways fighting and then quickly making up again. On being reckless while fighting monsters, on their food habits, on every small and important topic, they¡¯d argue with each other. But, I guess they¡¯d still be like that. I can easily imagine them like that. ¡°Hm?¡± While I was reminiscing about the past, a heavy sound of bell resounded in the world at dusk. My consciousness came back to reality. That did sound like the bell of ending sses but how is it actually? For some time, I focused towards the academy. At that, the guard I had been talking to came towards me again. ¡°sses ended just now. The dorms are that way but will you wait near the gate here?¡± With his finger, he pointed towards the dorms. Or rather, is that how the dorms are. It¡¯s meant for nobles so the bulding arepletely different from where a normal would live. They sure are living in an amazing ce. As I said that, the guardughed. ¡°I¡¯ll wait here. It seems even the dorms would be ufortable for me.¡± ¡°Wise decision.¡± [I¡¯m bored.] For a medal, you sure are impatient. As I gave a wry smile at the unexpected words, the guardughed again. ¡°If the nobles lived a bit more modestly, the lives of themoners would also have gotten better.¡± It seems he misunderstood my reply to Ermenhilde and continued the conversation. Well it is boring just waiting like this. And I have to be careful of the surroundings when talking to Ermenhilde. That¡¯s tiring in its own way. ¡°That¡¯s true. Money gathers with those who already have it whereas goes away from those who don¡¯t after all.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a harsh world. Even I¡¯d like to have an extravagant dinner sometimes.¡± Shrugging my shoulders, I agreed with him. Well, that isn¡¯t really necessary though. Living modestly is good in its own way. Even without luxury, humans will live on. In fact getting too used to luxury, and bing unable to live modestly is pathetic in my opinion. Though there are a lot of people here, what about actually socializing? For me, I prefer the rxed and warm atmosphere of viges. But I guess people will always prefer luxury to that. While I talked like that with guard for some time, the silver door opened, and students began to leave. It seems there are people on the other side of the gate as well who opened it. There were men whose muscles could be seen from above their clothes¡ªSo it¡¯s human powered eh? There were 6 of them and all of them were skinheads. I wonder if there¡¯s some meaning behind it. I doubt it though. ¡°Then, good luck with your job.¡± ¡°Ou. It¡¯d be good if you can also meet with the one you want.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± One again sending the guard off, I brought out Ermenhilde from my pocket. ¡°Well then, will I really meet them?¡± [It¡¯s been an year after all. I¡¯m excited to see how much they¡¯ve grown.] ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± I flicked the medal with a *ping*. Heads. fuu, breathing a sigh, I returned Ermenhilde into my pocket. ¡°I feel nervous.¡± [How cute.] Stop that. I¡¯m not at an age where I¡¯ll get happy if you say that. In the first ce, the word ¡®cute¡¯ isn¡¯t apliment for guys. The students also realized of my presence and were ncing at me. Well, I do realize that my clothes really don¡¯t match the ce. I should have paid a little more attention to my attire maybe? Well, not that it would have changed much. My sense in clothing is average. At least I¡¯ll be able to talk properly to Souichi and others on these clothes. ¡°huh?¡± While I was appraising my clothes, I heard a somewhat recognisable voice. On turning towards it, a single girl was standing there. A high ss golden embroidered blue robe. A red ribbon and white blouse. A blue skirt that reached till the thighs. A beret like hat on the head. It was the uniform of the academy. And above all, ck hair and ck eyes. Hair that reached the waist. Glossy, well-maintained straight hair. Slightly drooping big eyes. I ended up staring at that recognisable face for some time. ¡°Yayoi-chan?¡± ¡°Renji-oniisan?¡± We both called each other¡¯s names. For a second I thought it¡¯d be Aya but I was totally wrong. In just a year, Aya would not be able to give off such a calm and gentle presence, I¡¯d definitely not recognise her if that was really the case. ¡°You¡¯ve grown.¡± ¡°Renji-oniisan has¡­..grown out his beard.¡± At that, she started chuckling at me. [That is why I said. Shave! It doesn¡¯t suit you, a beard that is. Looks untidy¡­] Such harsh remarks. It seems to have gotten even more unforgiving due to finding someone with a simr opinion, I guess. There¡¯s no such thing, I rubbed my chin. I don¡¯t find that slightly prickly sensation to be bad. ¡°Eru-san as well, it¡¯s been a long time.¡±(yayoi) [Ah, long time no see Yayoi. You¡¯ve gotten prettier.] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± I see, so that¡¯s what I should¡¯ve said. ¡ª-nope, not going to say that actually though. There¡¯s no way I can say that to someone who feels like a daughter. ¡°Also, I have the same opinion as Eru-san.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°The beard, it doesn¡¯t suit you.¡± I ended up averting my gaze at that. I see, so it doesn¡¯t suit me. Being told that by a girl with a smile sure has an effect. It felt like a knife just stabbed through my chest. [Say it more. Renji doesn¡¯t listen to what I say after all.] ¡°Really? I don¡¯t think so though?¡±(yayoi) ¡°That¡¯s because Ermenhilde started nagging too much in past one year.¡±(renji) [I have to say something if Renji is beingzy.] As we continued our usual banter, she gave a small chuckle again. As sheughed while hiding her mouth with her hand, she looked even more prettier than her age. ¡°Both Renji-oniisan and Eru-san haven¡¯t changed much.¡±(yayoi) [Is that so? Renji¡¯s lifestyle has be extremely dull andzy in my opinion.] ¡°Oi stop. It hasn¡¯t be that bad.¡± ¡°fufu.¡± As I quarreled with Ermenhilde, Yayoi-chanughed at us. Hmm. ¡°Really, you both haven¡¯t changed.¡± ¡°Yayoi-chan has gotten bigger though.¡± ¡°¡­.Telling a girl that she¡¯s gotten bigger might not really be apliment though?¡± Is that so? Her height¡¯s grown, and her atmosphere has be calmer. It was like that a year back as well but now it has be more adult like. I guess it¡¯s true when they say that children grow fast. Even though her height was barely till my chest back then, now she¡¯s as tall as my shoulders. Her height that was taller than the normal girl her age made her feel even more mature. Her long hair and robe gently swayed with the wind. Yayoi-chan standing in the sunset looked extremely precious and my chest became warm inside. My worries regarding what I should say to thempletely disappeared. From the bottom of my heart, I felt d that I decided to meet them again. [We seem to be standing out. How about moving to a ce where we can talk with ease?] On Ermenhilde¡¯s words, Yayoi-chan turned towards the surroundings. I too, at that, finally felt the need to pay attention to my surroundings. She must be famous at the academy. Now that the sses were over, a huge crowd of students were umted in this area. ¡°This is troublesome¡­¡±(yayoi-chan) ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a park a little walk away from here. How about going there to talk?¡± Saying that, she grabbed my hand. I flinched a little from the sensation of that small and gentle hand. ¡°Yayoi-chan?¡± Wouldn¡¯t this make us stand out even more? was what I wanted to say but the person herself kept smiling widely and led me by the hand. ¡°Isn¡¯t this much fine? It¡¯s been an year, let me spoil myself at least now.¡±(yayoi) ¡°Such things, please do with your boyfriend.¡± ¡°fufu.¡± The answer to my words was a happy voice and a wide smile. ¡­Now I feel like an idiot to be worrying over what to do. No, I really might be an idiot. [That¡¯s why I said, just go and meet them.] ¡°¡®Tis as you said.¡± Just because of my useless inferiorityplex, I went into hiding for a whole year. I thought that was for the best, I still think that way. An existence like mine will only be a burden for the other God yers. An existence that can only kill gods. An existence that can¡¯t fight without getting others into trouble first. The weakest among us all. But even so, if a reunion was such a happy thing, it¡¯s a good thing I met them. I thought that way while looking at the happy Yayoi-chan leading me. . . . . ¡°umm so, it¡¯s been a while. Have you been doing well?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes. Me, nii-chan, and Aya-chan, all of us are doing well.¡± ¡°I see. That¡¯s good.¡± Since I had no idea what I should talk about, only weird things came out of my mouth when I actually did speak. Sitting on the bench of the park, we talked about a lot of things. About school, friends, Souichi, Aya, Yayoi. And a little about myself. It¡¯s embarrassing after all. Saying that I have beenzying around in a rural vige. It¡¯s not something worth talking about. Children were frolicking around in the park and after some time, their parents came to pick them up. In this world, Yayoi-chan and the others don¡¯t have their parents. Utano-san or Kuuki-san had been acting as their guardians. And, I as well had been acting like a counsellor or something. Remembering that, I started feeling nostalgic again. Though there¡¯s a kind of lonely feeling thinking that now we don¡¯t need to act as their guardians. As I turned towards Yayoi-chan, her face didn¡¯t have that loneliness of the past and was happilyughing. Her face looked really pretty. It showed that the past 1 year, her school life had been really fun for her. ¡°After getting summoned to this world,¡±(yayoi) ¡°un.¡± ¡°I was scared, lonely, and sad¡­.I only had onii-chan and Aya-chan.¡± Slowly, she continued speaking. But her voice seemed bright and her face seemed happy. That¡¯s why I as well, brought out Ermenhilde and gently rubbed the rim of the medal. ¡°But now, Yuuko-san and the others let us go to school, I made lots of friends, and the otherrades of ours send us letters regrly.¡± ¡°I see. Then¨C¡± ¡°And today, I was able to meet Renji-oniisan as well.¡± ¡®You aren¡¯t lonely anymore¡¯. My words coincided with Yayoi¡¯s. Our gazes met. ¡°I really think that we 13 should always be together.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°From hereon, there will be very few times all 13 of us will meet or so Yuuko-san had said but I, want to meet everyone again.¡± I made her feel lonely, I did something bad, I made her worry. My chest grew a bit tighter on seeing the emotions in her eyes. But I was unable to avert my gaze from her serious expression. ¡°Please don¡¯t disappear so selfishly ever again.¡± ¡°¡­.Got it.¡± As I nodded, her serious expression became gentler. ¡°Will you promise?¡± ¡°n, I get it. I promise¡­I won¡¯t disappear like that. I¡¯ll first properly tell you before doing so.¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t disappear in the first ce¡­.¡± She sighed while saying that. But with a smile¡­..I scratched my cheek thinking that I ended up promising something to her. Promises are heavy. Even the easiest of things¡­.I¡¯d want to make sure to protect that promise. I think that I must protect my promise no matter what. [It¡¯s tough to be an adult, eh?] ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. Renji-oniisan is everyone¡¯s father after all.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not at that age yet. Utano-san may seem like a mother but I¡¯m more closer to an elder brother at most.¡± ¡°Mouu¡­Renji-oniisan is the same as usual I guess.¡± [Really. How deplorable..] For some reason, these 2 seemed to be amazed at me. A father¡­.That¡¯s not in my character. If Utano-san were to hear that, I can imagine her roaring inughter. ¡°Also, renji-oniisan, Aya-chan had been really wanting to meet you, you know?¡± [Yeah. Enough to put out requests at the guild for him.] ¡°That Aya. Or rather, 55 copper for herb gathering¡­It¡¯d be suspicious so I¡¯d not take up the request instead, normally.¡± Saying that, I brought out the memo from my pocket. Client: Fuyou Aya. Reward: 55 coppers. 10 times the normal reward for such a request. Such a request, everyone¡¯d end up wondering what kind of monster will you have to fight for this. ¡°Also, magic has been applied on that.¡±(yayoi) ¡°Magic?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes.¡± [¡­I don¡¯t sense any magical energy though?] Or rather, what¡¯s up with putting ¡®magic¡¯ on the memo? If it¡¯s Aya, shouldn¡¯t it be ¡®magecraft¡¯? [T/N: this is a little difficult to exin. It seems they are differentiating ¡®Mahou¡¯ and ¡®Majutsu¡¯ on the way of use simr to how it¡¯s done in Type-moon/Nasuverse for those who know that. This wasn¡¯t really exined well earlier so I had been suing ¡®Magic¡¯ for ¡®Majutsu¡¯ as well but I think I¡¯ll change it to ¡®Magecraft¡¯ depending on the context.] This doubt must have appeared on my face since Yayoi started giggling while hiding her mouth. ¡°Aya-chan wished for that memo to be noticed only by Renji-oniisan. She put out that request while ferverently wishing for that.¡± I ended up tilting my head on Yayoi-chan¡¯s words. What kind of magic is that? ¡°Wishes are also a type of imagination. A strong wish can manifest as a true miracle.¡± ¡°And her wish did manifest as a miracle? Is that what you¡¯re saying?¡± Aren¡¯t miracles supposed to be the work of Gods? But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s impossible for human wishes to manifest as a miracle. I saw such miracles many times during our journey to subjugate the Demon God so I cannot refute it. But isn¡¯t this miracle a bit too specific? [fumu, somehow it¡¯s quite the romantic type of magecraft.] ¡°¡­.for you to speak of words like ¡®romantic¡¯, Ermenhilde you¡¯ve also matured/grown.¡± [Tch.] Yayoi-chan giggled as Ermenhilde clicked its tongue. ¡°Be sure to meet Aya-chan as well, alright?¡±(yayoi) ¡°Yeah. Also Souichi as well.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Saying that, I stood up from the bench. We¡¯ve talked for quite a while. Also, it¡¯s staring to get darker as well. The street lights running on magical energy were shimmering faintly. ¡°I¡¯ll see you off till your dorm.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± The cold wind made my mantle sway. Looking at the sky, the stars were twinkling and the faint red moon was in the air. ¡°renji-oniisan..¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°It¡¯s good that you didn¡¯t change.¡± Not understanding what Yayoi-chan meant I tilted my head in confusion. Seeing me like that, she started chuckling again. ¡°Day after tomorrow, we have a holiday. How about all 4 of us meet on that day?¡± [Sounds good to me.] ¡°Yeah.¡± After that, I¡¯ll head to the capital. I thought that in my head. If I stay too long, I¡¯ll start getting too attached. I¡¯ll start thinking to stay ¡®a little more, a little more time.¡¯ That¡¯s why, I¡¯ll leave this city soon as well. I won¡¯t say that out loud though. ¡°It¡¯s a promise alright?¡±(yayoi) ¡°Too bad. My promises are one per person only.¡± [¡­.You are such a..] I got a sigh from my partner but this alone I won¡¯t change. ¡°It¡¯s difficult to keep promises after all.¡± ¡°yes.¡± But the person herself seems to be nodding happily. ¡°Renji-oniisan is a person that always keeps his promise after all.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± That level of trust makes me feel itchy. It¡¯s not really that great of a thing. I protect my promises. That¡¯s only obvious. Very normal. That¡¯s why, it¡¯s not something on which you should base your trust on someone. My promise with Aya. That I¡¯ll protect her. That I¡¯ll protect myrade who was even stronger than me. I have made a promise to Utano-san as well. And with my otherrades as well. And now, my promise with Yayoi-chan also increased. ¡ª-Ahh [It¡¯s tough being an Onii-chan eh?] ¡°Well what can I say, being called that by you is, how should I say, it doesn¡¯t fit, no, interesting/funny¡­¡± [¡­Tch.] It really is fun. To be with your rades¡¯. Chapter 17 The GodSlayers (1) Chapter 17 The Godyers (1) The next morning after meeting with Yayoi-chan. I woke up early for once and reached the guild sooner than usual only to find a crowd by the counter. [What¡¯s going on?] ¡°Did an interesting requeste up or something?¡± Curious, I also went towards the counter. At a single nce i could tell that atleast 20 people were gathered by the counter. Even the receptionist herself was not going closer. Since it couldn¡¯t be helped, I gave up and decided to wait till things calmed down. Thinking about confirming the request I¡¯d do today, suddenly my shoulder was patted on. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Hm? Yo, morning.¡± There, the elf I had been partying with recently was standing. But, somehow he seemed really tired. His gazecked the usual vigour. Also, there was no sight of the bow he usually carried. ¡°My bow was broken. I¡¯m having a new one prepared for me.¡± It seems my expression gave away my thoughts as he exined about his bow. But, broken? Did he have some quarrel with some humans or did he suffer a defeat against some monster? I¡¯m well aware of this Elf¡¯s ability. Even though the monsters in the Forest of Magical Energy are strong, in the end they¡¯re still just goblins and such. I don¡¯t think he is weak to be defeated by them. ¡°Did something happen?¡±(renji) ¡°Yeah. A little problem has ured.¡± ¡°Problem?¡± [fumu¡­.sounds interesting.] I can only get a bad feeling about this though. I answered Ermenhilde¡¯s word like this in my mind. If possible, I want to avoid anything troublesome. Also, dangerous things as well. ¡°is it rted to that crowd over there?¡±(renji) ¡°Pretty much.¡± [What happened?] ¡°¡­¡­What happened? It¡¯s rare for so many adventurers to gather like that at the counter.¡±(renji) Either the reward is great or it¡¯s something very troublesome. If possible, please be the former one. Those who came to the guild after me are also looking towards the counter wondering what happened. Also, since the crowd is big, they¡¯re also simply standing by the side like me. As expected, that big of crowd will attract anyone¡¯s attention, I guess. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel that goblins have been appearing a bit too much recently?¡±(elf) ¡°Goblin?¡± Now that I think about it, yeah. Yesterday, we did get attacked by a bit too many of them. Certainly, that wasn¡¯t normal. Without any objective, for so many goblins to gather was weird. ¡°The abnormality has appeared in the Forest of Magical Energy as well but it seems that the situation is the same even in the ins to the south of the Magic City.¡± ¡°So, goblins are appearing inrge amounts both in the Forest and in the Southern ins of Ofan?¡± [That¡¯s strange. The number of Goblins here shouldn¡¯t be that big since adventurers hunt them regrly.] If there was a special reason behind it, the guild would have received intel on that by now. If there isn¡¯t any, means that these goblins are appearing like that naturally. There are two ways how monsters are born. Well, there may be others I don¡¯t know as well, but I am aware of only two of such ways. The first is simply to give birth to a child with a partner of the same race. It¡¯s only natural, or rather, if there¡¯s a male and a female of the same species, it will happen. The other, is through creation by the Demon God. That guy could really, as long as he had magical energy, create infinite number of monsters. Though there were some restriction/conditions to it¡ª-we don¡¯t know what they are. Even after the Demon God has been defeated, the fact that the monsters haven¡¯t disappeared is also a reason behind it. Neither humans nor the Demi-humans have the resources to go around exterminating all the infinitely created demons. Well, they won¡¯t be created infinitely anymore but the number of monsters is still very big. And currently they continue to increase by giving birth to children normally. Adventurers, soldiers and the demihumans are also killing them continuously but I wonder how much the amount has actually lessened in this one year after the Demon God was killed. ¡°So, is the guild nning to perform arge scale sweeping force or something?¡±(renji) ¡°Yeah. They are currently recruiting members.¡± I see. Such urrences weren¡¯t umon when the Demon God was still alive. When we were journeying, we even had to fight Goblins in hundreds. Well, most of them were cleared out by the mage group though. And the rest were taken care of by us. But, we were attacked by more than 10 goblins in just the Forest. Including the ones on the ins and deeper inside the forest, the total number of Goblins should be pretty big this time as well. How many will the guild be able to recruit for this, I wonder. ¡°It¡¯d be nice if they can find some mages.¡±(renji) ¡°The earnings are good, that should be able to attract quite a few.¡± After all, they¡¯ll get a good wall as well. With the vanguard in front, all mages have to do is fire magic like cannons from the rear. There won¡¯t be an easier job than this. The problem will be the battlegrounds. Even if they lure the goblins with food, the ins are far too wide. And they simply can¡¯t turn the Forest of magical energy or the any ce near the city into a battlefield either. So, inevitably they¡¯ll end up fighting right in the middle of the ins. These things should be thought up by someone with better authority though. Not me. They have a habit of swarming, so though ambushes are pretty much impossible, Goblins do have intelligence to try and surround their opponent which can be troublesome. A magician¡¯s fire power is unquestionable but that¡¯d backfire in a melee battle. They¡¯ll be unable to use magic that¡¯d drag theirrades into danger. The ones who can still use it in such a case are either a total fiend or a person that has extreme level of trust in theirrades. There are magicians who know magic that won¡¯t drag their ownrades into danger but that¡¯s a very less minority. Other than that is, Elf or Pixie¡¯s spirit magic. This is also used by drawing power from the spirits so depending on how you use it, it can differentiate between enemy and ally. ¡°What should I do?¡±(renji) [You won¡¯t participate?] ¡°I¡¯m hesitating. The reward sounds good but the danger is equally high.¡± And it¡¯s not like there¡¯d be a huge difference from my participation alone anyway. As long as there isn¡¯t a specially strong¡ª¨Clike that ck Orc mixed with the enemies, I¡¯m no different from a normal adventurer. A many-against-many battle is total hell. No wait, any battle is hell. As someone who knows that, I really want to avoid getting involved in anyrge scale battle. Also, it seems they¡¯ll be able to gather a huge force even if I don¡¯t take part. ¡°I thought you¡¯d take part.¡±(elf) ¡°¡­.Why?¡± ¡°You seem to have money problems, and you are skilled as well. You won¡¯t have problems against mere goblins right?¡± ¡°You overestimate me. I¡¯m not that great¡­..your support was simply good that¡¯s all.¡± As I shrugged, he ended up sighing. I wonder about that. As if saying that. In fact, when we were attacked by goblins inrge numbers, the number he took down was bigger than how many I did. Well, it might be wrong to estimate abilities with just numbers but it¡¯s true that he made it much easier for me to move around. That alone was proof of this Elf¡¯s abilities. ¡°It seems you¡¯re justzy.¡±(elf) [Exactly.] ¡­¡­.Why the hell did you reply there Ermenhilde? As I sighed on my partner¡¯s cruel betrayal, I headed towards the counter. Things had calmed down and the crowd had lessened. Seeing how many had applied till now, 30+ for the vanguard and 20+ for the rear guard including archers and magicians. I don¡¯t know the exact number of the goblins but this many should be more than enough. I doubt I¡¯d be able to do anything exemry by adding to them. And, the reward would also smaller due to that. If I messed up, maybe gathering herbs would earn me more than this. Well, in such sweeping battles, the true limelight is on the magicians. Vanguards like me won¡¯t stand out much anyway. On checking the lowest reward guaranteed, it was 50 copper coins. Not very great for a reward. Well, the opponents are just goblins though. ¡°They¡¯ll start tomorrow, eh? Pretty sudden.¡± [¡­..It¡¯s the day you promised Yayoi-chan and the others as well.] Yeah. Also, it seems the Magic Academy is helping as well. Basically, they¡¯ll be sending magicians. The rear guard will increase by 10 more people like that. And that means¡ª- [Souichi and the others will be sent out as well.] Seems so. With Souichi and Aya, mere goblins would be just fodder. If Yayoi-chan is also there, injuries wouldn¡¯t be a problem anymore. It¡¯d be one thing if we had juste into the world but for Aya who could do a magic battle with the Demon God, it¡¯d be insta kill. Though I doubt she¡¯d do something that¡¯d make her stand out so much like that. If she did that, adventurers would end up working for free. That¡¯d only gain animosity. Well, she¡¯d probably just make sure that nobody dies indirectly. Souichi as well, would probably simply increase morale of the front lines. Now that the Demon God was defeated, the only thing expected out of the heroes is to ¡®stay and act like Heroes¡¯. Protecting theirrades, saving the country, fighting for those who can¡¯t fight. Such heroism. That was all that was expected. Also, absolute trust. As long as Heroes are there, they¡¯ll be fine no matter what. They won¡¯t lose no matter who the opponent is. Such absolute trust. It¡¯s damn heavy, selfish, and basically depending on others. I don¡¯t really find it bad, though. Even I think like that. If there are people you can depend on, to depend on them is what makes one human. That is what a goddess is for, that is what the Godyers, the apostles of the Goddess are for. To be able to respond to that trust is what makes one a Hero, and I¡¯m one who can¡¯t do that. It¡¯s as simple as that. ¡°waah¡­.this is why I hate monster subjugation.¡±(renji) [umu. Only this, is something one might need to think about. Renji is awkward as usual after all.] ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± While saying that, I wrote my name on the participant list. Renji. Just that much. The result won¡¯t change from just my participation. But that doesn¡¯t mean I can leave everything to Souichi and Aya. It¡¯s a fact that I¡¯m weak but using that as an excuse I¡¯m not going let children do all the work. If their burden would lessen even a bit from my participation, I¡¯ll do it. What is a child¡¯s duty? I questioned myself. It is to study, y with friends. Eating a lot, and to sleep a lot. That¡¯s what a child must do. (T/N: This guy is a natural born daddy Xp.) It¡¯s definitely¡ª not to pick up a sword and fight. It¡¯s not to kill monsters. That¡¯s not the duty of a child. ¡°So you¡¯ll participate in the end?¡± As I wrote my name, the Elf came to talk. I shrugged and answered him. ¡°Some acquaintances of mine are also participating you see.¡±(renji) ¡°Someone dear to you?¡± ¡°Something like that. The world has finally be peaceful, I don¡¯t want them to fight anymore though.¡± That¡¯s why, even if just one more, I¡¯ll kill those goblins. So that the fight can end faster, even if a little. So that, Souichi and the others can end without fighting. I casually thought. Their school life should be fun. They are still only 18. It¡¯s an age where you¡¯d be having fun with your friends. Yesterday, Yayoi-chan looked really happy while talking about her school life. I¡¯m sure, Souichi and Aya would be the same. ¡­¡­..That¡¯s why, I sighed. Those guys look betterughing rather than fighting. I think like that. ¡°If only I was stronger.¡±(renji) ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Nothing. Comining to myself. Don¡¯t mind it.¡± If I was stronger. If I could fight alone. Without getting others involved, if I could protect others. Then, the burden on myrades would have surely lessened. If I, who was only protected all the time, could add to their strength, I could have fought more. The sacrifices would have been less. While I was deep in my thoughts, the Elf also wrote his name on the participant list. His name was Faylona apparently. We partied together quite a few times but I never got to know his name. He must have been that cautious with me, I guess. ¡°You hadn¡¯t written your name yet?¡±(renji) ¡°I was hesitating on whether to participate or not.¡± And you actually called mezy? As I lightly red at him, he shrugged his shoulders as if troubled. Because he looked good even then, I ended up sighing for some reason. I really envious of handsome guys, seriously. ¡°If you are participating, then I¡¯ll do as well.¡±(Faylona) ¡°What the heck?¡±(renji) His gaze looked directly at me. ¡°You¡¯re strong. With you, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll survive.¡± ¡°Oh please. I¡¯m just a poor adventurer. Even if you put your trust in me like that, I have no way to respond.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too bad.¡± [Really.] Like I said, why the hell are you sympathizing with this Elf? Whose ally are you anyway? I lightly hit Ermenhilde inside my pocket. ¡°In any case, the job¡¯s tomorrow. Let¡¯s take it easy today.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Saying that, we both left the guild. ¡°Do you drink?¡±(renji) ¡°Only fruit wine.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± [No, no, why¡¯s that alright?] (T/N: this dialogue sequence doesn¡¯t sound as funny as it was in JP.-_-¡®) I lightly hit Ermenhilde inside my pocket once again. ¡°Wanna go take a drink to cheer up?¡±(renji) ¡°So early in the day?¡± ¡°It¡¯s good sometimes, to drink from early morning.¡± ¡°¡­..Well, it¡¯s not like I have anything else to do so why not.¡± [Oi.] While hearing Ermenhilde¡¯s voice, we started walking. ¡°You¡¯re pretty rxed even before such a big battle.¡±(elf) ¡°Is that so?¡± Goblin subjugation isn¡¯t that rare in this world. And with Souichi and others involved, there¡¯s no way we¡¯d lose. I just have to do my job. Well, I might not get to do anything as well, but there¡¯s a chance I might have to do something. If there is something like that, I just have to do it. It¡¯s that easy. Together with Ermenhilde. ¡°Contrary to your appearance, you¡¯re quite the bigshot eh?¡±(elf) ¡°I¡¯m exactly as I look. Just a humble adventurer who can be found anywhere.¡± [¡­¡­Oh god, this drunkard.] Chapter 18 The GodSlayers (2) Chapter 18 The Godyers (2) The atmosphere before a battle. Tension that stabbed the body and the heaviness of being closer to death. While being illuminated by the light of the campfire lit for warmth that was surrounded by the adventurers, I was breathing deeply. Such an atmosphere was enveloping my body. My chest was in pain as if it was tightening, as if it was being stabbed by a small needle. I gazed at the surrounding adventurers. They were all youths in the theirtter teens. There were some even younger kids as well. But that wasn¡¯t really unusual. But maybe, the ones around me were still not used to such battles¡ª¨Cit might even be their first time. Thinking like that, I breathed deeply again. Now, we¡¯ll be fighting. With Goblins. Along with numerous adventurers. Against countless goblins. A battle to the death. There were those who were calmed by the fact that there were manyrades and then there were those who afraid of the fact that they¡¯ll be fighting an incredible number of goblins. They participated due to their youthful enthusiasm but were now getting scared just before it actually started. They looked simr to the old me. I gently patted Ermenhilde¡¯s rim inside my pocket. [What happened?] ¡°Just a little nervous.¡± [¡­¡­Don¡¯t say it so openly.] I¡¯m used to fighting goblins. I have fought them many times. Killed countless of them. In the ins, caves, inside forests, within cities. But that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll stop getting scared anymore. Especially, when therades I have to entrust my back to¡ª-those that¡¯ll fight with me are so nervous, their nervousness was transmitted to me as well. Looking up at the sky, the shining sun will soon reach its peak. Just a little more till the operation starts. The participants were, approximately 50 people who could only fight in closebat like me. Magicians and Archers were approx 30. Leaving the Magic City Ofan, we were currently encamped approx 1Km south of the city. Here, the goblins won¡¯t be able to directly cause damage to the city and their movements could be seen from the defensive walls of the city as well. If any movement was seen they had been prepared to inform us through smoke signals. And the goblins were¡ª ¡°What a view. What a great view it is.¡± [Yeah right. It¡¯s disgusting.] In my line of sight, in the middle of the ins was a huge group of earthen coloured goblins. Their distance was around 1Km away from us. There was enough distance that one wouldn¡¯t see them if he didn¡¯t strain their eyes. RIght now, they are probably greedily devouring the meat we spread around for them there as lure. As a living being, it was enough to make you feel unpleasant. But to not even think of taking that food away back to their dwelling, I guess they really are just wild beasts. Their number was more than 200. Probably close to 250 or something. We were only 80 so it¡¯ll be around three goblins for everyone. There really is a lot of them. And I ended up feeling that something was behind all this. Goblins do have a tendency to swarm but this number isn¡¯t small enough to be called just a group. Simply speaking, though higher number may equal more power but when the number is too big there will definitely be a need for amander/leader. Adventurers who are used to goblins should have already sensed that as well. That this situation was abnormal. ¡°I feel like I have been getting involved in too much trouble recently.¡± 3 months back, an Ogre suddenly appeared in a vige. 2 weeks back, there was that ck Orc that could use the Demon God¡¯s mes. And this time, a group of 200+ goblins. And I am willingly getting involved in this so I can¡¯t reallyin much either. I wonder how Souichi and Aya are right now? Thinking that, i looked towards the ce where the magicians had gathered. 7 students have participated from the Albana Magic Academy. Souichi, Aya, and there was even Miss Francesca there. With Souichi and Aya as the lead, the students had gathered with the others just a while back. Those 2 had be totally used to this so, they seemed rather bold or should I say, rxed. The rest 5 of them were nervous enough that it showed on their faces. They¡¯re noble children. It should be the first time they¡¯d be taking part in such a battle. The scale of this battle wasn¡¯t unusual when the Demon God was still active but even then, only trained and veteran adventurers and knights took part in such battles. Students and nobles were protected by their parents. By the way, I haven¡¯t greeted them yet. They shouldn¡¯t be aware of my presence either. In Ermenhilde¡¯s words I¡¯m being too difficult. I am aware of that as well. ¡°Are you fine?¡± ¡°Ueeh? Yes.¡± I spoke to the adventurer beside me who had a blue face. He must be in his teens. Looks the same age as Souichi. Well, Souichi is child-faced or rather, looks much younger than his actual age though. Turning into a handsome guy in just one year damnit. He also seems to have grown taller than thest time I saw him but it still seems lesser than other men his age. I¡¯ll make fun of himter, definitely. He had been always saying that he wanted to be more manly yet became more androgynous looking instead. He did have a cute type of face from the start but it seems to have be more refined as well. Even Aya looked more manly than Souichi. Leading the students with Souichi, she looked only straight while walking with a puffed up chest. Her strong, hardened gaze was the same as back then. So much that both me and Ermenhilde spoke She hasn¡¯t changed at all at the same time. And this adventurer who was the same age as Souichi and the others seemed like he might puke anytime now. ¡°Calm down. The magicians will blow them up with their magic and we¡¯ll only have to hunt the leftovers. It¡¯s an easy job.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I know, but¡­..¡± I guess anyone would still get scared. Even the me, back then, was the same. While feeling nostalgic, I brought out Ermenhilde. ¡°Oi, boy, your name?¡±(renji) ¡°Um¡­Rob. Roberiano¡± ¡°Nice name. Roberiano. Rob. And all of you other who are still shaking. Look at this.¡±(renji) Saying that, I flicked Ermehilde with a *ping*. And then catched the rotating medal. ¡°It¡¯s heads.¡± As I opened my palm, it was Head as I had proimed. Not just that. I once again flicked the medal and caught it. ¡°It¡¯s Heads.¡± I repeated. Again and again. Countless times. I brought out Heads. While I did that, voices saying that I was ying a trick or was cheating some way rose. So I let them decide whether it¡¯ll be heads or tails and then flicked it again. Answering their calls, I brought out Heads or Tails as required. Like I had once shown to Miss Francesca, I was simply seeing through what side it¡¯ll be to decided how to catch it but nobody realized that. ¡°Next should be Heads.¡± ¡°Alright, it should be.¡± Saying that, I flicked Ermenhilde again. It was Heads. A cheer rose from the onlookers. ¡°You guys are lucky. You were able to guess the right side of the coin everytime.¡±(renji) The cheering stopped and it became silent again. ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯ll be fine. Nobody will die. You¡¯ll definitely live.¡±(renji) I put Ermenhilde back inside my pocket. The trick was over. There was no fear inside the eyes of that adventurer anymore. That¡¯s how it should be. This is all I can do right now. I could only do such a ¡®trick¡¯ for them. ¡°Don¡¯t get worked up due to mere Goblins. Think about surviving more than killing goblins. Protect the backs of yourrades. If you do so, nobody will die.¡±(renji) [You¡¯re being unusually talkative today.] I shrugged and answered Ermenhilde¡¯s somewhat happy voice. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m thinking of something special. I simply don¡¯t want anyone to die. I don¡¯t even know their names. Only for today, we¡¯ll fighting together. Their many people like that after we came into this world. And, also many who died among them as well. That¡¯s why, I don¡¯t want them to die. The Demon God was subjugated. The world will be at peace from now on. That¡¯s why, I don¡¯t want them to die in such a ridiculous way. It¡¯s only normal to think like that. And if there is something I can do, if there is a way to remove their nervousness, if there was a way to reduce their chances of dying even a little, I will do it. I don¡¯t want to stay doing nothing. ¡°Just do what¡¯s normal, normally. Then, others would help you. Humans are weak alone.¡± To my words towards Ermenhilde, the young adventurer answered instead. Finding it somewhat amusing, I ended up ckening my expression. [Renji.] Since the gazes were gathered at me, I couldn¡¯t answer so I gently patted Ermenhilde inside my pocket. [¡­¡­¡­That¡¯s fine. Just stay like that forever.] What the heck¡¯s that supposed to mean? While looking at the now livened up adventurers, I breathed a sigh. If this is fine, then I¡¯ll stay like this forever. Drinking, carefree, leisurely, I¡¯ll enjoy my life in this world. Looking up at the sky, the sun told that it was almost time to start. I wonder if Souichi and the others will be fine or not? Thinking that for a second, I renew my thoughts. Both of them were stronger than me, rather me worrying about them, they¡¯d be worried about me. Let¡¯s just to do what I can do. To end this battle as fast as possible. So that those kids don¡¯t have to fight too much. . . . . The moment the battle began, the result was set. The bombardment by the magicians. Fireballs that could drown many humans, Ice arrows that could pierce even Orcs,pressed Air bullets that seemed to twist the space itself. All these were fired together at the goblins. Explosion followed and blood sshes sprayed in the air. Their shrill cries reached even my ears. That was the signal that marked the start of the battle. Several dozens of Goblins died from that opening attack and the remaining came at us. Raising their warcries, they ran towards us. Then, the second wave came. This time, it was a rain of arrows by the archers. Once again, dozens of Goblins were killed and covered in blood. The third wave was once again an attack by the magicians¡ª¨Cor so it was supposed to be. There was still distance between the goblins and us. But the third wave never came. ¡°What now?¡± The other adventurers also looked towards the magicians to see what happened. But, there were too many people to see clearly. In meantime, the Goblins continued their approach. They¡¯re still much more than us closebat fighters. Probably around 200 are still left. They kept getting closer. Soon, impatient voices starteding from the surroundings. [Looks like something happened.] ¡°¡ª¨CThis is why, I hate monster subjugation jobs.¡± Are Souichi and Aya fine? I questioned but I had no answer. For now I can only wish that nothing happened¡ª¨Cthat it was only a defect in the strategy. [They¡¯reing. Now, support from arrows or magic is totally useless.] ¡°I know.¡± Drawing my iron knife, I twirled it around my fingers. I intended to use the Godying weapon Ermenhilde if it turned into a melee so this is fine. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m having money troubles but¡ª¡ªas you¡¯d expect, in a big battle such as this, I want to use my trusty partner only. While I was thinking that, the Goblins had closened enough that I could see their expressions. Lowering my waist slightly, I put strength into the hand holding the knife. At the same time in the west¡ª¡ªto the left from my point of view, an explosion urred. It was probably fire magic. Looking that way, I could see smoke rising. Due to the attack from the unexpected direction, I hurriedly looked towards Ofan. The signal that was supposed toe in case of any extraordinary circumstance was¡­¡­..not there. ¡°Tch.¡± [They¡¯reing.] Facing to the front again due to Ermenhilde¡¯s voice, I dodged the first attack made by a goblin and cut its neck with my knife. Then, I blocked the long sword of the goblin that attacked using the previous goblin as a shield. Blood sprayed on my face. And due to the pressure of the iing goblin, I ended up getting pushed backwards and was now fully drowned in this all-out melee. The figure of the young adventurer was no longer beside me. Was he also swallowed up in this melee or was he crushed by the wave of goblins? But i did not have theposure to worry about that. I grabbed one of the goblins trying to ignore and pass through me and ripped its neck. Approximately 200 goblins. They were literally 4 times more in numbers than us. Even though they were mere goblins, facing so many head on couldn¡¯t even be called a proper battle. ¡°Ermenhilde!¡± I called its name but the manifesting jade coloured magical energy was very weak. I ended up clicking my tongue and gripped the long sword created out of magical energy. The de was of silver colourpletely different from the jade coloured de. It was no better than a normal iron sword. Light, sturdy and sharp. It was just a normal weapon. Sheathing the iron knife, I held the long sword with both hands. shing the sword, I tore open the body of the goblining from the front. Its legs stopped and guts spewed out. But that was also crushed by other goblins in the very next instant. Let alone clicking my tongue, while cursing badly inside my mind, I swung the sword again. Even the body from the different world transferpensation was weak. Only one of the 7 covenants had been cleared. ¡°Are Aya and others alright!?¡± [Before that, worry about yourself first.] The momentum of their attack lessened, and theypletely surrounded me. ¡­¡­¡­Joking aside, there¡¯s literally no one beside me. In such a condition, I could feel cold sweat flowing down my spine. From the sounds of shing swords, I could tell that there were others fighting. AT least we weren¡¯t annihted already. ¡°Fucking hell!¡± I cursed. I don¡¯t know how many are there behind me but there were 3 goblins in front of me. But before they could jump at me, a sound of explosion came. And then a howl. It wasn¡¯t a shrill sound like the goblins. It was deeper, beast-like, monstrous howl. And then another explosion. ¡°¡ª¡ª¨C¡± [An Ogre?] At the same time, I shed away the Goblin jumped at me with a battleaxe. I had no time to rx. Yet in that one single moment, I looked towards the source of that howl¡ª-the 5m tall Ogre. It¡¯s characteristic one horned head was nowhere to be seen and was falling down on its knees. [Taking down an Ogre in two shots. Not bad Aya.] ¡°As usual, she¡¯s ridiculous.¡± While restraining the goblins, I talked to Ermennhilde. Fighting an Ogre-ss monster, I need to have at least 5 of the covenants cleared to face it properly, yet she could take it down with just 2 attacks. It¡¯s really notughable. I really think I should have also wished the goddess to let me also use magic. It¡¯s a fantasy different world after all. For the time being, i rxed confirming that Aya was alright. To be able to kill an Ogre that easily, Aya should be the only one that can do such a thing among all the ones present here. Well, there might a talented student in the Academy with the same level of talent as Aya but I doubt there¡¯d be many with the same cheat levels of magical energy granted by the goddess. ¡°Maybe I should have also wished to be able to use magic or something.¡± [¡­¡­..] Locking my sword with the goblin¡¯s short sword, I took out my knife with my left ahnd and cut open its belly. The goblin stopped moving from that and I used my long sword to block the attacking from behind to surprise me. Taking a few steps back, I ended up stumbling due to something a lost my posture slightly. Using that something as a cushion, I rolled and then stabbed with the long sword like a pole weapon. How many have I taken down already? While thinking that, I felt something lukewarm on my left arm. First I thought it was Goblin blood but that wasn¡¯t it. Looking beside me, a human¡¯s corpse was lying on the ground. It must be this guy on which I stumbled. His face looks familiar. The one I talked to¡ª-it was, Rob. [Renji.] ¡°I know.¡± I shed away the Goblin that aimed at me while I was getting up and split its body in two. The different world transfer Cheat was now increasing in effect. Ermenhilde¡¯s sharpness increased. The silver de now showed a jade-coloured design as well. ¡°That makes two. Fuck!¡± Fucking damnit! I once again cursed inside my mind. Until someone gets in danger, until someone is not sacrificed¡­¡­I cannot fight. That reality of that fact was extremely heavy. [A friend¡¯s death] had been cleared. I looked at the surrounding goblins. Maybe they are being cautious against me, they aren¡¯t trying to use just numbers to overpower me¡­..not yet at least. [It really is weird.] ¡°Ahn?¡± [The Ogre was defeated, so many of their fellow goblins have been killed. Still they show no sign of fear.] shing the silver sword, I beheaded another goblin. Unlike before, it cut through till its bone with no resistance at all and even cut away the leather armour. If I could fight like this from the start¡ª-no, if all my covenants were released from the start, would that boy still be alive? Thinking that, I could only sigh. I¡¯m thinking unnecessary things. For now, I should just swing my sword to survive. Thinking anything else is useless. I turned towards the nearby goblins. For some reason, the goblins who hadn¡¯t retreated even after the Ogre was killed, took a step back. ¡°¡ª¨Cruuah!!!¡± Without any form, it was a simple rough attack. Its long sword broke and was cut apart from the shoulder. The goblin who attacked my defenceless back, I simply used intution to hit him away with the handle of my sword. I could feel its bones breaking. The warmth of its flesh and pulse of its innards. All that was felt through my arm, which was disgusting. Turning back, I stabbed my iron knife into its forehead. More goblins jumped from behind me. Turning again¡ª-before I could swing my sword, they were pierced by arrows. ¡°Are you alright!?¡±(elf) ¡°Yeah, somehow.¡± It was the Elf guy who had supported me. Even though the snipers should be in a different direction¡­. Well, it turned into such a battle, the strategy has alreadypletely copsed anyway. ¡°Why did the third wave of support note?¡±(renji) ¡°Orcs and Ogre were summoned out of nowhere. The Brave is currently facing the Demon.¡± [Demon? Why would demons be¡­¡­] ¡°Was it also that demon who gathered the monsters?¡±(renji) ¡°So it said. To lure out the Heroes apparently.¡± A pretty crude strategy. If it can summon monsters, it must be a middle or high ss demon. But, itcks in the brains department apparently. If it wants to beat the Brave, goblins and Ogres won¡¯t be of any help. They¡¯ll need a monster strong enough against which Souichi wouldn¡¯t be able to win at least. For example¡ª-the Demon Lord. While I thought that, suddenly a huge magic circle appeared on the ground covering the whole area. I looked below¡ª Scarlet coloured magical energy was Aya¡¯s colour. And the magic circle created by it was shining brightly. ¡°Wh, What!?¡±(elf) ¡°She really doesn¡¯t know how to control her power. Seriously.¡± ¡°What!!?¡± The Elf beside me was really panicked for once. The power of a Hero. The magic of the Grand Magus. If she had been using that from the very start, there would have been no sacrifices at all. But if she had done that, the adventurers would not get the chance to earn much. I guess, both the guild and the Academy must have told her to not take part actively. But as a result, numerous victims were born. That boy¡ª-Rob also died. [Renji.] ¡°I know.¡± The next moment, sharp roots burst out of the ground and skewered the goblins everywhere. They died after being pierced by the roots in the arms, legs, body and the head. That girl really makes quick work of even so many goblins. Opponents against whom I was fighting desperately, she killed them in an instant. This is a God yer. This is the power of a Hero.¡ª¨Cthe power of the cheat given by the Goddess. Unimaginable strength that¡¯d make everyone envious of it. But I don¡¯t have it. The power to protect many, to save them. Cheers rose from various ces. It seems there are still many alive¡­¡­..I¡¯m really d for that. [Only the demon remains now.] Well, even that should be easy to deal with SOuichi there. Moving through the skewered bodies of the goblins, I moved towards the ce where the magicians were fighting. For some reason, the elf came after me. ¡°What?¡±(renji) ¡°Where are you going?¡±(elf) ¡°¡­¡­I was thinking of at least seeing this demon once with my own eyes.¡± I doubt there¡¯s anything there for me to do. Still, I want to witness it. The end of this battle. The face of that demon. Demons. Monsters with intelligence that live in the Abenelm continent. They understand human tongue and are even said to wiser than humans. Those guys, don¡¯t normally leave the continent. Thest time they came, the Royal Capital had been half destroyed. It was soon after we had been summoned. The reason was to destroy the new hope of the humans or something. But this time? The Brave¡ª-it was to lure out Souichi or so it had said. But what after luring him out? A mere demon, could it summon the Demon Lord? That¡¯s impossible. Then, ¡°I see.¡± More monsters were summoned. The empty space fluctuated, took shape, got color, and became a full body. Ogre. A ck Ogre. One that was even bigger than normal Ogres had been summoned. I had seen this Ogre. Or rather, I had fought something very simr just recently¡ª-That ck Orc. It¡¯s giving off the same feeling as that. Without even ncing t the goblins, I ran. The ck Ogres swung its fist. It was sted by magic but it remained unharmed. Was its skin that hard or was it resistant to magic. If its the former, even I¡¯ll have trouble with it. I thought while running. ¡°Ermenhilde.¡± [Yeah.] ¡°Lend me your strength.¡± [¡­..With pleasure, Milord.] (T/N: Ermenhilde usually uses ¡®Aruji¡¯ for master when not calling Renji by name but here it uses ¡®Goshujinsama¡¯ which has a different connotation.) Now, where the hell are you learning all these words? While having my cheeks cramp from being called like that, the silver sword turned back into jade magical energy. And then¡ª¨CI gripped the Jade coloured Divine Sword in my hand. Jade coloured de, a golden handle. The Elf who had been running by my side looked at this sword. ¡°You¡­..¡± ¡°What. It¡¯s just a normal sword fund anywhere.¡±(renji) [As if I¡¯d let a weapon like me exist everywhere.] ¡°Not a swo¡ªYou¡¯re not a weapon, you¡¯re my partner.¡± [¡­¡­¡­.] I ran. Faster than before. The Ogre swung its fist. Before it could hit the ground, I threw the Divine Sword and it stabbed into its nk. Due to the sense of pain maybe, it roared loudly. The Ogre, Souichi, the demon, Aya who was about to get smashed by the Ogre, and every surrounding adventurer, all turned to focus at me who threw the sword. ¡°This is embarrassing.¡± [¡­..How about trying to act a bit more sensibly for once? Seriously.] But with this¡ª¡ª [With this, 5 of the covenants have been cleared.] I can fight. Chapter 19 The GodSlayers (3) Chapter 19 The Godyers (3) The fist that was swung struck the ground with a force enough to smash the earth. Even though such a reckless attack should have made it show a lot of openings, there really was no chance to counter back. ck skin that felt like steel. But I think that it was actually even tougher than steel. The moment that fist struck the ground it did create a small earthquake like effect in the surroundings. That stopped those moving towards it to counter attack and the rest who still jumped at it while shouting were deflected away by its other arm. It seemed ridiculous but it was totally like an Ogre. Truly an attackpletely dependent on brute strength. Normally speaking, an Ogre has an height of about 5m, dark red skin and a single horn on its head. Its limbs are simr to a human¡¯s, but its fist could split even a rock in half. They rarely group together, at most 2-3 would stay together. They have a wild temperament that makes them fight even with those of their own race and even treat goblins and Orcs as prey. Ogres were considered the biggest threat on this continent ruled by humans¡­¡­you could even call them [tyrants] of sorts. But this monster rampaging in front of me was even bigger than a normal ogre at a height of 6m. It fist could smash the earth itself, let alone rocks. It¡¯s jet ck skin was hard and was easily withstanding the magic attacks and arrow support without doing anything. It¡¯s appearance was that of an ogre but felt like a totally different monster. It¡¯s simr to that ck Orc that could use magic. ¡ª¨CIt¡¯s simr to that of the arm of the Demon God. ¡°Tch.¡± [¡­¡­.It¡¯s difficult to pierce through.] While hiding my face till upto my nose with my mantle, I clicked my tongue. Even Ermenhilde seemed to be slightly irritated. The cloud of dust was really harsh and it made even breathing difficult. Another problem was the screams and shouts of the adventurers surrounding that ck Ogre. Loud voices end up stimting Ogres. It¡¯s difficult to make sure that the Ogre doesn¡¯t switch target to these adventurers. And also, the Demon supporting this Ogre. Grey hair that reached his waist and wings like that of a Falcon. A tail grew out of his back at the end of which was a mouth with sharp fangs. That in itself was also a weapon. The sclera of his eyes was slightly muddy ck and his pupils were red. His own teeth looked simr to humans. The colour of his skin was pale-bluish and he was wearing clothes simr to humans as well. Even though he looked like a human, he was apletely different existence. It was race that had features like wings tails and above all, incredible magical energy not possessed by normal humans. That was indeed a Demon. Flying by putting magical energy into its wings, and releasing magical energy that seemed to distort the atmosphere was enough proof for that. Magical energy that could be seen by naked eyes was possessed only by us other world travellers and Demons. ¡°Can¡¯t we shoot him down with something?¡±(renji) ¡°I¡¯ve been trying but he always dodges the one-shot types¡­..¡±(aya) ¡°And the stronger ones?¡± ¡°¡­¡­That¡¯ll end up dragging the surrounding adventurers as well.¡± I see. Aya, who I was protecting behind me, said that with a regretful voice. She won¡¯t say it directly but its clear that the surrounding adventurers are bing a restraint for her. Me and Souichi could quickly get away from the Demon and the Ogre the moment Aya used her magic. All of this is the fault of that ck Ogre. There are moments where it makes dull movements. Every adventurer tries to use that moment to try and attack. That certainly is an opening but it¡¯s useless if your attacks don¡¯t work on it. It¡¯s probably intentional I think. By doing that, it can limit our movements¡ª¨Cand also block Aya¡¯s magic. I can¡¯t believe that an Ogre would have that much intelligence but it would be normal considering a demon is controlling it. ¡°¡ª¨CRenji-niichan, what do we do?¡±(souichi) Souichi who was fighting the Demon came near me and asked with a troubled expression. In fact I want to ask that you know? Aya held a wooden, magician-like staff in her hands and Souichi held a beautiful transparent bluish de. It¡¯s the sword that¡¯s referred to as the Goddess¡¯ Holy de by everyone. Even though it was actually given to him by the Spirit God by contracting his whole body to a spirit¡­¡­..The Goddess was totally irrelevant here. At most, the Goddess had acted like a middleman and talked to the Spirit God or so I¡¯ve heard, but that¡¯s all there was to it. It should be called the Spirit God¡¯s Holy de in fact. But even then, everyone else made up stories thinking that since we were summoned by the Goddess and were provided Divine Protection by her, so the Holy Sword should also be given by her. I really don¡¯t want to know anymore of an adult¡¯s foul mind. In fact I find it admirable that the spirits didn¡¯te to say anything even after knowing this.. Well, they can¡¯t really talk though. ¡°It¡¯s simple. We strike down that Demon first. Then, we kill the ck Ogre.¡± This ck ogre and the previous ck Orc, there are lot of things I want to ask that Demon about. Why could I feel the Demon God from these two? And above all, why can a normal Demon summon a underling of the Demon God. How should I say this, no matter how I look at it, this Ogre is much stronger than the Demon himself. The hierarchical order should be reverse. Intelligence wasn¡¯t important here. The [Demon God] was that special to the demons. Well it¡¯s obvious considering he¡¯s their God. And that is why it was too weird that this Demon could control an underling of the Demon God. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s fight as usual eh?¡±(souichi) I really don¡¯t think a 18yr old guy should be saying that while smiling. To kill and whatnot. Well, it¡¯s considered normal in this world though¡­..But as someone who knows children of that world, I can¡¯t get used to it. In fact are Souichi and others normal considering they got used to this world?¡­¡­.. While I was thinking that, Souichi ran once again to pull the Demon¡¯s attention to himself. He looked like a single shadow. He moved with such a speed that could only make one recognise him as a ck shadow. That speed was so fast that I could only follow him barely even with 5 of the covenants fulfilled. If one was to tell me to cross swords with him now, it¡¯d be impossible for me. Souichi, who closed into the Ogre in an instant, shed at its thighs. But it only resulted in sparks flying and there was no blood loss. Just how tough is that skin? The jade Divine Sword was still stuck in its nk. Against anything rted to the [Demon God], it seems the God ying weapon Ermenhilde was more effective than any holy sword with divine protection of spirits or gods. That had been only proved an year back. Different from the one I threw, I held another sword in my right hand again. ¡°¡­..Renji-san?¡±(aya) ¡°Hm?¡± While I was aiming at the Ogre who was fixated at Souichi, a voice called me from behind. That voice was very weak-sounding different from the Aya I knew. As I answered without turning back, a sigh came from my pocket. We¡¯re in the middle of a fight after all, I don¡¯t want to loosen my guard. I want to quickly end this. Souichi will take attention and I¡¯ll deal the finishing blow. It was the same strategy we used against both the Demon God and its descendants. Well, it wasn¡¯t really somethingplicated to be called a strategy though. ¡°How many of your covenants have been cleared till now?¡± ¡°4.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Was that too easy to see through? The number of covenants cleared. They were very simple things. I who didn¡¯t possess magical energy would receive magical energy from Ermenhilde with every clearance. I create weapons with that. Basically, the more of the seals have been released, the more stronger the weapon I create. For Aya who is knowledgeable in magecraft, she should be able to figure out the number of clearances from my magical energy. And also, which of the covenants have been cleared as well. The 12rades that were with me are well aware of the conditions in which my power is released. The conditions to clear the 7 covenants, that is. What I have to do, and what I need to sacrifice. [My will to fight], [To protect someone], [Against the Demon God], [Protecting a Promise]. These 4 should be the ones that Aya should be aware that have been cleared. But my magical power was clearly at the level of 5 cleared. The remaining one¡ª¡ªshe should be able to guess that considering the situation. Even though she¡¯s 10 yrs younger than me, she has a good head on her shoulders. She must have ascertained the situation already. That¡¯s why, I simply shrugged my shoulders. [Let¡¯s finish this already, Renji.] ¡°Yeah.¡± I took Ermenhilde¡¯s help and answered. I don¡¯t intend to start talking here. We both know that there¡¯s no room for talk while in a battle.. Even if the opponent is mere fodder¡ª¡ªif you loosen your guard, your friends will die. We were too well aware of that. I put strength into the hand gripping the Divine Sword. I looked around and¡ª¨C ¡°¡ª¡ªDo it, Aya.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The moment she stabbed her staff in the ground, a scarlet magic circle appeared. With the Ogre at its centre, it even covered all the surrounding adventurers as well; it was that big. To activate such arge scale magic, it would take numerous Elite magicians even of the royal knight¡¯s order not to mention the time taken for preparation. There was no magician like Aya who could use it instantly and by herself. Reversely speaking, even those who didn¡¯t know that Aya could use it would be convinced thinking that if its one the Godyers, they can do it. Seeing the magic activate, the adventurers raised voices of surprise and bewilderment. [Hurry and run. Or you¡¯ll get dragged into it.] At the same time, Ermenhilde sent her [voice] into everyone¡¯s head. Adventurers who didn¡¯t understand the situation started to look around thinking that a magician was using a spell. I could only sigh at that. [I¡¯m saying, if you don¡¯t want to get dragged into a fight of Godyers, hurry up and run away!] Once again, Ermenhilde used her [voice]. And this time finally, the adventurers started to retreat outside of Aya¡¯s magic circle. ¡°Now then,¡± ¡°¡ª¨Clet¡¯s go on a rampage as usual.¡± At the same time as Aya pulled out her staff, the magic circle began to shine even more brightly. The shining light seemed very sacred and the ck Ogre stood out inside of it. ¡°Do you even know how much I was looking forward to today?¡±(aya) Saying that, the magical energy inside the circle came together. The aim was not the Ogre, it was to take down the most troublesome Demon first. There¡¯s a chance he might run away the moment we defeat the Ogre, they¡¯re clever like that. And he might also use the surrounding adventurers as shield as well. It was a fact after all that the ck Ogre was purposefully creating a situation to make the adventurers believe that they could fight as well. That¡¯s why first of all, we need to get those adventurers to move away from here. Nect, deploy the magic circle on the ground to make it believe that our aim was the Ogre. ¡°Fall down already.¡± Speaking with a heavy voice filled with killing intent, the next moment, the Demon was being cautious of the magic from the ground fell from the sky. What she had controlled was gravity. The magic circle was for preparation. In the first ce, using a magic that could be recognised was always ast resort. It was one thing if it was the time when we had started our journey when she wasn¡¯t used to using magic but right now, Aya could have beat the demon even without the use of the magic circle. At the same time, I also ran towards the Ogre. With 5 of the covenants clear, my physical abilities were at an extreme and I covered 20m in a single breath. Souichi once again shed at the Ogre¡¯s legs. Once again, only sparks flew. At the same time, I cut at its other leg. Here, there was no resistance and I cut its leg away from the ankle. It raised a scream and the Ogre fell down as it lost its one leg. It tried to support itself with its 2 arms but the moment its arms were about to touch the ground, the earth in that area alone disappeared. Aya had dug a hole with magic. Both its arms buried into the ground and with a heavy *zuun* sound, it struck the earth face first. ¡°fuu.¡± The Demon was lying on the ground crushed by gravity and the Ogre was buried in the earth with one leg cut off. Now that both had be unable to fight any longer, I breathed a sigh. Just like that, I first cut off the Ogre¡¯s head. The Divine Sword cut through its neck with no resistance and the head rolled away. ¡°Can I retire already?¡± [It seems like it¡¯ll get more troublesometer on though, can you act like you don¡¯t notice what¡¯s happening all the time?] ¡°¡­¡­.Tch.¡± Dropping my shoulders, I clicked my tongue. Sorry, Rob. Roberiano. This is the most I can do. I remembered the face of the young dead adventurer. I didn¡¯t really promise that I¡¯d protect him but the fact that he had to die at such a young age pierced my heart a little. On the battlefield, killed by the likes of goblins. Even though he wasn¡¯t really different from Souichi and the others¡­¡­his life had only just begun. But this is what a battlefield is like, it can¡¯t be helped. I don¡¯t want to think like that, to use the battlefield as an excuse, I could only sigh. ¡°Now then.¡± [All that remains is the mastermind behind this.] Can we even call him a mastermind? I really can¡¯t think of it that way. While hearing Ermenhilde¡¯s words, I walked towards the Demon trapped in the cage of gravity. If that Demon thought that he could defeat Souichi and others with just an Ogre, even if it had be the Demon God¡¯s descendant, then he¡¯s just an idiot. Even without me, those 2 would have defeated them sooner orter. I trust them that much. That¡¯s what a Godyer is, a Hero. Receiving absolute trust and meet their expectations is a Brave. ¡°Renji-niichan!!¡± ¡°Ou.¡± Souichi was keeping an eye on the Demon on the ground but he still raised his one hand to wave at me. To answer him, I also raised one of my hands and went to him. With *pan* he high fived me. I opened and closed my palm repeatedly to lessen the pain. ¡­¡­..hitting with full strength. That really hurt damnit¡­.. ¡°It seems you were in good health.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my line. Also, everyone was really worried you know?¡± ¡°ugh¡­¡­.¡± I averted my eyes as he looked up at me. No, well, I guess it was my bad that I suddenly disappeared but. [Tell him more, Souichi.] ¡°Eru-san as well. Long time no see.¡± [Ah, you guys are so courteous and polite.] ¡°¡­¡­..That feels like saying that someone doesn¡¯t stay polite you know?¡±(renji) [That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m saying.] ¡°Even like this, I do put an effort to stay courteous and polite at all time though.¡± Saying that, I looked towards the ground. The wings were in totally bad shape and both his feet and left leg were bent in an impossible direction. It hurt just looking at him. ¡°Oi.¡±(renji) When I raised my voice, he looked at me with a hate filled gaze. The 13 Godyers. Even among them, I who had directly killed the Demon God was hated the most by the Demons. I¡¯mpletely detested by them. Well, that can¡¯t be helped though. I am the guy who killed the God they worshipped after all. It¡¯s only obvious that I¡¯ll be hated. Iy the jade green sword at his neck. Now that the ck Ogre was dead, only 4 of the covenants were cleared¡ª-no, only 3. There¡¯s no need to protect someone in this situation now after all. The fact that the de had lost its previous shine of magical energy was a proof of that. ¡°Yamada Renji¡ª-!!¡±(demon) ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m Yamada Renji. So, why the hell can a demon like you control a descendant of the Demon God?¡± Ignoring is hate filled gaze, I questioned. I may have done something bad. Killing a God, even if to save the world, may not have been something that should be forgiven. Especially for those Demons who worshipped him. But, that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll ept their hate. I¡¯m not such a great human who can do something like that after all, I¡¯m not tolerant enough for that. What will you do after saving the world? Travelling around the world, bing a bridge between humans and demi-humans might not be bad. I might try to fix rtions with the enemy demons as well. In fact, there are Demons who don¡¯t think badly of humans. They are aplete minority though. ¡°Is Sherfa involved in this?¡±(renji The name I spoke was of the Demon Lord. Demon Lord Sherfa. The most influential person on the Abenelm continent next to the Demon God. A monster that could fight at par with even Souichi who had awakened as a Hero. When I spoke that name, the demons gaze became even more filled with hatred and red at me. ¡°Wa¡ª¡ªthat naive woman, there¡¯s no way she could take such an action!!¡± ¡°Oioi. She is your ruler you know.¡± Well, I agree that she¡¯s naive/soft Demon Lord though. For a Demon Lord, Sherfa does have much too soft of an image. She¡¯s always fair and square, hates taking hostages, and she herself said that she likes humans. After the previous Demon Lord died, she came to us to even brag proudly that she has seeded the position. But that doesn¡¯t mean she was human-like though. Strength is everything in the Demon continent so whoever is strong automatically bes right or so they say. She¡¯s a type that swing her fist before speaking. Truly very demon-like. She still ims to like humans though. ¡°Like I care. A demon lord that doesn¡¯t try to revive the Demon God-sama can¡¯t be called a Demon Lord.¡±(demon) [Revive the Demon God.] This is the first I¡¯m hearing of this. I ended up tilting my head at that. By the way he is speaking, it¡¯s as if they can revive the Demon God at any time. ¡°What do you mean? The Demon is dead. Renji-niichan killed¡ª-¡°(souichi) ¡°hmph. You think I¡¯ll speak all that? C¡¯mon, hurry up and kill me.¡±(demon) ¡°Hah?¡± ¡°There¡¯s only death for the loser. I¡¯ll be killed if I return anyway.¡± No, there¡¯s no way you¡¯d have won with such military forces in any case, I could only feel amazed. Even though they¡¯re clever at weirdly specific things, their war-rted stuff is the same as one year ago. ¡°As if I care.¡±(renji) Saying that, the jade sword turned to magical energy and disappeared. ¡°Aya, I¡¯m done so you can stop now.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes.¡± The gravity prison holding the Demon also disappeared with that. Maybe feeling lighter due to the cage suddenly disappearing, the demon also fainted. Revival of the Demon God eh? While seeing Aya walk towards us, I sighed. ¡°Seems like trouble again¡­¡­I really hate this.¡±(renji) ¡°Renji-niichan does get involved in all sorts of troubles don¡¯t you?¡±(souichi) Souichi said that sounding somewhat happy/amused. As for me, I really, seriously want to be pardoned from all this. ¡°Troublees to me. Also, stop speaking like I intentionally get involved in trouble, will you?¡±(renji) ¡°Eh?¡±(souichi) ¡°¡­¡­.huh?¡±(renji) [What the hell are you saying suddenly?] Why did I get a question mark in answer to that? I really do intend to avoid trouble you know? But trouble always seems to find me instead. If this is also a part of the Different world transferpensation (cheat) given to us, I can only despair. Also, Ermenhilde¡¯s usual amazed, fed up words was digging into my chest. Did I do something to make it mad? While I was thinking that, Aya came and stood beside me. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± [¡­..Why are all 3 of you not speaking anything?] Well, who knows? For some reason, Aya seemed nervous, so me and Souichi also ended up keeping quiet. Ermenhilde, as usual, couldn¡¯t read the mood at all. ¡°um, long time no see, Renji-san. Thank you for saving me back then.¡±(aya) ¡°n, long time no see, Aya. I promised didn¡¯t I? That I¡¯ll save you if you were in danger.¡± Saying that, I pointed my palm towards Aya. When I did that, Aya, somewhat happily, also struck my palm with hers making a *pachin* sound. When we travelled together back then, whenever we seeded in something or if something good happened, we always high fived. Feeling nostalgic, I also smiled. I had been thinking about how to meet them and what to talk but with just this, I feel happy that I met them. ¡°You seem tired but, did something happen?¡±(renji) ¡°Ah, no, nothing¡­¡­..¡±(aya) She seemed happy just now but suddenly hung her head again. Did something happen, I wonder? Or maybe I did something bad? Thinking till there, I remembered that I had not sent even a letter to her in the past one year. Is that it? I racked my brain to think of way to talk to her. Aya was still hanging her head down and squirming bashfully while ying with her hair. Both her height and hair had grown longerpared tost time I saw her and had be more womanly giving her a fresh look. But I feel like I¡¯ll get yelled at if I say that out loud so I don¡¯t. In the end, we 3 stood like that silently without speaking anything till the other adventurers came back. ¡­¡­.is such a reunion okay? Chapter 20 The GodSlayers (4) Chapter 20 The Godyers (4) Soon after the army of goblins summoned by the demon had been subjugated, we, the normal adventurers, didn¡¯t return directly to Ofan and remained to deal with the corpses of the Goblins. Taking off any equipment that seemed useful, we collected the corpses in one single ce. To take care of them at once. If we had left them like that, wild beasts or some other goblins would have been attracted to it instead. If that happened, we¡¯d have to once again group up to subjugate them again which would be a pain. [Why do even us have to do this¡­¡­] ¡°Well that¡¯s, I¡¯m also just an adventurer after all.¡± [¡­..haah.] It¡¯s for the people. But even so, Ermenhilde was low on tension. I have only heard sighs from the morning. Well, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t understand its feelings. Just a moment ago, with Ermenhilde in my hand, we rampaged while fighting a ck Ogre that had the atmosphere of the Demon God. My cover was blown. People knew that I was one of the 13 Godyers. But even so, the fact that I¡¯m mixing among the adventurers and dealing with corpses of mere goblins seems to be uneptable to Ermenhilde. Well, it is the job of amateurs and newbie adventurers. And maybe of vagrants without any job. But it¡¯s fine, right? If I return to the guild right now, I¡¯ll definitely get involved in something troublesome. I doubt anyone would want this kind of tiresome job that I¡¯m doing right now. The reward is good but it¡¯s mentally tiring. The stench the goblin corpses give off is awful. In just a day, the flesh breaks apart and the blood starts giving off an incredible stench. Above all, the corpse of the ck Ogre can¡¯t be seen anywhere but there is a ck blotch where it died. And that smells a lot as well.(T/N: The author had written ck orc by mistake but I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s a typo since only a ck ogre appeared.) ¡°You should be fine since you don¡¯t even have a nose. Deal with it.¡± [That¡¯s not the problem here! For Renji, shouldn¡¯t there be a more¡­¡­suitable job?] ¡°I hate those though.¡± Above that, I¡¯d prefer easy jobs like dealing with corpses. I¡¯ll get a reward as well. Beggars can¡¯t be choosers. [So selfish¡­¡­and also, this isn¡¯t a troublesome job?] ¡°I¡¯m just taking equipment off corpses and collecting them in a single ce, you know? It¡¯s super easy.¡± [I wonder why, I feel like crying.] ¡°Well, why indeed.¡± While answering to Ermenhilde like that, I skilfully removed the equipment from the corpses. We never had money troubles while on our journey to defeat the Demon God but in the past one year, I have been running out of money quite a lot. When I realized that I could get a lot of money by selling off equipments gotten like this, my skill in this aspect increased instantly. Ermenhilde would get angry saying that such a Hero doesn¡¯t exist but money is more important. ¡°I¡¯m properly working, aren¡¯t I? This is better thanzing around all day I believe.¡± [That¡¯s normal! I¡¯m saying, choose your jobs better!] ¡°I¡¯m not so great that I¡¯m allowed to choose jobs though.¡± After finishing removing the equipment, I grabbed the corpse¡¯s arm and dragged it to the ce decided for gathering them all. After doing this for almost 200 times, even such a simple work really does get tiring. Participating along with me are around 10 more adventurers and 30 civilians of the Magic City. There are even some children here. It must be a chance for them to earn some extra money, I guess. [If you tell them that you¡¯re one of the Heroes, won¡¯t you get better jobs automatically?] ¡°Not interested. I don¡¯t want to get dragged into the petty power struggles of nobles due to that. Also, I¡¯m not very Hero-like anyway.¡± The title of ¡®Hero¡¯ will definitely attract attention. Even now, the other adventurers are constantly ncing at me while I do my job. I¡¯m not ignorant enough to not know the meaning behind it but I have no intention to answer to them. [Seriously¡­.] Bending beside the next corpse, I began my work again. Ermenhilde seems to be still muttering something but I can¡¯t do anything about that. 4 Deceased, 11 severely wounded, 31 slightly wounded. That was the numbers of victims that the vanguard had in this battle. The deceased were all young adventurers, boys who went to the front lines¡ª¨Cthe ones I had talked to before the battle. I remembered what I had said to them back then. I recalled the words I used to cheer them up. ¡®you guys are lucky¡¯? The moment youe on to a battlefield, luck ends there itself. To stand on the battlefield at that age, there was nothing more unfortunate than that. And in the rear guard made up of archers and magicians. 2 Severely wounded, 17 slightly wounded. That was all. Even the severely wounded would be able to return to their normal lives once their wounds heal. Their wounds were of the type that won¡¯t leave any after effects. They had been ambushed by the Demon. But they had been protected by Souichi and Aya as those two had maintained the front. ¡­¡­¡­thinking that, I could only sigh. The gap between me and Souichi. The gap between the weakest God yer and the Brave or Grand Magus. The gap between a Godyer that cannot gain power without sacrificing others and those who could always fight at their strongest. Saying that the level of danger at the vanguard and the rear guard is different is just an excuse. In the end, there were casualties. If it was an actual Hero¡ª-he would have saved those dying boys. A hero definitely would have. But instead I, let alone protect them, I used their deaths as my own power. As a result the ck Orc was defeated, and everybody started calling me a Hero again. I was called one even in the guild this morning. Even so, a Hero like that shouldn¡¯t even exist. [But even so, everyone will treat you as a Hero you know?] ¡°Yeah and it¡¯s a pain.¡± Saying that, I took off the equipment from the goblin again. ¡°I just want to casually roam and travel around the world with you though.¡± [¡ª¨Chmm] ¡°I think that¡¯s pretty amusing in itself but what about you?¡± [Who knows?] Ermenhilde¡¯s answer was very short and blunt. After that, I kept on working as both of us stayed silent for a while. Souichi and the others were currently talking with the mayor of the magic city regarding how to deal with the imprisoned demon. I think they¡¯d probably transfer him to the royal capital to interrogate him. There are a lot of magicians in the city but very few who can actually fight. The students of the academy are in the end just students. Experienced magicians would either enter the royal knight orders or set up their own researchbs. With only that level of military force in the city, if the demon were to do something again, even if he¡¯s wounded, it¡¯ll still cause a lot of trouble. Even Souichi and the others are human, they¡¯re weak against surprise attacks. As a result, there were casualties in the recent battle as well due to a surprise attack. That¡¯s why, they¡¯ll soon send away that demon to the Royal Capital from Ofan. ¡°A Demon Lord that doesn¡¯t revive the Demon God, eh?¡± [¡ª¨CDo you hate fighting?] The Demon God. One of the few existences against which I can fight at full power. The revival of the Demon God is also like the revival of my own raison d¡¯¨ºtre. I realize what Ermenhilde wants to say but I don¡¯t have the words to answer her. The Godying weapon that is Ermenhilde and the God yer that can literally fight at full power against only a God. But, if you were to ask whether I want the Demon God to be revived then I can only say no. True, if that happens, I can once again fight as a ¡®hero¡¯ alongside myrades. But just like that time. In that final battle. Countlessrades had been sacrificed. Those I wanted to protect were sacrificed. Only then was I able to protect the world. But¡ª¨C ¡°I hate fighting. It¡¯s scary and painful.¡± [I see.] ¡°I¡¯m a coward after all.¡± [That¡¯s true.] ¡°¡­¡­.you¡¯re supposed to deny that, partner.¡± I hate fighting. So many people get hurt. So many people be sad. So many die. And above all¡ª-many have to cry. [I was excited during the fight with Demon God¡¯s spawn.] ¡°I see.¡± [But Renji calls me his partner rather than weapon.] ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± [¡­¡­.Don¡¯t deny me, Renji.] Hearing Ermenhilde¡¯s softints, I ended up feeling happy somehow. Filled with those feelings, I gently caressed the medal inside my pocket with my fingers. ¡°I refuse.¡± [You¡¯re an idiot.] I nodded in an exaggerated manner. ¡°I am aware.¡± [You¡¯re aplete fool.] Now then, let¡¯s work hard on my job now. I, who was working hard even while listening to Ermenhilde¡¯s gentle abuse, might actually be a masochist. . . . When I returned back to the town as the sun began to set, numerous shops lightened by magic light came into my view. While shrinking back in difort due to being respectfully thanked by the guards, I wondered about what next to do. Should I go back to the inn and sleep or should I head to the bar? While deciding about it, I headed towards the inn for the time being anyway. When I realized a figure was in front of me. ¡°Yo, Souichi.¡± ¡°I have been waiting Renji-niichan. You¡¯ve finally returned.¡± [What happened Souichi. To be waiting in a ce like this.] ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t know which inn Renji-niichan was staying in so I decided to wait in a ce from where the south gate could be seen.¡± Oi Brave-sama, how free are you? I ended up giving a tsukkomi inside my mind. ¡°What about the demon?¡±(renji) ¡°After that, they sent a fast horse to contact the Royal capital. SInce not just us, even Renji-niichan was involved, maybe Yuuko-san herself woulde to take him.¡± ¡°uehh.¡± ¡°¡­¡­She¡¯ll get angry you know.¡± That would be bad. As someone who had been scolded many times by her during our journey, it was amon knowledge that she¡¯s thest person you¡¯d want to make angry. Well, I¡¯m the one who was always at fault though. Taking minors to the city¡¯s ¡®night life¡¯, being reckless and getting hurt, teaching the kids weird things, etc. I know the reasons aren¡¯t exactly great but I really feel that you should enjoy now that you¡¯re in a different world and all. That hasn¡¯t changed even now. [Yuuko is really scary when angered after all.] ¡°She grows horns I swear, horns!¡±(renji) ¡°She might hear that you know?¡±(souichi) [When that happens, Renji, put me in Souichi¡¯s safekeeping please.] ¡°We¡¯ll be together in both joy and pain, right partner?¡±(renji) As I began taking with Ermenhilde, Souichi startedughing. ¡°It¡¯s really nostalgic.¡± I shrugged my shoulders. I have been doing this for 3 years now. Rather than nostalgic, it¡¯s be more like normal for me. That¡¯s why I could only feel out of ce at Souichi¡¯s words. ¡°I, for one, would prefer a more gentle anddylike personality, you know.¡±(renji) [Muu] Seeing Ermenhilde harden at just those words, Iughed together with Souichi. As usual, my partner¡¯s fun to tease. ¡°What about Aya and Yayoi-chan?¡± ¡°They¡¯re borrowing a restaurant.¡± ¡°¡­..There¡¯s no need to go that far.¡± ¡°They¡¯re really happy though. Especially Aya.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± [What a half-hearted response. You¡¯ll get buried for it someday, you know?] Will I really get buried for just that? I doubt she¡¯s that short-tempered. Probably. I followed Souichi as he began to walk while talking. He¡¯s probably leading me to the restaurant. After that fight, we separated without getting to talk much but it¡¯s nice that they aren¡¯t saying anything to me. Well, they¡¯ll probably ask a lot now though. What I have been doing till now and whatnot. How should I avoid it? I gazed at the sky while thinking. It¡¯s not something very cool after all, I have been literallyzing around. But I don¡¯t want to hide much from the children either. I don¡¯t intend to lie but let¡¯s dramatize it a bit instead. ¡°Please be gentle with Aya alright? If Renji-niichan made her angry, I¡¯m the one who gets the bad end of it, you know?¡±(souichi) ¡°That¡¯s sounds fun though.¡± ¡°Oh please no¡­..¡± He says that but, Souichi himself enjoys messing around with his childhood friend. He¡¯s really easy to understand I think. Really. To the extent where you¡¯d end up wondering whether there¡¯s something more between them than being just childhood friends. ¡°Leaving that aside, Souichi,¡± ¡°Don¡¯t leave it aside¡­¡­.what is it, Renji-niichan?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t I smell? I bathed in goblin blood sprays and was dealing with their corpses as well till now after all.¡± ¡°Well now that you mention it, you do.¡± [You¡¯re going to have dinner now right? Do you intend to go like this?] If I actually went like this, not just Aya, even Utano-san will do something bad to me. And I mean mentally. ¡°Can I return to my inn once? I want to take a bath. Need to change my clothes as well.¡± ¡°Yeah. If you went with bloody clothes, I¡¯ll be the one who gets buried¡­..¡± [Well, can¡¯t you both get buried together? Happily?] Anything but that. It¡¯s dark, cramped and difficult to breath alone anyway. [Maybe if that happens, Renji would also live more properly afterwards.] ¡°Can you please not talk like I¡¯m not a proper human.¡± [It¡¯s true though, Renji.] You say such harsh things, partner. As I shrugged, Souichi luaghed. ¡°Didn¡¯t Eru-san get a bit more mellow nowadays?¡±(souichi) (T/n: mellow and round sound the same in japanese which¡¯ll exin the next dialogue.) ¡°It¡¯s been round from the very start, it¡¯s a medal after all. You won¡¯t get¡­¡­fat, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Not that way.¡± Souichi looked so cute as he dropped his shoulders that I startedughing. On that, he red at me with puffed cheeks. His actions are still really childish. Should I say, as expected of a 18yr old kid or should I say, even though he¡¯s already 18 he¡¯s still like this. ¡°In the beginning, it was more formal, called you Renji-sama, right?¡± [¡­¡­I have no such memory.] ¡°Yeah, back when it was still pure and graceful.¡± [Should I talk about various things to Aya, Renji?] Does it really want to deny that it ever happened? Well, it¡¯s not like I want to talk about back then much either. I was just apany employee and was suddenly being called with a ¡®-sama¡¯ suffix. It¡¯s an embarrassing memory. ¡°Talking about back then, Souichi hasn¡¯t grown much in height from back then eh?¡±(renji) ¡°uu¡­¡­¡± [Don¡¯t mind him. For men, it¡¯s what inside you that counts Souichi.] Wow that¡¯s harsh in its own Ermenhilde. Being told that, Souichi only averted his gaze and sighed. In fact, since his face is also pretty androgynous, if he grew out his hair, won¡¯t he look like Yayoi-chan? ¡°It must be nice for Renji-niichan to be so tall.¡± ¡°I pretty average I think.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m even below average. Even in ss I¡¯m the shortest. [It¡¯s fine. I know a lot of good points Souichi has.] Like I said, you aren¡¯t consoling him that way Idiot! I hit Ermenhilde from above the pocket. I said that to change the topic but Ermenhilde seems to be dealing the final blow instead. ¡°Well, you¡¯ll gain height sooner I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still drinking milk everyday by the way, you know.¡± So you still are? ¡°You sure are leading a healthy life. Well then, let¡¯s quickly go to the inn and then meet up with Aya and the others.¡± ¡°¡­¡­yeah. if we made her wait any longer, she¡¯ll get angry again.¡± [Again?] ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing, Eru-san.¡± Did she get angry at him for some reason? Seeing the easy to understand Souichi, I feel bad but still ended up luaghing. ¡°You sure get along well with Aya.¡± ¡°I wonder? Well, we are childhood friends. I can somehow understand what she¡¯s thinking.¡± ¡°Well isn¡¯t that amazing.¡± When I said that, Souichi looked up at me happily. ¡°Envious?¡± ¡°Well, I wonder?¡± [You¡¯re not honest, as usual.] ¡°Nothing like that, really.¡± But¡ª¨CI¡¯m really not envious, I feel that because those 2 have such a rtion they can do that. That wasn¡¯t envy but more¡­¡­jealousy. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have such a person in my life, that is.¡± ¡°What about Eru-san?¡± ¡°That¡¯s more like we¡¯re just stuck together.¡± [¡­¡­¡­muu] The Brave who protected hisrades. Trusted by everyone, I held very slight jealousy towards Amagi Souichi. Hiding that, I teased Ermenhilde to change the topic. That¡¯s fine. An adult that¡¯s jealous of child 10 years younger is simply unsightly. Therades that fought with me died. Lost their lives.¡ª¡ª-only then did I gain the power to fight. Haah, I sighed inside my mind. ¡°Me and Aya are also the same, Eru-san.¡± [¡­¡­.That isn¡¯t really consoling, Souichi.] ¡°It¡¯s payback for earlier.¡± I¡¯m envious of Souichi who can smile so straightforwardly like that. Why is it that you get better at forced smile as you be an adult I wonder? Or is it that you be an adult when you get better at forcing your smiles? Chapter 21 Reminiscences of the Grand Magus (1) Chapter 21 Reminiscences of the Grand Magus (1) Fuyou Aya does not have a father. Her parents divorced when she was in the elementary grade and was then raised fatherless. Her mother worked in an averagepany and also held an average position there, thus she was oftente back home. To raise her precious daughter alone, she worked even harder than before. To let her go to a good school, to let her get good education, to buy good things for her. To do all that, she had no choice but to work. From early morning, tillte night. And that not painful for her either. For her precious daughter, Aya¡¯s mother believed she could work as hard as possible. But in doing that obviously, Aya had to spend much of her time alone. The discord between her parents. Quarrels everyday, harsh words, and the fact that they discord had a great effect on Aya¡¯s mind and heart. She even stopped talking much to her friends at school. ¡®If I ended up fighting them, I¡¯d lose even those friends¡¯. As she started thinking like that, she started feeling fear of even trying to enter a circle of friends thinking she might anger them by saying something weird. To speak simply, she shut herself away within herself. Her mother did not realize that because she was looking more towards her daughter¡¯s future than her present. And Aya had been a clever girl from childhood. She ended up thinking that ¡®if I made mother worry, I¡¯ll only cause more trouble¡¯. She met her childhood friends Amagi Souichi and Yayoi 2 years after her parents divorced when they ended up coincidentally living in the apartment next to Aya¡¯s. The Amagis had moved here due to their father¡¯s job circumstances. One day, Aya ended up returning home earlier than her mother. But on that day she had forgotten her keys inside her own room. While sitting in front of her own apartment unable to enter, she met the Amagi siblings. The boy known as Amagi Souichi doesn¡¯t doubt people much. He could be called a naturally good person but from an adult¡¯s point of view, his personality could be called dangerous. The ce where Aya and Souichi lived wasparatively a safe ce but it wasn¡¯t like dangerous people didn¡¯t live there. Souichi¡¯s personality was dangerous enough that he might get easily lured with the temptation of candies by some suspicious person. His sister Yayoi was better in that regards. From their parent¡¯s point of view, they felt that the position of the brother and younger sister might actually be the opposite. But still though, Souichi was the older brother and Yayoi was the younger sister. When Yayoi was in trouble, Souichi would be by her side. When she wanted something, the brother would always be the tolerant one. Whether it be sweets, or toys. If Yayoi could smile just by Souichi enduring instead, that was enough for Souichi. He was happy with that. Aya was a single child so she was always jealous of those two¡¯s rtionship. The reason why she was able to get close to the Amagi siblings so quickly was probably because she saw Souichi closely and could understand him. On the day she forgot her keys as well, without any doubt, he invited Aya into his own room. They ate sweets together, drank juice, yed games. And after that got scolded somewhat by his parents, though he still doesn¡¯t know why even now. That¡¯s because he simply believes that if a person is in trouble he has to help that person. Aya found that natural belief of his to be too dazzling. She didn¡¯t have a father. Her mother wasn¡¯t home most of the time either due to work. It was probably inevitable that she got close to the Amagi siblings. Maybe because Souichi had a timid and soft hearted personality, Aya ended up developing a strong personality. By the time they were in the upper grades of elementary school, she started pulling Souichi around with Yayoi everywhere with her. Souichi and Yayoi¡¯s parents also found the children¡¯s rtionship to be a happy thing. Her friends in school also increased. After that, Aya became prettier than most of the girls her age. Not cuter but prettier. Maybe because her mother was also a beauty, she must have inherited it in her genes. But that didn¡¯t mean that she gathered over attention. Due to her parent¡¯s divorce, Aya had be more sensitive towards the subtleties of human rtionships. Avoiding anything that might make others hold jealousy towards her, she lived keeping her surroundings in check. It was an unconscious way to avoid getting herself hated by others but thanks to that, she was able to make a lot of friends. Especially, the one who opened Aya¡¯s heart was Souichi¡¯s father. Maybe because she didn¡¯t have a father, Aya might be ovepping Souichi¡¯s father as [her own father] as well. But, the one who didn¡¯t like that rtion was Aya¡¯s mother. She worked hard for her daughter, earned a lot money for her only to see her daughter¡¯s face. But the one her daughter smiled towards was not her but a neighbour who was practically a nobody. Few after the divorce, she couldn¡¯t stay by her daughter¡¯s side only because she was working for her daughter¡¯s sake. But to expect a elementary schooler to understand that was wrong. Aya did understand that inside her head but her feelings simply couldn¡¯t agree. Rather than her mother who was away, it was obvious that she¡¯d be more open to the Amagi couple who were by her side always. There was no discord, but their conversations lessened and the time they spent together further lessened and the time she spent at her job increased. By the time Aya reached middle school, her mother was practically living at her workce. She stoppeding much to her apartment. Aya stopped being in her own room and spent more in time next door. Since Yayoi was also there, there was no problem even if she stayed the night. On reaching middle school she began recognising Souichi as a boy of same age. He might have been her first love even. Or maybe she was simply embarrassed during puberty. Aya wasn¡¯t sure of that even now. After bing aware of Souichi, her eyes followed him and her heart beat faster when she talked to him. Due to embarrassment the gap between them grew a bit. Souichi who didn¡¯t really care about that still went close to Aya and often got scolded by her. When he asked his parents for advice, it was dered that he was at fault instead at which he could only tilt his head in confusion. The boy Amagi was unable to understand that elementary school and middle school was different. Aya was his childhood friend. A close freind. One with whom he did not want to worsen his rtionship with. In fact, Aya would only increase his distance with Souichi due to that but in the end, well, they lived next to each other. The distance was not more than the distance between souichi¡¯s room and Yayoi¡¯s room. It was truly a charming thing. Yayoi would look at those happily and somewhat enviously. She didn¡¯t like that her beloved brother only paid attention to Aya but she loved Aya as well. Yayoi who more perceptive in that aspect even more than Aya who was an year older, would often tease Aya. Aya¡¯s rtionship with her mother was somewhatplicated but still, she lived a fulfilling life. Her everyday life was peaceful and calm. That ended in the 3rd year of middle school. At the end of spring but just before summer truly began. While going to school, she was suddenly struck by a floating feeling. Suddenly, out of nowhere, her everyday life ended. . . . For the [Grand Magus] Fuyou Aya, the person known as Yamada Renji was special. The extraordinary life of being summoned into another world. She was able to handle it because she was together with her childhood friends Souichi and yayoi. If those 2 weren¡¯t here, she definitely would have been unable to handle it. The existence of humans and non-humans. Living together with demi-humans and beastmen that only appeared in stories and legends, in a world infested by monsters. A world not of science but of sword and magic. For men it was situation that would make them excited. Including Souichi, there were 7 men among the summoned 13. She remembers that 6 of them were so happy as if there was no problem with this. But at that time, only one was being realistic. That was Yamada Renji. He worried about realistic things like how will the survive in this world, their position and status in this world and whether they¡¯ll be able to return or not. Aya remembers that even now. In fact he was extremely surprised and questioned the goddess many things about their future. Aya found that to be very mature of him. Goddess. An existence called as Goddess Astrarea by the humans. She told them that she wants them to save the world. To defeat the Demon God trying to destroy this world. For that reason, she could give them any power. For that reason, she would fulfil any of their wishes. That¡¯s why, Aya wished. Since she was in another world now in any case, she wanted to use magic. She imagined the miracle like magic that only appeared in stories and legends. Magical energy that won¡¯t lose to anyone¡ª¨Cnot even the Demon God. That wish was fulfilled and during the decisive battle she was able to do a one on one magic battle with Demon God himself. Souichi wished for a never losing power and Yayoi wished for a power to heal any wound. Others as well wished for every power they wanted. Thest one to wish was Yamada Renji. He wished for [the weapon to kill Gods]. That was not to enjoy this world but the power to return back to their world. A power only for that reason. In actuality, he did recieve the power to be undefeatable against any God. Not just the Demon God, Spirit God or the Goddess. But even against the descendants of the Demon God, Apostles of the Spirit God and priests of the Goddess. That power would work even against the followers of Gods. For that, he was hated by many. Received the anger of many. And made many enemies as well. A weapon useless against the monsters, nothing more than a normal weapon, Ermenhilde. He protected countless with that weapon. That included Aya and the others as well. He always said that it was impossible to save everyone but yet he was the one who tried to protect everyone the most. When he was unable to protect someone/something, he would always hide his sadness. At night, in front of the campfire, he would often mourn for it. He was afraid of this other world more than anyone else. Aya realized that half a yearter aftering to this world. One night she woke up and saw Renji, who was acting as the guard at night as usual, feeling down alone. He had even put away Ermenhilde in the custody of Yuuko. He was an adult, but weak yet tried the hardest and always held the strongest sense of responsibility. That was the impression Aya had of Renji. And that was not a wrong estimation either. Yamada Renji always stood at the very front. Along with the jade coloured weapon Ermenhilde, he kept on fighting at the very front. To protect magicians like Aya and others. To protect kids like Souichi and others. He always tried to not make others worry. So that everyone could sleep peacefully, he would always take up the night guard duty. Before anyone knew, that became an obvious thing and everyone depended on him for that. She could still remember his back. She had be prideful, she had let her guard down. She thought it was obvious that she had won. At that moment, she had almost died. Her opponent had been an Ogre like today. Overestimating her own abilities, she had gone off too far in the front while trying to kill it. No matter how strong magic she could use, Aya and others were still human. They die when they are killed. (T/N:ssic shirou :P) even if Yayoi could heal wounds, she couldn¡¯t bring the dead back to life. There were magic to bring the dead back to life but there were too many constraints to that and above all it was a taboo. That¡¯s why, it was over if you die. It was the same even for the holders of cheat given by the goddess. That night, she had been so scared she was unable to sleep. Feeling lonely, there were times she had been unable to sleep before as well but that was the first time she had been unable to sleep due to the fear of death. That¡¯s why, she talked to Renji that night. Renji had steeled himself from the very day he hade to this world. He had always been nervous. He understood better than anyone else that death was always by their side. That¡¯s why he was the first to move when Aya was in danger. When she had thanked him for it, she remembers that he had smiled happily at that. That smile was dazzling, and happy that it was pointed at her, she started talking to Renji more after that. She took advice from him. About magic, about human rtions, about herself. Aya felt that it was due to Renji¡¯s personality that you could talk about everything to him. You call that he was simply easy to talk to but Renji would always look at Aya when talking. He would think about her when talking and would worry for her as well. That, somehow gave the same sense of security that Souichi¡¯s parents gave to her. Fuyou Aya doesn¡¯t have a father. At first, she might have expected paternal feelings from Renji. . . . (Aya pov) ¡°How is it? It¡¯s not weird right?¡± ¡°It looks fine Aya-chan. It suits you. Don¡¯t worry.¡± How many times had I asked that? As I confirmed it with Yayoi who had helped in dressing me, a tired voice came from her. Am I worrying too much? In front of the mirror I once again checked my appearance. It was just the uniform of the Magic Academy but I hadbed and even put on some make up as well. It should be normal for a girl of my age but for some reason I can¡¯t get used to it. I had never put on makeup before because there was no one I wanted to show myself like that to. Though it bothered me that Yayoi who was younger than me was more used to it. The makeup set that Yayoi brought into my not very big room feels very out of ce. ¡°With this, even Renji-oniisan would be conquered?¡±(yayoi) ¡°¡­¡­I doubt it. Yup. Not happening.¡±(aya) Why did Renji-san appeared in the conversation there? I wondered but it can¡¯t be helped. Even now, I don¡¯t know whether the emotions I have towards Renji-san is love, admiration or affection. Whether I like him as a man, whether I admire him as the person who protected me so many times or do I simply love him as a fatherly figure, I don¡¯t know. But its a fact that the only person to whom I want to show myself with such makeup is Renji-san. That¡¯s why, for now, this is fine. ¡°Really? Renji-oniisan is loose with women so it¡¯s not impossible you know?¡± ¡°That¡¯s bad in its own way so its better that it doesn¡¯t happen. Yeah.¡± True, Renji-san is loose with women. Whenever he¡¯s with pretty women of his own age or even with women slightly younger or older than him, he¡¯d act loosely. I feel I have seen him like that many times. Also, he even taught weird things to Souichi and other men in with us. He¡¯s an adult yet very childish. But because he¡¯s like that, we were always able to smile. He made us smile even when we were in pain. After the journey ended, when I recalled the whole journey, I realized that he¡¯d always do weird things to make usugh again. So that we don¡¯t get nervous, so that we don¡¯tbreak, he always supported us. ¡°Also, for him, I¡¯m still just like a younger sister or a daughter¡­..something like that.¡±(aya) Even inside me it¡¯s vague whether Renji-san is an elder brother, a father or just a man. I can¡¯t really speak about others I guess. I sighed. ¡°Aya-chan, you¡¯re really passive with Renji-oniisan.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°With brother, you¡¯d get close to him rudely and quickly start fighting after all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because Souichi is an idiot. If I don¡¯t do that, he wouldn¡¯t realize anything.¡± No, he won¡¯t realize even when I go that far. That guy¡¯s dense and a total blockhead. Even with the girls in our ss, he talks with them only as a friend. Even though they look up to him as a Hero, as the Brave, as a man. I have such a sinful childhood friend. Well, it¡¯s my job to make him realize these things. ¡°But that¡¯s good in its own way.¡±(yayoi) ¡°I wonder¡­¡­I have gone through troubles due to that as well. As his childhood friend.¡± Just how much was I troubled due to his denseness¡­¡­.just thinking about it makes me sigh. At first he had even misunderstood and tried to set me up with Renji-san as well. The fact that he¡¯s quick to act might be his good point but the fact that he takes the shortest way toplete it no matter what it is, is also his bad point. ¡°We should go to the restaurant now or we¡¯ll bete.¡±(aya) ¡°Renji-oniisan as well, why does he have to go and do something like dealing with goblin corpses.¡±(yayoi) I agree with that as well. Renji-san is a hero. To the worl. And even to me as well. Dealing with goblin corpses is the job for newbie adventurers I think. He should let them do it. ¡°But, the fact that he works hard even at such small things is¡­¡­really amazing I think.¡± No matter how great he became, he¡¯s been the same from the very start. When we had just been summoned to this world. When his cheat was considered weak and he became more of a burden. To be stronger, he did everything he could. Fighting skills, way of swinging the sword, knowledge, he put his effort into many things. At first I didn¡¯t really notice that but thinking back now, he really was amazing. We all had something we excelled at but Renji-san didn¡¯t have one. He only specialised in fighting gods. Powerless against monsters. But he was still desperate to protect something. He says that he¡¯s not a hero but he¡¯s the greatest hero of all. I wonder who said that ¡®hero¡¯ is not a noun but a verb.(T/N: It was Robert Downing Jr.) It¡¯s not a title, a hero is all about his actions. A hero doesn¡¯t call himself one, others proim him as one. ¡°We are also heroes, called as God yers but that¡¯s just a title.¡± Right now, we¡¯re attending school as students. Yuuko-san called as the [Sage], said that we¡¯re still children and made us go to one. But Renji-san threw away his title as a hero, threw away the famous sword given to him by the king, and is living only with Ermenhilde in his hands. And that¡¯s really splendid. We hold the title of heroes. Renji-san continues to go around saving people. I feel that it¡¯s very like him to do that. He might say other things but in the end he¡¯ll always help. That¡¯s how Renji-san is like. Between us and such a Renji-san, which one is the actual [hero]¡­¡­i wonder. ¡°Aya-chan, you¡¯re always thinking of difficult things¡­¡­¡± ¡°I wonder?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just satisfied with the reason, ¡®Renji-oniisan is amazing¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­¡­well, that¡¯s mostly what I think as well though.¡± But I want to exin that in more better words. You¡¯d think that way right? For the person you hold precious after all. ¡°Now then, let¡¯s go shall we?¡±(aya) ¡°Already? Isn¡¯t it still early?¡±(yayoi) ¡°I don¡¯t want to make them wait.¡± ¡°Aya-chan, you¡¯re the type who¡¯d devote yourself to the man you like, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I wonder?¡¯ I understand what Yayoi means to say but am I really like that¡­¡­who knows? I don¡¯t. I don¡¯t really care about that either. ¡°That or the type that¡¯d lead men around by a rope.¡±(yayoi) ¡°¡­¡­.isn¡¯t thatpletely opposite of what you said before?¡±(aya) ¡°Well, even I don¡¯t know which is the real Aya-chan.¡± Is that so? Sheughed loudly. Really, she puts up such a facade in front of others. Even though she¡¯s like this in front of us, in front of the others in ss, she¡¯s like a young nobledy who only speaks in polite speech. ¡°If youugh like that, the number of fans of the [Saint] would decrease you know?¡±(aya) ¡°I don¡¯t really care. I only heal those who are injured or wounded. It¡¯d be tiresome if they made a sculpture or an idol out of me.¡± ¡°I agree on that. It¡¯s really tiresome if you¡¯d don¡¯t have people with whom you can talk openly by your side.¡± ¡°Aya-chan has it easy. You have brother in your ss. For me, my ss is¡­..¡± After that we talked about sses for some time then rememberred about Renji-san and finally left. I made a final check at the mirror. Sprinkling a perfume slightly I checked the light scent. This isn¡¯t indecent right? When I asked that, Yayoi made a fed up face. ¡°It¡¯d be nice if we can hear a lot from Renji-san.¡±(aya) ¡°Yeah.¡± Just like before, we¡¯d talk a lot with him. Just like how we talked in front of that campfire. About me, about Renji-san, about the school, about his journey. If we talk¡­..i wonder if I¡¯ll get a bit more closer to him. But¡ª- ¡°I want to talk a lot.¡± That person is definitely worried about today, I think. 4 deceased. We heard of that as well. We fought with monsters. Victims will emerge. When fighting against the demon god, we had seen many more people die. Tens, hundreds of people had died. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve grown numb to it. It¡¯s a fact that our hearts ached at those numbers. But, if you get trapped in just that, the next to die would be you yourself. Our body and our mind understands that. Even if there are deaths, we¡¯ll face forward. We have no choice but to do so. So that we don¡¯t die. But Renji-san is definitelymenting over it, I think. Just like that time in front of the campfire. He must be looking downwards. Because that man wished to protect. But doesn¡¯t has the power to do so. That¡¯s why, I must tell him. What he protected today. What he protected again. Thank you very much. Though you couldn¡¯t protect those 4, you protected a lot more. Chapter 22 The GodSlayers (5) Chapter 22 The Godyers (5) At the restaurant¡­¡­or rather, the dinner hall meant for the masses where Aya and others were waiting had very few other customers. The number of wooden tables were many and were also well maintained. There was also a big piano but it wasn¡¯t being yed right now so it was pretty quiet right now. At the counter, a girl of the same age as Aya was taking orders and behind that counter, inside the kitchen, 2 adults, probably the girl¡¯s parents were making food. The atmosphere felt very cosy andfortable as we 4 sat around a table and looked through the menu. By the way, Aya sat in front of me and Souichi and Yayoi were on the sides. ¡°It¡¯s a restaurant with a pretty great atmosphere. Do you guyse here often?¡±(Renji) ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s filled with students of our age in afternoon but the number of customers at night are scarce. Since we¡¯re quite famous, wee here quite a lot of time for dinner.¡± ¡°It sure is tough being famous eh?¡± ¡°Also, the food here is really delicious. Quantity served is good as well.¡± [Houu.] ¡°No, why the hell are you getting amazed for? You don¡¯t even have a mouth.¡±(renji) [Muu¡­¡­] But, I guess that makes sense. I moved my gaze towards the few customers here but they were all young. They¡¯re probably not even 20 yet. It¡¯s probably because they don¡¯t serve much alcohol that its not popr with the night crowd. As I looked at the menu while listening to Souichi, I saw that only a few beverages were mentioned. Even rural viges have 1 or 2 more than this. Thinking that this restaurant is probably aimed at minors¡ª-students, it makes much more sense. In this world, there¡¯s not really a age limit for drinking. As long as they drink moderately and don¡¯t cause trouble for others, anyone except small children are allowed to drink. The fact there are no alcohol bottles behind the counter, or any ce visible, they must be appealing towards the student crowd. ¡°But then, don¡¯t you have trouble going shopping normally as well?¡±(renji) ¡°It¡¯s not that much of a problem, right?¡±(souichi) ¡°It¡¯s probably because brother doesn¡¯t really go shopping too much anyway¡­.If you go to some big merchant¡¯s store, we do stand out.¡±(yayoi) ¡°Eh, really?¡±(souichi) ¡°Yeah¡­.Souichi doesn¡¯t really care for his appearance and pretty much stays home all the time and only goes to small stores so you probably don¡¯t realize. Our faces are pretty famous.¡±(aya) ¡°¡­¡­I see.¡±(souichi) ¡°Souichi, don¡¯t you go to shopping with your girlfriend or someone?¡±(renji) ¡°I don¡¯t have a girlfriend.¡± Saying that, he dropped his shoulders. And I could only feel surprised at that. ¡°Really?¡±(renji) [Unlike Renji, he should be popr with women though.] Ignoring Ermenhilde¡¯s words, I looked towards Aya and Yayoi-chan. Aya, somewhat vaguely and Yayoi with a happy expression, nodded. So he really doesn¡¯t have one. I looked at Souichi. Androgynous, if I have to change my words, his face is what you¡¯d call pretty for men. His height is slightly shorter than boys his age but I doubt that should be a problem. His personality is an easily likable one, he is skilled and strong. In my opinion he should be considered superior to others but is hecking in some specs from this world¡¯s point of view? Or maybe they think he¡¯s dating Aya? They¡¯re both Godyers after all. They both journeyed together and are of the same age. It wouldn¡¯t be weird if there were some who thought like that. Even I think that it would be a natural rtionship for them. The closeness of Souichi and Aya is very vague. Closer than normal friends but a little distant to be lovers. They both call each other childhood friends or close friends but I feel it¡¯s slightly different. And it¡¯s not like they aren¡¯t conscious of each other either. Well, I have had neither any childhood friends nor such best friends so I don¡¯t know what¡¯s the correct answer. ¡°Since you¡¯re famous, do they get nervous while talking to you?¡±(renji) ¡°Something like that. Since I am a hero, a God yer after all. The only ones thate to chat are girls from famous noble families whose names I don¡¯t even know.¡±(souichi) ¡°Isn¡¯t that fine? You¡¯ll get to live in luxury after all.¡± ¡°Not really interested. I want to be an adventurer after graduating anyway.¡± Is that so? I looked at him. ¡°Just like Renji-niichan, I want to look around the world. With my own eyes.¡± ¡°Well that sounds fun. But you shouldn¡¯t try to live like me exactly.¡± [Yeah, you shouldn¡¯t really. If you were to start living like that as well, Renji would probably get buried by Yuuko.] ¡°¡­¡­..That¡¯s a very usible future, so really, please don¡¯t.¡± I shrugged my shoulders. That kind of hand-to-mouth livelihood. Earning reward from the guild, eating and then sleeping. After collecting a bit of money, move to the next vige. ¡®Freedom¡¯ sounds great but it¡¯s a life with no savings whatsoever. There are no guarantee what¡¯ll happen once I became old. If Souichi actually was to copy that lifestyle, what would the mother-like Utano-san do to me¡­¡­. Just like Ermenhilde said, I¡¯ll get buried¡ª-it¡¯d be nice if it would end with just that actually. ¡°Being an adventurer doesn¡¯t suit you, brother.¡±(yayoi) ¡°Right. For starters youck that adult maturity and the awesomeness of an adventurer you need. It¡¯s over for an adventurer if you get underestimated you know?¡±(aya) ¡°¡­..thank you for your frank opinion, Yayoi, Aya.¡±(souichi) [Awesomeness?] What do you want to say? I lightly struck Ermenhilde inside my pocket. While I was doing that, Souichi was feeling down from the two¡¯sments. Since he looked amusing, we three startedughing. ¡°Now then, what should we eat? Have you three decided?¡±(renji) When I said that, all three said the names of the dish they wanted. Leaving aside Aya, Yayoi-chan eats quite a lot. I was surprised. Probably because I didn¡¯t really have such an image of her when we travelled together. In fact I was worried that Aya wasn¡¯t eating much. Souichi, contrary to his looks, eats quite a lot but Aya also ate a lot . ¡°What happened, are you not feeling well?¡±(renji) ¡°Eh?¡±(aya) ¡°No well, didn¡¯t you eat more before?¡± ¡°Uu¡­¡­..¡± When I said that, she hid her blushing face behind the menu. Ah, she¡¯s embarrassed, I finally realized. I ended up saying somethingcking delicacy. Deciding not to say anymore on the topic, I called the waiter to give our order. Souichi and Yayoi¡¯s shoulders were trembling as they tried to conceal theirughter and then Souichi alone suddenly fell t on the table. Probably, he was hit underneath the table by Aya. [Children should eat more or you won¡¯t grow you know?} ¡°You should shut up for a bit.¡±(renji) [¡­.wha. Renji that¡¯s rude.] ¡°Pfft.¡± Ermenhilde, you¡¯re the one that¡¯s rude. And Yayoi finally was unable to hold back and burst intoughter and then a small dull sound resounded. Probably, Souichi was kicked again since his body shivered for a moment. I could only scratch my cheeks. ¡°Nostalgic, isn¡¯t it?¡± [That¡¯s true.] As expected, no matter what I say, this atmosphere is really fun to be in. Souichi and Aya would cause ruckus, Yayoi wouldugh looking at that. Aftering to this world, we 13 were connected with a weird rtionship. Even though they were strangers, they were ones we¡¯d trust the most. Even though we are not connected by blood, we are like a family. That¡¯s why I felt¡ª¨Cthat it was nostalgic. . . . While eating, we talked about various things. Their school life, my travels, what we did in the past one year, what others were doing right now. Before we realized, we had eaten everything and then ordered dessert. As expected, the amount she ordered didn¡¯t satisfy her since Aya ate quite a lot of dessert instead. Well, I¡¯m not insensitive enough to actually point that out loud though. It was mature of me to act like I didn¡¯t see anything, I think. Souichi who did point that out loud had to fall t on the table again. ¡°Really, the beard doesn¡¯t suit you.¡±(yayoi) [So Yayoi thinks like that, what about Aya?] ¡°Eh, um¡­¡­.well, yes.¡± ¡°I think it looks manly though.¡±(souichi) And for some reason, the topic shifted to my stubble. Is my beard really worth bing a topic of conversation? Also, seeing Ermenhilde happy to get morerades against me is also irritating. And it seems my stubble is unpopr with both Aya and yayoi-chan. And remaining Souichi, I wonder if he realises that saying it like that changes the meaning behind the sentence quite a lot. ¡°When I¡¯m in this sloppy look, I look like a normal adventurer so it works in my favour.¡±(renji) ¡°Aa, I see. So it¡¯s like a disguise.¡± Not just that, it¡¯s a pain to shave cleanly as well. This world doesn¡¯t have things like shaving cream and shavers so you have to use a knife to do it. That¡¯s very dangerous on its own. Many times I had ended up cutting my own cheek or neck instead. When I started being cautious of that, shaving started feeling like it¡¯s a pain and I ended up with this stubble instead. As a result I realized that I was started to be epted as a normal adventurer. [I think that he just finds shaving a pain though.] It is correct. You really do know me well. Well, I don¡¯t intend to ept its true out loud though. ¡°Even I think of various things Ermenhilde.¡±(renji) [I wonder how much of that is true¡­..or rather, it should be normal for a person to take care of his own personal appearance.] ¡°¡­¡­.I can¡¯t refute that.¡± Aya and Yayoi didn¡¯t like it after all, maybe I should shave properly from now on. I still find it a pain but the feeling of not showing the children a sloppy me is greater. Since I have been livingzily for the past one year, maybe I should use this as a chance to better my own lifestyle or rather, at least my appearance. I started feeling like that while looking at the kids. Is the effect of the energy of the youth? While taking to these 3, I also felt a bit more energetic. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll try to be more proactive.¡±(renji) ¡°That¡¯s a ¡®will not do¡¯ g isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Trust me a bit more, Aya.¡± ¡°I, I do¡­. tr, trust you.¡± Was there something in this conversation to make her embarrassed? As she averted her gaze and hid her face, I could only tilt my head in confusion. This time I really don¡¯t understand. Looks Souichi was the same since he made a puzzled face when I looked at him. Yayoi-chan alone was grinning happily though. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try and grow a beard as well Souichi? You might look more manly.¡±(renji) ¡°Re, really?¡± When I said that, the Brave-sama looked up at me happily. Will a beard even fit his androgynous face?¡­¡­On imagining, nope not possible. I averted my gaze from him. There¡¯s a limit to how much a beard can¡¯t suit a man¡¯s face. If Souichi were to grow a beard, Utano-san won¡¯t just stop with me getting buried. While thinking such things, I became slightly scared. That person really goes all out when she does something. Utano Yuuko-san is that kind of a person. They say a person¡¯s name often matches their nature but that¡¯s definitely not true. (T/N: Yuuko basically means gentle child) ¡°It¡¯ll definitely not suit brother at all.¡±(yayoi) ¡°Yup, definitely not.¡±(aya) [Souichi has a pretty face after all.] And once again he waspletely rejected. Since I who came up with the idea thinks the same as well, I couldn¡¯t support him either. Sorry Souichi, also, Ermenhilde my partner, ¡°pretty face¡± is not apliment for a guy. . . . After finishing our dinner, we left the diner. The scarlet moon was at the zenith which showed that it was quitete already. As I breathed out, I realized that my breath was slightly warm. It¡¯s not like I was feverish. But, maybe a little bit of the kids energy was shared with me. I felt like that. Was it fun? Yeah, it was. I had fun. Without thinking about anything stupid or useless, I simply chatted and ate with myrades, with the kids. I was reminded that it could be this much fun. The time where we don¡¯t have to think like a Brave or a Hero could be so calming, we were reminded of that once again. ¡°Did you eat to your heart¡¯s content?¡± ¡°Yes. I ate a lot.¡± ¡°Then, it¡¯d be nice if your height grew a little as well.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡­.¡± Answering energetically, then soon answering in a small voice, Iughed at such a Souichi. ¡°Thank you very much Renji-oniisan for treating us.¡±(yayoi) ¡°As you¡¯d expect, it¡¯d be embarrassing to share the bill with kids after all.¡± ¡°fufu.¡± ¡°After graduating when you get a job¡­.then I¡¯ll have you guys treat me.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Yayoi-chan, as usual, sounded the most mature even though she was the youngest. ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± And Aya was silent while hanging her head. She became like this soon after when I said that we should go back. Seriously this girl. I began to think. ¡°Oi Souichi.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Calling him, I threw Ermenhilde to him. He panicked a bit due to my sudden action but did somehow catch it properly with his both hands. Probably because he¡¯s living at school now, he¡¯s grown slightly rxed/careless. Well, that should be normal though. A life where you¡¯re cautious 24/7 would break you sooner orter. That¡¯s why, this is fine. For that reason, Utano-san sent these kids to school I think. [What happened Renji?] ¡°I¡¯ll be back after walking a bit with Aya. I¡¯lle with you guys properly to your dormster so don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°As usual, that came out of nowhere Renji-niisan.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind it, it¡¯s usual right.¡± Saying that, I started walking. Ermenhilde was saying something but I acted like I didn¡¯t hear. On ncing back a little, Yayoi-chan was giving a thumbs up. What are you doing? I sighed. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± Silence. But there was noint against what I said suddenly either. When I nced at Aya walking beside me, she was looking properly forward like walking now. Fuyou Aya. Childhood friends to the Amagi siblings and probably the greatest and strongest magician of this world. I¡ªcannot understand this girl. Why did shee to talk to me, what did she expect of me. Back then, I had saved her quite a few times. From monsters, idents, diseases. From back then, I feel like she has matured a lot. Just one year. But it was enough for a girl to grow up a lot, I think. Her height has grown from being around my chest toing close to my shoulders. Her hair has also grown longer and expression has also be more adult-like. Even though sheughs childishly when talking with Souichi, right now her expression is calm. ¡°Did you grow taller?¡± ¡°Only¡ªa bit.¡± The conversation ended. I am good at continuing conversation with people but I think I suck at starting a conversation myself. It¡¯s different if I have an objective but like now when there¡¯s no such objective in my mind I think I¡¯d be satisfied with just walking around like this. I¡¯d think there¡¯s no really need for conversation. Moving my gaze away from Aya, I looked up at the night sky while walking beside her. ¡°Your uniform really suits.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± It¡¯s not like I had anything to talk about. But I felt that Aya had something she wanted to say to me. That¡¯s I waited patiently for Aya to talk . Care freely, while gazing at the night sky. The walk with no destination felt great. People who live in this world sleep early. That¡¯s because they have nothing to do. The most they have for enjoyment is either alcohol and gambling. But even casinos exist only in the area where nobles live. And even that¡¯s not an actual legal one. Those who like such things might be awake tillte but it¡¯d be only us who¡¯d take a walk at such a time. There was no one around. A quiet time. Walking at such a time really felt great. ¡°Renji-san.¡± Aya¡¯s legs stopped. I looked at her and our yes met. ¡°Are you sad?¡±(aya) ¡°Yeah.¡± Why? She doesn¡¯t ask that. There¡¯s no reason to ask a question to which you already know the answer. Aya¡¯s talking about what happened during the day. 4 dead. And they were adventurers who fought with me. Lives I couldn¡¯t protect. ¡°I think I¡¯m sad.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.I, am not sad.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Do you find such an Aya to be cold-hearted? I don¡¯t. I can¡¯t. In fact I feel that it¡¯s better this way. If someone of us 13 died, if someone close died,¡­..Aya would definitely cry. But, she won¡¯t be sad from the death of 4 whose names or faces she didn¡¯t even know. Even if those were men who stood on the same battlefield as her. And that¡¯s normal. Because if you don¡¯t think like that, you¡¯d be the one to die next. Yes, because we understand that a battlefield is that kind of a ce. They were not sensitive like the 18yr olds of our original world. But, it¡¯s something natural for this world. I¡¯m sure Aya is worried of the fact that she doesn¡¯t feel anything even on someone¡¯s death. ¡°I was d that Renji-san was alright¡­..I was very happy.¡± ¡°Me as well. I was also happy that Aya¡ª-Souichi and others were safe as well.¡± But I, at the same time, was also affected by the death of those 4. I had made sure to not show it either on my face or in my actions but I guess they realized it. Or maybe, I simply have not matured from one year ago. It was as simple as that. It¡¯s my bad that I just can¡¯t be satisfied.¡ª¡ª-I¡¯m sure that if I stood on the battlefield right now, I¡¯d probably get injured. Without any reason. I¡¯m sure of it. ¡°Um¡ª-¡± Aya¡¯s voice resounded in the stillness of the night. ¡°Thank you for saving me.¡±(aya) ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. I said it at that time as well but I promised you, didn¡¯t I? That if you were in danger I will save you.¡± I feel like it was a night like this that time as well. I don¡¯t remember properly, but it was a calm, still night. In front of the fire, I had promised her so. That I¡¯d protect the world¡¯s greatest and strongest magician. ¡°You remembered it. The promise.¡±(aya) ¡°Well, it was an important promise after all.¡± I shrugged my shoulders. I will protect my promises. That was normal, obvious. And so I, obviously, protected my promise, that¡¯s all. ¡°Renji-san is the same as always.¡±(aya) ¡°I just don¡¯t want to break my promises. At least from my side.¡± It¡¯s difficult to keep promises. Even aftering to this world, I broke many of promises. But, except for in extreme cases¡ª¡ªI make sure to not break the promises I make. Even if that promise is something very small. Even if that is an unbelievably precious promise. The wind blew and gently made Aya¡¯s hair sway in the air. In the darkness of the night, under the light of streetmps shining from magical energy, a pale light non existent in our former world, shone her figure. ¡°nee, Renji-san.¡± 18 yrs old. But even so I felt some kind of charm in her expression. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I was once again saved by you.¡± ¡°¡ª-that¡¯s true.¡± Though I couldn¡¯t protect those 4, I saved her life. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s what she wants to tell me. I¡¯m minding the death of those 4 too much. Those wordse because she¡¯s worried for me. Those words so were gentle, and warm that I ended up smiling naturally. And then breathed a sigh. This won¡¯t do. I¡¯m being worried for by a child. I fail as an adult. I ended up smiling wryly. What did she think as she saw me like that, Aya smiled like a mischievous child. It was not the fascinating smile like before, it was more of a smile that suited a girl her age. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, alright?¡±(aya) ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± She started giggling. I heard simr words at a very different ce once. From a very different voice. One year ago¡ª-the ce Ist cried. ¡°Yeah, I promised Ermenhilde after all.¡± That¡¯s why, I won¡¯t cry. Even if myrades die, no matter who dies, no matter what I lose. ¡ª¨Cbecause I promised so. Chapter 23 The Heroes and thereafter Chapter 23 The Heroes and thereafter Finishing shaving with my iron knife, I washed my face. Looking at the mirror, my old man face was clean. It¡¯s a face that doesn¡¯t give birth to any kind of emotion, a very normal face you can find anywhere. ¡°My face feels weird.¡± I mumbled but there was no reply. Oh right, I had left Ermenhilde in the custody of Souichi. I¡¯m not really lonely but feeling thisck of something, I sighed. Quickly changing my clothes, I left the room. While ying with my iron knife instead of my partner Ermenhilde, I quickly finished my meal on the first floor. In this world, bread is the staple food. I wish I could eat rice once in a while as well. It¡¯s impossible though. I¡¯m not an expert in agriculture but I know that to grow rice you at least need seeds to nt. We had searched for it even during our journey but didn¡¯t find any at all. Maybe it doesn¡¯t even exist in this world. Or maybe they are simply referred to differently than just ¡®rice seed¡¯. While thinking that, I put a the freshly baked bread, the vegetable stew and a slice of ham in my mouth. It¡¯s pretty heavy for breakfast but this is normal for this world. In turn they spend those calories while farming and other jobs. The people in bureaucratic jobs or nobles tend to be fatter as a result. It must be due to this kind of diet, I think. While taking water from thendy, I started thinking about how to spend the day. Should I go to Souichi and other¡¯s dorms to get Ermenhilde now or should I wait and spend time gathering herbs till their sses end. ¡°¡­¡­.For the time being, let¡¯s go to the guild.¡± I only had to think about that for a moment. The deciding factor was that the guild was closer than the dorms. I definitely wasn¡¯t thinking of something like enjoying my time while the noisy sister-inw like Ermenhilde is not with me. As I decided, I left the inn after finishing my meal. I should move away from this ce pretty soon as well, I thought while walking. I met Souichi and others and was able to talk to them like before as well¡­¡­¡­I think. Now that I havepleted my objective here, I should travel to my next destination¡ªthe royal capital to meet myrades there and talk to them about these descendants of the Demon God. My wallet has be pretty filled as well after all. While thinking that, I reached the guild while swiftly avoiding the way of people leaving for their work. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m tired¡­¡­¡± While sighing like that, I opened the guild¡¯s door. The double swing door made a noise in the lobby as I entered¡­¡­¡­.and for some reason everyone¡¯s gaze gathered at me. No, well, I do know the reason. It¡¯s because I overdid it against the goblins. With the jade sword Ermenhilde in my hands, I fought together with Souichi and others. My identity is probably known by them. While ignoring the ufortable gazes, I took a memo from the request counter. While doing that, my hand touched the girl¡¯s hand beside me. ¡°oh, sorry.¡± ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry.¡± We both apologised and looked at each other. I recognised this girl¡¯s face. ¡°Oh, well if it isn¡¯t Miss Francesca.¡± ¡°Ah, Renji-sama.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.please stop with ¡®-sama¡¯ suffix really.¡± Saying that, I gave a sigh. Transparent honey coloured hair, green eyes. Since she was in her school uniform right now, her plentiful chest non-existent with Aya or Yayoi-chan was a feast for eyes. Her white blouse stuck out contrary to her own personality and the golden embroidered blue robe only made it¡¯s presence more prominent. ¡°Howe you¡¯re here? ¡°No, well¡­¡­..¡± She¡¯s being unusually unclear. Going by the fact that we went for the same memo, I guess she¡¯s also after the herb gathering quest. ¡°Gathering materials for magic or alchemy?¡± ¡°Ah, eh? Why¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Well, you were trying to take a herb gathering quest after all. Was I wrong?¡± When I swung the memo in front of her, she finally realized as well. Well, anyone could do that much, I whispered to myself. ¡°Well, you¡¯re just in time.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I want to contact Souichi but¡ª¡ª¨C¡± While I was speaking, it became slightly noisy inside the guild. When I looked to see what was going on, Souichi and Yayoi in the same uniform as Miss Francesca¡ª-the Albana academy uniform, entered the guild. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± We both raised our voices at the same time. It seems I¡¯m lucky today, I thought that to myself as I raised my hand. ¡°Yo. What happened? Why here?¡±(renji) ¡°We came to look for Renji-niichan. Here.¡±(souichi) [¡­¡­¡­] ¡°Oh, thanks.¡± Taking back Ermenhilde from him, I put it back inside my pocket. ¡°As expected.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°The beard. You look cooler without it.¡± ¡°Well thanks.¡± I can¡¯t really be honestly happy at that. Did it really not suit me that much? I actually liked it a bit. As if to once again check the now non-existent beard, I ended up rubbing my chin with my hand. ¡°Leaving that aside, Renji-niichan, I waited for quite a while yesterday you know?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.that was my bad. After dropping off Aya home, I just returned back.¡± [To the bar again?] ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± [Rather than taking me back¡­¡­you went to a bar.] ¡°It¡¯s fine right, once in a while? There are times when I feel like drinking alone as well.¡± ¡°[hou.] It seems I have angered it quite a bit. What should I do, I started thinking. Well, it¡¯s mood will get better soon enough though. If it kept on sulking like that, I¡¯d start feeling bad as well. Well, it was actually my fault though. Well I feel like being alone sometimes as well so it should be fine, right? It would be fine in viges but if I let Ermenhilde alone somewhere in an inn like that with so many people, I afraid it would get stolen instantly. Yesterday, since I gave it to Souichi coincidentally, I just went to the bar¡­¡­..maybe because I felt a bit too rxed after talking to Aya. While giving excuses inside my head, I thought about how to improve its mood. ¡°Did you guyse just to give Ermenhilde back only?¡±(renji) The noise of the adventurers around us was getting irritating. This is why I hate being famous. No matter where you go you be the centre of attention. You can¡¯t even talk while standing somewhere normally. ¡°I¡¯lle back after epting a request so can you wait for a bit?¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll be over there.¡± Saying that, I pushed through the adventurers surrounding us and left there. Ah, irritating. I¡¯ll have to go seclude myself in some rural vige again. [You adulterer.] ¡°Where the hell are you learning these words?¡­¡­¡± Who the hell was it that taught it these words? Souichi doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯d say such thing. Was it either Aya or Yayoi-chan? I can¡¯t really imagine either of them doing so but it should be one of them. [Anyway, Renji.] ¡°Your attitude changed suddenly¡­..so, what is it?¡± [They seem to have decided to send the captured demon to the Royal Capital.] ¡°Well, sounds obvious.¡± [¡­¡­.You aren¡¯t surprised by that?] Anyone would get to that conclusion if he were to think even a bit. The royal capital has 4 knight orders that specialise against monsters, even demons. It¡¯s natural to give something troublesome like a demon to their hands. Those idiots at Strategy(tactics) city would probably get all riled up saying that demons have attacked, so its time to get revenge but the guys in Magic city are slow to act so would definitely hand over something troublesome like this to others. ¡°And the ones meant to escort it to the capital are Souichi and others, right?¡± [Muu, you¡¯re no fun Renji.] ¡°It¡¯s a serious thing like a demon after all. They¡¯d obviously make them move to be absolutely sure.¡± And that demon used summoning skills. Goblins¡ª-and he also summoned that ck ogre. It would be one thing if it was just goblins but that ck ogre would be too much for normal adventurers. Well I doubt that demon would be able to summon monsters like that so easily either though. Rather than that, if Souichi and others are going to the capital, I can also stick with those guys. If they¡¯re transporting a demon, it¡¯ll probably be carried in a carriage with barriers set around it. Then the escort will also be either on horses or in a carriage. If I go with these guys, the travel would also be easier for me. If I were to walk, it¡¯d take at least 20 days to get to the capital. It¡¯ll take half the time in a carriage. While gazing at the crowd of people going by in front of the guild, I thought about what could be done. If I couldn¡¯t go with them, I¡¯ll just have to walk though. That or I¡¯ll have to take the escort quest from the guild. ¡°Ah, Renji-sama.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I have be great enough to need a ¡®-sama¡¯ suffix but, what is it Miss Francesca?¡± While I was thinking such things, Miss Francesca came out. I sighed at the usual call of ¡®-sama¡¯. I just defeated a few goblins and one ogre in that fight. Aya, who took doubt countless goblins with just one magic spell is more worthy of being called like that in my opinion. Well, it¡¯s her freedom how she calls anybody. ¡°So, did you take a request?¡± ¡°Yes. To collect materials for alchemy at the Forest of Magical Energy.¡± ¡°Hmmm.¡± Rather than the request itself, I¡¯m more worried about her getting lost while in the forest. She did fight Orcs with me back then but somehow she still gives this unreliable, dangerous image. Just like a noble, she has that atmosphere. ¡°Are you alone?¡± ¡°No. I hired a guide just now.¡± ¡°Then it should be fine.¡± For the time being, she should at least not get lost inside the forest now. Probably. As long as that guide is not someone who does something weird. While I was thinking that, another one left the guild. Gold hair and pointed ears. His sour looking face that I¡¯d be used to seeing still looked handsome. ¡°Yo.¡±(renji) ¡°mu, You are¡­¡­.¡±(T/N: Elf guy uses ¡®anata-sama¡¯ here for ¡®you¡¯ which is very honorific than normal) His way of speaking changed. I could only drop my shoulders at that and sigh. ¡°Please talk like usual. Frankly, the curious gazes alone are killing me already.¡±(renji) ¡°Fu¡­¡­I thought you¡¯d beughing inside while hiding your true identity. So you just find it a pain, eh.¡±(elf) ¡°Obviously. Trouble is the nemesis of free journeys.¡± [Without money, even that¡¯s just a pipe dream though.] ¡± You sure say some dreamless things.¡±(renji) Saying that, I flicked Ermenhilde in the air with my thumb. As it twirled in the air, I caught it. On opening my hand, it was Heads. Yeah. I have good luck. ¡°Oh right what happened to your exam?¡±(renji) ¡°Ah, yes, I hadn¡¯t told you¡­..very sorry.¡±(fran) ¡°No, no need to apologise. Well, it¡¯s good you passed.¡± ¡°Yes¡­..though, I¡¯ll be troubling you once again I think though.¡±(fran) Huh? Why would you cause trouble now? I tilted my head in confusion. In the first ce, the Orc hunting helped me in earning a lot so it wasn¡¯t really troublesome for me either. When I was about to say that, Souichi and Yayoi appeared from the guild as well. ¡°Sorry to have made you wait.¡±(yayoi) ¡°Sorry, Renji-niichan.¡± ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine. I haven¡¯t taken any request anyway.¡± [If I hadn¡¯te, you were thinking of taking it easy again weren¡¯t you?] ¡°No way. I woke today with the will to work Ermenhilde. Look, I even shaved.¡± [That¡¯s nothing special.] As usual, my partner continues nagging me. As I shrugged, Souichi and Yayoi startedughing. Miss Francesca and others can¡¯t hear Ermenhilde so they were making a confused face. ¡°Did you guys also ept a request?¡±(renji) ¡°Nope, we were giving out one.¡± ¡°I see. The escorting of the demon to the capital eh?¡± When I said that, they both got very surprised. ¡°Ah, did Eru-san tell you?¡± [Yeah but I couldn¡¯t surprise him¡­¡­..boring.] ¡°What kind of expectations do you have of me?¡± Saying that I put the medal back inside my pocket. ¡°Maybe I should also take up some request¡­¡­.¡± . . . Now how did it end up like this? I tilted my head in confusion. Since I had finally met her again I decided to take the same quest as Miss Francesca to gather herbs but for some reason, Souichi and Yayoi-chan are also together with us. When I asked if it¡¯d be fine with the school, the answered ¡®yes¡¯ with a smile. It was a smile I couldn¡¯t really trust though. Especially Souichi¡¯s. Later on, I¡¯ll make sure to ask either Aya or Yayoi-chan about his grades at school. But still, with this over powered force with us, I started feeling sad for the goblins we asionally met. After all, those goblins get torn apart along with their weapons and armor altogether. As expected of the Brave who has already defeated thest boss. As expected of the one who, in a sense, has the strongest cheat. He also held the holy sword with a faint blue magical energy in his hands. Along with the cheat abilities, let alone me, not even the Elf guy got any chance to do something before the battle ended. It didn¡¯t matter whether our opponent was just one or many. For the time being, we left the fightingpletely to Souichi. That was more effective than us doing it after all. ¡°¡­¡­.this is the power of a Hero, eh?¡±(elf) ¡°Don¡¯t put me in the same category, okay? I don¡¯t even have half the strength Souichi has.¡±(renji) ¡°Again saying things like that¡­¡­.¡±(yayoi) It¡¯s true though. I shrugged my shoulders at Yayoi-chan¡¯s words. In truth, though I have never fought against Souichi, I¡¯m sure I¡¯d lose against him in a one-on-one battle. Even if all 7 of Ermenhilde¡¯s covenants were released, I won¡¯t be able to beat him. I can only bring out my full strength against the Demon God but Souichi, as long as his will is not broken, can use his full strength against anyone. His cheat is an extraordinary one even among us 13. Because he¡¯s called a Brave, Souichi is that strong. Because he himself wishes to be and live like that. Though I think it¡¯d be better if he¡¯d just live like a kid his age rather than with some heavy title like that. But he¡¯s free to live as he likes. If he himself wishes it, I won¡¯t go against it. ¡°I think Renji-sama is also strong enough to not lose against Souichi-sama though?¡±(fran) ¡°No way. If I was fighting alone on the front like that, I can at most take on 2 goblins at the same time.¡± If I could ambush them, maybe I could take a few more but I can¡¯t charge head-on and unmatched like Souichi does. In the first ce, it¡¯s weird to go and fight monsters alone. [Renji, I want to cut something too.] ¡°Why did you say something so violent out of nowhere?¡± ¡°??¡± Please don¡¯t give into your instincts. It¡¯s troubleome. Also, since she couldn¡¯t hear Ermenhilde¡¯s voice, Miss Francesca looked cute as she tilted her head in confusion as I talked to myself. ¡°By the way, Aya wasn¡¯t with you guys?¡±(renji) ¡°Aya-chan had sses¡­¡­.of right, Renji-oniisan.¡±(yayoi) ¡°Hm?¡± I always treat Souichi and Aya as a set so it simply felt unusual for them to not be together which is why I asked. But for some reason, Yayoi-chan suddenly asked in a somewhat angry manner. Did I do something? I tried to remember yesterday but couldn¡¯t find any problem. ¡°Aya-chan was in an extremely good mood but, did you say something to her?¡±(yayoi) ¡°Well, we just chatted idly though.¡±(renji) ¡°fuuun¡± Clearly she doesn¡¯t believe me. But well, it really was like that. We did just talked about the past and also, I made her worry about me and that¡¯s it. [So, after dropping Aya off at her dorm, you nonchntly went to a bar, eh?] Don¡¯t hold a grudge for that. There had been times when I left Ermenhilde in my room and went drinking alone while we 2 travelled as well. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that unusual. ¡°Aya-sama did seem to be in a good mood from early morning.¡±(fran) ¡°fuun, by the way, what kind of ¡®good mood¡¯ was she in?¡±(renji) ¡°Skipping around, and humming etc, basically.¡±(fran) That¡¯s it? ¡°Aya¡¯s usually like that whenever she is even slightly happy.¡± [umu. She¡¯s a cute one after all.] Leaving aside whether that¡¯s cute or not, during our journey she¡¯d be like that whenever something good happened I think. On improving her magic or finding a rare item etc. Was it really as special as Miss francesca or Yayoi-chan say? ¡°waa.¡±(yayoi) ¡°Nothing happened that should make you sigh nor did I do anything like that you know?¡±(renji) Saying that, I kneeled on the ground. I found some the herbs we were looking for. It¡¯s still far from the amount needed to finish our job but it¡¯s still important spirit grass. I carefully plucked it out. ¡°A crime of conscience is it? Renji-oniisan.¡±(yayoi) ¡°Well, for a man like me, I don¡¯t understand even a fragment of a woman¡¯s heart.¡±(renji) ¡°Hm? What are you guys talking about?¡±(souichi) After defeating all the goblins and still not being even short on breath, Souichi came back. Behind him was the Elf guy with bow in his hands. Seeing two handsome men walk together sure is picturesque. ¡°We¡¯re talking about how men can¡¯t understand the heart of women.¡± ¡°Ah, true, Aya gets angry at me a lot for the same reason.¡±(souichi) ¡°What kind of conversation are you guys having while in betweenpleting a request?¡±(elf) [Seriously.] The serious Elf and Ermenhilde seemed to be amazed at us. He even shrugged his shoulders and sighed. In his hands was Spirit grass multiple times more than mine. He really is one serious guy. ¡°Since it¡¯s Brother, it can¡¯t be helped.¡±(yayoi) ¡°¡­¡­.That¡¯s very hurting to hear on its own you know?¡±(souichi) Well, it is Souichi we¡¯re talking about. He¡¯s the type that always gets too close. So much that you have to push him away a bit. Although its nice to be honest to what you¡¯re thinking, but it¡¯s troublesome if you¡¯re too honest. Though he seems to have matured a bit from that. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Brother, you have me after all.¡±(yayoi) ¡°Well what can I do with that¡­¡­¡­¡±(souichi) ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Really, Souichi has no understanding of women at all. Well, Yayoi-chan is unique on her own as well though. It seems as usual, someone will have to tell them to be relieved and stuff. (T/N: I kinda took liberty with this sentence since the actual line makes no real sense in english. It¡¯s weird in jap as well tho. Just ignore. Not really important) I¡¯ll leave these things to Utano-san. She¡¯s a woman as well after all. I have no idea what I should say after all. ¡°You two really do get along.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes!¡±(yayoi) ¡°Really?(souichi) When Souichi said that, Yayoi-chan¡¯s smile cramped. Miss Francesca was also giving a troubled smile. What is this? Though I had been talking till now as well but somehow this feels more like a pic instead. Though the main reason is Souichi being here. After all, there¡¯s no danger. Goblins aren¡¯t even a danger anymore. Other wild beasts also stay away due to the Holy Sword¡¯s aura. While collecting Spirit Grass with the Elf, I sighed. It¡¯s good to be living like children. Yeah. ¡°Say, during the journey for the Demon God¡¯s subjugation..¡±(elf) ¡°Hm? On Elf guy¡¯s question, I nodded him to continue after a second. ¡°Were you guys like this even that time?¡± ¡°Ahh.¡± No matter how low the danger on this request may be, this kind of carefree atmosphere was not normal. In the first ce, it was weird to be carefree even while goblinse attacking. ¡°No. That time, we didn¡¯t have such leisure.¡±(renji) I remembered the journey which was painful, agonizing and made me cry so many times. Now, it only feels nostalgic¡ª¨Cit has be a precious memory of mine. ¡°That makes me relieved.¡±(elf) ¡°Relieved?¡±(renji) When I questioned, this time the Elf shrugged his shoulders. ¡°If you said that you travelled with this mood and had killed the Demon God¡­¡­.I would have been at a loss for words.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true.¡± At that time, we were at our limits every day. We had never done such journeys, we weren¡¯t even used to walking for long times. After being summoned to this world, we were trained by the Knight Orders and were entrusted with the hopes and expectations of everyone. ¡°But, it¡¯s fine now.¡±(renji) ¡°Is that how it is?¡±(elf) ¡°Tough happily, for such a world, we had worked so hard after all.¡± After saying, even I felt that it was a foolish line to say. If my formerrades were here, they¡¯d all say that it doesn¡¯t suit me saying that at all. I realise that. I know that there are still many that still cannotugh. There are too many orphans in this world. Too many who have lost their loved ones. We saved the world but there are still people that have not been saved yet. But still. ¡°¡ª¨CI see.¡±(elf) [umu. That¡¯s right.] On Ermenhilde¡¯s words, I startedughing. Yeah, that¡¯s right. That¡¯s exactly how it is. Right now, at this moment, finally, I felt that it was great that I came to Magic City. I was d to have met Souichi and others. I felt that from the bottom of my heart. Chapter 24 Road to the Kingdom (1) Chapter 24 Road to the Kingdom (1) The sun had set, and I was walking through the dark corridor. My whole body ached due to the gruelling work I had gone through during the day. The cold air struck my skin and gave me goosebumps. It was a stone corridor but a first ss carpet wasid on it so my footsteps weren¡¯t loud. Groaning from the muscr pains, my footsteps were in disorder. Shelves decorated with expensive ornaments, pretty flowers, knight armours made of silver, and a small light of magical energy. These things came into my view in the night¡¯s darkness. But all that felt a bit scary which made me walk a bit faster. My quiet footsteps became a bit louder. My destination was the chapel at the end of this corridor. I didn¡¯t really have anything specific to do. It was simply a part of my routine. In that chapel was the statue of the Goddess. It wasn¡¯t real nor did it have the Goddess¡¯ soul or anything. Made out of silver, it was simply nothing more than a statue. How long did I walk in that dark corridor? But now finally, a giant door was in front of me. I used all my strength to push it open. Because that door was heavier than I expected, by the time I entered the chapel, I was a bit out of breath. And finally I was inside. In front of me was magnificent stained ss that decorated the windows and the ceiling. The faint light of magical energy shone blue, red, gold, green, purple¡­..in various colours even though it was night time. It looked so unnaturally beautiful that the silver statue of the Goddess ced at the innermost part of the chapel looked truly divine. The statue of Goddess Astrarea. One of the 3 gods that created this world. Ruler of the light and the one that created humans. In normal temples, people would think that the bigger the statue the better it was but the one here was of the size of a normal human. Maybe that¡¯s why it was beautiful, it felt divine. I tried to close door quietly but the wooden door made a dry sound that resounded inside the chapel. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s not allowed to be herete at night but the empty chapel made me feel as if I was doing something bad. Just like that, as if being pulled, I walked towards the goddess¡¯ statue. Even though I was walking over the carpet my footsteps made sound. Was it simply the air that was cold or was the silver statue giving off the chill I felt? I didn¡¯t know but the mental chill I felt made me want to stop in my tracks. But I didn¡¯t. I felt as if I was being pulled as well. Slightly, though. As I walked towards the silver goddess I stretched out my hand¡ª-but stopped right before touching the statue. Even though I didn¡¯t touch it, I could feel the heat of my fingertip disappear from the coldness of the statue. As if it was frozen, I became unable to move my finger. Even though it should be impossible. Giving a wry smile, I removed my finger away from the statue. The silent night was so cold that I could even hear the buzzing in my ears. I was alone in this ce. I suddenly became afraid realizing that and turned back and walked away from the statue. But, just before that, I felt I heard someone calling my name. Was it a ghost? I looked around for one. In the first ce though, it would be ridiculous for a ghost to appear inside a chapel. Thinking that, I sighed. Suddenly, I felt that my eyes connected with the Goddess¡¯ statue. What did I think at that time¡­¡­..I remember it clearly even now. ¡ª¨CI want to go home. . . . When I woke up, I sighed in relief on seeing the worn out ceiling of my room. Nostalgic¡ª¨CI couldn¡¯t even call it that but it wasn¡¯t really a good dream that I had. It was right about when we were summoned in this world. Somehow realizing the peculiarity of my cheat and understanding that I¡¯d be useless; it was a dream of when I was really dessperate. Learning the art ofbat from the knights, reading books tillte night and then prayed to the goddess¡¯ statue after getting tired. That I want to return home. [What happened?] ¡°Nothing. Just saw a bad dream.¡± [¡­¡­.I see.] It doesn¡¯t ask anything more. From my atmosphere, it must have realized what kind of dream I had. Really, I have a great partner. Picking up Ermenhilde from below my pillow, I rubbed its rim with my fingers. ¡°Can I sleep the whole day today?¡± [Work. Like a cart-horse.] ¡°¡­¡­¡­what a cruel partner you are.¡± Laughing, I stood up from the bed. Now then, let¡¯s work hard today as well. . . . . When I went to the guild, a scene I wasn¡¯t used to was taking ce. As usual , curious gazes from the adventurers were troublesome. The request put by Souichi and others to take the demon to the capital won¡¯t start after a week. Thinking that I¡¯ll have to go through this everyday till then, I could only sigh. From Ermenhilde¡¯s point of view, it¡¯s a happy thing that I¡¯m the centre of attention but really, I don¡¯t want this. But those gazes were slightly less today. You¡¯d think that they have finally be bored of me but today they were more curious about a very peculiar and rare request client it seems. At the counter was a white girl. Her long hair were kept in a ponytail, and her whole body was covered by a white mantle. Her petite stature showed that she was definitely a girl, her height was a little higher than my abdomen at most. From behind I couldn¡¯t see her expression but I could tell that her appearance must be good considering the amount of gazes fixed on her. Adventurers¡ª¡ªor rather, men were such creatures after all. Even I¡¯d always prefer a cute girl. And above all, the biggest reason for all the gazes was on her head. Animal ears like that of dog and a fluffy tail that could be seen from the hem of the mantle. Going by her tail, she is not a dog-type beastwoman but a wolf-type. Beastmen weren¡¯t really rare. You¡¯d run into some every now and then inside the town. I don¡¯t know why this girl is attracting so much attention but, well, I¡¯m not concerned with it. I went and took a memo from one of the herb gathering request lists. At that time, I didn¡¯t forget to steal a nce of her looks as well. At that, the girl also looked up at me. It was sudden, so even I got slightly surprised. ¡°Need something?¡±(girl) ¡°No, I just found it rare to see a pure white beastwoman, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°I see. You are a pretty honest human.¡± She¡¯s an indifferent girl. That was my first impression. Considering she sensed my gaze, she must have sharp senses. It¡¯s not rare in beastmen though, so it wasn¡¯t really surprising. I turned towards the receptionist woman to find her making a troubled expression. Her usual smile also felt slightly cramped. ¡°Did something happen?¡±(renji) ¡°Well¡­¡­..she hase with a request but the details are..¡± Is there a problem with the details? Bing curious at that, I once again looked to my side. ¡°What request do you have?¡± ¡°To take me to the royal capital.¡±(girl) Hearing that, I looked towards the receptionist again at which she shook her sideways. Well it can¡¯t be helped after all I guess. I also agreed mentally. ¡°It¡¯ll be difficult so suddenly. No matter how much you hurry, it¡¯ll take at least 7 days to get there.¡± And that too by making the horse run as if its life depended on it. Even then, it probably won¡¯t be able to run for days without rest so it would atleast take 10 days. When I told her that, the receptionist also nodded in agreement. But the white girl in front of me made a troubled expression. ¡°Can it not be done faster?¡± ¡°Not possible. It would be if there was a better method to travel other than horses but¡­¡­there are none like that.¡±(renji) I remembered the dragon used by the [Monster Tamer] girl. Unfortunately I don¡¯t even know where she is right now. If it was that dragon, we could reach capital in 2 days. Maybe even earlier. But its useless to tell that to this girl. ¡°fumu. I see.¡± [She has some special circumstances it seems.] If there weren¡¯t any, she wouldn¡¯t havee to the guild to put a request after all. Also, don¡¯t sound so happy when someone is in trouble. And, I hate trouble after all. I really want my partner to understand that. ¡°Are you in trouble?¡±(renji) ¡°Yeah, I am. Very much so.¡±(girl) Supporting her well shaped chin with her fingers, she went into deep thinking. She must be nning out what to do next from hereon I guess. The receptionists gaze focused on me. Her expression was pleading me to do something about this girl. ¡°Are you hungry?¡±(renji) ¡°Hm? True, I have eaten only dried meat for the past few days but¡­.¡±(girl) ¡°Then about having a meal first. When you¡¯re hungry, your brain won¡¯t work well either right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­mu. But you know, I¡¯m really in a hurry.¡± Saying that she seemed lightly irritated. It must be an important request seeing she wants to stay at the counter even now. At the same time, she also seemed to be irritated due to hunger as well. ¡°I doubt it¡¯d be different if you think after taking a meal you know? You won¡¯t get an answer just by staying here.¡± ¡°Then, will I get one if I fill my belly?¡± ¡°Well, who knows. But, at least your brain would work better than when you¡¯re hungry at least.¡± The girl looked down while thinking. I felt that receptionists gaze was urging me to try even harder. ¡°I see. You have a point.¡±(girl) ¡°It¡¯s good that you understand. Then, there¡¯s a diner nearby where¡ª¡± ¡°But, I¡¯m broke.¡± I was about to introduce her to a nearby cheap yet pretty good ce to eat and be done with it but those words instantly stopped me. When I looked towards the receptionist, she was also looking at me surprised. It seems she had not yet talked about the reward for the request. ¡°What were you going to do about the reward for your request?¡±(renji) ¡°I¡¯ll pay with my body.¡± Do you even understand what you just said? Inside my view, the receptionist was furiously shaking her head sideways. Well, the guild won¡¯t take part in such services after all. I sighed while thinking that. ¡°That won¡¯t work obviously.¡±(renji) ¡°Why? I may not look the part but I excel at hunting. I have confidence to not lose to any monster.¡± Oh, you meant ¡®body¡¯ in that sense! Once again, this time along with the receptionist, I sighed. [kukuku, what an interesting beastwoman.] ¡°Oi, you mimidoshima!¡± (T/N: mimidoshima is a word used for a woman who has lots of superficial knowledge about sex. I couldn¡¯t think of a an english word suitable for that. Got any ideas? Leave it in thements.) [I don¡¯t know what that means but I feel like you just made a fool of me Renji.] And the receptionist who couldn¡¯t hear Ermenhilde blushed maybe because she thought I said that to her. Shouldn¡¯t you be angry or refute that normally? To blush like that means she must be not very experienced. How innocent. ¡°For the time being lets have a meal. I¡¯m tired.¡± ¡°But, I don¡¯t have money.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll treat you one meal at least. I¡¯m tired, want to take a break.¡± [What about work?] Later. In this situation, I can¡¯t really abandon this white girl. ¡°Is it fine?¡±(girl) ¡°Yeah. We can think of a solution together while having a meal. We might be able toe up with a good idea.¡± ¡°umu. You¡¯re a good man it seems.¡± On being told that, I didn¡¯t feel any bad vibes from her. It will hurt me slightly in the money department but, well, helping people like this may be fine once in a while. Though I wonder whether it can actually be called as helping her. ¡°It¡¯s my hobby to do one good deed every day.¡±(renji) ¡°That¡¯s a very good thing.¡±(girl) [This is the first I¡¯m hearing of this.] Because it¡¯s the first time I said that. If there really was a person who did a good deed everyday, that person would be called a saint. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± While I was talking about that, a voice came from behind. Turning back, I saw a girl with a somewhat dazed expression and a a handsome elf standing there. It¡¯s Miss Francesca and Faylona(elf). I hadn¡¯t noticed them since I was focused on my conversation. Maybe because they have goodpatibility, they seem to party together a lot. As a party of an handsome guy and a beauty, they do gather attention as well. ¡°She seems to be in trouble.¡±(renji) I pointed to the white girl with my gaze. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m very troubled right now.¡±(girl) ¡°¡­¡­is that something to say as if bragging?¡± Faylona said that with a somewhat amazed voice. ¡°I¡¯m not bragging.¡± [To me, she simply seems brazen.] Well, it sure is not something one says while puffing their chests after all. I agreed with Ermenhilde. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m hungry.¡±(girl) ¡°I get it I get it. After talking about food, now you¡¯re focused on that?¡±(renji) ¡°I¡¯ve been eating nothing more than dried meat and grass for a long time now.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that amazing. Sounds great for the body.¡± When I said that, she puffed her chest proudly for some reason. I¡¯m notplimenting you. ¡°Why don¡¯t you two also join us? It¡¯s a bit early for lunch though.¡± ¡°Well sure. Since you have invited us, I want toe along.¡±(fran) Saying that, Miss Francesca looked at Faylona. ¡°We haven¡¯t even taken a request yet. Do as you wish.¡±(elf) ¡°No, I am asking you toe as well.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­..I see.¡± Somehow, this guy is stupid in the weirdest of ces. When I looked at him with an amazed gaze, he showed a disappointed expression. ¡°Well, fine. Then, let¡¯s go to the nearby restaurant.¡±(renji) ¡°umu. I leave it to you.¡±(white girl) [Is that the attitude of someone being treated to a meal?] I agreed with Ermenhilde¡¯s words. Well, her personality isn¡¯t really that troublesome. After we find a solution to her request, we¡¯ll part ways anyway. I hate trouble after all. Saying that inside my head one more time, we left the guild. Our destination was 2 blocks away from the guild. Since its main customers are adventurers, its menu mostly has energy filled dishes and lots of alcohol. And there are many who drink even though its midday. Maybe because Miss Francesca wasn¡¯t used to such ces, she seemed to be looking around curiously which looked amusing. [Don¡¯t start drinking, alright?] I don¡¯t have a hobby of drinking during the day. While listening to Ermenhilde, I sat down randomly. Around the circr table, the white girl sat to my left, Miss Francesca to my right, and Faylona to my front. Handing the menu to the white girl, I sighed. How did it end up like this. It might be toote for this, but I gave a sigh due to the unexpected expenses. Just when my wallet had finally gotten a bit thicker. It made me realize that I was really toox with my money. ¡°I¡¯ll pay for my part.¡±(elf) ¡°Obviously. I have no intention of paying for men.¡±(renji) ¡°How harsh.¡± ¡°Like I care.¡± [You¡¯re just too soft with women¡­¡­¡­] Could you stop talking like I¡¯m some kind of guy who is loose with women? I still decide whether to treat or not depending on the person. ¡°Now then,¡± I looked towards the white girl who was focused at the menu. Realizing my gaze, she looked towards me. ¡°What happened? I haven¡¯t decided what to order yet.¡±(girl) ¡°At least tell us your name. I am Renji.¡± ¡°From there¡­¡­.? I am Francesca Barton.¡± ¡°Faylona.¡± ¡°mu. To not have told my name to the one treating me, I have been rude. My name is Mururu.¡± ¡°I see.¡± [¡­..It seems like you¡¯re being treated as just a purse Renji.] Yeah, I¡¯m definitely being treated as just a purse here. What¡¯s up with this girl really. I could not decide how to interact with this type of a girl. Would it be okay to get a little angry or should I just let it go? Miss Francesca was also giving me a troubled look and Faylona had a sour face as usual. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve decided.¡±(Mururu) ¡°She really works at her own pace¡­¡­¡± Sighing, I told her order to the waiter. But still, its all meat dishes, that too, 2 of them. Can she even eat them both? Frankly, her body is small. Whenpared with Miss Francesca, her smallness is further emphasized. ¡°I¡¯m the one paying, don¡¯t you leave any leftovers, alright?¡±(renji) ¡°There¡¯s no problem. I can actually eat double that amount.¡± A glutton with that small body?! ¡°Who orders 2 dishes when being treated by another in the first ce?¡± ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for that. Really, I am but¡­¡­frankly, when I thought of a dish other than dried meat, I couldn¡¯t help myself. Really sorry, Renji.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Dried meat isn¡¯t a ¡®dish¡¯ in the first ce..¡± [Seriously.] I also nodded. ¡°Well, don¡¯t mind it. I did say that it was my treat. I won¡¯t break my promise.¡± ¡°You really are a good guy.¡±(mururu) ¡°Oh please. I just find everything troublesome.¡± [Are you embarrassed?] I¡¯m not. Hitting Ermenhilde who said a weird thing, I made it shut up. ¡°Now then, Miss Mururu¡ª-¡± ¡°¡®Miss¡± is unnecessary. I may not look like it but I¡¯m a full fledged adult.¡± She puffed her chest proudly at that but her body is covered with a mantle so I can¡¯t tell how grown up she actually is. ¡°Alright, then Mururu, what is your request? While being broke, that is.¡±(renji) ¡°Well, there are some deep circumstances behind it.¡± ¡°Circumstances?¡± ¡°umu. A few days ago, I saved a few adventurers on the highway butter that night, my purse got stolen.¡± There¡¯s nothing deep about that, in fact, that¡¯s way too simple to understand. She got betrayed after helping them. Unable to say anything, we three could only remain silent. ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t really mindful about my own money after all.¡± ¡°It¡¯s amazing how you were able to travel like that.¡± It couldn¡¯t be helped that I sounded almost sarcastic/amazed there. Money is essential when travelling after all. It¡¯s really weird to hear that you weren¡¯t really mindful of that. Well, I¡¯m in no position to say that though. ¡°How cruel¡­.¡±(fran) ¡°No, it was my ineptitude that I was unable to see through their true nature. Even though my parents always told me to be always suspicious of others.¡± ¡°You, still came along with Renji so easily even now.¡±(elf) ¡°¡­¡­.You¡¯re talking as if I¡¯m some kind of viin, you know.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you put your hand on your chest and think again?¡±(elf) [Well, you hid the fact that you¡¯re a Hero after all.] Oh that. I¡¯ll say this as many times as you want but I¡¯m not worthy to be called a hero. I don¡¯t have the honour that Souichi or Aya have. Thinking that, I breathed a sigh. Well, that guy¡¯s not really serious either, he¡¯s grinning after all. Must be enjoying teasing me. What a bad personality. ¡°Mu¡­¡­.¡± But, when he said that, Mururu¡¯s gaze turned towards me. Her gaze contained a hint of surprise as well. ¡°Will Renji also deceive me?¡± ¡°If I was nning to, I wouldn¡¯t treat you to a meal, neither would I invite these two.¡± If I wanted to trick her, I would lie and then lead her to some back alley. Of course, I have no such hobbies though. ¡°But well, it would be for better if Mururu was a bit more cautious of people.¡± ¡°I see. If Renji says that, I will think about it.¡± ¡°Why did my namee up there?¡± ¡°Because you treated me to a meal. I have been taught to always take the words of my benefactor sincerely and seriously.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯ve been taught well it seems.¡± ¡°Umu.¡± Oh, we digressed from the topic. I did an *ahem*. ¡°So, why do you want to go to the Royal Capital so quickly?¡± ¡°I have something to deliver to the witch at the Capital.¡± ¡°Witch¡ª-The Sage, eh?¡± At that, Miss Francesca and Faylona¡¯s gazended on me. Mururu made a confused face at that but I simply shrugged my shoulders and turned their gazes aside. [You won¡¯te out honest there, which is why you were talked to like that by the Elf.] ¡°It hurts my ears.¡± But still, something for Utano-san eh? Honestly, I can only have a bad premonition about this. I recalled the ck Ogre and Orc I fought. Why I wonder? It¡¯s just that the moment I heard Utano-san¡¯s name, I could only think of that. I can trust my intuition at such times. ¡°What is this thing you want to give?¡±(fran) ¡°That, I cannot tell. The Spirit God has told me to not show it to anyone except the Witch. I apologise.¡± I see, that makes sense. Also, for the Spirit God to have given it, it must be something very important. Once again, their gazes turned to me but I looked at the ceiling wondering what to do. [A request from the Spirit God, eh?] ¡°It¡¯s not a request.¡± In the first ce, I haven¡¯t decided whether I¡¯d ept this or not. ¡°That¡¯s why, Renji, is there really any way to get to the capital as soon as possible?¡± ¡°I said this before as well but it¡¯d be impossible so suddenly. No matter how fast you go, it¡¯ll take atleast 10 days.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Even if you get disappointed like that, even I can¡¯t help it. While we were talking, finally the dishes we ordered arrived. ¡°For the time being, let¡¯s fill up our stomachs. Your head won¡¯t work properly empty stomach after all.¡± ¡°umu, that¡¯s true.¡± But still, an item from the Spirit God. On hearing the word, Spirit God, I recalled the [Elfreim] continent. This Imnesia continent where humans live is pretty green but Elfreim is even greener. Compared to how humans live by clearing away nature, the beastmen and demi-humans live together with the nature. That¡¯s why it¡¯s the country of the Demi-humans and Beastmen but the rich and impressive beauty of the continent is so great that you cannot forget it once you have seen it. And the Spirit God is the one worshipped by its people. Such an existence was sending an item to a God SLayer. It¡¯s suspicious, or rather, it¡¯ll definitely lead to some trouble. ¡°¡­¡­waa.¡± While looking at the white girl stuffing her cheeks full of food energetically, I thought about what to do. There¡¯s also the request with Souichi and others to take that demon to the capital as well but that¡¯s 10 dayster. It¡¯s not much, but this girl probably won¡¯t ept it. Also, riding just horses instead on a carriage should lessen the trip by few days. The problem is that this girl is broke. I can¡¯t exactly say ¡®alright, farewell.¡¯ And just go away now either. Well, I can, but after that I won¡¯t be able to sleep properly. ¡°Um, Mururu-san? You should eat a bit more calmly or its dangerous you know?¡±(fran) ¡°There is no problem.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one treating so how about at least tasting the dishes properly before swallowing.¡±(renji) ¡°Got it.¡± Seeing the difference in treatment between me and Miss Francesca, we both startedughing. Because she has a small body, she actually feels like some small animal. ¡°If it¡¯s the words of the Spirit God, then I shall help as well.¡± And, Faylona who had been quiet till now also spoke up. ¡°Really? I¡¯m in your debt Elf.¡±(mururu) ¡°It¡¯s Faylona, beastwoman.¡± Are they getting along with each other or not? And, somehow the talk had advanced. Well, for an Elf, a request from the Spirit God would be very important I guess. While seeing these 2¡¯s exchange, Miss Francesca was giggling while hiding her mouth with her hand. [But still, do you think they¡¯d leave a request from the Spirit God to just one beastwoman?] Well, who knows. Did the oracle/divine message include that as well or is there some other hidden reason? Maybe there¡¯s someone moving from the shadows as well. It could be that my meeting with this girl was not just some lucky coincidence as well. Chapter 25 Road to the Kingdom (2) Chapter 25 Road to the Kingdom (2) In front of me, a white fluffy tail was swaying. Mururu was sitting on a chair without the cloak she had been wearing so her healthy legs, her butt covered with short-pants like trousers and the tailing out from it was really tempting to the eyes. In front of Mururu was the guild¡¯s reception counter. She must be worried about whether the request we put up will get epted or not. ¡°You should calm down a bit.¡±(renji) ¡°It¡¯s difficult.¡± [She¡¯s like a little kid.] Really. I agreed with Ermenhilde. I put up the request in my name but it¡¯ll probably be just me, Mururu and Faylona who¡¯d go to the capital. Miss Francesca is a student after all and I can¡¯t make a noble¡¯s daughter hurry towards the capital anyways. We were few but since this concerned the Spirit God, we needed to hurry. At least that¡¯s what Faylona decided. Right now, he¡¯s out shopping with Miss Francesca to prepare for the journey. We tried putting up a request at the guild hoping to get a magician to join us but well, I doubt anyone woulde forward. No matter how well spread my name was, there won¡¯t be anyone who¡¯d take part in an escort to the capital for almost free. At times like these, practical things like money are more important tha something like the title of a Godyer or Hero. There¡¯s a limit to how much money both me and Faylona have and also, even if it was the request of the Spirit God, one wouldn¡¯t be ready to spend all his savings for Mururu who was just an acquaintance. Even after this request waspleted the fact that Mururu was penniless wouldn¡¯t change. Since there was no reward, it¡¯ll only create problems for her own livelihoodter on. ¡°I hope we can get somerades.¡± ¡°Well, yeah.¡± Saying that, I flicked Ermenhilde with my finger. It flew in the air raising a dry sound and when I caught it¡ª¨Cit was Tails. I figured as much. From that sound, Mururu turned towards me. Her wolf ears were twitching which looked really amusing. ¡°What are you doing?¡±(mururu) ¡°Test of luck.¡± ¡°I see. I hope you get a good result.¡± And then, she smiled like an innocent child. In a sense different from Ermenhilde, I once again felt that she really was a child. After showing me that smile, she once again turned towards the counter. Her white tail pushed up her cloak and revealed her beautiful legs hidden beneath it. Giving a sigh, I turned my gaze towards the memos of the umted requests of subjugation quests. I was only looking at them to pass time but I thought maybe I should ept one seeing that my wallet was getting empty. Also, I want to know how skilled Mururu is in battle. For a beastwoman who travelled alone, she should be pretty skilled. This world is pretty convenient only at such times. You can earn quite a lot just by hunting monsters. A stronger the monster, the bigger the reward as well. And that doesn¡¯t take a lot of time either. ¡°Well, don¡¯t have too much expectations though.¡± ¡°But I want to.¡± I guess this is the first time she¡¯s travelling like this. After I treated her to a meal, she has been looking around everywhere curiously. Everything¡¯s new to her here after all. I can tell from observing her. Beastmen¡ª¨CWerewolves like Mururu, there are others with characteristics of tiger, bear, or rabbit as well. They were not one single species like Humans. They were amunity made of a diverse types of species. The biggest difference between Beastmen and demi humans or humans was that they didn¡¯t utilise money. They depend on bartering instead. That¡¯s why this girl neither panicked nor got angry even after having her money stolen. Even now, she thinks that someone would definitely help her. This is why even though there is trading between Elves or Dwarves and humans, there¡¯s not much interaction with beastmen. The flow of money was important to the society after all. Profit from every transaction would further enrich the country and that would in turn make the lives of the people better. True, bartering and trust in your neighbours was also important but that alone won¡¯t develop the society. That¡¯s why, unlike with the demi-humans, there was not much interaction with Beastmen. The Beastmen reallye out of their world, in a way they were self sufficient. There were some who¡¯de out due to their curiosity towards the outside world or due to some job like Mururu, but they were the minority. ¡ª¡ªor that¡¯s how I saw it, to be exact. Well, my opinion has also changed quite a lot in the previous year as well. There were a quite a few Beastmen in the Magic City. I can see them sometimes while walking around the district. Going by the trend, there might be others at the other cities and the capital as well. I guess the world also changed. While I had retired into the rural countryside. [How carefree. I¡¯m more worried about what she has to deliver to Yuuko you know.] Well that¡¯s true, I guess. The rtionship between the Goddess and the Spirit God wasn¡¯t bad per se, but it wasn¡¯t good either. During our journey, at first they were even hostile¡­¡­.well not really, but there was discord. There were times we ended up fighting their priests and got injured as well. For that Spirit God, to have sent something to Utano-san who was an apostle of the Goddess was strange. Well, it must be something troublesome for sure, my instinct told me. In the first ce, this ¡®request from God¡¯ itself sounds suspicious. First we got the ¡®request¡¯ from the Goddess to subjugate the Demon God and had even more unreasonable demands during the journey. For me, it¡¯s only normal to get vignt. While I was thinking about such old things, the guild¡¯s swing door creaked open and Miss Francesca and Faylona came back. The guild became a bit noisy from the appearance of the beautifulbination¡¯s entrance. ¡°Yo, how was it?¡±(renji) ¡°For the time being, I asked for food for 10 days. It¡¯ll be readied by tomorrow.¡±(elf) ¡°Then, what remains is transport, eh?¡± Food for 10 days. Even if its just Dried Meat or other such preserve able food, it¡¯ll be quite heavy. We¡¯ll need horses. In case of horses, though it depends on the quality, we¡¯ll need gold coins than copper. (T/N: reminder that in this world Silver>gold>copper) Obviously there are no cars in this world, and the only means of transport is either horses or carriages. Obviously the price gets higher in that case. Not to mention we¡¯ll need at least two horses. And going by the rates of Magic City, my wallet¡¯s going to be empty. Faylona¡¯s wallet would also have been used up from ordering the food. Sighing, I stood up. No matter how much I try to save, it soon gets spent somewhere. I felt like crying from that fact. Then just abandon this, is what Ermenhilde would say but the Witch of the Capital¨CUtano-san, now that her name hase up, I can¡¯t feign ignorance now either. If I had ignored her when I saw the white girl at the counter, I would¡¯ve been free but now that Utano-san¡¯s name hase up, I can¡¯t¡­¡­¡­that¡¯s how bonds work I guess. I end up feeling like I have to do something as well. Well, Ermenhilde being Ermenhilde, knowing that I won¡¯t be able to abandon her anyway but still said that means it really has a bad personality. Remembering her figure from the back standing in front of the counter, I couldn¡¯t help it. As an Adult, I couldn¡¯t just abandon a child in trouble. ¡°Sorry but, can I ask you to have the horses readied as well?¡± ¡°Yeah, no problem.¡± Saying that, I stood up at which Mururu¡¯s gaze turned towards me. ¡°Going somewhere?¡± ¡°You¡¯reing too. What will Miss Francesca do?¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to make some earnings. Mururu, let me teach you a bit of how money works.¡± I said that but she only twisted her head in confusion. Feeling worried about our future, I could only sigh as I dropped my shoulders. It would have been fine if she was living in the beast world, but now that she hase here, she¡¯ll have to learn how money works if she¡¯s going to live with humans. I don¡¯t know how much money was stolen from her but she really must have been easy prey for the robbers. ¡°By earning, are you going to subjugate monsters?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We don¡¯t have much time so we¡¯ll just find some easy prey at an easy ce.¡± Saying that, I swayed the memo in my hand. Monster subjugation. Our opponent will be goblins that can be found nearby. This can also bepleted quickly as well. Since we are supposed to leave tomorrow, I don¡¯t want to face monsters that would tire us. Truth be told, I just want to depend on Herb gathering but considering Mururu¡¯s personality, that¡¯d be difficult. This girl really hates waiting after all. ¡°Money?¡±(mururu) ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. In the human world, you aren¡¯t called an adult until you start earning on your own.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­.I see..¡± ¡°That¡¯s painful to my ears.¡±(fran) [Being half-a-man actually might be better in such a case then.] Ermenhilde said that but even I think that way. It¡¯s weird since I was the one who said that but that¡¯s painful to my own ears as well. Mururu made a surprised expression and Miss Francesca made a sour face. Mururu¡¯s one thing, I think Miss Francesca would be able to earn by herself though. Well, her very first goblin hunt might have be a trauma for her. She almost died after going hunting alone after all, she must have recalled that. ¡°Leave the horses to me.¡± ¡°Yeah. For the time being, let¡¯s just earn Mururu¡¯s lodging fees at least.¡± Right now, she¡¯d have no choice to either stay with me or spend the night with the Elves in the forest. I am one thing, but Elves are usually not very wee to other races. Faylona could even be called an unusual case. Thinking such things, I gave my wallet to Faylona. Aah I wonder how much will it cost. No matter how much I earned aftering here, I doubt it¡¯d be enough to buy a few horses though. ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Un, Got it.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± It seems, Miss Francesca is alsoing with us. It¡¯d be easier with a magician so frankly I¡¯m relieved. [As expected, it¡¯s easier living along with people.] I was slightly surprised from the sudden words. It¡¯s rare for Ermenhilde to say something like that. [Like this, Renji is going on a monster subjugation quest due to the influence of people.] ¡°Please stop talking like it¡¯s a good thing. I don¡¯t like either fighting or monster subjugation.¡± It¡¯s dangerous, it hurts when you get injured and you might even die. And it¡¯s the same for myrades as well. That¡¯s why I want to live carefreely while gathering herbs only. But the world is cruel, before I realized I was going on another monster subjugation quest. Hunting the ck Orc with Miss Francesca, and that ck Ogre and the army goblins. And that Demon as well. I am working a bit too much recently. Just when I thought I could finally rx, this time I have to escort this white girl to the capital. Because the witch of the capital¡ªUtano-san is involved, I¡¯ll feel bad to abandon her. ¡°What happened suddenly?¡± ¡°My chatty friend said something strange.¡± When I answered that Mururu who came up to me and asked what happened, she made a puzzled face and looked up at me. Well, it¡¯s a normal reaction considering she can¡¯t hear Ermenhilde. Maybe because Miss Francesca remembered how she was the same back then, she startedughing. ¡°Renji, you¡¯re strange.¡± ¡°I¡¯m told that a lot.¡± [¡­¡­..and everytime you¡¯re told that, I wonder, is it really fine like that?] Well not really but it¡¯s better than being relied on as Hero. Even if you expect something Heroic from me, I have very few things I can do. I can only fight. That too, only a bit stronger than normal adventurers. . . . . Along with Miss Francesca and Mururu, I left the district. There¡¯s not even a need to look for goblins. They¡¯ll appear themselves as long as you go a bit away from the highway and into the grasnds. Normally, that is. Today, it was a bit different. The existence of Mururu lessened the difficulty of the goblin hunting quest. ¡°There. Found them.¡± ¡°Amazing, Mururu-chan.¡± ¡°¡­..this much, even children at the vige can do.¡± She said that but she must be happy to have beenplimented since her tail was swaying energetically underneath her cloak. On looking to where Mururu told, I could confirm 3 goblins with my sight. Mururu was finding them so easily because of her sense of smell. It could be said as one of the special abilities of Beastmen. Beastmen¡¯s physical abilities exceed us humans or demi-human¡¯s abilities by a huge gap. It¡¯s the same with the sharpness of the 5 senses as well. Their arm strength, leg strength etc are also in a different level. And they¡¯re like that from when they¡¯re children as well. An adult beastman is in a totally different level. On the other hand, they cannot use any kind of magic at all. It¡¯s not like they don¡¯t have magical energy, yet they can¡¯t even use spirit magic. One theory suggests that they¡¯re using all of their magical energy in enhancing their physical abilities which is why they are so physically strong. While crouching and hiding among the waist-tall grass, I was astonished at their physical skills. ¡°Even though you have a small body, you really are full-fledged beastwoman.¡±(renji) ¡°I have evenpleted the ceremony for bing an adult after all.¡± Saying that, she puffed her chest somewhat proudly. It was so childish it felt really cute. Why do feel so happy seeing her I wonder. Unlike Demi-humans, beastmen have a life span simr to humans. Going by her looks, she should be about 14 yrs old. Now that I think about it, Souichi and others were also around this age when we were summoned. ¡°Mururu-chan is treated as an adult among Beastmen already?¡±(fran) ¡°That¡¯s right. The ceremony of adulthood for beastmen is not conducted by age but by physical strength. Winning against specific monsters, gathering materials, by doing such things you have to gain the approval from yourrades to be epted as an adult.¡± The ceremony of adulthood. It¡¯s not age based like with humans. It differs with each race but mainly it involves defeating monsters alone. Those not suited to fighting are supposed to gather some specific material instead. The monster involved in such subjugation is usually either goblins or Orcs so Mururu should be used to fighting alone against monsters of that level. As I exined that, both looked at me surprised. ¡°You know a lot.¡± ¡°I have also gone through that ceremony. Well in our case it was not to be acknowledged as an Adult but to be acknowledged as arade instead though.¡± It should actually be said that we got dragged into doing it to be exact. On the Elfreim continent, to gain their trust we were asked to hunt the monster that was said to be the master of one part of the forest. As expected, I didn¡¯t do it alone but with Souichi and others. Later on we were told that normally you don¡¯t face such boss-ss monster but have to fight mere goblins usually. Basically, rather than ceremony, we were simply used to get rid of their troubles. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°I may not look like it but I have lived a HARD¡­..hard life after all.¡±(T/N the caps are because Renji says it in English at first then realises that they won¡¯t get it so switches to jap.) [Seriously¡­..] For some reason, Ermenhilde made a tired sigh. Well, I really am spending a hard life. From a normal sryman to saving the world. If I kept on thinking in that direction I¡¯d get depressed again so I gave a sigh and looked towards the goblins who had yet to sense us. ¡°Will you be fine with Goblins?¡±(renji) ¡°Yeah, no problem. I can take even more¡­¡­..even 5 of them pretty easily.¡±(mururu) ¡°That¡¯s reassuring.¡± She must have realized what I meant to say since her atmosphere changed. Her small body wrapped in the cloak felt like it became bigger. Her careless, gentle looking eyes suddenly turned dangerous and shined. Her legs got covered with white furpletely. Probably, her arms beneath the cloak are the same. Battle stance. I looked towards the goblin again, it seems they have still not noticed us but are looking around probably due to sensing a strong presence in the surroundings. Miss Francesca was also surprised from the sudden change in Mururu. I wonder if they teach the ecology of beastmen in Magic Academies? Even if they do, there still won¡¯t be any magician who won¡¯t get interested in seeing this first hand. ¡°Can I hunt them now?¡±(mururu) ¡°That¡¯s the job.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Answering lightly like that, she ran at an incredible speed towards the goblins. [Will she be fine?] Well, who knows. I took this request to check that as well. We will travel together from hereon after all, I need to know how well can she fight, what things she can do. After seeing her enjoying back off, I tuned towards Miss Francesca next. ¡°Was it your first time seeing a Beastwoman?¡± ¡°Ye,s¡­¡­..at first I thought they won¡¯t be much different from humans.¡± ¡°They only look simr. Except for the ears and tail that is.¡± But when they enter a battle, theypletely change. From faraway, I heard a *gii* screaming sound. When I turned to look there, Mururu had already taken down one of the goblins. That said, I can¡¯t really confirm. I could only tell that because the 3 goblins I could see from this faraway had lessened to two. Then, the white shadow that Mururu jumped to an incredible height and lunged at the next goblin. Thest one disappeared into the grass just like that. It was probably pulled and knocked down by the beast called Mururu. That fighting style was truly befitting a beast. I breathed a sigh at the sudden turn of events and Miss Francesca seemed to be at a loss for words. ¡°Amazing.¡± I could only say that. Frankly, she might be stronger than me at such a young age. I felt like I¡¯d lose confidence again. Whether it be Souichi and group or her, why are the children around me so strong? Do I even have any position/status here? ¡°She¡¯s amazing.¡±(fran) ¡°Yeah.¡± Saying that, I walked out of the grass I was hiding in. Mururu was waiting there, untainted with any blood, for us to get there. Even though she¡¯s a closebat fighter like me, how good is she to avoid getting any blood on her, this white girl? The dangerous glint in her eyes was gone showing that she had calmed down now. But underneath the fluttering cloak, her arms were not thin ones like a normal girl but were covered with pure white fur till her elbows. And even more unusual were the 4 knife like long ws growing from her hands. Right now only her right hand had undergone the transformation but normally both of her hands should be like that. That appearance was definitely not of a human. It proved that this girl belonged to apletely different species, the Beastmen. Miss Francesca beside me gulped but as someone even slightly used to seeing beastmen, they¡¯d find this pure fight girl to be extremely beautiful instead. A sublime, noble beauty that humans can never possess. Coupled with the strength she showed just now, it made her look extremely charming. ¡°All that¡¯s left is..¡±(renji) Hiding my emotions, I drew my knife from its sheath. Opening the mouth of the goblin that Mururu defeated, I cut off one of its fangs with my knife. ¡°If you take this back to the guild¡¯s reception, you¡¯ll get a reward in return.¡± ¡°That¡¯s Renji¡¯s job?¡± ¡°Not just me, but of every adventurers¡¯.¡± As I gave a l8ight exnation, I began taking off the equipment from the goblins. It¡¯s my usual job after every fight. Though it was Mururu who actually defeated these ones. [¡­¡­Could you not act like a bandit at least this time?] ¡°Also, you can sell of such equipment for money as well.¡± [Oi Renji? It¡¯s your first time fighting with this beastwoman. At least try acting like a Hero for once please?] While ignoring Ermenhilde who kept saying such things, I took off the equipment from the goblins. If only acting like a Hero would fill my wallet as well I wouldn¡¯t have minded it. But it doesn¡¯t and what¡¯s more important right now is money rather than the honour of a hero. You can¡¯t eat with just honour after all¡­¡­¡­If I said something like ¡°I¡¯m a Hero.¡± Then I might get a meal in viges maybe but that in itself is ridiculous to do as a human. Anyway, it¡¯s a pity that the only useable weapon here is a short sword. That too has a chip in its de. I doubt we¡¯ll get much from selling this. I could only sigh. ¡°I see.¡±(mururu) ¡°I don¡¯t think many adventurers do all that though¡­¡­¡±(fran) ¡°When you don¡¯t have money, this is a major source of ie.¡± [How deplorable¡­..] Thereafter, we had Mururu search for Goblins and me and Miss Francesca also joined the fighting. That said, it was difficult for us to keep up with Mururu¡¯s speed. She¡¯s fast and strong. It was easier to move seperately from her rather than matching along with her. Frankly speaking, the difference in physical ability is a bit too much. It once again made me realize the difference between humans and Beastmen. Probably, not even Faylona would be able to keep up with her. ¡°We fought quite a lot but¡­¡­.are you fine?¡±(fran) ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m almost at my limit.¡±(renji) 2 long swords on my waist, 1 short sword on the other side of the waist. An iron shield on my left hand, and 2 battleaxes on my back. The total weight was probably a bit more than 40kgs. Rather than saying heavy, it was difficult to even move my body. My body is well trained from the constant travelling but this is still taking away most of my stamina. If I did not have the Cheat given to me, I probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to even move. My breathing has be rough but I can go on a bit more. I really want to return quickly. How the hell do fantasy protagonists walk around so easily with much more stuff in their bags? If I had wished the goddess that I wanted to be like the protagonist of a fantasy story, I wonder how I would have be? While thinking of that, I distracted my mind from the strain. [You¡¯re just too greedy.] ¡°This much should fill up our wallets pretty well.¡± ¡°Rather than such things, my ws cut better. How is that even useful, that blunt thing?¡± Mururu who said that was also holding a boorish club and a sword, that didn¡¯t suit her small body, in her hands as well. It¡¯s lesser than what I have but still she doesn¡¯t even seem to feel a little weight from that. I felt like making her carry half of what I had but quickly threw away that thought. That would be low of me both as an adult and as a man. ¡°Earning money means you have to collect such things that can be sold.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.I really can¡¯t understand humans.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s exactly correct though.¡±(fran) [You¡¯re definitely wrong here, Renji.] Oh shut up. We have to leave tomorrow so we have to earn as much as possible by today. We have acquired provisions, and we should get horses as well. But there are many other things like herbs and medicines needed in a journey. There¡¯s no such thing as having too much money. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t work this hard but since we have strict schedule I want to be ready for any unforeseen circumstances. Not to mention that 9i have been getting involved into too many troublesome things these days. Thinking all that¡­¡­I feel tired again. I wonder if I¡¯ll be able to even move tomorrow. After returning to the Magic City, I first went straight to the item shop to sell off the equipment gotten from goblins. When I put down all the equipment on his counter, the shopkeeper shouted in surprise. Well it can¡¯t be helped, after all normally an adventurer doesn¡¯te up with so much equipment to sell after going to just one hunt. Though it earns you money, it¡¯s also bulky and difficult to carry back to the city. It also bes a hindrance while fighting and if you drop it just to fight then collecting it all back is a pain on its own. And, most of the equipment can¡¯t be used readily since monster don¡¯t maintain their weapons. That¡¯s why people prefer hunting more monsters instead of gathering items from every monster. Most adventurers find the former to be more efficient after all. After that, I submitted the goblin fangs at the guild and took our reward. As expected, with three of us, we had hunted quite a lot of them so the sum was pretty good. The expenses for the travel were still bigger though. ¡°Oh right, Mururu, where have you been sleeping till now?¡± ¡°Outdoors.¡± I should have known. Miss Francesca was really surprised but I wasn¡¯t that much since I expected this answer. She was broke and has no idea how money works. Not to mention beastmen are natural hunters that live in the wild. They really have no problem with sleeping outdoors. ¡°Here.¡± Saying that, I handed Mururu with some of the money we earned in a pouch. I handed one to Miss Francesca as well. She refused at first but when I said that it was fine, she epted it. Well, she helped us so its only normal though. ¡°This is?¡±(mururu) ¡°Reward from the request. This is the money you have earned after today¡¯s work.¡± She looked at the pouch with a curious gaze and checked its weight and whatnot. It looked so amusing that even while knowing it was rude of me, I ended upughing. ¡°So, you can eat things other than dried meat with this as well.¡±(renji) ¡°I see. Earning like this and then use it for food, is it?¡±(mururu) ¡°No, money is used not just for food but¡­¡­¡± If I start exining about ¡®shopping¡¯ to her now, I¡¯ll really get tired. Hunting goblins, gathering equipment, selling it at the city¡­¡­..honestly, I¡¯m really tired already. I want to go back to my inn and just sleep. Sitting on a wooden stool at the guild, I breathed a sigh. Aah, I¡¯m really tired. [You just find exining a pain don¡¯t you?] ¡°Let¡¯s meet up with Faylona and decide when to meet tomorrow already. I¡¯m soo tired.¡± ¡°¡­..Mouu.¡±(fran) Saying that, Miss Francesca began exining various uses of money to Mururu. Well, whatever. Leaving that aside, I began thinking of other things. I wonder what Faylona is doing right now. He¡¯s taking too much time to buy just horses. Did he also go on hunting alone maybe? [Fuu, we sure worked a lot today.] ¡°You did absolutely nothing though?¡± Taking Ermenhilde out of my pocket, I flicked it. ¡°Hmm.¡± It was Heads. ¡°It¡¯d be nice if something good happens.¡± While looking at the counter, I muttered so. But I think it¡¯d be difficult. Probably, we won¡¯t be able to hire a magician. There are many better requests than the one I put up. A normal magician wouldn¡¯t ept mine. That¡¯s why I decided not to think of such depressing things. But next, I thought of our journey. We¡¯ll be moving with horses but frankly speaking, riding on horses is really painful. Even after I¡¯ve gotten used to it, it¡¯s physically taxing to travel long distances on horses. Basically, your butt, or rather, your whole lower body starts hurting. And if you push it, your whole body starts hurting as well. Thinking about it, I ended up sighing again. Beside me, the former newbie Miss Francesca was teaching the newbie adventurer Mururu about the uses of money. That scene looked so pleasant, it healed me. ¡°It¡¯s peaceful.¡± [You were fighting goblins only a few hours ago though.] ¡­¡­¡­My partner reallycks dreams. Chapter Interlude 4 Interlude 4 The Sage¡¯s Part/Act Looking over the documents handed to me this morning, an confirming that there were no problems with it, I signed them to begin my today¡¯s work. If there were any unclear points, I would call the person in charge and ask for an exnation. After the Demon God¡¯s subjugation had beenpleted, I, Utano Yuuko took a job in Imnesia continent that made me a superior to others. Even I myself think that it really doesn¡¯t suit me though. Recently, I have been spending everyday like this. While rubbing my eyes, I breathed a sigh. When was thest time I left the castle town even? No, when was thest time that I simply rxed all day as well? Thinking that, I looked up to the ceiling wondering what the hell was I doing with my life. Even though I am praised as a Sage, a Hero and whatnot, inside I¡¯m still a normal human. I get tired when I use my brains too much, and I get irritated if I don¡¯t get to move my body much. But now that the Demon God had been killed, what was necessary was not brawn but brains. And ability to guide the people. Unfortunately, I was given the job to deal with domestic affairs, or rather, to give others various jobs. One year after the subjugation of the Demon God, I was appointed as the Municipal Head of this country¡ª-the Imnesia Kingdom. Rather than saying that I had talent for this, this worlds domestic and diplomatic policy levels were so much lower than modern society that my ideas seemed extremely novel and revolutionary to them.. Being continuously threatened by the Demon God, only their military and war rted skills developed. There was no kind of activities made for pleasure or fun, and most of thend was in control of nobles and not put under the management of a farmer who could work on it. Production and manufacturing is mainly rted to weapons and armours. Other things like stylish clothing or ornaments were made only for the noble brag about them. Though the price of such articles was one of the reasons why they were not popr withmoners but above all, they simply did not have the time to waste on such things. The threat of monsters was still there, even the demons were still alive. Though the people were given a temporary sense of freedom with the subjugation of the Demon God, it¡¯s not like their livespletely changed. There were too many people who had lost their families and ce to work due top monster attacks. Though I have knowledge, I don¡¯t have the experience to manage such jobs properly. Even if I want to open up a orphanage, I don¡¯t know what things are necessary. Thanks to all that, I am spending everyday where my head hurts constantly. I am clearly not suited for this. Shouldn¡¯t these guys pick a better experienced person for this? Well, at least they help me when I ask for advice in such matters. Recently, I do feel that I¡¯ve gotten a bit used to this job as well but still I have a long way to go. There are a lot of things to do at the royal capital. Maintenance of the highways, repairs of the city walls etc. We still have to shift homeless to permanent houses, distribute provisions to orphans and also collect reasonable taxes from the surrounding viges as well. Right now there is one in the capital only but sooner orter I want to set up orphanages in the viges as well. Not just farnds, I want to create mills and factories as well. There¡¯s a huge avability ofnd and personnel so I have to try that. Today as well, I¡¯ll have to face off the huge amount of documents. Thinking that I felt like crying a bit. ¡°I should have also left on a journey like a certain someone¡­¡­¡± I muttered but there was no response to that. The office I have been provided with is huge but I¡¯m the only one here. My thoughts were too unique for the people of this world so there¡¯s no one who could converse with me. No, I don¡¯tckmunication skills, the people of this world are simply that thickheaded. Thanks to that, not a single man tries to even flirt with me. They simply don¡¯t have a good discerning eye in my opinion though. A few bookshelves and a work table. A sofa and table for visitors. In the simple kitchen, only a teapot with tea leaves had been prepared. Maids would keep the room clean but documents scattered around the table were a bit too much. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m bad at keeping things tidy but when you have to deal with so many documents everyday, it bes like this normally. I¡¯ll say this again but I¡¯m definitely not bad at keeping things tidy alright?¡­¡­¡­I¡¯m not good at it either though. *snap* As I snapped my fingers, a book flew out from one of the bookshelves and floated down into my arms. It was the magic [Float]. My cheat is [to be able to use any magic from any manga, anime, novel or games]. It¡¯s super convenient but because it is so convenient I feel like I¡¯m not getting enough physical exercise nowadays. Insufficient exercise is the arch enemy for a woman. Especially for your weight and body figure. Thinking like that, I decided to change my thoughts so I opened the book. I¡¯ll lose if I let that get to me. I think I should start exercising a bit from tomorrow. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡­..¡± Even this country has things like Department of Finance and Department of Infrastructure so as long as I sign the document, I can leave the rest to the specific specialised department. It¡¯s not like I could do everything alone anyway. I¡¯m already at my limit in the first ce, if I were made to lead all the departments alone, I¡¯d probably breakpletely. Mentally. ¡°Hmm?¡± When I was about to begin reading, I felt a disturbance in the magic of the room. It was simply a matter of my senses, it¡¯s not like an incident urred or anything. It¡¯s just that normally magicians of this world use magical energy existing inside their bodies but me and one other magician use the magical energy brought forth from the world itself. This feeling was a signal that the other magician like me was affecting this room. ¡°Do you need something, Koutarou-kun?¡± For a few seconds, nothing happened. But the disturbance in magical energy kept on growing. I guess he¡¯sing here using [teleport] but I wonder what happened. He is one of the 13 Godyers like me, Inoue Koutarou aka [Demonic Eye Holder] [The Wizard]. After some time, in the empty space, a human figure appeared and soon took full shape. ¡°¡­¡­.What¡¯s with that getup?¡±(yuuko) ¡°Fu¡ª-with this, nobody would recognise me right?¡±(koutarou) ¡°You¡¯re just wearing a ragged robe all over your body.¡± ¡°To think that you wouldn¡¯t understand the merits of this¡­¡­.¡± I could only sigh in amazement. While saying that, the one who appeared was man dressed in ragged clothes. Well, true in that kind of getup one wouldn¡¯t be able to tell whether he¡¯s a man or woman as long as he doesn¡¯t talk. In fact, Koutarou-kun does have a thin figure for a man so one might think of him as talldy?¡­¡­..maybe not. He was covered in a ragged robe from head to toe and only his lip portion was visible. You¡¯ll make the room more dusty so really stop. Or rather, how should I say this¡­¡­.he looks so shabby. It¡¯s not like he iscking money either. I really can¡¯t understand this child¡¯s clothing sense. Even when we travelling, he¡¯d pick clothes that showed his skin. That led to him getting insect bites, and getting cut from the branches of trees as well. I really hope he¡¯d take more care of himself. ¡°So why are you in that ragged getup again? Trying to act like a suspicious person?(yuuko) ¡°What the heck¡­¡­..Didn¡¯t I just say? In this getup, nobody would recognise who I was so its easier to move around!¡± It¡¯s amazing he didn¡¯t get arrested like that. What are the royal guards doing? I thought about about reducing their sries inside my head. Well, even if they did try to catch him, he¡¯d just [Teleport] away anyway. Even like this he¡¯s still one of the Heroes after all. Even his physical abilities are above those of other people in this world. ¡°So what did youe here for? Sorry but I¡¯m really busy right now so I can¡¯t y along with you¡­..Are you here to help Yuuta-kun maybe?¡±(yuuko) Kuuki Yuuta-kun was a knight of this country and also one of the 13 Heroes. He was the vicemander of the Knight Order famous as the [The Shield Knight]. It¡¯s been only one year since he entered the order but due to his achievement as one who had saved the world, he was promoted to the position of vicemander in half a year. He¡¯s working hard everyday even now it seems. Also, in terms of ability he even surpasses the strongest knight of this country, O¡¯brien, so he¡¯d probably be themander soon orter. Right now he¡¯s acting as the aide to themander and also learning the various jobs of themander at the same time. It¡¯ll be weird if he was suddenly made themander and asked to lead the whole knight order, so this is for the best. Yuuta-kun isn¡¯t hated by anyone in his surroundings so he seems to be spending everyday happily. I¡¯m jealous. I also want to work my body a little. ¡°If you¡¯re here for money, they¡¯ll give you sry as well you know?¡±(yuuko) ¡°I¡¯ll pass. I¡¯m not that free. And neither am I short on money.¡± Then why the hell are you in those worn out clothes? If you just wanted to hide your identity, just dress in full ck like assassins in games. ¡°If you¡¯re not here to pass time, quickly tell me why you came? I¡¯m really busy you know.¡± Saying that, I swung the documents in front of Koutarou-kun. Lots of paperwork unrted to any domestic affairs was waiting for me. ¡°¡­¡­You reallyck fun in your life. You should enjoy conversing like this more.¡± ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m not free. Do you just want someone to talk to?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m here to borrow your knowledge.¡± ¡°Mine?¡± Did some kind of trouble ur? When I looked at him questioningly, he removed his robe. What appeared was silver hair and heterochromatic eyes, one gold and one red. It¡¯s a result of asking the goddess to change his appearance as soon as he came to this world. An androgynous face and physique, silver hair, a red right eye and a golden left eye. He really looked like someone from a fantasy world. Or rather, even in this world, he was the only one with this kind of appearance. ¡°My Demonic Eye showed Renji-dono¡¯s future, it seems he will face danger¡­¡­.¡±(koutaoru) ¡°It¡¯s not the first time Yamada-kun will get into danger.¡± I cut off his words instantly. Also, how should I say this but, Koutarou-kun¡¯s [Demonic Eye of Future Sight] had a varied uracy. No, I guess I should say that there is no one specific future. This is nothing but knowledge from my original world but the future was like the various branches of a tree. There was not one but infinte futures that could take ce. Especially, among us¡ª¨C[The Brave] Souichi-kun, the [Demonic Sword User] Hisaki Masaki-chan and Yamada-kun whose powers are a bit set apart from the norm, prediction of these people¡¯s future is mostly incorrect. Even if you say that Yamada-kun is in danger, I guess he must be getting involved into another troublesome case, that¡¯s all I feel. In fact, he¡¯s been like that from the very beginning. Even when someone predicts his life will be in danger, he would alwayse out alive. Even if the opponent was a high level Demon, or the Demon Lord, or the Demon God. He would struggle endlessly, get back up desperately, and do all he could to hide his fear. But well¡­¡­. ¡°So, what about Yamada-kun? Is it rted to this request from the Spirit God you told me about a little back?¡± ¡°Umu. They¡¯ll probably leave the Magic City tomorrow but they¡¯ll face a Demon god¡¯s descandant during their travels.¡± ¡°Again? He fought one with Souichi and others as well right? And he fought one at a rural vige as well it seems.¡± Saying that, I picked the mithril sword kept near my table. The purple amethyst at the end of the handle was a proof that it was Yamada-kun¡¯s sword. And Yamada-kun had sold this sword to a weapon shop in some vige. Before the king or the knight order could find it, I bought it back with my pocket money. I¡¯ll charge him for that money, definitely. It seems he¡¯s poor, so I¡¯ll just make him work somewhere. It¡¯ll be punishment for pushing such a troublesome job on me, leaving the kids alone and going around saving random people in the countryside. Saving even strangers is one his virtues but that doesn¡¯t mean he can neglect us. I¡¯m not going to forgive him so easily. When I started thinking like that, rather than my work load, my irritation towards Yamada-kun became bigger. In the first ce, that man is too selfish. Even though he has a position like an elder brother, a father and a guardian to others¡­¡­.he¡¯d always get himself injured by rushing to the frontlines. It¡¯s good that he wants to protect the kids but how much does he want to make us worry for him? He¡¯s the model for a useless adult. But even then, it can¡¯t be helped that we all trust him and found that part of him to be very attractive. His hard working nature is really great¡­¡­¡­..I feel like I lost somehow so I should change my thoughts. Even though he¡¯s the weakest, he doesn¡¯t ept that he¡¯s also the most unique among us. Among us 13, he was the only one who made the correct choice, he uses that power not for himself but for others. As a result, he alone bears the grudge and hatred of all the Demons for the sin of killing the Demon God. Even though we are celebrated as Godyers and as heroes, the demons only hate Yamada-kun who killed the Demon God and not all of us 13. How many women have cried for that man. That fact that I¡¯m also one of them is really not funny. What kind of man makes a woman cry and then leaves her as well? That too for a whole year? Soon he¡¯ll being to the Royal Capital for the Spirit God¡¯s request, or rather as escort for the Beastman who took that request. I hope you¡¯re ready Yamada Renji, I¡¯ll catch you and work you to your bones for this. The martial arts tournament was alsoing close. That will be the first ce to start. While I was deciding all that, Koutarou-kun taken a few steps backwards. ¡°What is it?¡±(yuuko) ¡°No, nothing at all ma¡¯am.¡± Why so formal suddenly? This kid¡¯s speaking patterns change like that suddenly, its really amusing. Putting the Mithril sword back on the table, I breathed a sigh. ¡°So, what was that about Yamada-kun?¡± ¡°Ahem¡­¡­..While heading to the capital, he¡¯ll be attacked by a descendant of Demon God.¡± ¡°Oh right, that.¡± I¡¯m not really worried about Yamada-kun being in danger. ¡°If its Yamada-kun he¡¯ll probably make it through but are you really that worried?¡±(yuuko) ¡°My right eye, well, it predicted his death.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..I see.¡± Death. That isn¡¯t gentle at all. But I can¡¯t move away from here either. There are things only I can do here. And I¡¯m not going to be the one to go and meet him even though he was the one who neglected me for so long. Though thetter part is the main reason, but the former is important as well. ¡°Just leave him alone.¡±(yuuko) ¡°How heartless. As expected of the great Witch.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll p you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m very sorry.¡± When I said that with a smile, he apologised instantly. Good, I like honest children. Seeing Koutarou-kun and his unstable character, I felt rxed. Who¡¯s a witch? I even think that I¡¯m more suited to be called the Saint than Yayoi-chan¡­¡­¡­¡­No, that¡¯ll be painful in its own way. ¡°Well if its Yamada-kun, he should be fine right?¡±(yuuko) ¡°¡­¡­.Really?¡± ¡°How many times has it been that your right eye has foreseen Yamada-kun¡¯s death?¡± When I asked that, his gaze turned nk and he started counting on his fingers. First he went through all five fingers in his right hand then all five of his left as well¡­¡­ ¡°I have no idea how many times it has been.¡±(kou) ¡°Exactly.¡± He was more unique than Souichi-kun, who is the [Brave] and the [swordswoman] Masaki-chan who wished to have the power to even cut through fate itself, there was no such thing as a definite future. The power to not lose against anyone. The power to cut through fate itself. Both were incredibly powerful abilities. Depending on how its used, they could rival even the Demon lord in pure strength. But the power of will may allow you to cross your own limits but you cannot cross the limits of a human, or so I think. Compared to that, what Yamada-kun wished for was for a weapon to kill Gods. The power to kill Gods. It was Aya-chan who asked for power rivalling that of Gods that stand above all life, but it was only in terms of magical energy. It was only Yamada-kun who asked the power to surpass even Gods. Its meaning, its result, we saw it one year ago. That¡¯s why we/I can trust him. ¡°He¡¯ll reach the capital safe and sound. Definitely.¡± ¡°That¡¯d be great but.¡± ¡°Just trust him. He¡¯s our leader after all.¡± The person himself would definitely deny that though, he didn¡¯t wish for that either. ¡­¡­¡­but the man called Yamada Renji was definitely our leader. That won¡¯t change even now. Even after he disappeared, he will always be our leader¡­¡­¡­for he is the strongest among us all. It¡¯s not like he had some kind of charisma, it¡¯s not like he always made the right decisions. We failed together so many times. We the wrong choice so many times. But even then the only reason we didn¡¯t break was because he stood in front of us, for he would lead the children with him always. With Ermenhilde in his hands, even though he could fight at full strength only against the Demon God, still he would stand in front of us. And all the Heroes would chase after his back. He gave us a sense of relief. Maybe that was what he wished for as well. Maybe that was the ideal he had in his mind as well. As an adult, as the oldest, a life which he could be proud of. He always said that. ¡°He¡¯s the Hero Protagonist of the story. He won¡¯t die.¡± ¡°I¡¯m jealous of Yuuko-dono who has so much faith in him. It¡¯d be nice if I could also be like him as well.¡± Everyone says that. I guess all men wish to be the center of their party, eh? From Yamada-kun¡¯s perspective that position seems to be the hardest, most painful and heavy though. I could only smile wryly at that. ¡°Then work harder. ¡®Hero¡¯ is a verb. Not a title¡ª¨Cif you want to be the protagonist, you can only continue to act like a hero.¡±(yuuko) ¡°Umu.¡± ¡°Also¡ª¡ªAstrarea is always watching over Yamada-kun, he¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± I recalled that overprotective, ill-natured Goddess. I don¡¯t know which heartstrings of hers were pulled but that Goddess has affection for Yamada-kun. A goddess who loves a God yer. ¡°But still, my eye shows Renji-dono¡¯s death..¡± When he said till that, I snapped my fingers. The next moment, Koutarou-kun disappeared from my sights. Activating [Teleport] magic, I made him fly away. His destination was the centre of the Spirit forest in Elfreim continent. By the side of the World Tree. There might be a be few miscalctions but he won¡¯t be far away from there. Probably. Yamada-kun¡¯s death he says, death. If you¡¯re that worried, lend him a hand even if its just from the sidelines. With koutarou-kun¡¯s abilities, he should be able to lend a hand without making others realize his presence. And also to return from the Elfreim continent. ¡°Seriously. I¡¯m really busy you know.¡± Opening the book in my hand, I turned the page. Construction of the orphanage, providing jobs to vagrants, restoration of the capital, monster subjugation, diplomacy with Elfreim¡ª¡ª-and many other things are left for me to do. I don¡¯t need a over talkative Wizard with me but it¡¯d be great if I can get some actual help. Hurry up ande to the Capital Yamada-kun. I¡¯m waiting for you with lots of work. Chapter 26 Road to the Capital (3) Chapter 26 Road to the Capital (3) (T/N: I just realized I had been tranting the chapter titles for the past 2 as ¡®Road to the kingdom¡¯ for some reason when it was ¡®road to the capital¡¯. Why? I don¡¯t fcking know! Probably because there¡¯s a WN with a simr name and I got that mixed up. I swear I¡¯m always in some kind of a daze when I¡¯m tranting this stuff. :P) While attaching our luggage to the Horses¡¯ saddle, I yawned when my eyes met Miss Francesca¡¯s. Feeling embarrassed, I tried to hide it by concentrating on arranging our luggage. Early mornings during the fall season were chilly and the sky was still dim and gloomy. ¡°Renji-san, do you need help somewhere?¡± While I was preparing near the city gate, the girl behind me asked me that. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. Or rather, me and Feirona are enough for the preparations so you can rest some more, you know?¡± (T/N: Faylona = Feirona now as per the official english in the illustrations.) ¡°No¡­¡­I¡¯m fine. Even I have gotten somewhat used to travelling now.¡± ¡°Well, I know that.¡± While answering her, I wondered why did it end up like this for nth time. Even though I actually know the reason as well. I looked at the girl behind me who was crouching and packing things in a bag right now; Fuyou Aya. One of the 13 Heroes, the genius known as the [Grand Magus]. ¡­¡­¡­Why did she ept such a request which has basically zero reward? Well, I can somehow guess the reason but I¡¯m not really sure. That¡¯s why I end up hesitating to ask her directly as well. Because I know Aya herself would be troubled on how to answer that if I asked her something like that. What does the girl Fuyou Aya expect from the man called Yamada Renji? Neither I nor Aya herself have yet to settle on an answer to that. It¡¯s weird that we¡¯re still travelling together even though its like that. I did try to persuade her otherwise as well. There would be no reward, she¡¯d miss her sses as well and there¡¯s even the job of transporting that Demon to the capital 1 weekter. I don¡¯t think she¡¯d have the time to stick with us, but¡­ ¡°Still, you¡¯re ready toe with us?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes.¡± It was an instant answer. I could only sigh. It¡¯d be useless to say anything more so I gave up. I already tried enough. She won¡¯t listen to me even if I asked her not to now anyway. Not to mention, I¡¯d make her mood worse as well. If that happened, worse case, I¡¯d end up in a hole in the middle of the city¡­¡­.I believe she wouldn¡¯t do that to me but since there have been past cases of multiple men who have suffered that so I can¡¯t be certain. I felt like Ermenhilde wasughing inside my pocket. Must be my imagination. ¡°After all, you took a request with Souichi and Yayoi but¡­¡­..It¡¯s not fair.(aya) ¡°Even if you tell me that..¡± They were there so it had ended up like that. It¡¯s not like I was biased in any way, and if the chance had appeared I would have done a quest with Aya as well. Well, it¡¯s true that I didn¡¯t invite her though. Her pouting appearance looked really cute but if I knew things would end up like this, I would have invited her back then. Well, even in that case, she would have probably joined us with a different excuse. It¡¯s a fact though that hering with us will be a really great help to be honest. Leaving mine and Aya¡¯s circumstances aside, her ability is the real thing. Much greater than me or Miss Francesca. You could say that she was in a different level. [At times like these, you should just be honest you know?] ¡°The fact that I can¡¯t is one of the pains thate with being an adult.¡± ¡°What the heck does that even mean?¡±(aya) Saying that, Aya giggled. Seeing her like that, I could only sigh while drooping my shoulders. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to do dangerous stuff and as a student I want you to be studying at school, is what I mean.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m actually pretty smart you know?¡± Lifting her bag on her shoulders, she looked at me with a serene smile. Trust¡ªI can feel her trust in me from her gaze. I¡¯ve seen that gaze countless times during our journey. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t reject it now either. But I still questioned whether I actually had enough strength to be called worthy of receiving that smile. I, can only work hard and try my best to answer her smile, her trust. But the gap between our powers wouldn¡¯t disappear. ¡°My studies will also be fine. Also¡­¡­if I get into trouble, help me again alright?¡±(aya) But Aya still said something like that to me with a smile. Those words were definitely said because she remembers the promise I once made to her long back. Rustling my hair, I averted my gaze. That was embarrassing. In fact, I want you to help me¡­¡­.But I can¡¯t say that since I¡¯m the guy and the adult here. I can¡¯t ask a girl younger than me to protect me after all. ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± ¡°¡­¡­..um, your reply?¡±(aya) Now then, how should I answer that? Thinking, I looked towards Miss Francesca who was ncing towards us. Feirona and Mururu didn¡¯t care about us and were busy doing their packing. I¡¯m thankful for that. Miss Francesca must be wondering why a hero like Aya chose to ept such a request I guess. Well, the reason¡¯s nothing more than the fact that I and Aya know each other. The meeting ce I had put in the request was the city¡¯s east gate but when I got there, I really was surprised since Aya was there waiting for us. Apparently, even Souichi was perfectly okay with Ayaing with us. Well, that guy is Aya¡¯s ally before anything¡­¡­.though there¡¯s also the part where he really can¡¯t go against Aya as well. Please try to be a bit more stronger, Souichi. Well, certainly this is a great help for us but how am I supposed to exin why a Hero was taking part in this quest to others? I wonder how much would it normally cost to hire a Hero to do your request? I wasn¡¯t even expecting anyone. Worst case we three, Feirona, me and Mururu, alone would be journeying alone or so I thought. It was already a great surprise when Miss Francesca decided to ept that request. Though that itself was pretty weird. Why would she even ept such a dangerous request? ording to the person herself, she just wants to have an adventure. But the details were even more interesting. Soon, Miss Francesca would graduate from school. As a noble daughter, she¡¯d have very less freedom after that. After all, nobles have various duties of their own. After she graduates she won¡¯t get any chance to go on something like an adventure. I doubt her family would even allow something like that. I have quite a few nobles in my list of acquaintances as well. I remember that they didn¡¯t have much freedom either. Thinking that way, Miss Francesca has actually received quite a lot freedom. I guess there¡¯d be quite a lot of nobles who wouldn¡¯t see that as good but that¡¯s her problem to deal with. I can¡¯t help with that. This journey would be dangerous, it could even be fatal for her. While understanding that, she still wants toe with us so I can¡¯t really refuse her. It¡¯s better to have as much firepower as possible after all. ¡°I¡¯m done with the preparations. What about you?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m done as well.¡± I called Feirona and it seems they¡¯re done with prep as well and were walking towards us. Aya¡¯s gaze felt like it became stronger towards me but I didn¡¯t pay it any heed. Unfortunately, I¡¯ve decided to stop saying extremely embarrassing phrases from now on. In the first ce, only heroes have the right to say those kinds of lines. They¡¯re too heavy for me. We had bought 3 horses. Feirona on one horse, Mururu and Miss Francesca on one and me and Aya on thest. I would have preferred to have Miss Francesca behind me but if I had said that, let alone falling in a hole, I feel like I would¡¯ve been burnt to death. Thinking such stuff, I turned towards Mururu. She¡¯s making a somewhat sleepy face probably because she¡¯s not a morning person. Even though we¡¯re leaving on a difficult journey, I felt calming down a bit seeing her face. ¡°Wake up, Mururu. It¡¯s to depart.¡± ¡°Un¡ª-I¡¯m fine.¡± You definitely don¡¯t look fine at all though. Miss Francesca shook her by her shoulders to wake her up but that only made her head to sway front and back. Her ponytail also swayed along with it making it look amusing. When I looked towards Feirona, he shrugged his shoulders as if troubled. I¡¯m not really minding it since I only feel calmer due to her. ¡°Leaving the sleepy girl aside, I look forward to working with you, Aya-dono.¡±(elf) ¡°Yes, same here.¡± Like that, Feirona and Aya did a formal introduction to each other. But even though it didn¡¯t feel very stiff probably because of their personalities. While I was thinking that, I felt something pull my mantle. On looking, it was Mururu. ¡°What is it?¡±(renji) ¡°Who?¡± She asked that while pointing towards Aya¡­¡­¡­So she really doesn¡¯t know. I am one thing but it was surprising that she didn¡¯t recognise even Aya. At that Miss Francesca panicked and hurriedly exined her about Aya. Well, it¡¯s not like Aya¡¯d get angry just because Mururu didn¡¯t recognise her you know? She¡¯s not that narrow minded. In fact Aya would find it better to be honest. It¡¯s really tiresome to be treated as a Hero constantly. Mentally, that is. I think Aya is of the same opinion since she looked at Mururu and Francesca with a troubled expression. ¡°¡­¡­..a Hero chosen by the Goddess.¡± I don¡¯t know how Miss Francesca exined her but that was how Mururu described Aya now. ¡°Nice to meet you, um¡­..¡±(aya) ¡°Mururu.¡± ¡°I see. Nice to meet you, Mururu.¡± ¡°Likewise.¡± While smiling wryly, Aya greeted Mururu. Mururu didn¡¯t seem to be on guard against Aya either and greeted her back as well. ¡°So we¡¯re done with the pleasantries?¡±(renji) ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s depart quickly.¡±(elf) ¡°un.¡±(mururu) Mururu nodded at Feirona¡¯s words and we split in our respective groups. Originally, Mururu was supposed to be with me and Aya with Miss Francesca but Aya changed that. The reason¡­¡­.as an adult I shouldn¡¯t pry too deeply into that. But I should say that even I wouldn¡¯t get feelings for a child like Mururu in any case. The horses in this world were more robust and strong-built ones like in armies ratehr than the racehorses we see normally. They were strong enough to carry two grown humans along with luggage and still have enough stamina to run. But in exchange, they weren¡¯t that fast though still much faster than walking. Sitting on the saddle made for two first, I extended my hand towards Aya. Taking my hand, and using that as a fulcrum, she skilfully sat on the saddle. When someone has good looks, they sure look beautiful even while doing the most mundane of actions. On ncing towards miss Francesca and Mururu, they had also climbed on their horse. Miss Francesca was in her usual travel clothes along with her leather breastte and Mururu was wrapped in her white cloak. But since she was on a horse, her volptuous thighs were visible to the eye from under the cloak. While I was looking at that, Aya suddenly pinched me from behind. It actually hurt a bit. ¡°I leave the horse riding to you.¡±(aya) ¡°Hm, yeah.¡± Giving a short reply, I made the horse start running. If I were to give some excuse, I¡¯d only be dragged deeper into the swamp after all. I know that from my own life experience. A good man doesn¡¯t make the mistake twice. Probably. The guard on the gate was surprised by my and Aya¡¯s appearance but I decided to ignore him. After I¡¯m done with this request, I should probably retire to some rural vige once again. I don¡¯t want to stand out like this any longer after all. [What were you doing?] ¡°Nothing weird, really.¡± When I said that, I heard a sigh from inside my pocket. I really am not trusted at all. ¡°Souichi looks at Francesca-senpai¡¯s chest a lot as well¡­¡­..are all men like that?¡±(aya) ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± That¡¯s really difficult to answer. Not to mention, that the person herself seems to have heard the question since I felt that her horse slightly moved away a bit from us. Must be my imagination. But really there is no way to answer this question. At least not for a 28yr old man to a 18yr old girl. Somehow I could only apologise to Souichi in my head. It seems Miss Francesca¡¯s affection points for him instantly dropped even though he wasn¡¯t even here. As the horse swayed while running, Aya hugged me tightly from behind so as to not fall off. Right now she wasn¡¯t in her uniform but was in a light, scarlet robe with silver embroidery which could make one feel the sensation of her skin almost directly. Though her height has grown, she hasn¡¯t really grown. Obviously, I can¡¯t say that out loud. Well, I was also wearing a robe over my tunic so what I felt wasn¡¯t really that much. These clothes of her were made out of holy silver thread taken from a special bug/crawler then had the protection of the Fire spirit Smander applied on it turning it into a scarlet colour. Above that, the embroidery was made out of mithril as well. The robe she wore above it was also made out of the skin of a water dragon. On her waist was a mithril short sword with an emerald embedded at the end of the handle; and a magicians short rod with an almost transparent amethyst like gem embedded on top. It¡¯s the same equipment as when she had fought against the Demon God. All of it were so valuable that they were essentially priceless. It could make one think that she was leaving to maybe start a war all on her own. Well, when you¡¯re on a journey, actually it might be better to be well equipped like her. You don¡¯t know what could happen after all so its better to be at top equipment always. I, who buys no new equipment due tock of money is actually the one who does it wrong. ¡°But still, when we¡¯re on horses like this, you end up thinking back of times when we travelled together right?¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­.haah.¡±(aya) She gave a sigh seeing that I had dodged her question but she didn¡¯t pursue any further. Thank god for that. ¡°That¡¯s true. After Yui-chan contracted with that Dragon, we started to always use that dragon to travel.¡±(aya) Hiyuu Yui. One of the heroes known as the Monster User/Tamer. She was the youngest among us 13. I wonder how she¡¯s doing these days. All of the monsters she contracted were famous ones. A Fairy who was a master in spirit magic. A Ghost Knight that was immortal and a master swordsman. And an ancient dragon that called itself a king. I think they should be at the Elfreim continent right now. That ce might be better to live in right now. ¡°Do you know what Yui¡¯s doing nowadays¡ª¡ª?¡±(renji) ¡°I wonder. Maybe Yuuko-san knows about it.¡± Utano-san eh. I wonder what that person is doing right now as well. But considering it¡¯s her, she must have taken a lot of workload on herself and working hard right now, I guess. That¡¯s the kind of person she is. She can be scary at times too though. ¡°Renji, let¡¯s head straight towards the Forest of Rotting Souls.¡±(elf) ¡°Sure! We¡¯ll go till the entrance and spend the night there. ¡± Making the horse run by our side, Feirona told us about our current destination. Forest of Rotting Souls. As it name suggests, it¡¯s a ce where the dead walk and ghosts appear and the living rarely enter. The highway to the capital is made going around this forest but if we break through it directly, we¡¯ll be able to reduce a lot of time. Last night, me and Feirona decided to break through it while nning our routes to take. Zombies are pretty tough but they have dull movement. Ghosts are harmless as long as you have a strong spirit/will. If we wanted to kill them we¡¯d need silver-made equipment but if it was just to pass through, it was pretty easy. Well, originally only me, Feirona and Mururu were going to be travelling but now that we have Aya and Miss Francesca with us as well, we could kill them with magic too. Zombie¡¯s could be killed with physical weapons but ghosts werepletely spirit types. Either magic or silver waspulsory. At first we could only ignore them and rush through the forest but now we would be pretty safe while going through it. The only problem left is to make sure that we don¡¯t get lost. But with Feirona, the elf, with us, we should be fine with that as well. [Journeying with Aya. How nostalgic.] ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true. I¡¯ll be in your care as well, Eru.¡±(aya) [Yeah, I leave Renji to you Aya.] ¡°¡­¡­.why me?¡± I could only sigh. It¡¯s true though so I couldn¡¯t really refute it either. It¡¯s been one year since I travelled with Aya, with one of myrades. While running through the early morning, misty highway, I felt myself getting a bit excited. Aya must be the same as well. Thinking that, I became a bit happier. Chapter 27 Road to the capital (4) Chapter 27 Road to the capital (4) The view from the back of the horse felt nostalgic and it cheered me up. I felt it was unbing of my age. Riding horses required stamina of a different kind than walking. What I want to say is, my whole body hurts. ¡°¡­¡­.. I¡¯m tired.¡± [Again you¡¯re talking like that.] I had heard Ermenhilde¡¯s fed up voice countless times already. But I really am tired. Even though a year ago I used to work hard, fight during the day and be on guard duty during the night. I wonder is it the one-year nk or have I just got too old for this. While thinking about that I threw wood into the fire in front of me. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you sleep for a while?¡± ¡°Yeah. Switch with meter.¡± Feirona asked me that worriedly, but the order for night duty had already been decided. Well, I¡¯ll switch with him after a few hours I just work hard till then. They must have been tired from the journey because Ms Francesca and Mururu at already gone to sleep on the soft grass. Since we did not prepare anythingfortable like a tent, they were sleeping with just a nket covering the whole body. Only me and Feirona and Aya one awake right now. We had surrounding the bonfire but there was barely any conversation. In the darkness of the night only the sound of the fire crackling could be heard. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go to sleep first.¡± ¡°Please do. I¡¯ll wake you up when it¡¯s time.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Then, take your time.¡± ¡°¡ªwha¡± what the hell does he mean by that. Giving a scornfulugh I broke another piece of wood for the fire. Giving me a suggestive look by, he also went to sleep. Only me and Aya remained. Also Ermenhilde. ¡°Is it fine not to go to sleep?¡± ¡°um¡­¡­. Yes.¡± I see. I threw more wood into the fire. I did not say it out loud but I once again felt nostalgic. During the journey to kill the Demon God we often spent time like this. I wonder how long has it been¡­¡­ At first she was cautious of me and barely talked. After that incident with the Ogre, she began talking. I recall the reason but cannot remember exactly how long ago it was. Probably, Aya remembers though. Realising that I felt a bit apologetic. ¡°It feels nostalgic right?¡± After a long silence, she spoke up. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. Back then we used to spend lot of time like this.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Yes.¡± When I said she replied in a happy manner. Was she happy that I remembered it was it simply because she could start a conversation. It was probably the former. Her face shining from the fire looked more mature than those times. ¡°Say, Aya.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°How is your life in the Academy? Is it fun?¡± When I asked that she looked at me and startedughing. She was trying to restrain herself apparently it was too funny. Did I ask something weird? I tilted my head in confusion. ¡°Renji-san asks questions like an actual father would.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.. Really?¡± That was not really my intention. I could only scratch my head. That must have been funny as well because she startedughing again. [Why not ask something more romantic instead?] ¡°Like what?¡± What kind of question is that? Thinking that¡ª¡ª- ¡°Say, Aya.¡± ¡°fufu, what is it this time?¡± ¡°Hm¡­..¡± I tried to think of a topic but nothing came to my mind. Questions regarding romance came to mind but if asked her ¡°do you have a boyfriend?¡± I know exactly what would happen to me¡­¡­.. Yayoi-chan probably would not have gotten a boyfriend and Souichi had not gotten a girlfriend when I asked him thest time. That guy is awkward and sucks it lying so it¡¯s probably true. Somehow I feel that the difficulty of asking questions suddenly increased due to what Ermenhilde said to me. ¡°Mouu¡± As I spent time just looking at her, Aya sighed somewhat fed up yet somewhat enjoying this. To be unable to even hold a proper conversation, I really am an useless adult. As I dropped my shoulders, Aya threw more wood into the fire while showing a gentle smile. While looking at her smile, I once again felt that she had be more mature. Back then she had a childish side to her and a cute one as well. Though sometimes she would surprise me by suddenly acting like an adult as well. But her current smile held a womanly charm that could captivate anyone. Feeling a bit weird, I averted my gaze from her to the fire. What am I thinking of a child 10 years younger than me? I sighed again. I, myself, feel more childish than her. It was both pathetic and embarrassing. ¡°The Magic Academy, it¡¯s fun. I made a lot of friends and could also read lots of magic documents as well.¡± [Friends? If it¡¯s Aya, you must have a lot of many friends as well?] Don¡¯t ask that. As usual, I could only hope that my partner would learn to read the mood. I don¡¯t know how she took that question, but she was now looking shyly towards the fire. She really has grown a lot this past one year. I had never seen smile like this before. For the time being, let¡¯s just hit Ermenhilde inside my pocket and hope it tries to read the mood more. ¡°Well, as long as you¡¯re having fun, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s important for ssmates to have fun with each other.¡± Once again I averted the topic. Though it must be like Ermenhilde had said. I am also a man after all, whether it be myrade or someone younger than me, I end up seeing them in that way anyway. Right now, we were talking like it¡¯s normal but we had not been summoned, we would never had even made contact. And now she even had the title of a hero. It¡¯s normal to have the attention of guys. ¡°¡­¡­.. Is that it?¡± Apparently she was not happy with my words because she was now pouting and I also felt that her gaze had be sharper as well. Pretending to have not noticed that I threw more wood into the fire. [Seriously.] ¡°I just want Aya to simply enjoy a normal life as a student.¡± Probably, Utano-san had the same reason to send these kids to the magic Academy. They were 15 years old. Normally one would spent time ying with their friends at this age. ¡°Renji-san always runs away like that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m an adult after all.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not fair.¡± ¡°Adults are never fair, Aya.¡± When I shrugged my shoulders saying that, I only got a sigh in response. Ermenhilde was the same. If I had to answer honestly, I¡¯ll have to take a step forward. I¡¯ll have no choice but to clearly understand what she expects from me. And I don¡¯t think even she wants that. As a result, even though she would show discontentment when I ¡®run away¡¯ like this, she never gets truly angry. I think she enjoys my ying with words. We were silent for a while after that. Once again, only the sound of the crackling fire, the swaying of grass doing and sleeping sounds of Ms Francesca came to our ears. ¡°It really is nostalgic, right?¡± ¡°It truly is.¡± I feel we¡¯ve had this same kind of conversation a long time before. I would be unfair and she would be direct and honest. What is it that she expects from me I wonder. During the journey, both Utano-san and Toudo would often scold me. But even so, we have yet to find the answer. And even if we did I wonder if I could see that out loud. [You 2 seriously¡­¡­. Don¡¯t make any progress at all.] ¡°You just keep your mouth shut.¡± This bastard, I really will throw away. ¡°Eru has also changed.¡± [Hmm?] ¡°You have be more human-like.¡± [¡­¡­ I am a weapon though.] I silentlyughed at Aya¡¯s words. When I did, I could feel Ermenhilde¡¯s atmosphere be disappointed. It can¡¯t be helped, after all, I see you as my partner and not just a weapon. That¡¯s why I felt happy when Aya said that. And it¡¯s amusing to see you get disappointed at that in such a human like way. ¡°So she says.¡± [Why do both of you don¡¯t treat me like a weapon¡­¡­.. No, all of you 13 summoned ones are like that.] It even started grumbling like that. That was even more amusing as me and Aya startedughing again. It¡¯s your fault for saying something so strange. ¡°You really should go to sleep now.¡± ¡°I will go to sleep when it¡¯s your turn to sleep as well.¡± There¡¯s deep meaning behind what she said, but depending on how you look at it, one could really take it the wrong way. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t say that to someone else as well?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t. Only to you, Renji-san.¡± She started giggling. I thought of answering in an amusing way but gave up in the end simply scratched my head. I wonder serious or just messing with me. Must be thetter. Cause that would be better for my heart. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I could reply like that only and she as well replied with just one word. I think that¡¯s fine to be honest. While we gazed at the bonfire in front of us, I gave a sigh. Even after one year we haven¡¯t changed. I wonder if that¡¯s good or bad. If I were to use Ermenhilde¡¯s words, there is no progress. When I was thinking like that, Aya silently stood up. And came and sat beside me just like that. ¡°You did this when we were travelling as well back then a lot.¡± ¡°¡­..Mouu.¡± But I feel that the distance between us is shorter than what it was back then. Would this be called as progress I wonder. [fumu.] Also, it¡¯s troublesome that I don¡¯t have anyone to entrust Ermenhilde with like I had back then. Normally I would leave it with Souichi or Utano-san. I should think about maybe giving it to Ms Francesca or Feirona the next time we camp. Well, it¡¯s not like this party would continue for ever. I would probably not travel with Aya after this. In the end after that we barely talked any more. The fact that I had stayed on night duty more than required and forgot to wake up Feirona till muchter, I¡¯ll just consider this that we were serious in our duty. I guess I must have been affected too much by my nostalgia. The fact that the we have made no progress, means that our rtionship has not changed in any year. That in turn means that my position inside Aya¡¯s heart has not changed even though I had disappeared so selfishly. I should be happy for that¡ª¡ª- right? After switching with Feirona, I positioned myself so. Giving a wry smile, I closed my eyes. ¡°Goodnight, Ermenhilde.¡± [Yes. Sleep well, Renji.] Tomorrow, we will be going through a forest filled with ghosts and undead. I won¡¯t have the time to think of such useless things. I hated that part of myself that ran away from my own thoughts. Adults really are dirty. They only run away all the time. Chapter 28 Forest of Rotting Souls (1) Chapter 28 Forest of Rotting Souls (1) As the horses galloped, we ran through the forest. As the name of the forest would suggest, the earth and every tree was rotting and the undead and spirits would appear in this forest. Just running through the rottennd would consume stamina and the miasma released by the rotting trees tried to decrease our sanity. Zombies would aim for living beings like us and try to make us also like them. Ghosts that had mist like bodies would decrease our mental resistance, and show us nightmares when we sleep. Countless corpses can be seen while crossing through this forest and the dark miasma released by the trees would not allow sunlight to enter the forest. I feel that we should exit this forest as soon as possible but this forest was extremely dense. Even if we use horses to run through the shortest distance, it would still take at least five days. ¡°Feirona, can you keep on going a bit more?¡± ¡°Yeah, no problem. But before that¡ª¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take care of Ms Francesca and Mururu. You just focus on breaking through this forest.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± I confirmed his condition by going a bit closer to him on my horse. The one most affected by crossing this forest is Feirona. Without any protection of the spirits, the effect of the hatred from the dead and spirits on this elf was more than what I expected. Even he himself, who lived in the forest of magical energy, did not expect it to be so. He seems to be trying to hide it but the colour of his face seems really bad. He is it sick yet but one could tell from a single nce that his condition was growing worse. Even though I was supposed to know how troublesome evil spirits can be, I still didn¡¯t expect the effect to be this big. And it¡¯s not like this is the first time I¡¯m travelling within an elf either. But thest time I did so it was through a forest that had immense protection from the spirits I think. I see, I think I once again understood why elves are called as the watchmen of the forests. His condition is not that bad yet but that doesn¡¯t mean it can¡¯t get worse. I must do something. I thought about it as I ran on my horse. The best thing to do at such times would be to take a rest but even that was difficult in this forest. There was no paved roads in this forest. Even now, we are moving forward with the help of Feirona¡¯s foreseeing abilities as one of the inhabitants of forests. And it would be really bad if he became unable to move. ¡°It would be nice if we could at least sleep well during the night.¡± [That would be even more difficult in this forest though.] I guess so. While the sun was up we would move towards the east where the capital is but at night we will get attacked by zombies and ghosts. It¡¯s amazing that we can still move even after having not rested for three whole days. Since we let the females get sleep in priority, my and Feirona¡¯s fatigue had reached its peak. I only have to fight with my sword so it¡¯s fine as long as Ist while we move but our movement was dependent on Feirona¡¯s experience so at least I wanted him to get some rest. ¡°If only you could be a silver sword we would have less problems to deal with.¡± [Even I would be more rxed if I could but unfortunately I am neither silver nor Mithril.] Well, I wasn¡¯t expecting much anyway. Saying that inside my mind, I lined up alongside Ms Francesca¡¯s horse while running. That Jade Green coloured sword was made of material that could not be found anywhere on this world. To be honest Ermenhilde was a sword made out of only magical energy. It even had the weird property to increase its sharpness, attack power and intensity only by releasing the seven constraints put upon me by the goddess. Just like silver is effective against the undead spirits, Ermenhilde¡¯s de was one of the rare weapons that can wound a God. Certainly, that was a very rare effect but it was useless in this current situation. It could work as a normal weapon against zombies but would have no effect on spirits and ghosts. As usual, I felt like crying from the uselessness of my cheat. ¡°Ms Francesca.¡± ¡°What is it, Renji-sama?¡± An energetic voice came to me as reply. Because we let them rest at night, Ms Francesca and Mururu were still energetic. Currently Aya was resting behind me by closing her eyes. She is not asleep, but I still felt slightly embarrassed by seeing how much trust she put on me. Thinking that for a second, I realised that I was being imprudent and removed those thoughts by shaking my head. ¡°Mururu as well, tell me if you feel like you can¡¯t go on any longer. We will take a rest then.¡± ¡°fufu, thanks for your consideration. But I¡¯m still fine.¡± Saying that she gave up a soft smile which made me feel calm as well. But that was also only for a second. Her gaze suddenly became serious. It¡¯s same time Feirona running at the front also stopped his horse, and Aya was resting while leaning on back also stirred and prepared for battle. When I finally looked towards the front, I saw armoured human zombies standing as if blocking our path. Well that probably is not their intention but they still were in the way. Looking closely I also saw 2 mist like things floating around them; must be ghosts. They say you cannot see spirits but through their evil intentions and hatred the ghosts in this world held mist like bodies. Well, it made things easier for us though. The first time I saw them, rather than getting scared, I just felt ¡®this really is a fantasy world eh?¡¯, that¡¯s all. Zombies didn¡¯t have clear thoughts or will. They didn¡¯t swarm like goblins and simply attacked the living due to pure instinct. In contrast, ghosts would control zombies or other undead that had weak wills to attack the living. There were even more troublesome enemies like vampires and Grim Reapers that had the same abilities as well. If there was a clergy with us we could purify them with the goddess¡¯s miracle but a clergy that could use such a high level miracle would not go on an adventure in the first ce. He/She would remain in the church while praying to the goddess. I may be prejudiced on that though. ¡°Aya, I leave the ghosts to you. Ms Francesca go to Feirona¡¯s side.¡± Saying that I climbed down from my horse and at the same time Mururu came beside me. Normally we would ignore such enemies but seeing that Feirona stopped, that must be the path we have to go on. Concluding that, I decided to quickly take care of this. ¡°I¡¯ll take the right.¡± ¡°Then, the left is mine.¡± At the same time I kicked the earth and ran. Her cloak pped open and Mururu¡¯s both hands grew out knife-like ws and were wrapped in white fur. As she ran towards the zombies with physical speed iparable to mine, she mowed down their rotting flesh with those ws. Unable to withstand the shock, zombies fell to the ground with their limbs blown off. Then she proceeded to kick away their heads as if it was daily work. Zombies were really weird. They fall into confusion if their heads get blown off. But no matter how many times you pierce their heads with arrows, they were unaffected. Normally, one would focus on blowing away their heads till nothing remained of it. A theory suggests that something¡ª¡ª like an evil spirit or bug has attached itself to the corpse and is controlling it but I¡¯m not interested in checking that. Sounds disgusting. As long as I know how to kill it I don¡¯t care. I also came close side-by-side to her and attacked the zombie¡¯s neck with my iron knife. The first swing cut through halfway and thenpletely severed it from the reverse sh. It would have been impossible if it was a living being but since their flesh as rotten and muscles have decayed, this much was enough. [Or you could use me you know?] ¡°You want to cut through rotting flesh?¡± [¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. I am a weapon after all.] You just hesitated, did you not? Giving a wry smile, I face the remaining one. At that instant the two ghosts also burst up. Aya must have used her magic. Inside the silent forest, and explosives sound resounded. Three times. For some reason ghosts were weak to magic. Magical energy¡ª-were they weak to magic as it was turning your mental will to offensive ability or was it due to some other reason? And it was not like anything would work. Only Fire and lightning type magic were effective. It was prettymon in fantasy games but when you see that urring in reality as well, you will be curious behind the reason. Even while I thought of such things, I didn¡¯t stop my hands and severed the head of the final zombie. Since they have rotten flesh, it has very dull movements. Apparently, humans unconsciously restrain their own power to not destroy their own bodies but zombies don¡¯t have that either. But if their flesh has rotten to this extent, even that is useless. Their arms would fall of just if they try to grab me and their legs would get torn off just by running a bit. Mururu was already heading towards Miss Francesca. As expected, she didn¡¯t want to cut through rotting flesh with her prided ws it seems. I wonder what did it feel to cut with your own ws. When I asked, she said only word¨CDisgusting. Well, if she says that it means she still isn¡¯t used to using ws on living things. After confirming that all of them were dead, I returned to my horse on which Aya was already sitting. ¡°That helped.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Taking her small hand, I once again climbed the horse. Due to the loud explosion just now, the forest¡¯s silence felt even more eerie now. ¡°Then, let¡¯s hurry up and move further.¡± As if he was waiting for me, Feirona began to move with his horse again. I and Miss Francesca moved our horses to follow him as well. By my expectations, we¡¯ll still take 2 more days. There¡¯s still a long way to go before we leave this forest. Thinking that, I naturally leaked a sigh. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Aya asked me from behind as she put a bit more strength in her arms around my waist. It¡¯s nice to be this close to a girl but if I am allowed to say something unromantic, this makes riding the horse more difficult so please spare me from this. She seemed to be saying something but it was drowned by the sound of horses running and the blowing wind. When I was about to ask her again, Feirona came near us on his horse. ¡°Did something happen?¡±(renji) ¡°There¡¯s something there¡ª¨C¡± Saying that, he stopped his horse and climbed down. Then, he kneeled to the ground and traced through the earth with his finger. On looking closely, I realized that it was actually footsteps. It¡¯s amazing how he had noticed that. Even I have learned how to walk through a forest somehow but I guess I¡¯m still iparable to an Elf, I guess. And to have noticed this from atop a horse, it can only be called as amazing. I also climbed down and confirmed the footsteps. They were not normal footsteps. It was not the sole of shoe, but was slender long finger like. Like a leg¡¯s bone fingers. ¡°A skeleton?¡± ¡°Probably. And a giant one at that.¡± Going by the footsteps it must be at least three times bigger than me. It must be an Ogre ss skeleton at least or maybe a chimera type skeleton. You can¡¯t guess exactly what type it is just from the footprints but it¡¯s certain that a much higher level of monster is there. ¡°Did something happen, Feirona-san, Renji-sama?¡± ¡°Yeah, a little. Mururu you smell something weird?¡± ¡°Nothing different. The whole forest has a rotting smell.¡± She grimaced as she answered that. In such situations, the enhanced smelling ability of beast mene in handy here but this forest was an exception to that. ¡°Did a troublesome monster appear maybe?¡±(aya) ¡°It is a skeleton. Probably an Ogre or chimera type¡­¡­.¡± ¡°To speak in Souichi¡¯s words, a boss character?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a nostalgic word. But yeah, something like that.¡± Back then we always called monsters so. Remembering that I started feeling nostalgic again. At first we really treated this as a game after all. Different world. Fantasy world. We were excited from a world where swords and magic ruled. So excited that we had forgotten that swords take life and we were always near death¡¯s door. At the same time, I also felt my nervousness fade a little as well. After three years I felt that I really have changed. To kill and get killed. Even though I¡¯m on an adventure unbelievable from the point of view of someone living in the modern world, here I am calming down from remembering my previous adventure. I realised that I had gotten too used to this world as well. ¡°Boss?¡± ¡°Meaning a strong one, something like the master of this forest. If we defeated our journey might be easier for the remaining time.¡± As expected, the others did know what a ¡®boss character¡¯ meant so I gave them a short exnation. Well it¡¯s not wrong. ¡°It will be easy as long as Aya blows it away.¡± [Why are youpletely depending on others¡­¡­¡­¡­ I¡¯m here as well, you know?] ¡°Skeletons would be too tough for me.¡± Saying that I shrugged my shoulders on which Ermenhilde gave a sigh. It can¡¯t be helped after all; I gave an excuse. I could destroy it with an axe or hammer created by Ermenhilde but I¡¯m not good in using either of those. Even spears are difficult to swing around. Also, rather than going into closebat with a weapon you¡¯re not good with, it is much more effective and safe to simply blow the target away with long-range magic attacks. It doesn¡¯t want to cut zombies and it can¡¯t cut ghosts. And the skeleton will be too much for me. I guess it must be worried that it hasn¡¯t been of much use during this whole journey till now. Though in my opinion that¡¯s how journeys work, to have the right person at the right job. It¡¯s not necessary for me to be able to do everything. Feirona takes care of moving through the forest, Vanguard is left to Mururu and ghosts are taken care of by Aya and Ms Francesca. Since would have been bad if I did nothing, I¡¯m just moving to make sure everybody else can make the best of their abilities. That¡¯s also an important job in a party. ¡°fufu, it¡¯s fine. I have also be much stronger than what I was a year ago.¡± Aya said that by puffing her chest proudly on top of the horse. How dependable. Also, if you be too strong I really might start asking you to protect me so try not to be too strong, okay? Even though she was already much stronger than me a year ago, just how much stronger has she gotten now? I think sooner orter she really might be strong enough to take down the Demon God alone in magic battle. ¡°That¡¯s good to know.¡±(renji) ¡°we also have Renji-sama as well.¡±(fran) [that¡¯s true.] ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯ll just be in the way this time.¡± [¡­¡­.Oi.] Bringing out the medal inside my pocket, I stroked it with my finger. I have the will to fight but there¡¯s no one here that needs to be protected by me. Aya, Feirona, and Mururu, all three are stronger than me. Even Ms Francesca has be a reliable adventurer now. She might not be stronger than me but she should be able to protect herself at least. In such a case, only one of my covenants will be cleared. My will to fight. That is not much different from the fight against those goblins. In such a situation, it would be difficult for me to face a skeleton. Especially if it¡¯s against an Ogre or chimera type. To be unable to fight with a stable level of power is one of the biggest weaknesses of my cheat. There are times when three or four of my covenants are released against mere goblins or orcs yet there are times when only one of them is released against even boss ss monsters. I don¡¯t even know how many times I have sighed at that fact. Today as well, I sighed once again. Aya looked at me probably having understood my thoughts but I decided to ignore it. ¡°Well, let¡¯s quickly take care of this. After the sun sets, the enemy will have the advantage.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± I agreed with Feirona¡¯s words. It would be troublesome to be ambushed in the darkness of the night. Due to the different worldpensation/cheat, Aya also has a stronger physical body than normal but as a magician she is much weaker than someone like Souichi. It would be better if we went all out on attack and finish it quickly, just to be safe. ¡°For the time being, let¡¯s keep heading east. Going by the direction of the footsteps, that skeleton seems to be moving that way as well.¡± ¡°Yes. Please tell me when you find it.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± But, well, it would be better if we did not meet it at all, I think. I want to avoid useless battles. No matter how strong Aya is, it¡¯s never certain how the battle proceed. You might end up endangering not just yourself but yourades as well due to some unexpected situation. The safest would be to escape this forest without ever meeting that skeleton. ¡°I really want to get out of this forest already.¡±(Renji) [¡­.muu.] ¡°Why are you sulking?¡± [During this journey, I have done absolutely nothing at all¡­¡­..] I don¡¯t really mind that though. In fact, this partner of mine should learn how to depend on itsrades more. Well, I feel that it will just get angry that I depend too much on mine. ¡°I don¡¯t really mind either.¡± Aya must have heard it¡¯s voice as well since she was also consoling it. She really is cute in times like these. Maybe because she¡¯s always scolding others most of the time, this has more impact. ¡°Depend on me a bit more, Eru.¡±(aya) [but still¡­] ¡°It will make me happy though?¡± I listened to their conversation as I controlled my horse so as to not fall back behind the others. Depend on me, eh? Well, unlike myself, she actually has the strength to backup those words so there shouldn¡¯t be any problem. Without the strength I tried to be like that which is why I failed so many times. Just because I¡¯m an adult doesn¡¯t mean I could do everything. But well, because I worked hard like that, I was able to gain the trust of myrades. You really don¡¯t know how your actions could lead to any result in this world. [¡­¡­.. I know..] The voice that answered Aya seemed somewhat proud. [That¡¯s why I want to be depended upon as well, by Renji.] ¡ª¡ª- how should I answer to that? How should I take those words? What is the true meaning behind Ermenhilde¡¯s words? Thinking all that, I shook my head. ¡°I do depend on you, partner.¡± [I want to be depended upon like a weapon, partner.] That would be impossible. After all you are myrade that I trust the most. Kakaka, when Iughed like that, Ms Francesca and Mururu turned to look towards me. Since they cannot hear Ermenhilde¡¯s voice, they must have been surprised to see meughing so suddenly. This is also getting a bit troublesome as well. Maybe after some more time, I should let them hear Ermenhilde¡¯s voice as well. Well, it depends on my own convenience after all. It¡¯s only allowed to my closestrades. It¡¯s normal to think like that right? Chapter 29 Forest of Rotting Souls (2) Chapter 29 Forest of Rotting Souls (2) Evening, four days after entering the forest. While preparing for the camp, I looked towards the sky. Covered by mist like miasma, the setting sun could not be seen but some of its light was passing through. I expect us to get out of this mist by tomorrow, but there¡¯s a high chance that zombies or ghosts will appear. I wonder if it¡¯s my imagination that those guys were appearing solely for the purpose of hindering our advance. There were a lot of uncertainties like Feirona¡¯s health and the yet to be seen giant skeleton. I might be getting a bit impatient to get out of this as fast as possible but it would be suicide to travel on horses at night. Even with the elf to guide us, we will still get ambushed. And even if I don¡¯t hurry we will get out of this mist tomorrow for sure. I can still endure for a few more days. Well, it¡¯s usually at such moments that something unexpected is bound to happen though. Going by my experiences in this world, tomorrow will definitely be a rough day for us. While thinking such, I once again sighed at the fact that the medal inside my pocket was still silent. [¡­¡­¡­.] ¡°are you still sulking?¡± [I¡¯m not sulking. I was just thinking about something.] ¡°Oh?¡± At such a white lie, for a second I hesitated how to answer, but then decided to let it go. Though it might not ept it, it is definitely sulking that I don¡¯t use it as a weapon. It can be so cute at times. As I gave a slight smile, Ermenhilde sighed disappointedly. Deciding to ignore that, I focused on gathering dry branches for the fire. ¡°Mururu, how much have you gathered?¡± ¡°Only a little.¡± As I look towards her who was doing the same thing as me, she had only gathered sticks enough which could be held in one hand. Maybe due to the dense mist, it couldn¡¯t be helped that most of the dead branches were moist. We were still a bit short. Even after including the ones I gathered, we will still need a bit more. She understands that as well it seems as she went back to looking for dry branches after answering me. She will not say it out loud, but she must be fatigued as well. In a rotting forest like this one, even a beast woman¡¯s senses would go out of order, which is why she must be irritated. Though a human like me wouldn¡¯t understand that. ¡°I¡¯ll gather the rest so you can go take a rest if you want.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. This is my job.¡± ¡°I see.¡± One thing I understood during the journey was that this girl had a strong sense of responsibility and duty. That should be obvious from the fact that she epted the spirit gods request alone and came to this city by herself. But because of her absent-minded or rather careless attitude, I ended up getting an impression that she was an airheaded girl. She¡¯s the type that will finish what she started. Even now, she¡¯s working hard even though she¡¯s tired. It¡¯s pretty amazing for kid, I really think that. Well it¡¯s pretty normal for an adventure though. But exactly because she treats this ¡® normal quality¡¯ of hers as obvious, it is valuable. ¡°I wonder what Ms Francesca is making for dinner?¡±(renji) ¡°¡­.. As long as I can eat it anything works.¡± ¡°haha¡ª-that¡¯s true.¡± Though that might sound rude, I ended up agreeing with her. During our previous journey, I was the one in charge of the. That was because I thought that Ms Francesca, as a noble, wouldn¡¯t know how to cook. That might have been a one-sided prejudice from my side but it was correct. Yesterday¡¯s meal was prepared by her alongside Aya but¡­¡­. Well, you can guess the result. It was a dish that needed actual courage to eat it. Aya seemed to have practised a lot in this one year. Making an ordinary dish, she came to me with such a triumphant look that I couldn¡¯t decide how to prevent. It was level apart from an year ago. Though I got scolded even when Iplimented her for some reason. As expected, it was probably because I ended up telling the others how bad she was back then. ¡°Well, that¡¯s fun in its own way.¡±(renji) ¡°Violence towards ingredients is unforgivable.¡± [¡­¡­. You¡¯d go that far, eh?] Seriously, I gave a wry smile inside my mind. Apparently this girl was not just a glutton, she actually had deep feelings for food. It¡¯s not really bad¡ª¡ª but not something to beplimented for either. Seeing that the reason for such ament from was our ownrade, I couldn¡¯t decide how to respond to that. I lose no matter which side I take. Well, I guess I can only wish that Ms Francesca¡¯s cooking skill improved quickly as days pass. Since she likes studying, I think she¡¯ll get better soon enough. That said, most of our meals during journey will involve just dried meat and crackers. I doubt it is easy to cook different things out of that. Though Me, Feirona or Mururu can arrange for meat by catching wild animals as well. They taste good just by roasting them. It will be great we could make a stew by using that and wild grass. I started feeling more hungry just by thinking of that. As I rubbed my belly, small rumbling sound came. ¡°Renji can you¡­..¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± A bit after collecting branches in silence, Mururu spoke up surprisingly. When I looked towards her to answer, she had umted lots of branches in both her hands. Whether it be her or Feirona, I really am no match for them in preparing for camping. ¡°What is it?¡±(renji) ¡°can you cook?¡± I looked at her with a nk face due to the sudden question. No well, I guess it¡¯s not sudden considering we were talking about food I guess. ¡°I¡¯m pretty normal I guess. I can make things eatable at least.¡± Well, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m bad at it¡­¡­.. I have made a lot of stuff and have never receivedints from Souichi or the others. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Men are pretty much at that level normally. Though Feirona¡­¡­. Seems like he¡¯d be great at it.¡± [That¡¯s true. That elf does look like he¡¯d be good.] Going by his atmosphere he gives of a feeling that he really can do anything. Is that just because he¡¯s handsome? After all, the scene of him cooking feels like it could be a painting or something. In that sense, does that make Ms Francesca hopeless beauty? ¡­¡­¡­ This might sound weird considering I was the one who thought of all this, but that really was a harsh evaluation. I definitely cannot say that in front of Ms Francesca. The first ce, she is a nobledy, she probably has never cooked in her life before. I guess it¡¯s amazing that she still could produce something that could actually be eaten. Her future is something to look forward to, yup. ¡°What about you? Have you ever cooked before?¡±(renji) ¡°Does roasting meat count?¡± What the hell. This is the first time someone actually said that¡­¡­. well not really. In the past, both Aya and Utano-san were the same as well, I remembered. It is truly a misconception that all women can cook. That¡¯s the biggest fantasy here. Well, it makes sense though. You can¡¯t expect someone who has never cooked before to suddenly make something good. ¡°Next time, maybe you should learn something from Aya or Feirona?¡± ¡°I prefer to just eat.¡± Instant reply. Unable to answer her back, I could only avert my gaze and continue gathering branches. It truly is very Mururu-like to say something like that. I¡¯m really worried for this girl¡¯s future. ¡°Say, Mururu.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What are you nning on doing afterpleting your requested at the capital?¡± ¡°Return back to my forest¡­.. I think.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I want to try other food ¡ª¨C¡± The moment she had said till that, she threw all the branches in her hands to the ground and quickly crept close to me. Her white cloak got soiled but she didn¡¯t seem to mind that and red towards the ce she was standing before. At that the abnormal presence, I also threw away my branches and drew my iron knife. ¡°What happened!?¡± ¡°There¡¯s something there!!¡± Next instant, Mururu shed the empty space with her ws. With a heavy nking sound, sparks flew all over the ce. [An enemy!?!] ¡°I don¡¯t know!!¡± Depending on just the slight sound of wind cutting, I also jumped backwards. When I did so, the ce I was standing before burst up. ¡°Magic!?¡± As dust clouds rose up, the invisible assant¡¯s weapon became slightly visible. It can hide itself in magic but not its presence or sound. While keeping on guard for another sound of wind cutting I looked at the ce where the mist like miasma was slightly wavering. Probably that¡¯s where the main body of the enemy is. It¡¯s clearly very far away. It could be using something like tentacles to attack as well. It is an attack from out of our reach. It¡¯s clever¡­.. I could conclude that it was not at the same level of ghosts or zombies. And if it can even use magic, it must be a very troublesome monster. But are there really monsters of that level in this forest? Before I could answer myself, once again the sound of wind cutting came. A cold sweat ran down my spine. Enemies location is not certain, neither is its aim. Panicking at something I couldn¡¯t see I ended up getting a bitte deciding whether I should block or dodge. ¡°Kuh!?¡± [Renji, fallback for now!] I somehow took that attack with my iron knife but my left hand went numb and I dropped it. I somehow restrain myself from screaming which I was about to leak due to the insanely heavy attack. Unable to object at Ermenhilde¡¯s advice, I did as it told and took some distance and took cover behind a big tree. On the other hand, Mururu was cutting apart through the invisible enemy¡¯s attack without leaving any opening. Must be due to her wild instincts, or maybe she was detecting the attacks from the swaying of the dislike miasma. In any case, her skill was incredible. ¡°Aya! Feirona!!¡± Without any sense of shame, I called for myrades with a loud shout. I bit my lips. Was this monster waiting for us separate? For such a highly intelligent monster to have moved, it must be confident that it could at least take both me and Mururu together. Instincts like thate to monsters or beast men much easier than to humans like us. That was irritating in itself. I was about to call Mururu but hesitated. Until the otherse I have no other choice but to have her face this monster with all her strength. I don¡¯t want to break the concentration unnecessarily. ¡°Ermenhilde.¡± [I know.] With those words, a silver long sword appeared in my hands. Among the seven jade green gems embedded in its handle, two were shining. I don¡¯t know which of the two conditions had been fulfilled but two alone won¡¯t create a very strong weapon. I clicked my tongue in irritation but that won¡¯t change the situation. The weapon to protect me has simply changed from an iron knife to a long sword, that¡¯s all. I once again confirmed the swaying in the mist. From what seems to be the origin of the swaying, a tentacle like, whiplike something was attacking Mururu. It¡¯s movements were incredibly fast. It was impossible for me to follow it with just two of my covenants released. I could only confirm that the mist was swaying. If it goes on like this, she¡¯ll be in danger. No matter how strong she is, I don¡¯t know how long can she fight against an invisible enemy. She is more suited to a fast paced attacking battle. To stand in one ce and take on enemy attacks is not how she fights. She probably is not moving because she would lose the movements of the opponent. If you cannot see the opponent it is better to stand your ground and focus on defence, she must have thought that way. Should I wait for the others or should I move? Opening and clenching my left hand, I tried to get rid of the numbness. ¡°We are going to rush it.¡± [Got it.] Saying that, I jumped out from the cover of the big tree and rushed towards what I thought of as the origin of the swaying in the shortest distance. Due to my movements which came exactly when it¡¯s attack had been deflected by Mururu, the enemy¡¯s movement stopped for a second. It must have hesitated in deciding which one to attack first between the two. But that hesitation onlysted a second. His aim was me. Confirming the swaying of the mist, I predicting the ce and timing where the attack woulde. Silver sword in my hand creaked from the impact, and my body felt like it had gonepletely numb for a second. Just how strong is this monster. I screamed inside my head. But the very next instant, this time Mururu rushed towards it. Unlike me, she closed in incredible speed and shed with her beautiful sharp ws. The sound of something hard breaking resounded throughout the forest. But¡ª¡ª there was no blood. Confirming that, both of us took some distance from the monster. The space swayed and twisted and the outlines of the monster became more and more visible. It¡¯s as must have been voided due to Mururu¡¯s attack. The first thing I saw was that it was white. It was not a pure, beautiful white like Mururu¡¯s, it was more dull, impure¡ª¡ª it was bones. It¡¯s size was equal an adult elephant. Inside four legs, like a spider but body was long and slim like a centipede. It¡¯s head was like an Orc with one horn. And above all that, the most conspicuous thing was the speed at which it moved in scale; so fast that it left after-images¡ª- ¡°Mu¡ª¡± My body moved faster than I could warn her. I blocked the attack, which could even be followed, by pure intuition. The sword I was holding was blown off and my body flew unable to withstand the attack. Next moment, my body hit the ground and I rolled and then hit the trunk of a tree as a final blow. All of the air was knocked out of my body and my vision blurred due tock of oxygen. My body limped to the ground powerless but thatsted for only a second. Forcing my body to move again, I stood up while taking support of the tree I hit just now. It might be easier if I just fell asleep right there but I know that if I did, I won¡¯t wake up ever again. [Renji! Renji!!] ¡°I can hear you. Don¡¯t shout in my ears¡­¡­..¡± The next moment, a familiar feeling entered my hands. Grabbing it with my both hands, I took the Seigan stance which is often seen in Kendo. (T/N: google seigan to see what it looks like.) My body stiffened as I heard the sound of its foot moving. Next time, I¡¯ll cut off its damn tail with a counter. Practically speaking, it¡¯s really difficult but I still held the sword with full confidence. But, no attack came towards me again. Only my own rough breathing resounded in my ears. How long did I simply stand like that I wonder. Finally, something touched my swordtip. The next moment, I swung my sword overhead and¡ª¡ª ¡°It¡¯s fine now.¡± At that voice, my tension depleted. It was a voice I had be used to listening. ¡°¡ª¨CMururu?¡± ¡°Un.¡± ¡°Haaaah¡­¡­¡± That calm voice was definitely hers, and it proved that the battle was over. Realizing that what had touched the sword just now was her finger tip, all tension left my body. And just like that, I fell back to the ground and took a deepe, deep sigh. ¡°What happened to that monster?¡± ¡°It ran away.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Really?¡± ¡°Un.¡± Even though it was a great chance to finish me off. Perhaps it ns to make sure to kill me easily after I have weakened? That must be the case. I started feeling a bit depressed. Considering that it knew exactly when to fall back, it must be really used to hunting. Or contrary to its appearance, it¡¯s actually a coward. In either case, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that its very difficult to fight against. Almost invisible, and insanely strong as well. This is cheating really! I cursed in my head. Suddenly I felt a pain from my right hand. On looking, I had a big, deep cut running from shoulder to the elbow. Taking on that kind of attack, I¡¯m actually lucky that this much is all I had to bear. In the worst case, my whole arm could have been ripped off. I feel exhausted just to have survived this but I really have to stop this from bleeding too much as well. ¡°Are you okay?¡±(mururu) While looking at my arm, she asked worriedly. Feeling a bit happy at that, my cheeks ckened involuntarily. Though I got hurt, it¡¯s great that we both survived this ordeal. I felt a bit better thinking like that. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be fine.¡± But we can¡¯t stay here like this. Seeing that the others didn¡¯te here even after all this time means that something must have happened on that side as well. As I stood up with the support of the tree again, I started walking towards what I felt was the direction the camp was in¡­¡­..and then soon stopped again. ¡°Which way is the camp?¡±(mururu) ¡°¡­¡­¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± Due to this battle, I¡¯vepletely lost our bearings. Even the tree I had marked as andmark had been destroyed due to fight. I can¡¯t even tell which way is west and which is east. Mururu is the same as me so she is also just standing by me. ¡°Oi, Feirona!!¡± I shouted in a loud voice but there was no answer. I¡¯m certain now that something must have happened there as well. It¡¯s not like we went very far to gather the branches anyway. They should have noticed if such a big battle happened. The only conclusion I can get to is that they must have been attacked as well. But I doubt there would be a more than one monster of that ss so nearby each other¡­¡­¡­or rather, I don¡¯t want to think like that. Let¡¯s try and not imagine the worst scenario directly. If I didn¡¯t do so, we¡¯ll just end up standing here all day. As time passed, I thought of what to do next. It¡¯d be too dangerous to just recklessly start running around to look for the camp as well. We¡¯ll definitely get lost. But, it¡¯ll be dark very soon. Then it¡¯ll be time for ghosts to rampage. Before that, I really want to meet up back with the others. ¡°Mururu, can you smell where that monster or Aya is?¡± I asked that but she shook her head. I feel that her wolf ears drooped a bit as well. ¡°Is something the matter?¡±(renji) ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°You seem very less energetic than usual.¡± At the same time, I confirmed my wound as well. The cut is pretty deep but it¡¯s not gotten to the bones. The blood vessel seem fine as well so the bleed wasn¡¯t as profuse I had expected. A small piece of luck in misfortune, eh? It hurts so much I could cry but I won¡¯t die at least. I took help from mururu to rip of my left sleeve and used it to tie my right arm tightly to my side to stop the blood loss. This should hold it back a little. As the pain lessened my thoughts became more arranged as well. ¡°Cheer up Mururu, we¡¯ll soon meet up with Ms Francesca and others.¡± ¡°Un. But will they be okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, they¡¯ll be fine. Those guys won¡¯t make a blunder like me after all.¡± With those 2 there, they should be able to deal with it while protecting Ms Francesca as well. I am a bit worried but Aya¡¯s there as well. Let¡¯s believe that they¡¯ll be fine. Right our situation is the bigger problem. We¡¯re lost and have no items either. And one¡¯s injured as well. Let alone being a burden, with this kind of wound, normally you¡¯d just abandon me. Well, I doubt Mururu¡¯s actually that cold of a person to do that though. ¡°With this ce as the centre, let¡¯s look around a bit. We shouldn¡¯t be very far away from the camp.¡± ¡°Un. We, need to treat your wound as well.¡± ¡°There¡¯s that as well but I¡¯m more worried about those guys.¡± We are both frontline fighters. Those three are all rear line fighters. This isn¡¯t just at the level of being a called a bad party bnce. We have to really meet up fast since I¡¯ll be the next one to get targeted definitely. I have been weakened and there¡¯s really no condition for much of my covenants to get released so I can¡¯t even fight properly. While thinking of that, I realized that Ermenhilde hadn¡¯t said anything for quite a while now. ¡°Oi, what happened?¡± I struck my pocket with my working left hand. [¡­¡­..I¡¯m sorry.] For some reason, I was apologised to with a heavy sounding voice. I ended up tilting my head in confusion. Did something strange happen I wonder? I thought but couldn¡¯te up with anything. Is it just worried about the attack from that monster? But that had nothing to do with Ermenhilde though? ¡°Hm?¡± [Even though I kept saying things like I want to be of use to you, this is the end result.] ¡°No, this isn¡¯t really your fault you know?¡± I was the one who was just weak. In fact, it¡¯s a miracle that we survived after facing something like that. Neither Mururu nor Ermenhilde did anything to get med for. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it partner. We¡¯ll win next time.¡± [¡­¡­¡­.Yeah.] It¡¯s still depressed. Now how should I cheer up this partner of mine who gets depressed at the weirdest of things? While I was thinking that, I felt my mantle being pulled slightly. On looking, Mururu was looking up towards me with upturned eyes. Shit, she¡¯s really cute. ¡°What is it?¡±(renji) ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± Ah. ¡°Now that I think about it, I haven¡¯t let you hear it, c¡¯mon Ermenhilde, greet her.¡± [What¡¯s up with that¡ª¡ª-no, well, never mind, I guess it¡¯s fine.¡± Normally it¡¯d snap at me but I guess she took more mental damage than I thought. In my opinion, it¡¯s fine as long as I live though. As usual, its really hardheaded. On looking at the ground, the iron knife I was using before came to my view. It hadpletely broken. I picked its handle but its pretty much unusable now. I just put the handle back in the sheath. Guess I¡¯ll have to depend on Ermenhildepletely from now on. [Hm Hm, can you hear me Beastwoman?] ¡°!?!¡± Her small shoulders jumped up in surprise. It looks like she can hear Ermenhilde. ¡°My name is Ermenhilde. The sword of the Hero and the Godying weapon granted unto Yamada Renji by the Goddess Astrarea.] ¡°What kind of intro is that. I¡¯m not suitable as a hero.¡± How many times do I have to say that, this idiot. I ended up sighing. ¡°un, nice to meet you.¡±(mururu) But, Mururu¡¯s reaction was simpler than expected. She must have heard about me from either Aya or Ms Francesca already I guess. She must have been exined that back when a great hero like Aya took on this request. [Mu¡­¡­] But apparently, Ermenhilde would have preferred if she was a bit more surprised I guess since she doesn¡¯t seem to ept her reaction. She was surprised when you spoke up first so it¡¯s fine right? Be satisfied with just that. ¡°With the introductions nowplete, let¡¯s join up with Aya and the others as quickly as possible.¡± If this goes on, if we get attacked again, Mururu may be fine but I¡¯ll be dead. Saying that, I began walking while looking for trees that could act as andmark. I guess it¡¯s a small blessing that terrain became easier to recognise due to the battle. I decided to look around the area with this ce as the centre. I hope we can join up with the others before the sun sets. Just when I was being optimistic thinking that we could leave this forest by tomorrow, this happens. It¡¯s really heart-breaking but I can¡¯t really give up either. There¡¯s someone here who¡¯s more than 10 years younger than me. I can¡¯t be the one who gives up before her. Let¡¯s do our best and keep walking. I¡¯ll take this girl to the capital safely. Definitely. Chapter 30 Forest of Rotting Souls (3) Chapter 30 Forest of Rotting Souls (3) So as to speak simply, in the end we never found Feirona and the others. We did reach the camp but all we found was a big hole there. Considering that Aya and the others were not there, it must be a trapid by monsters. There are monsters who can use magic as well after all. So there¡¯s a chance they can also create pitfalls like Aya and Ms Francesca. Seeing that I got no reply even after shouting their names there, they must be at the bottom of the hole¡­¡­.. Seriously what¡¯s going on? I didn¡¯t make a mistake anywhere right? I cant even jumped down the whole without knowing anything about its death or what would I find at the bottom. Mururu wanted to jump in but I stopped her by calming her down. There are magic which allows flight as well. For someone at Aya¡¯s level would be easy to save both of the others from that. But then, just why are those guys still inside that hole. It could be that they had alreadye out of that hole and were now looking for us. In any case, with so little information I can¡¯t decide how to move next. I did think of simply waiting by the edge of the hole but even that was difficult. Hiding inside the hollow of a big tree, I questioned and thought with Mururu about what we should do next. Whether it be wait for others here or go out to look for them, it won¡¯t be easy. Right now and iparable amount of zombies are roaming around. This must be the work of that skeleton and not the usual ghosts. It must be controlling the zombies. In such a situation, rather than looking for my ownrades, I feel like I¡¯ll end up bing arade of those zombies instead. ¡°What should we do?¡±(mururu) ¡°what indeed..¡± Though the hollow of the tree was big it still didn¡¯t mean that it had enough space to easily fit to people. I was stuck really close to her and every time she moved the sensation I felt would start making me feel itchy. Definitely not harbouring some wicked thoughts but, I still feel somewhat guilty for some reason. Unlike the hollow of the tree, it seems my mind sure has a lot of free space to think about such things. I really feel speechless. We still haven¡¯t met up with the others but I guess I¡¯m still calm because I trust that they¡¯ll be fine. An invisible enemy is certainly a threat but Aya isn¡¯t the type of fall behind. After all, we¡¯re talking about the genius magician. She would be able to easily protect both Ms Francesca and Feirona.¡ª¨C I have to trust her like that and believe that, otherwise I won¡¯t be able to move forward. At that, Mururu looked at me with aining gaze. ¡°Are you not worried?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I trust them. I am worried about Ms Francesca but those two are also there so it should be fine.¡± I¡¯m such a liar. I¡¯m definitely worried. But I do trust them as well¡­¡­¡­ Human emotions are such a difficult thing. And if I started worrying about who would calm Mururu? And before that there¡¯s a bigger problem here. Though I¡¯m trying to be not very conscious of it, my right hand hurts. I tell without even touching that I have a fever. Have my wounds festered was that attack poisoned as well? I hope it¡¯s the former at least. After getting wounded, though not much, I did bleed. But if I was losing energy to poison it will cause serious setbacks. I¡¯m not the only one who¡¯ll be in danger, Mururu travelling with me would also end up in danger. In the worst-case, if I be unable to move, there would be no one to protect her. So as to not waste my energy, I tried to spend time moving as less as possible. The air inside the hollow of the tree was caught but Mururu within my arms was warm. And my right arm was even hotter. It feels as if a red hot rod has been inserted into my arm. [I¡¯m not sure but Aya and the others are probably at the bottom of that hole.] After a while, suddenly Ermenhilde spoke up. Only I can hear it¡¯s voice. It¡¯s convenient that neither that zombies or that skeleton can hear it. ¡°¡­¡­ Why?¡± [If they were above there¡¯s no way Aya and that elf would have not heard the sound of our battle.] When Mururu are still small voice, Ermenhilde exin so. I have the same opinion. That¡¯s the only possible conclusion I can get to seeing that Aya and the others did take any action even after all this time. But in that case, why are they noting back up. Is there something down there? Or are they getting attacked there? In any case, we have beenpletely split. ¡°The problem is how should we meet up back with them?¡±(Renji) ¡°just go down the hole?¡± ¡°Without any means to climb back up its as good as us getting lost. I can¡¯t really rmend it.¡± But, what if they were in some kind of trouble down there? Such a thought came to me but I quickly shook my head. Even then, there is only little we can do. Rather than that we first need to deal with that shitty skeleton¡ª¨C that boss monster controling zombies. At least then the biggest threat will be gone, and if luck is ours, the zombies would go silent as well. ¡°Whether we go to save them or we just wait here, first we have to take care of that skeleton.¡±(Renji) [that¡¯s true. Right now only this beast woman can sense that thing we can still be ambushed.] ¡°¡­¡­. Mururu.¡±(Mururu) Suddenly, she spoke up in a small voice. When I looked at her wondering what was the problem, her gaze was a bit angrier than her usual nk one. ¡°It¡¯s not beast woman. It¡¯s Mururu.¡± Oh, so she didn¡¯t like how Ermenhilde called her. [Hmph, for the likes of you, beast woman is more than enough.] ¡°Mu¡­¡­¡± ¡°This one is very stubborn in the weirdest of things. If you want to be caught by your name, you just have to work hard and get acknowledged by it.¡±(Renji) I could simply tell Ermenhilde to say it, but that won¡¯t be interesting after all. Also you¡¯ll have a lot to think about when she actually gets acknowledged by Ermenhilde and gets called by her name. Well, I would be lying if I were to say that it wasn¡¯t problematic. But, Mururu is also the type who hates losing, or rather, tries to act strong so she wouldn¡¯t stop once she¡¯s set on something. Though it may be for a simple reason like getting herself called by her name by Ermenhilde, I¡¯m happy that she can still act normal even in such a situation. Losing to fear and going berserk is a very easy to understand death g. ¡°Now then, that¡¯s enough for improving our friendship. Mururu, to have any confidence of winning against that skeleton?¡±(Renji) ¡°it will be difficult.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Her answer was simple one. That¡¯s a good thing on its own but is not a happy thing to hear right now. Of course, it¡¯s impossible for me as well. If I wasn¡¯t perfect condition with my right hand, I still wouldn¡¯t have any chance of winning. It seems Ermenhilde also understood that seeing it spoke nothing. Well, to be honest, I simply don¡¯t want to fight it. But if I did so we will remain in a deadlock. If we are to simply wait for the others, I can only see that skeleton attacking us just when we try to meet up. I think it has that level of intelligence at least. We have no choice but to defeat that skeleton. For both, leaving this forest and to be the meet up with the others. ¡°But, we¡¯re not going to stay here doing nothing right?¡±(Renji) ¡°yes. I will destroy that bone monster.¡± ¡°Good decision.¡± That monster is definitely not invincible. Recalling the previous fight, I sorted out various information about it. As long as we can take out its tail, Mururu should be able to deal with the rest, right? Then first I must think of a way to destroy it¡¯s tail. It specialises in ambushing its prey, I doubt it has experience of being ambushed many times. I might be being a bit too optimistic, but it¡¯s a gamble worth taking. But even before that, we have to think of a way to get near that invisible monster without getting noticed. My head hurts. My wounded right arm hurts. And it wasn¡¯t just slowed dull kind of pain, it¡¯s the sharp kind, as if someone was putting a sharp needle inside my wound. This is really might be dangerous. Until we meet up with the others, I really don¡¯t want to see and deal with this wound. If I did I will definitely be unable to move. After all I¡¯m scared of fighting and hate pain. If I were to look at my own festered wound, my heart would definitely break. I¡¯m a coward after all. ¡°Got any n?¡±(Renji) ¡°no, you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be bait and lure that skeleton out. Mururu, you use that chance to ambush it and destroy it¡¯s tail from its core.¡± [¡­¡­. You call that a n?] ¡°It is one, right?¡± Or do you have a better n? I asked it that but got no reply. In truth, there are very few ways in which we can take action. This is a party of a beast woman who cant use her senses properly due to the miasma of forest, and a wounded guy who cant even use his cheat properly. ¡°You¡¯re really kind, Ermenhilde.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just an idiot, Renji.¡± I have already decided to gamble on this. To win, and to survive and meet ourrades. Both Ermenhilde and Mururu have already understood that as well. We aren¡¯t really connected neither do we have any strong bonds. We don¡¯t have any great memories with each other either. But still, the warmth this girl in my arms was precious. Death is cold. That¡¯s why, I think, living beings search for warmth. I have seen lots of my friends die. Even though they were right beside me, the next moment, they were already dead. Countless times, way too many times, I have seen death. I have felt it. ¡°Renji, are you scared of dying?¡±(Mururu) ¡°yes, I am.¡± [¡­¡­..Oi.] On Mururu¡¯s sudden question, when I answered unhesitatingly, Ermenhilde gave an objecting voice. It can¡¯t be helped. Everyone is scared of dying. After all, everything is over when you are dead. Maybe having felt my emotions, Mururu released all stiffness in her body andpletely leaned on me. I was surprised for a second, but soon epted that. This girl, is the same as me. Afraid of fighting, scared of getting hurt. Fearing death¡ª¡ª¨C and doesn¡¯t want herrades to die. The matter how confident of strong she is, she still is a child in her teens. What do we call this again? Thinking for a moment, I quickly recalled. The suspension bridge effect. Though it is not love, I am the only one by her side right now. She simply wants warmth. I was the same, so I put more strength in my arms around her. My right arm pained but it was proof that I was still alive. ¡°I am the same.¡±(Mururu) ¡°It¡¯s normal. After all, when you die you can neither meet nor talk to anyone else any more.¡± No matter what. Corpses do not talk. They won¡¯t hold your arm when you hold theirs. There is no warmth. Only coldness. And above all¡ª¡ª¨C those left behind only have sadness. So much, that you feel like crying till there are no tears left. So much, that rather than experiencing that sadness again, it would be better to just die yourself. That¡¯s why neither will I die nor will I let anyone else. If you live, you have to live for the sake of those who died as well. Facing pain that would make you feel like dying, you have to ovee it. I don¡¯t want to wear such feelings, neither do I want Mururu to do so either. Same for Aya and the others as well. That¡¯s why I will live. I will put my life on a gamble and win it. [Seriously¡­¡­ Even though you¡¯re about to go and fight, is this fine?] ¡°It is, Ermenhilde. We live exactly because we are afraid of dying. And we will kill that monster because we want to live. Easy to understand, right?¡± [Certainly it is¡ª¡ªhaah.] Hearing that sigh, I felt surprisingly calmer. It¡¯s the same as always. I would create trouble for Ermenhilde, and it sigh as if fed up of me. It might be a pain for Ermenhilde but it feels really nice to me it, calms me down, these everyday exchanges. ¡°It will be fine.¡± Mururu muttered. ¡°I¡¯ll protect Renji.¡± [¡­¡­¡­¡­.Ha. Isn¡¯t it the other way round? Even though he¡¯s like this, Renji is the type of man who does things when it truly matters.] First, I got surprised by Mururu¡¯s words, then dropped my shoulders at Ermenhilde¡¯s. What do you mean ¡®even though he¡¯s like this¡¯ huh? Well, I mean, I do get scolded a lot for not taking things seriously, I want to refute that. But when you say that directly to my face, well, yeah.. Rather than that, I want to think of more practical things right now. Even though I said I¡¯ll be the bait, there is no way that shitty skeleton will fall for a easy to understand trick. If only I had something to lure it. My arm hurts. My head is not working. But I still must think of something. Also, rather than drowning in pessimism, is nice to see that everyone is still energetic. ¡°I¡¯m the stronger one.¡± [¡­¡­¡­Oi, so she says Renji. Say something back.] ¡°Can¡¯t refute that.¡± [You¡¯re supposed to!!] But it¡¯s true, I am no match for Mururu with only two of my conditions of my covenants cleared. At that, I reached at the question, why even two of the covenants had been cleared. One is my fighting will. it¡¯s the usual one. But then what is the other one? I have not made any promises with Mururu nor am I strong enough to protect her. In fact, I am the one being actually protected . Death of myrades. That is not cleared until I ept it myself. I don¡¯t think Aya and the others have died. The remaining two should be impossible to be cleared in this situation. One of them needs me to talk with the goddess directly and the other¡ª¡ª will never be cleared ever again. No matter what. Then¡ª ¡°That thing is a descendant of the Demon God¡­¡­.?¡± [What?] ¡°Our covenants. Back then when we were fighting, two of them had been released.¡± [Yes, that¡¯s right. But weren¡¯t those your fighting will and to protect this beast woman?] ¡°I was the one getting protected you know?¡± [¡­¡­as usual, you self-depreciate too much.] Even if you say that, it was a fact. In that fight, I had been unable to do anything. ¡°Covenants?¡±(mururu) ¡°It¡¯s a secret between me and Ermenhilde. There are various problems due to which I cannot fight at full strength.¡± ¡°Even though you might die yourself?¡± ¡°Yes, even if I might die.¡± This is really such a sad tale. To be unable to fight at full strength even when I myself am so close to dying. She really is an ill-natured Goddess, seriously. I think so from the bottom of my heart. ¡°¡­¡­.You¡¯re weird.¡± Saying that, Mururu trembled with slightughter while in my embrace. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°What can we do to so you can fight at full strength?¡± Even if you ask that, I had no way of answering this girl¡¯s question. If I cannot use my full strength, that meant that not just me, even Mururu will be in danger. But, I just can¡¯t use it. I¡¯ll need some reason to protect her¡­¡­or maybe, I¡¯ll have to sacrifice Mururu, who I am supposed to protect, just to use my strength. That¡¯s the limitations I have. That¡¯s why its meaningless. I don¡¯t want anyone to die. I don¡¯t want to abandon them, I don¡¯t want to let go of the bonds I have. I don¡¯t want to lose the warmth of the girl inside my arms. Really¡ª¨Cthe cheat I wished for is a warped and twisted. To protect someone, I first have to sacrifice someone else. And even then, I won¡¯t be the strongest. To do that, to be a true Godyer, I¡¯ll end up sacrificing someone most dear to me. ¡°Then promise me.¡±(Renji) ¡°Promise?¡± ¡°That you won¡¯t die no matter what. That¡¯ll you live. No matter what happens, you won¡¯t give up.¡± Let¡¯s end this once and for all. We will meet up with Aya and the others and then finally get out of this shitty forest as well. The Sun has yet to fully set but that will also end soon. The night isn¡¯t far away. It will soon be the time for the undead to roam freely. ¡°If you can promise me that, I will definitely take you to the capital along with everyone else.¡±(Renji) There was someone who embraced me like this when I was fearing death. Afraid, shivering uncontrobly, crying, unable to move¡ª¡ª yet that person embraced me and gave me warmth. That person stayed by me all the time and kept on talking to me. I wonder, if that person also felt like this back then. ¡®I want to protect this life that I hold within my arms.¡¯ I wonder if that person also thought like that¡­¡­. I cannot meet that person right now, but maybe someday¡ª¡ª- ¡°I promise you. I will definitely take all of you safely to the capital. I won¡¯t let you die.¡± Yes, that¡¯s why I cannot die here. I have ovee danger of this level countless times already. Compared to the Demon God or the Demon King, that thing is nothing more than a clump of bones. I made a promise¡ª¡ª¡± I will show you the world.¡± Let alone half, I haven¡¯t even shown one fourth of it right now. ¡°Alright, I promise.¡±(Mururu) ¡°good, then I promise as well.¡± I swore. The promise same as back then, the oath I took, without saying it out loud, I carved it inside my mind. ¡ª¨C This time definitely, I will protect. I am not a hero protagonist, I am a god yer. If the enemy is a descendant of the Demon God, I can fight. I can kill it. I exist for that reason, and Ermenhilde is the weapon to fulfil that reason. After killing the Demon God, and exterminating his descendants¡ª¡ª- I searched for a way to live other than as a weapon for Ermenhilde. So that I can live with the God ying weapon even in this world where a God ying weapon was not needed any more. For this selfish wish of mine that even the goddess could not fulfil, I cannot die here. ¡°I will not die.¡±(Mururu) ¡°I will definitely not let you die. We¡¯ll all live and go to the capital.¡± I closed my eyes. I smelled the faint scenting from her, different from my own sweat or the muddy smell of the forest, ¡ª¡ªit was the scent of a girl. My heart calm down from that. Somehow, I feel that my thought process is kind of perverted but I needed some way to calm myself. And there is no way I would harbour any evil thoughts towards Mururu. She is in her teens. The same age Aya had when she was summoned here. If I tried toy a hand on her, I will be an inexcusable pervert. In the first ce I¡¯ll probably get beaten before I try something like that. When I think of that, all thoughts of actually doing something disappear from my mind. In fact, she feels more like a daughter to me. I had only closed my eyes for a second. [fumufumu. I am definitely telling this to Ayater.] ¡°Try to read the mood, you idiot.¡± [That aside, Renji.] It didn¡¯t even try to refute it. Sometimes it really acts very humanlike. [Will you protect me as well?] ¡°Have no fear.¡± While sighing, I got out from the hollow of the tree. I gave a wry smile, as if expecting something, as if I thought of something mischievous. There were no zombies. Probably, that skeleton is not here either. I couldn¡¯t hear it nor could sense it. I¡¯m not sure if that thing is really a descendant of the Demon God, I might be wrong. But, I¡¯m sure that it will definitely try to attack me, who is wounded, over Mururu. For now, I asked Mururu to hide herself inside that hollow of the tree. Now we just have to wait for it to jump on the bait that is me. Let¡¯s hope that it¡¯s an idiot simple enough to fall for a n like this. Slightly away from that tree hollow, I sat down with my back to a moderately big tree. My right hand still hurts but thanks to that, my head feels clear. ¡°If we die, we die together partner.¡± [¡­¡­¡­. I honestly don¡¯t feel very happy about that.] If possible, I hope it attacks is before its night time. I wonder if I¡¯m being too optimistic? Now that I think about it, I wonder how much Mururu knows about me. Seeing that she wasn¡¯t really surprised at Ermenhilde¡¯s voice, she must know my connection Aya and the others¡ª-to the heroes. After the fight is over, I think I should ask her. For that reason as well, let¡¯s just quickly get rid of that shitty skeleton. Thinking till that, I gave a sigh. Was this a death g? Chapter 31 Forest of Rotting Souls (4) Chapter 31 Forest of Rotting Souls (4) I wonder how long I stood there exposed to the miasma. With the sound of grass rustling, I looked that way. What appeared was not our invisible attacker as I was hoping for. It¡¯s flesh was rotten, white bones could be seen; it was a rotting zombie. It was wearing apletely ragged piece of cloth, as if it had been attacked by a wild dog or something. Like the zombies that appear in games, its limbs were intact but it was missing its lower jaw. Was that shitty skeleton watching us from somewhere? ¡°Well, I guess it can¡¯t be helped.¡± *Heave-ho*I stood up. My waist, more like my whole body hurts. The miasma isn¡¯t the only reason my body feels so heavy. The pain in my right arm seems to be growing worse every minute. But it¡¯s not like I cannot move it. It hurts like hell but I can still put strength in it. I can still hold a sword. But I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll be unable to move it. Thinking about how I have to face that monster in such a condition, I feel like crying. After the first zombie, as if they had prearranged it, more of them appeared one by one. [Quite a lot have gathered.] ¡°Seriously. I¡¯m an injured guy here, I wish they¡¯d take it easy a little¡ª¡ª don¡¯t you think so, Ermenhilde?¡± As I muttered its name, a jade coloured long sword that I had grown ustomed to using appeared in my hand. It is the double edged long sword I am most used to using in this world. With a single swing, the sound of air cutting came to my ears. Ah, this is it. This is the sword. My palms shifted to get ustomed to it. It has just the right weight. It feels as if it is an extension of my own arm. I realised that my face had rxed a bit at that. On the end of the sword¡¯s grip were seven gems iid in a jade jewel. Three of them were currently lit. My right arm pained again. But that pain only cleared my thoughts. It reminded me what I had to do. ¡°Let¡¯s make Mururu speechless.¡± [¡­¡­¡­ Are you alright?] And actually worried voice came from inside my pocket. Finding it amusing, my lips rxed into a smile. ¡°That¡¯s rare. Normally you would be the one who¡¯ll keep on telling to act like a hero.¡± The situation should be exactly what Ermenhilde is always wishing for, isn¡¯t it? For someone, for something¡ª¨C put your life on the line, and to protect it. It¡¯s what people expect of heroes. That was unparalleled strength, victory, and safety. Unfortunately, neither of those are things which I could grant them. But, just for now, just for this moment. Let¡¯s gamble with my life on the line. I¡¯ll draw out that shitty skeleton, and kill it. [Your face looks pale.] ¡°It¡¯s the same as usual.¡± Put strength in my arm that held the divine de. Three zombies had appeared. The number isn¡¯t really that great but given time, that will also increase. Though that would not be good for Mururu who is supposed to be on the lookout of a chance to make a surprise attack, the undead relentlessly seek the living after all. They¡¯ll keep oning here as long as living people are here. But that is my aim. Well the one waiting for us is not a small fry like a zombie or ghosts, it¡¯s a shitty skeleton that might be a descendant of the Demon God. With a voice only I and Mururu can hear, Ermenhilde gave an order to Mururu to not move. My dominant right arm won¡¯t work here. There are norades to save me. Only three of the covenants had been released. My enemies are countless zombies and ghosts and a mysterious skeleton. Even though it¡¯s a despairing situation, for some reason I felt not even a fragment of despair. Zombies continue to move through the grass towards me. Slowly, as if dragging their legs, scraping of their own flesh by hitting the roots of trees and raising a indescribable sound less voice of resentment. To kill the living me, to eat me and make me one of theirs. ¡°Injury, the poison, this hopeless situation¡ª¡ª- this is not the first time I¡¯m facing one!¡± Forcefully moving my heavy body, I shed. I aimed for the body with force strong enough to not just slice but topletely crush it. The rotting flesh, the damaged muscles, broken bones; I mowed it all down and split its body to 2 pieces. I split not its stomach but its heart. But that wasn¡¯t enough to kill it. Actually, I had aimed for its neck but my aim went wrong. The fact that I wasn¡¯t using my dominant arm, and maybe due to the fever I have, my senses have been disrupted. In any case, first I must face the zombiesing at me to live. The zombie I cut apart fell down to the ground. And the next moment, crushed it¡¯s head with my right foot. That was the first one. Going with the momentum, I shed again. The zombieing at me from behind was blown away. Maybe because it was a fresher corpse, and left-arm¡¯s power alone wasn¡¯t enough to split this one apart and my sword stopped in its shoulder. But I pulled it out with brute strength and sted that zombie away. [Renji, to the right!] Complying with Ermenhilde¡¯s words, I jumped to the right. I rolled on the ground move away as pebbles and twigs hurt my skin. That kind of hurt. But, the third zombie was about to leap on to where I was standing before. If I had got bitten by those rotten teeth, I would definitely get poisoned or get some really weird disease. The jade sword turned to magical energy disappeared, and it its ce appeared a dagger which I threw which then, pierced into its head. Another dagger appeared in my hands. It was throw with my left hand but I have trained enough to be able to use both hands for throwing. Though not as fast as my right hand throws, if I aim properly before throwing, it will definitely hit its target, the zombie¡¯s face. Silence. The short battle correct. Well, there were only three of them after all. Even goblins could be said be worse than this for now at least. After all, they are fast and work in teams. While I was thinking of such things, once again the grass made noise. Newer zombies appeared. They must have been attracted due to the battle. Or maybe they simply smelt a living human. In any case, that doesn¡¯t change what I have to do. I gave a quick nce towards my right arm. Blood was dripping out of the simple treatment I had done by wrapping a cloth around the wound. ¡°I really hope the main guyes quickly.¡± [Yeah, that¡¯s true¡­¡­¡­ Think you can hold on till then?] ¡°I will, somehow.¡± I shed away those zombies¡¯ heads as they move towards me. Fuuu, I breathed out. The skeleton had yet not appeared. No, I simply had not sensed it and it was simply lurking around here. It is invisible, has no presence, and neither has any smell. Inside this rotting forest, it might be the worst enemy to face. If Aya was here, at least there was the option topletely burned down the whole forest along with it. As I thought all that, more zombies appeared. Three again. Must have been vigers from nearby. There were two who were in tunics. Thest one, was probably a soldier from the capital. It was a zombie with quite the good equipment on it. If this was a game, I would get lots of experience points from it. Oh well, zombies don¡¯t drop a lot of money even in games though. Thinking of such things, I calm myself again. I wonder if Mururu has noticed already. So as to not let her realise that, I must fight shily. Aah, my hand really hurts. pping my mantle, I ran with a speed that sted off soil behind me. With a single sh, I cut apart the legs of the two zombies in tunics. I stepped on one of the zombies¡¯ neck to crush it. The feeling of flesh and bone getting crushed came through my leather boots to me. It is disgusting but I cannot stop either. Going with the momentum, I closed in on the armoured zombie. This one is troublesome. Even if I have Ermenhilde, I still need a lot of strength cut through armour. I doubt one sh will be enough. But, I¡¯m also confident my skill. I aimed for the joints. My attack on its elbow was blocked by its gauntlet. It¡¯s really difficult to make detailed adjusted attacks with my left arm. Clicking my tongue on missing the attack, I jumped back to try again. The next moment, it¡¯s long sword struck the ce I was standing before. Without any technique, it was an attack based on brute strength due to its the ground had exploded a little. At the same time, arge amount of blood started flowing out of that zombie¡¯s right elbow. Did its rotting flesh snap, did its bone rip through the flesh? The weapon in my hand turned to magical energy once again and then instantly formed a rapier. ¡°Too slow.¡± I pierced through the gap in its helmet. [In terms of technique only, you¡¯re equal to all other heroes after all.] ¡°No way, I was just trained too well by that monster.¡± Once again the weapon in my hand disappeared by converting into magical energy. And then, once again a long sword appeared in my hand. The strongest human I know of, the Knightmander, was the one who taught me the way of the sword. Daggers, long swords, heavy swords, Katanas. As for the remaining weapons, I simply taught myself how to use them during the journey. That¡¯s why, I am the mostfortable while using swords. [¡­¡­. It still hasn¡¯te.] ¡°It¡¯s only normal.¡± [What?] ¡°If I was that skeleton, I would also try to kill my opponent with just zombies. There would be no need for me to show myself after all.¡± As I was talking, more zombies appear. This time, they were just human type, there were even animals like dogs, goblins and orcs. Give me a break. I felt like crying. [But that means¡ª¡ª- it would never appear, isn¡¯t it?] ¡°Yes, exactly as you say.¡± As long as I had my dependable jade coloured long sword in my hand, my partner with me, I can keep on going like this. It¡¯s really weird. Is this what trust is like? While thinking of such foolish things, I kept on fighting even in this despairing situation. I¡¯m not alone, to have someone to talk with you is really a important thing. I have two keep on fighting till our invisible attacker decides to show itself after all. ¡°¡ª¡ª let¡¯s do this.¡± [Yeah.] My concentration heightened. If it was me I would not show myself to the enemy. Because it¡¯s dangerous. But that skeleton did appear back then. And by doing that, it made us realise that there was an enemy we could not see. Thanks to that, we ended up in this situation. I have to be reckless like this to make the enemy appear. And after that, when it appears, I will crush it. Destroy it, literally. It¡¯s as simple as that. . . . ¡°Wow¡ª¨C that shitty skeleton really isn¡¯t showing itself.¡± [¡­¡­¡­] How many zombies have I killed already? By breaking was ragged. My left arm felt heavy. The pain in my right arm was also increasing constantly and my body was in a bad condition due to running out of stamina. Ignoring my fatigue, I swung the jade divine de. If I stopped, I will die. Zombies are slow, but are physically strong. If I get caught by them in my current condition, I will really be in danger. That¡¯s why I cannot stop. Disrupting the zombies by moving around, I cut off their heads and crush them down. Along with the miasma of the forest, my own sweat was making me feel sick as well. From the blood spraying out of the zombies¡ª¡ª the dead humans, my mantle and my clothes had beenpletely dirtied. Looks like I¡¯ll have to buy a new set of clothes after this. Though not as bad as my right arm, the number of small wounds on my body also increased. They were not really expensive, but I was quite attached to these clothes. ¡°Let¡¯s buy some new clothes when we get to the capital.¡± [¡­¡­¡­ You are still quite rxed, aren¡¯t you?] ¡°Not really, to be honest.¡± No matter how amazing the weapon, depending on its user, its power is limited. Monsters are much more used to fighting than people. Monsters, the Demon King ¨C ¨C ¨C and even the Demon God. To fight such existences, technique alone is not enough. What¡¯s necessary is the power to fight. Just like the humans and Demi humans of this world use magic to fight, just like beast men like Mururu depend on physical ability to fight. But I don¡¯t have any of those. I don¡¯t have any incredible cheat like Souichi and the others, neither do I have magical energy. All I have is the fighting technique I through literal desperation. I do not have overwhelming power needed to be called a hero. Technique that any could learn would always be defeated by absolute power. ¡°But, it looks like this farce will soon end¡­¡­ Is Mururu fine?¡± [Hm?] If it¡¯s her, she should have already noticed. The atmosphere of the area changed. It was very minute, but there was definitely a change. This was my intuition, that had been trained after getting someone to this world and going through countless fights. Distribution has saved my life countless times already. It¡¯s difficult to exin, but I do trust it. All that remains is for me to throw all of that shitty skeleton¡¯s attention towards me. Ah, I really feel like crying, I have already worked so hard to defeat that Demon God aftering to this world. Why do I have two go through so much even after Ipleted my job? Sound of wind cutting reached me. No¡ª- ¡°it¡¯s here.¡± As I jumped backwards, the ground rumbled from the shockwave. The countless zombie corpses flew into the air. Magic. That too, it is a wind shockwave type that¡¯s not visible. This really is a monster that is specialised in stealth moves. My mantle blew from the shockwave, and the mist like miasma distorted. I¡¯m specialised in closebat, so if I let it attack from long-range, I¡¯ll have no chance of winning. Well, it should also understand that as well. There was no surprise or impatience. I will have to make that shitty skeleton think that it cannot defeat me with just magic. After facing the zombie army, this time I have to ovee invisible magic. It will be easy, easy. I persuaded myself like that. [Where did thate from!?] ¡°Who knows? If Aya or Feirona are here, they could probably sense the flow of magical energy to tell that though.¡± If a few more of my covenants had been released, I would have be able to do that as well. But that would be difficult in the current situation. I once again looked at the jewel set on the handle of my sword. Just like before, three of them were shining. It would have been so much easier if it actually told me exactly which one of the conditions had been cleared. I grumbled myint that I had thought of so many times. I clicked my tongue then jumped, and hid myself in the hollow of different tree than Mururu. In my line of vision, there was no distortion in the miasma. The ce where the magic was fired was still swaying but that won¡¯t be the right direction. While I was thinking that, the tree I was hiding in got broken in half. Clicking my tongue again, I moved to the shadow of a different tree. Protected by the tree, the shockwave didn¡¯te to me but a sharp ran through my cheek. A fragment of wood had flew which sliced my cheek slightly. I wiped off the flowing blood with the back of my left hand. ¡°Could you see where that came from?¡± [¡ª¨Csorry.] ¡°Don¡¯t mind it, I couldn¡¯t either.¡± It¡¯s really pathetic but first we have to find out where our enemy is. Going by how the tree I was hiding in was broken, it isn¡¯t behind us. I peeked out from the cover of the tree and instantly, the tree was snapped. It didn¡¯tpletely break apart but a chunk of wood the size of my head was blown off. That was proof that this skeleton¡¯s magic power wasn¡¯t normal. If that had hit me directly, my head would have been blown awaypletely. Not just its tail attack, even its magic is top ss. That ck Orc I fought in that vige also used magic but this is on a different level. Even though they¡¯re both descendants of the Demon God, hoe they have such a difference in ability? Is it rted to their faith and piety to the Demon God maybe? Though there shouldn¡¯t be much difference between a pig and a skeleton. Seeing as the pig has a brain at least, it should have more faith right? Rather than such useless things, let¡¯s focus on how to find this shitty skeleton right now. I couldn¡¯t figure out where the attack came from even during thest attack. Though the wind shockwave itself may be invisible, it shouldn¡¯t be able to hide the distortions in the mist as well. ¡°What should I do?¡± [You talk as if we have lots of options to decide what to do next.] ¡°That¡¯s true, I guess. As expected of my partner, you sure get to the point.¡± I was sessful in luring it out, now as long as I can make it visible¡ª¨C While I thought till that, something fell down from the sky. While breaking the branches of trees, a giant 3m bone fell to the ground. It must be light since it was only a bone since it didn¡¯t create much of a tremor on falling. Since the shockwave was less, it soon began moving again. It seems it didn¡¯t take much damage either. And, after a second, Mururu came down beside me. ¡°I found it.¡±(mururu) ¡°So it seems.¡± As Mururu told me that as if it was perfectly normal, I could only shrug my shoulders. She had already gone intobat mode. And next, we both jumped out of the cover of the tree. But, as if it was expecting it, it mmed its whip-like tail to the ground. Was it trying to intimidate us? Must be because it became visible after taking damage from falling down. ¡°The tail..¡±(mururu) ¡°Hm?¡±(renji) ¡°Sorry. I was unable to destroy its tail.¡± ¡°No need to apologise. In fact, I¡¯m d that you were at least able to find it for me.¡± So it was above in the trees. Well, I wouldn¡¯t have realized that. Since it was so big, I had not thought of that possibility. But apparently, since its just bones, its actually pretty light in weight seeing as it didn¡¯t make much of a sound even though it fell from so high. I wanted to rush in to attack while it was still disoriented but, that tail really is in the way. ¡°It¡¯s amazing you sensed it there actually.¡±(renji) ¡°I was too slow. I had been faster¡­..¡± ¡°I said don¡¯t mind it. You did save me.¡± [¡­¡­..You¡¯re being pretty kind with this beastwoman aren¡¯t you?] Not really, I think. The skeleton fully recovered. 8 spider-like legs and the body of a snake. The swinging whip-like tail mowed down the trees and a head that had a horn like an ogre¡¯s. ¡°Let¡¯s split up. The one that doesn¡¯t get attacked by the tail will aim to destroy it.¡±(renji) ¡°Got it.¡± At the same time, I ran towards the right and Mururu ran to the left. The tail¡¯s target was ¡ªMururu. It must have concluded that Mururu was more dangerous than me. ¡°Ermenhilde, let¡¯s do this!¡± [Yeah!!] In ce of my jade long sword, a giant hammer appeared in my hands. I held it with both my hands but it wasn¡¯t actually that heavy. Resting the hammer on my shoulders, I ran with it. Against bones, shock type weapons work better. Swords are easier swords are easier to use, but hammers have more power. I can break its tail with one strike. The giant hammer portion was Jade green and its handle was golden. At the end of the handle a Jade jewel was present and the number of gems shining inside it were for. With a speed higher than what I had against zombies, I quickly rushed towards the rear of the skeleton. The fight between Mururu and the skeleton had already begun. Mururu swiped away the attacks from the tail, that had a speed I could finally follow with my eyes now, with her ws. The matter how strong her ws were she won¡¯t be able to take on the attacks from the tail forever. My aim was the root/joint of the tail. But apparently my intentions were seen through and an invisible magic ball attack was fired towards me. With the help of the distortions in the mist and my own intuition I was able to avoid a direct hit but, my movement speed fell down. I ended up clicking my tongue but I couldn¡¯t fall back right now. If I did I would only increase the burden on Mururu. That alone I must avoid. No matter if it was Mururu on me that ran towards it, the skeleton made for a tough opponent. Avoiding the magic ball, I sweep it away. The number of magic balls it was firing towards me was too great. I felt astonished at the amount of magical energy this thing possessed. Also, due to the magic balls, the zombie corpses that were getting blown here and there were getting in my way. I ended up having to dodge through this surprise barrage of corpses as well. To be able to face both of us alone, it truly is a descendant of the Demon God. It¡¯s on apletely different level from that ck Orc and ogre. It¡¯s a strong enemy I have fought many times alongside Souichi and the others¡ª¨C with the heroes. [Are you alright, beast woman!?] ¡°It¡¯s not beast woman, my name is Mururu.¡± Reacting to Ermenhilde¡¯s voice, I also looked towards Mururu. She had fallen back quite a lot from the ce she had first started fighting the skeleton. With that small physique of hers, the burden from the attacks of the tail must be more than I thought. But due to the excessive magic balls, I couldn¡¯t close in either. The blood of the zombies blowing apart mixed in with the mist bing a red smokescreen. And in the middle of that battlefield student 3 m spiderlike, snakelike skeleton. It¡¯s as if I¡¯m facing the devil. I muttered to myself. ¡°Tch.¡± It really is very strong. Just because it prefers ambushing and surprise attacks doesn¡¯t mean it was weak, I guess. While facing off against Mururu, it is able to fire so many magic balls towards me as well. There¡¯s a chance it might even use a wide range magic if we were to give it theposure to use it. If it actually use that, I¡¯m one thing, but Mururu will definitely note out of that safe. We couldn¡¯t stop our attack at any cost. But, it was a fact that we couldn¡¯t close in on it either. If only another one of my covenants had been released¡ª¡ª While slipping through the rain of magic balls, I ended up thinking of such stupid things. The only one I could clear right now, was the permission/approval from the goddess Astrarea. Just that alone. The other two, I definitely cannot clear right now. [Tchh¡ª¨C Renji, the beast woman is in danger!] ¡°I know!¡± ncing towards Mururu, she had stopped taking on the tail attacks and was now is just dodging them. Sorry, I could only apologise inside my head. If only I could destroy the tail quickly. But due to facing that zombie army just now, I¡¯m also low on stamina. My right hand¡¯s pain has gotten so worse than it has gone numb. Let alone my hammer, I¡¯m not sure if I will be able to swing a sword properly. I¡¯m currently going on solely on adrenaline. Once that wears out, I will be unable to move. Before that, I must defeat the skeleton. I still continue to dodge the magic bullets. Suddenly a *Don*sound, different from the magic ball striking the ground, resounded in my ears. When I looked towards Mururu, the skeleton¡¯s tail had pierced into a tree. My thoughts cleared. Without even trying to think what had happened, I quickly rushed towards the skeleton. Putting strength in my arm holding Ermenhilde, at the same time Jade green coloured magical energy gushed out. In an instant, I was exactly beside the skeleton. I ran,ran and ran¡ª¡ª!! ¡°Go to hell!!¡± The Skeleton pulled out its tail from that tree and moved. But it was too slow. Before it could react, I brought down the hammer. The Jade green magical energy converged and disappeared right in the middle of the tail. At the same time, it fired countless magic balls towards the defenceless me who was currently in a swinging motion. I rolled on the ground countless times before finally stopping after hitting a zombie corpse. It reeks of blood, or rather smells of rotting flesh. But finally, the first step was over. I stood up using the hammer as support. Seeing Mururu¡¯s rare worried face, I ended up showing a smile. ¡°Now the real thing starts.¡± [Yes, let¡¯s do this. We have to quickly defeat it and then search for Aya and the others as well after all.] Seriously. This is not even the end. There are so many things I have to do. That alone made me depressed. [We need to treat your wounds as well.] ¡°Unfortunately, you can¡¯t do anything about it. I¡¯ll try and have Ms Francesca treat me.¡± [¡­¡­..] Yeah. My whole body hurts like hell. Well, this never was an easy opponent from the start. When I looked towards Mururu, she did not have any signs of giving up right now. But, she was breathing heavily. Facing the tail must have taken a toll on her stamina. Our opponents still has its magic and there is a chance it might have some other trump card as well. It is the type that uses surprise attacks even though it¡¯s so strong. Though it¡¯s not good to be overcautious, it would be stupid to get overconfident of our victory as well. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this, Ermenhilde, Mururu!¡± [Yeah, it¡¯s time to settle this battle.] ¡°¡­¡­ Got it.¡±(Mururu) Mururu spoke in her usual soft voice. It¡¯s difficult to hear, but it¡¯s very like her. I felt a bit calmed from that. And fight, win, survive, meet up with Aya and the others, and then head to the capital. For that¡ª¨C ¡°I am the one who killed your master!¡±(Renji) I don¡¯t know if it understood my words. But my attack, my Jade green magical energy, it should understand who I am. As if it switched its target from Mururu to me, it turned its skeleton face towards me. Yes, that¡¯s right. I killed him. On that hellish battlefield. In that ce where countless people died, countless lives were lost. For just a second, I closed my eyes. ck, ck, ck, ck¡ª¡ª I killed that Demon God, that had the shell of the colour of darkness, with myrades, together with them¡­¡­.. With Ermenhilde. ¡°I will kill you, you fucking skeleton.¡± As I opened my eyes, I spoke what I had sworn. As if howling without vocal cords, it struck it¡¯s spiderlike 8 bone legs on the ground. Chapter 32 Forest of Rotting Souls (5) Chapter 32 Forest of Rotting Souls (5) Avoiding the strike from the legs of the skeleton, I closed the distance between us along with Mururu. It must be trying to prepare for a big magic attack. After having its tail destroyed, the skeleton¡¯s movements have be dull. The restraining barrage of magic also lessened, and it was just frantically attacking us with its legs. Me aside, there¡¯s no way it could strike Mururu with attacks like that. It¡¯s eight legs were still in full health but it¡¯s rib-like bones were in tatters. But even then, it wasn¡¯t using magic right now. But at the same time, even though it was getting attacked by Mururu so much, it did not leave a gap for me to close in on it. Had my own movements gotten duller? Or was it simply cautious against me? While wielding the hammer, I clicked my tongue for the nth time as my attack was thwarted again. [What happened, Renji?] ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± My breathing got rougher. Before I knew it I had run out of breath. And to think that I was actually quite proud of my stamina. While holding the hammer with both hands, I nced at my right hand. That wound. The fact that I have stopped feeling pain from it means it really must be turning very dangerous. That alone made me feel like giving up, but I couldn¡¯t do that just yet. I ended up strangelyughing instead at that. Seriously¡­¡­.. Why do I always get involved in such troublesome things? Do I just have bad luck, or am I being haunted/possessed by something? The fact that I could actually think of something /someone like that, I was left speechless. ¡°You¡¯re worried about me?¡±(Renji) [¡­¡­.Muu] ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I hate fighting, but I don¡¯t n on losing.¡± When I said that, I could feel surpriseing from Ermenhilde. This one is so easy to understand. Maybe that¡¯s why, it¡¯s my partner. I don¡¯t n on losing. I cannot lose.¡ª¨C if I did, I will die. I¡¯ll pass on dying inside this remote forest. ¡°This is why I hate duking it out with monsters.¡± [¡­¡­.Hm?] ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s go, Ermenhilde¡ª¨C¡± I gave a nce towards Mururu, and without any need to talk, we both charged towards the skeleton together. The skeleton is definitely concentrating more on me, I can feel it. I avoided it¡¯s attack that could split opening round. Next, I use my momentum to quickly close in on it but, it used its other leg and swung an attacked towards me. I blocked this attack with the handle of my hammer. ¡°¡ª¡ªGuhh!?¡± The force behind it was incredible, at the same time my right hand hurt again. Due to this one attack, I was quickly distanced away from it again. It¡¯s a blessing that I don¡¯t get blown away like from the attack of the tail but, there is simply too much of a gap in the physical strength of monsters and humans. The fact that we still have two win this is exactly what makes this difficult. If we hadn¡¯t been split away from Aya and the others, I wouldn¡¯t have hesitated even a second before running away from an opponent of this level. While I was taking on it¡¯s attack, Mururu to close the distance with the skeleton and shed at its body. Those sharp ws shaved off the bone and created cracks on it. We¡¯re definitely, slowly, driving it towards a corner. At a single nce I could tell the amount of wounds had grown on the skeleton¡¯s body. But even then, somewhere deep in my mind I was still feeling a bit of unease. Will an enemy as strong and fearsome as this go down so easily. There is no way that would happen. ¡°You okay?¡±(Mururu) ¡°yeah, no problem here. You?¡± Mururu, who had appeared beside me before I could realise, asked me that. Her worried gaze as she looked up towards me made me feel a bit awkward/embarrassed. Mururu as well was starting to run out of breath. On looking closely, I realised that her pure white clothes and hair had be dirty. There were small bleeding wounds here and there on her white skin as well. I really want this fight to end soon, so that she can take a bath at least. Though, if a guy like me said it, I¡¯ll be treated like a pervert. As we stood together, the skeleton stored moving and just assessed situation probably because it was cautious of both of us being together. Even when it is about to use magic, it did give off any specific sensation. ¡°I can still go on.¡±(Mururu) ¡°then, I¡¯ll take on its attack. Just like before, you close in and strike at it.¡± ¡°¡­.. You sure?¡± ¡°Yes, I will be fine.¡± She must have realised from the irregrity in my voice. Not just her gaze, even her voice sounded worried. To give her a sense of relief, I gave a smile¡­¡­. Though I hope my lips aren¡¯t cramping. It can be helped. I don¡¯t have much experience of giving a smile while being aware of it. I don¡¯t know how she took my smile that I gave while ring at the skeleton, I did feel that Mururu calmed down a bit. ¡°Let¡¯s just finish this already. I¡¯m starting to get tired of this.¡± ¡°Un.¡± [You guys reallyck a sense of tension, you know¡­¡­.] ¡°As if I¡¯d get tensed from a danger of this level.¡± Both me and Mururu gave a slight smile at Ermenhilde¡¯s words. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re facing some overpowered monster, there is no way I¡¯ll feel tensed. The skeleton is definitely above my skill level, but I know monsters far stronger than this shitty skeleton. It might sound strange but fighting and extremely strong enemy adds to your experience. And I have definitely fought monsters that are much much stronger than this skeleton. That experience, the fact that I was able to survive against those monsters, is one of the very few weapons I possess. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±(Renji) ¡°Yeah.¡± In the first ce, it¡¯s not like I have any other actions to choose from. I cant avoid this skeleton¡¯s attack, and that skeleton only aims for me. Then, I can only act as bait. It¡¯s not really different from our original strategy. Well, it¡¯s so amateurish that it really can¡¯t be even called a strategy though. Once again, I ran towards the skeleton with Mururu. As expected aim was still me as those spiderlike legs came towards me. I took on that attack, and averted it. At the same time, Mururu closed in to deal in an attack. But this time the enemy is way of protecting was different. Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine and I had a bad premonition. ¡°It¡¯sing!!¡± The next moment, the ground beneath Mururu rose and attacked by bing spears of stone. But as if she had already seen through that attack, Mururu use those protruding Spears as foothold and made a leap. And with that momentum dealt a attack to the skeleton¡¯s head. What agility! So this is what it means to be left speechless. It¡¯s not like she has some kind of cheat like us either. There are few who are able to fight like that even then. Even if she is a beast woman, that was really incredible. But, I can¡¯t just stand here amazed. The magic that attack Mururu activated once again even while it took damage. ¡°Kuh!?¡± [Dodge, Renji!!] Don¡¯t ask the fucking impossible!! I was able to avoid a direct hit but, my left leg got cut. This is getting really ridiculous, that shitty skeleton. Can go invisible, can use magic, and is also a fucking descendant of the Demon God. While frowning from the pain in my leg, I avoided the second and the third spear. Just when I was thinking that it was only attacking from below, an invisible magic ball was fired towards me. Unable to sense that surprise attack, I blocked it with my hammer¡¯s handle only to get blown away. Fortunately it hit the handle, but I won¡¯t get lucky the second time. I quickly stood up, and began running. For the time being, I must keep on moving otherwise I¡¯ll get killed by getting pierced by those spears. My newly wounded leg also hurt but I decided to ignore it. Mururu was moving even better than me but even she was unable to find a chance to close in. Stone spears and invisible magic balls, and even attacks from the eight bone legs. She¡¯s facing an even worse situation than me, it¡¯s amazing that she is still avoiding any direct hit. I was a bit bewildered due to the sudden fierce attack but, the enemy doesn¡¯t get time to rx either. After all, it had also taken quite a lot of damage. I put more strength in my arm holding the hammer. I must get in an attack somehow. And finish it off. But, how? I questioned myself. It¡¯s attacks were fierce, I won¡¯t be able to slip through all that. Now that my left leg is hurt as well, I am in a situation where even running is difficult. Even though I¡¯ll get killed if I stopped, I need to find a way to kill my opponent as well. [¡­¡­. Are you, okay?] ¡°Do I look like okay?¡± Without answering to Ermenhilde¡¯s worries, I questioned it back instead. I only got silence in reply. It¡¯s only normal. After all, my right hand is in a condition where I cant even feel the pain from my own, not to mention the amount of small wounds on my body are only growing in number. And one of the newest wounds on that list is on my legs that is pretty much my lifeline right now. Now I¡¯m not even sure how long I can continue moving around. It¡¯s now or never right now. But then again, I only have 4 of my covenants released. It¡¯s far from satisfactory. Against a descendant of this level, I¡¯m not sure if this much power would be enough to take it down. ¡°But, of well, I can¡¯t give either anyway.¡± I can¡¯t lose. I must not lose here. Even in such a deadly situation, I cannot give up. I must face it on. To not get killed, I must kill it first. I must continue fighting. Even though I hate that style of living. Even though that lifestyle is simr to that of a hero from which I had run away. I¡¯m being made to take up that style living once again. It¡¯s the situation Ermenhilde has always been wishing for. But that Ermenhilde was currently being worried for me rather than focusing on the enemy skeleton. If you¡¯re going to proim yourself as just a weapon, then don¡¯t hold emotions like that, seriously. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t want to see you as just a weapon. And if you wish for the Hero Yamada Renji, then just put all your trust in me. But I who never believes in absolute victory¡ª¨Cam definitely not a Hero. Me and Ermenhilde. We are neither a Hero nor a weapon. We¡¯re just a pair of a human who killed a God and his partner whopletely trusts in him. That¡¯s all, I want. That¡¯s how it should be. ¡°Now, then¡­.¡± I faced the skeleton. His empty eyesocket¡¯s re pierced through me. In its supposedly non-existent gaze, I could feel it confident of its victory. Even though its just a mere skeleton. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me, you fucking skeleton.¡± The next moment, its left half along with its four legs disappeared in a ray of heat. At the sudden appearance of the intense blinding light, I used my left hand to cover my eyes. That magic attack bore through the ground, split the clouds and pierced the heavens above. In this world where sun had already set, the radiance of midday sun appeared for a few seconds. There was only one in this whole world who could use a magic of that level of power. I did trust in them but¡­¡­.finally confirming their safety, I truly felt relieved. All that happened in an instant but was definitely real. Having lost its one half, the skeleton fell to the ground. It felt as if it was an animal bowing towards a powerful being. Well, the powerful being here is not me though. ¡°¡­¡­What just?¡±(Mururu) ¡°As usual, she¡¯s really shy.¡±(renji) I only replied that to Mururu¡¯s mutterings. I started walking towards the fallen skeleton. It didn¡¯t try to attack me with magic any more. You need to concentrate a lot to use magic. Having lost four of its legs, even as a skeleton, it should be difficult for it to concentrate properly. Feeling not even a shred of sympathy for that skeleton, I went close to its head and raised my hammer. It¡¯s one horned ogre-like skull rose up slightly as it looked straight at me. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡± And just like that, without saying anything, I crushed it¡¯s head. No matter how harsh the battle had been, the end is always like this. No sense of excitement,pletely anticlimactic. If a movie had such a finale, it would be at the level that the audience would start asking for their money back. This is even more so against monsters. Since we cannot understand each other¡¯s words, there is no reason to even ask for theirst words. Remaining in the same pose after ringing my hammer down, I breathed a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡±(Renji) [That¡¯s the first thing you have to say?¡­¡­..] ¡°But it¡¯s very typical of me to do so right?¡± [It¡¯s pathetic¡­¡­.. How deplorable.] Well, sorry. The hammer disappeared by turning into Jade coloured magical energy, and my body lost all its strength. With the descendant of the Demon God dead, most of my released covenants closed again. It really is pathetic. ¡°It¡¯s over?¡±(Mururu) ¡°Yeah.¡± The skeleton turned to ck mud and disappeared into the ground. It¡¯s the same as the previous descendants of the Demon God I had fought. After confirming it till the very end, finally I sat down on the ground. ¡°That attack, was that you Renji?¡±(Mururu) ¡°That wasn¡¯t me. It was Aya.¡± On seeing the hole at our camp, I had realised that they were underground but I never would have thought that she would fire magic from underground. There was a chance that either Mururu or me would have also get hit by it and have half of our bodies blown away. Thinking that made me shudder but, well, all is well that ends well. Let¡¯s leave it at that. If I started pondering too much on that, I¡¯ll probably be unable to sleep. Beside the hole that had been created from the magic attack that had destroyed the skeleton, both me and Mururu sat down. By the way, the size of the hole was 2 m in diameter. Both me and Mururu would have definitely perished if that attack had grazed us even a little¡­¡­. I should stop thinking about that. It¡¯s bad for my heart. ¡°You okay?¡±(Renji) ¡°Just tired.¡±(Mururu) [¡­¡­ What are you two, peas in a pod?] ¡°Really?¡±(Mururu) ¡°We aren¡¯t that simr.¡±(Renji) Having run out of things to talk to, we both silently just stared at the hole. After fighting so hard, almost dying, yet not giving up¡­¡­.. In the end, Aya just ended it all with a surprise attack out of nowhere. I¡¯ve always thought about it, somehow I feel like I always end up in such a situation. Even after fighting so hard, the best portion/role is taken away by Souichi or Aya, or my otherrades. No, well, I¡¯m satisfied as long as I survive though. While I¡¯m thinking of this, Mururu, who was sitting beside me, looked towards me. ¡°Was I good?¡±(Mururu) ¡°Yeah, you were great. Well done.¡±(Renji) I lightly patted her head in the same way I used to do Aya and the others back then. Her smooth and silky hair felt nice. [What are you doing?] ¡°Praising her.¡±(Renji) [Why?] ¡°Just felt like it.¡± While spent time like that, I heard voicesing from the new hole. After waiting for a while, finally a slender arm reached out. Mururu went on guard but, I recognised that hand. When I held it and pulled, I saw a familiar face. After seeing that face, I finally, from the bottom of my heart, felt really. Her soft and gentle arm was really girlish. On pulling her out of the hole, she waspletely covered in dirt. Not just her clothes, her hair and face as well. And above all, her clothes were sticking to her body very closely. But Ms Francesca has an amazing body, so frankly speaking, it was a very tempting view. ¡°So you¡¯re safe, Ms Francesca?¡±(Renji) Averting my gaze from her dirty, yet alluring figure, I asked her so. ¡°Ah, Renji-sama!¡± ¡°You really should stop with the ¡®-sama¡¯ already.¡± After pulling Ms Francesca, next, Feirona appeared from the hole. He was the same as Ms Francesca,pletely covered in dirt and soil. His clothes were wet as well. Did they fall into some underground water body or something? ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±(Renji) ¡°Aya-dono is pushing us up with her magic.¡± ¡°I see.¡± So Aya used flight magic on these two to bring them out of the hole. She really is skilful. Neither of them had any visible wounds either. There just covered in mud. It¡¯s amazing how she was able to make both of theme out of the hole uninjured without hitting any rocks even once when she probably doesn¡¯t even have any source of light underground. Last one should be Aya herself. As I pulled Feirona out as well, he uses hands to wipe away the dirt from his hair and clothes. He looks good even while doing something like that. Though, he failed it actually moving the dirt. ¡°We were worried because you suddenly disappeared, you know.¡±(Renji) ¡°We got attacked by monsters. And above all, the ground rumbled below us just when we were stuck.¡±(Elf) ¡°so it seems. It¡¯s quite a big hole.¡± As I said that while recalling the hole at the campground, Ms Francesca became pale faced. Well, the fact that you survive even after falling from such a hole, I would say that you guys are really lucky. ¡°And there was a huge army of slimes underground as well. It was great that Aya-sama was with us.¡±(Francesca) ¡°¡­¡­ Slimes.¡± [¡­¡­. Slimes, eh.] Both Mururu and Ermenhilde muttered at the same time. Slimes. Unicellr organisms with jellylike soft bodies. Physical attacks don¡¯t affect them much. They are like natural enemies to me and Mururu. It seems Mururu was also aware of that fact has she muttered the name in an annoyed voice. I as well, do not have good memories regarding slimes either. Even though it¡¯s the lowest ss of monster in games, its actually pretty troublesome in the real-life. Swords and spears to not work but ming torches or magic attacks are effective. It¡¯s body fluids have various effects ranging from poisoning or paralysing enemy to dissolving the armour worn and lowering the person¡¯s defence. Due to that, I can¡¯t even count how many times I saw hell. Especially, due to the women in our group. As I recalled the various tragedies brought upon me by slimes, Feirona¡¯s sight turned towards my right arm. ¡°It seems you guys had your own fair share of trouble as well.¡± He said that as he looked at my wounds. As if finally seeing my condition, Ms Francesca gasped as she hid her mouth with her hand. ¡°Yeah, I came close to dying. I only survived thanks to Mururu.¡± ¡°Un.¡± Mururu puffed her chest with pride. It was so charming that all three of us startedughing. Finally, the slender arm appeared from the hole. ¡°yokkoi, sho!¡± (T/N: I don¡¯t know how to trante this. It¡¯s basically like a grunting sound or ¡®heave-ho¡¯ you do when you do something that strains your body.) I really don¡¯t think a young girl should be speaking like that. Aya, who appeared from the hole, was the same as the other two, covered in mud and dirt. The dirt must have stuck due to the liquids from the slimes. Normally she always looks dignified and has an adult like beauty but her current face was very childish. ¡°Yo.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­..Eh?¡±(aya) ¡°That¡¯s quite the face you have there.¡± When I said that, she silently began going back into the hole. She sure is fast, I ended up giving a tsukkomi inside my head. Are you a mole? ¡°C¡¯mon,e out already. We need to prepare for camp as well.¡±(renji) I grabbed her wrist and pulled her out. Without resisting much, Aya came out easily. The reason she felt so light must be because I properly used the edge of the hole as a scaffold and actually used some strength. She came out so easily, it was a bit anticlimactic. Since it¡¯s her, she must have not wanted to be seen covered in dirt so I was sure she would resist. Just l8ike how she looks like an adult, she also despises to be seen when she¡¯s weak. She doesn¡¯t want to be always seem like a perfect being but she tries to always show her stronger side, I think. ¡°You alright?¡±(renji) ¡°I¡¯m¡ª-wait, Renji-san, you¡¯re injured!?¡±(aya) ¡°Yeah. Mururu as well.¡± Aya started touching my wound without any restraint making it hurt more. I had already done some basic emergency treatment so the wound had already bled so much that the cloth wrapped around it was dyed in red. The wound is not that big but it bled quite a lot. While I was thinking that, suddenly, my legs lost all strength. Huh, without understanding what happened, I fell on my backside. [Renji?] Ermenhilde¡¯s voice seemed distant. And her voice wasn¡¯t worried over the fact that I had fallen but was confused because it didn¡¯t understand why I suddenly fell. Even I, myself, am not sure why this is happening. Just when I was thinking that, this time, my whole body lost strength. After defeating the skeleton, meeting up with myrades, I must have rxed myself too much. How pathetic. To faint from just that much. I tried apologising but only my lips moved without releasing any sound. After moving my lips uselessly a few times, even doing that felt annoying. I closed my eyes. The world wentpletely dark. ¡ª-Someone was shaking me. That voice was reverberating like an echo but I can¡¯t make out what it means. I¡¯m tired. That¡¯s why, I let go of my consciousness. Chapter 33 Yamada-kun and Utano-san Chapter 33 Yamada-kun and Utano-san Who was it that was crying? Due to the major portions of the castle, that was probably carved out from a rock-face, having been destroyed, the ceiling had disappeared and the sky was visible. The sky was a brilliant azure and the sun shined at its brightest. Along with the beautiful wind, it should have made one feel pleasant but it only made me feel more irritated right now. The sound of swords shing, magic exploding, the terrain in the surroundings getting destroyed, the cries of those fucking monsters, the desperate voices of myrades, and the voice right beside me that was calling me¡ª¡ªall of them felt irritating. I won¡¯t be able to hear it, like this. Herst words. The voice of _____, who was disappearing right inside my embrace. ¡°Sorry.¡± When I said that, the girl in my armsughed as if troubled. Even though red blood was flowing out of her body due to getting shed by the dark Demon God. But even so, sheughed. So that herst expression was neither crying nor a pained one¡ª¨Cbut one that was smiling. It was so painful to look at her like this that I put more strength in my arms holding her. But even so, as if myrade beside me couldn¡¯t see her in my arms, they shook my shoulders. Called my name in a loud voice. ¡°Even though I said I¡¯d protect you. Even though¡ª¨CI promised you.¡± Once again, the girlughed. This time, with a smile, she shook her head. Her golden hair swayed, and her jade-green coloured eyes became softer. That expression that she¡¯d show asionally was so beautiful that if it was not for the fact that she was bleeding out right in my arms, one would havepletely fallen in love with her. But even the red blood, the source of life, only made her look more beautiful. As I gently caressed her cheek, her lips moved slightly. But I heard no words. Only, her lips moved. Aah, why am I always like this? Unable to protect those who I really want to. Always getting protected by others, the weakest Hero. A failure who can¡¯t utilise his own power properly. Why? Why? Why? ¡ª¡ª Why did I ask for this kind of power? If it was going to be this saddening, if it was going to be this painful¡­¡­. ¡°¡ª¨C¡± In memories, a noise disrupted her words. I can¡¯t recall it. Herst words. An immense magic shook the world. The sh from the Brave and the Demonic Sword user, the breath from the Ancient Dragon, the attack from the Demon Lord; turned the castle of the Demon God into rubble. Everyone is fighting hard, working together. They are trying to defeat the enemy of the world. Even then I, the one who holds the weapon to defeat that enemy held not the weapon but her instead. I held her small, soft, blood-stained, warm hand. Even though this wasn¡¯t the first time I did so, it felt like it was. It felt as if it was not ____¡¯s hand anymore, and as if to not forget that sensation, I put it near my cheek. ¡°You¡¯ll get dirty.¡± ¡°Like I care. It¡¯s your blood.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..As usual, you¡¯re such a fool.¡± Yeah, that¡¯s right. I¡¯m a fool. An utter fool. An idiot who can¡¯t protect anything he wants to. And even then, I still wish to protect her¡­¡­¡­a hopeless, irredeemable fool. And she said _______ to me. Because I was like this, she said _______ to me. That¡¯s why I swore that I won¡¯t change the way I live. Before myrades, before the world, before the Demon God, I chose this girl in front of me. And, that girl looked at me with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t cry.¡± At her voice, I finally realized who was crying. It was me. I was the one who was crying. ¡°¡­¡­.Don¡¯t cry, idiot.¡± Even though she¡¯s about to die, ______¡¯s voice was gentle and warm as always. Her hand holding me started losing strength so I put more strength in my hand and held her even more tightly. Even though I¡¯m holding her so tight that it should be painful, let alone cry in pain, ______ didn¡¯t even show a change in her expression. She simply, kept on looking at me with a smile. ¡°I, rather than your crying face¡­¡­¡­like your smiling face more.¡± Sheughed. With a smile, the smile I loved, she told that to me. Till the very end, with a smile. With a dazzling, almost painful to watch, smile. ¡°That¡¯s why, don¡¯t cry.¡± That¡¯s why, I made a promise. . . . . . When I opened my eyes, a familiar ceiling entered my view. A magnificent chandelier hung on the wooden ceiling. Moving my head to look to the side, very expensive, thick curtains hung over the ss windows. A fire seemed to be burning in the firece as the room was perfectly warm. Judging by the water drops forming on the window, it should be pretty cold outside. Looking back towards the ceiling again, I gave a sigh. ¡°Ermenhilde?¡± I called but there was no answer. It wasn¡¯t by my side it seems making me sigh again. I am pretty certain that I know where I am right now. This ce¡ª¨Cthis room is the one that had been allotted to me. After being summoned here, I resided in this room while I learnt more about this world. Whether it be the alignment of the furniture or the view from the window, both felt nostalgic. As the tension in my body left, I rxed into my bed again. But, I can¡¯t understand how I¡¯m here. After the battle in that forest¡­¡­whatever happened to that shitty Skeleton? ¡°¡ª¨C¡± When I tried to get up, a pain ran through my right arm. On looking I realized that it had been bandaged. Oh right, I had taken quite a lot of damage from that skeleton. After that, after meeting up with Aya and others¡ª¡ªI have not a single bit of memory. I must have stayed fainted for the whole time. I recalled that my condition headed towards the worse after getting my right arm damaged. I must have been poisoned back then as well. It must be due to that poison that my body feels so sluggish. Even moving a little feels like a pain. While confirming the condition of my body, I felt amazed that I actually survived after all that. Let alone Ms Francesca, even Aya or Feirona cannot use detoxifying magic. Apparently you cannot detoxify a poison if you don¡¯t understand itsposition perfectly. No matter how much of a genius magician Aya is, she¡¯s still only 18. On top of that, in a world like this where science is verycking in progress, there¡¯s no way they could learn about poisons and itsposition. A poison from a descendant of the Demon God wouldn¡¯t have any antidote easily avable either. Obviously, unlike games, this world doesn¡¯t have a single antidote for all kinds of poisoning. Thus, only Yayoi-chan and one more has the ability in this whole world to nullify the Demon God¡¯s poison. If this really is the Imnesia Royal Castle as I think it is, then I must have been cured by the Witch of the Capital. ¡°*yawn*..¡± While I kept thinking of such things, I ended up yawning while feeling sleepy. Is body still tired or have I simply overslept and still want to sleep? I don¡¯t even know the current situation but since I wasn¡¯t woken up means that it must not be an emergency. While I tried to keep my consciousness as I felt more sleepy, finally I realized that someone else was also in the room. That certain ck haired person was currently sleeping while sitting on a chair and using her hand on the table in front of her as a pillow. I could easily recognise that face. ¡°Oi, Aya.¡± I called out but there was no response. She must be in deep sleep. Sleeping in that pose is gonna make her body hurt all overter though, I think. After trying to call her a few more times, I gave up on waking her. Well, the room is warm, she won¡¯t catch a cold at least. Though I feel like I¡¯ll get scolded for looking at her sleeping faceter though. Well, I¡¯ll deal with that when ites. Since I had nothing else to look at, I decided to observe her sleeping face. Since she¡¯s always acting uptight and dignified, such moments are precious. I¡¯ll tease herter. Her eyelids and her small shoulders moved as she breathed. Her expression was also gentler suitable of her age. Her usual expression also suits her but her current expression had a charm of its own. She¡¯s called an honour student back at the academy but I wonder if she sleeps through her sses or not. I wonder how many boys have seen her face like this. But soon I got bored of that as well and I once again started looking outside the window. How should I say this, I am too used to seeing her sleep like this. After all she always slept before me when we were journeying. Since it still hurts to move my body, I¡¯ll have to justze around like this. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Royal capital Imnesia. Located at the centre of the continent, it¡¯s thergest city. With the 4 great cities in every direction, this is the capital where the king lives. From the forest of rotting souls, where my memories ended, it should have still taken 5 days even with horses to get here. It¡¯s really amazing I survived that long of a journey while being poisoned. Suddenly, the door was knocked. Without waiting for a reply, the door was opened and a familiar woman¡¯s face peeked in. ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re awake.¡± As if she was here just to chat, she spoke. I¡¯m an injured guy here who had fainted due to my wounds you know. Well, if I were to say that, it will not end well for me, in fact I¡¯ll probably get scolded for making Aya and the others worry or something like that. Somehow, I can never win with words against her. I have lost so many times that I have be consciously aware of that fact that I¡¯ll lose an argument. While ying with her xen hair drooping from her shoulders, she slowly closed the door back. To make sure that Aya didn¡¯t wake up, I didn¡¯t even hear a small sound. She really is skilled. She wore a magician like robe and a had sses, that were rare in this world. Her slightly reddish eyes that showed her strong will looked directly at me without wavering. I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m not the only one who thinks that her gaze is scary. As she walked over the carpet without making even a single sound, she really did give off the feeling of a Witch seen in legends and fables. Though, once again, I was perfectly aware of what was waiting for me if I said that out loud. Since it¡¯d be weird to stay lying down like this, I tried to get up when her gaze seemed to have be slightly warmer. Was she worried about me? Probably, I think. Her gaze and presence was scary but I know that this woman isn¡¯t really that cold. She must have been worried about me, I think. But well, the fact that she¡¯s here means that my deductions weren¡¯t wrong. I ended up sighing again. ¡°So we really are at the Imnesia Castle?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes. You were brought in with incredible wounds, Yamada-kun.¡± While saying that, the Witch of the capital slightly caressed the sleeping Aya¡¯s hair. ¡ª¨CUtano-san. Utano-san¡¯s finger must have felt nice since Aya¡¯s sleeping expression felt even gentler. They looked so much like a family that I felt pleasant as well. And, though it was easy to understand, Aya did have affection for Utano-san like she was her mother. Whenever she had trouble she¡¯d go to Utano-san as well. I think she does so even now. I felt a bit jealous of their rtionship to be honest. Having realized my gaze, Utano-san looked at me with a teasing gaze. ¡°If you look at a girl¡¯s sleeping face so seriously, you¡¯ll be treated as a pervert you know?¡± ¡°How rude. I wasn¡¯t looking that seriously.¡± ¡°fufu. No matter what Yamada-kun is thinking, this girl wouldn¡¯t really mind it though.¡± As she kept on caressing Aya¡¯s hair, her hand then reached Aya¡¯s cheek. As if it tickled, Aya shrunk back from it. It was as if she was a cat. ¡°After all, her special person saw her sleeping face. That¡¯s very important you know.¡±(utano0 ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I could only avert my gaze from Utano-san who said that. I could also predict what she¡¯d say next. That¡¯s why I simply decided to look out of the window instead. Ahh, where the hell is Ermenhilde? ¡°Treasure them properly.¡±(utano) ¡°I do. In my own way, that is.¡± Her gaze cold and sharp and turned towards me. But still, I can¡¯t help it. It¡¯s very vague what Aya and I want from each other. If I tried to change that, I would only fail. Probably. ¡°It seems even after a year, your ipetence hasn¡¯t changed at all.¡±(utano) ¡°¡­¡­..so harsh. I¡¯m not trying to be ipetent you know?¡± ¡°If it was me, I¡¯d take a more straight approach.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s how you always are after all.¡± I¡¯m, unlike you, not strong enough to believe in myself. Aya is¡­¡­I don¡¯t know how she thinks. Taking a straight approach and then magnificently failing, it¡¯s not aughing matter at all. Well, that¡¯s no more than an excuse. In fact, it¡¯s exactly how Utano-san said that I was ipetent. I know Aya¡¯s feelings towards me. But, I¡¯m still avoiding it. If Aya doesn¡¯t know what she seeks from me, then we simply have to look for it together. She¡¯s still 18yrs old, she was just a 16 yrd old child when she developed those feelings. It¡¯s wrong to ask for an answer to such a thing from a child like her. But still, I did so. And I¡¯m getting spoiled by her. Even though my answer¡­¡­¡­had already appeared an year ago. ¡°She was crying after you fainted you know?¡±(utano) ¡°I see.¡± ¡°To make a girl cry. You¡¯re the worst.¡± ¡°I know.¡± When I shrugged my shoulders, she gave a sigh. Am I the worst because I¡¯m simply weak or because I still haven¡¯t epted Aya? It¡¯s probably both. Yeah, I¡¯m definitely ipetent. Taking a damage from a different person than the usual Ermenhilde, I hung my head in shame. ¡°And, I as well¡ª¡ª¨C¡°(utano) ¡°Hm?¡± Her next words were in such a small voice that I couldn¡¯t hear it clearly. I looked at her so that she could repeat it but she simply looked at me with the cold eyes of the great Witch. ¡°So I heard you rampaged in the forest of rotting souls?¡±(utano) ¡°No, I simply ran all over the ce from monsters. It was Aya who dealt the finishing blow.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that? That¡¯spletely different from what I heard.¡± Apparently she wasn¡¯t going to repeat what she had said before so I simply decided to answer her next question. When I did, sheughed while hiding her mouth. That gesture was very womanly, in apletely different sense from Aya or Miss Francesca. She loses to both of them in the chest department but she¡¯s definitely an adult. ¡°It¡¯s the truth though.¡±(renji) ¡°It may be to you but it seemed different to Aya though. Well, people do glorify every action of the person they like after all.¡± ¡°in the first ce, Aya wasn¡¯t even there though.¡± I recalled that shitty skeleton. Aya wasn¡¯t there but it was definitely Aya who killed it. The high output bombardment that she fired from underground had blown half of that demon away. Seeing an attack like that really makes me realize how weak I really am once again. She¡¯s intelligent, beautiful, and has a good personality as well. The only thing I surpass Aya in is age. What a pitiful thing it is. ¡°Then, all the more so. To this child, you are that special.¡±(utano) ¡°That¡¯s troublesome in its own way though. I¡¯m not a special person after all.¡± While we talked in low voice so as to not wake AYa up, we looked at her sleeping face again. ¡°So, why am I here?¡±(renji) ¡°You don¡¯t remember?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I have no memories after fighting the demon in the forest.¡± ¡°My oh my. It seems you even missed Aya¡¯s crying face.¡± ¡°To be honest I¡¯m d I didn¡¯t see that though.¡± If I saw something like that, I¡¯ll be filled with a guilty conscience. Crying faces are one thing¡ª¨CI really don¡¯t want to see. It¡¯s fine if they are tears of happiness though. But if I don¡¯t want to see tears of sadness¡­¡­at all. ¡°I¡¯m a crybaby as well after all. If I see someone crying, I¡¯ll start to tear up as well.¡±(renji) ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Enough of that, I averted my face to run from her gaze. Why is it that only at such times she shows a gentle expression? I really am not good with dealing with Utano-san. She¡¯s fun to talk to but I feel as if she can see through my inner thoughts sometimes. ¡°Yui carried you all the way here from the forest.¡±(utano) ¡°Yui-chan did?¡± I ended up asking again due to hearing a familiar name. Yui-chan. Hiyuu Yui. One of the 13 summoned, the same as us. A girl that tames monsters. I didn¡¯t know where she was currently but was she luckily near the forest? ¡°She was actually in the Elfreim continent but apparently Koutarou-kun brought her here. He had seen a future where you would die it seems. You should be sure to thank both of them.¡±(utano) Where do I even start with this? I¡¯m already surprised with Yui-chan and Koutarou¡¯s namesing up and now you¡¯re telling me that I was predicted to be dead?¡­¡­.That bastard Koutarou, if he saw something like that, tell that to me directly! Well, I¡¯m also at fault since I was hiding where I was living I guess. Why is it that everytime he sees me in a future, I¡¯m about to die? Am I that weak? I do consider myself to be stronger than the normal adventurers of this world but is that also wrong? I really feel like crying now. Seeing me like that, Utano-san startedughing again. Aya kept on sleeping as usual though. ¡°Yui-chan and Koutarou¡­¡­are you trying to gather everyone up in the capital?¡±(renji) ¡°Well, now. The event is close but I have no intention of doing that.¡± Saying that ¡®she¡¯ has no intention to do so means that someone else is nning to do so from the dark. For example, the person who created this world, or maybe it¡¯s just some absurd fate working. Well, that person is not a human but a goddess though. I hope that my intuition telling me that another problem ising is really wrong. Everything that she brings up is in a different level of trouble. On top of that, it¡¯s always concerned with me somehow. Am I the only one who thinks that she¡¯s just messing around with me now? As if she had read my thoughts, Utano-san also gave an amused smile. ¡°Work hard.¡±(utano) ¡°I refuse. I worked hard enough for my whole life on that day an year ago.¡± ¡°That¡¯s irrelevant. She¡¯s a goddess, and it¡¯s always your duty to take her requests.¡± What kind of logic is that?! That¡¯s messed up. I have to deal with that woman for my whole life? Ignoring me who dropped his shoulders in dissapointment, Utano-san stood up. ¡°But certainly, it seems everyone is gathering together. It¡¯s as if some kind of fate is working at it.¡±(utano) ¡°Oh please no. The Demon God is dead. The most troublesome thing is gone¡­¡­..i just don¡¯t want anymore fighting.¡± ¡°I agree. I have a lot of things I have to do in this country.¡± Her tone, was even deeper than before when she said thosest words. She must be feeling depressed while thinking about all the work she has. It doesn¡¯t show much on her expression usually but, only at times like these she¡¯s easy to understand. ¡°¡­¡­.you seem to be working hard as well, with all sorts of things.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes, all thanks to a certain someone quickly disappearing out of nowhere.¡± I decided to ignore that and look at Aya¡¯s sleeping face instead. I really do feel sorry about it. For running away from all the trouble, from Aya and for hiding myself my otherrades¡­¡­and to have left everything to Utano-san. But even then, Utano-san never seriously med me for anything and still talk to me like back then. I wonder if this woman knows how happy that makes me. Even though I¡¯d be in no position to refute her no matter what she says to me. ¡°fufu, for the time being, first heal your wounds. It¡¯s safe here after all.¡±(utano) ¡°Oh please, can¡¯t I at least move to an inn in the town instead?¡± If I were to stay here, I¡¯ll start meeting all sorts of people that know me. How will I even face them after hiding from them for one whole year? Even while knowing that, Utano-san¡¯s gaze was cold. Extremely cold¡ª¨Can Absolute zero level gaze was sent towards me. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Everyone already knows that you¡¯re here.¡±(utano) ¡°¡ª-Wha?!¡± ¡°Eru is the insurance. Without her, you won¡¯t slip out of the castle either. Am I right?¡± I looked at Utano-san ckly. And she looked at me with a smile of a child that just seeded in her prank. Though it was rare expression from her, I could only feel chills from it. ¡°Utano-san, may I ask an abrupt question?¡± ¡°What is it, Yamada-kun?¡± ¡°I, how long was I¡­¡­asleep I wonder?¡± (T/N: it¡¯s difficult in english but basically Renji is talking in a very polite manner to her.) ¡°Today would be the fifth day, so basically around 100 hours I guess?¡± I covered my face with my left hand. No wonder my body feels so sluggish. I must have been rushed to the capital but I didn¡¯t think I had been asleep for so long. ¡°Aya¡¯s here so what about them¡­¡­.Feirona and the others?¡±(renji) ¡°I met them. A noble daughter, an elf, and a beast woman. You¡¯re once again travelling with very interesting people, eh?¡± ¡°So they were safe. That¡¯s good¡­¡­.¡± That¡¯s a relief. I did think that they¡¯d be safe considering Aya¡¯s here but even I would get worried seeing it¡¯s been 5 days already. They¡¯re probably not in the castle so they must be in the town, resting in an inn. If I am able to slip outter, I should go meet them. Well, first I¡¯ll have to find which inn they¡¯re staying inn though. ¡°You can be relieved. I¡¯ll send a messenger by tomorrow and invite them to the castleter.¡±(utano) ¡°Ah, I see.¡± She really can read minds, right? Or am I simply that easy to read? I hope it¡¯s the former. ¡°But even still, you¡¯ve brought something troublesome again with you.¡±(utano) ¡°Hm?¡± From her pocket, she brought out a ck crystal. I have no memory of this but I doubt its something good. Not to mention colour¡ª-it made me recall that goddamn fucking monster. Probably because I dreamt of the past just now, I felt even worse than before. From just the looks, it looks like a pretty crystal ore that hasn¡¯t been shaped yet. ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡±(renji) ¡°It¡¯s what the beast woman called Mururu brought from the Elfreim continent.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Mururu did?¡± Or rather, so she¡¯s from the Elfreim continent. How did she manage to get a ship needed to cross over to this continent? Especially how she didn¡¯t even know how money worked. Well, I should ask that the next time we meet. I can¡¯t find an answer like this. ¡°Then, that¡¯s the content of the request from the Spirit God?¡±(renji) ¡°Oh my. You didn¡¯t know that?¡± ¡°Because she refused to show it to anyone but Utano-san. And I felt that it¡¯d be better to open it with you as well.¡± Though in truth, I just wanted to avoid any responsibility. But let¡¯s not tell her that. Honesty may be a virtue but too much of honesty is just foolish. ¡°So, what is it?¡±(renji) ¡°A fragment of the Demon God¡¯s heart.¡± Ah, so that¡¯s why I felt so sick suddenly. Even after hearing that, I didn¡¯t feel disturbed in the slightest. In fact, I feel more satisfied. If Ermenhilde was with me, I would have smashed it to pieces. Utano-san said that she took Ermenhilde so that I don¡¯t run away but probably this was the main reason. To have thought so far, so annoying. ¡°Is the Demon God reviving?¡±(renji) ¡°No, we won¡¯t let it.¡± I recalled what that demon said back at the Magic CIty. But Utano-san denied it strongly. It really encouraged me as well. ¡°That¡¯s the reason why we exist here, Yamada-kun.¡± Away from the window, she said that while sitting at the side of the bed. Her reddish ck eyes looked at me from an even closer distance than before. Too close, or am I the only one who is thinking that. ¡°Aya still hasn¡¯t woken up?¡±(renji) Averting my gaze, I looked at Aya. No matter how much we talked she showed no signs of waking up. ¡°Yes, I made her sleep with magic after all.¡±(utano) ¡°Wha¡ª¡ª-¡± ¡®What are you saying?¡¯ Before I could say that, my lips were blocked. With soft lips of a woman¡¯s. It was just a peck, like a child¡¯s kiss. That too, onlysted an instant before she moved away. But even then, it was sweet and smelled nice. When I opened my eyes, that I had closed who knows when, my gaze met Utano-san¡¯s slightly moist gaze. That also onlysted an instant. She quickly stood back up again and quickly moved towards the door. She must be embarrassed. Even though she¡¯s usually assertive, in the end, her heart is still that of an innocent child¡¯s. It seems that hasn¡¯t changed either. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll leave you take care of Aya, Yamada-kun.¡± She snapped her fingers. When she did, as if nothing had happened, Aya lifted up her sleepy body. Since she was sleeping on the table, she stretched her body while sitting with sleepy eyes. ¡°Good Morning, Aya.¡±(utano) ¡°Eh, ah¡ª-Yuu¡­..¡± At that, she finally realized that I was awake and her body hardened up. Her expression changed into various ones, one by one. I can never get bored of this no matter how many times I see it. Now if I were to say that I saw your sleeping face right now, I wonder what kind of face she¡¯d make? ¡°I¡¯ll go prepare a meal, you¡¯re hungry right?¡±(utano) And the woman who left only problems behind her left the room after saying just that. Chapter 34 Reunion (1) Chapter 34 Reunion (1) ¡°Renji-san, are you fine now?¡±(aya) ¡°Hm, yeah. My body hurts a bit due to sleeping too much though.¡± ording to Utano-san, I slept for full 5 days. It¡¯s been a long time since I slept for so long continuously. I guess even I¡¯ll get tired after walking continuously till the Forest of Rotting souls and then fighting a Demon God¡¯s descendant. Well, I¡¯m already very lucky to have survived all that to be honest. ¡°Also, I¡¯m hungry.¡±(renji) ¡°fufu. Even though you almost died, you¡¯re already energetic eh?¡±(aya) ¡°Cause I didn¡¯t die in the end.¡± When I said that, Ayaughed amusingly. Seeing her smile, I also startedughing with her. ¡°Did I make you worry?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes, very much so. Francesca-senpai and the others were very worried as well.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Aya brought a chair and sat down near my bed. The way she sat was, in a sense, in an even more dignified manner than Utano-san. I won¡¯t say that out loud though. Even walls have ears after all. Aya¡¯s tone was a bit angry, but her expression was so gentle that I didn¡¯t feel scared at all. I wonder if she herself knows that? I doubt she does. ¡°To fall asleep in my room, you really must have been worried a lot, I guess.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­.mouu, please forget that.¡± Blushing a little, she red at me. Normally it would be scary but right now, it only feels cute. When I kept on staring at her face, she ended up averting her face. ¡°It would be such a waste to forget that.¡±(renji) ¡°There¡¯s no such thing!¡± When she spoke angrily and I shrugged my shoulders at it, my right arm pained again slightly. No, the wound has healed but, a little of the Demon God¡¯s poison is still remaining probably. ¡°Are you really okay?¡±(aya) ¡°As long as Aya doesn¡¯t shout at me, yeah.¡± ¡°uu..¡± When I gave a stifledughter, Aya curled up her body. It¡¯s because you act like that, I feel like teasing you more you know? Due to the gap between this and the way she acts normally, well, my teasing nature gets awakened. Even I myself think that its very childish of me to do so. Like, what the hell am I doing? But, oh well, I guess it would be imprudent to continue any further right now . If I am to tease someone who was worried for me, I should at least wait till I¡¯m back to full health again. Even I have tended to my injuredrades countless times. At those times, its best to always be energetic, I know. ¡°You¡¯re always teasing me.¡±(aya) ¡°Because I get really amusing reactions when I do so.¡± ¡°Haah¡­¡­you¡¯re treating me as a child.¡± ¡°Because you still are a child.¡± ¡°I¡¯m already 18 yrs old.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m 28.¡± When I said that, she pouted like a child to protest against me. That¡¯s exactly why you¡¯re still a child. But if I pointed that out, she¡¯ll fix her expression which would be a waste so I didn¡¯t. We continued conversing like that when, ¡°Oh right, where¡¯s Ermenhilde?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­..Eru is probably with Yui or that idiot, I think.¡±(aya) When I changed the topic, she sighed. Idiot¡ª-probably means Koutarou. Aya and Koutarou don¡¯t get along much. Well, they don¡¯t hate each other or anything, they simply quarrel with each other too much. That¡¯s because Aya uses magic by using her mind/thinking with her head whereas Koutarou weaves/creates magic with pure sense/intuition. One being a genius and one who depends on pure instinct, they simply are unable to understand each others magic. That¡¯s why they end up quarrelling. Even after countless times I have mediated their fights, they still haven¡¯t stopped. ¡°It was Koutarou who came to save me because he saw a future of me dying you know?¡± ¡°No such thing.¡± ¡°When I tried to defend Koutarou, Aya pouted again. ¡°If he saw a future of Renji-san dying, he should have quickly told it to us. If he had, we would have taken Souichi and Yayoi with us as well.¡±(aya) ¡°That won¡¯t do. Those two have their own things to do as well.¡± To be honest, if it were upto me, I¡¯d have Aya live as a student at Magic City as well but it¡¯s useless to say that now. ¡°He¡¯s always putting up airs, over exaggerating things¡­¡­..that¡¯s why I don¡¯t like him.¡±(aya) ¡°Please try to get along with him more.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try to.¡± Well, even I think that he should have told me such a future earlier though. He saw my death after all, my death! I don¡¯t want to die yet, you know? I have lots of things I want to do, things I have to finish. There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll ept dying in that remote forest. I¡¯m pretty sure he has already disappeared but next time I meet him, I¡¯m definitely going toin about this. Also, I have to thank him for saving me as well. That chunnibyou wannabe is weak to such things after all. I¡¯m gonna tease him to my heart¡¯s content. ¡°Oh right, is Yui-chan also in the capital?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes. She was the one who carried you here from the forest on her Fafnir. She should be at the training grounds right now.¡± Saying that, Aya stood up and opened the curtains. I also came closer to the window and looked outside. The training grounds were perfectly visible from this window. There a giant crimson dragon was currently resting its wings. It was Yui-chan¡¯s third contracted beast, the Ancient Dragon¨CFafnir. Just like an year ago, it always looked strong and cool. Every man admires dragons after all, yeah. We had the dragon lend us its back to move quickly to different ces and also had the help from its breath attacks during battles countless times. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s Fafnir¡­..so that means..¡± Saying till that, a 15cm tall humanoid with wings came towards the window we were looking through¡ª-a fairy. When I had asked sometime before if she didn¡¯t feel cold flying around wearing just that white dress, apparently, the wind spirits took care of that for her. Truly convenient. ¡°¡ª¡ª, ¡ª¡ª¡ª-¡± Since I closed the window, I can¡¯t hear what she¡¯s saying but it seems she hasn¡¯t realized that so is still continuing to talk. When I finallyughed at her, she finally realized and started beating on the window. She¡¯s the same as well it seems. ¡°Don¡¯t break the ss, will you?¡±(renji) ¡°How rude. Even though I came here to greet you, youughed at me.¡±(fairy) ¡°It¡¯s your fault to start talking even though the window was closed. You should have realized that earlier.¡± ¡°uu¡ª¨Cwell, that¡¯s true as well.¡ª¨C¡± Since she¡¯s mumbling in a small voice I can¡¯t hear her properly. Since her body was small, her volume was low as well. ¡°What did you say?¡±(renji) ¡°Shut up. Idiot! Die with your ipetence!¡± ¡°I am not gonna die that easily.¡± And what the hell, she¡¯s calling me the same thing as Utano-san. Even I¡¯ll get hurt a bit now. I¡¯m not that ipetent, probably. Even like this, I still try to live as bravely as possible. ¡°Anastasia, did you see Ermenhilde?¡±(renji) ¡°Wha? What, you prefer that medal woman over me?¡± ¡°What is wrong with your brain? I can¡¯t calm down without Ermenhilde by my side that¡¯s all.¡± But she still looked at me with a suspicious gaze. Really, what goes on inside her head? Fairy Anastasia. She¡¯s the queen of all fairies that reside in the forest of the World Tree in Elfreim. She¡¯s a user of Spirit magic and in terms of usability of magic, she even surpasses Aya in my opinion. Though I wonder if that¡¯s simply because she¡¯s a fairy or because this nagging chibikko(small kid/brat) is actually skilled on her own¡­¡­.It¡¯s probably the former. I wonder what she was thinking right now after I asked about Ermenhilde since the Fairy queen flew away from the window and glided in the air. She¡¯s really skilful. I recalled that I had tried flying using spirit magic many times myself but I couldn¡¯t fly as well as Anastasia. And then I was made a fool of as well. I¡¯ll ask her again and take revenge this time. ¡°fuun. You have it hard as well, Aya.¡±(fairy) ¡°Not really. This fun in its own you know.(aya) ¡°Yuuko as well, without him knowing¡­¡­¡­you¡¯re such a sinful man, Renji¡±(fairy) ¡°In Utano-san¡¯s case, I¡¯m more of a victim in my opinion.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± But, for some reason, I ended up getting a cold re from Aya instead. Even the presence beside me became colder. ¡°What did you do to Yuuko-san?¡±(aya) ¡°Why am I being treated as the wrong-doer!?¡± To be looked so suspiciously by Aya¡­¡­I¡¯m so sad. But in truth, earlier, how should I call it, that was a surprise attack by her. In any case, I am not at fault in anyway I think. Or maybe I am at fault for not being clear even now? Well, I guess its always the man who¡¯s at fault in such cases. Yeah. ¡°Ites to him as a habit, doesn¡¯t it?¡±(fairy) ¡°Shut up, chibikko.¡± ¡°nuu. You¡¯re calling me like that again, you ipetent!.¡± Saying that, she climbed on my right shoulder. The weight I felt made me nostalgic and I ended up smiling a little. ¡°Where¡¯s Yui-chan?¡±(renji) ¡°With Faf¡¯. ¡®Knight¡¯ is swinging swords with Yuuta.¡±(fairy) ¡°With Kuuki eh¡ª¡ª-¡± I¡¯ll have to go meet him as well. Kuuki Yuuta. The [Knight of the Goddess], one of the heroes affiliated with the Knights Order of the country. And ¡®Knight¡¯ was the first contracted monster of Yui-chan, a Phantom Knight. He¡¯s called ¡®Knight¡¯ because he¡¯s a knight. Utano-san was the one who named him. Don¡¯t try to think too much about it. It¡¯s useless to make a retort. But still, I sure hear a lot of myrades names just bying to the capital. That made me feel¡ª¡ªvery weird kinds of unclear emotions, making me scratch my head. ¡°You¡¯ll catch a cold so I¡¯ll close the window again, okay?¡±(aya) ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°My oh my. What devotion! You¡¯ll definitely be a good wife, Aya.¡±(fairy) ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª!¡± When Anastasia teased her like that, she silently, but instantly tried to grab the fairy. Aya really has a low boiling point in front of herrades it seems. It wasn¡¯t her aim, but since Anastasia was on my shoulder, it ended up with her jumping at me. Normally I¡¯d just hold her back easily but I really didn¡¯t have any strength on me right now. I tried but my legs soon gave up as I fell. I also felt the actual culprit move away from my shoulder as well. ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°EH!?¡± Just like that, I fell down along with Aya. I fell with my back towards the bed and Aya fell right in my arms. Depending on how you look, it would seem as if I was passionately hugging Aya I guess. ¡°Oho.¡±(fairy) ¡°Don¡¯t tease her too much. Even after all the teasing, she still hasn¡¯t gotten used to it after all.¡±(renji) ¡°I know.¡±(fairy) Why was she giving me thumbs up, this idiot fairy queen. ¡°You okay?¡±(renji) I called to the girl in my arms but I got no response. When I bent my neck below to see her, only her glossy ck hair came into my view. She must be putting a lot of time in grooming her hair. It even smelled really nice as well. But as you¡¯d expect, I won¡¯t harbour wicked thoughts for a girl who feels more like a daughter. ¡°Aya?¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± When I spoke, as gently as I could, she put her hand on my chest. She held my shirt, and gripped it very tightly. As I wondered about what emotions were running through her¡ª¡ªI looked above to see the culprit behind this situation, the fairy queen flying around the room grinning while looking at us. How can one be so carefree? As expected of prank-loving fairies I guess? And she¡¯s their queen to top it off. Giving a sigh, I released strength from my body. After 5 days of only sleeping, Ick all energy. ¡°C¡¯mon, don¡¯t cry. I¡¯m still alive right?¡±(renji) Her shoulders were slightly trembling. But I could only caressed her head gently whilebing through her hair. I was the one who made her worry and afraid. She said it lightly but she must have been really worried when I was unconscious. I can understand. I was also always anxious and worried whenever I was looking after an injuredrade. I know what she¡¯s feeling all too well. And I also know that you alone cannot deal with those emotions. So all I could do was caress her head to calm her. Just like back then¡­¡­¡­.just like ¡®her¡¯ who held me tightly and caressed me. ¡°You¡¯re a crybaby as usual.¡±(fairy) ¡°More than 50% is your fault here, you know?¡±(renji) ¡°I wonder?¡± Saying that, as if she had read my mind, she looked at me. Well, I know. The one who¡¯s at fault the most is me who almost died. It¡¯s me who made them all worry so much. That¡¯s why I could only try andfort Aya. Even though I haven¡¯t done anything for this girl. Even though I haven¡¯t even answered back to her feelings. But even so, I end up epting Aya like this. This, definitely is my fault. I know that. After caressing her head for a little while, Aya¡¯s shoulders started to tremble lesser and lesser. Utano-san did say that ¡®take care of Aya¡¯ but, I guess, she expected even this to happen. While I was thinking of that, one of the culprits(Anastasia) hit my head. Since she¡¯s small it doesn¡¯t hurt but it did surprise me. ¡°That was a minus.¡±(fairy) ¡°¡­¡­What was?¡±*(renji) ¡°You shouldn¡¯t think of other women while embracing a girl!¡± Can read minds as well? I ended up retorting like that. ¡°I wasn¡¯t really, though.¡±(renji) ¡°Should I tell about this to Eru and Yuukoter then?¡± ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Maybe she didn¡¯t like my answer, she hit my head again. It was a fist this time. Well, that doesn¡¯t really hurt either though. ¡°Even though you abandoned us for a whole year; how about showing some gratitude towards me who let you off the hook with just this much?¡±(fairy) ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Seriously. you¡¯re such a tsundere.¡± ¡°That usage is definitely, without a doubt, wrong!¡± There¡¯s no ¡®tsun¡¯ in me. In the first ce, a male tsundere just sounds creepy. (T/N: If you don¡¯t know what a tsundere is, tho it¡¯s pretty much impossible if you¡¯re reading LNs and WNs and still don¡¯t know that, but even so if you don¡¯t, just google it. I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯ll get wiki pages exining in detail what a tsundere is :P) ¡°Ermenhilde also uses such weird words at times but who the hell is teaching you guys all this stuff?¡±(renji) ¡°Koutarou, obviously?¡± That idiot, I¡¯m definitely going to make him cryter. Though I do have to thank him for saving me, that¡¯s a different thing altogether. Deciding that in my heart, I lifted Aya from her shoulders and sat down on the bed with her. It ended up with her technically sitting on myp but Aya didn¡¯t seem to have anyints about that. To be honest, I¡¯d be happier if she¡¯d move already. As usual, she rested her head on my chest. She smells temptingly nice, really. ¡°A¡­.Aya?¡±(renji) ¡°What is it?¡± It would seem that she had cried outpletely already as her voice was back to normal. I gave a sigh of relief at that. ¡°Please get down off me already.¡±(renji) ¡°It¡¯s amazing you could even say that. I¡¯m actually impressed.¡±(fairy) I ignored the fairy speaking from above for now. Or rather, at least half of this is your fault, this situation. But seriously, how did it end up like this? I ended up giving a wry smile. I was the one at fault. No matter how I try to gloss over it, the fact doesn¡¯t change that my weakness made them worry so much. ¡°I really made you worry, didn¡¯t I?¡±(renji) ¡°Very much so.¡±(aya) ¡°I see.¡± The same conversation we just a while ago. But this time, Aya was crying. But for some reason, I don¡¯t feel that bad inside. There¡¯s no way I would when it was a beauty who was worried for me and crying over me. I see. I whispered that once again and looked towards Anastasia. ¡°I made you worried as well?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes, very much. I was incredibly, worried for you.¡± ¡°As usual you exaggerate everything, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°As usual your treatment of me is different from others as well, isn¡¯t it!?¡± ¡°This much is more than enough for you.¡± As I talked with Anastasia, Aya, in my embrace, trembled her shoulders. But this time I didn¡¯t hear her sobbing but heard her stiffledughter. ¡°Thank you. For crying for me.¡±(renji) ¡°¡ª¨CYes.¡± From within my embrace, Aya smoothly slipped out. Even though she had been crying till now, she was surprisingly nimble with her feet. In exchange, Anastasia came back to sit on my right shoulder. ¡°If Renji-san won¡¯t cry, I¡¯ll cry for you as well.¡±(aya) ¡°I see.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.That¡¯s why, if you even slightly think that that is not good, please don¡¯t make me cry anymore.¡± With reddened eyes, but with a smile, she said that to me. ¡°Was that a confession?¡±(fairy) ¡°Well, I wonder?¡±(renji) ¡°Something like that?¡±(aya) As we both answered at the same time, all 3 of us startedughing. Were both the correct answer? Or were they both wrong? As we talked about things that I wasn¡¯t sure even held any meaning, the door was knocked. ¡°I brought food, Yamada-kun.¡± Utano-san came in. In both of her hands were trays with different food arranged. How the hell did she even knock the door then? ¡°Oh? Anastasia, you were here as well?¡±(yuuko) ¡°Yes! Yuuko, where¡¯s my portion?¡±9fairy) ¡°I¡¯ll share mine with you.¡± ¡°This why I love you, Yuuko!¡± To get lured in by food, she sure is selfish. As expected of a fairy, I guess. As my right shoulder became lighter, I gave a sigh. As my gaze connected with Aya¡¯s, we both gave a smile. ¡°Did you have him spoil you well?¡±(yuuko) ¡°¡ª¡ª¨C¡± Instantly, Aya¡¯s face turned red. She hid her face but even she was red to nape of her neck and the tip of her ears. As usual, she¡¯s weak to unexpected things. ¡°Now then, let¡¯s eat shall we?¡±(renji) At times like these, it¡¯s best to act as if I didn¡¯t notice and wait for the storm to pass. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a mistake either. Seeing me like that, Utano-san looked at me for a second and gave a sigh. ¡°Don¡¯t you know? Every time you sigh, you let your happiness run away apparently.¡±(renji) ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve already found/caught my happiness.¡±(utano) So it seems. Chapter 35 Reunion (2) Chapter 35 Reunion (2) After finishing thete lunch, having nothing else better to do, I simply leaned back on the chair doing nothing. I stared at the ceiling but it¡¯s not like there was anything worth watching there either. Now then, what should I do next? ¡°Now then, I¡¯ll clear up the tableware and return in a moment, ¡®kay?¡±(utano) I looked towards Utano-san who rose from her chair as she said that. She had her usual serious-looking face that I was well acquainted with. ¡°I could at least help with that¡­¡­¡±(renji) ¡°Injured should just rest. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make you work enough to pay back for thister.¡± That sounds unpleasant on its own though. Any job from her sounds troublesome, or should I say, a total pain. As if she had read through my thoughts, Aya sitting beside me gave a shortugh. ¡°I have a bad feeling about this, really.¡±(renji) ¡°How rude. Do you really think I¡¯ll give you a job solely to tease you, Yamada-kun?¡±(utano) You would, definitely¡­¡­¡­¡­I wonder what would happen if I actually said that? While thinking of that, I moved my gaze away from Utano-san. I felt like her gaze became even colder but let¡¯s just ignore that. I feel like I¡¯ll be dragged even further down if I pointed that out. ¡°Let me help as well.¡±(aya) As if trying to help me, Aya also stood up and began gathering the tes on the tray. Utano-san¡¯s gaze moved towards Aya at that. As I felt relieved inside my heart, Utano-san suddenly looked at me again. I panicked and ended up straightening up my back. ¡°Renji-san, please take a good rest now.¡±(aya) ¡°Yeah¡ª¡ª¨C¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep watch so its fine!¡±(fairy) Just when I was about to reply to Aya, Anastasia gave a reply while standing near my ear. She had returned to my shoulder from Utano-san. ¡°¡­¡­..heavy.¡±(renji) ¡°Ahn?¡± Even if you¡¯re a fairy, it¡¯s really weird for a girl to make such sounds. Near my ear, Anastasia spoke in a really low but cold voice. It¡¯s not like the first time I¡¯m hearing her speak like this; she speaks like this when she gets a bit angry. ¡°Wow, Anastasia is going to stay with me, I¡¯m so happy..¡±(renji) ¡°Good, good. Show your gratitude with tears in your eyes Renji.¡±(fairy) ¡°Fufu.¡± Was it Aya or Utano-san whoughed at that? That said, Anastasia¡¯s mood still seemed to have not changed. Her voice is back to normal but she¡¯s probably still a bit angry. Or rather, she¡¯s definitely angry. As you¡¯d expect of a woman¡ª-well, I doubt she¡¯s mentally grown enough to even be called a woman. I guess I shouldn¡¯t have said that about her weight. It was only a joke though. Well, that excuse won¡¯t work now though. ¡°Anastasia, you sure get along with Yamada-kun, don¡¯t you?¡±(utano) ¡°Of course. But don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t whip injured people so I won¡¯t do anything like that.¡± ¡°Wait, if I hadn¡¯t been injured were you going to whip me!?¡±(renji) ¡°That or, would have hung you down the window.¡± That¡¯s equally scary! That¡¯s inhumane. I¡¯d die, you know? ¡°That aside, Utano-san..¡±(renji) ¡± Hoh? ¡®that aside¡¯¡­.?¡±(fairy) ¡°Utano-san, take this one with you, she¡¯s really starting to scare me.¡±(renji) ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not scary, not scary at all.¡± The way you¡¯re speaking as if trying to persuade a pet animal only makes it more scary stupid! ¡°You two really do get along.¡±(utano) ¡°Eh, where? How?¡±(renji) When I asked that, Utano-san simply gave a smile and Aya just gave a sigh. Anastasia simply silently pulled on my ear. It doesn¡¯t hurt but it does tickle so really, stop. As my body stirred, she started putting more strength in her hands grabbing my ear as if she was having fun with it. ¡°Don¡¯t start fighting and destroy the room, okay?¡±(aya) ¡°No need to worry. We won¡¯t imitate you and Koutarou.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­.you still remember that?¡±(aya) Surprised for a second, Aya then hid her face in embarrassment. Once, while on our journey, those two fought in an inn which led to a full out magic battle inside a room. I don¡¯t remember the reason behind their quarrel but I remember how troublesome it was to deal with it after wards. We had to pay so much just for the repairs. But it sure was easy back then. The country would pay for all our expenses. Well, both me and Utano-san had to bow and apologise to the Knightmander O¡¯brien who was travelling with us along with the Knight Order though. It can¡¯t be helped. It was totally our fault after all. Well, Aya and Koutarou¡¯s fault to be exact. ¡°How nostalgic. Also¡­..you sure remember everything concerning Aya eh Yamada-kun?¡±(utano) ¡°Yuuko-san!¡±(aya) ¡°No need to react that much. Don¡¯t drop the tes you¡¯re carrying, okay?¡±(utano) ¡°Uu¡­..uuu¡± While talking like that, those two left the room. ¡°Ah, Yamada-kun?¡±(utano) ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Come to my room at night. I¡¯ll be waiting for you.¡± Saying that at the very end, she left. Aya seemed surprised, or rather, was blushing madly. Well since it¡¯s Utano-san we¡¯re talking about, she¡¯s probably just wants to talk about what we¡¯ll do next. There¡¯s the matter of the Demon God¡¯s heart as well. I¡¯m not very excited about this. I have already had my expectations destroyed countless times by her like this. Even I¡¯d learn after failing so many times. Aya though, I wonder what she imagined? I¡¯m definitely gonna tease her about thister. ¡°What does she mean?¡±(fairy) ¡°Well, it¡¯s adult talk, you don¡¯t have to worry.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± . . . . With Anastasia still on my right shoulder, I left the room. I did try lying back down on my bed but ended up feeling way too bored. Since I had been sleeping for 5 days already, I didn¡¯t feel like sleeping either. It didn¡¯t feel right to keep on lying on my bed needlessly. So, I decided to leave the room for a walk. It¡¯s necessary to move my dull body as well after all. ¡°just when I was finally free from Ermenhilde, now I have to deal with you eh¡­¡­.¡±(renji) ¡°What¡¯s up with that? Even though I¡¯m keeping youpany so that you don¡¯t start feeling lonely.¡±(fairy) ¡°Yeah yeah. Thank you very much for that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel like you meant a single word of that though?¡± ¡°Oh I am very thankful, really, Anastasia-sama.¡± Angrily, or rather sulkily, Anastasia turned her head away to the other side. Instead of the usual Ermenhilde, now I have Anastasia to talk to. Can I never get some alone time? While thinking like that, I walked through the empty corridor. The brand new leather boots prepared for me made a dull sound as I walked. It was a bit chilly here but since the weather was nice, I¡¯m sure my body will warm up as I walk. Even though I was bedridden till just now, I have be able to walk just after one meal. The cheat abilities sure are something. Not just our physical abilities, even our restorative capacities are in a level above normal. Well, I¡¯m still nowhere near the superhuman levels Souichi and others have either. If it were those guys, they¡¯d probably be able to move around almost instantly after resting. ¡°You have a gorgeous fairy walking with you, you sure are a human living in extravagance aren¡¯t you?¡±(fairy) ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to say that yourself, you know?¡± Well, true, Anastasia is definitely a beauty. With curly green hair and wings on her back. A fairy, that only existed in tales and legends in our world, existed here as if it wasmon sense. And for some reason also sitting on my shoulder. She¡¯s only 15 cm tall but even then her beauty is incredible. Other women around me¡ª-like Aya or Utano-san were beautiful as well but Anastasia¡¯s beauty was almost unrealistic. Her body even had curves and covered with the thin silky white dress, it¡¯s safe to say that it was poison for any man¡¯s eyes, even at her size. Even like this, she¡¯s cute like a doll. Well, she¡¯s actually a fairy though. As expected, I wouldn¡¯t harbour weird thoughts for a fairy the size of a doll. I¡¯m not far off gone yet, neither am I that thirsty. In fact, if I ever did end up looking at this pipsqueak in that way, I think I would have lost then. And somehow, Anastasia also understands my thoughts so she¡¯d often tease me in that manner. Back then, Koutarou and other who were excited about getting summoned to another world were getting excited saying ¡°It¡¯s a fantasy world!¡± when they met her but apparently in Anastasia¡¯s eyes, that reaction was an instant ¡®out¡¯. Though in my opinion those kinds of guys would be more fun to tease like this though. But for some reason, she decided that I¡¯ll be the only one who¡¯d have to deal with her teasing. I don¡¯t understand the basis behind it at all. She¡¯d also get into a lot of fights with Ermenhilde as well. I guess it¡¯s that, ¡®the more they fight, the closer they are¡¯, or something like that. ¡°If only your personality wasn¡¯t like that..¡±(renjii) ¡°Oh? What does that mean I wonder?¡± ¡°Who knows indeed..¡± But still, howe I haven¡¯t seen any other people even though its still bright outside? It felt as if we were the only people in the astle. ¡°Where are you heading?¡±(fairy) ¡°Nowhere particr.¡± I left only because I was bored inside my room. It¡¯s not like I had decided on a destination when I left. And for some reason, Anastasia, Aya and Utano-san, not a single one of them would tell me where Ermenhilde was. Even I won¡¯t try running away after all this time¡­¡­..probably. I¡¯m a bit worried for Feirona and the others as well. I want to go and meet them. ¡°Haah¡­..then let¡¯s head to the training ground maybe? Yui and others should be there right now.¡±(fairy) ¡°I see.¡± Anastasia said that as if fed up. Well, since I really didn¡¯t have anywhere I had to go, I turned to move towards the training grounds. 3 years ago, though not for long, but I did live here. I remember the way. Taking a right, I went down the staircase where I met a few of the soldiers on guard duty. I finally met people inside the castle but even when I greet them they¡¯d simply salute. They sure have been trained well. I ended up admiring them. Though it¡¯d be nice if they¡¯d just greet back when I do so. I am just an adventurer now. I may have been summoned as a Hero back then but the reason why I was summoned has beenpleted. For someone like me who can only fight at his fullest against the Demon God, I don¡¯t think I have much value left now. But even then, the gazes of the soldiers I passed through were as if they were seeing something sacred, filled with zeal and passion. In my old world, I would never get something like this I ended up feeling confused as to how I should act. She must have felt something about this as Anastasia began to poke my cheek as soon as we were out of the soldiers vision. ¡°Why the hell are you getting all nervous for?¡±(fairy) ¡°I¡¯m not really getting nervous to be honest.¡± If I were to choose, what I felt was more closer to guilt rather than nervousness. During the journey, I was of use only at the very end. And that power as well was achieved at the cost of countless sacrifices. But the Demon God is no more. And his descendants can be defeated even without my help. And when even those would have disappeared¡ª¡ª¨Cmy cheat will bepletely useless. A Godying weapon is useful only till there is a god that needs to be killed. What worth does a human like that even have. Without that, I am nothing more than an adventurer and Ermenhilde is nothing more than a talking medal. Well, that¡¯s rare in its own way though. ¡­¡­..And to be honest, I have no problem with that but what does Ermenhilde think about that? Will it still ask me to treat it as a weapon? Or¡­¡­. I want Ermenhilde to find a path where it isn¡¯t a weapon anymore. That¡¯s why I wanted to show the world to Ermenhilde to open up its choices.¡ª¨CI want to find that path together. That is the reason behind my journey. Even I think that it¡¯s a really immature objective though. Well, I think Utano-san might have realized that already though. Her intuition is way too sharp. ¡°What happened, sighing like that. Is there a problem?¡±(fairy) ¡°Just felt a bit ashamed..¡± ¡°Haah?¡± When I said that, Anastasia made a surprised sound. To them, I may be a hero who saved the world. But I chose Ermenhilde over the world. Rather than supporting the whole world, I ended up deciding to chose to support just my partner. I don¡¯t even have the resolve of a hero, and not to mention that I have to put others in danger just to fight properly. There¡¯s no way you can call that a hero. That¡¯s why¡ª-those gazes, from soldiers whose names I don¡¯t even know, felt heavy. ¡°This is the castle of humans and you are the hero of those humans. Act more confidently¡­¡­you¡¯re so not cool at times.¡±(fairy) ¡°I feel like I¡¯m never able to act cool though?¡± I have not been living a life where I could be called ¡®cool¡¯. I¡¯m just desperate. And was able to luckily survive till the end, that¡¯s all. Anastasia seems to understand that as well as she poked my cheek while smiling. Her tiny finger felt a bit ticklish and I stiffened my face at that. My reaction must have felt amusing as Anastasia startedughing in a small voice. ¡°Well, that¡¯s true as well I guess.¡±(fairy) ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to refute me there?¡±(renji) ¡°You want me to refute you when you yourself said that first?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t get you.¡± While we were talking, some well dressed nobles appeared to pass by in front of us. As I let them go first, they looked at me confusedly. Well, I guess they can¡¯t help it either. I¡¯m dressed in nothing more than a nice tunic and trousers. That¡¯s not how normal people dress when inside the royal castle. The soldiers may remember me since I frequently went to the training ground 3 years ago but I doubt the nobles would. Not to mention I never returned here after the Demon God was subjugated. So I never had a chance to meet these nobles face to face like my otherrades. I hate things like banquets and parties so even in those I¡¯d simply stand near some wall. There¡¯d be very few nobles who¡¯d remember me. They must have found it even weirder that such a human had the fairy queen Anastasia, contracted to the Hero Hiyuu Yui, on his shoulders. They must have decided that it must be one of Anastasia¡¯s whims since they didn¡¯t ask me anything. ¡°Normally, they should be the ones to let us pass first you know?¡±(fairy) ¡°Not really.¡± I don¡¯t really understand how administration ofnd etc works, but I know that its these nobles who are running the country. They are much more useful than me, who only knows how to swing his sword, now that world is free of the Demon God. ¡°You¡¯re such a¡­.Why do you always put yourself below everyone else?¡±(fairy) As I walked towards the training ground, Anastasia said that to me. Whether it be her or Ermenhilde, why does everyone say the same thing to me? Compared to Souichi or the others, my achievements and abilities are both way below them. ¡°That¡¯s just my nature.¡±(renji) ¡°That¡¯s not a ¡®nature¡¯ it¡¯s a disease¡­¡­.Fix it, it¡¯s not cool.¡± She said that not in her usual yful voice but in a more serious¡ªtruly like the queen of fairies. ¡°I am fine the way I am. I find even my current status to be more than what I deserve to be honest.¡±(renji) ¡°You may say that modesty is a virtue but from my point of view, excess modesty is simply being servile. It¡¯s unsightly. It doesn¡¯t suit you Yamada Renji.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.You say the same things as Ermenhilde.¡± ¡°No way!?!¡± Her queen like pressure instantly dissipated. How flimsy is your character. While getting amazed by that, I sighed. How should I say this.. ¡°You haven¡¯t changed at all.¡±(renji) ¡°Renji, you have be more depraved though. Back then, you were more energetic.¡±(fairy) ¡°Well, I¡¯ve lost my objective foring to this world after all. It¡¯s obvious I¡¯ll bezy.¡± The Demon God had to be taken down urgently. As long as that thing was alive, lives were being taken. We couldn¡¯t forgive that which is why we went and killed it in a matter of 2 years. Putting our lives on the line, after making countless sacrifices, gaining the trust of many, and to stand up to the expectations of the whole world. Once again, I passed a few soldiers. This time, they went and bowed to me¡­¡­¡­Really, just stop. I really don¡¯t like being in such a position. As if she read through my mind, Anastasia gave a sigh. ¡°The world¡¯s finally heading to peace, I¡¯d say I¡¯m allowed to live leisurely aren¡¯t I?¡±(renji) ¡°Well, I think the same way. After all, we are travelling all around the world on Fafnir. Yui has be quite able to talk with people on her own, you know?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great. Back then she¡¯d always hide behind mine or Kuuki¡¯s back after all.¡± ¡°Seriously. Our master sure is a timid person.¡± I find that as one her good points though. As a man, you¡¯d end up wanting to protect her no matter what when she acts like that. How should I say it, she¡¯s like a small animal. That¡¯s what Yui-chan is like. Has a small voice, even her height¡ª¨Cwell she was the youngest of us all so I guess that couldn¡¯t be helped. As I was reminiscing about the past, Anastasia, this time, pinched my cheek. Still really didn¡¯t hurt though. ¡°Like I said, don¡¯t think about other women even when you¡¯re with a beauty like me.¡± ¡°Other women, you say¡­¡­..she¡¯s your master, you know.¡± ¡°Even then! You really don¡¯t understand a woman¡¯s heart Renji.¡± ¡°Well, I am man after all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong. Even without understanding them, worrying and paying attention to a woman is what makes a good man, Renji.¡± That sure sounds difficult. As I shrugged my shoulders, my cheek was pinched again. If I treated her like a woman, I¡¯ll only get teased for it so I don¡¯t want to do it¡­¡­..I guess that¡¯s just me being rude though. It seemed that she also understood my thoughts since she didn¡¯t actually get angry. She was actually smiling, in fact. Really, how does a woman¡¯s heart even work? I really won¡¯t understand them till the end of my life. ¡°Is that how it works?¡±(renji) ¡°That¡¯s how it works indeed.¡± How many times have I gone through this kind of conversation? Though my partner would change from Utano-san, Aya and now Anastasia. Basically, I¡¯m being told to understand a woman¡¯s heart more it seems. Even though I am actually trying to get better at that you know. There was only one who told me that it wasn¡¯t necessary to understand her womanly heart. Thinking till that, I shook my head. At the same time, my head was hit by Anastasia again. ¡°Sorry.¡±(renji) ¡°Since you apologised in advance, I¡¯ll forgive you this time.¡±(fairy) ¡°Why thank you.¡± ¡°Be grateful, okay?¡± ¡°Oh I am grateful indeed, Anastasia-sama.¡± When spoke jokingly, she hit my head again. After walking for a while, I finally reached the entrance to the training ground. On both sides of the corridor were iron swords, spears, axes, and shields, leaning against the walls. As I looked at the nostalgic view, I felt unspeakably calm inside. This is it. The ce where I started. The ce where I, who had a weak cheat, first gained the power to actually fight. The ce I learned the way of using weapons. For some reason, my heart began beating loudly. I was slightly, excited inside. I myself had not realized that my footsteps had gotten lighter as I crossed the gate. ¡°He¡¯s a man, after all.¡± Anastasia said something in a small voice but I ignored it and entered the training ground as every soldier¡¯s gaze concentrated towards me. That was, nostalgic as well. I also noticed some faces I recognised. The square shaped ground was huge; even with a few hundred soldiers training at the same time, there was still space left. Right now, at the centre of this ground was a deep crimson dragon resting while coiled up. The sunshine must have felt nice to it as it didn¡¯t seem to move and seemed to be sleeping. Though I doubt it¡¯s actually asleep. It¡¯s very sensitive to the presence of others after all. Though it remained with its eyes closed even when I entered the ground. As I looked at the surroundings, my gaze met with few soldiers again. This time, they waved their hands at me with a happy smile. To me, that reaction is many times better than the admiring gazes I¡¯d get. While greeting them with a slight bow, I walked towards the familiar deep crimson body¡ªtowards Fafnir. The surroundings seemed to be noisy but I didn¡¯t pay them any mind. Bing aware of my presence, it felt as if the dragon slightly stirred. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, fool.¡± ¡°Wow, that hurt.¡±(renji) My face cramped at its very first words. Well true, I am in fact a fool. A fool that chose Ermenhilde over the world, over myrades. But still, that¡¯s not how you should start a conversation you know? It opened its eyes and its golden eyes pierced through me. Its body was over 30m in size, even its head alone was bigger than me. Its head suddenly closed in on me and its breath made my hair sway. Its pressure alone made my body freeze. ¡°You¡¯ve changed.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± I took a step back. I may not have spent much time with it as arade but I am well aware of its personality. It¡¯s not really angry, neither is it amused. In the first ce, it wouldn¡¯t really care about the actions of a single human. The reason I took a step back was because its head was too close to me and its every breath was almost painful. Anastasia was almost blown away by it. She hugged my face tightly but that¡¯s making me feel all sorts of softness so really, just stop. It¡¯s single word resounded through my body like thunder. This is a dragon. An existence that could be called one of the strongest beings in this world. It¡¯s single breath could burn away thend and could break through the atmosphere with its wings. It¡¯s ws were sharper than steel and a single swing from its tail could turn even an Ogre to meat paste. It was an existence that could be considered abnormal even by cheat users like us. This was Fafnir. The strongest Dragon King. By the way, though, the reason he became ourrade¡ª-became contracted to Yui-chan was absolutely stupid. A spear had stabbed into the sole of its foot and it couldn¡¯t take it out by itself. As it was rampaging around in pain, we defeated it and Yui-chan who learnt the reason behind its rampage took out the spear and saved it. Truly, absolutely, stupid reason. Well, though the reason was stupid indeed, we almost died while facing the rampaging Fafnir. I still have a bit of trauma from that. Souichi, Masaki-chan, Aya, Kuuki; every fighting specialised member fought against it and they could barely seeded in just bringing the flying dragon down to the ground. ¡°You¡¯ve lost your ambition. You¡¯ve grown cowardly, God yer.¡±(faf) ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. I did something incredible as killing a God even though I¡¯m just a human. It¡¯s normal that I¡¯ve lost all my energy after that.¡± Though I wonder if I ever had something as grand as some ambition in me. ¡°You killed it with pure hatred. No maybe that¡¯s why you¡¯ve grown cowardly now.¡±(faf) ¡°¡­¡­coward, coward. You really don¡¯t hold back, do you?¡± ¡°But of course. You¡¯repletely different from what you were an year ago.¡±(fairy) ¡°After all you¡¯ve changed from the man that this little insect fell in love with.¡±(faf) ¡°Who are you calling an insect?!?¡±(fairy) Wait, that¡¯s what you¡¯re angry about? ¡°Eh, what? Did you perhaps like me or something?¡±(renji) ¡°Don¡¯t get conceited, you ipetent fool!!¡±(fairy) ¡°Wow, that really hurts you know..¡±(renji) Even though it was Fafnir who said that, why am I the one getting scolded? Not to mention, she¡¯s angrier than when I joked about her weight. ¡°Just when I thought it had gotten quieter, it¡¯s be noisy again.¡± When I said that, Fafnir closed its eyes again. As ity its neck back to the ground, it felt as if the ground slightly trembled. That¡¯s how much pressure this dragon gives off. Its every small action makes one nervous. Is this the disposition of a King? As expected of an existence that is considered superior by even the Demon King, who rules over all the monsters ¡°Yui was worried about you. Don¡¯t make her worry too much, Godyer. She¡¯s a crybaby after all¡­¡­when she cries, she¡¯s more troublesome than that insect over there.¡±(faf) ¡°I don¡¯t really mean to do that.¡±(renji) I definitely do not enjoy making women cry. When I said that, I felt as if the pressure from the dragon in front of me lessened a bit. It talks harshly but worries about Yui-chan the most. I could feel a connection between them not just that of a monster tamer and dragon but something more. Even Anastasia, who was being noisy, went silent when Yui-chan¡¯s name came up. There as well, like Fafnir¡ª-I could sense a bond and emotions. As my cheeks loosened in a smile, Fafnir opened its eyes again. ¡°What?¡±(faf) ¡°You¡¯ve changed as well.¡±(renji) ¡°¡ª-Mu.¡±(faf) ¡°It¡¯s being tsundere, I tell you. It tries to act cold and aloof but was also worried about you Renji.¡±(fairy) ¡°That word does not suit at all so please stop, Anastasia.¡±(renji) Don¡¯t say things like ¡®Tsundere¡¯ while in a fantasy world. Think about my dreams and hopes. ¡°What does that word even mean? I do not understand the word but it feels very unpleasant.¡±(faf) ¡°If you¡¯ve got aint, take it Koutarou. I n to as well.¡±(renji) ¡°Seriously¡­¡­that brat is troublesome as well. Teaching weird words to this already noisy girl.¡±(faf) But still, I looked around. There are soldiers who are looking at us curiously but the people I¡¯m looking for aren¡¯t here. Yui-chan, Kuuki, and Knight. Where are they? Well, Kuuki must be busy with work most probably. ¡°Where¡¯s Yui-chan?¡±(renji) ¡°Went to look for you and that insect. Knight went with her.¡±(faf) ¡°Huh, we didn¡¯t meet them though?¡±(fairy) ¡°Like I care. You must have missed each other.¡±(faf) Well, that¡¯s too bad. I should havezed around in my room a bit more. Yup, let¡¯sze around in my room when I return. I¡¯ve been working too hard recently anyway, I should rx more it seems. ¡°That aside, Fafnir..¡±(renji) ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Know where Ermenhilde is?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Instant denial. Try to chose your words better can you? When the conversation¡¯s cut like that, I can¡¯t keep on talking now can I? ¡°Who cares about that medal woman?¡±(fairy) ¡°That won¡¯t do. She gets lonely pretty easily you know.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Could you stop pulling my hair so silently. Please.¡± What if I go bald? This idiot. But still, where have these guys kept Ermenhilde? She isn¡¯t of much use to others. Not to mention that she talks a lot. Let¡¯s look for Kuuki now. I turned away from Fafnir and began walking. I don¡¯t want to meet Commander O¡¯brien even by a mistake though. That guy thinks with his muscles so if he found me who ran away to the viges, it¡¯ll end up being a physical talk instead. That alone, I really want to avoid. I¡¯m still recovering. Well, I¡¯d avoid him even if I wasn¡¯t. ¡°Renji.¡± While I was thinking of that, the Dragon King called me. By name, like back then. Happy of not getting called by that incredibly embarrassing title, I turned around as its golden eyes pierced through me again. ¡°What were you doing, for the past one year?¡±(faf) ¡°Travelling¡­..with Ermenhilde?¡± It couldn¡¯t be helped that it ended up seeming like a question. I was justzing around in viges after all. ¡°No.¡±(faf) But, as if not satisfied with my answer, the Dragon King looked down on me with strong eyes. His thunderous voice captured me. And his strong willed eyes saw through me. That one word alone, as if it held power, made my body tihten. Yeah certainly, this is an existence far surpassing human kind. My weakness, pain, wounds, without minding any of those, it overpowered me. ¡°Why, do you obsess over Ermenhilde so much?¡±(faf) ¡°Because she¡¯s my partner. And, I promised her¡­¡­.that once we had peace, we¡¯ll see the world together.¡± (T/N: I¡¯m going to use female pronouns for Ermenhilde from hereon as everyone else clearly refers to ermenhhilde as a woman. Though its interesting to note that in japanese, Renji himself has never used female pronoun for her. He always uses partner, gender neutral words or simply uses her name.) That¡¯s right. I promised her. My precious promise¡ª-as precious as my own life. The gold coloured¡­.. ¡°That¡¯s not it Yamada Renji.¡± Anastasia stood up from my shoulder and pulled on my clothes. She seems to be saying something but I couldn¡¯t hear her. I couldn¡¯t move away from Fafnir¡¯s eyes. Rather than saying that I couldn¡¯t move my eyes away, it felt as if I would have lost if I did avert my eyes. ¡°That promise was made with Eru, not Ermenhilde.¡±(faf) ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. That¡¯s why I¡¯ll fulfil that promise.¡± When I dered that¡ª- ¡°I see.¡±(faf) Saying just that, it closed its eyes. Released from the golden eyes, I breathed a sigh. For some reason, Anastasia was sighing as well. Normally, they¡¯d talk lightly but as expected, there are levels of difference between a Dragon and a Fairy. Even I could only whisper to myself that it really was a dragon that went all out even against hisrades. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s look for Kuuki next.¡±(renji) ¡°Ye¡ªyeah. Let¡¯s do that. Since Yui is looking for us as well, we¡¯ll meet sooner orter.¡±(fairy) ¡°Well then, see yater, Fafnir.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes. Next time, I want to meet the not-cowardly you, Renji.¡±(faf) ¡°I¡¯ll try to live up to your expectations.¡± Saying that, I shrugged my shoulders. But Fafnir wasn¡¯t even looking at me. Chapter 35 Reunion (3) Chapter 35 Reunion (3) ¡°Now that I remember¡ª¡± As we left the training ground, Anastasia, who was pulling me along by my sleeve, spoke. I wonder what does the scene of a 28 yr old man being pulled around by a floating doll look like? If it was a pretty guy like Souichi instead of me, it¡¯d probably be okay but in my case¡­¡­..how should I say this, even I myself can¡¯t imagine it at all. Feels like it¡¯d be painful (mentally). ¡°Before that, could you let go of my arm?¡±(renji) ¡°Ah, sorry.¡±(fairy) When I said that, the loli queen of fairies let go of my hand with an embarrassed look. Was there even any reason to get embarrassed here? Ignoring her weird reaction, I shook my right arm, that was being pulled, a few times. My upper arm feels really tired now. But I don¡¯t know what Anastasia thought of my action, she pointed her small palm towards me with a smile. And in that cute little palm, suddenly very dangerous looking green magical energy began to gather¡­.Why!? ¡°I don¡¯t really get it, but it was only a joke!¡±(renji) ¡°That; the fact that you don¡¯t get it is what¡¯s pissing me off right now.¡±(fairy) ¡°It was just a joke.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­haah.¡± Since her cold stare was too scary, I raised my both hands in surrender. After a few moments had passed, she simply gave a fed up sigh. No, wait, who could understand the situation right now? While feeling that this was somewhat unreasonable, I began walking back towards my room. Anastasia, as if normal, flew andnded on my right shoulder. If I said that it felt heavy right now again, I¡¯ll definitely get shot with that previous magic. Not to mention she excels in perfectly controlling the power of her magic to cause just enough pain without actually injuring the opponent. ¡°So, what were you going to say back then?¡±(renji) ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to say something to me?¡± When I asked again, she struck her hands together as if finally remembering. As usual, she forgets everything when she gets angry. ¡°What is this promise Faf was talking about?¡±(fairy) (T/N: Faf is short for Fafnir. A nickname used by some of them, not Renji though.) ¡°Oh that, it¡¯s just a promise I made with Eru.¡±(renji) Now that I recall, Anastasia didn¡¯t know about it did she? Actually, there are very few who know about it even among us. Well, a promise with someone is not something you go around telling others anyway. I doubt Eru herself told anyone else about it either. ¡°it¡¯s a secret.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­.it just feels disgusting when a man says that, you know.¡±(fairy) ¡°As usual, you¡¯ve got a sharp tongue as well, oh queen.¡± ¡°Only towards you, Renji.¡± ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that an honour.¡± ¡°Haah.¡± When I replied to her frivolous talk in the same manner, she gave a sigh again. ¡°They say, you let go of some happiness everytime you sigh, you know?¡±(renji) ¡°Yuuko and the others have already taught me that as well.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t sigh so much.¡± ¡°I just can¡¯t help it, seriously.¡± Though she says that, she actually seems to be pretty happy. ¡°But still, isn¡¯t it unfair that Faf knows it yet I don¡¯t?¡±(fairy) ¡°Well, it¡¯s like that. Good men have a lot of secrets.¡±(renji) ¡°You have really bad taste, seriously.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re far worse than me.¡± You¡¯ll make me cry! You¡¯ll really make a mature man cry, you know! Goddamnit! While enjoying such useless banter, we walked through the corridor and reached my room much faster than I thought. As I casually opened the door, a tall ck armour was standing in the centre of my room. In the very centre of the colourfully decorated room stood a knight in ck so tall that I had to raise my head to look at him fully. But, I was already used to this kind of bizzare scenes as well. At the same time as I opened the door, the demonic looking knight¡¯s helm turned towards me as well. But the eyes¨Cno, the head that should be inside that helm was non-existent. A full ck armour that empty on the inside. That was the phantom knight, KNIGHT. (T/N: since the ck knight is named literally KNIGHT, I¡¯m going to put his name in full caps to avoid confusion with other knights.) The souls of countless knights that had lingering attachments to this world and could not pass on umted together giving birth to this immortal knight. It¡¯s the first monster contracted by Yui-chan. ¡°Oh, so you guys were here.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­..Ah, Renji-san.¡± Sitting on the chair, as if being constantly protected by the knight; the small white girl spoke in a small voice. White hair and red eyes. In the words of our world, she was an albino. One of the 13 who was summoned with us, Hiyuu Yui. Seeing a more mature expression on her face than of those in my memories, I felt a bit happy inside. I wonder if this what a father feels when he sees his daughter grow up. ¡°You¡¯ve grown. Did you get taller?¡±(renji) ¡°Ye, Yes. Only¡­..a little, though.¡±(yui) ¡°Even your hair is longer now. You look more mature, Yui-chan.¡± When I said that, she hid her face blushing in embarrassment. I wonder what he thought about seeing Yui-chan like that but KNIGHT stood in front of her as if to hide her behind him. Since he was really big, he did hide her perfectly. Like a small animal, her actions really are very cute. So cute that it felt like a waste that she was hidden by KNIGHT. I think, she is now 16 yrs old. Since she is the youngest of us all, her growth is much more apparent. Her height has grown, and her body is not childish now either. Even her in, unstyled hair were now properly tied at two ends in braids. Back then, she was just tall enough to reach above my waist but now she almost reached my chest. As she fidgeted in embarrassment, she didn¡¯t seem just cute but also very womanly as well. With high ss clothes she was wearing right now, she really looked like a some noble girl. Since it was weird to talk while standing, I sat down on the chair directly opposite to Yui-chan. I still had an image of her looking frail and pale faced inside my head, but now she truly looked like a girl of her age. Even her pure white albino hair that I wasn¡¯t used to seeing back then, now simply feel normally beautiful. It must be thanks to me being acquainted with silver haired women like Mururu or Astraera. While I was observing Yui-chan, Anastasia , once again, hit my head. She tried stabbing my eyes with her tiny fingers. For a queen, she sure has bad manners. ¡°Wait, it doesn¡¯t even make any sense this time.¡±(renji) ¡°Staring at a girl like that, are you a pervert?¡±(fairy) ¡°I¡¯m not staring. I¡¯m simply happy to see how Yui-chan has grown.¡± ¡°But your gaze especially feels like a pervert¡¯s.¡± As we began quarrelling, the ck knight released some overpowering pressure silently. With its height, and being an actual phantom, it felt really weird. Or rather, seeing magical energye out from the joints in the armour like mes looked actually pretty scary. I know that fire won¡¯t actually spread but seeing a human figure burn right in front of you is definitely scary. It seems Anastasia felt the same as she quickly shut her mouth. ¡°Umm, please don¡¯t fight¡­¡­¡±(yui) ¡°No no, we aren¡¯t fighting at all. This is, well, that, right Renji?¡±(fairy) ¡°We¡¯re just messing around, Yui-chan. So please, hold KNIGHT back a bit.¡±(renji) The blue mes of magical energy indicates that he¡¯s entering battle mode. It¡¯s probably not serious but the pressure it gives off is too much. I feel like my life will get cut short just by being close to it. Since it¡¯s a phantom of knights, it¡¯s battle skills are in apletely different level. At the same level as Souichi with his cheat, maybe even stronger. Obviously, I¡¯m confident that I¡¯ll lose to him in a one on one. Even if Anastasia was to help me, in the current situation, she¡¯ll get smashed before she could even try using some magic, and then I¡¯ll be slowly cooked to death by it. Well, I¡¯m sure he is still just trying to threaten and is not serious. ¡°Ah, KNIGHT-san, it¡¯s fine now.¡±(yui) When she said that, KNIGHT took a step back. The pressure also instantly disappeared and the blue mes also vanished. He sure is a loyal to her. I ended up smiling seeing the usual KNIGHT. He really doesn¡¯t change at all. I don¡¯t know whether I¡¯m feeling happy about it or just feeling really nostalgic. ¡°fuu, that was scary.¡±(fairy) ¡°So, sorry¡­.Ana.¡±(yui) ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s my fault for teasing Renji too much. Yui isn¡¯t at fault.¡±(fairy) Anastasia flew to Yui-chan¡¯s side. And, as if it was her usual spot, flew and sat on KNIGHT¡¯s shoulder. That contrast between white and ck was really beautiful to look at as usual as well. ¡°Well, it had been quite some time, so I ended up frolicking a bit too much I guess.¡±(fairy) ¡°fufu, Ana had been lonely for not getting to meet Renji-san for so long, weren¡¯t you?¡±(yui) ¡°No way. I simply thought that he might have gone and died somewhere on the road. Why would I be worried about the likes of him? I¡¯m not kidding, you know?¡±(fairy) Why the hell are you looking at me for approval? For the time being, I just averted my gaze while scratching my cheeks. ¡°Eh, wait, what¡¯s with that reaction!?¡±(fairy) When I tried to act as if I was embarrassed, you get embarrassed as well eh? While enjoying seeing Anastasia¡¯s expected reaction in my mind, I kept silent. As I expected, now she started to make meaningless excuses. I don¡¯t think the situation actually required any excuses from your side though. And Yui-chan¡¯s gaze as she looked at Anastasia warmingly was charming as well. As usual, Anastasia is really amusing. ¡°Anastasia.¡±(renji) When I called her name in a voice as soft and sweet as possible, she ended up goingpletely silent in an instant. ¡°Wait, I¡¯m not going to get embarrassed by just that much, I¡¯m not a child!!¡±(fairy) The next moment, the palm she aimed towards me was caught in a sh by KNIGHT¡¯s arm. Yui-chan¡¯s gaze turned from a warm one to a worried one. Or rather, she is starting to get flustered by the sudden changes in the situation. ¡°Let me go, KNIGHT. It¡¯ll be fine, I won¡¯t kill him.¡±(fairy) ¡°Don¡¯t say such violent things with a smile, oh queen.¡±(renji) ¡°Should whip you properly, you oaf?¡±(fairy) ¡°Waa, please don¡¯t let go of her, KNIGHT-san. Ana as well, you should get used to Renji-san¡¯s personality by now¡­¡­¡±(yui) Since KNIGHT was holding Anastasia back, I had lots of freedom but Yui-chan¡¯s words gave me the most damage unexpectedly. Must be due to having woken up from a big injury buit by body seemed to be swaying doubtfully suddenly. Seeing me like that, Yui-chan got even more flustered. She¡¯s really so cute. I feel like a doting parent, somehow. ¡°Leaving that aside, Yui-chan¨C¡°(renji) ¡°What do you mean ¡®that¡¯!?! How dare you treat a maiden¡¯s purity so trivially!?¡±(fairy) Who the hell is a maiden? You¡¯re older than me goddamnit. ¡°Renji-san as well, don¡¯t tease Ana too much.¡±(yui) ¡°Her reactions were so amusing, I just couldn¡¯t help myself.¡±(renji) But wait, since fairies are all female, maybe she actually is a maiden? While I was thinking of something stupid like that, Anastasia was rampaging with a red face. Seeing Yui-chan¡¯s expression who didn¡¯t really understand the situation much, I ended up feeling a bit guilty. I really should stop with these kinds of jokes in front of Yui-chan and Aya I think. ¡°Sorry, sorry. I¡¯ll listen to anything you have to sayter so forgive me for now.¡±(renji) ¡°How dare you speak of this so lightly?! I¡¯m not going to forgive you, idiot!¡±(fairy) ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll listen to anything okay? Anything, I mean it.¡± ¡°¡­..uu.¡± Well, since it¡¯s Anastasia¡­¡­.at least in front of Yui-chan, she won¡¯t say anything too reckless. Probably. For the time being, I¡¯ll just retreat to wherever Yui-chan is anytime Anastasia brings this upter. But if she still demanded me something weird¡­¡­.well, I¡¯ll think about it at that time. Let¡¯s leave that forter. Since Anastasia finally calmed down, I sighed in relief. Well, I was the one totally at fault though. But some fault lies in Anastasia as well for giving such amusing reactions on being teased, in my opinion. ¡°Somehow, you seem really energetic, Renji-san.¡±(yui) ¡°Well, I can¡¯t keep on sleeping all the time, after all.¡±(renji) When I said that, Yui-chan started giggling. Her hair swayed as sheughed and her increase in height made me once again realize of how much time had truly passed. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you energetic as well, Yui-chan.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°KNIGHT as well, thanks for always protecting Yui-chan.¡± When I said that, KNIGHT gave a silent nod. The helm and armour struck each other to give off a dry sound. His figure of answering with just gestures since he couldn¡¯t talk really looked cool as usual. But since I have a habit of constantly talk, I can never be like him. One day, I want to be a man that can actually talk with just his actions. Well, I won¡¯t be one most probably. I¡¯ll probably getughed at for trying to act cool. ¡°By the way, Yui-chan, do you know where Ermenhilde is?¡±(renji) ¡°Eru-san?¡±(yui) ¡°Yeah, neither Utano-san nor Aya are telling me anything. Of course, Anastasia isn¡¯t either.¡± ¡°What do you mean ¡®of course¡¯¡­¡­..mouu.¡±(fairy) Ignoring Anastasia who was puffing her cheeks in displeasure, I looked towards Yui-chan. But it seems she didn¡¯t know anything as she shook her head. I looked at KNIGHT as well but he also silently shook his head. It felt a bit surreal. ¡°Well, just give up. You have been invited by Yuuko at night, right? Just get her to tell you then.¡±(fairy) ¡°So it seems. Well, at least I got to move my body around.¡±(renji) Just when I said, I leaked a yawn. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t really move so much after being bedridden for so long¡­¡­..how about you go to sleep again?¡±(Ana) (T/N: I¡¯m switching to ¡®Ana¡¯ from ¡®fairy¡¯ for Anastasia because that¡¯s shorter :P) ¡°I guess I should do so. I¡¯m out of stamina anyway.¡±(renji) ¡°Are¡­..are you okay?¡±(yui) Her surprise and worry filled voice felt really pleasant to hear. ¡°Yui-chan, you¡¯re the only one who worries for me like this.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­.Ahn?¡±(ana) ¡°What, didn¡¯t you just say a while back that you weren¡¯t worried about me at all?¡± ¡°Guh¡­¡­¡± When I pointed that out, Anastasia groaned in a very unwomanly voice. Seriously, are fairies okay with this one as their Queen? As I teased Anastasia like that, Yui-chanughed happily. ¡°Yui-chan, you¡¯ll be in the capital for sometime as well?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes. The fighting/battle tournament is close as well after all .¡±(yui) ¡°¡­.Oh right.¡± Now that I remembered, it was already that time of the year. In this world, an year consists of only 9 months. Every year during the 8th month, i.e. at the start of winter, the biggest festival of Imnesia continent takes ce. It¡¯s more like the Olympics though. It¡¯s full of dangerous things after all. Tournaments involving swords and spears and magic etc. Since I didn¡¯t have very good memories of that, I could only respond curtly like that. ¡°It seems Souichi-oniichan and the others will take part as well.¡±(yui) ¡°Oh right, I did hear something like that from him as well, I think¡­..¡± But still, Souichi will take part as well. In the first year when we were summoned, Souichi and Masaki-chan had won their respective male and female tournaments. It¡¯s already been 2 years from that. How nostalgic. ¡°Renji-san, will you take part as well?¡±(yui) ¡°I haven¡¯t heard of anything like that, no.¡±(renji) ¡°You probably will. Or rather, That old man or Yuuko will make you, won¡¯t they?¡±(ana) ¡°Don¡¯t speak of such realistic things¡­..it¡¯s a bad omen.¡±(renji) The old man Anastasia spoke of¡ª-O¡¯brien-san, if it was him, he¡¯ll definitely try to make me take part in it. Or rather, he¡¯llpletely force me to. I owe that man more than my life so if he were to ask me¡­¡­..yeah. Oh please, no. I don¡¯t want to stand out like that. Well, since Souichi is taking part as well, I¡¯ll just hide in his shadow. A man who stayed hidden for a year and the handsome-looking Brave. It¡¯s pretty obvious who¡¯d gather the most attention. For the time being, let¡¯s not worry about it since I have yet to hear anything about me taking part, yet. It¡¯s not good to worry too much. ¡°Well then, we should also go back now, Yui.¡±(ana) ¡°Ye, yes¡­..umm, then, see youter?¡±(yui) When Anastasia said that, Yui-chan timidly spoke that as well. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll be in the capital for some time as well. Why don¡¯t we go out to y sometime?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll be looking forward to it!¡±(yui) Her smile was really too dazzling. It made me once again realize how much she had grown. Back then, she was more gloomy and would always be more reserved even when someone tried to invite her out like this. Seeing her be more mature like this, I felt warm inside my heart. As she briskly walked towards the door and opened it to leave, she turned around and gave a onest wave before leaving. It might seem childish considering she¡¯s already 16, but that only made it look more cuter. After her, KNIGHT, with Anastasia on his shoulder, bent slightly and left as well. Since he¡¯s almost 2m in height, I guess it couldn¡¯t be helped. I gave a shortugh. ¡°Now then,¡±(renji) After sending off Yui-chan, Iy down on my bed. Soon enough, I closed my eyes and fell into sleep. While my eyes were closed, I remembered something from the past. Now that I think about it, back then Yui-chan used to call me [Onii-chan] as well. I wonder if she¡¯d call me like that again. Complex feelings rose in my heart. I felt happy to see her grow yet at the same time, the fact that so much time had passed made me feel a bit sad. While thinking of that, my consciousness slowly began to fade away. At the very end, only Fafnir¡¯s words remained. [Why do you obsess so much over Ermenhilde?] Those are the same words that were spoken to me by Astraera and Shelfa as well, an year ago. Dragon, Goddess, Demon King. Why do these beings surpassing humans always intrude inside my mind so easily? They have too much time on their hands. ¡­¡­..But, I know the meaning behind their words as well. Ermenhilde. Eru. The one I was unable to protect. The one I truly wanted to protect. I fell deep asleep. Hoping, that just for tonight, I don¡¯t want to see any dreams. Chapter 37 Choice Chapter 37 Choice That night, as I walked through the corridor to Utano-san¡¯s room to meet her as promised, I passed through many maids. It might seem unreal but women in maid uniforms are really nice to look at. While thinking of such foolish things, I reached in front of Utano-san¡¯s room. That said, there were only a few rooms between mine and her room. When we had been summoned, only me and her were actually adults in the group so we decided that it¡¯d be convenient to have have our rooms close to each other just in case. There was no other ulterior motive behind it¡­¡­..at least I¡¯d like to think that. In front of her room, I took a deep breath twice. It¡¯s not reallyte at night right now but it has been a long time since I¡¯ve visited a woman¡¯s room at night, so I ended up feeling a bit nervous unconsciously. Also, I¡¯m scared of whatever scolding she will probably give me as well. Calming myself down, I knocked twice. ¡°?¡± But there was no response. Feeling a bit letdown, I knocked again. Since I could see light seeping out from the gap in the door, she should be present in the room. I waited for a while, but still there was no response. Is she really not in? When I tried listening inside a bit, I heard a bit busy sound. It seems like she¡¯s in some kind of hurry. ¡°Please,e in.¡± Just when I was about to knock again, finally a response came. I could tell it was Utano-san¡¯s even through the door. What the hell was she doing? As I opened the door while confused, I realized that another person was inside the room. Though at as heavy as KNIGHT I met in the afternoon, he was still much taller than me. A brown haired young man dressed in nice clothes. His thin eyes moved towards me. ¡°Long time no see, Renji-san.¡± ¡°Oh, Kuuki. It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s been an year. I was really worried when you were carried in all injured you know?¡± As he walked towards me while talking, the difference in our heights made me take a step back. I¡¯m pretty tall as well but this guy still surpasses me by quite a bit. Even in this other world, I¡¯ve not met anyone this tall. His face gives off the impression of someone with a good personality but his height sometimes makes him feel over pressuring at times as well. Kuuki extended an arm towards and I took it as we shook hands with each other. ¡°No, seriously, I was afraid you won¡¯t open your eyes ever again.¡±(kuuki) ¡°Don¡¯t speak of such unlucky things. That Koutarou¡¯s cheat is always making me seem like I¡¯d die already anyway.¡±(renji) ¡°Haha, true. You are always dying ording to his cheat aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s not aughing matter you know?¡± But well, considering that I never did actually die, I guess it can becaome aughing matter as well. Why the hell is his Demonic Eye¡¯s predictions always wrong? Am I simply that easy to kill or his cheat just broken? I hope it¡¯s thetter. Leaving that aside, ¡°Did you grow in height again?¡±(renji) I feel like I have to look up more than I had to a year ago. My neck is getting tired. ¡°It seems so¡­..O¡¯brien-san also told me to ¡®stop growing already¡¯, as well.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not something that can be stopped on an order you know¡­¡­.but still, share some of your height with me damnit!¡± ¡°Renji-san, you¡¯re pretty tall already though.¡± That¡¯s true. I¡¯m currently 180cm. It¡¯ll be a pain to me as well, if I grew more. ¡°Are you guys done talking?¡± As weughed together, a somewhat tired voice came. When we both looked towards the source of it, the master of this room was looking at us with folded arms. Right now she wasn¡¯t in her usual robe but in afortable looking white negligee-like dress made of some soft cloth. Above that she also wore a thick shawl. Her xen hair had been undone and she was giving off apletely different atmosphere than before. Shining from the light of the magicmp, her beauty was made even more prominent. Even I, who is used to seeing this woman called Utano Yuuko, waspletely charmed for a second. But well,¡­¡­ even though she had her arms folded, there was no change in her chest area. I looked only for a second but still I quickly looked away so as to avoid getting noticed. As a man, it can¡¯t be helped that my eyes wander like that. The bookshelf in her room that had clearly had an increased number of books from before came into my view. She had a lot back then as well but there were only 2 shelves. But now, covering all of the walls¡­¡­except the window to let light pass through, there were a total of eight shelves lined up. And each of them were filled with notes and books. Even on her work table, there were lots of books neatly lined up. I concluded that she was quickly cleaning up her room when I came most probably. Though I think it was probably toote since Kuuki was already there. She¡¯s not really good at cleaning and stuff like that. If it was her back then, there¡¯d probably be books lying around not just on her desk but also the floor. Finally, I moved my gaze towards her directly. ¡°Wee, you¡¯rete.¡±(utano) ¡°I had some bad dreams, so I ended up sleeping a bit more than I had nned.¡± While scratching my cheeks I moved forwards. I probably shouldn¡¯t say that she was the one that still made me wait outside though. As I thought of that, a light, sweet smell of flowers came to me. Though there are things simr to perfumes used by nobles in this world as well, Utano-san didn¡¯t seem to be interested in them much so I was a bit surprised. I¡¯dugh like crazy if right now Kuuki told me that he was using the perfume but it seems that¡¯s not the case here. ¡°Something wrong?¡± ¡°Hm, no, nothing.¡± It seems in the past one year, she has be a bit more womanly as well. No, well, I did see her as a proper woman back then as well but she does have a habit of being careless and undisciplined when in private even though she acts perfect in front of others so I was simply a bit surprised seeing her use something like a perfume. I became a bit more conscious of Utano-san as a woman as she looked at me confusedly. Remembering about what happened in the afternoon, another reason may be that I have simply been living a very womanless life for the past year. While I was thinking of that, suddenly my stomach rumbled in hunger. To think of food when smelling flowers¡­¡­.I guess I prefer dumplings over flowers, stomach/food before romance. The phrase truly fits me. ¡°Ara, have you not had your meal yet?¡±(utano) ¡°¡­¡­.I was sleeping after all. Well, I¡¯m not that hungry, I¡¯ll be fine.¡±(renji) ¡°That won¡¯t do Renji-san. You¡¯re still recuperating, you need to take proper nourishment as well.¡±(kuuki) ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± I sat down on the sofa in the centre of the room. It felt a bit weird sitting on such a soft sofa after such a long time. Must be due to the fact that I have been sitting on wooden chairs for a while now. As I smiled wryly at that fact, Kuuki sat down on the opposite side of the table. I¡¯ll just ignore that my stomach had rumbled just now. It¡¯d be embarrassing if I minded it anyway. Seeing that I had sat down, Utano-san rung a small bell kept on her table. And, as if they had been waiting for it, the door was knocked instantly and a woman in maid uniform appeared. She must be a few years younger than me and Utano-san I think. I nkly looked at Utano-san as she ordered the maid for some drinks and light snacks. Seeing her order like that, as if she was used to it, somehow suited her. She really looked cool at times like this. Though I feel that I¡¯ll get scolded by her saying that ¡®cool¡¯ is not apliment for women. When she was done and turned back towards us, our gazes met. ¡°What is it?¡±(utano) ¡°Nothing, I was just thinking that this sofa is really great.¡±(renji) ¡°People don¡¯t usuallye here but this is still the royal castle after all. If I didn¡¯t arrange for at least this quality of things, others startining.¡± Well nobodyes probably because they¡¯re afraid of her. Deep inside she has a good personality but her eyes/gaze is definitely scary. We can tell since we¡¯re used to it but for others I guess it¡¯s not that easy. In contrast, Kuuki has a very gentle and likeable looking face. His extreme height maybe a bit of a minus but because of his thin eyes and gentle expression, he¡¯d be the one people would depend upon in every vige we reached. ¡°It seems the Sage has her own sorts of troubles, eh?¡±(renji) ¡°You¡¯ll understand them soon enough as well, oh great Hero.¡±(utano) Seeing her speak those words with a sense of confidence, I could only shrug my shoulders. I really want to not understand her those sorts of troubles, if possible. When I looked in front, Kuuki was also nodding his head at Utano-san¡¯s words. Since he¡¯s living in the castle as well, I guess he has to deal with such things as well I guess. ¡°I¡¯m really not suited to be a Hero.¡±(renji) ¡°True. I¡¯m not suited to be called a Sage either.¡±(utano) ¡°Oh no, no.¡±(Kuuki) While hearing Kuuki¡¯s slightly sarcasm filled voice, Utano-san came and sat beside me leaving a bit of a gap in between. And with a dry sound, ced the ck gem-like Demon God¡¯s heart fragment on the table. ¡°So that¡¯s the Demon God¡¯s heart, eh?¡±(kuuki) ¡°It¡¯s just a fragment though. Wait, Kuuki, you hadn¡¯t seen it till now?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes, Only the King, O¡¯brien-dono, Aya and your friend called Mururu have seen it till now.¡±(utano) What¡¯s up with that choice. If Aya was allowed to see, why wasn¡¯t he? As if noticing my confusion, Kuuki raised his hand while smiling wryly. I don¡¯t really think you need permission like that to speak, you know? ¡°I was away on a campaign. I came back just very recently.¡±(kuuki) ¡°Ah, I see.¡±(renji) So that¡¯s why there were so less people during the afternoon. ¡°You seem busy.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes, very much so. Recently, monsters have been a bit too active.¡±(kuuki) ¡°The Knight Orders are a bit low on people right now. The 1st Order till the 4th Order are especially busy right now. Especially Yuuta-kun, since he specialises as the [shield].¡±(utano) (T/N: Yuuta is Kuuki¡¯s first name in case you forgot.) ¡°You¡¯re being depended upon a lot, eh?¡±(renji) ¡°I¡¯m happy for that but, really, I want to take some rest now.¡±(kuuki) I could only give a wry smile at seeing wish for that so desperately. Kuuki¡¯s cheat is [The Shield of Protection]. He simply has no recement. After all, with Kuuki there, everyone would be safe even if a dragon-ss monster appeared. Kuuki Yuuta wished for a [Shield to protect everyone]. That was made true as a protective barrier created by Kuuki with him as the centre. It even had the ability to decided what all the barrier would protect voluntarily as well. Whether it be a dragon¡¯s breath, a high ranking demons magic, and even Aya or Koutarou¡¯s catacalysm-like magic that don¡¯t differentiate between enemies and allies, his shield has protected us from all that countless times. Since he has such an ability, he must be leaving for the front lines countless times. ¡°You¡¯re attached to the 3rd Knight Order, right?¡±(renji) ¡°Though I¡¯m still inexperienced, I have been made into the vicemander as well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an amazing achievement.¡±(renji) When I said that, he scratched his cheeks embarrassedly. Seeing him like he always did, I felt happy as well. ¡°He goes on dates with the princess as well so, though busy, he¡¯s pretty happy it seems.¡±(utano) ¡°Wai-!¡±(kuuki) ¡°¡­¡­..hou. You did get along with her back then as well, I guess.¡±(renji) ¡°Renji-san as well!¡± Seeing such a tall and handsome guy blush like that, now I feel jealous. Goddamnit. To have a princess as your lover, how envious is that? But still, finally he did it eh. Soon after we were summoned here, he did quickly get along with her. Before anyone realized even. Seriously, just when we let him out of our sights, he instantly got close to the country¡¯s princess. Unlike his face would suggest, he gets to work fast. That¡¯s how he is. This might be just my own opinion though, since everytime I say that, he denies it with all his strength. ¡°So when are you getting married?¡±(renji) ¡°I can¡¯t right now!?¡±(kuuki) ¡°hmmm, ¡®not yet¡¯ eh?¡±(renji) Well, their feelings aside, they also have both their positions to mind as well. The princess and the saviour/Hero of the country. There¡¯s also the status inside the castle as well¡ª¨Cwell, once he bes themander of the Knight Order, there won¡¯t be any problem. ¡°Aah, c¡¯mon. This conversation has gone off topic too much. Yuuko-san!!¡±(kuuki) While I teased Kuuki who was red-faced, I picked up the ck fragment from atop the table. I gripped it with full strength but it didn¡¯t break. I guess it¡¯s useless without Ermenhilde. ¡°Is it fine to just destroy it?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t as simple as it looks. The Spirit God is involved as well after all.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s true as well.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.And now we¡¯re suddenly back on topic, can you guys stop already?¡±(kuuki) While listening to Kuuki¡¯s tired voice, I returned the fragment back to the table. The Demon God¡¯s heart. Since I was the one who once broke it, I know. The Spirit God does have the ability to break a fragment like this. Probably, better than me. But since he sent it to Utano-san without doing that, he must have a reason to do so. In the first ce, I broke it one year ago on the Abenelm continent. How the hell did it get here after so long? ¡°I just want to destroy this as fast as possible, to be honest.¡±(renji) ¡°You can¡¯t. it might be necessary to the world from hereon.¡±(utano.¡± At her words, my gaze once again went towards the fragment. ¡°The heart of the Demon God that tried destroying the world?¡±(renji) ¡°Recently, monsters have been acting very weirdly. You should have realized that as well, right?¡±(utano) Fumu, I put my finger to my chin I could remember quite a few examples. An Ogre that appeared inside a vige out of nowhere, a descendant of the Demon God, the army of goblins and the Demon controlling them. Kuuki seems to be busy due to the erratic movements of monsters as well and even thatzy Spirit God decided to take action. There must be something happening where we can¡¯t see right now. ¡°Now that I recall, that Demon who attacked the Magic City was talking something about resurrecting the Demon God and whatnot.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes, I heard about it as well. That also seems one of the reasons.¡±(utano) ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°The ones who created this world were the Goddess, the Spirit God and the Demon god, those 3 pirs, right?¡± Saying that, Utano-san raised 3 of her fingers. And then, she bent one of them. We killed the Demon God. That means, this world is currently being supported by the Goddess and the Spirit God. ¡°But, those 2 alone cannot support this world. That¡¯s because this world was created in such a way that it needs three pirs to sustain itself.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know that as well.¡± During my journey, I thought about it many times as well. Since those three created the world, would there be no effect if one of them was killed? Is Utano-san thinking that it¡¯s due to that the monsters are acting like this? That demon said that they wanted to revive the Demon God. I don¡¯t know why or how they¡¯re using the Demon God¡¯s descendants for that though. The descendants are born directly from the power of the Demon God. Monsters were birthed by the Demon God as well but the descendants held power far more than them so they stood above normal monsters and even the Demons. That¡¯s why normally, the descendants would be the ones to use monsters and the Demons for their use, not the other way round. ¡°I¡¯m still looking into it but I think, since we killed one the 3 pirs, the bnce of the world has been destroyed.¡±(utano) ¡°The fact about how the Goddess creates humans, Spirit God creates demi-humans and beastmen and the Demon god creates monsters and Demons?¡± ¡°Yes, ording to my expectations, there must be some kind of affect showing on the Abenelm continent.¡± I see. I guess that would be the first ce to be affected. But since it was rted to only monsters and demons, I didn¡¯t think much about it. Since she said that she was looking into it, did she send people to Abenelm. That sounds like trouble, really. Monsters, demonic beasts, and giants rare on these continents run rampant over there. And if it really is as she says, then I¡¯m not unrted to this problem. After all the reason behind the weird actions of the monsters¡­¡­¡­.the one who killed the Demon God was me after all. Karma works in weird ways, I ended up giving a sigh. And above all¡ª¡ªif the Demon God is necessary for the world means that we have to revive him, that fucking asshole. ¡°About that, I think we should get an Oracle from Astraera about it. Did you hear anything?¡±(utano) ¡°Why are you asking me? I have heard nothing from her in the past one whole year.¡±(renjii) ¡°¡­¡­..well, you¡¯re the most probable ones she¡¯d contact after all. After all, she only gives you all sorts of work.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make me remember. I get depressed.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t thata good thing? You¡¯re liked by Astraera-sama. It would be considered an honour, you know?¡±(kuuki) ¡°Shut up. That woman is nowhere near as nice as it sounds.¡± She isn¡¯t annoying but she is kind of a pain sometimes. In any case, she troubles me a lot, with all of her requests. Normally, that should be the job for the Brave, Souichi. But I guess reality doesn¡¯t work like fantasy. What kind of side character gets more problems than the main hero? As I bent my lips in dissatisfaction, the door was knocked. When Utano-san gave a reply, the maid from before came in with arge tray with alcohol and some snacks. Though carpeted, I guess its as expected of a maid to walk without making a single sound. ¡°Well, let¡¯s leave the troublesome talk forter.¡±(renji) The maid quickly arranged everything on the table. The alcohol kept on the table was high ss, I could tell with a single nce.¡­¡­..Well, I guess it¡¯s to be expected. Making the maid move away, Utano-san poured the for me. In recement, I poured the alcohol for her and Kuuki. The three sses were filled with an amber coloured liquid and the smell of the liquour mixed with the smell of those flowers from before. Suddenly, I remembered something. If we began drinking and we really will stop talking about the important stuff. ¡°Utano-san, where¡¯s Ermenhilde?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Wait, I¡¯ll be the one troubled if you look at me so confusedly, you know? ¡°You haven¡¯t met her yet?¡± ¡°Well, neither Yui-chan nor Anastasia knew about it. Fafnir didn¡¯t either.¡± Instead, I waspletely seen through by Fafnir. ¡°She¡¯s at the ce you want to go to the least right now.¡±(utano) ¡°¡­¡­..aah.¡± I instantly knew where she was from just those words. Having understood that, I gave an awkawrd sigh again. I wonder how she saw my reaction, Utano-san took a sip from her ss while looking at me amusedly. ¡°Oh right, I thought it was oddly silent. So Eru-san wasn¡¯t with you.¡±(kuuki) ¡°I¡¯ll tell Ermenhildeter that Kuuki was calling her noisy, definitely.¡± ¡°Why did it end up like that!?¡± Just somehow. As I teased Kuuki to take out my frustration, Utano-san looked up towards me happily. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re safe.¡±(utano) ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Even I was worried a bit, you know? I thought that maybe you¡¯d really die.¡± Utano-san said that to me slightly moist/warm eyes. Using that expression here is really cheating. Normally she doesn¡¯t evenugh but she¡¯d use such expressions only when we are around. Recalling the kiss again, I became oddly concious again. In the first ce, being called to a woman¡¯s room at night is troublesome in its own way, yeah¡­¡­..well, I still did end uping readily though. While thinking about Ermenhilde and the current situation, I took a sip from my ss. It smelled a bit like whisky but its not that strong. ¡°That¡¯s right, both Yuuko-san and Aya-chan didn¡¯t sleep at all out of worry, you know?¡±(kuuki) ¡°Even I didn¡¯t expect to run into a monster like that on this continent after all.¡±(renji) If I knew about it, even if it took time, I would have avoided going through the forest. That shitty skeleton. Frankly, I would have definitely died if it wasn¡¯t for Mururu. She was that strong. ¡°But for a monster to corner Renji-san so much¡­¡­.¡±(kuuki) ¡°It¡¯s not like that. Without his covenants released, Yamada-kun is only as strong as a normal knight after all.¡±(utano) ¡°¡­¡­¡­..you¡¯re correct, but aren¡¯t you a bit too harsh?¡±(renji) ¡°I am making a perfect evaluation in my opinion. You have a habit of facing enemies above your own strength after all. Fix it, really.¡±(utano) I have no such habit. I wanted to refute it but I held back. In truth, I have fought enemies far surpassing my own strength too many times. Supported by myrades, saved and protected by them as well. It was the same this time as well. I am always made to realize the fact that without myrades I cannot fight at all. And would have died without them. ¡°I want to avoid fightingpletely if possible though. Wounds hurt like hell and I¡¯m scared of dying as well.¡±(renji) Moving my gaze away from Utano-san, I picked up a snack to eat. It was probably smoked Orc meat, it really went well with the liquor. I took another gulp from my drink as I dampened my throat with it. It¡¯s been a long time since I drank together with these two. I can¡¯t not get drunk tonight. It seems those two had the same opinion as their drinking pace increased as well. The cheeks of the woman sitting beside me became redder and her reddish eyes beneath her sses became moist. Was she always this quick to get drunk? Or was she that stressed from her daily work? Since I figured it¡¯d be boorish to point out that she was drinking a bit too quickly, I just kept on drinking at my own pace. Well, gettingpletely wasted at a woman¡¯s roomte at night would be troublesome in its own way after all. Kuuki, unlike his appearance would suggest, could really hold his liquor well. Maybe because he has a big body, or maybe it was simply in his constitution. Even when we were travelling together, I have never seen him getpletely drunk. ¡°Seriously, it¡¯d be nice if this problem with monsters would end already.¡±(kuuki) ¡°Even after the Demon God was killed, I guess some things never change, eh? This truly is one busy world.¡± As I took another gulp, Kuuki began to pour into my ss again, In return I filled his ss and we both gave a small thanks to each other. ¡°But still, that¡¯s why I want to use this power for the sake of others as much as I can.¡±(kuuki) ¡°Ou, do your best. Just like that, you¡¯ll steal the princess¡¯s heart as well.¡±(renji) ¡°Enough of that already¡­¡­.¡± His physique aside, he isn¡¯t used to such conversations at all. Well, maybe that¡¯s what makes him popr, a gap in his personality. I really think the princess has a good eye. Kuuki is a nice guy. ¡°Me aside, Renji-san you should talk about yourself.¡±(kuuki) ¡°Me?¡± ¡°What were you doing for the past year?¡± ¡°I was rxing in viges with Ermenhilde.¡± ¡°You get along with her as usual.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..It¡¯s not that simple though.¡± Aah, my left leg hurts. When I looked to my left towards Utano-san, she was still sipping from her ss with an even redder face. Seeing her hold the ss with both hands was really cute. But her right foot that was stepping on my left just kept on getting stronger and stronger. Kuuki might not be able to see it due to the table though. He was still smiling as usual. Aah, it really hurts. ¡°Well, I still have many things I want to do. If I am going to die, I¡¯ll do it 50 yearster while rxing on a bed.¡±(renji) ¡°That¡¯s true. I guess the threat of monsters should reduce a bit by then at least.¡±(kuuki) As we continued talking while drinking, finally I was freed from Utano-san¡¯s foot. ¡°Stay in the capital for a while, I have a lot things I need to get you to do for me.¡±(utano) ¡°Yes.¡± Giving her a reply in a single word, I sipped from my ss again. Whether it be due to her cuteness or her scariness, I got so nervous in replying just a single word. As she gave a slight shiver I quickly hid my smile that came up on my face from her. ¡°Then, Renji-san, you won¡¯t travel anymore?¡±(kuuki) ¡°Well, I wonder about that. I have things I want to do but for now at least, I¡¯ll stay in the capital, let¡¯s just say that.¡±(renji) When I answered Kuuki, Utano-san looked up towards me. The red in her cheeks was probably not just because of the alcohol, I think. ¡°Things to do?¡±(utano) ¡°Yes. I want to show the world to Ermenhilde and then quietly retire in some vige and rx there. There are others as well.¡±(renji) ¡°What a great dream. When you retire to the vige, won¡¯t you invite me as well?¡±(utano) ¡°Well, that¡¯s only if you still have not found a good man till then.¡±(renji) ¡°um¡­¡­¡­could you two stop flirting alone like this?¡±(kuuki) ¡°We aren¡¯t really though?¡±(renji) ¡°In fact, that¡¯s my line Yuuta-kun. Everytime you¡¯re there at the training ground constantly talking with the princess. I can see the ground from my room¡¯s window you know?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ehh..¡± As we threeughed, I took another sip. Just as Kuuki said, I did feel that the distance between me and her had shrunk a bit. I know of her feelings as well. And Utano-san knows that I know about her feelings as well. She¡¯ll alwayse close to me but it was always me who takes a step back. Our bodies havee together as well, and we have sought warmth from each other as well. As adults of simr age who were summoned here, I guess its normal for us to have simr wants. It was apletely different kind of rtionship than with Aya, it felt really nice. Maybe someday I¡¯ll have to decide where to take this rtionship of ours but for now, I just want to get spoiled by her kindness. Maybe that¡¯s the main reason I¡¯m often called as ipetent I guess. Recalling Anastasia¡¯s words, my thoughts came back to reality. Maybe because she was drunk, even her usual cold gaze was slightly moist. ¡°Now that I remember¨C¡± After slightly ring at me silently for a while, as if she recalled something, Utano-san stood up. As she went close to her desk, she returned back with something kept hidden behind her table. Her face was red but her steps were still perfectly straight. And I knew of the thing that she held in her hands. It¡¯s the mithril sword that I had sold long back in that vige. Why is that here? I tilted my head in confusion. ¡°This, is not an item for sale. You shouldn¡¯t let go of it so easily, Yamada-kun.¡±(utano) ¡°Did something happen with the sword?¡±(kuuki) ¡°Well, yeah, a bit.¡±(renji) ¡°This guy sold it for dirt cheap at some vige because the vige had no money. I had to quickly spend a lot of money to get a peddler to buy it back for me.¡±(utano) Saying nothing, I kept on sipping my drink. Well, I was out of money which is why I sold it, but I¡¯m not gonna say that. For the sake of my life. If I did, she¡¯ll definitely bury me. ¡°Till you payback the cost to me, you¡¯re not supposed to run away, okay?¡±(utano) ¡°okay.¡± And as expected, I had no choice but to take the mithril sword back from Utano-san sitting beside me. The amethyst studded to the end of the handle was proof that it was mine. Since I had no magical energy, I couldn¡¯t use it but when you do, the royal insignia would appear, proof that it was an excellent sword. ¡°You sold a sword you got from the king?¡±(kuuki) ¡°And that too, at an extremely cheap cost.¡±(utano) Stop, my ears hurt. Let¡¯s continue drinking. While listening to those two talk, I kept on drinking while feeling a bit ashamed. ¡°10 silvers. You have to return it okay?¡±(utano) ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.Eh?¡± (T/N: reminder, in this world silver>gold>copper, so 10 silvers is a lot.) What¡¯s up with that scary amount!? Kuuki¡¯s hand, holding the ss, also stopped in mid air. When I looked to my side, her drunk eyes were directly looking at me. ¡°10?¡±(renji) ¡°Silvers, yes.¡±(utano) 100 golds equal 1 silver so¡­¡­¡­1000 gold coins. Further converting it to copper, it¡¯d be 100,000 copper coins. By the way, currently I have ten something copper coins on me right now. I looked back towards the sword in my hand. Since she bought it for 10 silvers, I can sell it again for 10 silver right? I quickly thought losing all the drunkenness inside me. No, wait, but then she¡¯d buy it again and I¡¯ll be in her debt again!? Due to the sudden incredible amount, my head wasn¡¯t working properly at all. ¡°You have my condolences.¡±(kuuki) ¡°Oi. Stop joining your hands like that, you bastard.¡±(renji) Seeing our banter, Utano-san gave a shortugh. She really ispletely drunk, this woman. Seeing her like that who¡¯d normally wouldn¡¯t even smile, I stopped caring about even the 10 silver debt. Well, that doesn¡¯t make it any better for me though. In any case, since I couldn¡¯t think of anything anyway, I decided to leave it forter. I feel like I¡¯ll get scolded by Ermenhildeter. As I poured more liquor, I realized that the bottle was empty. ¡°I guess we should call it a night soon.¡±(renji) ¡°Ah, we¡¯re out already?¡±(kuuki) ¡°That, and I have something to be depressed about now.¡± ¡°Well, isn¡¯t it fine. It¡¯ll be nice to stay at the same ce for a while you know?¡± ¡°With that big of a debt, I feel like I¡¯ll be staying here for the rest of my life though.¡± Even I could tell that my face was cramping at that. ¡°Ara, I would be totally fine with that though?¡±(utano) ¡°Yeah yeah. The drunk should go to sleep already.¡±(renji) As if she wasn¡¯t happy with my attitude, Utano-san puffed her cheeks. Seeing such a rare expression from her with a side nce, I rested my chin on the table. Just how she serious is she? Thinking of that, I finally stood up shaking my head. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s clean up shall we?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes, let¡¯s.¡±(kuuki) But, the moment I was about to start, my sleeve was gripped. When I looked that way, a thin finger was cutely holding onto me. I moved my gaze towards the owner of those fingers. Kuuki, pretending he didn¡¯t see any of this, quickly cleared everything away and had already reached the door. ¡°Well then, see youter.¡±(kuuki) Saying that, without any hesitation, Kuuki left the room. Heartless bastard. I want to be praised that I didn¡¯t shout that out loud. . . . . I walked through the corridorte at night. The cold breeze touching my skin gave me shivers but my body was still warm due to the alcohol. It was a stone corridor but due to the carpeting, my footsteps weren¡¯t loud, almost nil. As I passed through some of the soldiers doing night guard duty, they bowed to me everytime they saw me. Decorated shelves, pretty flowers, a silver knight armour set, and a small magical light. All these set along the corridor shone in the darkness of the night. It felt a bit scary so I ended up fastening my steps. My silent footsteps became slightly noisier. My destination was the chapel at the end of this corridor. Utano-san said that Ermenhilde was at the ce I wanted to go the least. Then, it could only be the chapel. Decorated with the silver statue of the Goddess, the ce we were all summoned. The ce I got Ermenhilde from Astraera. Aftering to this world for the first time, surrounded by the king and the others, only kids in their teens and twenties appeared. But even so, the country treated us all very kindly. Supported all of us who possessed neither fighting skills nor knowledge. And they even fought alongside us. They were all good people. Everyone was. That¡¯s why, I thought that I¡¯ll work hard for this world. For the people of this country, I decided to fight. I was afraid to hurt and get hurt and true, to kill and to get killed was frightening. But still, I picked up my weapon. I tried to do what I wanted to. Hoping that I could repay the debt to these people. How long did I walk through the dark corridor? Finally, in front of me, was a giant door. It¡¯s appearance was the same as before and the ce had not changed at all from my memories. I don¡¯t whether I was happ or sad but I pushed the door open with all my strength. Back then, my breathing would go rough and I was worn out just by opening the door but now I could open it almost effortlessly. Maybe I have grown a bit as well. Thinking of that, I felt a bit weird. ¡°This ce has not changed at all.¡± When I muttered so, my voice echoed in the empty chapel, among the fantastically beautiful, in the cold air¡ª¨Cand at the statue of the Goddess, at the furthest of the chapel. ¡°Ermenhilde.¡± [You¡¯rete.] Hearing her somewhat angry voice, I, instead, felt slightly relieved. My partner I was searching for was lying in the hands of the Goddess¡¯s statue. ¡°Sorry. I gotte.¡± [Seriously. I had to wait for so long.] Taking Ermenhilde in my hand, I sat down on one of the wooden chairs inside. *ping* As I flicked the medal with my thumb, the ringing sound resounded through the chapel. And the silence was broken again. But, I don¡¯t care about that. Catching Ermenhilde twirling in the air, I opened my palm. It was Heads. ¡°Hm. Looks good.¡± [¡­..waah.] Taking a deep breath, I slowly breathed out. The cold air felt nice on my body warm dur to the liquor. [How are your injuries?] ¡°I¡¯m fine. Did I make you worry?¡± [Obviously.] ¡°I see.¡± Saying that, I gripped Ermenhilde in my palm and stood up. ¡°Do you remember, this is where we first met.¡± [Was that so? Sorry. I have said it before as well but maybe due to having fought the Demon God, I can¡¯t recall things before than too well.] ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s nothing great.¡± On Ermenhilde¡¯s words, I gave a uncaring reply. Even if you don¡¯t remember, even if you have forgotten, even then, I will¡ª¨C I began to walk. Just before leaving the chapel, I turned back towards the Goddess¡¯s statue. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s the right thing to say but I spoke that towards the goddess. Did I just hallucinate that? But, I felt as if that voice gave me a slight push in the back. [What happened Renji?] ¡°No, I have something I have to tell you.¡± [What?] ¡°I¡¯m in debt.¡± [¡­¡­¡­..] ¡°Of 10 silver coins to Utano-san.¡± [¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.Wha?] While mistaking the way I use my courage, even then, I will¡ª¡ª-. Chapter 38 New Life Chapter 38 New Life It was a cold ce. A cold, silent, and lonely ce. An empty, dark, and sad ce. At its centre, was me. Was I standing or sitting? What¡¯s up and what¡¯s down? I knew nothing. Who am I? I asked. But there was no answer. I couldn¡¯t even tell whether I asked that question out loud or did I simply think of it. I was simply there, in solitude. I want to meet people. Anyone would do. Anything would do. I just want to meet someone. Inside this pitch ck darkness, I kept on wishing that. I want to meet. . . *giii* with a screeching death cry, the green scaled monster I cut down finally fell. A lizardman. Normally in fantasy games, it¡¯s usually a monster race we get to see a lot. A 2m tall body and limbs like that of a human, their body was covered in green scales and they still wore iron or leather armour above it. They also carried either swords or spear-like weapons as well. Their physical abilities were incredible, possessing speed like that of a beast. Their weapons were dangerous but the true danger came from their tail attacks. At full strength, it could even smash through a rock. Cutting down this lizardman, and while breathing out, I put my mithril sword back into its sheath. The sound of battle ended and the sound of the nearby river reached my ears. The well grown trees and the mountain stream brought in a cold breeze. It would be a perfect space for camping if not for the monsters. Even though we¡¯re close to the capital, the number of monsters was stillrge. And, maybe due to the effect of the huge battle that took ce here 2 years ago, the monsters here are pretty strong among the ones on the Imnesia continent. Even lizardmen had physical abilities far surpassing their brethren in rural areas. It¡¯s the same for other monsters like goblins as well. Even though, normally, monsters don¡¯t evene close to ces like this where humans gather. ¡°As usual, your skill is incredible.¡± ¡°I felt like I could die any moment though.¡±(renji) As I took on the one lizardman in one-on-onebat, Feirona, who was beside me dealt with the surrounding goblins and said that to me. His golden hair swayed in the wind, an incredibly handsome guy. This good looking elf, had the skills to take on 5 goblins without losing a single breath. And from behind him, a beauty with honey-coloured hair and a silver haired, dog-eared beauty walked nearby. The silver haired girl didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by anything and but the other seemed to droop her shoulders a bit. ¡°What happened Miss Francesca?¡±(renji) ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°By the time Francesca even thinks of using her magic, the battle is already over after all.¡± Ah, I see, so she¡¯s worried that she isn¡¯t being of any use. She doesn¡¯t really have to, to be honest. Well, since we¡¯re fighting together as a party after all. I guess she must be feeling inferior seeing that she wasn¡¯t able to contribute much to the party. ¡°Thest goblin.¡±(mururu) ¡°Hm?¡±(fran) ¡°You were able to destroy its bnce. It helped me.¡±(mururu) ¡°Uu¡­¡­Mururu-chan.¡±(fran) Feeling moved, Miss Francesca hugged her from behind. Due to the difference in their heights, Mururu¡¯s head waspletely buried in Miss Francesca¡¯s chest. Well, it doesn¡¯t look as lewd as it sounds though. Anyway, it does make it difficult for a guy like me to look at them directly though. Mururu, still had her uncaring face on her face as well. Averting my gaze from them, I kneeled down near the lizardman¡¯s corpse. Cutting away the right hand from the wrist as proof of subjugation, I put it inside my bag. At the same time, I also picked up the single edged sword made from the bone of some animal as well. Since it looks like a rare type of sword, it might sell for quite the sum. ¡°They seem to be getting along quite more in the week I was away it seems.¡±(renji) ¡°Well, they¡¯re both women after all. It was troubling for me, as the single guy, to be alone you know.¡±(elf) He said that but I don¡¯t think he was actually troubled much by it. His lips were loosened in a slight smile. Seriously, these guys have really started to get along each other in the past one week. How envious, really. ¡°I¡¯ll go wash my hands.¡±(renji) ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t go off too far though.¡±(elf) Why am I being treated like a kid? I left the area and went to wash my hands at the stream. The clear water was cold and made my finger joints hurt a bit. Frowning a little, I carefully washed away and removed the blood sticking to my hands. ¡°What happened? Why so quiet today?¡±(renji) [No reason.] As I called to my partner inside my pocket, her voice clearly indicated that she was angry. It¡¯s her usual voice but recently it has always been like this for the past few days. She isn¡¯t saying it out loud but I guess its probably because I¡¯m using the Mithril sword again. ¡°Don¡¯t sulk like that, c¡¯mon.¡±(renji) [I am not sulking!] An instant reply came. Due to her somewhat childish voice, I ended up smiling instead. I wonder if it was childish of me to think that such an Ermenhilde was really cute? Done washing my hands, I stood back up. Today¡¯s spoils were- 5 lizardmen, 20 goblins. It¡¯s pretty good but splitting the reward in four, the amount wouldn¡¯t be that great though. How many years would it take to repay my debt to Utano-san at such a pace? My earnings for this whole week have been just 4 gold and 10-something copper coins. It would have been fine if we were just hunting monsters but renting an inn, meals and repair and maintenance of equipment also costs money. ¡°Miss Francesca, have you calmed down yet?¡±(renji) ¡°Ah, yes. Renji-san, are you fine as well?¡±(fran) ¡°It¡¯s already been a week. I¡¯m perfectly fine. Thanks for worrying about me though.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to thank¡­¡­..¡± ¡°¡­¡­..heavy.¡±(mururu) Near the embarrassed Miss Francesca¡¯s chest, Mururu gave a tired voice. By ¡®heavy¡¯ did she mean Miss Francesca¡¯s weight or just her chest. Having changed her equipment at the capital, Miss Francesca did not wear her leather breast te anymore. Instead she was now dressed more like a magician. A deep blue coloured robe, and beneath it she wore a zer of the same colour and a white blouse. At the bottom she wore a long skirt and knee length socks. The attire simply seemed to be made for looking good but contrary to my expectations it actually did have a high magical defence. Well, if it suits her and also provides good defence, nobody canin I guess. The only problem, if I were to say, was that now her bountiful chest that had been suppressed by her breastte before was now fully released. My gaze would automatically end up there at times. Just how incredible are they seriously? ¡°It¡¯s actually weird how you could recover from those kinds of wounds in just a week, to be honest.¡±(elf) ¡°Unlike me, I do know a very skilled Sage after all.¡±(renji) After getting the treatment, the only reason I kept on sleeping was due to fatigue. Other than that, I could move around from the very first day. Gathering the spoils for today, I began to prepare for returning back with Feirona. The sun was still up high but I don¡¯t want to get injured again by pushing myself too much. ¡°But still, you sure seem more energetic aftering to the capital. Back when we first met, you always seemed to be out of energy.¡±(elf) ¡°Things happened. I am, well, in need of some money.¡±(renji) To be frank, it¡¯s not just ¡®some¡¯ money. Considering 1 copper coin to be hundred yen, I am currently in a debt of around 10,000,000 yen. As you¡¯d expect I haven¡¯t told anyone that I am in such a big debt. After all, it would be so uncool. Even I think that people would look at me weirdly. 10 silver coins. If that debt was made solely to make me work harder, I guess I am dancing right in Utano-san¡¯s palm. Well, I must be overthinking it. ¡°We¡¯re returning already?¡±(fran) ¡°Hm, yeah. Today, Souichi and Yayoi-chan will reach the capital as well after all.¡±(renji) ¡°The Brave?¡± ¡°Yes, him. Unlike me, he¡¯s an actual hero.¡± At least, he¡¯s not the type to go live in debts. I can¡¯t even imagine him living a life like me. Yayoi-chan will probably stop him before he fell into a debt after all. It seemed, Mururu had no interest in it as she simply yed around throwing stones in the stream. At least help us with packing back up. ¡°Today¡¯s lunch..¡± Maybe because she realized my gaze, she spoke up. Unable to understand what she meant, I followed her gaze towards the stream only to see that she was taking out fishes with stones. Just how good is her dynamic vision, this wolf!? Since it¡¯d be a pity to let the fishes she killed flow away with the stream, I took off my boots and folded up my trousers. ¡°what happened?¡±(fran) ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t want Mururu to go into the water in such a cold weather.¡±(renji) Saying that, I entered the river. Due to intense cold of the water, my legs stopped moving the moment I entered the stream. ¡°Are, are you okay?¡±(fran) ¡°Co-o¡­¡­..It¡¯s cold!!¡±(renji) ¡°Obviously. It¡¯s the [ninth month] already¡­¡­.after getting injured, do you n on catching a cold this time?¡±(elf) [Seriously.] While listening to Feirona and Ermenhilde¡¯s fed up voices, I quickly gathered the fishes floating on the river. Only Miss Francesca was worried for me. In the meantime, Mururu took down more fishes and she didn¡¯t even seem to care about me. Even though the fishes should have been scurrying arround due to me entering the stream, she was still taking them down effortlessly with those dazed eyes of hers. By the time I finished gathering the rest of the fishes, Miss Francesca and Feironapleted packing up. ¡°Share some with me as well.¡±(renji) ¡°Okay.¡±(mururu) [¡­¡­.haah.] ¡°I¡¯ll start a fire so hurry up and warm yourself up.¡±(feirona) Coming out of the stream, as I tried to wash away the smell of fishes from my hands, Feirona said that to me. It was inevitable. My whole body feltpletely cold. ¡°How caring of you. Comrades I can trust are really the greatest thing one can have.¡±(renji) ¡°Don¡¯t say things you don¡¯t mean.¡±(elf) ¡°No, I¡¯m actually serious you know.¡± Feirona gathered the branches and Miss Francesca lit the fire with her magic. As wiped my legs and turned them and my hands towards the fire, that alone seemed to have warmed me up. ¡°fuu¡­¡± ¡°The fishes, will you cook?¡±(mururu) With a plop, Mururu sat beside me. Soon after, Miss Francesca and Feirona also sat around the fire. ¡°It¡¯s a bitte but let¡¯s have our lunch, shall we?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes!¡± Miss Francesca gave a somewhat happy reply. She really likes outdoor things like these. Sleeping in tents, preparing a campfire, cooking and eating animals and fishes caught fresh from the wild etc. Unlike what her appearance would suggest, she¡¯s pretty bold. Giving a small smile seeing her reaction, Feirona began to prepare to cook the fishes. Peeling off the scales, removing the innards, he skewered the fishes on an impromptu stick. While admiring his skill, I also helped in the preparations. That said, I was only copying what he was doing. The first job of my newly bought iron knife was to cut open a fish. Havingpleted the preparations, as the fishes roasted over the mes, I washed my hands in the stream. Just then, I felt a strange gaze on me. [What happened?] ¡°No, well¡­¡­¡­.¡± I looked towards the ce I felt the gazeing from but there was noone there. Since we have been hunting in this ce for a while now, I know there is nothing in that direction. Was it a monster? It¡¯s normal to think like that. Since we¡¯re 4, it probably ran away maybe. Without thinking too deeply, I returned back towards the bonfire. ¡°Did anyone sense something just now?¡±(renji) ¡°Something?¡­¡­¡­¡±(fran) ¡°Yeah. I think I felt a strange gaze at me but¡­.¡± Saying that, I looked towards Feirona and Mururu. These two are far more sensitive than me in these areas but they shook their heads. ¡°Must be my imagination then.¡±(renji) Ermenhilde didn¡¯t sense anything either so that really must be the case. Deciding to forget about it, I decided to simply stare at the roasting fishes. For some reason, I always feel like I stare at fishes at times like this. It seems it was the same for Miss Francesca and Mururu as well, so there was total silence among the 4 of us. I felt like both Feirona and Ermenhilde gave a sigh but I didn¡¯t care about it. After some time finally, the fishes had been roasted well. There were 6 fishes. Ms Francesca and Feirona took 1 each and me and Mururu took 2 each. Feirona, though his body is of the same size as me, was actually a light eater. It¡¯s amazing, to be honest, how he manages that. I feel like I could eat even three of them. Though I probably won¡¯t in the end. After all, it¡¯s always better to not overeat. As I bit into the fish, since the it came from a clear water stream, there was no taste or smell of mud in it. Since we just caught it, it felt really fresh as well. I ate up my first one very fast. ¡°Hm?¡± [Just now, did you sense magical energy as well?] When I turned back sensing the gaze once again, Ermenhilde seemed to have sensed magical energy as well. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I felt that gaze again.¡±(renji) I stood up. It would have been fine if it was just a gaze but since Ermenhilde sensed magical energy as well, I need to be cautious. Confirming the Mithril sword hanging on my waist, I closed in towards the river. The others as well, though they didn¡¯t sense anything, seemed to have be on guard. But even after waiting for a while, nothing happened. Was some other magician fighting somewhere a bit far from here? Seems unlikely. Ermenhilde only sensed magical energy once and can¡¯t sense it any more. What¡¯s going on? I scratched my head. In my view was the same old clear stream, trees and the cold wind. There was no change. In fact I felt like the strange one. ¡°Well, I guess it can¡¯t be helped.¡± I¡¯ll just have to deal with it when something happens. Thinking that, I returned near the fire. When I did, Feirona and the others also dropped their guards and went back top focusing on their meal. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Oi, one of my fish is gone.¡±(renji) ¡°ngu, mugugu.¡± On turning my gaze, the chibi sitting beside me began to chew the fish in her mouth at a vigorous speed. It¡¯s bad manners, but that isn¡¯t the point. There were three sticks lying in front of her. I called her but she panicked and turned her gaze away. ¡°Oi Mururu, I won¡¯t get angry so look towards me.¡±(renji) ¡°nn¡­..you won¡¯t get angry?¡±(mururu) ¡°Probably.¡± When I said that, she averted her face again. This brat. Miss Francesca and Feirona kept on eating their fish with a wry smile. Well, I did eat one so I guess that¡¯s fine. Suddenly I felt the gaze again. I turned again. [Again?] ¡°Now this is really getting weird.¡± Feirona stood up and began checking his equipment. Miss Francesca quickly finished her meal and took simr actions. Only Mururu, whose weapon was her body itself, remained the same. She¡¯s still enjoying the taste of the fishes. During the dinner, I am definitely stealing a part from her food. I thought of such childish things. But still, why do Feirona or Mururu still not sense that. That¡¯s what worrying me more. ¡°I guess there¡¯s no choice. Let¡¯s cross the river.¡± It¡¯s so damn cold though. Well, at least the stream isn¡¯t deep. . . Walking for sometime after crossing the stream, there was a tall cliff there. Probably 30m high. And above it was nothing, just a vast in. No flowers or trees, just innd. After getting summoned to this world, it was there where we first defeated a Demon God¡¯s descendant. Maybe due to its effect, that ce has be a dead area. And if you were to walk through thatnd for almost a week, you¡¯d reach the Tactics City. Well, leaving that aside, there was something I had not seen on this cliff. Even though we hade here a few times before. It was a cave. It¡¯s size was approx, enough to let an ogre get in¡­¡­a 5m tall cave. I ended up tilting my head in confusion while looking at the entrance. ¡°Was that here before?¡±(renji) ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t, it seems.¡±(fran) While looking at the map in her hands, Ms Francesca told me that. It¡¯s just a simple map but if a cave was this near the capital, it would have been mentioned in the map. That means it¡¯s a newly made cave but we hade here only a few days ago as well. Are caves really that easy to make? Or maybe¡ª¨C [I can sense magical energy. It¡¯s the same as the one before.] ¡°So this is it. Ermenhilde, can you tell what it is?¡± [I can¡¯t. It¡¯s too weak¡­¡­very low level, most probably.] I lightly tapped Ermenhilde inside my pocket. [It could be a trap as well. You¡¯ll still go?] ¡°We will?¡±(mururu) Hearing Ermenhilde¡¯s voice, the other 3 looked straight at me. I am not hiding Ermenhilde¡¯s voice from them any longer. It¡¯s something like a proof of my trust. Each and everyone of their reactions were fun to see. Right now, since she¡¯s sulking, Ermenhilde isn¡¯t talking much though. Just how much do you hate seeing me use other swords? But, right now as expected of the situation, she¡¯s not objecting anymore. Hearing Ermenhilde¡¯s voice, Mururu asked for my confirmation as well. ¡°It¡¯s majority rule in such cases right?¡±(renji) ¡°You¡¯re the leader though, Renji.¡±(elf) ¡°I said this before as well but when the hell was that decided!?¡±(renji) While talking like that, I took out a torch from my bag, wet it with oil and asked Ms Francesca to light it up. It will be dangerous but my curiosity won. I was curious of this gaze only I could sense. And for some reason, even now, I don¡¯t feel a sense of danger. If we were to rely on my intuition, we should be fine. I thought that without any meaning. ¡°Hmm then, let¡¯s go, shall we?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes.¡± When I said that lightly, Ms Francesca gave her agreement as well. We walked in a line with me at front, then Mururu, Francesca and Feirona at the end. I held the torch and Ms Francesca was using her magic to light the ce up as well. The inside of the cave did not feel ufortable and air seemed to pass through well. It might be connected somewhere on the other side. The cave seemed to have been dug very uniformly in the same shape. Normally, a cave is more uneven and rough. Such a well made hole is not something that urs naturally. It must be dug out through magic. As I walked on while making theories, Ms Francesca raised a small scream from behind. At the same time, Mururu made a very unwomanly *gueeh* sound. Both their voices resounded in the cave. ¡°What happened?¡±(renji) ¡°It¡¯s a bug. I¡¯ve killed it though.¡± ¡°I see.¡± If there¡¯s some trap ahead of us, our voices must have given us away by now. I put my hand on the handle of the Mithril sword. It seems Feirona thought the same as I could sense him bing a bit more tensed. We stayed there unmoving for a while but there seemed to be no change. Rxing a bit again, I removed my hand from the sword. ¡°Is there nothing here?¡± ¡°There are bugs though¡­¡­.¡±(fran) ¡°That¡¯s irrelevant.¡±(mururu) Mururu¡¯s voice felt a bit sullen. Most probably, getting surprised by the bug Ms Francesca must have hugged her neck way too tightly from behind. Her voice felt as if her throat was being tightened. We continued walking deeper inside. It had been 10 mins already I think when I finally saw a bluish light in front of us. ¡°Could it be the exit?¡±(fran) ¡°Seems to dark for that.¡±9renji) [¡­¡­.There¡¯s something there.] Hearing Ermenhilde¡¯s voice, everyone drew their weapons. Mururu turned her hands into ws. [Be careful.] ¡°I¡¯ll go first. Feirona, I¡¯ll leave you to cover me.¡±(renji) ¡°It might be difficult though.¡±(elf) ¡°Mururu, follow me with some distance between us.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Due to theck of light, it must be difficult for Feirona to shoot arrows. Then, I¡¯ll take Mururu, who possesses extreme physical abilities with me towards the bluish light. If this really is a trap, I should be the perfect target since I am also holing the torch. I said that but I couldn¡¯t feel any presence other than me. The cave seemed uninhabited. I was sure of it. But Ermenhilde said that something was there, then there must be. While being cautious I continued walking when the cave opened up. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª-¡± I lost my breath. In front of me was a crystal giving off blue light. It was around 5m big. A really big gem-like crystal was, floating in the air. But even that wasn¡¯t the problem. Floating crystals were definitely rare, after all this a world of swords and magic. I have seen them a few times before as well but,¡ª¨C ¡°Someone¡¯s sleeping inside?¡± Seeing a human sleeping inside a crystal; that was a first even for me. While being cautious of my surroundings I went closer to it. Just as Mururu said, her eyes were closed as if sleeping. Inside the blue light, a girl,pletely naked, was sleeping while hugging her legs. That was the first impression. Since I could feel her life force, I know she isn¡¯t dead. ¡°It¡¯s fine, you guys cane as well!¡±(renji) As I shouted towards Feirona, I handed the torch over to Mururu. ¡°Can you tell what she is?¡±(renji) [¡­¡­¡­¡­..] I asked but got no answer from Ermenhilde. While feeling mystified, I slowly, timidly put my hand on the crystal. It was warm. It didn¡¯t have the coldness of a rock, of an inorganic substance. It felt warm, like the skin of a person. And¡ª¨C ¡°¡ª¡ª¨C!?!¡± My eyes suddenly met with the girl inside the crystal. Chapter 39 Gathering (1) Chapter 39 Gathering (1) With a heavy sound, Iy down the bag filled with today¡¯s earnings on top of the table. 5 lizardmen and 24 goblins. Since we sold their equipments as well, our total earnings was 11 gold and 40 copper coins. Dividing this among the 4 of us, my total earnings for today was 2 gold and 85 copper coins. For something we earned in just half a day, it was pretty great. Normally I¡¯d be super happy at that and in happiness I¡¯d have spent that money to eat a feast. But right now, I could only breath out a heavy sigh. The problem was the woman in front of me. The Imnesia continent has a lot of adventurer guilds but we go to the biggest of them all. The reason was simple, the more people that gather, the more information and request can be found. ordingly, requests were given out on a firste, first served basis and without a certain level of ability, you¡¯d be unable to make any money. Inside such an adventurer guild, we¡ª¨Cor rather, the girl in front of me stood out like a sore thumb. ck hair that were umon in this world and ruby red eyes as if they were made of blood. An almost abnormally white skin and an expression devoid of emotions. It¡¯s the woman we found sleeping inside that crystal in that cave. ¡°Oi, you awake?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes.¡±(woman) She does reply whenever I ask something but I couldn¡¯t sense any life in her eyes. She simply looked at me nkly solely because I called out to her. Whether it be her condition right now or the fact that she was inside a crystal, it simply felt too suspicious. Right now she was wearing ms Francesca¡¯s spare clothes along with my old mantle on top. They were thick, dull looking clothes and trousers along with my worn out mantle. Yet somehow, it didn¡¯t seem to reduce her beauty in any way. The gazes of the men in guild was a proof to that. Everytime a guy passed by, they¡¯d definitely give her a side nce. Why are they even trying to hide their gazes when it¡¯s a s clear as day though? Well, this woman didn¡¯t seem to care about it at all anyway. It was really a pain to get from that cave back to the capital. After all, she was totally naked inside the crystal. Even we didn¡¯t carry any stuff not necessary for monster hunting. Basically, we didn¡¯t have anything to let her wear. But we couldn¡¯t let her walk naked either so I lent my mantle and to hunt goblins just for some boots for her to wear. I had Ms Francesca go back to the capital first and prepare some clothes for her. It was really mentally tiring till then. If someone saw me walking around with a nude woman, even if this world¡¯sws werexer than Japan, my ownrades would never forgive me. Worst case, I wouldn¡¯t get to see the sun rise another day. [It¡¯s as if she¡¯s dead¡­..I can¡¯t sense any life from her.] Seriously. Agreeing with Ermenhilde inside my head, I sat down. Ms Francesca and Feirona¡¯s gazes turned towards me but I could only sense fatigue from it. It seems they weren¡¯t able to get any info out of this woman. Like Ermenhilde said, her dead-like ruby eyes turned towards me. But I couldn¡¯t sense any kind of clear will from her eyes. But as she looked at me straight without averting her gaze at all¡­¡­¡­it felt as if she was looking directly inside the deepest portions of my heart. ¡°For the time being, can you at least tell us your name?¡±(Renji) ¡°¡­¡­..name?¡±(woman) ¡°Yes, your name.¡± Going by her appearance, she looks about 20 years old. Well, there are beings like elves and vampires as well so appearances can¡¯t really be relied on. She was pretty tall, almost the same as Ms Francesca. Even her figure was better than the average woman. She might be losing a bit in chest area but her curves were definitely visible. I can¡¯t help it, she waspletely nude back in the cave after all. I couldn¡¯t not see her even if I wanted to. It¡¯s pretty normal as a man to be honest. ¡°Solnea..¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Her nk gaze slowly turned away. I followed her gaze but it wasn¡¯t focused at anything particr. She was simply looking outside the window into the bust city streets filled with people. There was nothing else. ¡°I think I was referred to as Solnea.¡± ¡°¡±You think?¡±¡± Both Feirona and Ms Francesca¡¯s voices ovepped. And, I as well, shook my head at her way of speaking. It¡¯s so weird, as if she¡¯s talking about something unrted to her. Maybe due to the atmosphere she gave off, it felt like, rather than a woman, she was simply an empty vessel shaped in the figure of a woman. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s hiding anything from us either. It didn¡¯t feel like that. She just spoke in such an indifferent manner that it gave off such an impression to me. It felt like seeing a robot that appears in a low budget B-grade movie. I think Ermenhilde is correct in saying that you couldn¡¯t sense any life from her. In the first ce, the question arises how did she survive inside that crystal. A woman living inside a crystal that was in a cave that appeared out of nowhere. I took out a crystal fragment from my pocket. The moment she woke up, that crystal shattered into pieces. Into many small pieces, like the one currently in my hand. I couldn¡¯t sense any magical energy from it wither. It was simply a pretty looking crystal. ording to Ermenhilde, there was very slight magical energy inside it when the woman was still inside the crystal though. I brought back one of the fragments but I doubt it¡¯d be of any use. And with its small size, it probably wouldn¡¯t sell well either. ¡°Um,mmm, Solnea-san?¡±(fran) ¡°What is it, Francesca?¡±(sol) (T/N: I¡¯m gonna shorten Solnea to ¡®sol¡¯ while tagging the dialogues.) ¡°¡­¡­¡­.Eh?¡±(fran) ¡°Francesca.¡±(sol) Saying it again, Solnea pointed towards Ms Francesca. After that came Feirona and Mururu. At the end, she pointed towards me and spoke my name as well. ¡°Was I wrong?¡±(sol) ¡°No, you weren¡¯t but..¡± ¡°Somehow, it¡¯s putting me off.¡±(mururu) ¡°Seriously.¡±(renji) On hearing Mururu¡¯s words, while knowing that was rude, I ended up agreeing with her anyway. She must have learnt our name while listening to our conversations but what was important was the fact that it made me feel wary of her. She named herself and spoke ours as well. To make us feel wary of her from just that must be thanks to the fact that there was still no change in her expression or atmosphere when she said that. It made me feel like I was looking at a lull sea. No change at all. No matter how far you look, there was only calm, unmoving seawater. There were no waves known as emotions. I wonder if the depths of the oceans were also as weird as this woman. ¡°Renji.¡±(sol) ¡°¡ª¡ª¨C¡± [¡­¡­¡­Muu.] Speaking that, her pale white beautiful finger slowly moved to point towards my pocket under the table. Where Ermenhilde was. ¡°Something wrong?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Can you hear it?¡±(renji) ¡°No.¡± And as expected, she again answered indifferently as usual. I purposefully showed on my face that I seemed to be wary of her but still, there was no wave in her sea of emotions. She simply, silently, kept on looking at me, as if her ruby red eyes were looking at something deep inside me. It was me who averted his gaze first. Somehow, I am really bad with these type of people. Like, I can¡¯t converse with them properly, and it felt, like only they knew everything about me. ¡°¡­¡­.What exactly, are you?¡±(renji) ¡°I do not know.¡±(sol) ¡°That again, eh.¡± She¡¯s been like this from the time she woke up in that cave. Why was she in that cave? Why was she sleeping inside a crystal? What even was she? On asking any of these, I would only get the answer that she didn¡¯t know. Feirona gave tired sigh. ¡°What am I? who am I? Why did I wake up?¡­¡­¡­..¡± Her ruby red eyes looked downwards. There, I felt a slight change in her emotions. Was it anxiety? Or fear? ¡°I do not know.¡± She telling the truth. Somehow I felt that. ¡°Rather than not knowing, maybe you just don¡¯t remember it?¡±(renji) ¡°I wonder.¡±(sol) She replied in very soft voice. When she finally looked back up again, she looked at me with her usual cold eyes again. ¡°I do not know that either.¡±(sol) ¡°¡­¡­¡­You don¡¯t know if you have just forgotten it all or not?¡±(fran) Miss Francesca questioned her. When I looked at Feirona, he was frowning. On realizing that I was looking, he looked at me back with sharp eyes. Implying that he left it to me to decided what we were going to do about this woman. This is why I hate being the party leader. After hearing everyone¡¯s opinions, the final decision would, in the end,e to me. I doubt Feirona wants to get more into this trouble. It was already enough that we helped bring her back from the cave to the capital. That counts as helping her, right? My intuition told me that I shouldn¡¯t stick my head deeper into this. ¡°Do you have no memories at all?¡±(renji) ¡°Memories¡­.¡±(sol) She reacted a bit on my question. As if thinking of something, she looked away again. Just then, the guild became a bit more noisy suddenly. Getting curious, when I looked towards the swinging doors¡­¡­.there was woman standing there who looked familiar. Light brown, ruffled hair and blue eyes that seemed tock any kind of motivation. Though shorter than Ms Francesca or Solnea, she was still slightly taller than average. Her body dressed in a ck one-piece dress was on the slender side but it didn¡¯t mean that she wascking in womanly features. A white apron was wrapped around her thin waist and she gave off a scary level of charm that could pull any man¡¯s eye. She also wore highced boots as well. Her longish skirt fluttered a bit gived a slight peek at her beautiful legs underneath. If I recall, she turned 22 or 23 this year. She seemed to be looking for someone as her frilly hair band swayed around. If she would do her hair properly and have a bit more energetic looking eyes, it would be absolutely perfect. Making you feel like that, this maid, that seemed to becking something, stood there. Yes. It was a maid. A maid that totally didn¡¯t belong in such a guild¡­¡­.a maid that seemed to becking motivation. My eyes met with this maid, making me panic as I quickly averted my gaze. Only to meet eyes Mururu with equally nk eyes, though not as nk as Solnea. ¡°An acquaintence?¡±(mururu) ¡°Nope.¡± Saying that, I lowered my waist in my chair trying to run away. But faster than that, the aforementioned maid was standing right beside our table. I could only sigh seeing myrades incredible cheats yet again. Even this girl, who wasn¡¯t even abat type, possessed more physical ability than me. I just can¡¯t help but sigh at that, can i? Unable to even react to her movements, both Feirona and Mururu could only look at the maid nkly. Ms Francesca was surprised and Solnea, as expected, remained emotionless and just looked at her. But the maid, without paying their gazes any mind, looked down at me with a somewhat coldness in her eyes. If it was a guy with a certain specific sexual disposition, he¡¯d be thanking her just for that gaze. Unfortunately, I did not have such fetishes. ¡°You¡¯re so heartless. Did you forget about me?¡±(maid) ¡°Before that, why are you in maid clothes?¡±(renji) This maid woman. Her name was Kudou Rin. Just like me, she was summoned from our world. One of the 13 Heroes, why the hell was she wearing a maid uniform?¡­¡­.I can¡¯t understand at all. There was the sudden reunion as well; my head was in total confusion. Realizing my gaze, she gave a slight bow while holding the edges of her skirt. If she had smiled right there, it would have beenpletely perfect but her expression was as usual unenergetic. The gap was simply too big. Apologise to all the real maids in the world! ¡°Does it suit me?¡±(rin) [fumu, those clothes are cute.] ¡°Yes, the clothes are cute indeed.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Maybe she herself knew that it didn¡¯t really suit her since she didn¡¯t say anything more. But it did seem like her mood went a bit down though. But the clothes really are nice you know? If she¡¯d put some effort into herself as well, the clothes would suit her more. While thinking that, I looked around. A maid that came to the guild out of nowhere and bowed to an adventurer¡­¡­¡­We¡¯re standing out in all the bad ways. But this girl doesn¡¯t care about any of that. Saying that she simply does things ¡®at her own pace¡¯ may sound better but in truth, she simply can¡¯t read the mood. She doesn¡¯t even care about others. Herself, and herrades. Only they were her priority. Everything else came afterwards. It¡¯s pretty easy to understand personality but I feel that it¡¯s pretty extreme. Even right now, only I am visible in her eyes. She isn¡¯t even looking at Ms Francesca and the others sitting on the same table. Neither is she aware of the curious gaze from everyone else in the guild right now. In her world, there were only me, her and Ermenhilde right now. ¡°For the time being, at least take a seat. I¡¯ll introduce you to myrades.¡±(renji) ¡°Comrades?¡±(rin) Let¡¯s start from there. If I didn¡¯t introduce Ms Francesca and others myself, she wouldn¡¯t even notice them till the very end. Saying that, I looked towards the others sitting with me at the table at which Kudou also looked at them. Her reaction was basically- ¡®Oh, someone was here?¡¯ Like that. While looking at them and being urged by me, she sat down on a chair. Seeing such a reaction from her while dressed in maid clothing is just weird. As expected this girl has something missing in her head. And, Ms Francesca and Feirona were too stunned from the impact. Even Mururu seemed to be troubled while deciding how to react. Only Solnea remained the same, emotionless as usual. ¡°The Elf is Feirona, the beastwoman is Mururu, the magician Ms Francesca. And this is Solnea, who we met just a while ago.¡±(renji) ¡°Oh yeah, I heard about them from Yuuko-chan. Yamada-kun¡¯s current party.¡±(rin) ¡°And this is Kudou Rin.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you Elf-san, Beastwoman-chan, Magician-chan, and ck haired girl.¡± [You haven¡¯t changed, have you Rin?] ¡°Humans don¡¯t change that easily you know? I am me. Others are others.¡± What kind of naming sense is that. I shook my head. She¡¯s rude as usual. Maybe surprised from Kudou¡¯s reaction, Ms Francesca looked towards me. ¡°Rin Kudou-sama¡­¡­..is it?¡±(fran) ¡°Don¡¯t know who you¡¯re referring to but yes I¡¯m Kudou Rin, magician-chan.¡±(rin) ¡°Uh, eh?!¡± With a speed that couldn¡¯t be foreseen going by thex expression on Kudou¡¯s face, she grabbed Ms Francesca¡¯s hand over the table. Just as Ms francesca raised a voice confused from what¡¯s happening, I stepped on Kudou¡¯s foot beneath the table almost at the same time. SInce she¡¯s wearing boots it probably didn¡¯t hurt her much but she let go of Ms Francesca¡¯s hand. ¡°As usual, you have cute women around you.¡±(rin) ¡°I¡¯m not going to ask what you mean by ¡®as usual¡¯ but as usual, you¡¯re fast to move as well eh?¡±(renji) ¡°But she¡¯s a cute girl. I can¡¯t help but make a move on her can I?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..don¡¯t say that right in front of the person in question.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± In that momentary gap, this time Kudou tried to grab Mururu¡¯s hand who was sitting opposite of her. But as expected of Mururu, she quickly withdrew her hand and beneath the table before Kudou could grab it. Instead of being surprised, Kudou made a happy expression seeing Mururu¡¯s reaction. She¡¯s a really bad mannered maid. She should get scolded by her master. But, oh well, she¡¯s her own master here after all. That¡¯s the kind of personality she has. ¡°So, what¡¯s going on? You didn¡¯te to the guild for no reason have you?¡±(renji) ¡°I came to get you, Yamada-kun. Yuuko-chan is calling.¡± ¡°Aah, I see.¡± Right, Souichi has already reached the castle it seems. Due to Solnea¡¯s appearance, Ipletely forgot about him. I guess they need to talk about the demon we captured back at Magic city. There¡¯s Solnea¡¯s case as well, as well as this demon. My head hurts. All this difficult thinking is making me depressed. I¡¯m pretty sure none of this is going to lead to something fun. If I were to use a term used in our original world, this was clearly a ¡®g¡¯ for me. ¡°How did you know I was here, at the guild, by the way?¡±(renji) ¡°Ara, there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll mistake where Yamada-kun is ever, will I?¡±(rin) [Muu.] Saying that, slowly, casually came near me and leaned her body over me. Raising a small voice, Ms Francesca¡¯s cheeks turned red. Finding her expression interesting, Kudou began toe even closer only to quickly dodge away as I raised my fist to hit her in the head. As usual, her reaction speed is incredible. Damnit. ¡°Don¡¯t y around. You probably used Ermenhilde¡¯s magical energy as a guide, didn¡¯t you?¡±(renji) ¡°You¡¯re no fun¡­..¡±(rin) Kudou was extremely sensitive to the flow of magical energy. Especially if it was our, the summoned ones¡¯ magical energy, she could sense us even while being far away. In my case, since I have no magical energy, I have Ermenhilde. She must have used that to get here. Holding carious titles like [Metalsmith] [Item Creator], Kudou forges iron, while sensing its magical energy, and turns them into items. ording to her, by doing that, she¡¯s able to create items of far better quality than those made by anyone else. I have not much knowledge about item or weapon creation but going by what an acquaintance of mine, who is a craftsman, said, her methods are the same as what dwarves or elves use. That is, the forging techniques of dwarves along with the magic bestowal techniques of Elves. Combined with the creativity of a human from another world. That¡¯s what Kudou is. During our journey, I remember her making all sorts of dangerous things like bombs, poison etc etc. ¡°Then, let¡¯s part ways for today, shall we?¡±(renji) ¡°Yeah, sure.¡±(elf) Feirona agreed to my proposal. If Utano-san is calling me, I can¡¯t not go. She rarely calls me for personal reasons after all. While wishing that this isn¡¯t another sort of trouble, I sighed. At the same time, I also want to talk about Solnea as well. The girl who knows nothing except her name and awoke from inside a crystal. No matter how I look at it, it¡¯s way too suspicious. ¡°What is it?¡±(sol) ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± The moment I looked away for a bit, Kudou¡¯s gaze turned towards Solnea but Solnea¡¯s reaction was as usual. An emotionless voice. Unreflecting red ruby eyes. I wonder what she thought about her as JKudou quickly lost interest in her. ¡°I¡¯ll go back first.¡± Saying just that, she left the guild. I could only feel sympathy for all the men eyeing Kudou from behind as she left. That girl prefers women over men. And the hurdle to be Kudou¡¯s ideal partner was too high. For someone who seems to becking energy all the time, that girl expects her partner to have way too many qualities. That¡¯s the kind of woman she is. She¡¯ll have an irritating personality even if one was to date her I think. And if someone still wanted to date her after knowing all that, he/she is either an angel or has a very weird fetish. But still, that was strange. I looked at Solnea. Even with her expression less face and emotionless eyes, she¡¯s still definitely a beauty, anyone would agree. I was confused why Kudou didn¡¯t make a move on her. No, that was good in its own way I guess, especially for Solnea. ¡°Sorry about that. It seems I have stuff to attend to so I¡¯ll be leaving first.¡±(renji) ¡°No, no need to worry about us.¡±(fran) ¡°The reward.¡±(mururu) ¡°yeah, let¡¯s split it up quickly.¡± Saying that, I split our reward in 4 parts. And I picked one gold coin from my portion and handed it to Solnea. ¡°Go buy some clothes with that. I¡¯lle to take back my mantleter.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± [Oi, but your debt¡­¡­¡­] ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, we can earn as much money as we wantter.¡± [..¡­¡­.I¡¯m sacred for what¡¯s gonna happen.] Solnea closely inspected the gold coin¡¯s both sides nkly. ¡°That¡¯s a gold coin. You can buy things with that.¡±(renji) ¡°Is that so?¡±(sol) [So she doesn¡¯t even know that much¡­¡­] I could only shake my head. Mururu was the same but, do I have to teach another one how money is used? When my gaze turned towards Ms Francesca, she gave a troubled nod. ¡°Sorry, but if you have time, please look after her.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes.¡±(fran) Finally, I nced at Feirona asking him to keep Solnea under surveince. I don¡¯t really like this, but I can¡¯t just leave her alone like this either can I? Not to mention, this Solnea has way too many mysteries around her. Giving a wry smile, Feirona gave a nod. To understand my thoughts without even saying anything, he¡¯s a really reliablerade. ¡°Also, if you¡¯re going to rent a room in an inn, tell me where. I¡¯ll be worried if you suddenly dissapeared.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Finally, I stood up. Though I pretty much have asked Ms Francesca and others to keep her under constant surveince. Feirona who understood that, gave a shrug with a troubled expression. Well, it¡¯d be okay if this was just me being over conscious of her. Putting today¡¯s reward inside my purse, I left the guild. As expected, I could feel envious gazes from all the men inside. Even though I don¡¯t have a rtion of that kind with any of them. In the first ce, isn¡¯t Feirona a man as well? Why am I the only one getting all the hate? While thinking of such things, I finally was outside and at the entrance, Kudou was waiting for me. Was she being flirted with, she was surrounded by many men. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± Giving a sidelong nce at her, I ignored her and began to walk away. At the same time, Kudou slipped through the encirclement of men instantly. What incredible agility. The men were feeling surprised seeing the maid in front of them suddenly disappearing. What a wasteful sue of the cheat-like physical abilities she has. ¡°How troublesome, you should¡¯ve helped me, Hero.¡±(rin) ¡°That would be even more troublesome. Also, who the hell¡¯s a Hero? I am not going to do anything as embarrassing as that.¡± ¡°Even though you used to, back then.¡± ¡°Back then, not anymore.¡± That was one of my mistakes of my youth. Definitely. [¡­¡­..You guys resemble each other a lot, at times.] While hearing Ermenhilde¡¯s sigh mixed words, I thought about it. Even I am not as unmotivated as Kudou is, I think. I sighed seeing Kudou return to her usual way of talking aspared to her talkativeness while in front of Ms Francesca. What a fa?ade she has. She gets down just by not having beautiful women beside her. While in front of Utano-san or Aya, she¡¯d tease me and at other times, she¡¯d make moves on other women. And when no one¡¯s around, she¡¯dze around at her own pace. What a troublesome personality she has. That hasn¡¯t changed at all from back then. Well, certainly, a person¡¯s personality doesn¡¯t change in just 1 year. ¡°That aside..¡± That Kudou, with her usual unenergetic voice spoke up. I¡¯m still feeling ufortable due to the surrounding gazes you know? A maid and an adventurer. We really stand out too much. ¡°Who was that ck haired girl?¡±(rin) ¡°Don¡¯t know. I met her today. Her name¡¯s Solnea it seems.¡±(renji) Or rather, I definitely introduced her as well, didn¡¯t I? Did she not even hear me properly? ¡°fuuun.¡± [Did you sense something?] ¡°Who knows.¡± Even though she was the one who asked, she answered withck of interest. I have a lot to say about her attitude but I know she¡¯s just that kind of person. I¡¯ll only get tired if I didn¡¯t get used to it. ¡°Leaving that aside, why the hell are you in a maid uniform?¡±(renji) ¡°It¡¯s easy to move in and it¡¯s no problem even if it gets dirty. Also, even if I sleep with it on, the wrinkles on the dress don¡¯t stand out.¡±(rin) What a dreamless, hopeless answer. Seriously, apologise to all the maids in the world. Chapter 40 Gathering (2) Chapter 40 Gathering (2) As I entered the castle, I felt a cold breeze caress my cheeks. The stone-made castle was extremely chilly, especially during winters. I wonder how cold do these iron armour d knights are feeling standing as guard like that for so long. While thinking of that, I walked beside Kudou through the corridor. Were they used to seeing Kudou¡¯s weird maid getup, as the passing by guards and nobles didn¡¯t seem to pay any attention towards her. It could be that they are mistaking her for my maid¡­¡­¡­..actually, it¡¯s very likely that that¡¯s the case. Even though I have no intention of ever hiring such a dangerous, unmotivated maid, ever. In the first ce, I don¡¯t even have the option to do so. ¡°By the way, where is Utano-san right now?¡±(renji) I came back to the castle since I was called but I realized that I hadn¡¯t asked where exactly she was in here. For now I was normally walking towards Utano-san¡¯s room but it¡¯d be a pain if she wasn¡¯t actually there so I asked Kudou just in case. But the person herself seemed to maintain her usual tired-looking expression. ¡°Probably in her room?¡±(rin) [You didn¡¯t even ask her?] ¡°She just asked me to bring you back after all.¡± Saying that, she stopped walking. I did the same. Since, coincidentally, we were no standing right at the crossroads of the corridors, all the guards¡¯ attention focused towards us making me feel a bit ufortable. I looked at her asking ¡®what happened?¡¯ but she simply looked at me. It¡¯s difficult to even converse with her. She must have stopped on a whim, I¡¯m sure. ¡°I actually have to go to the training grounds.¡±(rin) ¡°You?¡±(renji) [Now that¡¯s rare.] ¡°Well, rather than Yuuko-chan, that ce seems to be more interesting after all.¡±(rin) Just then, a slight sense of emotion appeared on her face. It felt a bit devilish, like she was about to pull a prank¡ª¡ªShe¡¯s definitely going there just to tease someone. At times like these, someone will definitely end up as a victim. The ones I could think of were me, Utano-san and Aya. Were children outside her aim or maybe she actually had some shred of conscience left in her yet, she didn¡¯t seem to tease Yui-chan ever. In a way, she ys the role of a helpful elder sister to her. That may be her true feelings as well though. That aside, with this timing, is the victim going to be Aya? ¡°It¡¯s not Aya-chan.¡±(rin) Did my thoughts appear on my face? She answered me before I even spoke. But then, who else is left? I began thinking, but I soon realized that we were still standing in the middle of the corridor, that too, at the centre of a crossroad. Feeling the gazes of the nobles and knights passing through, I cleared my throat. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll head towards Utano-san¡¯s room.¡±(renji) ¡°Sure. You can see the grounds from her room as well, right?¡±(rin) ¡°Hm? Yeah..¡± ¡°When you get to her room, be sure to look from the window.¡± Saying that, with light footsteps as if she was skipping, Kudou walked away. I could only tilt my head in confusion alone. [What was that?] ¡°Who knows.¡± I can¡¯t really tell how her mind works anyways. That fact has never changed. It seemed to be the same for Ermenhilde as well thus the question. I didn¡¯t have an answer and neither did Ermenhilde ask anything further. Well, I¡¯ll understand when I get to Utano-san¡¯s room. I also began to walk. The training ground, training ground. Did something happen there? I was busy with my adventurer jobs so I haven¡¯t had the chance to go to the barracks and talk to others making me feel a bit regretful. As I kept on walking, I suddenly recalled that Souichi and the others should have reached here by now. I forgot due to the incident with Solnea but if I recall correctly, he was supposed to get here by noon. ¡°Is it Souichi?¡± [Hm?] ¡°Kudou¡¯s prey. Souichi is supposed to get here today.¡± [Oh right.] Finally recalling that, I felt much more rxed having figured it out. Though I wonder if there really was a need for me to worry about it that much. It was a small thing, but figuring out something still feels fulfilling. Well, the fact that I raised my voice in excitement a bit too much only to get the guards look at me weirdly was a bit embarrassing though. Talking with Ermenhilde, I finally reached Utano-san¡¯s room. Knocking the door twice, a reply came soon enough. As I opened the door, I felt the warm air thates from a firece burning. ¡°Hey there, Utano-san.¡±(renji) ¡°Hello Yamada-kun. Where¡¯s Rin-chan?¡±(yuuko) ¡°She had something to do at the training grounds apparently.¡± [You know something Yuuko?] ¡°Not really. Since it¡¯s the training grounds, she probably has some business with Souichi-kun or Yuuta-kun maybe?¡± The first thing I noticed after entering her room was the giant spherical blue crystal on the table. Kept on a gold pedestal with intricate designing, one could tell at a single nce that it was extremely expensive. The first thing that came to my mind was that it resembled the crystal balls used by shady fortune tellers back in our own world. If Utano-san wore ck robe and tried to act like one¡­¡­.it¡¯d actually suit her very well. But still, that wasn¡¯t here till yesterday. And it¡¯s almost twice the size of my fist. Realizing my gaze, she stood up from her work desk and moved towards the table. When she pointed her palm towards the crystal, purple lightning shed inside. Now it looks great and all, but I can¡¯t tell anything just from that much you know? Though I can tell that it¡¯s some sort of magic item. ¡°So what is it?¡±(renji) ¡°Purple, eh?¡± Ignoring my question, she spoke that. By purple, she means the colour of that lightning eh? Looking at her again, I urged her to exin. ¡°The tournament table. Since it¡¯d be a pain otherwise, I¡¯m deciding it through magical energy colour.¡±(yuuko) [¡­¡­..tournament table?] ¡°For the martial art tournament of course.¡±(yuuko) I was about to pray for her hearing her tired voice but then suddenly stopped. Wait, wait, wait a second. ¡°I¡¯m not entering though?¡±(renji) ¡°Work for your debt.¡± So I am not even allowed to have an opinion it seems. Well, it was my fault to fall into the debt. Actually, it was my bad to sell the sword I got from the king himself just cause I was low on money I guess? If it was a game, it¡¯d be one of those items you cannot sell or will be stopped by the merchant himself, or something like that. While thinking of that, I sat down on the chair near the table. But still, this really is one damn big crystal. I wonder how much you¡¯d get if you were to sell it. Did I instantly think of that solely because I was currently in debt or simply because I naturally possessed the mind of a guy in poverty? ¡°Don¡¯t make such a face. I¡¯ll give you a proper reward for it as well.¡±(yuuko) ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°If you appear, it¡¯ll be one silver coin. If you win, the prize is 5 silver coins so it isn¡¯t exactly a bad deal for you, you know?¡±(yuuko) Fumu, I see. I thought putting my finger to my chin. As she said, there is merit for me as well. Above all, there¡¯s one silver coin just for appearing. Though it might vary depending on allotment of groups, but I doubt I can win the whole thing though. After all, I know for sure that Souichi, Aya and Masaki-chan will appear. I really can¡¯t win against those 3. Utano-san probably won¡¯t take part but maybe even Kuuki might enter it. I don¡¯t what she thought of me as I pondered over such things, Utano-san ringed the bell kept on her desk. In a moment¡¯s notice, the door was knocked. A maid appeared from behind the door with, unlike Kudou, a refreshing smile on her face. As you¡¯d expect, this is what a true maid is all about. Yeah. Ordering some drinks and snacks from her, Utano-san sat down on the chair opposite of me on the other side of the table. ¡°So Kudou said you had some business with me?¡±(renji) ¡°This was it.¡±(yuuko) [Participating in the tournament, eh?] ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll be counting on you to pull in lots of crowd okay?¡±(yuuko) ¡°Even if you tell me that so straight¡­¡­¡­.¡± I can¡¯t feel happy at all. I am aware how many people are working hard just to enter this tournament but when she says it like that, I understood what she meant by it. Though the Demon god is dead, it¡¯s only been an year after that. Just as there are people with hope, there are also those who are wounded and those who are still in despair. How should I say this, but the people of this world really need something they canpletely rely on right now. And that would be the Goddess Astraera and her apostles, the 13 heroes. That is, us. Appearing in the tournament, she is basically asking for us to make a presence and stand out for the people. Seeing the people who saved the world, the masses would also feel more motivated. Or something like that. I doubt it¡¯d go that easily but it¡¯s true, it might have some effect. ¡°For the time being, if I have to face someone in the first round¡­¡±(renji) ¡°Souichi-kun or Masaki-chan, which one suits you better?¡±(yuuko) ¡°Souichi, I guess.¡± [Are you aiming to win?] ¡°Don¡¯t ask for the impossible.¡± The problem is me. I don¡¯t intend to let my guard down or anything but there¡¯s a heavy chance that I really might lose to some random adventurer or a student. Nobody wants to see a hero like that. That¡¯s why when I asked Utano-san to face another one of the heroes in the very first round, she quickly gave approval. It seems she has put some thought about it as well. So I guess it¡¯d be the one silver coin for participating. With this pace, I¡¯ll be free of my debt afterpleting Utano-san¡¯s request 10 times eh?¡­¡­¡­..I doubt it¡¯d be that easy. Just then, the door was knocked again. The maid from before appeared. I could smell the soft fragrance of sweets. She gently ced the expensive looking teapot and cups on the table and then ced the te filled with baked sweets. It really looks tasty. As I gave a small thanks, the maid left the room after giving a bow. ¡°What is it?¡±(yuuko) ¡°Nothing, just, she was really different from Kudou.¡±(renji) ¡°Rin-chan is well¡­¡± ¡°She suddenly appeared in maid clothes at the guild. It was really embarrassing.¡± ¡°Well you have my condolences.¡± Saying that in a voice that seemed to be enjoying it, she poured tea in the cups. Smelling the brilliant smell, I was about to pick the pot when Utano-san poured a cup for me as well. As I gave my thanks, she gave a small smile. She seems to be in a good mood. I also feel happy seeing her like this. ¡°But still, this world is inconvenient yet convenient in weird ces. Back in our world, we had to pay just to see a maid.¡±(renji) [In your world, was money required just to meet maids?] ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± Telephones, cars, inte; we don¡¯t have the convenience thates from a developed civilisation but instead had magic and maids that appeared from a single ring from a bell. If you were to ask which is more convenient, I can¡¯t really answer. While I was thinking of it, I suddenly felt a sharp stareing from Utano-san¡¯s narrowed eyes. ¡°Have you visited such shops?¡±(yuuko) ¡°Shop?¡± ¡°You know, those shops where you get to meet maids by paying money, have you gone there before?¡± ¡°Oh. Nah, I never had the courage too.¡± I didn¡¯t actually had the time to, either. I wasn¡¯t reallypletely focused on work but if you were to ask if I had a lot of free time, the answer would be ¡®No¡¯. Really, what the hell had I been doing with my life? I don¡¯t even think of that nowadays. I¡¯ve already forgotten all about it. I wonder if that¡¯s because I have epted this world as a ce where I can live. Such gloomy thoughts. Holding the tea in my mouth for a while, I ended up gulping it all together. ¡°fuun¡­¡­¡­¡± [What happened, Yuuko?] ¡°Ah, nothing.¡± Was she in deep thought? While I was distracted, Utano-san seemed to have been thinking about something while supporting her beautiful chin on her fingers. Ermenhilde asked her but her reply seemed to be a bit absent-minded. While looking at her like that, I took another sip from my tea. And also one of the sweets kept here. It resembled the cookies I knew of. Though a bit smaller. As I ate it, it¡¯s faint sweet vour spread inside my mouth and I ended up eating another one. These are really tasty. Just then, I suddenly remembered what Kudou had said. I was supposed to look at the training grounds was I? ¡°Excuse me for a second.¡±(renji) Saying that, I stood up a headed towards the window and looked through it. Just like my room, the training grounds were fully visible from her window. It was easy to find Kudou. She¡¯s in a maid dress after all. There was only one like that at the grounds. And for some reason, that maid was currently hugging at Souichi¡¯s arm right now. Really, what the hell is she doing? Near Souichi were two women. One was Yyayoi-chan, Souichi¡¯s younger sister. My enhanced eyesight, due to the cheat, showed me her cramped, or ratehr fake smiling face. How scary. From here, I could only see Souichi and Kudou¡¯s back but I¡¯m pretty sure, the elder brother is currently making an extremely pale face right now. I could easily imagine it. The other one was a woman, slightly older than Souchi and the others, with long ck hair tied at the neck area. She was also wearing a zer simr to Souichi and a skirt that ended just above her knees. Her bare legs were really dazzling to the eye. Where have I seen¡ª¨CI think that uniform is probably from one of the schools at Tactics City. This woman seemed to beughing. I can¡¯t hear her so I¡¯m not sure though. In her hands was a sword in a scarlet scabbard. It was a curved sword, a katana, that shouldn¡¯t normally exist in this world. And the soldiers were looking at these 4 from a distance. Among them, Kuuki and Aya were also present. I feel like they should be stopping this but I guess they won¡¯t even if I was directly there. It¡¯s just too much fun to watch after all. ¡°Those guys get along, as usual.¡± [Really?] On my words, Ermenhilde answered with a question. Well, I¡¯m pretty sure they do. How long has it been since I¡¯ve seen this fight over Souichi? How nostalgic. Well, Kudou¡¯s just there to instigate the other 2 though. As I gazed at them through the window, Utano-san came close to my side. It ended up with both of us looking at them through the window. ¡°Well, since Yuuta¡¯s there, it won¡¯t end up bad I guess.¡±(yuuko) ¡°I doubt Kudou would instigate them so much in the first ce though.¡±(renji) She¡¯s just having fun teasing Yayoi-chan and Masaki-chan. Was this what she wanted to show me? Just then, Kudou, looked towards us from the grounds. When our gazes met, she gave a wide smile with her usual half-open eyes. Just when I was wondering what was that about, she whispered something in Souichi¡¯s ears. Suddenly, with a surprised face, Souichi looked towards us. Kudou, what the hell did she say to him? ¡°It seems the children are having fun.¡±(yuuko) [¡­¡­.Really?] ¡°They ying around energetically, aren¡¯t they?¡± Can you call that ying around? I do think they¡¯re energetic but it¡¯s a bit different isn¡¯t it? Currently, [Demonic Sword User] Masaki-chan was manifesting a demonic sword in her hand so I doubt we could call it ¡®ying around¡¯ anymore. Well, she hasn¡¯t unsheathed it yet so it¡¯s fine right? Going by the colour of her scabbard, it should be a fire type sword. If she drew that out, a part of the training ground will be charcoal. ¡°Oh well, whatever.¡± I had lots of things to say but I decided to just let it go. I¡¯m sure Souichi will deal with it somehow. Do your best, Brave-sama. It¡¯s the privilege of the Brave hero to have trouble with women. While thinking of that, I sat back down on my chair. I took a sip from my now cold tea, but it was still pretty tasty. As expected of the royal castle, the tea leaves used are top ss. ¡°Oh right, I needed to discuss something with you as well, utano-san.¡±(renji) ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°umm, do you have a map?¡± ¡°Map? Why?¡± ¡°I found a new cave. Probably, it¡¯s a very recent one, that someone made with magic, I think.¡± ¡°¡­¡­What¡¯s this about?¡± Saying that she stood up and brought out a map neatly kept in one of the drawers in her desk. Since the crystal was in the way, I picked it up to move it away somewhere else. Looking around, for the time being, I decided to keep it on the bookshelf near the window. ¡°Ah, be careful with that. It¡¯s very costly okay?¡±(yuuko) [Use both of your hands to hold it, fool!] Yeah yeah. Giving a half-hearted reply, I decided to ce it carefully on the work desk in the end. If it¡¯s expensive, bookshelves won¡¯t do, yeah. If I broke it here, my debt will rise yet again. It¡¯s normal that I instantly thought like that. ¡°So, where did you find this new cave?¡±(yuuko) ¡°hm, umm, let¡¯s see..¡±(renji) I looked over at the full map. It¡¯s not very different from what I had seen some time ago. A few new ces have been added as well but those are mostlykes or forests we marked asndmarks while on our journey back then. The mapcks a proper measurement scale though, so it¡¯s not that reliable. Leaving that aside, as expecetd, even on Utano-san¡¯s map there was no indication of the cave where we found Solnea sleeping. So it really is a brand new cave. Well, it¡¯s not that deep and there isn¡¯t anything inside it now either though. ¡°The cave was somewhere around here, I think.¡± While standing beside Utano-san, who was sitting on a chair, I pointed towards the location of the cave. East of the capital, near the [ins of death] where we once battled a descendant of the Demon God. 2 yrs ago, we fought the strongest Demon on the Imnesia continent there. But it seems even Utano-san remembered that there was no cave there before since she looked at me doubtfully. ¡°¡­¡­..I¡¯ll send the soldiers to check it out, just in case.¡±(yuuko) ¡°Yeah, do that. That cave seemed really suspicious.¡±(renji) ¡°Suspicious?¡± ¡°It seemed to have been made with magic, it wasn¡¯t there when I went there 2-3 days ago, and above all there was a person living inside a crystal in the cave.¡± ¡°A person inside a crystal?¡± I only shrugged my shoulders when she asked that back to me. Well it¡¯s only normal I guess. Humans, normally, can¡¯t exactly survive inside crystals after all. Then what was she? Thinking about Solnea, I brought out a fragment of that crystal and ced it on the table. ¡°This is?¡±(yuuko) ¡°It¡¯s a fragment of the giant crystal inside which the person was sleeping. It broke when they woke up.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..You can¡¯t expect me to believe this so suddenly.¡± Saying that, she picked up the crystal and brought it close to her eye, examining it looking like an expert. [Can you sense anything? I can¡¯t even sense magical energy from it anymore.] ¡°Anymore? It had magical energy before?¡±(yuuko) [Yeah. I definitely felt it. Though the magician in our party didn¡¯t feel it.] ¡°Hmm..¡± Softly, her xen hair swayed even though there was no wind insdei the room. Magical energy. Most probably, Utano-san must have put in magical energy inside the crystal. But there was no visible change in the crystal. After some time had passed, Utano-san gave a small sigh and the slightly oppressing feeling of her magical energy disappeared. ¡°Looks like a normal crystal to me.¡±(yuuko) ¡°It¡¯d be great if that was true. The person is currently staying with us for now. Above all, ording to them, they are also suffering from amnesia.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­How troublesome. Amnesia, eh? I want to meet them once.¡± ¡°That¡¯d be really helpful. Should Ie here with them tomorrow?¡± ¡°Yes, do that. Let¡¯s take care of all such troubles before the tournament starts.¡± Saying that, she put down the crystal fragment back on the table. Solnea¡ª-the woman who was sleeping inside the crystal. That alone was suspicious enough, but she¡¯s also an amnesiac. She gets full points for being suspicious. Suddenly, I felt Utano-san staring at me again. ¡°Eh, umm, what?¡±(renji) ¡°This person, she wouldn¡¯t happen to be a woman would they?¡±(yuuko) [How did you know? It¡¯s as you say.] ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± What¡¯s up with that heavy sigh! ¡°Again, eh?¡±(yuuko) ¡°Somehow it feels like you¡¯re making this out to be my fault but it¡¯s just my imagination right?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes, of course, you did nothing wrong. Nothing at all, okay?¡±(yuuko) [What happened? Yuuko?] ¡°Nothing, I¡¯m just a bit tired.¡±(yuuko) No, seriously, I didn¡¯t even see Solnea as a proper woman. Giving a wry smile at Utano-san¡¯s reactions, I drank more tea while hiding my lips with the teacup. If I told this to Aya, will I get the same reaction as well? Chapter 41 Gathering (3) Chapter 41 Gathering (3) Saying that she had work to do now, Utano-san drove me out of her room. As I left the warm room, the corridor felt colder than normal making me rub my hands together. I recalled Utano-san¡¯s expression while she drove me out of her room. I feel like her gaze was 3 times more colder than usual. Did Solnea¡¯s case weigh that much on her mind. There are hardly many things that can make Utano-san worry though. Sighing, and thinking about some way to lift her mood again, I headed towards the Training grounds. Might as well go and meet Souichi and the others as well. I should show my face to O¡¯brien-san as well. Since he was busy with his Knight duties and I spent more time at the guild, we somehow had yet to meet. If I dyed it any longer I feel like he¡¯ll get angry and yell at me. Even though he¡¯s reaching his fifties, he¡¯s still active in the field. I can¡¯t even tell what would happen when he gets angry. When I showed up at the grounds, Kuuki came towards me with a surprised face. Aya also came alongside him. When I saw Aya, I recalled my conversation with Utano-san¡­¡­about Solnea. For a second, I couldn¡¯t think of a way to start a conversation with her. In the meantime, Aya came right in front of me and looked up towards me. Her side ponytail swayed around energetically showing off her girlish charm. ¡°Did something happen?¡±(aya) ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°No, you look like you¡¯re worrying about something.¡±(aya) I am. Yes. Wait, can I say that I am actually worried? I recalled how Utano-san questioned me about various things regarding my rtionship with Solnea. Seriously, I met her just today. In fact, I didn¡¯t just ¡®meet¡¯ her like normal people do either. It¡¯d be better to say that I took her under my protection for now. While thinking of that, I gave a smile towards Aya as thanks for worrying about me. At that, Aya also blushed and gave a shy smile. Really, Aya¡¯s pureness heals me. ¡°So, what happened?¡± ¡°Oh yeah, Kuuki, just listen to this..¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­..uwahh. I don¡¯t want to.¡±(kuuki) While getting healed by Aya, I tried to speak to Kuuki but he just made an unpleasant face openly. Goddamnit, this heartless bastard. Back then, he used to listen to me with such a happy smile. It must be that. He must have gottencent after getting in the rtionship with the princess. I guess that¡¯s also growth in a way. How envious. Just get married already. Then, I¡¯ll give all my blessings (curses) to you. ¡°I helped someone and ended up worsening Utano-san¡¯s mood.¡±(renji) ¡°Just quietly apologise to her.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± ¡°It must be another woman again, right?¡± He didn¡¯t even think before speaking as if it actually was all my fault. Oh well, I guess this isn¡¯t the first time something like this has happened so I guess they are not to me. To save someone, you need power. Whether it be fighting power, mary, or fame/reputation. It is definitely necessary. Back then, I wascking in all of them yet wanted to save others so I ended up trying to save them all anyway. As a result I ended up displeasuring Utano-san countless times. And I can¡¯t even deny that none of those were women rted matters either. I am a man after all. I can¡¯t help but lend a hand to a woman in distress. Makes me motivated as well. All the more so if it is a beauty. No, I did save many men as well, okay? But still, I guess my image inside Utano-san¡¯s head is still that of a ¡®womanizer¡¯. Even though it¡¯s mostly unintentional. ¡°¡­¡­¡­.What kind of a person do you take me for?¡±(renji) What the hell did he mean by ¡®must be another woman¡¯ and ¡®again¡¯, huh? It¡¯s like I only try to save women. I actually do try to save people regardless of their gender you know? What a rude guy. While I was talking to Kuuki, my right sleeve was lightly pulled. It was Aya. But right now, Aya was not showing her smile from before and was looking at me with a somewhat troubled face. [What is it, Aya?] ¡°Ah, umm¡­..¡± I¡¯m guessing she must be curious about the person I saved. She wants to ask but must be feeling embarrassed to do so. Her reaction felt so cute that even I felt that it was bad of me to just keep on looking at her like this and not doing anything. [Don¡¯t trouble Aya too much, Renji.] ¡°I don¡¯t intend to. I¡¯ll answer as long as she properly asks.¡±(renji) ¡°Uuu¡­¡­.¡± [That¡¯s exactly what¡¯s troubling her you fool, seriously!] When I gave augh seeing Aya at a loss for words after what Ermenhilde said, Ermenhilde sighed at me. Looking at our exchange, Kuuki gave a wry smile as well. Aya finally calmed down as well as her expression became lighter after taking a deep breath. Just then, after a sound of explosion rand followed by the cheering of the soldiers. Judging from the people at the grounds right now and the sound that just came, it must be Masaki-chan¡¯s demonic sword. It must be one her abilities. I¡¯d be worried if her opponent was someone normal but if its Souichi, he¡¯d be able to parry her properly. The other two with me seemed to be of the same opinion as they didn¡¯t seem to show any signs of panicking. We casually moved to be a part of the encircling crowd of soldiers as well. Surprised from my sudden appearance maybe, the crowd of soldiers split in two to give me a way through. Feeling all of their gazes umte towards me, I scratched my head in displeasure and flinched for a moment. Kuuki and Aya seemed to be used to this as they walked down the path created by the soldiers normally. As I quickly followed those two, I saw Souichi and Masaki-chan exchanging sword blows in the centre. In their hands were a blue Holy sword and a scarlet demonic sword. Well, in this case, it¡¯d be appropriate to call hers a Demonic katana. Yayoi-chan and Kudou were standing a bit far away while talking with each other. As usual, yayoi-chan¡¯s smile seemed to be a bit scary. Well leaving those two aside, I turned towards the two who were shing at each other at a speed difficult to follow with human eyes. With a shrill sound, sparks flew over the field and ground was gouged out every time they moved around while kicking the field. Seeing as neither of their swords were enveloped in the usual blue mes and scarlet mes, I could tell that they weren¡¯t even serious right now. They are just testing each other. Something like that. But even at that, every sh split the air and sted the stone ground. The soldiers around had taken measures to not get damaged but it still looked dangerous for them. I don¡¯t know what Kudou said to incite them but right now, both of them were only trying to see each other¡¯s growth. Looking closely, both of them were actually smiling at each other while using deadly shes at each other. They are confident that their opponent could dodge attacks of this level. We were foreigners. Summoned from another world, receiving the divine protection of the goddess, and received powers and abilities alien to the residents of this world. That gift was much lesser inside me but even I would never lose to some random guy. But the remaining twelve were different. Especially these two in front of me, even more so. Even though they are holding back, they were still at a level not a single person here could hope to reach. In closebat, not even Kuuki or Aya can win against those two. Theyck people who possess the same level of strength. That¡¯s why they enjoy training against each other so much. The shrill sound of swords shing and the roaring explosions of mes made my eardrums vibrate. Did they start concentrating more, I am unable to catch even the sound of shing swords right now. Every move was so fast. While swing their sword at a speed that left after images, they kept on fighting while smiling and truly enjoying it. But even that won¡¯t continue forever. Masaki-chan was the first one to realize my presence. Even though they were fighting at unimaginable speeds, I could tell that our eyes met for a split second. And at that split second, her movements dulled. Souichi wasn¡¯t na?ve enough to let go of that opening. That guy has timid personality but he would never ever let an opening in the enemy¡¯s defences go unpunished. He had the strength to fully utilise that opening in his favour. He possessed the sense to know exactly when to go for the finishing blow. And following it, Souichi rushed in towards Masaki-chan. She countered with a super fast thrust aiming for is head. The finale came in an instant. Slipping through the thrust of the katana, the blue de was thrust right underneath Masaki-chan¡¯s throat. The sound of swords stopped and silence came over the ground. ¡°I surrender. It¡¯s my loss.¡±(masaki) ¡°Alright!¡±(souichi) The silence was broken by Masaki-chan¡¯s surrender and Souichi¡¯s shout of joy. After all that action, they seem to be only slightly out of breath. Their bodies made them almost unable to feel fatigue. The remaining soldiers simply stared at them in a daze. This was what Hero was like. The Brave who saved the world. The humans who were the hope of the people. In their gazes were feelings of respect and aspiration, and excitement. After a while, the soldiers returned back to their training while heated up from the battle they saw. The Brave and The Demonic Sword user. The battle between the two Heroes that stood at the front lines swing their swords during the journey to subjugate the Demon God. It¡¯s only normal to get motivated seeing such a battle. ¡°Yo.¡±(renji) ¡°Mouu, don¡¯t appear so suddenly just when it was getting good, Yamada-san.¡±(masaki) ¡°¡­¡­.was that my fault?¡±(renji) ¡°Just when I was getting all excited, I lost all concentration after all.¡± [It¡¯s your fault to have lost concentration though, isn¡¯t it?] ¡°Muuu.¡± Cutely puffing her cheeks, she, Hisaki Masaki, quickly returned to showing a sweet energetic smile. The Demonic Sword user who wished the goddess for [A sword that can tear through even fate]. If in recall correctly, her house was a shrine but she herselfcked any suchdylike manners. If I had to say, she was more like the big sister type of girl. Even now, she was simplyughing off her loss to Souichi. Inside, she must be nning to take revenge for the losster though. She¡¯s a sore loser but strong willed. I think back then she used to say ¡°I¡¯m a Miko!¡± a lot. Well with her long ck hair, a miko dress would definitely suit her a lot. But her personality is another case altogether. She¡¯s the type of woman who¡¯s idea of fun is to fight Souichi with swords. And she¡¯s easy to read. To speak specifically, she¡¯s the type to quickly take action and jump directly at a horde of monster and start swinging around her sword. She¡¯s actually more manly than even me, in a sense. ¡°Huh, Renji-niichan. When did youe here?¡±(souichi) And Souichi was surprised, finally realizing I was here. Just how concentrated to the fight were you? Well, that¡¯s a part of his strength though. But still, seeing him stand beside Masaki-chan, did this guy really not grow much in terms of height in the past one year? He¡¯s actually a bit shorter than her. Not to mention that he has a androgynous face which resembles her sisters face. It might be amusing to make him crossdress sometime. Well, if I did that, I would be literally killed by Masaki-chan and Yayoi-chan though. ¡°I came here just now. Was watching your fight.¡±(renji) ¡°Yeah, I won!¡± ¡°Kuhh.¡±(masaki) Saying that, he raised his hand in the air. Beside him, Masaki-chan made a regretful face but since it¡¯d only spell more trouble for me if said something stupid, so I kept my mouth shut. After all, they¡¯ll have a rematch sooner orter anyway. I also raised my right hand and did a high five with Souichi. As usual, he didn¡¯t seem to hold back at all making my hand hurt for no reason. I didn¡¯t show it on my face but she must have realized it as Kudou gave a stifledugh. Goddamn her. She¡¯s unusually receptive only at such weird things. When I gave a light re to the beautiful maid, she came towards me with a rare amused face. She must have enjoyed teasing Souichi seeing that she didn¡¯t have her usual expressionless face. What a shitty personality. Alongside her, yayoi-chan came walking towards us as well. With Aya already beside me, it felt nice being surrounded by beautiful girls. Kudou is, well, like that though. It¡¯s a pain to know someone true personality as well I guess. Even though her face is good. Just her face, though. ¡°Long time no see, Renji-san.¡±(yayoi) ¡°Yayoi-chan as well, good to see you safe and sound again.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes. Thank you for protecting Aya-chan as always.¡±(yayoi) As she gave a bow saying that, I felt a bit embarrassed. I was the one who was protected in the end though. But I hesitated to say that as well, and in the end I could only scratch my cheek. My reaction must have been amusing as Yayoi-chan gave an elegantugh. Even though she¡¯s not some high nobledy or anything yet Yayoi-chan exuded elegance always. She was a true Yamato Nadeshiko. I guess, it wasn¡¯t weird that someone like her would get the title of [Saint] either. Well, all that instantly disappears when ites to anything that involves Souichi though. ¡°You always get provocated so easily by Rin-chan¡­¡­I was worried, yayoi.¡±(aya) ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Aya-chan.¡±(yayoi) Aya-chan joined our conversation as well. She didn¡¯t show any signs of being timid though, in fact her smile almost felt like it was still poisonous. Well, she must have known that Kudou was intentionally trying to mess with them when she clung to Souichi. But if you knew, why did you still go along with her anyway? To end up provocated anyway, I guess ¡®love is blind¡¯ after all. As I looked at the children talking with smiles, I felt like I had gotten older. Even though I¡¯m used to this scene. 3 years ago, after getting summoned here, this was just any normal conversation between myrades. How nostalgic this feels. Must be because I stayed away from them for the past one year. While I was thinking of that, I brought out Ermenhilde from my pocket and gently caressed the medal. Right after getting summoned, nobody thought about the danger we¡¯d be putting our lives at and simply enjoying facing each other with swords. How very nostalgic indeed. [What happened?] ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡±(renji) I felt a bit sad when I thought of it as well. I couldn¡¯t even properly reply to Ermenhilde¡¯s worried voice. How hopeless am I? Even though I had chosen Ermenhilde above all of them and had put distance between us all. In the end, I¡¯m back here again. I don¡¯t feel bad about it, in fact I am enjoying it as well. It¡¯s fun to adventure alongside Ms Francesca and the others but to be so close with my trustedrades felt sofortable. Above all, it made me remind that ce I will always return to will always be here. ¡°Oi Kuuki, do you know where O¡¯brien-san is?¡±(renji) ¡°The Commander?¡±(kuuki) ¡°I need to meet with him sooner orter after all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. Though both of you had bad timing, he really has been wanting to meet you again, you know?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­..that, sounds really scary on its own though.¡± When I said that, Kuuki gave augh. Since I received the least amount of abilities from our gifts, I had been taught by O¡¯brien-san the most. He must beughing remembering that. Goddamn him. ¡°But, today might be difficult though.¡±(kuuki) ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been really busy today after all. Must be due to the demon Souichi-kun brought here today, I guess.¡± Oh yeah, there was that as well. I see. Recalling that Utano-san seemed to be busy as well, I scratched my head. She must have been looking out for me. Even though she has scary eyes, she¡¯s the kindest of us all after all. Though she¡¯d probably bury me if I said that to her face. After talking to Kuuki, I decided to slowly walk away without letting the kids happily talking notice me. But, just when I was about to leave the grounds, Aya found me. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±(aya) ¡°Ah, hm, no, I¡¯ll go alone.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­.I¡¯m not allowed?¡± ¡°No.¡± Even if you look at me like that, I cannot take her where I¡¯m about to go. If I did, Utano-san really will get angry at me. Aya seemed to understand where I was headed as well since she didn¡¯t insist any further. I have never shown her that ce ever but she must be vaguely aware of my destination. Or maybe, she knows very well where exactly I¡¯m going. Aya wasn¡¯t a child anymore. Souichi and the others weren¡¯t either. A timees when you have show them the dark side of humans but for now, I want them to happily spend their lives as teenagers. That may be for just my own self-satisfaction though. ¡°Say, are you free tonight?¡±(renji) ¡°Eh? Eh, um??¡±(Aya) ¡°How about we go for dinner together?¡±(renji) But still, then why do I go through the trouble of following up like this just after I made her feel a bit sad. I¡¯m a bit too clever, if I say so myself. It¡¯s because of things like this that my rtionship with both Utano-san and Aya was so unsteady. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re still back to the way we were a year ago either. I just keep on taking advantage of the gentleness of these women. Doing aplete turnaround from her previous expression, Aya gave a wide smile. Yeah, this definitely suits her better. I suddenly felt gazes at me and on looking around I saw Souichi and Kudouughing while looking at me. Seriously, what kind of misunderstandings do they have now? ¡°I need to show myself at Toudou¡¯s ce as well after all. Shall we go together?¡±(renji) (T/N: in case you guys have forgotten, Toudou is the cook of the 13) ¡°With pleasure!¡±(aya) ¡°I see. Then we¡¯ll go there before the sun sets.¡± Saying that, I left the grounds. Aya will definitely get teased by Souichi and the others but it only made me feel lighter. The ce I¡¯m heading to is a depressing ce so I want to be in as high of a mood as possible. As a reward for myself, I¡¯ll also get to go to dinner with a beauty like Ayater as well. So let¡¯s be strong. [You sure have a way with words.] ¡°Not really, I didn¡¯t have any ill-intent either. I just didn¡¯t want to leave her feeling down, that¡¯s all.¡± Was it just my imagination that I sensed a slight bit of irritation in Ermenhilde¡¯s voice? Was that because I treated Aya like a kid or because I had a date for dinner nned with her? The ce I was heading to was underground. The ce was cold and felt extremely eerie; probably because I have not a single good memory of while being underground. Fighting undeads, getting attacked by slimes, getting drenched in sewage and filth, and almost getting buried alive. Just recalling it all made me truly thank the fact that I was still alive. [If that was the case, why not just take Aya with you?] ¡°It¡¯s cold underground. I¡¯ll be scolded by Utano-san if I let Aya catch a cold or something.¡± [Don¡¯t say things you don¡¯t even mean¡­¡­..It¡¯s really painful to be treated like a child you know?] Did those wordse from personal experience, I wonder? Ermenhilde¡¯s voice seemed to be gloomy and sad. I wasn¡¯t really joking about catching a cold though. When I simply shrugged my shoulders, Ermenhilde gave a fed up sigh. ¡°But well, to adults, children will always remain children.¡± Just like how Astraera said that you were precious. But still she¡­¡­..¡ª¡ª-I shook my head, I can¡¯t let my thoughts go in that direction. That was what I should have asked her when I lost Eru and gained Ermenhilde but never was able to. I simply did not have the courage to do so. No, I simply couldn¡¯t ept what the Demon Lord and the Goddess told me. And even after a year, the Dragon King told me the same thing. I haven¡¯t grown at all. I haven¡¯t progressed at all. But soon¡­¡­.it¡¯s about time to finally move ahead. While I¡¯m here in the capital, when there are people who know me by my side, I end up thinking like that. What a useless adult I am. I truly think that from the bottom of my heart. Even Souichi and the others are still giving their all while living in this world. [What happened?] ¡°Nothing. I was just thinking that a jail is definitely not a ce where you take children.¡± . . . The people were overrun by the Demon God, they shivered in the freezing cold, their houses were burnt away, their cattle was killed, and they had no choice but to keep on living with very little support. It was considered fortunate to just be alive. Many lost their children and kids lost their parents. People would cooperate with their friends and neighbours, and help each other out. The threat of monsters was still present as ever. And the danger to their life had not disappeared yet either. But, that doesn¡¯t mean that there was no crime in this world. Theft, murder, rape, etc etc. the darkness of human beings was always there. It was an unchangeable fact. If there are rich people then there were also poor people. There are those who wish for money, for blood and for power. It was a neverchanging truth of the world. And just like there are those who don¡¯t lose themselves to these thoughts, there will always be those who do. The stone corridors in the castle were cold but the jails created to imprison criminals felt even colder. As I walked through it while using my winter-use fur mantle to cover my body, the criminals captured in the cells were making noise by hitting the iron bars of their cells. The sound was truly irritating. Since the only source of light was a dimmp stuck on the wall, I could feel the eyes of the inmates glowing as they tried to attract my attention. The number of cells was not less than 20. I haven¡¯t really counted them but in any case, more than half of them were currently upied by criminals. These were humans who¡¯d hurt people of their own race even though the world was still under the threat of monsters. I know that sometimes there is no choice for people but to take such a path but that doesn¡¯t mean I sympathise with them. I¡¯m sure they are also victims of some tragedy but there must be many that were victims of these people as well. The cells had nothing more than a few nkets to be used and a dirty basin as a recement for toilets. And every cell was filled with 5-10 criminals each. These criminals ranged from humans, dwarves and beastmen as well. There weren¡¯t any elves probably because since they can use magic, they need to be put into jails made for magic users. The freezing cold must be deadly but they¡¯re paying for their own mistakes. Even after saving the world, saving humans, we cannot save criminals no matter what. What an empty feeling. I started feeling a bit down again. I was right to have not brought Aya here. It¡¯s still far too early for that child. The same goes for Souichi and others. [As usual, it¡¯s a really depressing an dark ce.] ¡°It is a jail after all.¡± That¡¯s the kind of ce a jail is. It can¡¯t be helped. I felt like Ermenhilde¡¯s voice tried to imply to me that she wanted to return as fast possible. Well, even I wouldn¡¯t be here if I didn¡¯t have something to do after all. As I kept on walking through the corridor while ignoring the pleading cries from the criminals, a much more noticeably sturdy jail came into my sights. There were five of those. The bars of the cell weren¡¯t made from iron but from Mithril instead. And these bars were engraved withplicated looking patterns and letters forming a spell. I couldn¡¯t read them but I think they¡¯re letters used by Elves. The magic engraved is [Sealing]. Inside those, the use of magic was impossible. It¡¯s a ce to keep magic using criminals. They were big enough to have ten people inside one cell at the same time. I could also see one of those cells was currently upied by a few people as well. When I came closer, they realized of my presence as well as one soldier opened up the cell gate for me. ¡°¡­¡­.Yamada-kun..¡± ¡°Hello, Utano-san.¡± Saying that, I entered. Inside the cell, there was also an aged knight and 5 armoured soldiers behind him. And Utano-san as well. Thest one was¡ª¨CI couldn¡¯t tell properly due to the dim lighting but it was probably that demon we captured back at the Magic City. His hands had been bound behind his back and he was currently lying t on the ground of the cell. The ce near his stomach had blood seeping out. Seeing as no treatment had been done, it¡¯s probably as a means to torture him. Confirming the current situation with a quick nce, I turned towards the most highest ranking aged knight standing here. ¡°It has been a long time, O¡¯brien-dono.¡±(renji) ¡°You shouldn¡¯t bow your heads to others so easily, Renji-dono.¡±(ob) (T/N:¡¯ob¡¯ for O¡¯brien ) But still, such formal way of talking really doesn¡¯t suit us. O¡¯brien-san must be thinking of the same thing as he cleared his throat and shook his body a bit. The full body mithril armour made a noise as it moved. He¡¯s one head shorter than me but I¡¯m hundred percent sure than underneath that armour is a body far more muscr and well built than mine. The full body armour he¡¯s wearing would probably make me unable to even move if I tried wearing it. Imnesia kingdom Knight Order, Knight Commander O¡¯brien Arbelia. Currently at the age of 48, he was still a man to fight directly at the front lines of a battle. Well respected by even the king himself, he was also adored by every soldier. He was the centre piece of the whole Knight Order, one could say. By the way he¡¯s also something like my master who taught me how to fight. I can still remember how he used to train me from day to night, continuously striking at me regardless of the fact that I was one those supposed heroes. Souichi and others could already fight above the level of a normal soldier right from the start but he was worried about me since I couldn¡¯t. By the way, at night I would be the great library to learn about this world¡¯snguage and script, its history, ecology of monsters, basics of magic etc; all of that was hammered into my head¡­¡­¡­. It¡¯s amazing I actuallysted till the end. Well done, me. When I think back about it I realize how much overworked I was. Well, thanks to that we were able to survive our journey and can now live on like this though. ¡°You should consider your position more, Saviour.¡±(ob) [Seriously.] ¡°No, well, acting prideful and full of swagger really doesn¡¯t suit me, I think.¡±(renji) ¡°No need to be full of swagger. Everyone knows that doesn¡¯t you at all. But, it¡¯s important to be prideful though. No matter how much you try to run away from it, you will always remain as one of the 13 Heroes after all.¡±(ob) I felt my mouth cramp a bit when he said ¡®runaway¡¯. Well he¡¯s true though. Whether it be Fafnir or him, people older than me are really not gentle towards me. But well, that¡¯d be troubling in its own way I guess. Unable to refute what he said, I averted my gaze and looked towards the demon lying on the ground. His expression was one of surprise for a second, then quickly changed to that of one filled with hatred and anger. ¡°For one, I am just an adventurer now and you, O¡¯brien-san, are themander of the Knights Order after all. Don¡¯t you have a higher status than me?¡±(renji) ¡°Compared to a aged knight to the hero who saved the world, it¡¯s you with the higher status, you fool.¡±(ob) I felt a bit pity for the soldiers standing behind him panicking and confused from our conversation. For the time being, I¡¯d be happier if you¡¯d just ignore me and continue with the torture though. No wait, it¡¯s not like I enjoy seeing that or anything either though. I wonder what she thought about me as Utano-san came close to me and whispered into my ears. ¡°Why are you here?¡±(yuuko) ¡°If this is rted to the Demon God, Ie under people concerned with it after all.¡±(renji) Even if I run away from the title of a Hero, I don¡¯t want to run away from the Demon God. Not because I¡¯m an Apostle of the goddess, neither because I¡¯m a god-yer¡­¡­¡­.simply because I¡¯m a human who was summoned to this world. Because that¡¯s the path she chose. Because that is what she wished for. And because that was her wish, that I was unable to fulfil. ¡°Yamada Renji!!¡±(demon) ¡°¡­¡­..again, eh?¡± I wonder if it¡¯s popr among demons to call me like that with my full name nowadays. I feel like Shelfa¡­¡­.the Demon Lord also called me by my full name. Ignoring his hatred filled gaze, I took a few steps back. And as if exchanging for me, O¡¯brien-san and the soldiers came forward. It made me feel sick just thinking about what¡¯s going to happen next but still, I must face it. ¡°As usual, you¡¯re hated by demons with a passion, eh?¡± ¡°Well, I did kill their God after all.¡± I killed the God they worshipped. There should be no limit to their hatred for me. To us humans, that¡¯d be like demons killing the Goddess. Nobody would want to ept that, nobody would even want to acknowledge something like that. That¡¯s why they¡¯ll point their hatred towards the person responsible. Even though we are always trying to kill each other, I still can¡¯t get used to getting hated like this though. But still, this is fine I think. As long as that hatred is pointed towards just me and not towards Utano-san or Souichi and others. Utano-san gave a sigh but O¡¯brien-san paid no heed to it as he kicked the demon on the ground. There were no civil rights here. Humans, Demihumans, Beastmen and Demons were in rtionship of hating each other and killing each other. It¡¯s already decided what¡¯ll happen when you get captured like this. Even back in our world, during the world wars, people did unspeakable and inhumane things. And considering here they aren¡¯t even of the same race, there were no constraints in releasing your hatred. I can understand why the Goddess was so worried. Will a daye when no one will work together with each other anymroe? ¡°So, did you learn something?¡±(renji) ¡°Nothing at all. His mouth is tight shut.¡±(ob) [Not surprising really.] I agreed with Ermenhilde¡¯s words. That demon will be killed in the end anyway. He won¡¯t give out info advantageous to us at any cost. Was a way to gently persuade him otherwise really impossible? When I looked towards Utano-san, she simply shook her head. In the first ce, there¡¯s no guarantee that he actually has any info that could satisfy us. Controlling that many monsters and even having the ability to summon a demon God¡¯s descendant was real but everything else seemed to shoddy. This demon must be a disposable pawn. Maybe he was simply working solo. If not, Souichi should have been attacked while he brought the demon here. O¡¯brien-san seemed to understand that fact as well. After interrogating a bit more, he¡¯ll probably end it. ¡°Oh, right.¡±(renji) Recalling something, I brought out the fragment of crystal I had. It¡¯s the fragment of the crystal that had Solnea sleeping in it. There¡¯s too much I don¡¯t know about this, so I should ask about it. I squatted down near him and showed him the crystal. ¡°This seem familiar to you?¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­.what¡¯s that?¡±(ob) ¡°A little something.¡±(renji) While listening to O¡¯brien-san I studied the demon¡¯s expression closely. It waspletely dyed in hatred towards me and showed no change. ¡°What about the name Solnea?¡±(renji) ¡°Don¡¯t know. Even if I did, who would tell that to the likes of you?¡±(demon) ¡°I don¡¯t trust your words either but, well, your emotions show on your face so it doesn¡¯t really matter.¡±(renji) Saying that, I stood up. No luck here, I guess. While ying with the crystal fragment with my fingers, I thought about what that girl could be. Since there is literally no info about her, I won¡¯t suddenly find an answer either. I wonder what Utano-san was thinking as she gave a sidelong nce towards me. Is she being suspicious of me again? Chapter 42 Fighting Tournament (1) Chapter 42 Fighting Tournament (1) My right shoulder that had been hit just now felt hot due to the pain and continued robbing my concentration. It¡¯s been 1 week since we have been summoned to this world. For the past few days, I have been practicing how to use a sword during the day. At the centre of the training ground, I looked at the middle aged knight standing in front of me as I panted for breath. Whether it be the other soldiers practicing here or Souichi and the others, all of them are more used to using weapons than me. They seemed much natural at it than me. And all of them were looking at me, with inquisitiveness. While holding the dull edged training-use sword with both hands, I adjusted my breathing. I took deep breaths thrice; my heart started beating faster, as if asking me to take a break already. But ignoring it, I took a stance with the sword. Wearing the mithril armor, the aged knight¡¯s seemed to be not tired at all as he swung around his training sword, checking its condition. In fact, he seemed to be having fun. He was enjoying practicing with me. Even though I was beaten around all over the ce, getting blown away, making my body hurt like hell. The sword he held was thicker and longer than mine as well. Even though it should be so much more heavier, he seemed to be having an easy time with it. This guy is definitely not normal. This over energetic, contrary to his age, knight¡¯s name was O¡¯brien Arbelia. ¡°Good good. It¡¯s nice to be young, eh. I was worried that you¡¯d be all cocky since you are titled a hero but not bad, you have some guts.¡±(ob) ¡°Why, thank you.¡±(renji) ¡°Kuku. It¡¯s not always that Ipliment someone, you know? You should be more happy, yamada-dono.¡± ¡°At night, I¡¯ll secretly get happy about this alone.¡± Few days after getting summoned to this world, I learnt many things while fighting with this old man. This man was a bully. If I were to rx from those words, he would beat the shit out of me, no questions asked. And as usual, I¡¯d end up rolling on the ground. Such a precise vision rose in my head that my face cramped a bit. Even though he¡¯s shorter than me, when facing him like this, I¡¯m the one who feels smaller. His presence and pressure was in a different level. He wasn¡¯t a human like me who depended on cheats given by the goddess to fight. His strength came from his mental and physical skills he forged through years of continuous training. He held such things with him. My body hurts like hell, and I¡¯m really tired but I¡¯m still thankful to him for training me. Other soldiers would always hold back against me out of formality and Souichi and others were so strong that it wouldn¡¯t even be called training. ¡°C¡¯mon, start again.¡±(ob) ¡°¡­¡­guh.¡± As if taunting me, his sword¡¯s tip swayed around. Will he rush towards me, or will he try to over pressure me mentally. I wonder if my hesitating reactions were funny as O¡¯brien-san gave a shortugh. Due to his sword¡¯s tip being in the way, I couldn¡¯t close in on him and everytime he took a step forward I ended up taking one back. I know this will end up with me being beaten around again if it continues like this but my body just didn¡¯t move. Even if it was just a blunt sword for training, it still hurt when I got hit, and above that, there was the fear that with O¡¯brien-san¡¯s strength, he could cut through me, flesh and bones, even with this. ¡°Yamada-san, do your best!!¡± ¡°Commander, show us your cool side once again!¡± Hearing thetter words, O¡¯brien-san casually waved his hand towards them. How rxed. Even with me as an opponent, I guess he doesn¡¯t really need to focus that much. Souichi called my name as well but I didn¡¯t have theposure to reply back. Just focusing at the distance between us alone was already more than I could handle right now. Sweat dripped down my cheek as I put more strength in my grip holding the sword. ¡°Oioi, we¡¯re just training, not trying to kill each other. Be more at ease.¡± ¡°¡ª¨Ceven if you say that.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t retreat yet don¡¯t face forward to take the initiative either. What youck, first and foremost, is resolve.¡± Being told that, I gulped the saliva in my mouth. Yeah, that¡¯s right. I recalled the events that led to me getting trained by him. In this world, filled with monsters, danger at every corner, and where death is always by your side, to survive in such a world, and so that I don¡¯t be a burden, I wished to be stronger. Hearing O¡¯brien-san¡¯s words, I breathed out and calmed my mind. I couldn¡¯t calm myselfpletely but I resolved myself. I stepped forward. I faced his sword. To cut, get cut, kill, get killed. A battle with lives on the line. I stillcked the full resolve to do that but at this moment, I stepped forward. ¡°here Ie.¡±(renji) ¡°No need for an announcement. Juste at me, you fool.¡± O¡¯brien-san took a stance. That said, he only put his sword on his shoulder. It was his natural stance. It seemed tock strength, yet the pressure only increased. This man¡¯s sword was incredible. Every single attack was a sure kill swing. If you took it on, you¡¯ll be destroyed along with your sword. You¡¯ll get cut apart with your armour. It would be suicide. But Icked the ability to dodge it as well. But even then, I have no choice but to step forward. To prove that I have the resolve. I wonder if he was aware of my thoughts, as his face showed lots ofposure. While giving an enjoyingugh, he remained calm as always. Facing him, I rushed in straightforward. The goddess¡¯s divine protection and the power of the cheat were both almost non-existent in me right now. I only had physical ability slightly better than normal. And as I rushed in with all my strength, the old man very calmly took action. Just when I thought that his sword moved, the very next moment he struck it on the ground. Dust cloud rose to block my vision. But, I had seen through that attack. Turning around towards my blind spot towards my right shoulder, I gripped my sword tightly. I hesitated for a second. Pointing a sword towards a human still tired me mentally. But I let go of those thoughts, and swung my sword. With a nk, a shock that almost numbed my hand ran through. My sword sh had been swung away with a strike from his sword that had moved at an untraceable speed. Just a second ago it was sticking in the ground, just what kind of trick is this!? My eyes widened in surprise. In that little gap, I definitely felt the pressureing from O¡¯brien-san increase. His body, his whole presence, felt like it grew in size. I could only look as the aged knight raised his long sword. The next moment, my body moved faster than my mind could think and I somehow took on that attack with my sword. Blown away from the impact, I rolled away on the ground. Unable to even understand how ragged my breathing had gotten, I just gazed at the sky while lying on the ground. I couldn¡¯t feel the sword in my hand anymore. My hand¡¯s gonepletely numb. All the joints of my body, and my throat for breathing too much, hurt a lot. ¡°Let¡¯s end here for today. After dinner,e to the library.¡±(ob) ¡°Ye¨Cs.¡± As I answered that, Souichi came over and looked at me with a worried face. ¡°Are, are you alright?¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡­.yeah..sorry about that.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to¡­¡± Souichi, being small and child faced, looked more like a girl. Maybe because his sister, Yayoi-chan, was more mature, those two looked like twins. If I said that, he¡¯d start sulking but, oh well. Somehow, I can¡¯t stop myself from teasing him. Also, the way he acts as well¡­¡­¡­. For example, right now, as I apologised, he gave an embarrassed expression. It really messes with my mind. Having lost in front of him, I stood back up. After I stood up, next the soldiers came to me one by one to appreciate my effort. For some reason, rather than towards Souichi and others who held insane powers, these soldiers seemed to have generated an affinity towards me who was beaten around by O¡¯brien-san. How weird. Well, it¡¯s better than them being not fond of me, I guess. If they said something like me being so weak even though I was supposedly summoned to save the world, I¡¯ll probably won¡¯t recover from the damage. As I walked while thinking of such things, I went and drank the warm water from the water jug kept near the field. At some point, Souichi had gone back and was swinging around his sword at the centre of the field. He didn¡¯t really have a form or a stance but due to his overpowered strength, the force waves from the sword alone seemed like they could cut things apart. How envious, seriously. Since I don¡¯t have the abilities like others have, I have no choice but to learn how to use a sword normally. Realizng that I was feeling jealous of a boy much younger than me, I shook my head. Taking another gulp of water. Really tasty. It felt so nice that I drank a bit too much and ended up spilling some water from my mouth and it wet my clothes a bit. But that felt nice as well. Due to the heat from my wounds and overworking my body, even this warm water felt nice and cold. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± When I turned around at that voice, a girl with semi-long hair, pleated skirt and a white blouse with a zer was standing there. It looks like the middle school uniform from our original world. At her side was another girl with ck hair. She was Souichi¡¯s sister, Yayoi-chan. She was dressed in more medieval clothes like we have seen in movies and stuff. And the girl in the uniform was Yayoi-chan and Souichi¡¯s childhood friend Fuyou-san. Feeling her cold gaze, I scratched my cheeks. ¡°You¡¯re wounded so much again¡­..¡± ¡°ugh..¡± ¡°Please leave the fighting to us Yamada-san. I really think it¡¯d be better if you stayed here at the castle along with Toudou-san and Yui.¡±(aya) When she said that with a sigh, I ended up averting my eyes feeling pathetic. It¡¯s just as she said. Just like this girl, 10 years younger than me, said, I¡¯m not suited to fighting. Let alone Souichi and others who got extremelybat rted gifts from the goddess, I¡¯m certain that I cannot win against even this magician girl. It was really pathetic, yet I had no retort. I wonder what she thought of me, or maybe she lost interest. ¡°Well then, please excuse me.¡±(aya) Giving a bow, Fuyou-san walked away straight towards Souichi. In her stead, Yayoi-chan pointed her palm towards my left arm. Just as I felt warmth, my fatigue and pain began to disappear. ¡°This really is convenient. Magic and miracles. It really is a fantasy world eh?¡±(renji) ¡°fufu, you¡¯re saying the same things as Inoue-san.¡±(yayoi) While shaking my now recovered arm, Yayoi-chanughed. As expected, it¡¯s better when they¡¯reughing like this. I don¡¯t really hate frank people like Fuyou-san but, I¡¯m simply bad at dealing with them. Also, I¡¯ve yet to see her smile even once. How should I say this, she¡¯s always acting so strong. I think, that girlcks theposure right now as well. ¡°Please don¡¯t hate Aya-chan.¡±(yayoi) ¡°Un?¡± ¡°Well, she¡¯s really severe when talking with people she doesn¡¯t know too well you see?¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡­well, I don¡¯t really mind it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine then.¡± No, but well, yeah.. Fuyou-san herself was currently talking with Souichi and Hiyuu-san who was also training. ¡°Aya-chan¡¯s worrying for you in her own way. So that everyone can return home safe and alive.¡± ¡°I know. Yayoi-chan, you¡¯re really kind, aren¡¯t you.¡± ¡°fufu, well then, if you¡¯ll excuse me.¡± Saying that, she walked away towards Souichi as well. The Brave sure is amazing. Even though I am so alone, he¡¯s surrounded by 3 beauties. One of them is her sister though. While gazing at the sky, I gave a sigh. I need a weapon. A weapon to kill gods. So that I don¡¯t be a burden. Even if I¡¯m unable to fully protect them, I at least want to fight alongside the kids. Oh Goddess. You still have not fulfilled my wish. As I looked at Souichi, surrounded by soldiers, a sad feeling lingered in my chest. Shaking my head, I gave a deep sigh, and let go of that thought with a wry smile. ¡ª¡ª¡ª-I want to be a hero as well. Just then, feeling a bit curious, I took out the medal given to me by the Goddess. A golden medal. Except for the embedded gems, there was nothing too peculiar about it. That goddess said that it was a weapon to kill gods. This simple looking medal. Am I supposed to buy some great weapon by selling this? I can¡¯t understand it at all. Yesterday, even Utano-san told me that maybe it was a failure. . . . (T/N: back to present) ¡°Puhahahaha¡ª-th,this doesn¡¯t suit you at all!¡± ¡°What are youughing so hard at, you fly!¡± ¡°Who did you call a fly!?!¡± [¡­¡­¡­noisy.] As I tried tob down my hair with gel, the girl lying on my bed startedughing at me. Does this not suit me that much? Even though I was just cursing outside, in my heart, I grew worried. The number of things you could use to groom yourself in this world could be counted on your hands. I am somewhat aware of those, but in the end, it¡¯s just half assed knowledge. Rather than this, it would have been easier to just have worn some fancy armour like when I met the King. At least, all I had to do then was just put it on. The girl on my bed¡ª¡ªa fairy with doll like features, Anastasia, was rolling whileughing not minding that her dress was getting crumpled as she did that. At times, a white cloth could be seen underneath that dress as she rolled around as well. That said, I¡¯m not that big of pervert to lust after a doll like small creature. Paying it no heed, I restarted trying to fix my hair. Going by what I see on the mirror, it shouldn¡¯t be that bad but beingughed at so much has made me uneasy. I guess that¡¯s how human mind works. As I put on the neat dress shirt and set the ck necktie, I felt like a sryman working in some corporatepany. Remembering the old days, I felt a bit nostalgic but really, this doesn¡¯t suit me. Not like Anastasia, but I gave a shortugh as well. That¡¯s probably because aftering to this world, I have spent most of the time in travelling clothes. ¡°Ermenhilde, what do you think?¡± [Well, it¡¯s fine I guess? The problem is clothes. Do you have any remaining?] ¡°From what I looked, yeah. Though, I¡¯m not sure if they¡¯ll fit me anymore¡­¡­¡± Since my room was the same as a year ago, the clothes prepared for me and the arrangement of the furniture, all had been kept the same. Among those, there were many high ss clothes made of quality fabric as well. But the problem was that they were prepared for me 3 years ago. I doubt that my height has changed much but due to the muscles I¡¯ve gained, my body size has almost grown by 1 size. I wonder if I could still somehow fit in those clothes. Somehow, I still remembered how to tie a necktie and surprising even myself, I was able to wear it properly. All said and done, I guess you don¡¯t forget things you¡¯ve learnt even once. ¡°Eeh, how skilled.¡±(ana) ¡°I¡¯ve learnt it after all.¡±(renji) ¡°How unusual.¡± [Well, Renji doesn¡¯t really care for appearances and stuff like that normally, after all.] ¡°Umu.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that proudly. It¡¯s not cool.¡±(ana) Anastasia seemed to be the type that minded personal grooming as well but it waspletely useless right now as all she did wasugh or sigh at me. What rude queen. Whenever I recall that she¡¯s the top of all fairies, I be really worried for the future of the fairy race. Well, the rest of the fairies aren¡¯t really different from Anastasia and have having fun as their first priority. ¡°But still, what¡¯s up today? It really doesn¡¯t suit you at all though.¡±(ana) ¡°I¡¯m going for a dinner with Aya tonight.¡±(renji) [For that, I need to force the meaning of ¡®appearance and grooming¡¯ into his head. You¡¯re being a nuisance so return already, you insect.] ¡°Who¡¯s an insect, you medal woman!? ¡­¡­..wait a sec.¡± What¡¯s with that surprised voice? When I looked towards the bed, the fairy who had beenughing like crazy till now stood up very docilely. It¡¯s probably not my imagination that her expression loks angry. Maybe due to her height, she red at me while looking up at me. It¡¯s not scary at all though. ¡°Why did you not invite me!?¡±(ana) ¡°Why would I? Idiot. ¡± If I did, I can only imagine what Aya would say, or rather, what she¡¯d do to me. She didn¡¯t say it upfront but, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s expecting to go to dinner alone, just the two of us. And if I were to go against her expectations¡ª¡ª¡ª-my body is well aware what she¡¯d do much to my own displeasure. No, even I won¡¯t be able tough it away like usual. Yeah, I can¡¯t be acting like a child always after all. I¡¯m 28 already. My heart¡¯s still young but I¡¯m at an age where I¡¯m expected to read the mood properly. But, Anastasia seemed like she really wanted to go to dinner with me as she was pouting right now. Is that supposed to be an objection from her? Leave me alone. ¡°So it¡¯s Aya this time¡­..¡±(ana) ¡°What do you mean ¡®this time¡¯?¡±(renji) Please don¡¯t talk like I¡¯m going after lots of girls. I looked at her with a fed up face as Anastasia bit her finger while making a serious face. Just what do you see me as? Or rather, what kind of character does everyone think I have? Just a while ago, even Kuuki called me out about my rtionship with wome, it¡¯ll make me cry you know? Well, not really though. But even that aside, even Utano-san seemed to be stricter than usual about the case with Solnea. How should I persuade her? The easiest way would be to let them meet tomorrow and end it once and for all. I really want to be rid of all these false usations. Well, I do believe that Solnea is a beauty but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll start lusting after her. That¡¯s not my personality. If I did, I¡¯m sure one day, someone somewhere would end up getting hurt. Even the idiot me understands that. Not to mention I¡¯ve still not resolved my feelings about Eru either, and then there¡¯s Utano-san and Aya as well. Harems are great, I really think that. Only when I¡¯m not the main rted/concerned person to it. (part 2) ¡°I¡¯ve had enough! After defeating the Demon God you hid yourself, finally when we meet here at the capital you won¡¯t y with me much and you don¡¯t even invite me to dinner now. Aren¡¯t you being a bit too cold?¡±(ana) ¡°Well, it¡¯s tiring to spend time with you after all.¡±(renji) ¡°You¡¯re being way too rude now.¡±(ana) [Seriously.] ¡°You¡¯re not faring any better than me, medal woman.¡±(ana) [No such thing. I¡¯m Renji¡¯s partner after all.] No wait, you. Even though you¡¯d always get irritated when I called you my partner, why do say it so happily only at such times? Am I the only one feeling veryplicated right now? I¡¯m d yet can¡¯t actually feel happy about it. Ermenhilde didn¡¯t seem to understand my inner thoughts though. If I had a way to look at her expression, she must be making a triumphant expression right now. ¡°Stop fighting, both of you. You¡¯ll get scolded by Yui-chan.¡±(renji) [Muu.] ¡°ugh..¡± I sighed seeing them both get quiet just by mentioning Yui-chan¡¯s name. It¡¯s amazing how they can¡¯t win against a child. They know that Yui-chan will get sad if they fight after all; these two really are honest at heart. Well, I¡¯m not any different though. ¡°It¡¯s unfair to use Yui¡¯s name, Renji.¡±(ana) [Yeah, that¡¯s right. It¡¯s not fair.] ¡°Why are you getting along now all of sudden?¡±(renji) ¡°We are not! Right, medal woman?¡± [Exactly, you insect.] Seriously, what the hell. While chatting with Anastasia who had already forgotten her earlier anger, I opened the wooden closet to choose some clothes. It seemed to be made of some fine quality wood as it seemed really sturdy yet was actually pretty light in weight. It took almost no effort to open the double doors. Taking out a few sets of clothes from it, I shut it back up. Tonight we¡¯re heading towards Toudou¡¯s restaurant, a well-hidden yet really popr ce. You¡¯d think it¡¯d be no problem seeing as one of the 13 heroes owns the ce but due to its special location, it wasn¡¯t normally popr. After all, it¡¯s located in one of the back alleys withplicated structures. On top of that, he didn¡¯t even try to advertise the ce even once. Honestly, even Utano-san said that he didn¡¯t seem to be actually interested in doing it as actual business. By the way, I couldn¡¯t find the ce by myself either and had to ask Utano-san to show me the location on a map of the capital. That¡¯s how well hidden it is. ¡°Sometimeter, I¡¯ll take you out as well okay? So let me go for today.¡±(renji) ¡°Really?¡±(ana) ¡°Probably. If I felt like it, someday.¡± ¡°So basically you won¡¯t will you!?¡± While racking my brains on deciding which clothes to choose, I lightly spoke that to Anastasia. Obviously, even my purse isn¡¯t thick enough to take anybody out for dinner even when I don¡¯t feel like it. While ignoring Anastasia¡¯s voice of protest, I tried some of the shirts on me. Since it¡¯s been almost two years from when these were made, as you¡¯d expect, they were tight. This is troublesome; I scratched my head while looking at the mirror. It¡¯d be difficult to arrange for a new set of clothes before the night as well now. I guess the only way left is to go to a shop and get some readymade clothes. While checking if I had enough money, I nned for tonight. Seemingly not happy from my response, Anastasia rose up from the bed. As she seemed to be using the power of wind spirits, her skirt fluttered around, making her thin, white yet nice thighs visible. Seriously, it¡¯s way too tempting to my eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll buy a grilled orc meat stick for you from some stall while returning, okay?¡± ¡°Just die!¡± What violent is things this tiny is saying. Only her looks are cute, I¡¯m sure she¡¯d popr with men with weird fetishes. Like Koutarou, maybe Koutarou, oh and also Koutarou. He acts like a chunni but deep inside he¡¯s like that. While I was thinking of such things, my room¡¯s door was knocked on. And after a moment of gap, the door was opened and Yui-chan peeked inside. Behind her was the ck armoured phantom knight, KNIGHT. Did theye looking for Anastasia? ¡°Oh, Yui.¡±(ana) ¡°Excuse me, Renji-san.¡±(yui) ¡°Yo, what¡¯s up yui-chan? If you were looking or Anastasia, take her back with you. She keeps on quarrelling with Ermenhilde, it¡¯s irritating.¡±(renji) ¡°Wait, what are you saying so suddenly!?¡±(ana) Anastasia raised a shout at the same time as KNIGHT closed the door behind him. Yui-cahn, with a sad expression, came closer to Anastasia floating near the bed. How should I say this, though I am the one who incited this, even I¡¯m feeling bad now a bit. Seeing Yui-chan like that, Anastasia lost her confident expression that she has when talking to me and ermenhilde and was looking around nervously. At times she¡¯d look at me, but I can¡¯t help her. Just give up. And as KNIGHT walked behind Yui-chan like a shadow maintaining the exact same distance, it looked really surreal. ¡°¡­¡­.Ana?¡±(yui) ¡°It, it¡¯s not like that¡­¡­..wasn¡¯t a fight. It wasn¡¯t a fight, right Renji? It wasn¡¯t, right!?¡± Ignoring her pleas for help, I continued trying out other clothes. As expected all of them seem a bit small¡­¡­¡­but not like I can¡¯t wear them at all. This one should work fine, I think? Yui-chan silently reproached Anastasia and Anastasia constantly kept on asking for some help. KNIGHT kept silent as usual and simply stood behind Yui-chan indicating that he was clearly on Yui-chan¡¯s side. Ermenhilde and Anastasia alone made the room feel really lively already, but now it felt even more so as I gave a wry smile. I guess the proverb that it gets noisy whenever women gather isn¡¯t that wrong either. ¡°Say, Yui-chan look here for a sec, which one do you think suits me more?¡±(renji) Collecting the clothes that I could wear, I asked Yui-chan for her opinion. Having been freed from Yui-chan¡¯s gaze, Anastasia also breathed a sigh in relief. Why is she so weak only to Yui-chan? Well, I guess anyone would feel guilty on being scolded by a child. WHile listening to Yui-chan and Ermenhilde¡¯s opinion, I began to choose my clothes as Anastasia, probably out of boredom, flopped down back onto the bed. Since Yui-chan was here, she seemed to be paying mind to not ruin her dress this time. ¡°Say, Renji.¡±(ana) ¡°What?¡± ¡°Is a date with Aya, fun?¡± ¡°Well, putting the fact whether can this be even called an actual date aside, yeah, it¡¯s fun.¡± ¡°It is definitely a date. You¡¯re going on dinner together right?¡± ¡°Before that, where the hell did you even learn what ¡®date¡¯ meant?¡± ¡°Just now, from Yui.¡± I asked that solely to avert the topic but I was a bit surprised by the unexpected name that came from her. Yui-chan didn¡¯t seem to mind it much either it seems. No well, she¡¯s also 16 now I guess. It¡¯s normal for her to be expected in such things. Should I be happy at her growth or should be worried about it? Anyway, I want to know if there is someone she likes. When I looked towards Yui-chan, she wasn¡¯t there anymore. When did she move? She was currently pushing down Anastasia down on the bed with a red face. Probably trying to shut her mouth but since Yui-chan isn¡¯t exactly the physically fit type, it only looked like both of them had fallen onto each other on the bed. And on top of it, both of them wore skirts so it was pretty dangerous. Giving a cough, I averted my gaze towards the window instead but the silent pressureing from KNIGHT and Ermenhilde was way too incredible. If it was weak hearted person, he would have gottena seizure. Inside this, well not really a scene of ¡®carnage¡¯ (shuraba), I simply gazed out of the window. ¡°It¡¯s good that everyone¡¯s so lively, yup.¡±(renji) [Where were you looking? What were you looking? Hm??] OI, KNIGHT-san, please don¡¯t stand beside me while realising such intense pressure will you? Also Ermenhilde, if I looked at Yui-chan and Anastasia in that way, I won¡¯t forgive myself first and foremost, so be at ease. Stay calm. . . But still, I thought. ¡°Is something the matter, Renji-san?¡±(aya) ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Wearing a tight deep blue dress and a thick shwal made of monster fur, Aya looked up towards me and talked. I should try not to get to worried of the fact that we were at a distance where our elbows basically touching each other. Normally Ermenhilde who couldn¡¯t read the mood would speak something random just about now but currently she had been left with Utano-san for safekeeping so it was really quiet. It was night time. As I walked along the main street, now having much less people than normal, I recalled the way to Toudou¡¯s in my head. ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold?¡±(renji) ¡°fufu, no, I¡¯m fine.¡±(aya) Saying that, Aya leaned slightly more closer towards me. While acting like I didn¡¯t notice, I scratched my cheek with my other arm. She¡¯s in a really good mood. If I said that out loud, I wonder what she¡¯d say. I became a bit curious but decided against asking that and slowed my walking speed a bit. Aya felt more taller today than usual, probably because of those high heel like shoes she¡¯s wearing. Her untied hair swayed in the wind and shined in the faint light of the magic streetmps. Her light make up suited her much more as she was always a bit more mature than her peers. While stealing nces of Aya¡¯s happy face enjoying the coldness, I began to follow her swaying hair before I knew. 18 yrs old. Right between a girl and an adult woman, should I say. She¡¯s really grown, or rather, has be really pretty. I wonder if this is how a dad seeing her daughter grow up feels like. I changed my mood while thinking of such stupid things. ¡°Maybe we should have hired a carriage or something.¡±(renji) ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Also, do you even have that much surplus money on you?¡±(aya) ¡°Muu.¡± ¡°And anyway, isn¡¯t it more fun to walk and talk like this?¡± Being told that much, I had no way to refute it. I also think that it¡¯s not bad to chat while walking like this. As we passed through various passerbys, we finally reached thendmark item shop I had been told. The alley turning inside from here is where Toudou¡¯s restaurant is located. Aya also knew the ce as she lightly pulled my sleeve to tell where we need to go. It tickled a bit. I quickly hid my smile with my other hand as we entered the alley. It seemed pretty clean for a back alley and didn¡¯t really feel dirty. But as expected, there were a lot less pedestrians. Expect for us, only a few more couples seemed to be walking here. ¡°As expected, there really are not many people here, eh?¡±(renji) ¡°True. The fact that even then Toudou-san¡¯s restaurant became popr only shows how amazing he is at cooking.¡± ¡°yeah. That said, why did he open his restaurant in sucha ce though?¡± Considering its him we¡¯re talking about, his reason would be something like, he just wants someone to enjoy his food. The number of customers is the lesser the better. Toudou Hiiragi. One of ourrades, and a cook. A weirdo who asked for a cooking rted skill even aftering to a fantasy world. A former NEET(shut-in), and sucks at social interactions. Can¡¯t converse properly, and keeps his thoughts to himself. But still, he put in great effort to walk with us, and travel along with all of us. As I recalled his appearance from an year ago, we finally saw our destination. ¡°Finally¡­..¡± ¡°Huh?¡±(aya) ¡°I looked for the ce many times aftering to the capital but never found it.¡± Also, there was the matter of my debt to Utano-san so I put more priority/effort at earning money rather than look for Toudou¡¯s palce as well. While thinking that, looked at the ce. It¡¯s outer appearance was basically a stone building on a wooden frame. It seems pretty well built. Even the parts that were supposedly damaged when he bought the ce have been properly reinforced. When I tried touching, I felt something that didn¡¯t exist in this world. Is this concrete? When I looked at Aya, she gave a vague smile. It must be Kudou who prepared this. I don¡¯t know how she prepared things like cement etc but her ability is [item creation]. She must have made it with that. Well, there was that one time where she made bombs out stones lying on the road during our journey so I¡¯m not really surprised by anything she does. I can only say ¡®oh, cool.¡¯ That¡¯s it. The name of the restaurant was [Bird of Happiness]. Since the building itself felt more like a house, the board seemed oddly out of ce. ¡°Seems like a nice ce.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes. I havee here a few times before as well. It has a great atmosphere.¡± ¡°Sounds great.¡± As I entered the ce, the gazes of the people inside moved towards us. But their number wasn¡¯t big at all. Going by a nce, only 10 customers and 2 employees seemed to be there. Probably one more employee should be in the kitchen. The entrance to the kitchen was in a blind spot so I couldn¡¯t confirm it. Probably, Toudou¡¯s there as well. The ce had two floors and I could see the stairs leading to the upper floor. Since the restaurant itself doesn¡¯t seem to be too busy, the second floor is probably Toudou¡¯s living room. With a greeting, the attendant led us to our seats. By the way, the employees were in maid outfits. They even had a frilled headband which really suited them. As expected, he¡¯s a man with taste as well. Just when I was thinking of such things, Aya pinched the back of my hand. Her smile was more scarier than the pain, so I quickly walked to our given tables. ¡°Seeing as he has hired employees, I guess he¡¯s still making profit.¡±(renji) ¡°That¡¯s true. He didn¡¯t do much advertising but the ce got popr from word of mouth it seems.¡± Saying that, Aya handed over the menu card to me. That said, the number of dishes weren¡¯t that many. Since this world didn¡¯t have the concept of home delivery, there was no easy way to procure ingredients so I guess, it can¡¯t be helped really. Since we¡¯re in the capital, it would be easier than being in some vige but still, getting things cheap would be really difficult. But still, to have a full sd on the menu, does he have some connection with a farmer family? As for meat, Orc meat¡­¡­.well that¡¯s not too difficult to get. The rest were noodle/wheat-based type of dishes you¡¯d never normally see in this world. Taking a nce at others, everyone seemed to be eating those as well. ¡°I guess dishes from our world are a rarity in this world, eh?¡±(renji) ¡°Pretty much. You can only eat such things here which is why this ce got popr with connoisseurs. It¡¯s not gotten that popr though. Dishes we can get in the castle don¡¯t appear here either after all.¡± ¡°Well obviously.¡± Well, it¡¯d be great if it did though. As expected, it¡¯s not easy to make a dish from another world get popr that easily. After all, things like basic ingredients etc. all are different in this world. I recall him saying something like having difficulties finding substitutes for certain things. Also, the different peculiar ways to cook things is also an obstacle. I¡¯m not an expert but if I recall correctly, to make udon, you need wheat flour, water and salt, right? While trying to recall the recipe that I¡¯m pretty sure is wrong, I decided on the order. Of course, it¡¯s wheat based type. I order Tsukimi Udon and sd and Aya ordered Carbonara pasta. Hmm but well, I wonder if its weird to order something like Udon on a date but, I really want to eat that. I wonder if Toudou would make this himself? ¡°Is that much enough?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t eat that much anyway.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re worried about my financial health, you don¡¯t have to okay?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.you sound like a father, Renji-san.¡± ¡°Now, I¡¯m not that old¡­¡­..probably. At least keep me at ¡®brother¡¯.¡± ¡°fufu. But that¡¯s the kind of presence you have. Even Souichi sees you like that, you know.¡± But being a father is really.. The person who said such a troublesome thing wasughing while seeing my reaction. Even her usual cute gesture seemed more mature just because she had kept her hair loose. Realizing my gaze, as if trying to hide her smile, she looked down to avert her gaze. Underneath the faint light of the magicmps, I smiled seeing Aya cutely shrink herself like that to hide her embarrassment. ¡°Somehow, it really feels nostalgic.¡±(renji) ¡°Eh?¡± At my words, her face rose back up. ¡°Back when we had juste to this world, like, we didn¡¯t really talk much, did we?¡±(renji) ¡°We, well that¡¯s¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Back then, even during dinners like this, I only talked to Souichi and Yayoi-chan.¡± ¡°uu..¡± How should I say this, but the early Aya was shy, or rather, always built a wall between herself and others I think. I know she hadplicated family circumstances, and have heard about it in detail. So I can understand why she was that way, and that¡¯s exactly why now I can talk to her like this about it. Aya herself was blushing recalling her own past personality. ¡°¡­¡­.Renji-san has changed as well.¡±(aya) ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± When she said that, I felt a bit sad in different ways. Averting my gaze to look outside the window, I gave a deep sigh. ¡°The me back then, what was I like?¡±(renji) ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Aya, how did¡ª¨C¡± At that, I stopped my own words. How should I ask her? I couldn¡¯t think of a way. It¡¯s way to embarrassing to ask how she came to like me. And before that, how can I act that presumptuous? If I was a woman, I¡¯d never want to even want to hang around with such an old man. That said, I couldn¡¯te up with better words. Still stuck, Aya waited for me to continue. ¡°¡ª¡ª-back then, from when we were travelling, have I changed?¡± In the end, I went with a safe question. While sighing at myself, I turned my gaze back to Aya. Her clear eyes were looking directly at me. As our gazes connected, I felt like I¡¯d get overpowered by her strong eyes. ¡°Yes.¡±(aya) Still looking at me with those strong eyes, she nodded. ¡°The Renji-san back then was, much more cooler.¡±(aya) ¡°Cool, is it?¡± What a vague word. I can¡¯t tell how I have changed from back then but it seems I am not as cool as I was before. Well, I can¡¯t deny it either. I¡¯m still stuck with my past. But¡ª¡ª ¡°I see.¡±(renji) ¡°fufu.¡± This girl¡¯s eyes, the woman who always supported me, therades who thought of me as a leader,¡ª¡ª-I don¡¯t want to betray them. I want to protect them. The movement among the demons, Solnea¡¯s existence, the absence of the Demon God. Through these various signals, I¡¯m sure the world is going to start moving again. At that time, I¡¯ll have to fight alongside Ermenhilde once again. No matter how much I hate fighting, I can¡¯t run away from it. At that time, just like that time¡ª¨Cjust like how I sacrificed Eru to kill the Demon God, to never lose anyone ever again. I need to resolve myself to step forward once again. ¡°Well, it seems I¡¯m not cool at all right now.¡±(renji) ¡°Not really. Even now, Renji-san is still pretty cool though?¡±(aya) ¡°Be honest, you don¡¯t have to force yourself to say it, you know? Look, your face is all red.¡± ¡°¡­¡­mouu, you¡¯re supposed to ignore such things!¡± While seeing Aya pout, Iughed. Even though she¡¯s dressed so maturely, her expressions are still childish. I guess her true appearance is that of one with childish expressions maybe. As I thought of that, she looked at me with a full wide smile. As we kept on talking like that, our order came and was arranged on the table. The steaming Udon stimted my hunger further. Aya¡¯s carbonara looks delicious as well. ¡°I¡¯ll work hard as well.¡±(renji) ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Nothing. Let¡¯s eat.¡± I slurped my Udon. Aya seemed to be wanting for me to say it again but, yeah whatever, this Udon is really delicious. As expected of Toudou, he has the greatest job ever. While thinking of things like a gourmet reporter, I gave a quick nce towards Aya. Did she give up seeing that I¡¯m not going to repeat it again, right now she was focused at the carbonara pasta she had ordered. Seeing her small gestures like holding her hair back slightly, I felt captivated. While looking at her, I thought. ¡ª¡ª¡ªI couldn¡¯t be a hero. Then at least, I could move forward with confidence. Just like before. Like an year ago. ¡°The tournament¡­¡­.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°No, well, I was thinking maybe I could try a bit harder in the fighting tournament as well.¡± I doubt just trying alone would let me win but still, I might change a bit. That alone would have enough meaning for me. I¡¯m not some Hero. But even I, once admired those Heroes. Chapter 43 Fighting Tournament (2) Chapter 43 Fighting Tournament (2) Noon, a few days after I had my dinner date with Aya. While chewing on the skewered Orc meat, I walked through the main street when Mururu, who was also eating the same, suddenly stopped. Wondering what happened, I also stopped only to see her ogling another food stand. Her tail shaking energetically underneath the cloak was cute but considering this had happened so many times already, I sighed. ¡°You¡¯re still eating right now. At least wait till you¡¯ve finished that.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­.please?¡±(mururu) ¡°No means no.¡± When I clearly dered that, she started walking again with her animal ears drooping sadly. It¡¯s a bit irritating that I am the one who feels so guilty when she does that but, I must harden my heart this time. And Feirona was walking behind us while enjoying the scene with a smile. When I shot a re at him, his smile only deepened. And at this expression from him, the women passing by us all seemed to be smitten instantly¡­..I think. Well, handsome people look attractive no matter what expression they make. Beside Feirona, another beauty was walking, Solnea. Seeing her walking in the falce where usually Ms Francesca would be felt a bit fresh. She had, rare to this world, long silky ck hair, pale white skin and somewhat lifeless ruby red eyes. She was wearing a ck cloak simr to mine which was hung down from her shoulders. The thin cloth dress she wore emphasized her sensual body lines, especially her thin waist where a belt had been tightened. Normally, seeing the handsome guy walk along with the magician girl felt really picturesque but seeing this shadowy beauty with him looks amazing as well. I feel like I¡¯m the only one in this party that doesn¡¯t really have exceptional looks. I started feeling depressed just thinking about it. [What happened, Renji?] ¡°Nothin¡ª-¡± ¡°I¡¯m done eating!¡±(mururu) ¡°¡ª¡ªthat¡¯s way too fast. Chew properly at least.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± [¡­¡­.Do you even know the meaning of that?] I¡¯m pretty sure, she doesn¡¯t. While I was pondering over my status in this party, Murur had finished her meat and looked up at me pleadingly. She really looked like a puppy waiting to get fed. She¡¯s a wolf though.¡­¡­She must want more food I guess. Her gaze seemed to switch from me then to the stall after all. ¡°Have you forgotten what we¡¯re going to do next?¡±(renji) ¡°No problem. I can¡¯t move on empty stomach.¡±(mururu) ¡°It¡¯ll be fine if you didn¡¯t move much as well, to be honest. Fine, this is thest time, okay?¡± Like handing change to a child, I gave her a copper coin. Taking the coin, she literally skipped over to the stall at an incredible speed. From hereon, the qualifiers for the fighting tournament will begin and Ms Francesca will be taking part in it. We decided yesterday to go and cheer her on. She seemed to be all fired up to take part but, let¡¯s see how she fares in the battle. It¡¯s very probable that she would fall in these preliminary rounds. So, this might be our only chance to cheer her like this, we decided to go today. I got scolded by Ermenhilde when I said that out loud though. Her quiet, calm voice of anger is pretty damn scary than a normal raging anger. Well, it¡¯s not like I was serious when I said that. I don¡¯t know what level students of magic academy are at but I do know the level of the adventurers and mercenaries that take part in it. I have taken part in this before as well, after all. The chance of her actually getting to take part in the battle is pretty low. She might get one chance through family connections though. Feirona and Mururu didn¡¯t seem to know about the tournament at all so I invited them since they seemed interested. Solnea didn¡¯t really have any other ce to go so I took her with me as well. As you¡¯d expect, she had no interest in the tournament either. ¡°Are those really that tasty?¡±(sol) While we were waiting for Mururu, Solnea came beside me and asked that. Her gaze was at Mururu¡ª¡ªor rather, at the stall. Mururu was currently getting a hot dog replica with bread, veggies and orc meat. Why doesn¡¯t she get fat even though she eats so much meat. Well, I guess she does move a lot with all the monster hunting we do. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s pretty delicious. Want some too?¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­.I can?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Getting one more won¡¯t hurt now.¡± Saying that, I handed a copper coin to Solnea as well. By the way, the gold I had given her before had disappeared in buying clothes. Apparently, Ms Francesca didn¡¯t make anypromises in getting clothes for Solnea. In fact, I was told that one gold coin wasn¡¯t enough so she spent her own money for Solnea as well. As expected of ady from a noble house I guess. Well, it¡¯s her own hard earned money, it doesn¡¯t matter how she decides to spend it. But it should be noted that both Feirona and Mururu were really tired by the end of it. Taking the copper coin, she also headed towards the same stall as Mururu. As I saw her off, Feirona came beside me. ¡°Being a babysitter sure looks tough.¡±(elf) [Seriously.] ¡°Why are you saying that?¡±(renji) You did literally nothing. Only Feirona heard that Ermenhilde¡¯s voice other than me. I still don¡¯t trust Solnea enough and Mururu seems like she¡¯d overreact everytime she hears Ermenhilde¡¯s voice. I can trust Feirona to act normally at all times. At Ermenhilde¡¯s voice, Feirona shrugged his shoulders and continued talking. ¡°So, got any idea of who or what she is?¡±(elf) ¡°None at all. I let her meet Utano-san as well but there was no abnormality she said .¡±(renji) ¡°If the Sage herself says so, it might be true.¡± [Though I wonder if you can actually say that there are no abnormalities in a person who was literally living inside a crystal.] Seriously. Last night, I took some time and introduced Solnea to Utano-san but didn¡¯t agin much info. She is a normal human, apparently. Even the crystal recovered from that cave was no different than normal crystal sold in cheap shops. Well, it might be stupid to ponder over something you know nothing about I guess. With a sigh, I decided to cut that train of thoughts. I might start getting over suspicious towards Solnea and have a bad effect on her instead. I don¡¯t like such things. I should end it all within my thoughts. I¡¯ll deal with whatever happens, when it actually happens. ¡°For the time being, the only thing we know is that she doesn¡¯t have any magical energy inside her.¡± ¡°fumu.¡± When I said that, Feirona went into thinking while resting his chin on her fingers. His every action makes him look good, really. [So she¡¯s basically the same as Renji, eh?] ¡°Pretty much. Well, I have you so I don¡¯t really have much trouble though.¡±(renji) [¡­¡­..hmm.] In my case, I just don¡¯t have magical energy because I am not from this world in the first ce. But¡­¡­What about Solnea? But there¡¯s no need to worry about that now. Certainly, people with no magical energy are rare but it¡¯s not like they are non-existent. Special people like that do get born every once in a while. And it¡¯s not like they get discriminated against either. You can use convenient things like magic if you have magical energy but it¡¯s not like everything requires it. As long as you can get education, you get a well paying job as well. Just like in our world. There are countless things a human can do without magical energy. What is concerning is that the crystal she was sleeping in did have magical energy. And there was no answer to that question either. It was difficult to discern who she was with the info at hand. All I can do is take care of her as just a person I found in trouble. While I was thinking of that, Mururu and Solnea came back walking alongside each other while eating their hotdog replicas. It was not very well mannered to do that so I could only sigh and give a wry smile. ck and white. Their colours were the opposite but they totally looked like sisters. ¡°It¡¯s bad manners., seriously.¡±(renji) ¡°But it¡¯s tasty.¡±(mururu) ¡°Well, great. I spent money on those so please relish them properly while eating at least.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± She remained expressionless as usual but her stuffed face looked really cute. The ketchup sticking on her mouth only added to her charm. And just like the white girl, the ck girl was also expressionlessly eating the hotdog. Since she was eating it nicely while taking small bites everytime, she looked more sweet than Mururu. ¡°Is it tasty?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes.¡±(sol) When I asked that, she gave a short, concise reply. It¡¯s really like her to do that. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re enjoying but let¡¯s hurry now. We¡¯ll miss Francesca¡¯s turn otherwise.¡±(elf) ¡°Oh right, I almost forgot.¡±(renji) ¡°*gulp* let¡¯s hurry then, Renji.¡±(mururu) ¡°¡­¡­..you¡¯re the reason we¡¯rete, you know?¡±(renji) As Feirona began to walk, we followed him as well. Walking between Mururu and Solnea felt like I had a flower in both hands but unfortunately, both of them were more concentrated on their food rather than me. Stomach before everything, I guess. It¡¯s pretty sad in my position to be honest. ¡°Renji.¡±(mururu) ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Can Fran clear the prelims?¡± Whit a ketchup stained mouth, she asked me that. If Fran¡ª-Ms Francesca would be able to clear through the prelims. ¡°Well, who knows.¡±(renji) When I shrugged my shoulders, she frowned at me in a somewhat angry manner. Did she want to me to at least say that she¡¯d pass, even if it was just words? But, I can¡¯t help that. I don¡¯t even know who her opponent is, and neither do I know the skill level of the participants this year. Though Ms Francesca has gotten used to fighting with monsters with her journeys, she¡¯s still a bit na?ve. I feel like that part of her personality will appear all the more so since this time she¡¯s facing living humans rather than monsters. Monsters and humans are fundamentally different. I¡¯m worried whether she¡¯d be able to fire her magic against humans. Even Aya and Koutarou still hesitate in doing that. Utano-san doesn¡¯t hesitate but she does get depressedter on. Even I remember how bad I felt after the first time I cut down a man. Hurting others puts a lot of burden on you mentally. Can Ms Francesca handle that burden? If she can¡­¡­.she actually might pass the prelims. ¡°Well, the odds might turn in her favour today. We can¡¯t say who¡¯ll win for sure till we see the battle itself.¡±(renji) ¡°I see.¡±(mururu) [How realistic. Wouldn¡¯t it be fine if you tried to be a bit more optimistic for her?¡±] That¡¯s not what my character is like, and you know that. I simply shrugged my shoulders in answer to Ermenhilde. Mururu¡¯s tail seemed to be drooping down and was sulking due to not getting the answer she was hoping for. Even though she was the one who asked the question in the first ce. It¡¯s easy to say that someone will win. But, it¡¯s Ms Francesca who actually has to work hard. It¡¯s not something I can say so easily like that. While seeing her cute sulking face, I finally saw the huge building appear in front of us. And the main street felt like it became popted and energetic as we got closer as well. The Colosseum. The cylindrical building was tall enough that you had to raise your head to see the top and it was currently filled with people. Everyone has gathered here to see the fighting tournament. There are already more than hundred people here already. And the tournament hasn¡¯t even begun yet. The crowd will only get bigger and bigger. Normally, the arena is a ce where moneyless adventurers, mercenaries and young men proud of their skill put their lives on the line to fight here to earn money. They fight against humans, demi-humans, beastmen and even captured monsters here. The monsters only include low level ones like goblins, kobolds and Orcs though. And only, in one vs one battles. Though one vs many battles are very popr with the spectators. In this world thatcks ways of amusement, such dangerous things were the only way for them to feel excited. If you win, the reward is great, if you lose, you¡¯d be badly injured. You might even die. That¡¯s the kind of ce we were heading to. Well, what I gave was an extreme example though. Normally, there are very rarely any people who fight till their deaths. Against humans, as long as you say ¡®I surrender!¡¯ the battle is over. And even if one doesn¡¯t do that, the referee would often dere the victor and it¡¯ll settle the match before there¡¯s a need to fight till death. Those who are ready to actually put their lives on the line and fight against monsters are a very small group of people who are very desperate. ¡°So what do you think about this, Feirona?¡±(renji) ¡°I hope she wins, really. Francesca has been really working hard for this.¡±(elf) I see. Am I the only one being too harsh? While thinking of that, we joined the line of people as well. I could get a free pass for myself but I¡¯ll feel bad to let these guys wait in the line alone. As I looked around, I saw a lots of people just looking at those waiting to get an entrance to the arena. There were also a lot many stalls here than the main street as well. ¡°It¡¯s painful to not have you hardwork pay off.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yeah.¡± I felt a certain gentleness from Feirona¡¯s words. Did thate from personal experience? Or has he actually developed a sense of bond with Ms Francesca while travelling with her. In either case, this elf man seemed to be wishing for Ms Francesca¡¯s victory. And Mururu as well. These guys sure have started to get along with each other. Seeing their warm bonds, I gave a smile. Being aware of that, I hid my mouth with my right hand but the sharp sighted Elf just averted his gaze acting like he didn¡¯t see it. I wonder if he¡¯s happy or just embarrassed. ¡°Oh right, will you guys not enter?¡±(renji) Remembering suddenly, I asked that. I know that both Feirona and Mururu were much more skilled than normal adventurers. They might not win the whole thing but they¡¯ll probably go pretty far in the tournament. But, while realizing my thoughts, Feirona shook his head. Mururu just continued eating her hotdog. This girl really prioritizes food over everything, doesn¡¯t she. ¡°I don¡¯t like standing out.¡±(elf) ¡°Aah, Ipletely get what you mean.¡±(renji) [¡­¡­..And why are you guys okay with that?] Ermenhilde gave an exasperated sigh towards both of us. I am one thing but its rare for Feirona to get the same reaction as me from Ermenhilde. ¡°Renji won¡¯t be appearing?¡±(sol) ¡°Hm?¡± The voice came from someone unexpected. Solnea, who was eating just like Mururu, asked me that. I wasn¡¯t surprised, but it was a bit rare. I thought she didn¡¯t show any interest in such things. Well, then don¡¯t take her to a ce like an arena. I feel like someone will tell me that. Whatever. I can¡¯t just lose sight of an amnesiac girl either, can i? ¡°It¡¯s already been decided that I¡¯ll be taking part. In the main matches on the second day though.¡±(renji) The tournament was divided into two days. On the first day is team battles. And on the second day, it¡¯s one vs one tournament with the qualifiers from today¡¯s preliminaries and us summoned heroes included. At least, the weapons we have to use aren¡¯t holy swords or magci/demonic swords but rather, training swords with dull edges. Aya should have been limited in some way as well. Just like Utano-san wanted, it¡¯d be great if we could pull a lot of crowd to watch the show. ¡°I see.¡±(sol) ¡°What, are you interested in things like this?¡±(renji) ¡°Meaning?¡±(sol) ¡°The tournament, the arena, fighting in general. Are you interested in such things?¡± Saying that, I looked towards the entrance of the arena. Solnea also followed my gaze and look towards it. But, she remained silent. Getting no reply, after some time I looked back at Solnea only to see her staring at me. I still couldn¡¯t feel any wave of emotion from her. Her gaze still like in a daze. Actually, being constantly stared at like from so close that increased my heartbeat slightly. ¡°No, not really.¡±(sol) ¡°I..see¡­¡­¡±(renji) Feeling a bit embarrassed from her straight gaze, I lost my words for a second. At that, Mururu who had been eating till now looked up towards me. ¡°Your face is red.¡±(Mururu) ¡°Just your imagination.¡±(renji) ¡°Kukuku, it¡¯s a hot day for the end of the year eh?¡±(elf) [¡­¡­.Tch.] You guys really do get along well. Is it that much fun to tease me? Goddamn it. Scratching my cheek that felt like it was gonna cramp, I averted my gaze. At that, Solnea simply looked at us in confusion. I guess she simply became slightly curious about the fights which is why she asked that. There was no other reason behind it probably. I simply overreacted seeing her say something like that, that¡¯s all. And to her gaze as well. For some reason, I¡¯m not good at being looked at so directly. Is it because Ick confidence? Because I feel like they¡¯d see through what kind of person Yamada Renji is? ¡°But, Renji, I¡¯m interested in seeing you fight.¡±(sol) ¡°I see, I see. Well, I¡¯ll try to work hard in my fight so be sure to enjoy it.¡±(renji) That said, my opponent is Souichi. Trying hard alone won¡¯t let me win but I don¡¯t intend to give up before even starting. For starters, I¡¯m gonna give it a shot at least. [How unusual. I thought you¡¯d be totally reluctant to do such things?] I wonder what she thought of me as Ermenhilde spoke in a somewhat surprised voice. Normally, at such moments, I¡¯ll usually say something pathetic and the Ermenhilde would scold me for it. That¡¯s how it had been. Even I think that. I don¡¯t like standing out, and it¡¯s not like I¡¯ll use Ermenhilde in the tournament either. In a situation where the benefits from cheats to me are almost minimal, my strength is only slightly more than normal adventurers. Even if I fought Souichi while using training swords, there¡¯s a very low chance for me to win. Just like Ermenhilde said, I¡¯ll probably put in a little effort and then quickly lose and get it done with. At least, I wouldn¡¯t say something like I¡¯ll work hard. [I see, I see. Good.] What followed, was a truly happy voice from Ermenhilde. Normally when I hear that, I¡¯d say something random at her and tease her but somehow, for some reason, I couldn¡¯t say anything. Because I knew what Ermenhilde was thinking very easily. She¡¯s simply genuinely happy that I decided to work hard. She has been telling that to me for so long after all. Seeing her so happy like that, I didn¡¯t feel like saying anything else at all. In a different sense from Solnea¡¯s gaze, I covered my mouth. But this time, nobody seemed to have noticed my reaction. I looked at the crowd gathered in front of the arena with a daze. And Solnea looked at me continuously. ¡°What is it?¡±(renji) ¡°You¡¯re an interesting person.¡±(sol) Saying just that, she returned back to eating her hotdog replica. Unable to realize what she truly meant by that, I could only tilt my head in confusion. [As usual, she¡¯s a weird girl] Seriously. . . (Part 2 ) By the time, Mururu and Solnea finished eating their hotdogs and we had entered the arena, almost half of the spectator seats had already been filled. Sitting on the stone seats, Mururu and Solnea sat to my left and right. Feirona sat done on the other side of Solnea. As I held on to the skewered orc meat in my hand, I recalled watching baseball matches like this back in my original world. Just then, Mururu, who was also eating the same thing moved her sights. On following her gaze, I saw Ms Francesca wearing her blue school uniform. She was currently standing at the entrance to the main stage. It must be her turn next. ¡°Fran, she¡¯s there.¡±(mururu) ¡°So it seems. Aah, she really seems nervous.¡±(renji) I could tell even from this far away that she was extremely nervous. She seems to have a sword as a weapon as she held it, while inside the scabbard, tight to her chest. Moving my gaze, I looked at the two who were currently fighting in the arena right now. Maybe because the number of applicants was great, the selection process was being done through survival battle method. Around 10 or less participants will fight at the same time and only thest man standing would go to the next round. Except for the 2 fighting, there 5 other participants currently lying on the ground groaning in pain. At least they¡¯re not dead. The skill level of the two currently fighting was¡­¡­.not really high. No, maybe I¡¯ve simply gotten a bit used to seeing higher level battles due to watching the training fight between Masaki-chan and Souichi. Compared to the adventurers of this world, these guys seem to have average skill. One of them was using arge sword, as tall his own height, and the other was using short swords skilfully in his both hands. But seemingly uninterested in their fight, Mururu continued to be focused more on the meat in her hands. Is that fine with you? ¡°Don¡¯t overeat. We¡¯ll go for lunch with everyer as well, you know?¡±(renji) ¡°No problem. I can eat that as well.¡±(mururu) ¡°¡­¡­.You¡¯ll get fat.¡± When I said that, she began to touch around her chest as if checking something. [Maybe we should let her get fat for once?] ¡°That¡¯d be troublesome on its own though.¡±(elf) It was Feirona who answered to Ermenhilde¡¯s suggestion. Certainly, for Mururu, who was the vital point of the vanguard of the party, to get fat would indeed be troublesome. Though I¡¯m not sure if he was just joking or was actually serious. I gaveugh hearing him. Not paying any attention to our conversation, Mururu continued patting her chest. I have heard that a girl¡¯s chest grows bigger on massaging but that¡¯s just a superstition. Utano-san had clearly verified that. I don¡¯t know what she¡¯d do to me if she heard that though. Solnea on the other side just was in some kind of daze, wondering about god knows what. As usual I guess. The main arena was cylindrical in shape and surrounded by a stone wall. That stone wall had countless scratches and cuts marked on it. The ground had many parts still sted out and there were even some broken weapons lying here and there. All of this was an indication of the intenseness of the [show] that takes ce here. It was at least 200m in diameter, I think. Pretty big, in my opinion. It closely resembles the colloseum we see in movies. At the very top of the spectator stands was ce covered in high quality cloth. It was the ce from where the royalty would sit and watch the arena. Right now, we were currently directly opposite to that area. The other spectators were excitedly shouting and enjoying the fights in the arena right now. The fighting tournament was the main event that takes ce at the end of the year. The winner gets a reward of 5 silver coins, and other than that, if one gets acknowledged they might even get appointed as a Knight or a court magician as well. Not just that, it was also the best ce to test your own strength. In this world thatck ways of amusement, there were many people who¡¯d work hard all the year round just to take part in this tournament. In a way, it was considered an honor to just get to take part in this tournament. ¡°Will I also grow as much as Fran one day?¡±(mururu) ¡°It¡¯d be great, if you do.¡±(renji) ¡°Yeah.¡± I decided not to ask ¡®growth¡¯ of what exactly. That¡¯s my way of being kind. Unlike Ms Francesca, imagining a t grasnd, I said that. Soon, Mururu returned back to eating her meat. By the looks of it though, the one thing you¡¯d grow right now is your stomach rather than chest. Well, considering the her body movement as a beastwoman, she probably won¡¯t gain much fat. In fact, I feel like I¡¯ve never seen a fat beastman. In the meantime, the battle in the arena seemed to be reaching its climax. The adventurer using two swords began to fight in a more aggressive state suddenly as the crowd went wild with cheers. As if being powered up by those cheers, he dealt out abo of attacks with actual skill and not just random movements. But the man with huge sword was blocking thatbo very well. ¡°Who will win?¡±(sol) ¡°Hm?¡± That question came from Solnea sitting beside me, still looking straight at the arena. ¡°Probably the one using therge sword.¡±(elf) It was Feirona who answered. I also nodded at his unhesitating answer. The dual sword wielder had the momentum but therge sword user had more stability and solidness. He¡¯s defending against the flurry of attacks with ease. Anyone with even slight experience could tell that it¡¯s only a matter of time before the dual wielder runs out of stamina. And as expected, the momentum of his attacks soon began to fall. But still, therge sword user didn¡¯t take action. He must be aiming for the momentum when his opponent ispletely out of stamina¡­¡­¡­ I guess he¡¯s the type thatys importance on dealing attacks with max certainty. His way of thinking wasn¡¯t wrong either as the moment the dual wielder stopped his attack, therge sword user blew him away along with his 2 swords in a single swing. Asrge roars of cheer rose, the man gave a bow an went back to through the gate having earned his pass to the next round. Seems like an unsocial, or rather, boorish guy. Very manly indeed. Even his weapon isrge sword. ¡°Looks like Feirona was correct.¡± ¡°Anyone could tell that. Didn¡¯t you predict that as well, Renji?¡± ¡°Well, you can¡¯t tell the result till the battle¡¯s finished after all.¡± ¡°fumu, you¡¯re not wrong, I guess.¡± [The next one¡¯s starting.] At the same time, cheers rose again. The fainted participants had been carried away by the staff personnel. At the same time, the next batch¡ª¡ªMs Francesca and others appeared. ¡°It¡¯s starting.¡±(renji) ¡± n, I know.¡±(mururu) Quickly finishing the food, Mururu¡¯s gaze turned towards the arena. 7 participants. But only one will be the winner. The names of the participants began to be announced and the first one was Ms Francesca. The announcement echoed in the minds of the spectators directly through magic. I¡¯m pretty used to it thanks to Ermenhilde but it still feels a bit weird to hear someone else¡¯s voice directly inside your head. Except Ms Francesca, everyone else seemed to be adventurers from either the capital or the Tactics City, making everyone closebat type fighters. A magician like Ms Francesca actually might win it if she could position herself well and avoid direct battles. ¡°Can she win?¡±(sol) ¡°We¡¯ll know soon enough.¡±(renji) As I answered that, the participants started to spread over the arena. Maybe too nervous, Ms francesca was taking deep breaths. Adventurers used to fighting won¡¯t overlook her like that. A troublesome magician, and since she¡¯s nervous, she¡¯d be the first one to get targeted. It¡¯s easy to understand how their mind works even without being actually there on the battlefield. Mururu seemed to be equally nervous but she kept looking at Ms Francesca without even blinking. [So it begins.] ¡°Yeah.¡± And the sound to begin the fight echoed. Even without the use of magic, it felt like the sound echoed all over the arena. At the same time, all the participants began to take action. You¡¯d think they¡¯d go for the closest opponent but two of them went for Ms Francesca. At first, a baldy sword user and a dwarf axe-user attacked her from the front. She probably didn¡¯t expect that to happen as her reaction seemed to be one step toote. It wasn¡¯t normal for two contestants to team up like this, especially when they haven¡¯t even met beforehand. But Ms Francesca had also gained a lot of experience since the first time we met. She was only surprised for a second, the very next instant she lightly kicked the ground and the baldy suddenly fell to the ground face front. It was a pitfall trap, a skill we were already used to seeing. She had created a small hole that wouldn¡¯t be noticed easily. Only big enough for someone to get his foot stuck in it and trip over. Since that man was holding his sword with both hands, he was unable to even recover from the fall quickly. Seeing the one beside him fall like that, the dwarf¡¯s movement also stopped for a second. The next instant, the dwarf was blown away by a invisible magic ball¡ª¨Can air ball. Next she hit the baldy, who was groaning in pain from hitting the ground with his face, with her short sword, while still in the sheath, into his stomach. Since there was no danger of cutting him, she hit him with all her strength and the man fainted. The dwarf, know to be one tough race, unsteadily stood up but another contestant used that chance to hit him in the head and knock him out. Ms Francesca wasn¡¯t the only opponent, showing an opening like that would result in loss. Now only 4 remained. While Ms Francesca was dealing with those two, another one had been taken out. One magician, 2 swordsmen, and one using his barehands. Probably a martial arts user or a dark vessel user. Ms Francesca had the advantage in reach of attacks but I doubt the other 3 would give her such an opening. The deadlock remained for a few ten seconds. The first one to move was one of the swordsmen. Using daggers in both hands, he faced the barehanded warrior. He swung a sh towards the enemy¡¯s nk but that man dodged it with minimal movement and struck the sword user¡¯s torso with his fist. Even though he was wearing leather armour, it seems like the attack was too strong as he dropped his daggers and fell to the ground. ¡°Only 3 remain.¡± ¡°Right.¡± I nodded to Mururu¡¯s words. The fight¡¯s going in the right direction, I think. At first, when those two attacked together, I thought it¡¯d be over but she did well to beat them. The announcement had introduced her as a student, but due to that first battle, others are now wary of her. In terms of fighting experience, Ms Francesca is nowhere near the other two. But the fact that she¡¯s still maintaining the pressure, not allowing the other 2 to team up against her, is because the first ambush on her failed. Also, they have yet to see the pitfall as well. This is a great advantage to her. Basic magic includes fire or air balls or rock and ice arrows. The pitfall magic isn¡¯t really included in themon sense of magic in the people of this world. At the most, the only info around would be that the Grand Magus and one of the heroes, Aya sues such a magic. Even after an year, I doubt many magicians have started using such a magic. At least I have not heard of any such magician. Then, that pitfall might be her trump card. The enxt one to move was Ms Francesca and the other swordsman. The man using longsword and leather shield faced the barehanded man. Ms Francesca used a chant-less ice ball and fired it at the bare handed man further helping the sword user. But maybe because he had incredible kic vision, or simply had too much experience, he easily dodged the sword swing and the fist sized ice ball. And after that, countered the sword user in the same way as before but ended up being the one falling down. He didn¡¯t fall t on his face like the earlier one but this opening wouldn¡¯t be missed by the sword user. Since he was too close, he couldn¡¯t swing his sword so instead he used his shield to hit him straight and made him faint. Now it was 1 vs 1. Without any gap, the sworduser ran towards Ms Francesca. It showed that he was experienced in fighting against magicians. Magicians use long range, heavy firepower spells to take down their enemies, or so is themon image of magicians in this world. The best way to not let them concentrate and use spells is to rush them and enter closebat. Magic could only be activated by concentrating and heightening your powers of imagination. Reversely speaking, you couldpletely seal a magician if you don¡¯t let them concentrate. It is a known fact. A normal magician would here try to create space between them but Ms Francesca drew her short sword from the sheath. A light magical energy covered her limbs. Enhancement of physical abilities. I was a bit surprised seeing her use this as a trump card since I had never seen her use this magic before. ¡°That¡¯s the way.¡±(elf) I heard Feirona speak that. It was Feirona who taught Ms Francesca how to use a sword. The short sword and longsword shed, and though slightly awkwardly, she handled the attacks. At the same time, she seemed to be even aware of not tripping over the fallen down other participants. The way of using the sword, the way of moving in a battlefield. She remembers to concentrate even while moving well. She has been taught really well it seems. And, Ms francesca also had magic to help her. Did she start getting used to the opponents attacks, or did her opponent start panicking and making crude movements, he was barely able to fend off her attacks. She slowly became even able topletely fend of his longsword¡¯s attack without much trouble. ¡°Compared to a lizardman, his movements are too slow.¡± ¡°Well, obviously.¡± I agreed with Mururu whopared him with a monster. Monsters have much more physical strength and stamina than humans. It¡¯s not even worthparing. Certainly, if she could face a more powerful humanoid monster, it made her skills easier to understand. Magician and swordsman. A rear guard job and the vanguard job. But even so, they were fighting on equal terms. Before I knew it, that newbie adventurer girl had already grown into such apetent adventurer. After a few more exchange of attacks, the opponent began showing signs of exhaustion. On the other hand, Ms Francesca didn¡¯t show any signs either conceit or pride. There was not even a sway in the magical energy enveloping her showing that she still had plenty of magical energy left. Finally, seeing her opponent make a big swing again, she used the gap to create a hole beneath him and buried his foot till the ankle. His attack met only the ground and his open side of his face was hit by her short sword. That¡¯s gonna really hurt, yeah. The man rolled over the ground and twitched whileying there. Only his face had been hit but the impact of his body hitting the ground must have been hard as well. The blooding from his nose shows how painful it must have been. ¡°fuu.¡± ¡°waah.¡± It seemed even I had be nervous as I breathed out finally and heard the same kind of sigh of relief from beside me as well. Looking there, my gaze connected with Mururu¡¯s. And at the same time, the voice directlying to our heads dered the winner as Ms Francesca. ¡°She won.¡±(mururu) ¡°Yeah. Looks like we¡¯ll need to celebrate.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I smiled back seeing Mururu giving a rare wide smile as well. I felt my chest be warm seeing her expression. Feirona didn¡¯t show much change in her expression but I know he¡¯s pretty happy as well. I wonder if he himself knows that the corners of his mouth are turned up much more than usual? Realizing my gaze, the handsome elf hid his mouth in a very casual manner. Since I¡¯m always teased by him, I¡¯ll definitely tease himter to my heart¡¯s content. Definitely. ¡°She became victorious.¡±(sol) But, only Solnea, like usual spoke that in a t voice. I looked towards Ms Francesca once again. I¡¯m guessing she is the most surprised with the result of her match. Even though she has been dered as a victor, she¡¯s still staring at the short sword in her hand with surprise. I wonder what kind of emotions are going through her right now, what is she feeling right now? I became a bit curious so I decided to ask herter during the celebration. Till the official asked her to leave the arena, she remained standing there in surprise. Chapter 44 Fighting Tournament (3) Chapter 44 Fighting Tournament (3) I wonder if I am the only one feels good to see food slowly decrease from the numerous dishes arranged on the table. l looked at Mururu eating the Udon with a fork having left the difficult to use chopsticks aside. After a while, Mururu, who had been focused at her food only, realized my gaze and looked at me. ¡°¡­¡­..What?¡±(mururu) ¡°Nothing, I was just thinking that you really can eat a lot.¡±(renji) ¡°It¡¯s tasty.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m d. It was made by my friend so hearing that makes me happy as well.¡± ¡°I see.¡± She gave a wide smile at that confusing me a bit. But, it¡¯d be weird to think of such things and not eat, so I also moved my chopsticks towards my dish. My order had been Soba. Solnea had ordered the same dish as well, and was currently trying her best to use the chopsticks and eat it. If it¡¯s that difficult, you could just use a fork like Mururu, you know? Well, I did actually tell her to use a fork but for some reason she seemed adamant to use the chopsticks only. I don¡¯t why she became so obsessed with that but if she herself wants it that way, I think it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s a bit frustrating to watch though. The noodles will start to stretch so I hope she doesn¡¯t take too long. Ms Francesca and Feirona didn¡¯t seem to be much of the adventurous type in trying food as they still ordered a spaghetti type dish alreadymon in this world. They were both, of course, using forks and eating as gracefully as possible. Seriously, these two look good no matter what they¡¯re doing. Solnea was¡­¡­.well, seeing a beauty have trouble with eating food might have its own charm for being a bit surprising I guess? Other than that, there were also deep fried and vegetable based dishes on the table as well. The first of them was, Sashimi? Fish type dishes were rare in this world, probably not more than river fishes being fried and eaten is all I can think of. The sea was the territory of monsters, so jobs like fishermen didn¡¯t even exist. Even in the Commercial Sciences City which is located at a coast, saltwater fishes are very rarely sold. They¡¯re not non-existent but the number and variety was simply too low. Thus, dishes based on fishes were sparse. In fact, there might be people ind that aren¡¯t even aware that even seas and the ocean have fishes of their own. And, to such people, a dish where you have to eat a fish basically raw is probably not their idea of ¡®fresh¡¯. And true, only I, who ordered it, was eating the dish. ¡°But still, who would have thought that cuisine from another world would be so tasty.¡±(elf) ¡°The Sashimi is pretty as well, you know?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Is that supposed to be eaten raw?¡± ¡°Well, yeah. If we had wasabi to go with it, it would have been perfect though.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really get it but if you say so, whatever.¡± Looks like he really has no intention of trying it. For Feirona who lived in the forest, marine eatables like this in itself would be rare. He didn¡¯t even try out the fried ones made of minced fish meat either. While giving a wry smile as I extended my chopsticks towards the sahsimi, Ms Francesca and SOlnea also extended theirs towards it. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°No, nothing.¡± These two didn¡¯t seem to show much disapproval towards the Sashimi. Maybe they¡¯re just trying it out since I was eating it. Ms Francesca used her fork to cut it and Solnea clumsily, while shaking, used her chopstick to put some on her small te. ¡°Where I lived, Sashimi is considered a high-ss item you know?¡±(renji) ¡°Really?¡±(fran) ¡°Because eaten raw after all. Since the degree of freshness mattered greatly, various troublesome methods had to be used to keep it fresh apparently.¡± ¡°Various methods?¡±(fran) ¡°Yup, various methods.¡± Saying that, I quickly took a bite to cut the topic. I know I was the one started the topic but I ampletely unaware of everything else about it myself. And also, it¡¯d be difficult for them to understand even if I talked about my world. I¡¯d rather not confuse them too much. That was a failure at starting a conversation. And, to be honest, for a high ss item, I could quite easily get it even with my poor lifestyle. Since Solnea had not been told of my circumstances as of yet, I felt that it¡¯d be troublesome to speak of that in front of her. But even that won¡¯tst for that long. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to have to take care of her forever either. ¡°But still, you sure performed great Miss Francesca.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°The prelims. To be honest, I didn¡¯t think you would be able to fight that well.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­he even said that you¡¯d lose, at first.¡±(mururu) Please shut up, Mururu. And sure enough, Ms Francesca¡¯s expressionpletely froze. I cleared my throat and took a sip from my tea. ¡°Congrattions. It could be that we¡¯d end up fighting each other in the main tournament as well.¡±(renji) ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°No, well, I¡¯m also taking part in the main battle so there¡¯s a chance right?¡± ¡°Uu, ah¡­¡­really?¡± ¡°Well, kind of.¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a bully, you know?¡±(elf) I simply shrugged my shoulders at Feirona¡¯s words. My opponent has been decided as Souichi already though. But I¡¯m the only one who knows that. So I¡¯m allowed to tease her a little, right? Maybe I¡¯m just a bit sad that she grew up so much without me knowing. And by the way, I truly am happy for her victory. As someone who knew what Ms Francesca was like back then, I¡¯m really happy to see so much growth in her in the matter of few months. ¡°Even though when we first met, you were about to get killed by a few goblins..¡±(renji) ¡°You still remember that¡­¡­¡± ¡°I doubt I could forget that.¡± As Iughed saying that, she hung her head in embarrassment. That gesture of hers alone hasn¡¯t changed at all since we first met. Trying to subjugate goblins even though she had no experience, got close to dying and then wailing and crying afterwards. And that girl was now able enough to take part in the main rounds of the tournament. I don¡¯t know how far she¡¯d be able to get but I hope she gives her most satisfactory performance. ¡°How was she back then?¡± (mururu) ¡°Well even though I say it like that, it was not that long ago. I know her since after I saved her from goblins that had attacked her.¡±(renji) ¡°Oh.¡±(elf) ¡°That was really dangerous, if I had not saved her in time, she really would have died right there.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes¡­¡­..for that time, once again, thank you very much. If Renji-sama had not saved me who knows what would have happened¡­¡­¡±(fran) ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to so seriously thank me again now, you know¡­¡± ¡°No, if not for Renji-sama I would have never even fulfilled my dream of appearing the Fighting tournament¡¯s main round.¡± I was just joking around when I spoke of that time you know? But it seems the fear she felt back then is still strongly rooted in Ms Francesca. Well, it¡¯s thanks to that she is able to give her best now without being reckless and putting herself in danger now though. Even after bing able to fight monsters near the capital and even after entering the main round of the fighting tournament, she has not gotten conceited yet. You could say that she¡¯s maturing in a very good way. ¡°Also, you should be thanking Feirona for helping you win rather than me.¡±(renji) It feels weird to say this myself but, I did absolutely nothing that would have helped her win to be honest. At most, the only thing I¡¯ve ever taught her is to use that pitfall magic back when we were facing those orcs. And a bit ofmon knowledge about being an adventurer and basic monsters, that¡¯s all. I never even taught her how to swing a sword, let alone how to fight. That¡¯s why I think that saying something like ¡®if not for me¡¯ doesn¡¯t suit the situation. ¡°Both me and Mururu as well, only taught her how to always be cautious during battle. As for her sword use, she learnt simply by watching.¡±(elf) ¡°Sword¡­¡­¡­you mean me?(renji) ¡°Umm, yes.¡±(fran) Feirona uses his bow more than his sword, and Mururu uses her own body as a weapon. Thus, if Ms Francesca had learned sword fighting by just watching, it¡¯d have to be me. Now I feel a bit embarrassed. But still¡­..I recalled Ms Francesca¡¯s fight in the colloseum. How should I say this, I actually have zero confidence that I¡¯d be able to fight with as much splendour as she was. Even during her sword fight, she was able to use magic even during closebat. Though there was still roughness in her form, she still fought looking like a pretty good adventurer. With her appearance, I¡¯m guessing she¡¯d get really popr one day. As someone who¡¯s supposedly her model for sword fighting, I feel a bit sad or rather, pathetic instead. I was, in fact, taught by O¡¯brien-san as well but I don¡¯t use his sword style at all. His is an incredible one hit sure kill attack type whereas mine involves dealing fast, multiple weak attacks to deal damage. And Ms Francesca was an incredible sword thatbined both sword skill and magic. None of us actually resemble each other¡¯s style at all. ¡°Did her style actually resemble mine?¡±(renji) ¡°Not at all.¡±(mururu) To make sure I asked Mururu and she gave an instant reply. I agree as well. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought as well. My sword is¡ª¨C¡°(renji) ¡°Renji¡¯s sword is far more skilful.¡±(mururu) ¡ªNot that splendorous. Before I could say that, Mururu cut my words. ¡°It¡¯s as Mururu-chan says¡­¡­¡±(fran) ¡°You do get a passing mark in my opinion. What do you think, O great master?¡±(elf) ¡°Who the hell are you calling aster? I don¡¯t remember teaching the sword to anyone.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­Uuu.¡± As Ms Francesca gave a groan, Mururu red at me. You both sure are on good terms.While feeling a bit envious, I thought about how to answer that. Or rather, I felt that she was already pretty amazing. At least,pared to my own sword skill in the first three months of learning, I didn¡¯t even know what a sword stance truly was, I just swung the sword around in desperation. And no matter how much I learnt to swing it, in an actual battle, I could barely put it to use. As someone who knows that, I can tell how much effort Ms Francesca must have put in her training. What passing mark, I can only think ofplimenting her greatly. ¡°In the first ce, I don¡¯t feel that my sword is that skilful.¡±(renji) ¡°Really?¡± ¡°My sword is still very clumsy and awkward. I just learnt it by desperately swinging the sword while fighting much stronger monsters. Though I have been taught the basics, it was only for one month.¡± Other than that, there were goblins, orcs, lizardmen, zombies, hawkmen, vampires and other humanoid enemies and also treants, Garm, golems, chimaeras, dragons and other much crazy existences. And after fighting those, trying to keep myself alive, I kept on swinging my sword and finally turned into what I am right now. It can¡¯t be called skilful, it¡¯s still very clumsy. At least, I think so. But apparently myrades consider it to be skilled. Certainly, I have cut through countless enemies of various types with it but still, it feels a bit embarrassing to be told that. [fufufu.] ¡°I don¡¯t think the word ¡®skilled¡¯ suits me much.¡± As I said that while scratching my head, Ms Francesca and Mururu looked at me with a nk gaze. Feirona, seeing me troubled at their gazes, simply gave a smile. Only Solnea, looked at me with her usual expressionless face. [You¡¯re being trusted a lot, eh?] ¡°Seriously.¡± Icked confidence even in the words I replied to Ermenhilde. True, I experienced an extremely dangerous journey of going and killing the Demon God and lived. I grew more than any adventurer possibly could I think. It¡¯s not a game or manga but fighting stronger people, experience from the journey, they¡¯re all one of my few strengths. And it was the same as Ms Francesca. She experienced dangers and journeys, normal newbie adventurers would never get to take. A descendant of the Demon God, ambush from a Demon, the encounter in the forest of rotting souls. It was enough experience topletely change someone. ¡°Well, I¡¯m happy that you watched my sword.¡±(renji) ¡°Eh?¡±(fran) ¡°Really. You¡¯ve grown so much from the time we met.¡± ¡°Mouu, please enough of that!¡± Hahahaha. I didn¡¯t want myself to be the only one getting all embarrassed so I decided to involve Ms Francesca as well. Recalling the Ms Francesca back then, and her crying face after almost dying to goblins, my heart felt lighter. Aah, this calms me. [You¡¯re really such a bully/mean guy.] Isn¡¯t that normal for me? As I teased Ms Francesca while eating the Surimi (T/N: minced fish.) , Feirona and Mururu gave smallughs. Probably, they have already noticed my embarrassment as well. Am I that easy to understand? ¡°So, is the Surimi tasty?¡±(renji) ¡°It¡¯s weird. It does get tasty as I continue to bite.¡±(mururu) ¡°haha, that¡¯s certainly weird.¡± It must be a new texture of food for her, as Mururu made aplex face while eating. When Iughed looking at her face, I got kicked beneath the table. The kick didn¡¯t have any strength to it so it doesn¡¯t hurt at all though. [What the hell are you guys doing?] ¡°¡­¡­.messing around?¡±(renji) ¡°What is it?¡±(mururu) ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± As I gave an answer to Erenhilde, Mururu reacted to it so I just gave a vague reply to it. Ms francesca happily looked at us, having this usual kind of conversation. Mururu must have realized that I was talking to Ermenhilde. Recently, her senses about it have gotten even sharper. And in the end, the atmosphere remained as usual as we talked andughed, rather than making it feel like an actual victory celebration, as we finished eating. Well, it was mostly Mururu who was eating though. Solnea seemed to be quite the big eater as well but was still no match for Mururu. That said, Solnea still ate many times more than Ms Francesca. As we paid the bill and left the building, I shivered from the cold air in the empty alley. I should probably go and greet Toudou as well but I¡¯d feel bad making others wait for me so I decided not to. Well, I can meet anytime I wantter after all, so it¡¯s fine. ¡°The main round of the tournament will start soon. Think you can win?¡±(elf) ¡°No way. That said, I do intend to actually make an effort this time.¡±(renji) ¡°Oh? ¡°Well, I¡¯m not gonna win with just that though.¡± The women had already started walking as me and Feirona walked behind them when he asked me that. I have zero confidence for winning. I doubt I¡¯d actually win against Souichi. But I am hoping to at least give him a bit of challenge. If, my opponent in the first round wasn¡¯t Souichi, I wonder how far I could go in the tournament. I wonder how close I coulde to winning. I quickly shook my head. There¡¯s no use thinking about that. The world wasn¡¯t easy enough where you could win just by putting a little bit of effort. In the first ce, that would be rude to those who genuinely are working hard for the tournament. ¡°Your face looks better.¡±(elf) ¡°It¡¯s the same normal face as I always had though?¡±(renji) ¡°Don¡¯t you think so as well?¡±(elf) [That¡¯s true. Not bad¡ª¡ªit¡¯s the face I like.] At just that, my heartbeat rose instantly. To Ermenhilde it was just a trivial thing to say but that voice, and those words, it¡¯s not fair. I don¡¯t think I let it show in my expression but my gaze swam away for a second. The sharp sighted elf walking beside me wasn¡¯t going to miss that. He didn¡¯t say anything but I could see his shoulders very slightly shake from stifledughter. I gave a sideway re at him but only got ignored. Goddamnit! [What happened?] ¡°Nothing at all.¡± [??] I answered in a rude way but I can¡¯t help it that I got embarrassed. I don¡¯t want anyone to see me like this. ¡°You¡¯re truly unusual, Renji.¡±(elf) ¡°¡­¡­..in what way?¡± Due to that, I replied to Feirona in a somewhat strong voice as well. But without paying any attention to that, Feirona continued. ¡°You¡¯re not like a hero at all.¡±(elf) ¡°Well, I¡¯m not suited to be one after all.¡± I gave a standard reply to him. Hero. I¡¯m not suited to be one. I know that better than anyone else. ¡°To you, what is a true Hero like?¡±(elf) ¡°Well¡­¡­..A hero is hope for everyone. They answer to the wishes and prayers of the people. Even in despair they look forward and for the world, for the people, for anyone, for the greater good, they give their best. And above all, you don¡¯t call yourself a hero, you¡¯re named one by others.¡± ¡°fumu. That is certainly one form of a hero.¡± His reply was very light. He wasn¡¯t disregarding my opinion but wasn¡¯t epting it either. That¡¯s how it felt. ¡°Then, in your opinion what¡¯s a hero like?¡±(renji) ¡°Someone who is trusted by all, and someone who can ept that trust.¡± His straight gaze was so strong that I averted my eyes as if running away. Trust. Those were words far too heavy for me. Aya and the others put their trust on me. We travelled together, trusted each other, and thought well of me. Even I know that. And even now they trust me like before. And even though I find it heavy, I still get spoiled by them. But still. But still I¡ª¡ªabove those people that came from my own world and were like family to me, I chose Eru above them all. I ended up choosing to protect my promise to her. . Even though Eru was no more. . ¡°Feirona¡­¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re making a good face right now, Renji.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± I shut my mouth at those words. I wanted to ask, how? But I didn¡¯t. Even though I chose Eru, I am trying to answer to Aya and everyone else¡¯s feelings. It¡¯s all so confusing I feel like I¡¯ll go crazy. ¡°When we first met, I thought of you as a guy with no willpower and someone who hated trouble above all. But right now, you¡¯re looking ahead.¡±(elf) ¡°If I don¡¯t, I¡¯ll fall over and injure myself after all.¡± I answered to him with light talk but he didn¡¯t seem to get angry. ¡°That¡¯s right, if you don¡¯t look ahead, you¡¯ll stumble and hurt yourself one day.¡±(elf) He simply said that back to me. In a very light and calm voice. It entered directly inside my chest. Was choosing Eru an ¡®injury¡¯? Was my wish to Astraera a ¡®stumble¡¯? No. It wasn¡¯t. I shouted that inside my heart but couldn¡¯t say it out loud. Aah, I don¡¯t know anymore. ¡°I said this in the afternoon as well. To see hard work not bear fruit is an extremely painful thing.¡±(elf) ¡°Yeah, you did.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let Francesca¡¯s hard work/perseverance go to waste. It¡¯s fine if you are not a Hero. It¡¯s true that maybe you really aren¡¯t suited to be a hero.¡± Looking in front, I saw Miss Francesca and the others standing and waiting for us. ¡°But right now, you are that girl¡¯s objective/goal. Not the world or anyone else¡¯s, but at least answer her trust in you. I think you can bear at least one, right?¡±(elf) This was, just like then¡ª¡ª¨Cit¡¯s simr to my choice when I killed the Demon God. I chose only one. Not the world, not myrades, not everyone¡­¡­..I chose Eru. It wasn¡¯t a mistake. True, I am still enjoying my life. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Well, I¡­¡±(renji) Looking ahead, I saw my currentrades. I looked beside me, I saw a meddlesomerade of mine. I put my hand in my pocket. There was my partner who had now changed from back then. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡±(renji) ¡°And that¡¯s fine.¡±(elf) My answer was short, so was his reply. That much is fine, right? Maybe I tend to overthink things too much. I¡¯m not sure though. ¡°Say, Feirona.¡±(renji) ¡°What?¡± ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°By human calction¡­¡­around 150 maybe?¡± ¡°I see.¡± I guess from his point of view, I¡¯m nothing more than a child. Just those words alone made my heart feel lighter. ¡°Say, Renji.¡±(elf) ¡°What?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t expect you to act like a hero in front of us, okay?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I see.¡± This guy actually might be an Esper as well. I could only think of something like that to change my mood. [¡­¡­¡­¡­.] Inside my pocket, I gently caressed Ermenhilde. But I received no reply. Chapter 45 That Sword Chapter 45 That Sword Aah, this is a dream. While faced with the despairing tragedy in front of me, someone muttered that. . . Haa haah, while breathing heavily, I ran through the stone corridor with all strength. I wanted to plug my ears to avoid the roars and screamsing at me from all directions but my right hand was supporting Souichi-kun, who I was carrying on my shoulders, and my left hand was pulling Hiyuu-chan as I ran, so both my hands were not free. Souichi-kun had lost consciousness and so felt very heavy. But this wasn¡¯t the time to beining. From behind, a monster, who felt like [death] itself, was chasing us. I ran past many soldiers who were rushing towards where we came from, towards the monster. Seeing as they didn¡¯t even have the time to notice us fully showed just how abnormal this situation was. Their iron armor that hit me as they passed in a rush really hurt. O¡¯brien-san and others said that they¡¯d hold it back but I doubt they¡¯d win against that monster. Even Souichi-kun, the strongest among us summoned 13, lost consciousness in few seconds. If O¡¯brien-san and the others had not let us run, only the worst case scenario was waiting for us. And even though O¡¯brien-san is still at the training field fighting and holding back those monsters¡­¡­..here I was pathetically running away along while pulling Hiyuu-chan with me. Even though we had been summoned exactly to help in such a situation. No, so what if we have received some super strength, without experience it doesn¡¯t change one damn thing. No matter how incredible the power we get, we¡¯re still only amateurs. Our bodies froze just looking at some heavily injured people, and would faint if we saw a corpse. ¡°O, onii-chan!¡±(T/N: onii-chan is used by younger children to refer to older boys even when not actually family btw.) Hiyuu-chan called me. But without even answering her, I ran desperately while pulling her small hand. Even though the sky visible from the windows was clear enough that it could blind you, why the hell did something like this had to happen? I wanted to just escape it all in front of this sudden cmity but I shook my head and tried to calm myself. No need to waste energy on thinking, just run! Run, as far as possible. If this goes on, we¡¯ll all be annihted. I gripped Hiyuu-chan¡¯s hand tighter. At the very least, I have to save at least this small girl. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. O¡¯brien-san and the others will take care of something like that in no time, don¡¯t worry.¡±(renji) ¡°Uu, n¡­¡­¡± I said that but Hiyuu-chan¡¯s expression remained poor. It¡¯s only to be expected. If this goes on¡­..no, the castle is already doomed. Even a child can figure that out. That¡¯s how much the difference in abilities is. The ones attacking the castle right now weren¡¯t those low ss monsters like goblins or orcs that I had read in books. They were demons wearing incredible armor along with giant monsters. Among those, there were even giant chimaeras and golems that alone require tens of knights to defeat. But their numbers weren¡¯t just one or two either. The surprise attack happened out of nowhere. I was just heading to the training field as usual to practice when the space distorted and monsters appeared out of nothingness. It¡¯d be weird if we could deal with something like that. Souichi-kun who just happened to be with me tried to deal with them but only to end up carried away on my shoulders. No matter how strong of a divine protection of the goddess he had received, Souichi-kun was a middle school student till only a few days ago. There¡¯s no way he¡¯d be able to deal with something like being suddenly surrounded by a vortex of death. As a result, I had no choice but to carry him and pull Hiyuu-chan and run away. I wonder if Utano-san and the others are safe. I had no way of checking but I can atleast hope they are. I wonder how far had I run away. Finding the giant door I had be familiar with, I quickly entered inside. The cathedral. Normally the ce was tranquil and peaceful but right now it was filled with people. Injured soldiers and knights. Priests trying to heal as many as they could. It was truly like the scene from a battlefield you only saw in movies. In front of such a scene, I could only stand in a daze. My bodycked strength. My mind didn¡¯t work. The smell of blood and cries of pain felt disgusting. This was reality, I just couldn¡¯t ept that. But, there was a small hand that pulled mine. ¡°Are¡­¡­are you¡­okay?¡± It was Hiyuu-chan. The one who brought me back to senses was this small girl with eyes filled with anxiety and unease. Aah, that¡¯s right. I can¡¯t lose my calm right now. I am the one who¡¯s holding this girl¡¯s hand. How could I be the one being anxious instead? ¡°Hiyuu-chan, let¡¯s take some rest.¡± Closing the great door, I spoke that to her. Handing over Souichi-kun to one of the Priests that came worried towards us as we entered, I headed deep inside with Hiyuu-chan. As I searched for a ce to sit in the floor filled with towels, nkets, and medical tools and items, I my chest tighten. Even though I was summoned to fight, I ran away like this. That fact struck me like a thorn. At the deepest part of the cathedral was the silver statue of the goddess and some of the priests were praying to her. But she won¡¯t answer those prayers. She wasn¡¯t even in this world and simply watched over this world from a different ce¡­¡­..probably. Near that statue, seeing an empty couch, I sat down. Hiyuu-chan sat down beside me as well. Since the longsword on back was an obstruction, I threw it on the ground making a nking sound. Looking beside me, towards Hiyuu-chan, her white hair, typical to albinos, were sticking to her face from sweat and she was panting fast for breath. We ran so much that even I, an adult, was tired, I can only imagine how much stamina she must have consumed. Realizing that I didn¡¯t even think about her well being while running, I only felt more miserable. ¡°Are you¡­.okay?¡±(yui) ¡°Yeah, you, Hiyuu-chan?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.I¡¯m alright¡­as well.¡± Just from those small words, I felt my heart lighten a bit. But still, my head hurts thinking about what to do next. So many monsters had invaded. It¡¯s clear that all of them must be subjugated. But, weck the power to do so. People, strength, we¡¯recking in all of it. Even leaving me aside, the most essential in battle, i.e. Souichi-kun is currently unconscious. And we don¡¯t even know where everybody else is among this chaos and confusion. For people summoned to save this world, we are not being of use at all. In fact, we are the ones getting protected by the people of this world instead. And as we waste time, injured would increase in number, and so would the dead¡ª¨C If this what everyday was like in this world, I¡¯ll break. Who even thought of this? We knew it was impossible for just some humans to save the world. Let alone fighting experience I hadn¡¯t even held a sword beforeing to this world. ¡°Onii-chan¡­¡­¡­what do we do?¡± ¡°Ah, yeah¡­..¡± That¡¯s right, I don¡¯t have the time to be making excuses inside my mind. Both me and Hiyuu-chan have super abilities granted to us by the Goddess. Thinking of that, I brought out the medal kept inside my pocket. It¡¯s just a gold medal. It¡¯s designed differently from the gold coins used in this world but that¡¯s it. It can¡¯t be used to buy something neither does it hold any special value as an antique. I got it from the Goddess but itcks any authenticity. What can I do with just a medal. Was I supposed to ask how to use it as well or is the Goddess actually messing with me? Shit! I cursed and gripped the medal tightly but still nothing happened. In the first ce, I have tried this many times already. I called to it to lend me strength many times but it was useless. Probably, I don¡¯t know how to use it. I can tell that. Even though I really needed its help right now, it was useless. That¡¯s why, once more¡ª- ¡°Oi¡­¡­¡± Just at that moment, the great door to the cathedral opened with a great noise. No, it¡¯d be better to say that it exploded. The double doors blew away and its fragments hit the injured and stopped only when it hit the wall. Due to this sudden urrence, the cathedral returned to silence. But that onlysted for a second. First, screams rose. Screams and shrieks of despair reached my ears. The Priests ran here and there looking for a way to escape as the soldiers and knights who could move picked their weapons. And only then, finally, I was able to look at the ce where the gate was as well. What had appeared was a ck demon. No something simr to a demon. I had yet to see an actual demon but I had read about them in books so I was somewhat aware of what they looked like. But the demon that had appeared had many differences from what I had read. 2 legs, 2 arms and a head. Appearance simr to a human was the main characteristic of a demon but its whole body was currently covered in crustacean like armour, and the 4pound eyes on its head were releasing a red light. And above all, it¡¯s mouth wasn¡¯t small at all like a human. It opened sideways like a true insect. It waspletely different than a human or a demon. It¡¯s whole body was protected by magical energy. It didn¡¯t even wear armour like humans or normal demons did. It waspletely different from anything I had read about in the books. ¡°Hiiii!!¡± ¡°That thing!¡± I remembered that demon. It¡¯s the one that was standing at the very front of the ones that attacked us at the training grounds. And also the one that made Souichi faint with one attack. Even though O¡¯brien-san and others tried to hold it back, it¡¯s no standing here. Realizing what that meant, I quickly shook my head. Think, about the situation at hand first! But while looking at the Priests running away, and the injured lying around, my body refused to move. Was this fear, or something even deeper? Unable to even move my gaze, I looked at the demon. And for some reason, it felt like that that demon¡¯spound eyes were¡ª¡ª¡ªlooking at me. Next instant, the knight rushed towards the demon with their weapons. Three of them. Due to the injured lying around and the couches in the cathedral, it was impossible for too many to fight at once. But before the knights could even attack it, the demon pointed its right arm towards the knights. And with just the swing of the its arm, blood sprayed in the air. As if the shadow held its own will, it matched the movement of the demon¡¯s arm and cut the knights apart. It was not just blood that flew. Flesh¡ª¨Climbs, torso, cut apart armour, all flew in the air. In a panic, I blocked Hiyuu-chan¡¯s eyes with my hand, but I was too slow. As if she had lost all strength, her body limped towards me. She had fainted. ¡°Hiyuu-chan!?!¡± Flustered, I called her name but got no reaction. The next moment, the arm of the demon swung again. Once again, screams rose and blood spilled. While hearing the wails and death cries of the knights, I picked up my sword lying on the ground. And by the time, I drew my sword, only us and the priests who had run till the end of the cathedral were alive. Every knight and soldier that challenged the demon were now lying in a pool of blood. Nobody was moving. The smell of blood and the scene in front of me made me feel like vomiting what I ate in the morning but somehow I resisted to and walked top the centre of the cathedral with my sword in hand. It¡¯s not like I hade up with some n. In my head, I knew that it was suicide to challenge this monster even Souichi couldn¡¯t beat. But still, I stood there. The demon took a step forward. It stepped on the pool of blood, *ssh* I felt like I heard such a sound. My tip of the sword was shivering from fear, but I couldn¡¯t help it. The existence in front of me was simply too scary. I didn¡¯t even think of something like ¡®I must fight it¡¯, ¡®I must stop it¡¯. My body simply moved by instinct. Most probably, it was the same for the other soldiers and knights as well. While raising a shout that hurt my throat, I shed towards the demon. Was it thanks to O¡¯brien-san¡¯s training or was it just a miracle that I was able to react in time? The moment that demon swung his arm, I bent over and dodged the shadow¡¯s attack. Slipping over the pool of blood I swung my sword as it hit its head and made sparks fly. Rather than calling it just hard, it felt like I just hit something giant gigantic and tough something. The demon showed absolutely no reaction to being hit by the sword either. Let alone back away, it didn¡¯t even move a single bit. ¡°uu, ah.¡± Instead, I ended up taking a step back. Maybe it lost interest in me, it simply ignored me and walked past me. Even though it wasn¡¯t any taller than me in size, the pressure it gave off was in a whole different level. *ssh* *ssh* as it walked it spoiled the beautiful carpet and couches around. It¡¯s destination was¡ª¡ªthe unconscious Hiyuu-chan and Souichi-kun who was still receiving treatment. The moment I realized that, I ran so fast that I surprised myself. I shed it once more from behind. *nk* with a shrill sound, my hand numbed from the impact. But still, the demon didn¡¯t stop moving. Once more! But it still didn¡¯t stop. Twice, thrice, I continued but¡ª¡ª-it just didn¡¯t stop. Atst, maybe because I continued hitting hit, I became unable to hold the sword and it dropped out of my hand. Then, finally, the demon stopped moving and looked at me with itspound eyes. The next instant, I got blown away. For a second, I felt gravity disappear, and suddenly I hit one of the couches and the fell down to the ground with incredible force. I don¡¯t even know what happened to me. From the centre of the cathedral, I had been blown away almost to the gate.. It actually took me time to realize how far I had been blown. Maybe because I had rolled over the pool of blood and entrails, the pungent smell of it all struck my nose. I felt like vomiting again but somehow, I held it back. ¡°gu, ahh¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t breathe properly. Did I break some of my bones was I just hurt badly. Feeling pain I had never felt before, I even forgot how to breathe. My chest hurt. Was I punched? Or was I kicked? Or did it use magic on me? While in confusion, I rolled up trying to bear with the pain. Giving a single nce at me, the demon¡¯s gaze turned back¡ª¨Ctowards Hiyuu-chan. ¡°Ah.¡± A lifeless voice came out of me. The priests had gathered at the very end of the cathedral, shivering in fear and the knights had all been killed. There was no one to save her. No. one. At. All. ¡°No..¡± I stretched my hand. There was no meaning. Above all, I was still lying near the gate in the pool of blood and the demon was in the centre of the cathedral. Even the distance was despairingly big. In panic, I tried to stand up only to slip in the blood and fall back. My hand touched the hand of someone lying in front of me. It was only a wrist lying there. There were others, parts of the body, entrails, heads with eyes wide in despair, heads with still there helmet on¡­¡­¡­..I was surrounded by parts of flesh. ¡°uug.¡± I threw up. Vomiting everything I had eaten today but still unable to stop, I vomited my gastric juices. The acid burnt my throat and tears came out from the pain. ¡ª¡ªBut, I stood up. Did my sense of pain get paralyzed from vomiting too much, or maybe my mind has gone crazy by being surrounded by entrails and body parts? The sharp pain in my chest turned dull. I wiped my mouth only to taste and smell blood. I was lying in a pool of blood. Even my arms hands have been stainedpletely. No, my whole body has been stained in blood. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± I said that to myself. Saying that, I hardened my resolve. My surroundings was overflowing with death, my senses have gone mad. Even though I can never match this monster, it¡¯s crazy that I still stood up. Holding back the dully paining chest with my left arm, I picked up a sword from the hand of a soldier who was missing the rest of his body. I had lost my earlier sword after all. My hand, and legs were stiffer than I thought. But still¡ª¡ªif I didn¡¯t move now, it¡¯ll be Hiyuu-chan and Souichi-kun who¡¯d be a part of this pool of blood next. Hearing me, the ck demon stopped. And slowly, with ease, he turned to look at me over its shoulders. It¡¯s red eyes looked at me and that alone made my body shrink with fear as if my heart had been gripped directly. But still, I pointed the sword at that demon. I must have looked amusing as I stood like that shivering with my sword. And, as if sneering at me, it turnedpletely towards me. What? Is its aim not Hiyuu-chan and Souichi? I became suspicious but I¡¯m d that it stopped moving at least. Now all that¡¯s left is¡ª¨Call that¡¯s left is¡­¡­ What should I do next? Should I fight this monster? It defeated Souichi, broke through O¡¯brien-san and others. Should I fight this monster, the one that created this tragic situation? It¡¯s useless. You can¡¯t win. Someone whispered that. The next corpse will only change from the kids to yours, that¡¯s all. Someone whispered again. Run away. Again. Run away. It¡¯s voice became louder. Run away. My shivering sword slightly lowered. Run away. But still, I tightly gripped the sword. Run away. ¡°Your opponent is right here, motherfucker!!¡± (Part 2 ) While shouting in voice so loud that I surprised myself, I ran towards it. I shed at it with all my strength but was unable to even hit it, let alone scratch its armour. It simply dodged me by taking just a step back. Hitting the floor instead, my hand went numb but I used all my strength to continue the attack with a rising reverse sh. But once again, my attack was dodged just by taking a step back. *gichi* It¡¯s bug-like mouth made a sound. It wasughing. The moment I understood that, I rammed myself at it to break its stance. If my sword won¡¯t hit, I just need to create a situation where I won¡¯t miss. But I was unable to do that, in fact, it only ended with my left shoulder hurting. The demon didn¡¯t even budge an inch. It felt as if I had just rammed into a huge rock. The next moment, it grabbed me by my chest with one hand and lifted me up. Floating in the air, I tried struggling against its one arm grabbing me but it didn¡¯t flinch at all. I was lifted up till I was looking down at it right now. And then, it threw me away like it was nothing. Thrown directly at the foot of the silver statue of the goddess, my back hit the hard stone and I lost my breath. And at the same time, screams rose again. It must be the priests inside the cathedral. My vision swayed from the pain as I used my both hands to lift my face up. Calmly, the ck demon walked slowly towards me. I tried to pick up my sword but it wasn¡¯t beside me anymore. I must have let go of it when I was thrown away. ¡°¡­¡­Shit.¡± Even my wordscked strength now. My body seemed to have lost its energy as well. Why did it end up like this? We were summoned to save this world by the goddess. Is the conclusion to the reality of that fairy tale like situation supposed to be this painful? As Iy my body on the soft carpet, my eyelids seemed to get heavier. If I just closed my eyes right now, I¡¯ll be at peace. The fear would disappear. Without feeling any sort of pain or fear, dying while in sleep is¡ª¡ª- ¡°¡ªNot okay in any goddamn way!!¡± I raised my head with vigour. The ck demon was¡­¡­¡­.still standing in the same ce as before. I didn¡¯t hear the voices of the Priests crying for help or the voices of agony of the injured anymore either. It was looking directly behind me¡ª¡ª ¡°ahn?¡± Tracing its gaze, I turned to look back as well. My whole body pained just from turning my body but I felt like I could forget about that pain as well. There, the beautiful, silver statue of the goddess¡­¡­.was for some reason, shining. It¡¯s radiance felt divine, and warm. My heart that had been shivering with fear felt like it was being warmed up by that light. Just looking at it made the despair inside me go away. I know this light. I recall seeing it. I recall feeling it.¡ª¡ª¡ªThe Goddess, Astraera. It¡¯s the light that filled the space where I first met her, it¡¯s the aura she gave off. The warm lighting from the silver statue¡ª¨Cthe magical energy, was the same as the one released by the goddess. ¡°wha¡­..What¡¯s going on?¡± Pain disappeared from my body. No, not just pain, the blood that stained my whole body was cleaned away and disappeared bing pale light. I wonder if that took a moment, or a few seconds or even longer. As I kept on dazedly looking at the statue, before I realized, a woman with golden hair was standing beside me. Enveloped in the light of magical energy, as if she had been blessed by the Goddess, or as if she served the Goddess herself, she stood beside me. That scene looked so fantastical, and beautiful. She was like those holy women or princesses that appear in fairy tales. It made mepletely forget even the smell of blood permeating the whole cathedral¡­¡­..that woman was pure, holy, and simply beautiful. Her gaze turned¡­¡­and looked at me. She had almost cold-like jade green eyes, golden hair that looked like they were made of silk and a pure white dress that seemed to almost reflect and dance with the sunlighting from the window. Her hair seemed to have been tied up properly yet seemed long and it fluttered in the torrent of magical energying from the statue. She took one step forward. With a *shururi* sound her long dress slid on the carpet. The sound of it clearly reached my ears. ¡°Are you alright, Renji-sama?¡± She spoke to me. That voice felt, like a boy yet like that of a woman¡¯s, almost androgynous and felt good to listen to. The owner of that voice kneeled beside me as if she didn¡¯t even give a care about the demon. ¡°Now, please stand up.¡± She gave me her hand. Somehow, without hesitation¡ª-I took her hand. If I stand up I¡¯ll have to fight that ck demon once again. A monster that seemed like the embodiment of despair itself. There was no chance of victory. Even though I knew all that, I stood up without hesitation. Her hand was small. Soft, pretty, a woman¡¯s hand. Yet, it held strength. ¡ª¡ªAnd that strength, was my [power]. Her cold eyes narrowed while looking at me. For a second, her expression changed to that of a gentle smile. But, only for a second. It soon became rigid again. And then, she looked at the ck demon. For some reason, the demon had still not moved even a single step after the statue began shining. It was as if¡ª¡ªit was waiting for me to stand up. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Renji-sama.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.ye..yeah.¡± Finally, *gichigichi* a sound came. That grating sound came from the mouth of that demon. It wasughing. I got goosebumps looking at the demonughing like that. We faced each other. Inside this cathedral, that was supposed to be peaceful, while being looked over by the statue of the goddess. The whole cathedral shook greatly. Someone out there must have used a very strong magic. At that moment, the golden haired woman disappeared and turned to jade coloured particles of light. I became surprised but it soon changed to exaltation. Power rose inside me. I wonder if this power is what magical energy feels like. A power that others had yet I didn¡¯t. this must be it. The woman, who had appeared suddenly, had no disappeared and that light concentrated in my hand¡­¡­..and became one sword. It¡¯s de was jade green, the handle and decorations were in gold. As I swung that feather-like light sword towards an empty couch, it tore into two without any resistance. My face cramped at the sharpness of the sword. It waspletely different from the swords I had used in the training ground whether in terms of weight, sharpness, in basically everything. *gichii* the ck demonughed again. It¡¯s legs finally moved¡ª¡ªtowards, me. I looked at the sword in my hand. It¡¯s gem-like beautiful de might look like it was weak but I felt that it was strong. I put strength in the hand holding the sword. I recalled that that woman¡¯s eyes were also simrly jade green in colour. The gold of the handle as well, was the same colour as her hair. When I realized that, it felt like the sword in my hand was that girl herself. . . . . As I opened my eyes, a familiar face came into my view looking closely at me. ¡°¡­¡­.what are you doing Anastasia.¡±(renji) ¡°Hmm. Observing?¡±(ana) ¡°You¡¯re heavy.¡± ¡°I am not!?!¡± Considering what to do about this doll-sized fairy sitting on me for a second, I gave up and rose up and she rolled down and fell off the bed. She seemed to beining something but, it was your own fault you know? As I thought, I was just dreaming and I was back in the room I had been given in the castle. The furniture set in my room and the clear sky outside was still the same but there was no smoke rising and neither could I hear screams anymore. It was the same peaceful world without the Demon God. Will that be considered a good dream or a bad one? I couldn¡¯t decide. Should I feel nostalgic and happy about dreaming about Eru or should I be sad to have witnessed that many lives lost? [Puhh.] Suddenly, that voice resounded in my head. Hearing the sudden spurt ofughter from the very familiar voice, I turned to look towards my pillow in confusion. There, the golden medal the exact same as from my dream was kept. ¡°Good Morning, Ermenhilde.¡± [Yeah. Looks like you had a good sleep, eh?] ¡°Well yeah, I had a good dream.¡± [Didn¡¯t seem like that to me though?] But her enjoying voice suddenly went silent. [You were making a lot of noise while sleeping, you know?] ¡°Because I had a good dream.¡± [Oi.] ¡°Well, that was probably because Anastasia was too heavy.¡± Saying that, I stood up from my bed. Suddenly bing curious about anastasia, I looked underneath the bed but she wasn¡¯t there anymore. While I was confused, I heard the sound of my window opening. It seems in the instant I looked below, she ran out of the room. To use the window, how very fairy-like. I wonder what happened? Well her entricity isn¡¯t really a new thing but it¡¯s not like I¡¯d get angry at her for sitting on my chest either. I became a bit curious seeing her run away like that. ¡°What¡¯s up with her?¡±(renji) [Take a look at the mirror.] While not understanding what Eremnhilde meant, I looked for a mirror. On looking, I understood what she meant. ¡°That son of a bitch.¡± [She¡¯s a girl though?] ¡°Who cares about that?!¡± While replying to Ermenhilde¡¯s tsukkomi, I rubbed the scribbling on my face with my fingers. Since she had used ink, it spread on my face on rubbing. Goddamn that prank loving fairy idiot. How could she¡­¡­. [It¡¯s Renji¡¯s fault for not waking up even though she kept on doing that.] ¡°Even if you say that¡­¡­.you could have said something, at least.¡± [I tried waking you up but you didn¡¯t. haven¡¯t you grown a bit too rxed?] ¡°¡­¡­..Maybe I have.¡± I had no excuse so I could only agree with a shrug. But still, what do I do about this face? My face was currently filed with scribbling and drawings. She must have been on my chest because she was doing this to me. Even though she¡¯s actually older than me, she¡¯s still so childish. ¡°Say, Ermenhilde?¡± [What?] ¡°In my dream, did I say something?¡± [Hm? No¡­¡­¡­] Unable to understand what I myself wanted to say, I scratched my head. I¡¯m still half-asleep I guess. I thought of asking a maid to get some water to wash my face, but then again, I don¡¯t want to go out with this face either. What do I do? [Renji.] ¡°What?¡± While I was thinking about how to deal with the scribbling on my face, Ermenhilde spoke up with a meek voice. Her voice was familiar¡­¡­..the same as when she¡¯s worried about something. [No, nevermind.] ¡°I see.¡± Should I pursue the topic right now? I thought about it for a second but decided not to at the very end. If something was the matter, she¡¯d ask me herself. While thinking of that, I changed my thoughts back to the problem at hand. Was I just running, or was this my trust in her? It¡¯s probably the former, I think. I had a dream. Not about Ermenhilde, but of Eru. That has happened many times before and not anything new. Eru died. And now I live with Ermenhilde. It¡¯s just¡­¡­..their voices are same. It¡¯s like talking to the same person but is actuallypletely different. I wanted forget about it. I end up treating and ovepping Ermenhilde with another person. That was, to me¡­¡­and to Ermenhilde as well, something very cruel. That¡¯s why, I was unable to ask Ermenhilde of her worries. ¡°What should I do with this face?¡±(renji) [Just ask a maid to get you some water to wash it.] ¡°Yeah, I guess, but..¡± It¡¯s going o be really embarrassing but I guess I can¡¯t help it. For the time being, I decided to make Anastasia¡¯s punishment 3 times harsher and looked for the bell to call a maid. Since I barely use it, I had no idea where it was and it took a few minutes to find it. The bell was kept right at the centre of the table in the middle of the room. How the hell did I even miss that? I called for the maid to fetch me some water but her face was more surprised rather than amused. Well, I guess seeing a man just woken up with scribbling on his face would surprise most rather than make themugh? Closing the window, I sat down on the bed. Picking up Ermenhilde from my pillow side, I caressed its edge. [What happened?] ¡°No, just thinking how peaceful it is right now.¡± [That¡¯s great and all but it¡¯s so uncool to say that with that face, you know?] ¡°Wha, well, I guess, you¡¯re right.¡± As I gave augh, Ermenhilde made a tired sigh. This is fine. This mood is just fine. [¡­¡­how deplorable.] ¡°Don¡¯t say that. It¡¯s very like me, right?¡± As if replying to me, a smallugh resounded in my head. [Maybe it really is, I guess.] And, she said that. Chapter 46 Fighting Tournament (4) Chapter 46 Fighting Tournament (4) Inside the tranquil space, a clear ringing voice resounded. Inside the Cathedral built in the castle, in front of the statue of the Goddess, a woman dressed in an extravagant robe was giving a prayer while kneeling. They were words praising the Goddess Astraera and were filled with reverence. I wonder what kind of feelings go through the Goddess when she sees people worshiping her like this. The name of the woman offering the prayer was Amalda Imnesia. The daughter of this country¡¯s king. i.e The Princess of the kingdom. Her robe was made of a pure silk-like material with silver embroidery matching her silver hair. Her hands linked in prayer were small and her body seemed delicate that the excessive ornaments on her seemed to be difficult to move in. On her side was a tall knight but he seemed even taller beside her as she was slightly shorter than average height. Normally, calling her cute rather than beautiful would be more apt but right now, even she could only be referred to as a dignified beauty. To her side was the tall knight, her lover, dressed in a mithril armour brilliantly decorated with gems. An extremely good looking couple. Even the ¡®gap¡¯/difference between their tall body and short stature only seemed to make them look better. I wonder how many of them here are actually looking at those two right now. The beauty and the beast. Wait, that¡¯s a wrong analogy. Even in public, the distance between those two is less. I wonder if that¡¯s done unconsciously. But no one would dare to find fault with that either. Not even the king, her father. How great that is. Seeing my other worldlyrade marry into power and wealth with full family approval almost made me feel slightly envious along with happiness. If their rtionship continues to get better, one day he¡¯ll be the next king of this country. But knowing what kind of guy Kuuki is, I couldn¡¯t really imagine him as a king at all. While I was thinking of such random things, the prayer continued in the princess¡¯s beautiful voice. Even though the cathedral was filled with almost a hundred people, her voice could be heard very clearly and distinctly. Everyone was silent, and were listening to her as if they had forgot to even breathe. It felt as if her sound resounded directly inside our bodies. ¡°I wonder how long till those two get married?¡±(renji) ¡°Shhh!¡± When I spoke up , I got scolded by Utano-san beside me. Why is it that all the ceremonies in this world are so damn long? At least in a fantasy world, they could be shorter right? Or maybe it could be that since the existence of Gods is a fact, their prayers are even longer and more detailed than ours. I wasn¡¯t really religious even back then so I haven¡¯t really heard much of those prayers either though. On the opposite side of me, Souichi also seemed to be fidgeting in difort. Though probably not as much as me, he¡¯s also pretty bored I guess. And Aya seemed to be scolding him as well for that though. Others don¡¯t realize but she seemed to have already stepped on Souichi¡¯s foot quite a few times already. Maybe she caught me hiding a yawn, Utano-san also poke me over the armour. Looking at her, I saw that her eyes seemed to be even colder and narrower than usual. Honestly speaking, it¡¯s scary. She already has sharp pointed eyes, but when she further narrows them, I end up raising a white g out of instinct. She herself is pretty conscious of her eyes though. I feel like that her eyes really suit her face though. But still, I¡¯m so sleepy. It can¡¯t be helped, I¡¯m not good with such formal stuff. Well, I do think that it¡¯s imprudent of me though. And I didn¡¯t get much sleepst night so yawns just couldn¡¯t be avoided. It¡¯s a childish excuse but it¡¯s a fact so I can¡¯t help it. The tournament table had been decided and was given to me only making my head ache. Not in the actual, disease way but more in a mental manner. As I stirred my body a bit, my mithril armour made nking noises. The sound wasn¡¯t big enough to feel loud but I did feel that a few knights¡¯ gaze turned towards me making me feel embarrassed. Aah, hurry up and end this already! The armour on me felt heavy. Normally, I don¡¯t even wear light armour so this heavy mithril armour felt like shackles on me. Even though mine is still far lighter than the iron armour the normal knights are wearing. It¡¯s a distinctive feature of this world that I have to wear such decorative armour for such formal events no matter what. IT¡¯s pretty simr to how we wore suits back in our world. Though this is iparably heavier, stuffier and difficult to move in than suits. Not to mention, I have to stand in attention pose for all this time which is killing my back. [fumu. As usual, I simply cannot understand such ceremonies you humans do.] Ermenhilde¡¯s voice resounded inside my head. Her voice was also beautiful enough to not lose to the voice singing the prayer but I couldn¡¯t reply to her right now considering the situation. She must be bored as well as her voice seemed to be more tired than normal. I think Utano-san and Souichi nearby also heard her as I felt the gazes at me increase. Why is everyone looking at me? While holding thoughts that may make me look like I¡¯m overly self-conscious, I gave a light sigh. Utano-san poked my armour again. But anyway, I understood what Ermenhilde meant. Astraera¡ª-the goddess that the humans worship doesn¡¯t like such overly formal ceremonies herself. Or rather, she doesn¡¯t understand why they have to be so strict and formal about it. That woman, in her way, likes to simply enjoy fun things. Maybe the reason she watches over this world, and tried to protect them from the hands of the Demon King was¡­¡­.probably because she enjoyed seeing the daily lives of humans of this world. I haven¡¯t heard this from her mouth directly but I think it¡¯s true. That¡¯s the kind of Goddess she is. I looked towards the silver statue of the Goddess. For something created by humans, it resembles her actual appearance way too much I think. Well, if I said that to her directly, she¡¯d get angry like a raging fire though. But still, I feel that the statue captures her specific characteristics quite well. Apparently, a long, long time ago, she had appeared directly in some sculptor of that time or something like that, I think. And the statue he created in her semnce is the one in the cathedral. Though it¡¯s obvious what may have actually happened. She has a very yful side to her after all, she must have been bored and done that on a whim. Although why exactly did she choose to appear in that man¡¯s dream, I¡¯m not sure. [Astraera-sama loves fun celebrations and good food more than stuff like this though.] There¡¯s no way a human would know that, right? Though, that¡¯s what she should say bying in another man¡¯s dream to be honest. The fact that she doesn¡¯t means that she probably finds this amusing as well. Or maybe, she¡¯s just trying to keep her image as a Goddess intact. She¡¯s one of the pirs that created the world, she must enjoy being revered like this as well. I don¡¯t really understand her thoughts though. After a while, finally, the prayer ended. After this, there was also the ceremony for the starting of the tournament, then the king, a man with a brilliant white beard, will be giving a speech and the O¡¯brien-san, the Knightmander, will be giving a word of motivation to encourage the participants. This is the 3rd time I¡¯ll be taking part after all, I¡¯m pretty used to the ceremony patterns already. The actual tournament itself starts from tomorrow, but all the ceremonies are done one day earlier. Tomorrow, a much more simpler ceremony will take ce in the arena in front of the audience. . . . After the ceremony was over, the atmosphere in the cathedral felt more like a party of nobles. The peacefulness wasn¡¯t there anymore and everyone was freely talking to each other. Students that¡¯ll be taking part in tomorrow¡¯s team battles or sons of noble families, knights of the castle and magicians as well. The heavy and serious atmosphere from before had disappeared. Looking for familiar faces, I saw Souichi, Aya and Masaki-chan talking with friends, probably from their respective schools. In contrast to the students in school uniform, Souichi and the others were wearing their respective ceremony-use armour and magician robes. Among those students was also Ms Francesca. She seemed more closer to them probably since she knew me well. But still, as I thought, she really is much more ¡®grown¡¯ aspared to other students of her age. Especially when standing beside Aya and Masaki-chan. If those 2 heard me they¡¯d definitely throw right inside a nest of monsters though. As I gazed at them while resting on one of the walls of the cathedral, Utano-san, wearing a tight ck robe, came walking towards me and stood beside me resting on the wall as well. ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°No, you just seemed lonely so..¡±(utano) [Well Renji does shrink back from everything in ces like these after all.] ¡°It¡¯s really not like that though.¡±(renji) Scratching my chin, I said that. True, it¡¯s as Ermenhilde says but I didn¡¯t feel like agreeing to that. Maybe because I¡¯m wearing an iron gauntlet, it actually hurt scratching my chin. ¡°I simply didn¡¯t have anyone to talk to.¡± ¡°That¡¯s lonely in its own way.¡±(utano) ¡°I am aware of that.¡± Well, neither do I have ssmates like Souichi and others nor am I on specifically good terms with any nobles like Utano-san. It¡¯s only normal that I¡¯d feel out of ce. If someone came up to talk to me, I¡¯d happily continue the conversation but I can¡¯t walk to someone and start a conversation myself. I myself realize what a lonely personality I have. I¡¯m really grateful to Utano-san who came up to talk to me. If she had note, I would have probably left the cathedral sooner orter alone feeling lonely. That would have been so sad that it could make someone cry. It¡¯s fine. At least I have Ermenhilde¡­¡­¡­.If that happened, there would be no saving me. But then again, that¡¯s basically how I am. ¡°Oh right, about the tournament table¡­¡± ¡°What about it?¡­¡­¡± When I spoke of it, Utano-san averted her gaze clearly. It wouldn¡¯t stand out as much as it did if it wasn¡¯t Utano-san who basically has a habit o directly stare you down normally. Thus it seemed very suspicious. No well, I¡¯m not really ming her for anything. ¡°My opponent changed so I was a bit surprised, that¡¯s all.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­I see.¡± [Yeah, that was surprising but I¡¯m also grateful for that.] ¡°Grateful eh?¡­..I wonder about that.¡± While replying to Ermenhilde like that, I realized I was smiling a bit. My opponent in the first round was supposed to be Souichi but now the opponent was someone else. Most probably, she must have heard from Aya that I was actually nning to put some effort into it and must have changed it at thest moment. After all, if Souichi wasn¡¯t supposed to be my opponent in the first ce, she wouldn¡¯t have called me to ask about it back then. That said, I was still nning on putting some effort into this even if my opponent was someone unbeatable like Souichi though, so this wasn¡¯t really necessary. ¡°But, if possible¡­¡­.at least you could have given a bit easier opponent.¡± [Seriously. What happened to all your motivation now?¡­¡­.] ¡°Really, show some energy. I¡¯d like it more if you¡¯d have a bit more pride in yourself.¡±(utano) No but, I know that there¡¯s no ¡®easy¡¯ opponent among everyone taking part in the tournament but still, I can¡¯t help but speak like that. My opponent in the first round was O¡¯brien Arbelia. The Knight Commander and also my teacher for sword fighting. Honestly speaking, I have never won against him. Just thinking about how I¡¯d have to fight against him in front of the public just makes my head hurt. How should I say this but, at least I had an excuse if I lost against Souichi. It may sound uncool, but my opponent is the Brave of the 13 heroes. Nobody would have any problem even if I lost to him. Just putting up a good fight would be enough to fire up the audience. But against O¡¯brien-san¡­..someone not a hero, that won¡¯t do. No matter how weak, I¡¯m one of the Heroes. To lose against anyone other than the remaining heroes would not be epted. All the more so considering we are considered as the saviours of this world by the people. I know how strong O¡¯brien-san is. In a fair frontal battle, he¡¯s stronger than me. That¡¯s why this is troubling. Very troubling. In front of such an audience, and not allowed to even lose, I have to fight against an opponent much stronger than me. Well, my head hurts but it¡¯s not something new for me. In a situation where I simply couldn¡¯t lose, I had to fight against far more stronger opponents. For someone, or something, I let my life hang on the bnce. Demon God, the Demon Lord, cunning Demons and strong monsters,pared to all those this much more easier. AT least my life isn¡¯t on the line. The fact that I¡¯m still not allowed to lose is still the same though. Well, I could say that I have to be actually serious to do this. In such situation, the state of your mind is very important after all. ¡°I¡¯m d.¡± A small voice came from beside me. Looking that way, even though a lot of people were here, Utano-san looked at me with a gentle smile. When our gazes met, her eyes narrowed but with warmth and gentleness I had never seen before. ¡°Though only a little, but your expression and face has be better.¡±(utano) With a soft expression, she said that. My face, eh? While thinking o that, I traced my face with my gauntlet wearing hand. The coldness of the steel felt nice inside the cathedral that had be quite warm due to the crowd. ¡°My face is the same normal one as before though?¡±(renji) ¡°Seriously¡­¡­..But I guess your habit of avoiding topics like that hasn¡¯t changed at all.¡± ¡°Humans don¡¯t change that easily.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s as you say.¡± I wonder what she meant by that. I wanted to ask, but decided not to. But this time, I averted my gaze from her. I really wish I could learn how to keep calm in such situations. ¡°¡­¡­Aya said that I had changed though?¡±(renji) ¡°fufu, is that so?¡± As sheughed, softly, the beautiful smell of flowers came to me. Utano-san, implying that she was done talking, finally walked away. I simply looked at her back as she walked away without even trying to hide it. Her xen hair gently swayed as she walked and I could see her body line underneath the tight robe she wore. [Didn¡¯t she seem a bit more cheerful than usual?] ¡°Yeah.¡± And also,¡­¡­.she must have been worried about me. My heart was filled with feelings of apology. Without saying anything, she kept on caring and worrying about me. Or am I being a bit too conceited? I recalled her words on the first night after I came back to the capital. ¡ª¡ª¡ªhow long will you keep on travelling around? ¡°She¡¯s a really nice person.¡± [Yes, she is.] Am I near the end of my journey, or am I still not even halfway through it? Since I didn¡¯t know even that, her concern and consideration for me was¡ª¡ªshould I be happy or should I ask her to stop it? Thinking till that, straightened my back resting on the wall. Since I¡¯m done talking, there¡¯s no need to be here anymore. Though it¡¯d be fun to talk to Souichi and others, it¡¯d be difficult to talk without gathering to much attention here. Right now, here, I¡¯m not the adventurer Renji but one of the Heroes, Yamada Renji. Feeling a few gazes, I realized that many people were looking at me while talking to each other. Going by their top-ss clothes, they must be nobles. Nobles like that, or rather, their gossiping and talks with them, I¡¯m really not good with it so I decided to run out as soon as possible. ¡°Not even going to greet me, Renji?¡± Just when I was about to mix in with the crowd and get out, someone called to me. Timidly, I turned around to see an old man with a great white beard and an grand atmosphere around him¡ª¡ªthe top man of this kingdom, King Joshua. As usual, he¡¯s super casual and friendly or rather, very frank. You wouldn¡¯t think he¡¯s a king the way hees and talks to you so easily. ¡°No, no such thing¡­¡­..¡±(renji) ¡°You¡¯re formal and stiff as usual. All of you are.¡± ¡°My lord is too informal, that¡¯s all.¡± When I said that, the young man with a good physique walking beside the king gave a nod as if he totally agreed with me. This man was the Prime Minister of the country, Warren-sama. Though he was agreeing with me, he¡¯s not any better than the king and is pretty informal as well. You wouldn¡¯t think that these two are the top who control every political matter of this country. Unlike our world, this world doesn¡¯t have that many countries, races or ideologies. In terms of countries, there¡¯s only [Imnesia Kingdom], [Elfreim], and [Abenelm.] Rather than saying different ideologies, it¡¯s more like that are 3 different religious groups that have three different gods they worship. Humans like us, Beastmen like Mururu and Demihumans like Feirona. There¡¯s no trade with the demons so there¡¯s no connection with them at all. I¡¯m not interested in politics at all so I¡¯m not well informed but the politics of this world is not asplicated as ours. Rather than a government that would follow the principles of its people, what this world required more is a vessel that would answer to the thoughts and needs of the people. In that sense, I guess a man like him is fitting to be the King. Also, he is pretty serious and wise depending on the situation as well. On the other side of the King was O¡¯brien-san, who was currently scratching his chin looking somewhat troubled. I feel the same. ¡°It has been a long time My lord.¡±(renji) ¡°Don¡¯t mind it. I¡¯m always being helped by Yuuko and Kou. Give them my thanks as well.¡±(king) ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­seriously, you guys are too stiff. I said this before as well but in terms of status, you people are above than even me.¡± ¡°Oh no, definitely not.¡± The king of country and Heroes from another world who saved the world. I don¡¯t want to think who the public would support more but I wouldn¡¯t consider ourselves to be higher in status. Beside King Joshua, Warren-sama seemed to be clearing his throat but the king didn¡¯t pay attention to anyone. It¡¯s a scene I¡¯m used to seeing but once again, I feel like I¡¯ll tear up seeing Warren-sama¡¯s everyday troubles. ¡°Seriously. My guts went cold when you were brought in gravely injured.¡±(king) ¡°That¡¯s¡ª-¡± ¡°And even so, you didn¡¯t evene to meet me after healing up. At least apany for a drink or two sometimes.¡± That¡¯s impossible. I wanted to say that but my mouth cramped up stopping me from doing so. It might be a great honour to be told that by a king of the country but I feel like I¡¯d be unable to even taste what I¡¯m drinking just from the nervousness. And the day I end up saying something stupid, just what would happen to me? Thinking about that alone makes my stomach hurt. In the first ce, it¡¯d be weird for an adventurer to go around meeting the king so casually. But this man doesn¡¯t seem to think that way it seems. (Part 2 ) As if he understood my feelings, O¡¯brien-san was giving a smile and Warren-sama was giving a sympathetic sigh. Really, this man should consider his position¡­¡­..thinking that, I felt sorry for him as well. To be royalty is to live for the sake of the people. I recall him saying that to me once. They are not allowed to be selfish and are to act and live for the betterment of the country and its people. For the country, for the people, for the world. To live and to die for such things is what it means to be royalty. Even in this world, it¡¯s not like everyone is a good person. But still, I know those who tried to protect the world for everyone else. People who supported and aided us even when they themselves did not have much resources. They helped negotiate with Elfreim, with whom they were at odds with back then, solely for our sake. And there were people who fought against demons with us even when they held no special powers. All of them are people I truly respect, and one of those is this man. That¡¯s why¡­¡­¡­. ¡°Well, after the tournament has ended, I¡¯ll go for a drink with you¡­¡­.I guess.¡±(renji) ¡°Kuku. I see, I see. I¡¯ll look forward to it.¡±(king) Saying that, I felt like I regretted it already. My stomach hurts just thinking about going for a drink with the king himself. This isn¡¯t even the first time I am going for a drink with him either yet I really can¡¯t get used to this. When the timees, I am definitely dragging either Utano-san or Kuuki along with me. ¡°It¡¯ll be nice we get to celebrate your victory with drinks and fish as well!¡±(king) ¡°ugh.¡± So ites down to that. Seeing my reaction, I wonder what King Joshua thought as heughed *kakaka*. Rather than a king, he really looked more like a yful old man you could find anywhere. Even O¡¯brien-san gave a smallugh. ¡°Please be relieved. We shall do our best to put up a great show that you can truly enjoy Milord. Ain¡¯t that right, Renji?¡±(ob) ¡°¡­¡­¡­Sure.¡± ¡°What¡¯s with that pathetic reply, fool. You¡¯re in front of the king.¡±(ob) Guh, putting me in trouble, O¡¯brien-san reproached me with an amused voice. Most of the people in the royal castle know of my true strength. Probably only the newer employees would be unaware of that. Of course, the King and Prime Minister are also aware. That¡¯s how famous my normalcy (read as- weakness) is. But even then, they keep on making such unreasonable demands out of me. In fact even people I expect to get me out of such trouble somehow end up saying things that put me in more mess. ¡°Nowadays, even Amalda enjoys spending time with Yuuta more than me. Help me with my loneliness, Renji.¡±(king) ¡°I don¡¯t know how much I can help you, but I shall try my best milord.¡± (renji) ¡°umu. But, don¡¯t be reckless okay? There are far too many people that worry whenever you get injured. Isn¡¯t that so, Prime Minister?¡±(king) ¡°Wha?¡± ¡°And also..¡± Then, his tone became a bit heavier, more serious. Those words were spoken as a king, not just an old man. As the man who leads this country. ¡°The ones that need to be entertained are the people. Even though the threat of the Demon God has been removed, the world is still far from being peaceful. Even if only for the time till the tournament ends, I hope that the people can forget about demons and monsters and enjoy the fights.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give my all to rise up to your expectations, Milord.¡± ¡°Fuh. You didn¡¯t have to speak so formally there though. Just a normal ¡®Understood¡¯ would suffice.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Giving the reply, I moved to the side and let him move on. It seems our talk had gathered quite a lot of attention as when the king finally moved, the crowd surrounding split to give him way making him look like Moses. I looked at king Joshua¡¯s back as he walked away. Among the various gazes, I saw a familiar woman with blonde hair¡ª-Ms Francesca was also there. I was about to scratch my head in embarrassment as usual but stopped. Not in front of the king, it¡¯d be rude. That man probably wouldn¡¯t care about it though. [fufu. Looks like you¡¯ve finally lost all escape routes, eh?] ¡°I doubt I had one in the first ce.¡± I replied that to Ermenhilde. As one of the summoned, as one who killed a god, as one who people depend upon, I¡¯ll take part in the tournament. Then, I know I cannot give an unsightly performance. At least, in my own way, I¡¯ve decided to try my best. No matter who my opponent, I just have to fight with my all. ¡­¡­¡­The fact that I still couldn¡¯t say that I¡¯ll definitely win is, uncool, or maybe, I¡¯m still tense. ¡°Now then, let¡¯s get out of here.¡± Souichi and others are still with their ssmates, I couldn¡¯t see Utano-san either. Her dress must have been too ufortable and she must have gone back to her room. I want to ge5t out of 5this armour asap as well. Though we had them made specifically for ourselves, I guess you never can get used to such difficult to move in clothes. I couldn¡¯t even wear light armour even back then. I did see Ms Francesca but I shouldn¡¯t go talk to her right now. Even if she is a daughter of a noble family it¡¯d be troublesome for her to gather unnecessary attention as well. ¡°Huh, Renji-niichan, you¡¯re going back already?¡± Just when I was about to leave the cathedral, this time Souichi came up and spoke to me. His armour seemed to be much more easy to move in than mine but since Souichi was also like me who preferred dodging above blocking attacks, he was not veryfortable in it either. As he walked towards me, his movements looked a bit awkward as well. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m bad with such formal ceremonies after all.¡±(renji) ¡°Again you¡­¡­..At least go talk with Aya for some time.¡± ¡°As her childhood friend, that¡¯s your job.¡± ¡°Mouu.¡± Saying that, he gave a sigh. He hasn¡¯t changed much in this sense. I felt warm inside seeing his usual actions. ¡°So, where is Aya by the way?¡±(renji) ¡°There, talking to her friends.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..then is there even any need for me to keep herpany?¡± She¡¯s talking with her friends, herrades, with whom she¡¯d be fighting tomorrow in the team battles. Hearing that, I looked towards her. In a group of girls dressed in school uniforms, a single girl was in a robe. With ck hair, rare in this world, the girl was talking happily with her friends. That¡¯s good. As a 18yr old child, looking at her talk with friends normally feels much better. Yayoi-chan was among them as well but she was looking towards us instead. That said, she¡¯s probably looking at Souichi. Thinking that, I turned my gaze back to Souichi. ¡°Wait, do you not have any friends?¡±(renji) ¡°I do!?¡± Then go talk with them rather than me. ¡°C¡¯mon even Aya is talking with her friends, you should go as well.¡±(renji) ¡°But look. Except me, all of them are girls.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Hearing that, I nced towards their group once more. Certainly, there was not a single boy in the group. The number of participants in a team were 5 and there are also some reserve members but all of them were girls. Souichi was the lone boy. I guess he would feel a bit awkward in there. Harem is nothing but an illusion when in fact, it¡¯s just a bed of thorns. ¡°I guess you have it rough as well.¡±(renji) ¡°Could you stop pushing me to them anyway while saying that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m envious of your life, being surrounded by such pretty girls.¡± ¡°Stop lying!¡± True, I don¡¯t feel a shred of envy. But of course. A party full of men sounds disgusting but a party with all girls would be tiresome. Men and women arepletely different creatures. While I was ying with Souichi like that, this time Masaki-chan, leading a few men behind her came to us. Here, unlike Souichi¡¯s party, their group had 3 girls and 3 boys. Or rather, I¡¯m really surprised how the Magic Academy¡¯s team turned up with all girls like that. I became a bit curious of their selection criteria. ¡°You guys seem to be having fun as usual, Souichi, Yamada-san.¡±(masaki) ¡°I¡¯m not really enjoying this though¡­¡­¡±(souichi) ¡°Stop sounding like a wuss when you¡¯re a guy.¡±(masaki) I¡¯m pretty sure this guy doesn¡¯t have gynophobia. I guess he¡¯s just be tired of being surrounded by too many women all the time. Even luxury has its price. Yup. It seems Souichi¡¯s bad luck with women isn¡¯t going to end any time soon. As I enjoyed seeing Souichi¡¯s plight, *kacha* a dry sound came to me. Masaki-chan had rest her hand on the katana on her waist. She was also dressed in an extravagant dress as expected of a Hero but she was wearing a skirt below. It must be difficult to move for her as well. For us who fought against the Demon God, outfits like this that focus on looks feel nothing more than a hindrance after all. But still, I guess women still enjoy dressing up as she seemed to be in a good mood. People like me and Souichi only feel stressed dressing up though. But well, even though due to in a good mood, seeing a girl smiling while having a hand on a katana is pretty scary. ¡°Don¡¯t go easy on me okay? Of course Souichi as well.¡±(masaki) ¡°Of course. I don¡¯t intend to lose either.¡±(souichi) ¡°I¡¯m not even taking part in the team battles though.¡±(renji) Individual battles were day after tomorrow. If I could win against O¡¯brien-san, it¡¯d be in the 3rd round where I fight Masaki-chan. Getting to fight Souichi in team battles then also having a chance of fighting Souichi in the individual matches again and also against Kuuki, she must be super excited. Even though she has the looks of a Yamato Nadeshiko, she¡¯s battle maniac at heart. Maybe for the same reason, herrades behind her also gave the same atmosphere. All of them were battle maniacs. Is this some kind of nightmare? ¡°It¡¯s fine Yamada-san, I¡¯ll take it out on you in the individual battles.¡±(masaki) ¡°¡­¡­.Eh?¡± Why did she say my name while saying that she was going to take it out on me!? I really didn¡¯t understand what she meant. Looking at my confusion she, with a smile that could be apanied with a halo, replied. ¡°Aya or Yuuko-san may not get angry with you but I will.¡± ¡°Wha, uh, whaa¡­¡­.? ¡°Disappearing so suddenly, making us all worry. And when you finallye back after so long, you were so like ~poyaa.¡± What is this? Even though Masaki-chan is smiling, I am getting really scared here. This is that, it¡¯s simr to when utano-san gets angry. When she gets angry, rather than raging like a fire, she bes still and calm like the surface of ake even though deep inside she¡¯s¡­¡­.well, like that. How strange. Masaki-chan only got angry when something concerning Souichi happened. Thinking of that I gave a sidelong nce towards Souichi who is used to facing her anger. Even herrades took a step back sensing that Masaki-chan was angry. By the way, Souichi was distancing himself from me. So, I grabbed his shoulder and brought him back to my side. [I don¡¯t get what that ~poyaa~ means but true, Renji has been lifelesstely.] ¡°Exactly!¡±(masaki) ¡°You shut the hell up.¡±(renji) Seeing Masaki-chan strongly agree with my dense partner, I pped the medal from above my trousers with the hand that wasn¡¯t holding on to SOuichi. ¡°And so, 3rd round, I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±(masaki) ¡°Ah, sure.¡±(reji) Was she satisfied with just that, she turned around and walked away. Her long hair that went even below her waist swayed around like a tail. ¡°Hmm, what would happen in case I never made it as far as the 3rd round though?¡±(renji) ¡°She¡¯ll probably catch in the training grounds sooner orter?¡±(souichi) So I have to fight her no matter what eh? No well, I don¡¯t mind but I am a bit scared. She won¡¯t try to actually kill me right? I think not. [It seems your reasons to win and advance just increased.] ¡°Don¡¯t sound so happy.¡±(renji) [But I am happy.] This only makes me more terrified though. Even if we¡¯d be using dulled des, it still hurts when you get hit by those. Even if she¡¯s not used to using western swords, with physical abilities rivalling those of Souichi, facing the [Demonic Sword user] in battle was nothing short of a nightmare. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll give my best anyway.¡±(renji) [Yeah. Give it your all, Renji.] She said that. Her expectations rose for me. Then, I have to work hard. And¡ª¡ªif it makes you happy, I¡¯d even try winning it. Without saying that, I just thought that in my heart. Chapter 47 Team Battles (1) Chapter 47 Team Battles (1) The sky as clear. Only a few white clouds could be seen and the sun shone bright making us feel warmer than we should as it was winter. As if this warmth had been the reason, the capital was bursting with energy and liveliness and the main street was filled with people. Along the side of the street, countless stores selling various kinds of eatables were lined up and the appetizing smell of roasted meat and fresh fruits filled the air. Other than that, shops selling essories, delicately crafted swords and shields made for decorative purposes were also there. Oc course, such stalls were equally crowded as well. The stone buildings had been decorated and the open windows or swing-doors showed much more customers inside than usual. Especially inside inns and bars. Even though it was still mid day, many people were already drinking beer happily. Everyone was thoroughly enjoying this day. The whole atmosphere made me feel jolly as well. Seeing such a scene made me feel the peaceful of side of this world. ¡°Even though there¡¯s so much people on the streets, you sure you don¡¯t want to keep your restaurant open?¡±(renji) ¡°Well, I was summoned by the king himself, I can¡¯t prioritize my restaurant over that now can I?¡± ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s true.¡± Saying that, he sighed. It¡¯s a lighter one than usual but a sigh was a sigh. I felt a bit bad for him as well. It¡¯s a great thing to be summoned by the king. Though that man feels more like that old energetic man who lives in your neighbourhood rather than the King but if somebody heard me say that, I¡¯ll be thrown in jail for lese majeste so I won¡¯t. And I do respect the man still. And King Joshua didn¡¯t mean any harm when summoning him either. In fact, the king even goes as far as to listen to all our requests as much as he can as well. But still, he just doesn¡¯t like standing out like that. He is a propermoner at the very core after all. [You say that but you don¡¯t hate it either do you?] ¡°Well, I guess not. It¡¯s rare for all of us to assemble together like this usually after all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s sad in its own way.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­.Yamada-san, you¡¯re one of the main reasons for that you know?¡± ¡°I had no intention to make it so though?¡± As I shrugged my shoulders while passing through the crowd of people, I could hear his deep sigh even among all thismotion. Was it just my imagination that I felt even coldness and astonishment in his sigh? ording to him, the reason why all 13 of us aren¡¯t together is because I went away on my journey. When he says it like that, I guess he probably isn¡¯t wrong. I, for one, don¡¯t like staying in one ce for very long after all. Though I did spend almost monthszing around in the same vige. That said, it¡¯s pretty much the same if its not a big city like the capital. It¡¯s pretty much the same as me not being there. And above that, Souichi and others were living in the Magic city, Masaki-chan was in Tactics City and Yui-chan was¡­¡­¡­.where the hell was she before this? I feel like someone said that she had been travelling all over the ce on her Fafnir. I don¡¯t even know where the rest of them are, so I guess, such asions were rare. That said, it¡¯s still not all 13 of us. ¡°But still, is it fine to go in those clothes Toudou?¡±(renji) ¡°You¡¯re thest man I want to hear this from, Yamada-san.¡±(toudou) [Seriously.] Toudou was currently wearing extremely casual clothes made of good fabric that most of the people in this city wore. If not for his jet ck hair, noone would even think that he was one of the 13 heroes. That¡¯s how simr to normal people his clothes were. Simrly, I looked pretty much the same as any adventurer would. Since it was winter now, I had a fur mantle and thick clothes. Without the mantle and the mithril sword hanging on my waist, I would also look not any different than normal people. In fact I feel like the elves or beastmen walking around felt more adventurer-like than me. I wonder what she thought of us as Ermenhilde gave another sigh. It¡¯s convenient how her voice directly resounds in my head especially in such crowds and noise. ¡°That said, I am amazed that you actually felt like taking part in the tournament this time, Yamada-san.¡±(toudou) ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°After all, you can¡¯t use Eru-san in the tournament and don¡¯t you hate fighting in the first ce?¡± I looked towards the man beside me who was slightly shorter than me in height. His shoulder long hair, that he simply found too much effort to cut, had been tied behind his head in a small ponytail and it swayed as he walked. Having grown up more from the time we travelled back then, his gentle expression made his face look much more amiable. Toudou Hiiragi. One of the 13, and myrade. Toudou, who was a very good friend of mine, while moving his plump body, walked in a very rxed manner as if enjoying the atmosphere of the city. ¡°Well I had my circumstances which resulted in me taking part.¡± ¡°Hmmm.¡± ¡°I may not look it but I am busy with various things, you know?¡± ¡± ¡®Various things¡¯, eh?¡± ¡°Yes, various things.¡± [What the hell are you guys even talking?] These various things include, debt repayment and things like that. It kinda feels pathetic to tell others about it. And listening to Utano-san repays it back anyway¡­¡­¡­I feel like a dominated husband. Please let this be just my imagination. ¡°In my cae, I have just been lonely since nobodyes to my restaurant anymore. Yuuko-san did visit once in a while till some time ago though.¡± ¡°Well she¡¯s been busy with tournament and stuff. She¡¯s taken up too much on herself already, or rather, tries to do everything herself.¡± ¡°Yeah, I get what you¡¯re saying. That said, it¡¯s because we weren¡¯t of much help that this happened though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Toudoucked fighting skills, his job is literally a cook after all. He was the one who always prepared meals for us while on our journey. In my case, I can only fight against monsters with Ermenhilde¡¯s help. As a result, all work that used the brain went to Utano-san. ¡­¡­¡­.well maybe I¡¯m over exaggerating a bit. Even we used our heads once in a while when required. But most of the time, our ns would be full of holes or would be unable to exin what we thought of to others properly. And also, since we had received super powered cheats from the Goddess, we always had the option to just charge in head on. We had a way of fighting that¡¯d be impossible for humans of this world. Now whether that was good thing or not is debateable. In my opinion, it¡¯s probably thetter. Now that I think about it, it¡¯s amazing how we survived being so reckless like that. No matter how well you could use a weapon or magic, we still weremoners in our heads, it made us realize that. Even if you learn the results or history of wars, we weren¡¯t taught how to set up soldiers and their formations or warfare tactics, etc. It was always Utano-san who could convert her and our ideas into a proper [n]. Much more efficient and safer than charging head on, she led us through the battles. ¡°It¡¯s been one year from then but she still likes to order others around.¡±(renji) ¡°That probably applies to only you, Yamada-san.¡± [He¡¯s soft towards women after all.] ¡°Stop saying such misleading things, will you?¡± Saying that, I lightly hit Ermenhilde over my pocket. ¡°Somehow it feels weird.¡±(toudou) ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°For Yamada-san to call Eru-san by her full name.¡± [Really?] ¡°Or rather¡­¡­.Eru, that¡¯s also a name though?¡±(renji) ¡°Well true but still.¡± [Hasn¡¯t it been always like that?] ¡°Eh?¡± At that moment, Toudou certainly stopped in his tracks and looked at me with confusion. Taking his gaze, I ignored it and continued walking. ¡°Well, things happened here as well.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­¡­..is that so?¡±(toudou) ¡°Ain¡¯t that right, Ermenhilde?¡± [Seriously. Like getting newrades, and a huge debt.] ¡°Comrades aside, could you not speak about thetter?¡± Saying that, I hit Ermenhilde to shut her up. Seriously, she starts saying useless things the moment I stop paying attention. ¡°Well, not much has changed¡­¡­¡­I guess?¡±(toudou) ¡°Who knows? We may have changed somewhat surely. You seem to have put on some weight after all.¡± When I made fun of him, he poked me with his elbow. Since he didn¡¯tin means he¡¯s aware of it as well. Well he was always on the fatter side but not as much as now. He must be pretty conscious about it, it seems. I gave a sigh having sessfully changed the topic. One day I will have to tell them but somehow, I didn¡¯t have the courage to. Hiding that deep inside my heart, I continued walking while facing forward. Toudou seems to have let go it as well. ¡°I¡¯ve stopped going on journeys, and don¡¯t even have to fight monsters anymore. You can get Orc meat just by ordering from the adventurer guild after all.¡±(toudou) [You should, at least, move your body somewhat in my opinion.] ¡°Being a cook is still a pretty energy consuming job though.¡± Hearing that, though I felt bad, I ended upughing. This guy won¡¯t be travelling anymore I think, I¡¯m sure. Managing his own restaurant, having employees, he¡¯s enjoying his different world life already. He¡¯s already be a part of this worldpletely. As a citizen of the capital. With the danger to the world now gone, he didn¡¯t have any reason to travel around like back then. He might take up monster subjugation requests once in a while but that¡¯s about it. When I thought about it like that, my friendughing beside me suddenly felt like he was far away making me feel slightly envious. ¡°It sounds nice and peaceful, so it¡¯s good.¡±(renji) ¡°Of course. Though the danger of monsters and demons is still there, the main problem has been taken care of after all.¡± Whileughing he said that but he poked me with his elbow again. Realizing what he meant, I felt a bit heavier inside. The main problem he talked about¡ª¡ª-the subjugation of the Demon God. It was me whopleted it and the number of sacrifices made to achieve that were uncountable. Among those, the person I wanted to protect the most is also included. But¡­¡­.the capital was filled with smiles. Men and women, whether to my right or left, whether it be humans, demi-humans, beastmen, everyone had smiles on their faces. Even though there was so much danger in the world, they could still say with confidence that they had peace. Sometimes I realize how well we have adapted to this world. Back in our own world, I didn¡¯t even think about such things. Even though the capital is protected by huge walls, the threat from monsters was not nil. Though umon in Imnesia, there were monsters that could fly. Demons can also fly with magic. there was always a chance that this jolly festivities could instantly turn into a hell of screams and despair. Even while knowing that, we still consider this world to be at peace. Still, weugh like this. Not crying and getting depressed over the people who died for this cause was not in any way an insult to those men and women. After all, they put their lives on the line solely for this. ¡°So Yamada-san, are you taking part in today¡¯s team matches?¡±(toudou) ¡°No, not in this one. But one of myrade in my current party is taking part so I thought I¡¯d go cheer them on.¡±(renji) ¡°I see.¡± When I said that, Toudou sounded happy for some reason. While giving him a sidelong nce, I bought two skewered Orc meat and gave one to Toudou. ¡°Thanks. Speaking ofrades, where had you been travelling till now?¡±(toudou) [Just roaming around this continent. He spent almost half the yearzing around in just a vige though.] ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to talk about that.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­¡­..what the hell, Yamada-san?¡± I saw astonishment mixed in with his sigh at me. Well, I do understand what you mean. ¡°Half a year is an exaggeration. It was more like, yeah, 3 months ofzing around.¡±(renji) ¡°That¡¯s still quite a lot you know¡­¡­¡­.¡± [Not to mention, if he had not met Francesca, he had no intention to start travelling again as well.] ¡°Going by the name, it was a woman, eh?¡±(toudou) [Yes, it was a woman.] There, for some reason, both of them seemed to have some mutual understanding. These two get along pretty well as usual. ¡°What the hell, you guys, do you enjoy teasing me that much?¡±(renji) ¡°How is this teasing? We aren¡¯t doing anything like that are we, Eru-san?¡±(toudou) [Yeah. I¡¯m just giving a report on you, Renji.] ¡°Stop that, will you?¡±(renji) Saying that, I lightly hit her once more. ¡°Wait, did you tell the same things to Utano-san as well?¡±(renji) [If I had, you would be confined inside the castle for sure by now.] ¡°uwaahh.¡± ¡°Stop with the ¡®uwaahh¡¯, I¡¯m notughing, goddamnit.¡±(renji) ¡°No, it just sounded so realistic that I¡­¡± ¡°No, no it¡¯s not!¡± What the hell is with this ¡®confinement¡¯ talk. Even Utano-san wouldn¡¯t go that far. Probably. ¡°Speaking of yuuko-san, I just recalled something.¡±(toudou) ¡°If this is something ridiculous again, I¡¯ll punch you in the face okay?¡± ¡°No, no. I wanted to ask if your rtionship progressed any more from then.¡± The moment he said that, I threw punch at his face. I had only swung it without any proper swing or anything but still he dodged it without even getting grazed by my fist. ¡°That was close!¡±(toudou) ¡°Seriously. You are curious about the weirdest of things.¡±(renji) ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean you can punch me, you know?¡± ¡°But you dodged didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Well, obviously.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t dodge.¡± ¡°No way.¡± [¡­¡­.You guys sure are enjoying this.] Well, somewhat I guess. After all, I don¡¯t have many people with whom I can fool around like this. Not because he gets my jokes or anything but more because we usually take our jokes way too far. Though those usually end with me getting my life in danger. Even from sudden attack Toudou wasn¡¯t perturbed at all. Even his walking speed was the same. My fist must have seemed likeing in slow motion to him. Even though it was a surprise attack. It¡¯s sad how even the nonbatant member of us 13 still possesses that level of physical ability. If I had to fight Masaki-chan who was a fighter to the core, just how much gap in power will be there? I felt gloopy already. Well, to fight her, I have to first win against O¡¯brien-san though. ¡°By the way, why go for maid clothes for your employees?¡±(renji) ¡°It¡¯s nice isn¡¯t it? That said, they aren¡¯t as in demand in this world as they were in ours.¡±(toudou) ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Maids are amon thing here after all. Unlike back on earth, it¡¯s not a job filled with hopes and dreams of men.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± [Dreams, hopes, in maids??] ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it.¡±(renji) [??] Certainly, like Toudou said, maids weremon here. Normal people probably won¡¯t hire one but maids working for nobles doing stuff like shopping etc is amon sight. Their job is to serve their master like it was in our world but the maids here are far more polished and refined than the ones in our world in my opinion. Not that I have gone to maid cafes or anything so I wouldn¡¯t really know. Probably Toudou should be much more knowledgeable in that sense. He has hired maids for his restaurant after all. Well, there¡¯s something about the maid uniform that fascinates you, I agree with that. As a man, I can¡¯t deny it. I could continueplimenting it without restraint if I got a chance. Yup, being a maid is a proper job. ¡°Where did you get those uniforms from though?¡±(renji) ¡°They had spare ones in the castle so I took those.¡± I see, that made sense. Having your employees in uniforms must look better from another person¡¯s point of view, not that I have any experience as a shop manager or owner though. That said, it might not be true in this world as well. Uniforms, as a concept, doesn¡¯t really exist in this world. It¡¯s more like designing the clothes that are as easy to move in as possible and don¡¯t get in the way of your work. He must have thought of properly implementing the uniforms as one of the means to make it interesting for customers. It¡¯s a pretty good approach in my opinion. I guess that alsoes from the knowledge of another world? Though he still ended with maid clothes. No matter how seriously you think about it, in the end, he ended with maid clothes. As a man it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t understand him but maybe he should try changing his focus point a bit. Or rather, shouldn¡¯t he focus more on his own cooking rather than maid clothes? Especially dishes and preparations that don¡¯t exist in this world. I asked him to tell me more about his cooking rather than continue rambling on about maid clothes. ¡°Well, I have thought of various things.¡±(toudou) [Wow. I¡¯m surprised.] ¡°¡­¡­¡­could you two not sound that surprised?¡± As both of us looked at him surprised that he had actually thought about it, Toudou made a sad face. He must be thinking that I was almost sure that he had thought of absolutely nothing before opening his restaurant. Well, his reaction was amusing so I let it as is. Even though like this, I do respect the guy. Even while not possessing a fighting ability, he stuck along with us till the very end of our journey. I can still remember him desperately cooking for people crying in burnt viges, with people dying all around. With his cooking, something we couldn¡¯t do, he saved many. I doubt anyone else could do what he did. No matter how much you think about it, talk about it, till you take action your feelings don¡¯t reflect anything. No matter how high the ideals you hold, it¡¯s useless if it cannot be seen in your actions. That¡¯s what it¡¯s like to truly save people. That¡¯s why, from the bottom of my heart, I respect him. Though he never talks about it. Having eaten the meat, he twirled and yed with the skewer in his hand. ¡°Well then, I should go to the arena now. What are you going to do Toudou?¡±(renji) ¡°It¡¯s already time, eh?¡± Saying that, he looked at the sky. It¡¯s because the tournament was set to start when the sun reached its peak. I think only an hour or two remains for that. I need to return, make an appearance and wear that damn heavy armour once more. I felt sluggish just thinking about it. It¡¯s really heavy; that damn armour. Though only because I¡¯m not used to wearing it. ¡°I¡¯lle as well. Might as well meet this, Francesca-san was it? Introduce me to her, kay?¡±(toudou) ¡°Yeah, sure. Wait, I haven¡¯t already?¡±(renji) ¡°No, you haven¡¯t¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°We even ate at your restaurant though.¡± ¡°She came to my restaurant!?! Why didn¡¯t you introduce me then¡­¡­..¡± ¡°No, well, I thought you¡¯d be busy so I would feel bad to distract you.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯d be fine to at least talk for a bit!?¡± [Hiiragi, Renji¡¯s only enjoying your reactions you know?] Hearing Ermenhilde¡¯s suggestion, Toudou slumped his shoulders. Umu, his reactions definitely are too amusing. Chapter 48 Team Battles (2) Chapter 48 Team Battles (2) I wonder if I am stupid to feel that I have be stronger just by putting on some gauntlet, greaves and armour? Above it, I also put on an extravagant mantle. As I gave a small thanks to the maid helping me, she bowed to me. I still can¡¯t get used to people being so humble towards me. Maybe my reaction was amusing as Kuuki, who had finished outfitting himself early, was snickering at me. By the way, nearby, Toudou was going through difficulty trying to put on his armour. His physique had gotten much bigger than one year ago after all. It must feel pretty stiff for him. Since he was also not used to putting on armour like me, he was in distress along with the maid helping him. Whileughing at him, even though I had not been any better, I moved to a different part f the room. The room given to us for changing was pretty big. Going by the high value furniture kept in the room, this room normally might be used by someone of pretty high status. It would¡¯ve been fine just to give us some normal room though. Whether it be the high ss furniture or the flowers decorated in the room, neither seemed to suit the atmosphere of the Coliseum we were in. not to mention all of this looked extremely costly as well. I¡¯m scared to even touch it¡­¡­¡­..well not really, but still, I¡¯d rather not get too touchy with it. ¡°Armour really suits you, Kuuki.¡± When I said that, Kuuki scratched his cheek in slight embarrassment. With a gentle expression and tall height, the magnificent knight armour truly seemed fitting on him. With his red mantle swaying behind him and riding a horse, he¡¯d probably get really popr with the noble girls. ¡°Rather than saying that it suits me, it¡¯s more like I¡¯m simply too used to wearing it all the time.¡±(kuuki) ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Well I do have to wear the armour almost everyday, all the time, for my work after all.¡± Well that¡¯s true as well, I guess. As the vicemander of the Knight Order, he spends everyday working as a knight. He¡¯s also in a rtionship with princess of this country by the way. Looks like he¡¯s winning in life. I sound like a jealous man now. Well, leaving the princess aside, I still think that armour won¡¯t suit someone better just by wearing it more. Me and Toudou are examples after all. I guess anything looks good on those with good looks. Whether it be Kuuki or Souichi, it¡¯s like that. These guys, how should I say this, have some kind of aura with them, of a leader, or rather, someone who stands above others. Maybe because they are confident in themselves. They have such an Aura. [It suits you as well, Renji.] ¡°Why, thank you.¡±(renji) While listening to Ermenhilde, I moved my now much heavier arm around. It¡¯s really hard to move in. Must be because I¡¯m not used to it like Kuuki. After I hang the mithril sword on my waist, will I look a bit more like a knight? I tried imagining myself like that. Yup, doesn¡¯t suit at all. Feels more like the extravagant and clothes are great which is why I look fine as well. The armour seems more prominent than myself. That said, in the end, I have no choice but to be in this outfit for the next few days. I hope I don¡¯t getughed at. If someoneughed while saying that it doesn¡¯t suit me, I¡¯ll probably break. ¡°So, what¡¯s next for today?¡±(renji) ¡°Next, we¡¯ll be observing today¡¯s matches with the king.¡±(kuuki) ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± I confirmed today¡¯s schedule with Kuuki. It¡¯s not like he¡¯s my secretary or anything but yet he spoke so smoothly. But still, observing the team battles with the King, eh? What an uninteresting event, maybe I¡¯m the only one who thinks like that. I¡¯ll probably get beheaded if someone heard me say that though. [fumu. Sounds boring.] ¡°I know, right?¡± Kuuki gave a wry smile as I agreed to the voice in my head. In fact, I¡¯m only interested in the matches that have my friends taking part in. Ms Francesca, Souichi, Aya are in the same team as well. Other than that, there¡¯s just Masaki-chan¡¯s team. Except those¡­¡­¡­. I don¡¯t even know who else is taking part even. A few from the Knight Order seem to have made a team as well but I didn¡¯t know any of them well so I wasn¡¯t interested. There are teams from various guilds and schools as well but it¡¯ll probably be the Knight team that¡¯ll win. Souichi and Masaki-chan¡¯s team would also perform well but since this isn¡¯t just a knockout tournament, having just one with exception strength won¡¯t be sufficient to win. No matter how strong Souichi or Masaki-chan are, it¡¯s useless if they aren¡¯t together. 5 vs 5. Out of the 5 rounds, the one who wins 3 wins so in that sense, the adventurers and knights have the advantage as it¡¯s their job. The Magic City student team does have both Aya and Souichi but still that¡¯s only two rounds. To win another one¡­¡­..it might be difficult for a student. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re not very interested in it?¡±(kuuki) ¡°Except for the ones that has people I know, no, not really. Honestly speaking, seeing adventurers who I nothing about fight it out seems so¡­¡­¡±(renji) ¡°Well, I understand what you mean.¡± I guess even Kuuki, who agreed with me, found this to be boring as well. Both Kuuki and me, rather than watch others, prefer to do the job ourselves. And, I have a premonition that I won¡¯t get to watch in peace either. I was gone for a year, I will definitely be asked about what I had been doing. While drinking. ¡­¡­¡­.the guest seats made for nobles and royalty cannot be seen well from the normal audience seats. They might see our faces but its far enough that let alone see what we¡¯re doing or talking about, they wouldn¡¯t even be able to tell what expression we¡¯re making. That alcohol loving King will do whatever he feels like there. ¡°Don¡¯t let that show on your face though, okay?¡±(kuuki) ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve gotten used to all this as a knight eh?¡± (renji) As I gave a small sigh, he gave a smallugh. Well, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t like spending time with the king. I love alcohol as well and I do like King Joshua as well. I can¡¯te to hate anyone who worries about me like that without holding any malice or ill intent behind him. The fact that he gets a bit too casual while going with the jolly festive mood is a bit of a problem though. ¡°So?¡±(renji) ¡°What?¡±(kuuki) ¡°Who do you think is gonna win?¡± [I am betting on Souichi¡¯s team to win.] ¡°Thanks for the uninteresting answer, Ermenhilde.¡± [Muu.] Saying that, I sat down on a nearby chair. Due to the armour it felt really ufortable. But still, it felt really weird to have a maid even pull a chair for me to sit. It seems I really am amoner to the very core. But without letting such things show on my face, I looked at Kuuki. Looking towards this tall man, he folded his arms as if he was giving it some thought. Seriously, it¡¯s envious how he looks good doing everything. Even the maid appointed to him seemed to be ncing towards him but he didn¡¯t seem to notice it. What a sinful man he is. ¡°I think it¡¯ll be the Knight team. Them or the adventurer team from Tactics city. They are pretty high skilled aspared to the ones here, in the capital.¡±(kuuki) ¡°fumu.¡± I see as someone working with the Knights, he should be more knowledgeable about such things than me. Must be as he says. As the name of the Tactics City would suggest, their whole focus is on fighting. That¡¯s because, though there¡¯s the ocean in between, it still is the closest city to Abenelm continent. Back when the Demon God was still alive, monsters and demons that could fly, and monsters that could cross through water would attack almost daily. As a result, the amount of fighting done there was much more than other cities and automatically the skill level of warriors in there grew higher. It was the front line of hell. It was more of a defensive establishment and a city in name only. The adventurers and mercenaries thate from there hold much confidence in their skill. And confidence is the most important thing to have. Without it, you cannot fight and once broken, everything is over. I wonder who was it that said that. Ermenhilde was betting on Souichi¡¯s team whereas Kuuki was betting on the Knights. ¡°Renji, who do you think will win?¡±(kuuki) ¡°I¡­¡­.let¡¯s see.¡± The most chances of winning are with either Souichi¡¯s team or the knights. The Brave and the Grand Magus. On the other hand we have veteran knights who have fought in the war. In the Knight Order, there are many thate from the Tactics City as well. In terms ofposite strength, I think the Knights are the strongest. But that means I¡¯ll also be taking Kuuki¡¯s side. That won¡¯t be interesting. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re actually gambling but it¡¯s still not much fun if there isn¡¯t much difference in opinions. But that means, the options I have are limited. Or rather, only one is left. ¡°Then, I am gonna bet on Masaki-chan¡¯s team.¡± ¡°Oh wow. You¡¯ll be at quite the disadvantage though?¡±(kuuki) ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯re actually betting anything after all. It¡¯s a good chance to go for the underdog for once.¡± ¡°Eh, we¡¯re not actually betting anything?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..you want to?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s make a bet!¡± [You two, you¡¯re being improper.] That said, I don¡¯t really have anything to bet though. Ermenhilde seemed to be saying something as well but I just ignored her. I thought of various things I had but nothing¡¯s worth selling. Neither do I have anything rare or new. While sipping the tea made by the maid, Toudou, now finally dressed in armour, also came towards us. As expected, it didn¡¯t suit him either, the same as me. ¡°Good clothes do make the man, eh?¡± ¡°I can say that right back at you.¡± Saying that, we both sighed together. And now we both have to go in front of people in such an unfitting outfit, a sigh was only natural. I¡¯ll probably stop minding it once I stop paying attention to it though. But still, at first it does feel embarrassing. In my head I heard [Don¡¯t talk about it if it only makes you more depressed.] but I ignored it. ¡°¡­¡­..So, what you guys talking about?¡±(toudou) ¡°We¡¯re betting on which team will win.¡±(kuuki) ¡°You really like such things don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s one of my few pastimes after all. So which one are you betting on?¡± I also told him that we chose Souichi, Masaki-chan and the Knight¡¯s team already. ¡°You guys have already taken the favourites¡­¡± He dropped his shoulders. Well, it¡¯s your fault that you took so much time just to put on armour. ¡°Before that, what are we betting?¡±(kuuki) ¡°It¡¯d be troublesome to bet money though. After the tournament is over, how about a treating dinner?¡±(renji) ¡°Sounds nice. Even though we¡¯re all here, we men alone haven¡¯t gone together even once.¡±(kuuki) ¡°Yeah. A treat at Toudou¡¯s restaurant.¡± ¡°Wait a sec¡­¡­..doesn¡¯t that mean I¡¯ll have to prepare the ce, food andbour?¡±(toudou) ¡°It¡¯d be fine if you won the bet though, right?¡± ¡°A team with the brave and the knights¡­¡­¡­.. all gs point to me losing!¡±(toudou) ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°How?! On what basis!?!¡±(toudou) *Kakaka* as Iughed, Toudou made a pathetic sound. But, oh well, ¡°The food you make is just too tasty. I want to eat together with everyone. We won¡¯t have to be too considerate with just men as well, after all.¡±(renji) ¡°Yamada-san¡­¡­..¡± ¡°I just to want to chat and fool around while eating, Toudou.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Well, I guess it¡¯s not like it¡¯s decided I¡¯ll lose for sure either.¡± Saying that, Toudou gave a happy smile. What a soft guy. Well, I wasn¡¯t lying either though. That said, it¡¯s still funny to see him ept it so easily. It¡¯s different way of teasing than what I do to Ermenhilde. Kuuki was also grinning while looking at us talk. I wonder what they were thinking as the maids in the room gave a bow and quietly left the room. Let alone footsteps, there was not even the sound of door closing. As if showing off the skills of a true maid. Above all, they could even read the mood. I wish a certain medal would learn that as well. ¡°fuu, maids sure are tiring to have around.¡± ¡°How can you say that when you have multiple ones working at your restaurant?¡± ¡°Those are just acting like maids. They¡¯re not actual ones. In the first ce, real maids won¡¯t work as waitresses at a restaurant I think.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Oh right, you had made the spare dresses you took into the uniform of your restaurant, right Toudou-san?¡±(kuuki) ording to what Kuuki said, the clothes Toudou got are the same as the ones worn by the castle maids. It seems he requested the head maid for the spare ones that might be left. Recalling her face that has helped me quite a lot of times, it¡¯s amazing how Toudou was able to say that directly to her. With long brown hair tied-up, the Head Maid is beauty with an aura of perfection around her. Hearing that might make you think that I¡¯d lust after her but she¡¯s actually very strict and formal. She wants perfectness from all type of work, or rather, is too hard headed. I don¡¯t think she has ever cut corners in her life. Anyway, she¡¯s just strict. And very scary. Except for what¡¯s necessary, the fact that she doesn¡¯t even talk when at work is apparently famous with the other maids. It¡¯s amazing how he was able to say something like ¡®please give the spare maid clothes to me¡¯ directly to her. ¡°She¡¯s not actually that scary you know? Normally, in private, she¡¯s a pretty interesting person.¡±(toudou) Is what Toudou says. I didn¡¯t hear much but apparently she¡¯spletely different from what we have see. I can¡¯t even imagine her like that. Or rather seeing how happily toudou is talking about her, it might give the wrong idea to her children about Toudou and her rtionship. Or maybe I¡¯m just a dirty adult? I tried asking him but he dodged the topic. Or rather, Toudou is not good at lying. It probably is not like that. Tch, how uninteresting. ¡°Just when I thought that finally spring hase for Toudou as well¡­¡­¡­¡±(renji) ¡°I doubt spring would evere for someone like me though.¡±(toudou) ¡°Self-depriciating as usual, eh? I don¡¯t think you¡¯re as unpopr as you make it to, you know?¡±(kuuki) ¡°Stop lying.¡±(toudou) As usual he¡¯scking in confidence about his looks, even denying Kuuki¡¯s words with a smile. Short height and fat body. I guess hisplex won¡¯t go away in an year. In though, even I think that Toudou actually might have some poprity. Not for his looks but his personality. And, he does have the aplishment of having subjugated the Demon God as well. Though he might not be getting buried in women like Kuuki and Souichi, I pretty sure there might be women who support Toudou. But, I do understand how Toudou feels. If you have the almost beautiful brave and the attractive and tall knight beside you, anyone would get aplex about their looks. And Toudou was above all, a hikkikomori, or rather , a NEET back in our world. A person who didn¡¯t have any confidence in his looks and shut himself up in his room. Though he ended up with no choice but to be outside after getting summoned to another world, that won¡¯t remove hisplex about his looks so easily. We areughing about it right now but back then just the mention of fat or short height would get over excessive reaction from him. Well, I guess he has matured enough to be able to make fun of his own looks. ¡°You¡¯ll also be 26 this year right? Shouldn¡¯t you search for good partner already?¡±(renji) ¡°You¡¯re also telling me that now¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Also?¡± That¡¯s as if someone else has said that as well. Looking at Kuuki, he gave a troubled nod. ¡°Me aside, Toudou-san, Takashi-kun, Koutarou-kun are all saviours of the world yet unmarried men.¡±(kuuki) ¡°Ohh.¡± ¡°Nobles have a way of constantly introducing their daughters to them it seems.¡± ¡°Just a while ago, they said that Kuuki-kun was the one who introduced us though.¡±(toudou) ¡°I feel bad about it. But I¡¯m nothing more than a knight. I have no choice but to answer to nobles¡¯ expectations.¡± ¡°Toudou and Koutarou aside, even Itou is involved.¡­..?¡±(renji) ¡°He¡¯s pretty popr you know? This world sees strength as the main charm point after all.¡± ¡°waah.¡± Toudou gave a sigh at that. Don¡¯t worry. At least you¡¯re stronger than me. That aside, Itou eh? Itou Takashi, he¡¯s a hero that¡¯s able to use any weapon perfectly enough to be called as the [Weapon King]. I don¡¯t hear much rumours about him but from what I¡¯ve heard here and there, he seems to be working as a mercenary hunting monsters. Even from back then, he¡¯s always been the type that enjoys battles after all. Given his ability as well, to Itou Takashi, battlegrounds must seem like the best ce to make use of it. I¡¯m not him so I can¡¯t say for sure though. After all, I only fight when absolutely necessary. Because he has such a personality, he might have be pretty popr with thedies of this world. With the fight against the Demon God and the constant threat of monsters and demons, fighting for life and death has be a major part of the people of this world. Thus someone like Itou must seem like a reassuring person to them. ¡°It¡¯s like that for Toudou-san and Takashi-kun but what about Yamada-san?(kuuki) ¡°Even if you ask me that, I¡¯m fine as it is.¡± I lightly swung my gauntlet wearing right arm. A dull sound reached my ears as it moved. ¡°That¡¯s right rather me, Yamada-san¡¯s case is more important.¡±(toudou) ¡°Got all your energy back already you bastard¡­¡­¡±(renji) ¡°A while ago, I lent a maid uniform to Utano-san a while ago, care to exin what¡¯s that about?¡± ¡°Like I know!¡± [?? Does Yuuko have any need for Maid clothes? With her personality I doubt she¡¯d wear it though.] ¡°It¡¯s because her personality is like that, that¡¯s its nice! Eru-san, you just don¡¯t get it.¡±(toudou) [fumu.] ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it. His stupidity will infect you as well.¡± ¡°Why so rude suddenly?¡± ¡°You asked for it, idiot.¡± Koutarou and Kudou are more than enough to teach Ermenhilde weird things. ¡°Maid clothes?¡±(kuuki) ¡°Well, I have no idea what that was about though.¡±(toudou) ¡°How envious.¡±(kuuki) ¡°From my point of view, you and your passionate love with the princess is more envious though.¡±(renji) ¡°Can you say that in front of Yuuko-san and Aya-chan?¡±(kuuki) ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t intend tomit suicide.¡±(renji) And right now, I don¡¯t have enough youthful emotions to be wondering about who I¡¯ve got a crush on either. [Your lust for women hasn¡¯t changed at all, Renji.] ¡°Stop saying it like that will you? People will get the wrong idea.¡± [But its not a false. In fact¡ª] Inside my head, Ermenhilde¡¯s scolding resounded in my head. But that was only about the recent cases. About the girl from the vige I saved from the Ogre, Ms Francesca, Mururu. It hurts my ears. As I made excuses, it was a natural thing to do as a man and I can say with pride that I feel only very slight guilt about it all. That said, it¡¯s not like my excuses would work. If Utano-san heard this, I¡¯ll be done for. Definitely. ¡°Oh right, this time, Renji-san¡¯s disciple is also taking part right?¡±(kuuki) ¡°Disciple?¡±(renji) ¡°Yamada-san¡¯s?¡±(toudou) Hearing something as weird as that, both me and Toudou ended up asking that again. Toudou aside, was me sounding also confused a surprise as Kuuki¡¯s expression seemed to be a bit troubled for a second. Toudou also looked at me. Don¡¯t give me that look, will you? I have not heard anything about this disciple. The only one who I could think of was Aya. Is it her? Since I taught her that pitfall magic¡­¡­¡­or rather, even that we thought of it together, that¡¯s it. We¡¯rerades not master and disciple. Kuuki knew that as well so he won¡¯t speak like that. Then the only other option was. ¡°Is it Ms Francesca?¡±(renji) ¡°Ohh. The one travelling with Yamada-san?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s quite famous actually. Taking part in the main tournament as a student and a beauty on top. Above all, she¡¯s travelling with the [Hero] Yamada Renji.¡±(kuuki) ¡°Well that¡¯s¡­¡­¡­it just happened to be a topic like that. And she¡¯s just travelling with me and is not some disciple of mine either.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t even taught her anything that might make her my disciple and also, I¡¯m not a [Hero].¡± Not to mention, we¡¯ve travelled together for only a few months. What a blown up rumour it has be. I feel bad for Ms Francesca. Getting attention like that also means that people will be on guard against her. Now, her opponents won¡¯t let their guard down thinking they¡¯re against a student. ¡°Well, I guess with her looks and fighting skill, she¡¯d get under attention anyway.¡± If she can¡¯t make use of openings, she¡¯ll just have to use brute force. If she wants to leave with a good result, that might be better¡­¡­¡­now then, I wonder how far will she able to win and rise. Though her being called my disciple still feels weird, I still want her to win as much as possible. ¡°So you¡¯re travelling with a beauty again? How envious¡­¡­¡±(toudou) ¡°Want toe and travel with me? It¡¯ll be a good diet for you as well.¡±(renji) ¡°A diet while risking my life? I¡¯ll get pretty thin.¡± ¡°You did get somewhat thinner back then as well after all.¡± ¡°I did, but almost died so many times as well.¡± While we were chatting, the door was knocked. After a moment was let pass, the maid who was serving Kuuki entered the room. Since the preparations were finished we were being called to the Coliseum and we left the room being led by the maid. ¡°I feel nervous.¡±(renji) ¡°I should be the one to feel nervous. My armour doesn¡¯t look weird right?¡±(toudou) ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. It suits you, It suits you¡± ¡°How irresponsible!?!¡± [Be quiet all of you. How embarrassing¡­¡­] While walking down the stone corridor, I looked outside the window. The bright clear sky seemed to indicate the weather for today. Toudou¡¯s nervous voice and Kuuki¡¯sughs resounded along with the dry sound made by the swords, hanging on our waists, as we walked. Blue sky and white clouds. In the sunlight, the greenery shone brightly and the birds flew in the air. It¡¯s perfect climate for the tournament. With the energy and enthusiasm of the spectators and the vigour of the participants is bound to make things heat up even in this winter. Yes, it¡¯s clear enough to give me premonitions. Souichi, Aya, Masaki-chan, Ms Francesca. A smile rose on my face. Give your best. Words that won¡¯t reach them here, I spoke inside my mind. Chapter 49 Team Battles (3) Chapter 49 Team Battles (3) As we finally reached the spectator seats meant for nobles and royalty, Utano-san, Kudou and Yui-chan were already there sitting on a sofa waiting for us. The first thing that came to my mind was that this ce was bigger than I thought. It was big enough tofortably seat at least 20 people and there were 4 round shaped tables surrounded by thefy sofas. On the top of the table, pretty flowers were kept as decoration over a high quality and expensive looking tablecloth. I am guessing the table itself should be super expensive as well. All of this gave off such an elegant aura that it was impossible to believe that we were still inside the Coliseum. That said it wasn¡¯t overdone that could make someone feel almost nervous around it. You could rx and spectate the matches. Though it might vary from how you looked at it, but I felt that you could really feel the consideration put in the construction of this room. ¡°You look pretty good in the armour.¡±(utano) ¡°Why, thank you. Utano-san as well, the dress really suits you.¡±(renji) ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll take that as ttery.¡± ¡°No, I really meant it though.¡± As I gave a shrug, Utano-san gave a smallugh. She seemed a bit nervous as her actions felt slightly stiff. Well, if she could stillugh from just some light talk like that, she should be fine. Utano-san was currently in a ck ¡®long torso¡¯ type of dress. I don¡¯t remember the origin behind that name but I recall being told that that was what such dresses were called. Putting prominence on her tall height and beautiful neck, the design gave her a dignified look and atmosphere. Because she has such a slender body, the dress is able to make her look so beautiful. ck, was also a colour that suited her perfectly. That¡¯s just my opinion though. ¡°Ara, you really are looking pretty good actually.¡±(kudou) ¡°Thanks. You¡¯re not looking bad either Kudou.¡±(renji) ¡°Is that so?¡± Kudou who said that was wearing a mermaid line dress. I¡¯m not sure if I recalled the dress name correctly though. The upper part of the dress emphasized her bountiful chest and her surprisingly thin neck line, and the lower portion was hidden with a long skirt that touched the floor. The skirt part looked like the tail of a mermaid which is where the name of the dresses from I think. The name¡¯s probably different in this world though. After all, mermaids are enemies to the human race after all. They charm people with their beautiful singing and then drown them by leading them to the sea. And after that, they devour on the flesh of their prey. Even their appearance isn¡¯t anywhere as beautiful as what we see in stories. On their upper body, at the nape of their neck and abdomen, they have gills and their faces were a grotesque mixture of the face of a fish and a human. In the end, fantasy will always be fantasy. Reality was harsh. How many times have I cried at such a reality¡­¡­¡­ It¡¯s a pity that Kudou¡¯s beautiful legs were hidden but it still really suits her. And also, maybe because she¡¯s wearing a dress, her face showed a much more lively expression than usual. All said and done, she was a woman as well. She must be feeling nice while wearing a good dress as well, I guess. ¡°u, um¡­¡­..¡± As if being hidden behind Utano-san and Kudou, the girl in the white dress raised her small voice as well. Her normal tied hair had been undone and were hanging behind her back in a properbed and arranged manner. Normally she had a more childish look but by doing just that much, she looked a lot more mature. Her dress, as suitable for her age, was perfectly fitting her slight chest and short neck. The skirt portion was, unlike Utano-san and Kudou¡¯s, had a bold slit that showed her beautiful leg line. Her outfit truly showed both her cuteness and maturity well. Honestly, it really suits her. White hair matching her white dress and ruby-like red eyes. And with an expression that held shyness and slightck of confidence in herself. Truly, that ¡®gap¡¯ between her looks and personality was very Yui-chan like. ¡°Yui-chan as well, you¡¯re looking good.¡±(renji) ¡°Ah, re¡­..really?¡± ¡°yeah.¡± What is this? Rather than feeling charmed or being attracted, I feel so deeply moved inside my heart. Is this what being a parent feels like? Or was this something different? By the way, behind her, as if it was normal, a knight in ck armour¡ªKNIGHT was standing guard. He truly looks like a knight but alongside a beauty in a dress, somehow the scene looked bizarre, or rather, way too prominent. He has such overwhelming presence. While we were looking at these three, the maid that led us here had quietly moved to the inner portion of the room. Many other maids were standing in wait there as well, probably the ones who led Utano-san and others here. Beside them, there was also teacups and a pot kept. Probably meant to serve it to us while we watch the tournament. ¡°Ooh.¡±(toudou) ¡°Oh? All three of you look pretty today.¡±(kuuki) Toudou and Kuuki who came after me spoke as if surprised. Especially Toudou had lost his words looking at them and had gone stiff. I poked him with my elbow as my gauntlet and armour made a dull sound. ¡°Thanks for the ttery, Kuuki-kun.¡± ¡°No no, it really does suit you, Kudou-san.¡±(kuuki) ¡°I see. You look great in the armour as well.¡±(kudou) ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°You as well, Toudou-kun.¡± ¡°Th, thanks¡­..¡±(toudou) ¡°¡­¡­What are you getting all flustered for after all this time?¡±(kudou) Saying that, Kudou pulled her chest portion of her dress slightly. It almost made the upper portion of her chest almost visible. Kuuki, very casually and Toudou in a panic, quickly averted their gazes. Their reactions must have been amusing to her as while grinning, Kudou quickly moved towards Touodu and began teasing him. Utano-san who was sitting beside her made a fed up face at that. The fact that she didn¡¯t get angry shows how used she has be to Kudou¡¯s antics as well. Back then though she didn¡¯t say it out loud, it clearly showed on her expression how angry she got with her. As usual, Kudou really enjoys teasing men. Kuuki, who was used to her as well, gave a wry smile while making sure that his gaze doesn¡¯t go to her chest. Well I guess he can¡¯t help it. If the princess saw him at that, he¡¯ll have a hard time getting the princess back in good mood. Right now, there were even maids standing behind us. Who knows what info might leak? Beside him, Toudou, who had no immunity to women was getting embarrassed while getting red faced. That reaction is exactly what Kudou enjoys you know¡­¡­..Well, I¡¯m enjoying this as well so whatever. The blue dress was tightly stuck to her body making her attractive curves further stand out. With all the portions that exposed her skin well, it was truly an outfit that brought the best out of Kudou Rin¡¯s charm. And that top ss dress was currently getting spoiled just to make fun of Toudou. What a waste. She really is such a free bird. Just how costly was that dress I wonder? By the time she¡¯s done pulling and stretching it around, I feel like its value will drop greatly though. While I was thinking of such things, my gaze met with Yui-chan who was sitting beside Utano-san. She seemed like she wanted to say something but stopped herself from doing so. ¡°You¡¯ve got the eyes of a lecher.¡±(ana) Instead the one who spoke was the foul mouthed queen who had not been here till now. I was just wondering how she¡¯s not by Yui-chan¡¯s side. She must have been floating above looking at the Coliseum from the sky I guess. She came in from the window space meant for us to see the arena from. She was in her usual pure white one piece dress. Since right now every woman was in a dress, she seemed to fit along with each other normally. ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡±(renji) ¡°I wonder. It looked to me like that considering your expression though.¡±(ana) Being told that, instinctively my hand went to touch my face. The gauntlet felt really cold. ¡°Really?¡±(renji) ¡°Seriously. Even though there¡¯s such a cute girl in front of you, how can you be looking somewhere else, right Yui?¡±(ana) ¡°eh, m, me!?!¡± ¡°What do you think Renji, she¡¯s cute right?¡±(ana) ¡°Well I definitely agree to that.¡±(renji) When I said that, Yui-chan bent down her head with a shy red face. Her reaction as well, looked really cute. As a normal man, it¡¯s only normal to feel like teasing her a bit. ¡°Yui-chan is definitely cute.¡±(renji) I said it purposefully in a way that put importance on ¡®Yui-chan being the ONLY cute one¡¯. Of course while looking at Anastasia. Anasatsia must have instantly caught on to what I was thinking as her smile looked like it cramped. Ignoring her, I turned towards utano-san. ¡°Where¡¯s King Joshua and others?¡±(renji) ¡°Still preparing. They need to pay attention to their appearances far more than even us after all.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Saying that, I sat down in front of Utano-san, opposite the table. When I did, without even saying anything, a maid came and poured tea for me. ¡°Oh, is it fine to sit in front of me?¡±(utano) ¡°hm?¡± ¡°You seemed quite interested in looking at Rin¡¯s chest though?¡±(utano) What the hell? It¡¯s not like she actually took Anastasia¡¯s words seriously but still I ended up giving a wry smile at that. ¡°Not really. Not in Kudou¡¯s at least..¡±(renji) ¡°Oh really? She¡¯s quite the beauty even from my perspective. Also, she¡¯s got pretty big boobs as well.¡±(ana) Anastasia, once again, entered mine and Utano-san¡¯s conversation. It¡¯s because this idiot said something weird that Utano-san might misunderstand something. Well, rather than saying she¡¯s misunderstanding, she¡¯s more like teasing me though. While thinking of that, I looked at Anastasia, sitting at her usual ce¡ª-Yui-chan¡¯s shoulder. That aside, is it okay for a queen to be speaking things like ¡®boobs¡¯ so loudly? Am I still fantasizing to hope that a queen would have atleast a bit more decency ? Even though she has the looks of a beautiful western doll, her mouthpletely ruins all the dignity, or rather, her appearance as a queen. ¡°Mou, Ana you..¡±(yui) ¡°You just have small ones, that¡¯s all.¡±(renji) ¡°shaddup!¡±(ana) When I said that, she showed her teeth as if trying to threaten me¡­¡­¡­.wasn¡¯t scary at all though. It might be weird to expect that from a small creature like a fairy though. Well, worst case, she¡¯d make her look bigger with magic. It¡¯d be such a waste of magical energy though. [That aside, how long till the tournament starts?¡±] ¡°The king isn¡¯t even here yet.¡±(renji) [Muu.] Surprisingly, Ermenhilde, who had kept quiet till now spoke up sounding bored. ¡°Oh, you were there as well? You were so quiet I thought you weren¡¯t here.¡±(ana) [I¡¯m not noisy and irritating unlike certain someone.] ¡°What¡¯s wrong with being lively? It¡¯s more fun that way.¡±(ana) [There¡¯s a difference between being lively and being a nuisance. Isn¡¯t that so, Renji?] ¡°Really, Renji?¡±(ana) Why bring that talk to me? While giving a sigh, I took a sip from the tea poured by the maid. Aah, how tasty. ¡°Well then,¡± These two¡­¡­¡­Ignoring what they were askingpletely, I stood up. The spectator seat we were in were created higher than the normal ones so one could look down on all other seats along with the arena. It was a full house in the coliseum. Men and women of all ages, were excitedly waiting for the tournament to begin. I¡¯m sure somewhere in there, Feirona, Mururu and maybe even Solnea were sitting as well. I tried to make an oblique search but as expected, I couldn¡¯t find them among such a big crowd. I wonder what they were thinking as Ermenhilde and Anastasia both remained silent. It felt kind of awkward. ¡°Are you looking for someone?¡± ¡°Hmm, not really.¡± Maybe she found it amusing or was just curious, Utano-san asked me while I looked down towards the audience. Turning back at her question, I shook my head saying it was nothing. ¡°Was just thinking about how big the crowd was.¡±(renji) ¡°Well, obviously. The heroes that defeated the Demon God are supposed to have taken part in the tournament after all.¡±(utano) ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯re any different than normal people deep inside though.¡± ¡°But still, they wish for us. To act as Heroes.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± ¡°Yes, indeed.¡± We¡¯re just normal humans. We have received the divine protection of Astraera but deep inside we¡¯re not any different from others. But still, the fact that we subjugated the Demon God makes us into the hope for all the people of this world. That¡¯s why, they will wish of us. To stand and act as Heroes. As their hope, as absolute existences, as the light that would never fade¡­¡­.to remain invincible, as the perfect idol. ¡°Well, if they get this fired up, I can¡¯t show them a disappointing loss now can I?¡±(renji) ¡°Exactly. Be sure to work hard, okay?¡±(utano) ¡°I¡¯ll try my best at least.¡± When I said that, just slightly¡­¡­..for a second only, her right arm touched mine. ¡°To entertain them, I got Souichi and the others to give their best. You¡¯ll work hard tomorrow as well right?¡±(utano) ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± ¡°No need to say it twice. You¡¯re not a kid.¡± As I sat down on the sofa together with Utano-san, this time Yui-chan came and sat beside me. Even though there¡¯s so many more seats, why here? Curious, I looked at her as she looked up towards me with her ruby red eyes. It was the so called ¡®upturned eyes/ puppy eyes¡¯. She feels like a little sister or rather, like a daughter. It felt a bit embarrassing to be looked at by her like that. ¡°Can I¡­.sit, beside you?¡±(yui) ¡°Hm, sure but my armour will feel really cold you know?¡±(renji) ¡°Eh, really, that¡¯s what you ask?¡±(ana) ¡°No, but, it really is very cold. My armour, that is.¡±(renji) Hearing Anastasia¡¯s tsukkomi, I ended up replying like that. Even if it is a resistant to magic, mithril armour, it¡¯s still armour. Metal is metal. It¡¯s surface will always feel cold. I thought that way but Yui-chan didn¡¯t seem to mind it as she simply shook her head. ¡°As usual, you two get along well.¡±(utano) ¡°Oh, jealous?¡±(renji) ¡°Yup.¡±(utano) Utano-san sitting in front said that and I felt like Yui-chan¡¯s porcin white skin turned a bit red. Utano-san as well, wasn¡¯t making her stern expression as usual and was giving a smile so the atmosphere felt really strange. Both me and Anastasia didn¡¯t know how to react to them. Well¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡°What happened Yui-chan, your face looks red.¡±(renji) ¡°Ah, no¡­¡­¡­¡± I should just have fun and tease her as usual. But when I did, I knew it. The pressure from the phantom knight standing behind us increased. He¡¯s overprotective as usual. Anastasia was just snickering while on Yui-chan¡¯s shoulder. If possible, it¡¯d be great if you could make him stop with that pressure though. Though arade, KNIGHT was a phantom. And when a phantom increases his pressure, the chill you feel is harsher than even coldest days of winter. The fact that he doesn¡¯t talk at all only adds to the effect. Well, that¡¯s fun in its own way. Or rather, the correct way should be to say that it feels nostalgic. As expected, it¡¯s fun to fool around like this with yourrades. ¡°aah, that sucked.¡±(toudou) ¡°Isn¡¯t that rude, Toudou-kun?¡±(kudou) ¡°Nope, not at all.¡± While I was talking with Utano-san and Yui-chan. Toudou, with a tired sounding voice, came here. They must have thought they¡¯d overcrowd the table as the three of them, Kudou, Kuuki and Toudou, sat down by another table. Just then, King Joshua in an extravagant dress while being escorted by Warren-san and O¡¯brien-san came into the room as well. It¡¯d be rude to act in a panic so we quietly stood up and were about to kneel when King Joshua stopped us with a wave of his hand. ¡°You don¡¯t need to. That aside, it¡¯s nice to see you all gathered like this again.¡±(king) ¡°No, our livelihoods are also supported by the country. It¡¯s only normal to answer to the King¡¯s calls.¡±(utano) When Utano-san said that, King Joshua gave a wide smile. ¡°I see. For you to say that, it makes me happy as well.¡±(king) Saying that, he sat down on the most luxurious looking sofa. Just like KNIGHT stood behind Yui-chan, O¡¯brien-san stood behind the king. Warren-san sat down in one of the side sofas adjoining the table in front of the King. And having sat down, King Joshua gave a meaningful look towards me. He must be asking me toe to his table. Seeing the maid prepare a very different liquid kept in a ss bottle other than tea inside made my face cramp a bit. ¡°Utano-san?¡±(renji) ¡°You¡¯re the one being called, have fun.¡±(utano) How cold. Over there, I saw Kudou shake her shoulder inughter. I am definitely going to make them pay for this. That said, I feel like she¡¯d end up trapping me instead though. Well, that might be fun as well. Probably. Thinking that, I headed towards king Joshua and sat down on the sofa in front of him. It feels quite luxurious to sit on such a sofa alone. ¡°That armour suits you well.¡±(king) ¡°You were the ones who prepared it for me though?¡±(renji) ¡°fu, I suppose so. I am d that your body hasn¡¯t changed much since it had been made from your earlier measurements.¡± As King Joshua gave augh, o¡¯brien-san behind him also nodded and smiled. Just like Utano-san, seeing him with such an expression was also rare. Well, it¡¯s normal that my body didn¡¯t change much. It¡¯s not like I had been eating some high calorie delicious food everyday or something and I did move around my body almost everyday. I doubt I¡¯d get fat¡­.probably. ¡°My lord as well, your attire suits you well.¡±(renji) ¡°I wonder. I have spent thest whole year doing nothing but sit on a chair you know?¡± Saying that, he lightly patted his stomach. He must be implying that he has gained excess fat I guess. He gave a *kaka*ugh. Hisugh sounded really energetic making me feel pleasant as well. ¡°Renji-dono.¡± ¡°What is it, Warren-dono.¡±(renji) ¡°To have taken part in the tournament this time, I truly thank you for the bottom of my heart.¡± ¡°No, well¡­¡­..¡± The reason I did was because of my debt to Utano-san. But I should keep my mouth shut about that. The reason is too embarrassing after all. ¡°Seriously. Why are you two so formal. At least rx a bit at times like these, will you?¡±(king) ¡°Even if say that milord,¡±(warren) ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯repletely in private either.¡± When both me and Warren-san spoke together, King Joshua gave a sigh while giving a shrug. His reaction was amusing so even O¡¯brien-san gave a smallugh. Seriously, this king is too casual I think. ¡°Sorry for the wait.¡± ¡°oh¡­¡­.¡± Inside the calm atmosphere, a dignified voice resounded. From the door the king hade, the owner of this voice also entered. With long silver hair and a petite body and slightly short height; even her usual cute appearance looked dignified when coupled with the makeup, attire and her calm and gentle gaze. Hou, I breathed out. Beautiful. Her jewel like beauty from one year ago was still there and it has only be greater as she grew up it seems. I did see her a efw days back at the cathedral as well but seeing her closely like this, it¡¯s much easier to tell. How should I say this¡­¡­¡­certainly, she could charm anyone. [Renji?] ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°kuku, what, Renji, did you get charmed by Amalda?¡±(king) ¡°As if. It¡¯s nothing like that.¡± Let¡¯s not talk about it shall we, King. The princess¡¯s calm expression changed and gave a smile instantly on hearing her father¡¯s chatter. That expression was definitely one of the princess from an year ago. I guess a person¡¯s core won¡¯t change that easily. And, somewhere, she has be more like her mother¡ª-the queen. That person also had a warm and gentle face of a mother who cared and loved her family and country underneath her dignified expression. That made me feel happy as well as I gave a slight smile. ¡°What do you think, want to marry my¡ª¨C¡°(king) ¡°No thanks.¡±(renji) ¡°Father?¡±(amalda) My rejection and the princess¡¯s voice came at the same time. Though the offer was very attractive, I¡¯ll get killed by Kuuki as removal ofpetition. Without fail. And above all, I don¡¯t n on being a obstacle in arade¡¯s romance. ¡ª¡ª¨CI always want myrades to be happy. And the title of a Hero is alone is heavy enough, marrying her and bing the next king is something I cannot handle. There¡¯s no chance. Even the princess¡¯s gaze came at me only for a second and was now fixed towards Kuuki, who was talking with Utano-san and others. Unlike her dignified expression from before, it held warmth. Truly like that of a girl in love. Something like that. Why am I not looked at like that by anyone, Goddamnit. Seeing her expression, even the King gave a sigh. I totally feel you. The fact that she hadn¡¯t walked towards him already shows that at least she understands her position as royalty. Or maybe she¡¯s just embarrassed to flirt in front of so many people. If Yui-chan gave that kind of look to someone, I will join up with KNIGHT and Fafnir and make that man undergo the most stressful interview of his life. ¡°Now then, it looks like everyone has gathered.¡±(renji) ¡°umu, so it seems.¡±(king) With his words, before the King rose, I stood up and stood in line with O¡¯brien-san. With the king in the centre, O¡¯brien-san was to his right and I at his left. As the mithril sword on my waist made a *kacha* sound as I moved, O¡¯brien-san made a clear smile. ¡°Looks like the expression on your face has be better again.¡±(ob) ¡°Is that so?¡± Without a mirror, I can¡¯t really tell that though. But if he says so, it must be true. Behind me was Utano-san and beside her was Kudou and the others. Beside O¡¯brien-san stood Kuuki and Warren-san, Yui-chan and KNIGHT. ¡°Well then, we shouldn¡¯t make the people wait any longer.¡±(king) ¡°And the participants either, father.¡±(amalda) At the very front stood the King and the princess. Normally, the queen should stand by the King¡¯s side but that person lost her life in the war one year ago. ¡­¡­¡­..it¡¯s amazing how these two have ovee that sadness. Both the king and the princess. Even though, even after one year, I am still getting pulled down by it. As the King and the princess reached to the edge of the balcony, the whole Coliseum slowly went silent. ¡°Everyone¡ª¨C¡°(king) And thus, the voice amplified by magic resounded in all of the Coliseum And the festival began. Chapter Interlude 5 Interlude 5 (Francesca POV) As I sat down on the seat provided in the waiting room, I gave a sigh. My stomach felt slightly heavy having just eaten lunch but that¡¯ll soon be digested after I move around in the tournament. Compared to when it began, the number of participants had already be half of what it was and the remaining contestants were talking to theirrades freely right now. There was not a single team another than us who was wearing a school uniform anymore. Among the two waiting rooms prepared for the contestants, the other one was being used by the only other student team, other than us, left in the tournament. The [Demonic Sword User] Masaki-sama¡¯s team from Tactics city. ¡°But still, it was great to know that both Souichi-sama and Aya-sama were such light-hearted people right?¡± The one who said that was one of the girls, younger than me, in our team. With small face and stature, she looked cute with her short golden hair tied with a red ribbon. She looked more childish than Aya-san, who was also an year younger than me, but still she had her own charm. What she was talking about were the words spoken to us today when all of us were in the room. ¡®We don¡¯t like being referred to with ¡®-sama¡¯ suffix so at least try to stick to ¡®-san¡¯.¡¯ ¡°Yeah, for people who hold the title of Heroes, they even readily listened to our thoughts and opinions as well.¡± The one replied was also a girl of our team¡ª¨Cand the same age as me. With bright red hair and confident looking eyes, her expression was filled with confidence. She had a charm I didn¡¯t possess. She was also only slightly shorter than me, still pretty tall for a girl. Even her uniform that she wore perfectly at school, since no one was here to reprimand her, her chest button was more open than normal. I thought that she was a serious type of person but I guess this is more of her natural personality. ¡°I was really surprised¡­¡­that both of them were sox with formality and stuff like that.¡± ¡°Yeah. I always thought that they¡¯d have a more strict personality. What do you think, Francesca?¡± Having the topic suddenly turned towards me, I got surprised since I was only listening to their chat in a daze. My reaction must have looked funny as both gave a giggle. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve really worked hard today, senpai.¡± ¡°Well, all said and done, she did win in her battles in both the first round match and the second round match. You were really amazing.¡± ¡°Really, I was totally surprised.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..I think the opponent just let their guard down against me though.¡±(fran) ¡°Even still, that was great.¡± To those that knew of my scores at school, their feelings must be moreplicated than just pure surprise. A big part of nobles put great importance on status and ratings. Tournaments like these have a great impact on graduation scores and even the ratings of the whole family so many are aiming for wins in it. Though victory alone won¡¯t raise your grades but for her who must have been aiming for a good evaluation yet lost must not find this amusing. The younger girl though, seemed to be genuinely surprised. Magician wasn¡¯t a job that fights one on one. That is taught while at school and a fact that I learnt while travelling as well. We need to be protected while prepare to fire our magic and when you run out of magical energy, you¡¯re useless. Though we have many weaknesses, once the magic bes active, we can fight with immense strength. Though we need to be protected, we surpass knights or soldiers in terms of firepower. Quite an extreme existence if I were to say so myself. And for both of them who were stereotypical magicians, they got defeated before they could activate their magic. Even though they did learn for such times, it¡¯s still difficult to beat someone who can fight normally without protection. As a matter of fact, though I have no learnt how to use the sword, but the first time I left on a journey I was almost killed by goblins. These two might be fortunate that at least there¡¯s no danger to their lives here. ¡°So were you taught how to fight one on one by someone?¡± ¡°Ah, no. Not really¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± It was true so I could look straight in her eyes and nod. The red haired girl was asking about if during my travels¡­¡­.was I taught by Renji-sama. But in truth, I only travelled with him and the only thing he taught me was the basics of journeying and how to apply them¡­¡­..as for being taught something, there was just that pitfall magic and its importance. Also, he exined about the ecology of monsters. The reason I was able to win like this was due to my experience with fighting monsters. Monsters were far stronger and faster than normal humans. And for the past half month, I have been constantly facing such opponents. That and my opponents must have let their guard down thinking they were facing just a student. I don¡¯t if I can win one more time. ¡°After all, you were travelling with the [Hero] right? Did he teach you something special or something¡­¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Special¡­¡­¡­.that¡¯s thest kind of thing that person would focus on.¡±(fran) Renji-sama puts the most importance on fighting using his own experience as the focus. Countless, innumerable times, he has fought against monsters, killed and valued the experience of living through that fight. And because Renji-sama is like that, by travelling with him and watching him, I learnt things that would be useful to me. I learnt various things like habits and specialities of monsters as well. He never talks about it but I think that he might be more knowledgeable about the monsters and their ecology than even Feirona-san and Mururu-chan. He himself said that he had spent lots of time learning such things. All said and done, no matter how much talent you have, no matter what kind of power you may have received from the goddess, he believes that learning is the still the most important thing. But, well, he is special in his own way. He does possess the special weapon called Ermenhilde-sama. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. After talking I learnt that he¡¯s actually quite the friendly person. He didn¡¯t abandon an amateur like me after all.¡±(fran) ¡°hmmm..¡± The topic had changed from Souichi-san and Aya-san at some point but if they¡¯re willing to continue conversing, I don¡¯t mind. For some reason, after it was known that I was travelling with Renji-sama, somehow they became more distant around me. Even though it was pure luck that I met him. ¡°Oh right, Renji-sama even said the same thing as Souichi-san as well.¡±(fran) ¡°Same thing?¡± ¡°What did he say?¡± ¡°To not use ¡®-sama¡¯ while calling him.¡±(fran) When I told them that, both made a surprised sound in a loud voice. But the next moment, they quickly looked at the other participants standing nearby and quickly shut their mouths while blushing in embarrassment. Was it really that strange? But I feel like I was equally surprised when I heard this the first time. After talking for a while, bing tired of talking we took a breather. ¡°But all said and done, we ended up advancing far more than expected.¡± The older girl muttered that. We cleared through 2 rounds. It was so anticlimactic that we couldn¡¯t really truly feel that it was true. It¡¯s because unlike us students, we were fighting together with those two who were in a whole different level. Souichi-san and Aya-san. They were very carefree and easy to talk to but, as holders of the title of heroes who saved the world, the difference in our abilities was clear. After fighting desperately, we won just barely but those two won without evening slightly in danger. Even against, older and experienced adventurers, that didn¡¯t change. ¡°I could bag to my friends about this.¡± ¡°fufu, that¡¯s true.¡± The red haired girl spoke so happily. It must be because normally students are all eliminated in the first round of the tournament. Well, it would have been the same if not for those two. ¡°That aside, Francesca, do you intend to use that sword in the next battle as well?¡± Saying that her gaze pointed towards the short sword hanging on my waist. ¡°Yes, I n to, why?¡±(fran) Was there a problem? I tilted my head in confusion not understanding what she meant when the girl gave a sigh and the younger girl gave a wry smile. ¡°umm¡­¡­¡­is there something wrong with my sword?¡±(fran) ¡°After all, that¡¯s just an iron sword right?¡± ¡°Well, yes.¡± When I said that, they gave another sigh. ¡°The tournament is such a rare asion. Shouldn¡¯t you be using a better sword? C¡¯mon, want to go but a new one right now?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, senpai. If you have a stronger sword, you¡¯d be able to perform even better.¡± I wonder about that. They¡¯re probably speaking with good intentions but I doubt my result would change, whether good or bad, even if I bought a new sword right now. ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m used to using this one.¡±(fran) ¡°That one?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I do, though only somewhat, understand what they want to say. It might seem weird for someone taking part in the tournament to be using such amon sword. But still, it¡¯s the sword I have been using from the time I first started travelling. I am attached to it and also ustomed to it as well. Even if I got a new sword right now, I doubt I¡¯ll be able to use it as well as this short sword. While feeling their gazes, I gently patted the handle of my sword. When I do, somehow, I feel more courageous. ¡°You should use a magic enchanted or a sword made with better materials at least. Like a student of the Academy would.¡± ¡°Haa.¡±(fran) Being told that I couldn¡¯t say anything. A magicians weapon is a staff/wand. It acts as a catalyst when using magic and can also be used as a blunt weapon when needed. Even Aya-san normally uses a wooden staff with skill. Even though she was enhancing her physical abilities with magic, she could still beat a veteran adventurer with just a wooden staff. Until now she hasn¡¯t had an opponent that required the use of actual magic but I could still imagine how she¡¯d look fighting through the battlefield. That¡¯s what a true magician should be like. But was I wrong to use a sword instead of a staff? If this sword was buffed with magic or a mithril sword, it¡¯d still be okay though. I thought like that but I didn¡¯t have to think too deeply about it right now. I know I can¡¯t suddenly change the way I fight. I am not that skilled. If I fussed over such things, it¡¯ll only end in my failure. As I was giving a vague nod to my friends, the door to the room made a noise and opened up. Everyone¡¯s gaze turned towards it. ¡°thanks for your hard work, Aya-sama.¡± ¡°Ah, yeah. Thanks.¡±(aya) Aya-san replied to their greeting in a somewhat tired manner. I recalled just how much she disliked being called with a ¡®-sama¡¯ suffix back when I travelled with her for a short while. She really resembles Renji-sama in that sense. Souichi-sama gives an image of lightly putting it all aside but Renji-sama and Aya-sama alwys make a difficult expression whenever someone talks to them like this. It was not very Hero-like that it felt pleasant and charming instead. I wonder if I¡¯m being disrespectful to think like that though? ¡°What happened Aya-san, you seem a bit tired.¡± ¡°No no, I just met my next opponent that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°The next one?¡± Who was it? I tried to recall. That¡¯d be the winner of the next match¡­¡­..that means, either the adventurer team of the capital or the student team of the Tactics city. That means, our next opponent must be the tactics city student team. ¡°Masaki-sama, is it?¡±(fran) When I asked, not just Aya-san, even the other two girls made a surprised face. I think the math result was already pretty obvious just from Aya-san¡¯s expression though? ¡°yes, that¡¯s right. I met Masaki-san, a little.¡± ¡°A little?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..yeah, something like that.¡± What happened I wonder? As I tilted my head in confusion towards Aya-san who wasn¡¯t being very clear, next Souichi-san came through the doors. His expression was equally troubled as Aya-san. ¡°thank you for your hard work, Souichi-sama.¡± Saying that, the girl the same age as me smilingly went to talk to him. The younger one, left one step behind, quickly followed after her towards Souichi-san. Being surrounded by the girls, normally Souichi-san would have his usual happy, yet troubled vague expression but right now, as if he hadn¡¯t even realized the girls were there, he had a truly troubled face. Once again, I looked towards Aya-san. ¡°Masaki-san, has proposed Souichi to fight each other seriously.¡±(aya) ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Well, they still won¡¯t use their respective weapons though.¡± Serious, i.e. at full strength. Even now I feel that they are over powered already. To go even further than that¡­¡­..i couldn¡¯t even imagine how amazing they¡¯d be. It¡¯s not like I have ever stepped on the battlefront of the war that hadsted till an year ago even once. Only the active veteran soldiers and knights would be aware of these two¡¯s full strength. Students like us could only imagine just how amazing they could be. The image of Renji-sama appeared in my head but even he hasn¡¯t shown his full strength. The only times he even held Ermenhilde-sama was that time when fighting against those Orcs and in the battle against the Ogre near Magic CIty. And in both of those cases, ording to Souichi-san, that was far from Renji-sama¡¯s full strength. As I sat there unable to imagine just how incredible Souichi-san and Masaki-sama¡¯s full strength would be, Aya san gave augh while looking at me. ¡°Well, I bet it¡¯s hard to imagine considering how Souichi acts like normally.¡±(aya) ¡°Eh, um, yes.¡±(fran) ¡°Unlike what his face would suggest, he¡¯s actually pretty amazing.¡± ¡°My face is unrted okay!?!¡± On Aya-san¡¯s words, Souichi-san reacted in a loud voice. He¡¯s always very conscious of his face, almost to desperate extents. But then, all the gazes in the room focused towards Souichi-san, and realizing that he quickly ducked his head in embarrassment. How cute. I think I realize why all the girls obsess over him so much a bit. ¡°So, what will you do?¡±(aya) ¡°No, I refused her.¡±(souichi) ¡°What are you talking about, Souichi-sama?¡±(student girl ) Probably because she wasn¡¯t actually listening to our conversation, the younger girl asked. But he simply gave a vague smile back. Aya-san gave anotherugh at that. She must really find Souichi-san¡¯s troubled look to be amusing. And he only gave pleading looks asking for help towards her. It seems he was bad at dealing with women and was currently unable to move being surrounded from both sides. ¡°Well, it¡¯s nothing. I am interested in Masaki-san as well but I will definitely get scolded by Yuuko-san and Renji-niichanter so¡­¡­..¡±(souichi) ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±(aya) Aya-san nodded in agreement. I couldn¡¯t imagine Renji-sama be angry but for Yuuko-sama to get angry must be¡­¡­¡­really scary I suppose. Having received a title like The [Witch of the Capital], she must be a frightening person. I recalled back when Renji-sama had copsed and we had carried him over to the capital, I met her at the guest lounge. At that time, she was really scary. Extremely cold eyes, that seemed like they could see through mepletely. Recalling that, I felt my face cramp a bit. ¡°Also, people will misunderstand the way you said that you know?¡±(aya) ¡°Huh, misunderstand?¡±(souichi) ¡°¡­¡­¡­Well, whatever. Be careful of things behind you (read as Yayoi) at night okay?¡±(aya) ¡°Uh, sure. For the time being, the problem is the next battle. I want to look cool in front of nii-chan and I want to win as well.¡±(souichi) ¡°Obviously.¡± But he must be hesitating over what to do. Though he refused, he¡¯s getting second thoughts right now. The full power of the [Brave] Souichi-san. I do want to see it but I also wonder whether that is something I¡¯d want to see just out of curiosity as well. It¡¯s power granted by the Goddess Astraera herself. Power to protect the world and the power that did save the world. I don¡¯t believe that power should be seen just out of curiosity. In the first ce¡ª- ¡°Would it be fine to freely use your full strength inside the Coliseum, Souichi-san?¡±(fran) ¡°Yeah, you have a point.¡±(souichi) Saying that, he scratched his head feeling troubled. I believe that their full strength would be too much for the arena to bear, After all it is a power that rivals that of Gods¡ªthe Demon God. ¡°You did properly refuse her right?¡±(aya) ¡°I think so.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..meaning?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make such a scary face. Even if I refused, I¡¯m sure Masaki-san wille at me with full strength anyway.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess that¡¯s true.¡± I don¡¯t really understand but does that mean that Masaki-sama will not be satisfied with Souichi-san refusing? ¡°Well with normal weapons, I doubt the weapon would be able to bear it very long.¡±(souichi) ¡°As expected, even she wouldn¡¯t draw her demonic sword right in front of Yuuko-san and others¡­¡­..Right?¡±(aya) ¡°If that happened, I¡¯ll die.¡± The conversation seemed to be turning more and more dangerous but it¡¯s not like anything I could say would solve this. ¡°Are you not at very good terms?¡±(fran) ¡°It¡¯s the opposite actually. Masaki-san wants to have a serious battle with Souichi.¡±(aya) ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡± ¡°She¡¯s what you¡¯d call a battle loving junkie¡­¡­..she likes such things, just think of that way.¡± ¡°Haa.¡± I don¡¯t really understand what battle junkie means but basically Masaki-sama wants to have a serious battle with Souichi-san so much that she can¡¯t resist it? Neither Renji-sama nor Feirona-san show much interest in fighting so I¡¯d don¡¯t really get it though. ¡°That aside, Souichi-sama, are you free right now?¡±(girl student 1) ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°If you have time before the next match, how about¡ª¨C¡°(girl 1) ¡°We go for some tea or something?¡±(girl 2) Seriously, I thought. It¡¯s great that you¡¯re carefree but we¡¯re still in the middle of the tournament you know? Aya-san just continuedughing while watching Souichi-san troubling over this. ¡­¡­¡­¡­Are theypletely disconnected with the concept of nervousness? I felt jealous of such team mates of mine as I dropped my shoulders without letting anyone else realize. . . . (Part 2 ) It was the 3rd round now. If we win 3 more times, we¡¯ll win the tournament but now only veteran warriors against whom normal students like us cannot stand were left in the tournament. While looking at the tournament table hung over the entrance of the Coliseum, I gave a sigh. Nearby were people who were passing time till the next match started or those that were betting on who¡¯d win in the next match. We were able to advance this far only thanks to Souichi-san and Aya-san. Also, because our opponents must have been underestimating us since we were students. But that won¡¯t happen anymore. Because we¡¯re facing another school next. Only the stronger one will win. ¡°But still, a win is a win.¡± While caressing the handle of the short de hung on my waist, I nodded to myself. The sun that had been at the highest point when the tournament began was already beginning to set now. And its only a matter of time before it fully sets. And with that, the team battle tournament will also end. No matter what the result, today half of theplete tournament will be over. That made me feel a bit sad. Tomorrow, the individual battles will start. It¡¯d be great if I¡¯m able to win tomorrow as well. ¡°In the first round, I was so nervous that I didn¡¯t even realize that I had won till some timeter. I can¡¯t even remember how I fought or what moves I used to finish the battle. Before I realized, my opponent was just lying in the arena defeated. In the second round as well, my opponent let their guard down and I was able to win. Because I was a student and a woman. He looked like a rough adventurer but because he came close to me carelessly, I was able to win easily. Even goblins are more alert than that. Victory. At first, I was just satisfied with taking part in the tournament but aftering this far, I¡¯ll be able to attain all that glory with just three more victories. It¡¯s so close to my reach. I wonder how much have I grown while travelling with Renji-sama? Have I be stronger? If I could get a solid proof of that¡­ ¡°You alright?¡± While I was thinking, a hand was put on my shoulder. Looking back, a good-looking, long golden haired elf, Feirona-san was standing there. Beside him was Mururu-chan and Solnea-san as well. ¡°Huh?¡±(fran) ¡°What happened, making such a surprised face. We came to encourage you but you don¡¯t seem that nervous.¡±(elf) ¡°Ah, no, it¡¯s not like that.¡± Nervousness¡­¡­¡­I¡¯ve won twice already, it¡¯s faded a bit. But, I was just surprised by being called out by Feirona-san and others. Or rather, at the fact that all of them were here. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t good with crowds?¡±(fran) Thus, I thought he wouldn¡¯te to see the tournament. During the morning, he did say ¡®good luck¡¯ to me already as well. ¡°fumu.¡±(elf) I wonder what he was thinking of my reaction as he rested his chin on his finger as if in some deep thought. The reason why each and every action of his feel like it could be made into a beautiful painting must be because his every movement is done with such grace and polish. He¡¯s more noble-like than nobles who go through training for such stuff. ¡°We came to cheer you on. Because we¡¯rerades.¡±(mururu) ¡°I see. Thanks a lot, Mururu-chan.¡±(fran) Comrade. Feeling a bit embarrassed I patted Mururu-chan¡¯s head to divert my emotions. As I stroked her animal ears, she squinted in pleasure. Her expression was so cute that I put more strength into it but she made an embarrassed face and escaped from my hands. ¡°Normally, we should havee before the tournament began but we weren¡¯t sure about the way to here.¡±(elf) ¡°No, I¡¯m just happy you came here for me.¡±(fran) ¡°Then that¡¯s great. Stuff like this is Renji¡¯s speciality after all.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t help it. Renji-sama is very busy as well right now.¡± Since we travelled together so much I forgot how bad he was with crowded ces. I¡¯m very happy that he actually came all this way just to cheer for me. Same for Mururu-chan. Maybe because she¡¯s a beastwoman and her senses are too sharp, when in such a crowd, she gets confused from the chaos. Solnea-san was¡­¡­¡­.i am not sure. Even when I look at her, she just looks back with dazed gaze. Even now, while Feirona-san and Mururu-chan were talking, Solnea just stared at us from a step back. The one who talks the most to her was Renji-sama but she barely talks back to even him. Honestly speaking, I cannot tell what she¡¯s thinking at all. ¡°That aside, you seem to be putting your all. I thought that you might get flustered against a human opponent but you did pretty well.¡±(elf) ¡°Really?¡±(fran) ¡°Un. Give your best in the next fight as well.¡±(mururu) Being told that by yourrades makes me really happy. Next we¡¯re facing students like us but¡­¡­..it¡¯d be great if we could win. If they are watching as well, I really don¡¯t want to lose. ¡°I¡¯ll give my best, Mururu-chan.¡±(fran) This time she came close herself and I gentlybed through her pretty silver hair. ¡°Francesca.¡± And, like a ripple in a calmke, a quiet voice came to me. Somehow, even though it was such a noisy ce, I could clearly hear Solnea-san¡¯s voice. It seems it was the same for Feirona-san and Mururu-chan as well as both of them looked towards her as well. Well, it¡¯s just too surprising for her to just talk after all. ¡°Why, do you fight?¡±(sol) ¡°umm, what do you mean?¡±(fran) ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t like fighting much?¡±(sol) Ahh, I see. ¡°That¡¯s true, I don¡¯t really enjoy fighting.¡±(fran) Or rather, I¡¯m just not very good at it. I think I¡¯m severelycking in talent for fighting. Neither did I have a gift in magic nor in sword fighting. But even so, I became an adventurer. The reason I¡¯ve made it this is far is all thanks to myrades, for always protecting and helping me. But still¡ª¨C ¡°Then why, do you take part in a show like this?¡±(sol) ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s right to call this a ¡®show¡¯ though..¡±(fran) I ended up giving a wry smile at such a frank wording by her. There are a lot of people desperate to take part in this [show] you know? ¡°I, want to know how much stronger have I gotten, how much have I grown, that¡¯s all.¡±(fran) ¡°Growth?¡±(sol) ¡°It¡¯s a bit embarrassing to talk about it but I was always the one being a burden to everyone else.¡± When I said that, she looked at me with a confused look. Her, confused yet expressionless face was so like her that I found it a bit amusing. I want to know how much I, who had only been holding others back, have gotten stronger. I want to know how much I, who possesses not talent at all, have been able to grow. Things I learnt on my journeys, things I learnt at school, I want to know how far I can go by myself. This tournament is the best opportunity to learn that. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±(sol) ¡°I see.¡± That¡¯s why, I don¡¯t feel sad even when she said that. Once again, I stroked the handle of my short sword. I feel like I get courage just by touching this sword that has been with me from the start of my journey. ¡°Well then, I¡¯m off.¡±(fran) ¡°Un, good luck.¡±(mururu) ¡°yeah, go and have fun.¡±(elf) ¡°¡­¡­.I think it might be difficult to have fun though.¡±(fran) After all, this time my opponent will be greater in both ability and talent than me. And neither would they let their guard down against me. ¡°Have more confidence in yourself. You don¡¯t have to follow Renji¡¯s example in that area as well.¡±(elf) ¡°Am I resembling him that much?¡±(fran) ¡°Don¡¯t sound so happy about it.¡± He sounded pretty happy as well. Mururu-chan as well. Solnea-san continued to look at us in a daze as usual. Curious I looked back at her but it¡¯s not like she¡¯d do something just from that. As usual, I don¡¯t get her. . . . Cheers rose and I concentrated my gaze. The one who entered the area, with the square arena in between them, were 10 people. Not a single one of the 10 were older than 20 yrs old and were students, yet I feel like the cheers are the greatest right nowpared to all of today. It was only natural. On this side were Souichi-san and Aya-san. On that side was Masaki-sama. This might be the biggest match of today that the people were most excited about. I¡¯m sure the rest of us are nothing more than extras right now. Thinking that way actually made me feel a bit more rxed but it still didn¡¯t make my nervousness go away. No matter who the audience is more interested in, I still have to fight. I can¡¯t feel rxed yet. I am the first fighter from our team. ¡°uwahh.¡± Nearby, Aya-san made a surprised and somewhat fed up voice. Since I, who was on the farthest end, could hear her, I bet everyone else could as well. On looking, she was putting a hand on her forehead and giving a sigh. Beside her, even Souichi-san, though he didn¡¯t make a sigh, his face was clearly stiffening up. Following their gaze, I also looked at their leader, Masaki-sama. Even the other 4 were only in their school uniform, only Masaki-san was in her full armaments. That said, it wasn¡¯t some heavy armour or something. With her long beautiful ck hair tied behind her back, she was wearing not her uniform but thick adventurer-like clothes. Above it, she wore a breastte along with gauntlets on her arms and greaves on her legs. It¡¯s probably light weight and is meant to restrict as less movement as possible. At her waist was a sword of shape I had never seen before. It wasn¡¯t just hanging on her waist like mine, it was properly fixed in ce on her belt. She looked exactly as the way she did back when they came back to the capital one year ago with the rest of the heroes after defeating the Demon God. Basically, she was in the exact outfit she used when fighting during the Demon God¡¯s subjugation. ¡­¡­¡­..I can understand Aya-san and Souichi-san¡¯s reaction. I recalled the conversation back inside the waiting room. Masaki-sama truly wants to fight against Souichi-san seriously. Her expression was, with a daring smile she was looking directly at Souichi-san. Seeing her like that, Souichi-san was muttering something in a low voice. Probably, he must be talking about how to deal with Masaki-sama who was actually serious about this. Since it¡¯s Souichi-san who has to fight her, it¡¯s not like we could do anything though. ¡°uwahh¡­¡­.¡± ¡°What the hell. Is she serious?¡± Seeing her dressed like that, the other two girls were uneasy and anxious as well. At the same time, every other member from the other side seemed to be filled with confident gazes. I wonder if the leader¡¯s appearance alone is able to bring out this much of a difference. Though I can¡¯t really call it morale, but the other team sure has more vigour than us. And even among the audience, the ones cheering for them seem to be higher. It was evening already. Probably, from the next match they¡¯ll use magic to light up the arena. And as the lighting of the surroundings changed, regardless of the cheers from the audience, a [voice] enhanced by magic resounded in everyone¡¯s head. At the same time, the cheers also stopped. The [voice] called my name and I stepped up into the arena. At the same time, cheers rose once more. ¡°Well then, I¡¯m off.¡±(fran) ¡°Do your best, Senpai.¡± ¡°Go get that first win for us!¡± In my head, my introduction was given by the [voice]. The school I go to, and how I ended up taking part in the tournament. And the fact that I travelled with Renji-sama. It¡¯s a bit embarrassing but after 3 rounds you get a bit used to it. Without minding it much, I drew my short sword and held it in my right hand. I looked straight in front without letting my eyes off the enemy. Taking one deep breath, all idle thoughts inside my head disappeared. My opponent was man with a tough looking face for a student. With short blonde hair, his eyes seemed to hold strength. ording to the introduction, he is supposed to be the same age as me but his body structure seemed to be as grown as adult men. In his hands he held a broadsword that I probably wouldn¡¯t be able to hold even with both hands. He was currently shouldering it. ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°oh, not going to even greet?¡±(boy) While I was getting nervous while looking at his giant sword, he called out to me. It seems he¡¯s quite the friendly guy. In between the arena, I crossed nces with him. I¡¯ve seen his fighting style many times during the tournament. He¡¯s the type that lively swings around that giant sword. He shows quite a few openings but it¡¯d be impossible to even parry him with my short sword. I trieding up with many countermeasure during the rest time but I wonder how well they¡¯d work. ¡°hm¡­¡­..¡± I wonder what he thought as I didn¡¯t answer as he scratched his head with his free hand. At the same time, both of our introductions were finally over. Once more, I took a deep breath. ¡°Now then,¡± I put more strength in my arm holding the short sword. As he changed stances and held his sword with both hands, at the same time he started closing in towards me unhesitatingly. His sword has the bigger reach, and he¡¯s more skilled at using the sword as well. Even if I want to use magic, I doubt he¡¯d let that happen. After all, this is the 3rd round. Against an opponent that¡¯se this far, my shabby magic won¡¯t work that easily. While strafing in a circle at the centre of the arena, I gauged the distance between us. I¡¯ll distract him with my sword and use magic to deal the final blow. Just the same as always. Or rather, that¡¯s all I can do. ¡°¡ª¨Cfuh!!¡± The next instant, without any indication he rushed towards me while still holding his sword in his stance. Maybe because it¡¯s size was its special characteristic, he used his sword like a spear and charged towards me. Maybe due to his great physique as well, for a second I felt like my body would just freeze but I quickly dodged to the side, when he quickly changed direction swung his sword horizontally towards me. I received the sword swing that came with the sound of wind cutting with my short sword. ¡°kii!?!¡± ¡°Waa!!¡± From my sword, a shrill sound I had never heard before came. Faced with the attack from a sword clearly much greater in mass, my sword felt like it was screaming. Having difficulty to bear the strength of the sword, I was moved a few steps back. So heavy. It¡¯s much heavier than I thought. ¡°¡­¡­¡­uu.¡± ¡°It¡¯s amazing you were able to parry it with that thin sword.¡± My hand holding the sword had gone numb. Trying not to show that on my face, I held the sword with both hands. I can¡¯t take that one with just one hand. Maybe he realized it as the man, as if to quickly end this battle, rushed in to attack again. This time, he held the sword high up. And he swung it down at me. I averted that attack by receiving it at the widest portion of my short sword. The sound of sword shing against sword resounded, and the sound of therge sword smashing on the ground came clearly even above all the cheers and shouting of the crowd.. The surface of the arena broke and its fragments blew around. I tried to plunge in towards his chest but therge sword jumped back even faster. It¡¯s edge aimed for my legs. I became a bit surprised from the sudden attack but I was able to jump back at thest moment and avoid it. Even though it smashed against the ground, hisrge sword lookedpletely fine. ¡°Not a bad dodge.¡± ¡°why, thank you.¡±(fran) He swung his sword again. With the swing that seemed like it could cut through even the wind, my hair swayed slightly from it. After only a few moves, my breathing was already ragged. One vs one matches really make me nervous. Stamina depletes faster and my limbs felt more fatigued than normal. Stepping back enough where neither of our sword could reach each other, I reset our positions . My opponent seemed to be breathingpletely normally and even seemed toposed. But still he looked at me with caution. Though talkative, he must have a steady personality. While calming my breath, I held my sword down near my hips. But he didn¡¯t seem to rush in again and had be more careful. Maybe his sword actually wasn¡¯t in good condition but he didn¡¯t show it on his face so I couldn¡¯t be sure. I let out a deep breath. At the same time, I focused my magical energy towards my front. What I imagined (read as created) was a ball of wind as big as possible for me. Sensing the flow of magical energy probably, he hesitated for a second deciding what to do but the next moment he rushed towards me. It was difficult to dodge wind balls. But if you could sense the magical energy, you could tell instantly and you could even notice the distortions in the air if you concentrate. ¡°fu!!¡± Before my magic could bepleted, the man closed in at me while making sure to avoid the ball of wind. The wind ball remained right in front of me since I had yet to fire it. Having be sure of his victory, I clearly saw the change in his expression. He tried swinging down his sword with the momentum he had but still, it was too slow. Before he could swing his sword down, I exploded the ball of wind. Though it didn¡¯t damage anyone clearly like a fire or an ice ball would, the explosion of thepressed wind blew both him and me away with its pressure. For a second, my consciousness flew away and I became unable to understand what was what. When I realized, I was lying on the ground. ¡°th, this was¡­¡­..¡±(fran) This was more effective than I thought it¡¯d be. It feels like my head was hit with a bludgeon weapon many times as I was still dizzy. Somehow, I raised my head and saw the male student also lying on the ground a bit far away. He seemed to have bepletely unconscious and wasn¡¯t moving at all. I¡¯m sure he isn¡¯t dead.¡­.. But still, I didn¡¯t think exploding magic would be so powerful. Though there are explosive magic, I doubt there¡¯s any magician that uses it so close to themselves and even gets themselves dragged into it. Maybe I¡¯m the first one. Headache and nausea hit me. But enduring it, I stood up. I can¡¯t win with my sword alone, I can¡¯t hit with just magic. Then I thought I¡¯ll have no choice but to get myself dragged into it as well. Maybe I was a bit too hasty. The [voice] inside my head dered me as winner but even that only made me feel bad. As I stepped down of the arena, everyone came to me worried. I guess this was supposed to happen. I did explode magic so close to me. Even Souichi-san and Aya-san were giving a bitter smile. ¡°The next one, I leave the rest to you.¡±(fran) ¡°Yes!¡± The younger girl gave an energetic reply. This makes one win. Now if only both Aya-san and Souichi-san win¡­¡­¡­..I wonder if we¡¯ll be able to advance once again? Chapter Interlude 6 Interlude 6 (Souichi POV) As Aya climbed up the arena, loud cheering, iparable to the ones Francesca-senpai got, rose in the audience. We were currently at 1 win and 2 losses. If Aya lost here, the match will be decided. And for a hero to fight at such a time, it¡¯s only normal for the audience to get so excited. Looking up towards guest seats, I saw Yui-chan watching the match from the balcony. I couldn¡¯t hear her from here but by the looks of it she seemed to be cheering Aya on. ¡°Will Aya-san be able to win?¡± ¡°I doubt she¡¯d have any problem to be honest.¡±(souichi) The one who asked me that was the only one in our team except me and Aya who had won all her fights, Francesca-senpai. It seems her travelling with Renji-niichan wasn¡¯t just for show as she definitely seemed to be levels above normal students. Even in the first and second round, though she must have been underestimated, she still did win against pro adventurers so her ability was the real deal. Well, even if Aya and I won, if noone else had won their fights, we would be able to advance so honestly, I¡¯m relieved that she had such skill. And currently, it seems like the damage she took from her previous battle was still left as she walked slightly unsteadily. No matter how I looked at her, it seemed dangerous. ¡°That aside, are you sure you should be walking already? I think you should sit down for a bit more.¡±(souichi) ¡°uu¡­¡­..is it that easy to tell?¡±(fran) ¡°Well, yeah.¡± After all, her steps are not firm at all. Even if Francesca-senpai¡¯s magical energy wasn¡¯t that high, exploding the air so close was still overdoing it. In the worst case, she could have blown her own eardrums as well. In fact, it should be said that she was lucky to have just taken some damage and fainted for a while after that. Nobody at the magic academy teaches such a way of fighting. Where the hell did she learn that? ¡°Aya¡¯ll be fine. She¡¯ll definitely win.¡±(souichi) ¡°Eh?¡± I held not a sliver of doubt when I said that. Certainly, Aya is one of the summoned like us and even strong enough to be called as the Grand Magus, having reached the peak of magic. But above all, I know that a word like [definitely] doesn¡¯t exist. No matter how advantageous of a situation there is, even a mall mistake could overturn it all. Despair was always there, right by our side. But, even then. We are supposed to be [Heroes]. A human known as a [Hero] is simply not allowed to lose. That, is a definite fact. {Heroes] who are meant to be the hope of the people must win no matter what. There is no such thing as ¡®definite¡¯ in this world, yet, we must definitely win. ¡­¡­..that¡¯s the kind of existences we are. Though there are times when we were told that we simply think too much about it but I believe that that is what being a [Hero] is all about. Well, the definition of a Hero varies from person to person though. ¡°Rather than that, watch her carefully.¡±(souichi) Saying that, I turned back to look at the arena. In Aya¡¯s hands was just a staff made of oak wood that could easily be mistaken for a normal stick. Her opponent had, though blunted, a splendid long sword. Judging by the way he seemed adept with an unfamiliar sword provided by the tournament administration, the guy must be a very adept fighter. Even his expression seemed to hold confidence. Even if his opponent was Aya, she was a magician. He must be thinking that if he could push this fight into a close quarters, he¡¯ll be able to defeat her with a flurry of sword swings. His expression is clearly showing that. ¡°I think, this¡¯ll be a good learning experience for you as well.¡±(souichi) Inside my head, the magic [voice] resounded. The opponent and Aya¡¯s introductions began. It seems the opponent fighter was pretty well known in his school. He was a year older than us, and also seemed to have experience as an adventurer like Francesca-senpai. It seems he¡¯s not a noble born which is why he seems to have some pride in his sword skills. Against him was Aya, a top student of the Magic Academy and the Grand Magus. One of the [Heroes] that subjugated the Demon God and also the world¡¯s greatest magician. Both of them faced each other on the arena. One held a blunt long sword while the other held a wooden staff that looked like a stick. I think Francesca-senpai was also worried due to the difference in their weapons as well. Since she was unable to deal with therge sword used by her opponent with her short sword, she must be worried for Aya who just had a staff. ¡°It¡¯s starting.¡± When I said that, the magic [voice] dered match start and at the same time, the swordsman, likemon sense would dictate, instantly moved to reduce the distance between them. To stop Aya from activating magic. Magic was manifested from the imagination of the caster. Then first, so that the magician bes unable to freely imagine, to obstruct their thought process, it is considered basic to put as much pressure by closing in on the magician as possible. Certainly, against a normal magician that is a very viable tactic. In this world, the job of magicians was the same as artillery. To use long ranged attacks with wide area of effect to destroy the groups of enemies. That¡¯s the first and foremost expectation of a magician on the battlefield. After that, by working together with a knight or other simr warriors, they use magic to destroy single enemies one by one while the knight holds the enemy back. In either case, the image of [magicians are to be protected by close range fighters] was strong. In that sense, the definition of magician was not applicable to Aya. She¡¯d be a new type of magician. That¡¯s exactly why she¡¯s called the [Grand Magus]. Well, it was Koutarou-san who gave her that name at first and he was also the one who made it popr with the public though. I¡¯m pretty sure the main reason for him was probably ¨C ¡®since we¡¯re in a different world, it¡¯d be cooler to have aliases and nicknames!¡¯ or something like that. As a matter of fact he is the only one in this whole world who possess the title of [The Wizard] as well. In easier words, he just wants ¡®something¡¯ that sets us apart from normal people¡­¡­..at least that¡¯s what others said. In Aya¡¯s case, out of embarrassment or something of being given such a nickname she really dislikes Koutarou-san. ¡­¡­¡­.Even I think it¡¯s pretty cool though. But if I say that, she¡¯ll really angry so I won¡¯t. While I was wondering about such things, the match had already begun. Even though he wasn¡¯t much older than us, his sword looked sharp as he attacked Aya. His sword swing¡¯s speed and power probably surpasses the one who fought against Francesca-senpai. But Aya didn¡¯t run away from it, instead she faced it head on. Receiving the sword swung towards her with her staff with full confidence, she parried it away turning the attack powerless. I wonder how magicians are there in this world that can deflect a sword with a wooden staff? Her fighting style was actually quite simr to what Francesca-senpai uses. Or rather should I say, Francesca-senpai¡¯s fighting style resembles Aya¡¯s. Chasing after the same person and looking at the same person¡¯s fighting style, I guess it was normal for both of them to end up with the same fighting style. While thinking that, I observed Aya¡¯s fight closely. Maybe it was obvious but Aya¡¯s movements were iparably polished than Francesca-senpai¡¯s. With just the minimum required movement, while negating the opponents attacks, she kept herself with lots of room to act. Just like a swordsman is supposed to put pressure on a magician by closing in, instead she was putting pressure on him by constantly parrying his attacks. And all this was being done by her without the help of any boost to physical abilities through magic. And also because she¡¯d get scolded by the tournament and arena managers, she wasn¡¯t even allowed to use her trap and pitfall magic. Those ones wouldpletely destroy the arena after all and it¡¯ll take too much time to repair it all again apparently. Meanwhile, the opponent¡¯s swings started bing rougher and sloppier. He must be really confident of his closebat skill as he didn¡¯t seem to want to admit that he was being defeated by a magician in it and didn¡¯t fall back. And that gap in his mind would result in mistakes in his fighting style. No matter what the situation, no matter who the opponent was, you must maintain your cool. It¡¯s very difficult, I know, but it¡¯s still very important. As he swung another side sh, itcked it¡¯s speed and power and Aya was in no way going to let go of that opening as she struck his hand with her staff ending his attack. It must have been a perfectly done counter hit as that one attack made him drop his sword. Holding his hand that as struck, he kneeled down without even trying to pick his sword again. It seemed like his hand hurt a bit too much, maybe even his bones had been hurt. And that was the end. In my head, the [voice] dering Aya as winner resounded. Even though this was supposed to be the 3rd round¡¯s vice-leader match, it ended so quickly. ¡°See, she won.¡±(souichi) ¡°¡­¡­..haa. As expected, she, Aya-san, really is strong¡±(fran) The audience made excited noises as the match had ended in the same time as we spent talking. Most of the crowd was shouting Aya¡¯s name. Probably because Aya¡¯s pretty cute, she was pretty popr with men as well. As her childhood friend, it¡¯s prettyplicated to be honest. In the meantime, Aya came down from the arena. As if it was normal, she was neither sweating nor even out of breath. ¡°Good job.¡±(souichi) ¡°Good job, Aya-san.¡±(fran) As me and Francesca-senpai spoke to her, she silently but while giving us a smile, stood alongside us. The remaining teammates got the same reaction. Aya wasn¡¯t really cold to others. She was shy/anxious around strangers but she was already pretty open to all our teammates. But, somehow¡­¡­.her dignified, or should I say, her personality of creating walls around herself felt really confusing. It was the same for everyone else. Thinking till that, I looked up once more. This time, not just Yui-chan but even Renji-niichan was watching from the balcony. Probably he came to see Aya¡¯s match. And also Aya¡¯s reaction. Even though normally she¡¯d give a high five at such situations, right now she was acting as if it was normal for her to win. I¡¯m sure he must be making a teasing face right now while seeing Aya¡­thinking that, I realized I was smiling as well. ¡°Looks like you were able to show your coolness in front of Renji-niichan, eh?¡±(souichi) ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª-¡± ¡°Ack!?!¡± My foot was crushed in silence. I wasn¡¯t in full armament like Masaki-chan so I was only wearing some thin leather boots. That¡¯s why¡­¡­.it really hurt. While bing silent myself, I grit my teeth to avoid screaming in pain. As expected, it¡¯d be too uncool to squat down from the pain so I endured it. But, Francesca-senpai who noticed it seemed surprised, or rather was making a pained face in my ce. ¡°Shut up.¡±(aya) ¡°¡­..yes.¡± In my opinion, rather than acting all mature like that I think Renji-niichan would enjoy her happily celebrating her victory more though. Well, I¡¯ll get my foot crushed again so I¡¯ll just keep my mouth shut. I¡¯m worried that he¡¯d actually think that Aya had a dry personality who¡¯d act like it was obvious for her to win instead since she looks pretty mature as well. That said, if it¡¯s Renji-niichan, he probably understands Aya¡¯s personality pretty well already so it should be fine. In truth, she¡¯s actually pretty emotional and also has a very childish side as well. Even then, she¡¯d always try to act tough and would always act like she¡¯s angry when she¡¯s actually embarrassed. Well, I¡¯m pretty sure there are guys out there who find that nice but for those who know her true personality¡­¡­..well, it¡¯s not like I know everything about her either though. But still, I feel like it¡¯d be fine if she¡¯d act a bit more sweet and childish than now. At least when Renji-niichan is watching. I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯d seem much cuter then. ¡°Souichi-san, calling a girl ¡®cool¡¯ isn¡¯t really apliment.¡±(fran) ¡°Wha¡±(souichi) ¡°Guh¡­¡­.that¡¯s not it!¡±(aya) What the hell¡ª¡ª-how should I say this, but hearing Francesca-senpai¡¯s stupid words, I could also only answer looking stupid. After that, I got scolded by Aya in a low voice. Why me?? Well, it¡¯s the usual so I don¡¯t really care anymore. But, maybe she got a bit embarrassed, her cheeks were a bit red so she didn¡¯t feel scary at all. Instead, I ended up smiling when she looked at me like that. There¡¯s nothing more amusing than seeing your childhood friend¡¯s state in love. But, I still get my foot crushed though. ¡­¡­¡­.. There¡¯s nothing more physically painful than seeing your childhood friend¡¯s state in love as well it seems. ¡°Just go and quickly win the next round as well.¡±(aya) ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± ¡°You need to show your cool form to Renji-sama as well right?¡±(fran) ¡°Please, enough of that!¡± Francesca-senpai teased us a bit at that. Why is it that I get my foot crushed but Francesca-senpai only get an embarrassed reaction from her? I can¡¯t get over this bias. Is it because I¡¯m a guy? In front of this unreasonable absurdity, and while tilting my head in confusion while looking at my childhood friend hiding her embarrassment, I climbed into the arena as told by the [voice]. On the other side, Masaki-san climbed up while giving a wide smile. ¡°As usual, you guys are so lively. It makes me a bit jealous Souichi-kun.¡±(masaki) ¡°Want to switch ces with me?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to decline you on that offer.¡± Saying that, Masaki-san hid her mouth with her hand as sheughed. How elegant looking, or should I say graceful way ofughing she has. Yet, she¡¯s dressed in such dangerous looking equipment. After all, that¡¯s the same outfit she had when fighting during the Demon God¡¯s subjugation. That¡¯s not what one would wear for just a fighting tournament. Maybe my thoughts showed on my face as the yful atmosphere disappeared from around Masaki-san. ¡°I told you that I¡¯ll fight seriously, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°And I am sure I refused you as well.¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why, I alone will get serious.¡± Saying that, she extended her hand towards the [katana] fixed to her waist. Katana. A japanese sword. It shouldn¡¯t exist in this world, it¡¯s a sword from our world. But, I didn¡¯t feel the magical energy thates with it usually. And the colour of that sheath was¡­¡­it didn¡¯t have a colour that would indicate that it was one of her demonic swords. It was not Ruby(red), Sapphire(blue), emerald(green), Topaz(yellow) or Silver. The shape of the ck sheath showed that it was definitely a katana but I don¡¯t recall seeing that one before. ¡°This one, I had Rin-san forge this for me just for this tournament.¡±(masaki) Realizing my gaze, she told me so. Ah, I see. I could also understand that. Rin-san who was an [Item Creator] could definitely create a katana as well. Back when we were travelling together as well, when we had not yet gotten holy swords and demonic swords, Rin-san was the one who made weapons for us. ¡°¡­¡­¡­isn¡¯t that unfair?¡±(souichi) ¡°If you think it is, you can draw your holy sword, you know?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll pass on that.¡± The way of using western swords and japanese katana waspletely different. In fact you could say that it¡¯s equal for her to use a katana and me to use a western sword. But, I was using a dull sword provided by the coliseum and she was using a katana forged by a hero. It might not be equal after all. Of course, meaning that I was at a disadvantage. While we were talking like this, the magic [voice] resounded in my head and the introduction for me and Masaki-san began. Even after so many times it really still feels weird to hear someone talk about you in front of so many people. A bit embarrassing. ¡°fufu.¡± Maybe she realized my inner thoughts as she gave a smallugh. And she began to move out a bit just where we were out of each other¡¯s swords¡¯ reach. I as well, to match her ced myself on the arena. The introductions finally ended. I drew my sword from the sheath and threw the sheath away. Masaki-san remained just like the way she was, with her katana still inside the sheath. ¡°Fuu.¡± I took a breath. I am a bit nervous. I felt I was gripping my sword slightly stronger than I should. How many times has it been when I¡¯ve held the sword like this facing against Masaki-san? I felt a bit nostalgic. Both me and Masaki-san were swordsmen/women. We were not warriors like Renji-niichan, Itou-san or Enomiya-san. And neither were we knights like Kuuki-san. We have shed our swords and fought each other countless times to test our skills. Sword and Katana. Even with the difference in those two. ¡°Let¡¯s do this!!¡± ¡°Come!!¡± ¡ª¡ªat least in a sword fight, I don¡¯t want to lose to anyone. That alone, we won¡¯t let each other have. We were both on the opposite ends of the arena. Normal people might take a few seconds to get to each other but for us, we covered that distance in an instant. Kicking the floor with my leg, we moved while destroying the floor with our momentum. ¡°Waah!!¡± ¡°Zeeyaah!!¡± I swung down my sword and Masaki-san cut at it with her katana. She used Battoujutsu. (T/N:The art of drawing the katana from the sheath and striking very fast.) Using the momentum of drawing the katana from its sheath, the swing possessed far more speed than a normal sh of the katana. And Masaki-san also had the divine protection of the goddess on her that gave her superhuman physical ability and above that, her katana was something created by Rin-san, a Hero as well. Unable to withstand such a sh, my sword was cut in half. ¡°tchh!¡± With the momentum of having cut through my sword, the katana swung towards my neck. Following the katanaing towards me with my eyes in that instant, I killed my momentum and jumped backwards. My chest was shed slightly and a prickling pain came to me. If Masaki-san had taken one more step further, it would have been a fatal attack. Or rather, if I hadn¡¯t dodged I would¡¯ve definitely died. Did she swing confident that I¡¯d dodge or was she unable to simply stop herself in time?¡­¡­..It¡¯s probably thetter. But yet, for some reason, I felt happy inside. If it¡¯s me, I can react to it. If it¡¯s me I can dodge it. If it¡¯s me, I will not die. That was acknowledgement and trust from the battle junkie Masaki-san and also a proof that she was serious. And being faced with that I only felt happy¡­¡­¡­maybe deep inside I¡¯m also a battle junkie. Even though this test of strength was closer to an actual battle to the death; I¡¯m sure Yayoi would call me imprudent and scold me. In my hands was a sword cut from the middle. And Masaki-san once again, sheathed her katana. She¡¯s not sure of her victory or anything. Even now, her waist was still lowered, fully prepared to react against anything I might do next. While seeing her reaction, I also lowered my waist and took stance with my still broken sword. The magic [voice] had yet not dered who was the winner. Normally, the fact that my sword gut cut to two would decide the winner but I have not given up yet! ¡°Fuu¡­¡­¡­¡± I took a long, deep breath. I focused all of my nerves. I turned all my vision towards Masaki-san. Even the cheers that could make the air tremble and the shouts of encouragement were now out not audible to me. Just, only¡ª¡ªnext, I will cut Masaki-san. I thought of just that. Only a moment had passed. Or maybe it was a few seconds. Maybe even more than that. Once more, both us moved at the same time. Almost foolhardily from the front, as if to recreate the previous time where my sword got cut, I rushed to attack. The only difference was that I only had half of my sword now. But even so, Masaki-san showed neither negligence nor overconfidence. Maintaining her katana drawing stance, she jumped in towards me. What she released was a sh that could tear through even steel. As my reply to that, I took one step even further towards her. Since half of my de was gone, my sword won¡¯t reach even where hers could. Then, all I had to do was take another step, and use the lower remaining portion of my sword to block it. No matter how sharp the katana was, only a portion of the wielder¡¯s physical strength is carried inside the sh. If I could block her where the strength in her sword was the lowest, even this dull sword of mine will be able to block it. We were close enough that our faces could hit each other. I moved faster. I used my other hand to grab her by her cor. In such cases, a katana which is long bes disadvantageous. She will be unable to both swing or thrust the katana. Even if I don¡¯t have a big body, I am still a guy who has received the [Divine Protection of the Goddess] as well. I won¡¯t lose in terms of brute strength. While still holding her cor, I mmed her down on the stone floor. Since we¡¯re still in the middle of the match, I was unable to control my power properly when smashing her down on the floor. And then, I pushed the broken sword to her neck. ¡°That¡­¡­. hurt!¡±(masaki) ¡°Do you, surrender?¡± Masaki-san groaned in pain and my breathing had be rough as well. If she didn¡¯t have her breastte, I would¡¯ve lookedpletely like a pervert pushing a girl down while groping her breasts. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Just like that, a few moments pass. As I waited for Masaki-san¡¯s pain to fade away¡­ ¡°Pervert.¡± While slightly blushing, she said that. At the same time, the magic [voice]¡ª¡ª-informed that I had lost due to foul y and Masaki-san had won. ¡°Eh!?!?¡± Surprised, I jumped up from Masaki-san. No matter how you look at it, this was my win right?! Thinking that I looked towards Aya only to see her give a wide smile. That, is the smile she gives when she¡¯s really angry. This isn¡¯t the smile she shows towards Renji-niichan. While feeling confused as to what happened, I saw silver hair that shouldn¡¯te in my view normally. There, in a panic I brought my own bangs/forelocks in front of me to see them. My hair that are supposed to be ck had turned silver. Finally, I understood what happened. Before taking part in the tournament, I recalled what Yuuko-san had told me. ¡°¡±You are not allowed to use either holy sword or demonic swords, and are also supposed to hold back your abilities when fighting.¡±¡± She had told me so. ¡°fufu. Thatst one¡­¡­¡­.Souichi-kun¡¯s serious strength, was really great.¡±(masaki) Hearing her, I finally realized. I, at the final moment¡ª¡ª-when I felt happy seeing Masaki-san¡¯s serious mode, I ended up suing my full strength. I was using not just the magical energy given to me by Astraera-sama, but even the supply from the Spirit God Zwenelia-sama; the fact that I was in my form when I prepare to draw the [Holy Sword] was proof of that. As I dropped my shoulders, the audience gave a huge cheer again. They must have gotten all excited seeing this form of mine. Apparently, when in this form, I resemble the Goddess quite a lot or so they say. Even though I¡¯m a guy. Also, could you please not make such a pleased expression with a red face while saying things like ¡®my serious strength¡¯. You¡¯ll definitely make me imagine weird things. Or rather, I¡¯ll end up imagining them. I¡¯m also a guy in puberty you know? But that rude delusions alsosted for a moment. 2 to 3, the [voice] dered that our team had lost. As for me, I¡¯m more scared about the scolding I¡¯m surely about to get from my dear old childhood friend though. Chapter 50 Footsteps of Disasters and Troublesome Things Chapter 50 Footsteps of Disasters and Troublesome Things As I took off the heavy and difficult to move in armour, I ended up leaking a sigh in relief. Toudou beside me seemed to be the same as he also breathed a truly tired sounding sigh. The brown haired Head Maid¡ª-Ang-san looked at him with a smile as she helped Toudou in removing his armour. Wearing a ck one piece dress with a white apron above, and her semi-long hair tied behind her head and the iconic headband on her head, she had the perfect look of a maid. Even her tight atmosphere had not changed making others focus on their tasks as well¡­¡­¡­..but today, or rather, right now, this Head maid, who is famous for being always strict and harsh, seemed to have a gentle expression as she interacted with Toudou. At least,pared to the time when I was in the castle back an year ago, her atmosphere seemspletely different. She looks like someone dealing with her troublesome younger brother, or child maybe; close yet maintained some distance between them. I am definitely not imagining this. Even like the way I am, I am pretty confident of my ability to gauge women. ¡°Say, Toudou.¡±(renji) ¡°Hm, What is it?¡± ¡°Do you show up at the castle quite a lot or something?¡± When I asked that, he looked at me with puzzled face having not understood why I was asking that. ¡°No, not really, Why?¡±(toudou) ¡°No, you seemed pretty close to Ang-san so I thought so¡­¡­.¡± ¡°haa¡­¡­..¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably your imagination?¡±(Ang) [Why, what¡¯s the matter?] It seems he really didn¡¯t understand what I was implying as toudou tilted his head in confusion. And Ang-san as well, answered without showing any expression on her face. What is this? How should I say it, I feel like there¡¯s a wall in between. It might just be my imagination but I¡¯m pretty sensitive to such changes you know?¡­¡­¡­I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a difference between how she acts with me and him. ¡°fuun..¡± ¡°¡­¡­.What¡¯s up with that, you¡¯re making me curious now.¡±(toudou) ¡°Don¡¯t mind it.¡± [You¡¯re making a weird face, Renji.] Drop it, will you partner? I was born with this weird face okay? While feeling a bit sad inside, I replied that. Unlike Ermenhilde and Toudou, Ang-san did realize something¡­¡­but she continued to briskly help Toudou remove his armour. She truly is the model maid, I can¡¯t find a way to tease her. Well I¡¯d probably get scolded if I go too far as well so I can¡¯t tell how much far I can go with it. After neatly cing the removed armour on the table, I was thinking of how to tease Toudou when Ang-san gave a nce towards me. There, underneath the cold eyes that resembled Utano-san¡¯s, I felt I also saw a slight bit of shyness. ¡°What?¡±(renji) ¡°As usual, your habits of teasing have not gone it seems.¡±(ang) ¡°Even like this, I feel like I¡¯m am actually being quite considerate you know?¡± ¡°¡­¡­haah.¡± Was her sigh meant for me or towards Toudou? Or maybe it was meant for herself. Toudou¡¯s denseness is definitely a problem but Ang-san not letting her shyness show at all is a problem as well. She must not feel very good to show such a side of her personality. Maids are beings that kill their personal desires to work solely for their masters apparently. She must feel that it would be a mistake to let such a side of her personality to be shown. She seemed quite simr to the early Utano-san making me feel a bit nostalgic. Well, she¡¯s still not the type who expresses much emotion easily though. While giving a sidelong nce at those two who seemed to be ¡®flirting¡¯ while removing his armour, I gently stroked the armour set I kept on the table. A full mithril armour set. I wonder how many silver coins were spent to buy all this. (T/N: reminder, silver >gold in this world) [What are you doing?] ¡°no, just, you know.¡± [That doesn¡¯t really tell me anything.] Normally I don¡¯t treat Ermenhilde as preciously as I am treating this armour set, it¡¯s more like flicking her with my fingers or hitting her while in pocket etc after all. Her voice seemed to be a bit irritated. Her reaction was so amusing that I teased her only to get a more sulky reply from her. I, who was really enjoying her irritated voice, might not have a very good personality after all. ¡°To me, yamada-san and Eru-san seem to be on better terms though?¡±(toudou) [¡­¡­¡­Really?] ¡°Well, yeah.¡±(renji) He seemed to be grinning thinking that he was teasing me as payback but it¡¯s a true fact though. Something like that isn¡¯t going to trouble me. Ermenhilde answered that in an irritated voice but her tone turned for the better at the end hearing that. She¡¯s so easy to understand. So when I agreed without any hesitation, all of her bad mood disappeared instantly. ¡°Really, you two get along so well.¡± ¡°But who did she take it after, she¡¯s started scolding me recently.¡±(renji) [That¡¯s because you¡¯re always being so undisciplined.] As Toudou spoke that, Ermenhilde replied in a loud voice as if I had said something false. But still, her voice still seemed more happier than normal. I guess her mood really must have gotten better. Probably because I didn¡¯t pay her much attention recently. Or maybe because I had been holding that mithril sword instead of her for the past few days. ¡°So, how¡¯s it been for you recently, Ang-san?¡± ¡°recently?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about you, Toudou.¡±(renji) When I said that whileughing, Toudou simply tilted his head in confusion and behind him, Ang-san narrowed her eyes without letting Toudou realize. Even her cold strong eyes now only seemed like a way to hide her embarrassment. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to your imagination, Renji-sama.¡±(ang) Even while listening to our conversation, she continued to remove Toudou¡¯s armour skilfully. As expecetd of the Head Maid, I guess. Maybe she had realized my intention, she did not let any emotion flow into her words, let alone her expression. As expected, I could definitely feel this wall of difference between me and Toudou. I¡¯m not really feeling sad about it, in fact that¡¯s what makes this so amusing. [You¡¯re making a mean teasing face again, Renji.] ¡°What do you mean by, ¡®again¡¯?¡± I don¡¯t recall making such a face before. And Toudou as usual made a confused face not really understanding what was going on¡­¡­.This guy is so dense! Does he not even realize that even I got no help from a single maid since the preparations for the tournament were so hectic? ¡°That aside, what are you going to do about the bet?¡±(toudou) ¡°Bet?¡±(renji) ¡°Didn¡¯t we bet that the winner will be treated to a meal?¡± [Oh yeah.] ¡°What are you ¡®oh yeah¡¯-ing for? You were the first one to lose, Ermenhilde.¡±(renji) [¡­¡­¡­] So she goes silent when it¡¯s against her eh? Well, it¡¯s not like Ermenhilde could cook anyway. Or rather, I doubt anyone would have guessed that among the teams we chose, Souichi¡¯s team would be the first one to lose. If I had to say, we all thought the adventurer team from the Commerce City that Toudou bet on would be out the first. After all, even if they had good equipment, they were still amateurs¡­¡­..well, maybe that would be saying too much but it¡¯s true that they were low on experience. Though the reason maybe because there aren¡¯t much monsters near there. That might be the effect of a demon god¡¯s descendant as well but let¡¯s leave that aside for now. More important was Souichi and Masaki-chan¡¯s duel. I didn¡¯t expect Souichi to lose due to vition of rules. Well, that was fun to watch on its own and it really excited the audience as well so it¡¯s fine though. Souichi¡¯s transformation. He possesses not just goddess Astraera¡¯s but also the Spirit God Zwenelia¡¯s divine protection as well. That was the special characteristic of the Brave only and also the proof that he was the wielder of the Holy Sword as well. Among all of us 13, only he is the one who has received the divine protection of 2 gods. When used, his hair turn silver and eyes turn golden. It¡¯s not as much as Koutarou but his appearance changes quite a bit. On top of being child faced as well, Souichi ends up looking even more girl-like. If he was a bit more taller, he really would look like Astraera like the people say. ¡°Well in the end, the one who won the bet was Kuuki though.¡±(renji) ¡°yeah. I¡¯ll prepare the ce and ingredients so at least help me with the cooking okay?¡±(toudou) ¡°Sure. Well, even I¡¯d feel bad if I didn¡¯t help even that much.¡± [What should I do?] ¡°Cheer and encourage us as we work or something.¡± [Alright.] ¡°No, wait, that¡¯d be way too uncharacteristic of her to do something like that or rather, how should I say this¡­¡­¡­¡±(toudou) Seeing our talk, Toudou spoke in a troubled tone. He must be really worried about how to react. Certainly, even if Ermenhilde cheered for us like [Do your best!~] even I wouldn¡¯t know what kind of face to make afterwards. AS we continued such chatter, Ang-san finished taking off the armour off Toudou. Why did it take more time than me to take his armour off when I was doing it alone? I doubt I¡¯ll get the answer even if I ask though. ¡°Well, the treat will be after the tournament is fully over though.¡±(renji) ¡°Somehow, that sounds like you just raised a g to be honest.¡±(toudou) ¡°oi, you idiot, shut up. Don¡¯t jinx it.¡± Seriously why would he say something like that. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to raise any gs right now. Saying that, I loosened the cor of the shirt I was wearing underneath the armour. His cor must have been tight as well as he moved around his neck and shoulders with a smile. ¡°now then, I¡¯ll take your armours for safekeeping.¡±(ang) Saying that, she pped her hands when a few maids, they were probably waiting behind the door, came in. Wait if so many were avable, couldn¡¯t one of these have helped me with taking off the armour as well? I don¡¯t really find it to be unreasonable but somehow, I felt a bit unconvinced, making me feel a bit strange. Giving a word of thanks to the maids, I started to leave the room. But, while I was leaving, one of them said ¡°Please learn to read the mood more.¡± in reply. [So Renji is bad at reading the mood eh?] ¡°Not as much as you.¡± Giving a curt reply, I gave a sigh. But c¡¯mon, I couldn¡¯t help but tease them. A straightced maid and a dense cook. I¡¯m sure even the maids, who seem to be carefully watching over their progress, should have enjoyed this as well. Maybe because I wasn¡¯t in the armour anymore, my body felt cold as I walked through the stone corridor along with Toudou. We didn¡¯t pass by anyone else probably because everyone¡¯s out watching the tournament. Only maids and guards in steel armour were left. All would bow as they¡¯d pass us but their minds didn¡¯t seem to be here though. I¡¯m sure they wanted to go watch the tournament as well. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±(toudou) ¡°Nah, just thinking how nice and peaceful it is right now.¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s nice.¡± Both me and Toudou muttered the same thing. It might feel like we were old men when saying that though. While thinking that, I turned left at the crossroads. ¡°Oh right.¡± There, I recalled something and raised my voice and looked towards Toudou. While looking at me who stopped suddenly, Toudou stopped as well. ¡°I forgot to say something to Ang-san.¡±(renji) [What happened?] ¡°no, I need to talk to Utano-santer so I wanted to tell her to send some alcohol to her roomter but I forgot.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.is that so?¡±(toudou) What¡¯s with that fed up gaze? While faced with Toudou¡¯s disgusted gaze, I put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Go ask her for me.¡±(renji) ¡°Why me!?!¡± ¡°Well, if I went, she¡¯d definitely start scolding me.¡± ¡°If you know that then just endure it¡­¡­.¡± [In the first ce, all will be better if Renji stopped drinking so much.] ¡°Don¡¯t say that.¡±(renji) Bring Ermenhilde out of my pocket, I stroked the rim of the medal gently. Or rather, I¡¯m acting as the cupid between you and Ang-san okay? It¡¯s not like I was hurt when the maids told me to read the mood or anything, alright? ¡°Please, Toudou?¡± ¡°But, wouldn¡¯t Ang-san be mad?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. In fact, she¡¯d be happy.¡± [In fact, she¡¯d be fed up of you to be honest.] Well, can¡¯t deny that. Even Ermenhilde was speaking in tired voice right now. While saying that as I walked away leaving Toudou behind, I heard a sigh from behind. And then I heard his footsteps go the other way. [Even I feel bad for Hiiragi right now¡­¡­.] ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll make it up to himter in some way.¡± [haah¡­¡­..] Well if this results in some progress in those two, he¡¯ll be the one to thank me instead. ¡­¡­¡­¡­I¡¯ll probably have to make it up to him, I guess. It¡¯s been an year since I left on my journey. They might have made some progress from when they met in the meantime but they definitely cannot be called a couple. Then something like this will probably not result in any progress at all¡­¡­¡­¡­well, it¡¯ll be a satisfactory result if they could at least enjoy sometime with each other while in the festive mood. Maybe I alone have not realized and they¡¯re actually closer than I thought? Then that¡¯d be great as well. It¡¯s always nice to see your ownrade¡¯s receive happiness after all. ¡°Now then, what to do next?¡± [How about going to Souichi and others?] ¡°They¡¯re probably with their school friends.¡± I¡¯m not going to interrupt them there. I¡¯m sure they want to spend time with their friends with whom they fought together. I was thinking of making fun of Souichi for going all out in front of the audience but I¡¯ll leave it forter. Utano-san and Kuuki seem busy with work as well and I have no idea where Kudou or Yui-chan are. Deciding to go back to my room in the end, I went back the way I came. I did say something about going to Utano-san¡¯s roomter but actually I have no such ns and that was just an excuse so I was totally free right now. I could go to meet Feirona and the others but it¡¯s already getting dark outside. It¡¯d be unrealistic to go looking for someone in the capital sote. ¡°I guess, I should get changed first.¡± Even though I had taken off the armour, I¡¯m still wearing high quality expensive fabric clothes that nobles would wear. It could get torn just by moving a bit roughly or so it made me feel when I wore it making me feel nervous. Being too used to adventuring, I prefer practicality focused clothes above these. Now whether that¡¯s a good thing or bad is questionable. While thinking of that, I reached room and felt a presence already inside my room. I thought it might be Kudou or Yui-chan but I still got a bit cautious seeing someone already inside my room. Holding the doorknob with my left hand, I held Ermenhilde in my right. ¡°Ermenhilde.¡± [Yeah, I know.¡± A jade coloured magical energy leaked and a single edged short knife appeared in my hands. As I opened the door cautiously¡ª¡ª- ¡°Yaa.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± The intruder in my room raised a hand and greeted me with a smile. Sitting on the chair near the centre table, the table already had two cups of tea with steaming out of it already prepared. With curly silver hair, one red eye and one gold, and with looks that could make one mistake him for a beauty, he smiled and looked directly at me. Even though the sun had set, he hadn¡¯t bothered lighting themp either. Only the red moon¡¯s faint light shined inside the room. But still the fact that it felt bright inside must be because of some magic was used. Looking at him, I felt stupid to have be cautious and I leaked a sigh. At the same time, the knife disappeared by turning into jade green coloured magical energy. ¡°Why are you getting all rxed inside someone else¡¯s room, Koutarou?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t help it Renji-dono. It¡¯s troublesome if people see me after all.¡± You¡¯re just bad at being secretive and also get caught by Utano-san that¡¯s all. Nobody would bother you if you just got to the gist of it and honestly told everyone what that future seeing eye saw. While thinking that, I closed the door behind me. ¡°Well great timing. I was getting bored anyway.¡±(renji) ¡°Splendid. It¡¯s a delightful thing if we have nothing to do.¡±(kou) ¡°Seriously.¡± ¡°But still, you seem to be getting involved into some trouble again, eh?¡± ¡°If you know about it then help me damnit.¡± Sitting opposite of him, I spoke while giving a wry smile. I recalled the events at the [Forest of Rotting Souls] and became unable to say anything else. I can¡¯t understand why he contacted Yui-chan to help me when he foresaw my death instead of taking action himself directly. I know that he saved me but still I can¡¯t understand what this chunnibyou wannabe wizard is thinking. I wonder what he was thinking as he said nothing and took a sip from his tea. [You seem energetic as usual.] ¡°You as well, Ermenhilde.¡±(kou) ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡± The way he spoke made me feel as if my heart had been grabbed. ¡°Yeah, both me and Ermenhilde are fine.¡±(renji) ¡°That¡¯s great. I was really worried about both of you, you know?¡± While feeling a bit lost for words, I spoke that. Back when we were on the journey to subjugate the Demon God, all of myrades called Ermenhilde as Eru. That¡¯s because that¡¯s how I called her once. After all, isn¡¯t Ermenhilde such a long name? So I gave her something like a nickname. I used a more easy to speak, friendly name. And¡ª¡ª-If Ermenhilde was born as the God ying Weapon, as a tool of the Goddess¡­¡­¡­I wanted to call her by a name that was different, that would not refer to her as a tool or a weapon. I feel like that was the reason at first¡­. ¡­¡­¡­.to call her, Eru. (Part 2) [What happened, Renji?] ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Ovee with immense nostalgia for a moment, I quickly shook my head to forget it. And then, I looked towards Koutarou. I don¡¯t know why he¡¯s in my room but there must be a reason if he has appeared in front of me. Well, to be honest, I¡¯ll be happier if he came just to have some fun with me. ¡°Going by the looks of it, it seems you haven¡¯t told her yet.¡±(kou) ¡°Well yeah. I am a coward after all.¡± ¡°I see. Certainly, it is as you say.¡± How can I exin it to Ermenhilde? That you died once, and then was revived. That you have lost a major part of your memories and the original you is already¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­..if I could just say that, how much more at peace would I be? If I had told that just when she had been revived, it would have been so much easier but even after an year has passed, I still don¡¯t know how to tell her that. And above all, our rtionship right now isn¡¯t bad either. She¡¯s not Eru now but Ermenhilde but still, my journey with her is¡­¡­¡­.. [What are you two talking about?] ¡°I¡¯ll¡­¡­exin it to you sometime soon.¡± After I said that to her, thought still reluctant, she seemed to have understood for now. ¡°Let¡¯s hope that ¡®soon¡¯ of yourses actually soon.¡±(kou) He talked as if he understood everything about me but it did not irritate me at all. This is the kind of guy he is. He acts as if his future sight tells him everything and will always talk in a roundabout manner but will often end up making mistakes due to that. And it¡¯ll be the rest of us who¡¯d have to clean up after his mess. His future sight is certainly convenient but it¡¯s definitely not omnipotent. The future is spread infinitely and Koutarou¡¯s eye can only see one of the possible future events out of countless. Whether his ability turns out to be convenient or not depends on how you act on it. And right now, Koutarou was talking about how I had still not told Ermenhilde, Souichi and the others¡­¡­..about Eru. When Eru died, only Utano-san and Koutarou were there after all. Well, fafnir seems to have somewhat realized what has happened as well though. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t keep so many secrets or you¡¯ll end up like me, someone that makes others unnecessarily cautious around you.¡±(kou) ¡°if you know that then fix that personality of yours, you stupid fool.¡± ¡°What, but mine is just for fun, Renji-dono.¡± Like hell it is, idiot. I looked at him with a fed up gaze but as if it didn¡¯t concern him, he continued sipping his tea normally. ¡°Seriously¡­¡­..did youe all the way just to say that to me?¡±(renji) ¡°Of course not.¡± Giving a stifledughter, he ced the cup back to the table. And his heterochromatic eyes looked directly at me. ¡°It is truly a disappointing thing, Renji-dono, but¨C.¡±(kou) ¡°The only thing disappointing is what¡¯s inside that head of yours.¡±(renji) ¡°And your face as well.¡±(kou) ¡°Shut up, you fake beauty.¡± [Are you two actually kids?] ¡°Men are always kids Ermenhilde, especially at their heart.¡±(kou) ¡°Don¡¯t lump me in together with you.¡±(renji) Giving a sigh, I was about to sip my tea¡­¡­¡­realizing that the cup had be empty, I ced it back on the table. ¡°So, what do you want to say.¡±(renji) ¡°umu, right.¡± [As usual, when it¡¯s you two, the conversation simply doesn¡¯t proceed, does it?] ¡°That¡¯s true. I, for one, do not mind such banter but Yuuko-dono is so short tempered that it¡¯s troublesome.¡±(kou) ¡°Utano-san is, well, yeah.¡± In fact, it¡¯s great that she at least puts up with your talk even a bit. If it¡¯s Aya, there¡¯s a danger that she might start firing magic. ¡°In fact, thest time, I panicked a bit when she actually teleported me away all the way to the Elfreim continent.¡± ¡°It¡¯s amazing that all you did was panic a bit at that actually.¡± If it was me, I¡¯d probably get attacked by some monsters and would be close to dying. The monsters there are much more specialised with the forest they live in and are filled with creatures that fire things that cause abnormalities like poisoning, paralysis, etc. If you enter those forests without any preparation, even I, who is used to travelling anywhere, would have no confidence in returning back safely. ¡°But still, I was quite surprised Renji-dono.¡± [Surprised?] ¡°Yes, thanks to you, it seems you will now be responsible for all troublesome things happening here.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Wha?¡± What is he saying so suddenly? You can¡¯t me to sound stupid like that, can you? [Don¡¯t make such stupid noises. How pathetic¡­¡­..] Oh right, I forgot there is one who¡¯d me me for it, right beside me. ¡°Well it¡¯s the usual for you I guess.¡±(kou) ¡°Could you not make it sound like it ispletely normal that I have to take care of every troublesome thing?¡±(renji) In the first ce, I hate trouble. Isn¡¯t those things the Brave¡¯s duties? Yet, Koutarou continued to chuckle at me. Since he has an androgynous looking face, you might mistake him for a girl. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t. ¡°So, what made you surprised?¡±(renji) ¡°Yourrade, Renji-dono, the one you¡¯re travelling with right now, that¡¯s all.¡±(kou) ¡°Ah?¡± When he said that, the first face that came to me was of Ms Francesca and others but¡­¡­..I don¡¯t really see how they could be involved with some trouble that Koutarou is talking about. Ms Francesca is a daughter of a noble house but she¡¯s just a human. As for Feirona and Mururu, well it¡¯s not like I know everything about those two but, I doubt they¡¯re someone special. As if he had sensed my emotions, Koutarou stood up from his chair. ¡°If you¡¯re curious, go and meet Astraera.¡±(kou) [Astraera-sama?] ¡°Yes. She seems to be wanting to talk to you as well for a while.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± Unable to reply, I scratched my cheek. Now that I think about it, for the past one year, after I killed the Demon god¡­¡­..I haven¡¯t met her at all. I was a bit worried about it but at the same time, somehow I found it hard to meet her again. We have a bit of our own circumstances as well, you see. ¡°Renji-dono, you will soon have to face Astraera.¡±(kou) ¡°It¡¯s not like I have been avoiding her or anything though?¡± ¡°Oh really?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right, you ex-NEET(hikikomori).¡± ¡°Th, that¡¯s not rted to our conversation right now, is it!?¡± Seeing him loose all his fa?ade so easily, as usual, he¡¯s super weak to jabs and insults. He hasn¡¯t changed, seriously. But still¡ª¡ªAstraera, eh? Trying to recall her, somehow, I couldn¡¯t even remember what she looked like properly. Well, I guess after not seeing her for a whole year, it¡¯s normal that her face would start to fade away from my memories I guess. It¡¯s a bit of sad case to be honest. She¡¯s a beautiful woman with silver hair. Has a bit of bad personality but maybe that¡¯s why, I also held some affinity for her¡­¡­..but, that¡¯s all I could remember. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll think about it.¡±(renji) But still, there is a bit of awkward feeling in me. When we were reviving Eru, Ermenhilde, I can still remember what she said. I feel like I should have listened to what she was saying properly. That¡¯s why¡­¡­¡­.it felt a bit awkward to go and meet her after all this time. It¡¯s not about what she¡¯d say to me. She would simply feel sad seeing me and Ermenhilde right now. ¡°Renji-dono.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°A disaster will ur.¡± Saying just those words, Koutarou walked towards the window. As I looked at his back, petite for a man, walk away, the faint red moonlight shone on his beautiful hair. ¡°As usual, you can¡¯t talk straight can you?¡±(renji) ¡°That¡¯s just my nature after all.¡± ¡°So? A disaster, doesn¡¯t sound very gentle.¡± ¡°Well ask about it from her. From the woman who knows and understands the abnormality urring in this world.¡± One of the three pirs that created this world and the being worshipped as the Goddess¡ª-Astraera. Speaking of abnormality, I recalled my talk with Utano-san the other day. The changes and stimtion in the movement of monsters. And the fact that the descendants of the Demon God were on the move. It seems Koutarou really wanted me to meet Astraera. Should I consider him to be just meddlesome or reject him saying that it was none of his concern? ¡­¡­¡­a small, really small, I took small sigh that even Ermenhilde wouldn¡¯t notice. ¡°Renji-dono, I¡¯ll be waiting for you at Elfreim.¡± And without even waiting for my answer, Koutarou¡¯s figure slowly started to fade away¡­¡­.and soonpletely disappeared. Teleportation magic. In this whole world, only he and Utano-san are able to use it. Elfreim continent, it¡¯s the continent where Demi-humans like Elves and Beastmen live¡ª¡ª-and the country that is watched over by the Spirit God Zwenelia. [Renji?] ¡°nah¡­¡­..¡± Resting my backpletely on the chair, I stared at the ceiling. Why does the world always have to involve me in its troubles? I have had enough of fighting already. Living as an adventurer alone is more than enough for me. No more¡ª¡ªI don¡¯t want to put her in any more danger. I don¡¯t know how long I kept on staring at the ceiling. After a while, the door was slightly knocked. On speaking up, a single maid quietly came in. It was Ang-san. ¡°Pardon the intrusion.¡±(ang) ¡°eh, huh?¡± ¡°No, you were the one who¡­¡­..¡± In her hands was a silver tray. And above it was a bottle full of wine along with two sses. Oh right, I did say something random like that to send Toudou back to Ang-san, didn¡¯t I? Remembering that, as if she had seen through me having forgotten about it, her eyes narrowed. ¡°Will be you be drinking alone?¡±(ang) ¡°No, well, I was thinking of probably inviting someer.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Saying that, without making any noise, she ced the wine bottle on the table, Of course, with just one ss. ¡°Ara?¡±(ang) Seeing the two teacups above the table, she voiced her surprise. She must be aware that no one brought in tea to this room I guess. Above all, there was no teapot. Just two random cups. ¡°These cups are¡­¡­..?¡±(ang) ¡°A friend of mine was here, just a while ago.¡±(renji) ¡°I see¡­¡± Her face showed that she wasn¡¯t satisfied with that answer but she didn¡¯t ask anything else and quietly cleared the cups away. It¡¯s really great that she doesn¡¯t try to pry in at all. And just as she was exiting the room, ¡°Oh, right,¡±(ang) Not with her usual formal way of talking, she spoke in a tone that seemed more gentle. ¡°Thank you very much.¡±(ang) Inside the dark room with only moonlight seeping in , the usual stiff Ang-san gave her thanks with a gentle smile. And making almost no noise at all, she left after closing the door. [fumu.] ¡°It¡¯s seems it went well for them, good good.¡± [is that so?] ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡­¡­¡­Well, this is the same as always. Certainly. Recalling Koutarou¡¯s words, I thought while musing over it. Troublesome things, difficult things, it¡¯s all the usual stuff for me. Souichi ,Utano-san, Toudou and everyone else seemed to be working hard in their own way and enjoying this world. I can¡¯t let anything destroy that. I opened the wine bottle. As I poured it into the ss, a rich smell came to me. ¡°It¡¯s pretty lonely to drink alone, seriously.¡±(renji) [That¡¯s because you act pretentious for no reason. Since Yuuko and others would be busy with tomorrow¡¯s preparations, want to invite Hiiragi maybe?] ¡°If I did that, I¡¯ll get kicked not by a horse but by Ang-san directly to hell.¡± [Huh, what does that mean?] ¡°Who knows.¡± (T/N: I have no idea either??.) Chapter 51 Sword and Sword (1) Chapter 51 Sword and Sword (1) ¡°Oi.¡± It was still early for the sun to set but maybe because the clouds were thicker than even yesterday, it felt like it was getting dark earlier than usual. As I continued to stare at the sky, the golden haired woman who was drawing water from the nearby river, looked at me with a fed up gaze. In both her hands were wooden buckets filled to the brim with water. ¡°Renji-san, thinking about something?¡± Another girl, with semi-long ck hair came to me to talk as well. It must be imagination that I felt some worry mixed in her voice. Since I was just dazing around, she might just have found it strange though. ¡°aah, no¡­¡­¡­.seems like the weather is going to get worse, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°fumu.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± When I said that, the woman looked at the sky as if she realized that just now. The ck haired girl as well, turned to look at the sky after her. The wind grew stronger and I felt chilly. The winter, as per the calendar, was still a bit far away but it was already fall/autumn here. Both me and the girl were wearing thick clothes but the blonde woman was lightly dressed in clothes that looked like the ones you wear to balls/dance parties. But even so, her expression showed no change and it didn¡¯t look like she felt cold at all. Apparently, she uses magic to neutralise both hotness and cold or something like that. I don¡¯t really understand well but, sounds pretty convenient. ¡°Rainy nights get really humid, I don¡¯t like it at all.¡±(girl) ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s like that for everyone.¡± The bonfire goes out due to the rain, sometimes rainwater even seems inside the tent as well. In summers, it gets humid and in winters, it gets cold enough that you could freeze to death. And above all, the rain hides the sound of footsteps of monsters and beats and removes their tracks so it gets really troublesome. In a sense, to adventurers, rain was their natural enemy. ¡°Do you hate rain?¡± Looking at me as I thought of such things, the blonde woman asked me that. Seeing her clear jade coloured eyes and beautiful looks, and her defenceless expression that no one would even think of being suspicious of, I gave a sigh. But when I did, getting worried of why I sighed, she only brought her face even closer. The only reason that my gaze always goes towards her soft-looking lips must be because we have been travelling for a long time now. ¡°Too close.¡± When I muttered that, the blonde woman¡¯s eyes slightly narrowed. ¡°It¡¯s not something you should worry about after all this time, is it?¡± Being told that with an almost tired sounding voice, somehow I was the one who felt bad suddenly. If I had to say, it¡¯s this woman¡¯s fault for having such a defenceless expression, right? ¡°So, what were you thinking about?¡±(woman) ¡°muu.¡± Behind the blonde woman, the ck haired girl puffed her cheeks¡­¡­..well she didn¡¯t look as cute as it sounds as she sent a sharp re towards me. She¡¯s like a bed of thorns, seriously. ¡°Nothing, was just thinking about how rain makes it feel so gloomy. Not to mention, all the troubles we have to go through for setting the camp. What about you, Aya?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­I, as well, don¡¯t like it much.¡± While taking one of the water buckets from the woman, I looked towards the girl. Was she not expecting me to turn the conversation towards her; she seemed to get stuck for words a bit and replied somewhat timidly. Did she find the girl¡¯s reaction to be suspicious? As the blonde woman¡¯s attention shifted from me towards the girl. Thank god for that. While thinking that, I started to walk as the wind blew once again. The girl¡¯s ck hair, as she walked along with the blonde woman, swayed in the air. It¡¯s been about one year since we havee to this world. Compared to when we hade here, the girl¡¯s hair seem to have grown quite a lot. Her hair, still a bit short to need tying up, along with her looks increasingly emphasized her growing from a girl but not yet a full woman. ¡°What is it?¡± I must have been in a daze again when that woman-like yet man-like voice resounded in my head. Looking towards her, surprisingly, she was looking at me as well. The girl beside her was blushing slightly. ¡°umm, did something happen?¡±(aya) ¡°You were staring at Aya, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Apparently, I had been unknowingly staring directly at the girl. No, I shook my head. ¡°Just thinking that your hair really has grown quite a bit, that¡¯s all.¡±(renji) ¡°Eh?¡± When I said that, the girl held her own hair and brought it in front of her own eyes to see. Thinking how cute she looked as she did that, I once again fixed my grip on the water bucket. ¡°Do you prefer smaller¡­¡­.¡±(aya) ¡°Hm?¡± Unable to hear thest bit, I asked her to repeat but she simply continued to look down. But just when I decided to walk back to the campsite¡­¡­.. ¡°Renji, do you prefer women with shorter hair?¡± ¡°Wai, Ermenhilde-san?!¡±(aya) ¡°Ohh.¡± The blonde woman spoke that, helping the girl. I see, so that¡¯s what she had asked. ¡°Well, let¡¯s see, I can¡¯t really say.¡± When I gave a shrug, the ck haired girl moved around her gaze trying to hide her embarrassment. Was it really that embarrassing to say? I thought that but I guess, women and men both must find different things to be important. But still, the blonde woman, who is supposedly the same gender as the girl, seemed to be confused seeing the girl¡¯s reaction. ¡°I don¡¯t really understand. Is the length of your hair supposed to be something important?¡± Saying that she held her own hair. Though her hair is mostly tied behind her back so you can¡¯t really tell its full length but the hair on the side of her head weren¡¯t tied and going by that, it should be very long. ¡°So, what is it?¡±(eru) ¡°Hm?¡±(renji) ¡°Hair. Do you prefer short hair?¡± ¡°You¡¯re really talkative today aren¡¯t you?¡± Even though normally she wouldn¡¯t even pay attention to things like these. Was the length of hair really that important to her now? ¡°Renji, I am your possession. There is a need to look the way you find the most pleasing.¡± ¡°No, there no such need.¡± I instantly rejected her words. I really did not like how this woman would prioritize me over herself. You should learn to treat yourself more preciously. Well, even like this, this is much better than how she was back when we met. But still, I really hope she learns to give preference to her own opinions rather than mine. Well, we¡¯ll change it slowly and steadily as we travel, I guess. While I was thinking of that, the ck haired girl who had not taken part in the conversation continued to stare at me. ¡°What is it?¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­..it¡¯s nothing.¡± And after a while, she gave a pout and averted her gaze. Maybe I worsened her mood by talking only to the blonde woman. Even though she looks more like an adult, as expected her thinking is still, suitable to her age, like that of a child¡¯s. ¡°So, Renji, what do you prefer, long hair or short hair?¡± ¡°I like both. Basically, it depends on the whether it suits the person or not.¡± ¡°I see.¡± If I had to choose, I do prefer long hair. But it was a bit embarrassing to say it out loud. When I said that while pretending that I didn¡¯t care much about it, the woman put her finger to her lips. Whenever she is thinking of something, this woman has a habit of doing that. And, the ck haired girl, I don¡¯t know what she was thinking, continued to give small nces towards me. Aah, even understanding what she wanted to say seemed a bit troublesome in such a situation. ¡°Ah¡ª¡ª¡± ¡°Then, Renji, does my hair suit me?¡±(eru) I¡¯m sure she didn¡¯t think much on it. The moment she came to this conclusion, she spoke up. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s all it was. But still, it feels a bit wrong to speak like that while covering what the girl was about to say. Though the girl¡¯s expression as she panicked having be unable to say anything seemed cute as well, she also looked a bit pitiful. But oh well, I couldn¡¯t really help her here and could only give a wry smile for now. ¡°I think it suits you.¡±(renji) ¡°I see.¡± See, I told you. She didn¡¯t think any further than that. There was no change in her even after I said that. She simply continued to twirl and y with her hair, that¡¯s all. Since she started walking away as well, I couldn¡¯t see her expression either. ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go back as well.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± The girl kept a slightly discontent yet wanting to say something-like expression and stood there for a while. But the girl as well, quickly matched pace with the woman and started walking. As usual, I ended up having to follow them, walking slightly behind those two as always. I wonder why I felt a bit lonely at that. After walking a bit, the wind blew again. Aah, it¡¯s really cold, seriously. Thinking back now, this might be the first time she asked something rted to herself, something unrted to her mission, I think. . . . [What happened, Renji?] ¡°Hm? Ahh.¡± Somehow, I felt neither sleepy nor tired. In fact, after quite a while, I felt well awake and conscious even though I just woke up. ¡­¡­¡­.Enough to even recall the dream I just saw. [What happened?] ¡°No, just, saw a dream, that¡¯s all.¡± [A dream?] ¡°Yeah.¡± Unable to even speak of what I saw, I shook my head. Getting up from the bed, I looked towards the window. It must be clear weather outside as the sunlight seemed to pass through even the curtains. It felt quite warm even though it was winter. Today, we¡¯ll have a pretty good weather as well it seems. [You alright?] It seems like I continued to be in a slight daze like that, as Ermenhilde asked that in a worried voice. ¡°Yeah. I think I just didn¡¯t get enough sleep maybe.¡± [Seriously. Did you drink too muchst night? How pathetic¡­¡­¡­] ¡°Don¡¯t say that. Drinking is one of my only few enjoyments in life, you know?¡± [I¡¯m saying don¡¯t drink too much. I¡¯m not telling you to not drink at all.] So harsh, seriously. While listening to Ermenhilde, I ended up giving a wry smile. I didn¡¯t really intend to drink too much but I¡¯m sure anyone else would have said the same thing. Just then, my door was knocked. When I rose up from my bed and gave an answer, the door was opened and Aya peeked in from behind the door and, confirming that I was awake, came in. Unlike inside my dream, her long hair had been tied to the side and her face looked more mature than that time as well. Comparing the Aya back then to the one now, I became unable to say anything. I felt that it¡¯d be rude. Without realizing what I was thinking, Aya came to me with a bright expression. Behind her, Souichi and Yayoi-chan also came. It looks like the childhood friends trio was having fun together today as usual. Aya and yayoi-chan won¡¯t be taking part in the individual battles so they were in their school academy uniforms. But Souichi was in his travelling/fighting clothes that I was used to seeing. Wearing thick and solid looking clothes, he had a undecorated sword on his waist. ¡°What happened?¡±(renji) ¡°We heard your voice inside so thought of inviting you for breakfast.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Was it time for breakfast already? Thinking that, I was about to get up but realized that I was still in my pajamas. ¡°Sorry, I just woke up.¡±(renji) ¡°As usual, you¡¯re weak in the mornings when you sleep on beds, eh?¡± ¡°For some reason, yeah. Even though I¡¯d be fine not even sleeping at all when we¡¯re outside camping.¡±(renji) Especially the beds in the castle are so soft that its actually troublesome. Maybe because the maids dry them everyday, they always smell nice as well. The three of them didn¡¯t really mind the way I looked right now but Aya alone slightly averted her gaze with red cheeks. ¡°What is it, Aya-chan?¡± ¡°Ueh!?¡± Realizing Aya¡¯s reaction, yayoi-chan said that to her to tease her. But still Aya, what was that sound you just made? I didn¡¯t say it but realizing my gaze, she blushed even more. And Yayoi-chan teased her even more. ¡°As usual, you guys get along well.¡±(renji) ¡°Not really though.¡± Souichi said that in a tired voice as he continued to move around his arm and shoulder as if his joints were aching. It looked stupid but I guess he must be trying to appeal to how tired he was. Seeing Souichi¡¯s actions, Aya turned to him hoping to save herself from teasing. ¡°What, want to say something to me?(aya) ¡°Oh no, nothing at all..¡± [¡­¡­¡­.the way you¡¯re talking is a bit weird Souichi.] I¡¯m guessing something must have happened after he lost to Masaki-chan yesterday. I could easily imagine what had happened making me realize that I, as well, have been with these three for quite a while now. ¡°Don¡¯t bully onii-chan too much, Aya-chan.¡±(yayoi) ¡°I¡¯m not bullying him. In the first ce, it¡¯s Souichi¡¯s fault. Why did he have to use Zwenelia¡¯s power there?¡±(aya) ¡°I, I didn¡¯t do it on purpose, it just happened. I couldn¡¯t help it!¡±(souichi) ¡°Learn to control yourself then. Even Masaki-san didn¡¯t use her demonic swords, did she?¡± ¡°uu¡­¡­.¡± I don¡¯t really care but don¡¯te to my room in the morning only to fight. Well, it¡¯s lively so I don¡¯t really hate it though. Seeing them quarrel like that only makes me smile anyway. Normally, with childhood friends and brothers and sisters, they grow more and more apart as they get older after all. At least in my case, only few of my friends from my childhood were in touch with me after we were in our twenties. That¡¯s why, seeing these three get along so well only made me feel warm inside. ¡°Well, Aya-chan seemed to be working hard for an impure motive though.¡±(yayoi) ¡°Wha, what are you saying, yayoi!?¡±9aya) Aya was continuing to scold Souichi but with just one word from Yayoi-chan, the tables instantly turned. [Impure motives?] Ermenhilde had been silent with me till now but she spoke there. When she did, as if she had been waiting for someone to ask, Yayoi-chan looked towards me and Ermenhilde with a wide smile. Even though normally she acts like sheltered noble girl, when its just these three¡­¡­..Actually, both Aya and Yayoi-chan instantly show their true faces when they are alone with people they arefortable with. ¡°Right, right. You know Aya-chan was¡­¡­¡­..¡±(Yayoi) ¡°Waahh!!¡± Yayoi-chan was about to say something but Aya quickly moved to block her mouth and Yayoi-chan ran around trying to avoid her. My room that had been quiet just a while ago had be so lively all of a sudden. At least don¡¯t jump around like that will you? Your uniform skirts are really short. ¡°Renji-niichan, sorry.¡±(souichi) I wonder what he thought of this as Souichi bowed his head in apology to me. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Well, for being so noisy¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Ha. Don¡¯t worry about it. I don¡¯t hate it when it¡¯s lively like this.¡± When I grinned while saying that, Souichiughed as well. ¡°If you guys are having fun, I¡¯m fine with it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.I still feel sorry for you though.¡± ¡°I said don¡¯t worry, didn¡¯t I?¡± [That¡¯s right, Souichi. Adults are supposed to spoil children like this.] ¡°No, but I¡¯m not a child anymore, Eru-san.¡± [Really?] ¡°If you were a bit more taller then maybe.¡±(renji) ¡°guhh¡­¡­¡­.You hit right where it hurts the most.¡±(souichi) After talking like that for a while, the door was knocked on again. This time, without even waiting for my reply, the door was opened up. ¡°As usual, this ce is always so lively.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t feel like it has been like that way for quite some while now for you to say ¡®as usual¡¯ though?¡±(renji) The one who had peeked while saying that was Masaki-chan. It seems she was filled with energy from morning as usual as she was wearing not her uniform but her lightweight equipment she uses. ¡°Good morning, everyone.¡±(masaki) ¡°Ah, morning, Masaki-san.¡± ¡°Good morning, Masaki-san.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Good Morning.¡± All four had their own way of greeting. Masaki-chan and Souichi were frank as usual. Aya who politely bowed as she greeted and Yayoi-chan who was at least smiling on the surface. For a second, I felt like sparks flew between Masaki-chan and Yayoi-chan but¡­¡­¡­even if this world is a fanatsy world, this must have been my imagination. Well, it¡¯s not like these two are on bad terms or anything either¡­¡­As long as it doesn¡¯t concern Souichi, that is. In fact if Souichi is not involved, I feel Yayoi-chan and Masaki-chan are on as good terms as the childhood friends trio themselves. It¡¯s that. They want the person they like to notice only them, or something like that. ¡°Morning, Masaki-chan.¡± ¡°Good morning, Yamada-san.¡± She greeted me with pleasant smile as well. Umu. I wonder if this was a man¡¯s instinct that I automatically went slightly on guard just by seeing the slight sparks between Masaki-chan and Yayoi-chan. Souichi beside me as well, looked like his face was cramping a bit. ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care today.¡±(masaki) ¡°That¡¯s my line. Please go easy on me okay?¡±(renji) ¡°fufu.¡± It¡¯s actually more scarier if youugh there you know. Recalling Souichi and Masaki-chan¡¯s fight yesterday, I could already feel my face stiffening up. I could barely even follow what was happening. It¡¯d be really difficult for me to even be able to receive this girl¡¯s attacks. ¡°hm?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± As if she knew my thoughts, she looked at me with an innocent, harmless smile. This damn sadist. ¡°But still, aren¡¯t you a bitte to wake up now?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t help it. I had a guest yesterday.¡± ¡°A guest? In this empty room?¡± ¡°I had alcohol.¡± Saying that, I looked towards the table set in the room and the empty bottle lying on it. Seeing that, both Souichi and Masaki-chan gave a sigh together. ¡°Is alcohol really that tasty?¡± ¡°More like, it calms me down?¡±(renji) ¡°Isn¡¯t that being over dependant on it¡­¡­..¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that bad.¡±(renji) Probably. Their gazes actually hurt. [See. That¡¯s how people look at you.] ¡°¡­.Nuu.¡±(renji) I looked at the medal lying near my pillow but the voice inside my head sounded like it had won already. [I am not saying that stop drinking but at least reduce the amount, will you?] ¡°But it¡¯s one of my only enjoyments.¡±(renji) [Swing your sword like you did long ago. If you started moving your body and work hard, you¡¯d get more sound sleep than by drinking.] Aah, my ears hurt. ¡°Well, Eru-san is¡­¡­..correct, I guess.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I have no allies here.¡±(renji) Goddamnit all. While I was thinking ofining about this to Toudou or Utano-san, Aya who had been ying around with Yayoi-chan looked towards me. She stopped following yayoi-chan around, and stood beside Masaki-chan. ¡°Who was the guest?¡±(aya) ¡°Oh, does that worry you Aya-chan?¡±(yayoi) Behind Aya, Yayoi-chan spoke to her close neough that it looked like she was whispering in her ears. ¡°Ah, mouu, Yayoi stay quiet for a while!¡±(aya) ¡°fufu, okaay ~¡±(yayoi) They really are on such good terms. While thinking that, I looked at Aya. ¡°It was Koutarou.¡±(renji) ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªfuun.¡± Her, though angry yet having fun expression instantly changed to a cold one resembling that of ake¡¯s surface. Ooh, scary. Souichi beside me, silently, but definitely shivered once. ¡°What did he say?¡±(aya) ¡°Nothing much. It was about work.¡±(renji) So Aya¡¯s hate for Koutarou has alreadye to this stage. Well, his personality is definitely one that will never be found tolerable by some kinds of people. But still, I could clearly see her face hold definite displeasure. [What¡¯s wrong, Aya.] ¡°No, nothing. As usual, he¡¯s doing something weird, eh?¡±(aya) [Him being weird is nothing new. That aside, why did you be so sullen just now?] ¡°I am not being sullen Eru.¡±(aya) That¡¯s obviously because Koutarou and Aya are like oil and water. Well, if I point that out the sparks would reach even me so I¡¯ll stay quiet though. And as usual unable to understand that, I pitied my partner who could still not learn how to read the mood. Or maybe should I pity Koutarou for being treated as a weirdo by even Ermenhilde. Well, let¡¯s pity them both. That¡¯s not going to change anything though. ¡°But, that¡¯s rare. For Koutarou-san toe here.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Un. He shows up at Yuuko-san¡¯s ce once in a while but even I haven¡¯t met him in quite a while.¡± When Souichi said that, I looked towards Masaki-chan next. ¡°Same here. In the end that man doesn¡¯t meet anyone other than those who y along with him or those who he needs to meet no matter what.¡±(masaki) ¡°Yeah, that sounds true.¡±(yayoi) It seems he hasn¡¯t shown himself to Masaki-chan either. Going by Yayoi-chan¡¯s words, he hasn¡¯t met her either. And I didn¡¯t even need to ask Aya. ¡°Well, in any case. That was that. Also, I want to change now so could you guys leave now?¡±(renji) ¡°Ah, sorry.¡± When I said that, Souichi apologised as everyone¡¯s representative. ¡°Well then, we¡¯ll save a seat for you at dining hall.¡± ¡°Oh, please do. You don¡¯t have to wait for me to eat though.¡±(renji) ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll wait.¡± Like I said, you don¡¯t have to. As I waved towards Souichi and the others as they left¡­¡­..I called Aya before she left. ¡°Aya.¡± ¡°yes?¡± What did I want to say? ¡ª¡ª¨CI recalled the dream I saw this morning. ¡°Your height.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­..yes?¡± ¡°It¡¯s grown.¡± It seems she didn¡¯t understand what I said as she left while tilting her head in confusion. Well, that was way too out of context I guess. [Just when I thought what you were going to say, what was that?] I also felt an unexinable atmosphere leaking from Ermenhilde as well. If she had a body, I¡¯m sure she¡¯d be looking at me with a cold gaze that¡¯d make me torment with guilt. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, it¡¯s the usual.¡± [Yeah, I guess so.] It¡¯s painful to actually not be refuted when I said that. AS I sighed while changing my clothes, Ermenhilde gave a sigh at me as well. I¡¯ll cry, damnit. ¡°Just,¡± [Just what?] ¡°¡­¡­.She was taller than the Aya I saw in my dreams, that¡¯s all.¡± [Houu.] When I said that, this time she made an amused voice that resounded in my head. [So you saw Aya in your dreams?] ¡°..¡­¡­something like that.¡± Not just her alone. But I don¡¯t have to say that, do I? Really, that¡¯s all. The Aya in my dreams was slightly shorter than now. Her hair was shorter as well, and the way she talked, her expressions, all were slightly different than the present Aya. But¡ª¡ª ¡°Haah.¡± [fufu. I¡¯ll tell this to Ayater.] ¡°wah¡­¡­.sounds amusing, I guess.¡± [Well Renji will be at the centre of it after all.] What kind of face would Eru inside my dreams make? I, before I realized, had started to forget how she looked. ¡°Say, Ermenhilde.¡± [What is it?] Her voice sounded like she was really enjoying this. Hearing her, I felt a bit more pleasant as well. ¡°Whether Utano-san or Aya, if I¡ª¡ª-¡± Saying till that, I shut up once again. Recently, I feel like the things I couldn¡¯t say to Ermenhilde till the end seems to have increased. Was it because I had not told everything to my partner, to Ermenhilde, like before? [What was that about Yuuko and Aya?] ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± I finished changing my clothes. They weren¡¯t some high ss clothes that nobles would wear. It as thick shirt and trousers that I wear while travelling. Putting the mithril sword on my waist, I fixed the iron knife on the back of my belt. [I see.] Her voice, was still pleasant and cheerful. She, even when I don¡¯t speak everything, won¡¯t say anything. Even if I chose Utano-san or Aya¡ª¡ª-I¡¯m sure, she¡¯d give me her blessing. ¨C ¡°¡± You will soon have to face Astraera.¡±¡± ¨C That bastard, saying that to me so easily. Not showing my emotions on my face, I picked up Ermenhilde lying near my pillow, and flicked the medal with my thumb. With a dry sound, it twirled in the air and fell into my palm. ¡°Heads, eh?¡± [Looks like luck will be on your side today.] Her bright, cheerful voice made my heart feel lighter. Chapter 52 Sword and Sword (2) Chapter 52 Sword and Sword (2) Handing over my mithril sword to the soldier standing in front of the waiting room, I slipped inside the room. Inside, there were at least 20 people sitting on chairs or passing time in different ways. Some were checking the sword provided to them by holding it up towards the sunlight while some were in deep concentration with their eyes closed and some were talking to acquaintances. To stay as far as possible from them, I sat down on the chair nearest to the wall which didn¡¯t stand out at all. ¡°haah.¡± [What¡¯s wrong?] ¡°I¡¯m starting to feel nervous.¡± [¡­¡­¡­.I should be the one sighing right now.] While hearing Ermenhilde¡¯s usual fed up voice, I saw a few more participants enter the room a little while after I did. A tall man with bright red hair, tanned skin and a face that looked truly like a mercenary, along with a short heighted guy who was probably the other one¡¯scky. And another familiar person that seemed to be in some sort of quarrel/argument with those two. A woman, dressed far more beautifully than those two, in a blue robe¡ª¡ªMs Francesca. It seems we were in the same waiting room. It seems she was able to get quite a good rest yesterday as her face looked fresh. But, she seemed to be troubled by the other two. Her usual gentle smile seemed to be stiffening up somewhat. But still, that red haired merc wasn¡¯t really taller than Ms Francesca. Well, she is pretty taller than the average women of this world after all. Yet, that man looked much bigger than her mostly because he was wearing full armour over his big muscles unlike her. ¡°I¡¯d overpoweredpletely if I had to fight someone like that.¡± [Only if you stupidly attack him head-on though.] That¡¯s true I guess. Well, I probably won¡¯t have to fight him though. But still, it feels so much more at ease when even one of your acquaintances is here. Seeing Ms Francesca here, I felt myself rx a bit. It seems Souichi and Masaki-chan were in the other waiting room so I was feeling a bit a lonely. [They seem to be in some kind of argument, you know?] ¡°yeah, I can see that.¡± She still hasn¡¯t noticed me yet. Not knowing how to handle this, she seemed to be simply trying to return a smile somehow. Even her voice when refuting seemed somewhat weak. Judging by that, the man would probably not fall back at all. In fact, he seemed to be almost enjoying it. When dealing with such types of guys, it¡¯s a bit problematic to instantly go against them and provoking them even more as well but if you don¡¯t stand strong you would let them get cocky. Especially, in front of a timid woman. ¡°How lively.¡± [How about asking that man if he could share half of his energy with you?] ¡°fumu, that might be interesting.¡± [¡­¡­¡­..haah.] Looking at guys like those, you might not be wrong to feel that all mercenaries are rough and rude like that man, I feel. But I know that not all are like that. But just because there¡¯s one guy like that, all of them get a bad reputation. Though the room was never silent, but their presence made the room all the more noisy. Maybe he found the noise to be actually nice, he started to speak even louder and rougher. [Not going to help her?] ¡°Hmm, what should I do?¡± Saying that, I continued to look at Ms Francesca. I wonder if she¡¯ll able to get rid of him by herself? If it seems impossible, I¡¯ll just go up and talk to her directly but for now, I continued to watch the situation. Things like these turn to be good experience as well, sometimes. If you were to live as a noble, there won¡¯t be much chances to interact much with mercenaries but the possibility is not zero. After all, nobles holdnd and to protect thatnd from monsters, you have to hire mercs sometimes. It would be better to know what kind of people consist of mercs. On concentrating to hear them a bit better, I came to know that the red haired man was actually Ms Francesca¡¯s opponent in the first round. Judging by his body movements, he should be pretty skilled as well. His weapon was arge sword, just like Ms Francesca¡¯s previous opponent yesterday. There was a two-hand sword with almost no decorations resting on his back. That said, it¡¯s not like he¡¯d use that one in the tournament as well. He¡¯d probably have to use one of therge swords prepared by the authorities for the tournament. Though Ms Francesca has gained some experience of fighting againstrge swords in her previous battle¡­¡­¡­¡­this time, her opponent is a person who has fighting as his job, literally, and not a student. He¡¯d be in apletely different level from the student, or the fighters who underestimated her in the round 1 and 2 of the team tournament. While speaking to Ms Francesca, the man also kept on sending res towards the rest of the participants in the room. And some did avert their gazes at that as well. He was bragging about how he was confident of his victory. I guess, he must have a lot of confidence in his own skills to talk like that. But this was the waiting room of the Coliseum. It would be best to keep those words deep in your heart and was better to show it through results. All he was doing right now was garnering animosity. [Hou..That man sure seems pretty confident of his victory.] ¡°It¡¯d be great if he could.¡± [¡­¡­¡­.Should you be saying that?] Even Ermenhilde reacted to that man¡¯s words. Her words seem to entice me by implying that ¡®He¡¯s nning to win against you as well, Renji.¡¯ But since she didn¡¯t say that out loud, I¡¯m gonna pretend I didn¡¯t get her. In the first ce, he has to first fight Ms Francesca before me. It¡¯s as if Emenhilde¡¯s saying that Ms Francesca would definitely lose to that man. Well, I can¡¯t deny that she does seem to be at a disadvantage against that man. ¡°Ahn!?¡± Did he hear my voice as I responded to Ermenhilde, the red haired man looked towards me. He seemed to be quite angry as well. Alongside him, Ms Francesca made a surprised face as well as she hid her mouth with her hand. AS expected of a beauty, she looked great even while making such a face. But still, how the hell did that man even hear me? The man imed that he¡¯d win and I said that it¡¯d be great if he could. ¡­¡­¡­¡­.I didn¡¯t really mean it in an instigating kind of way but it definitely sounds like I did. Probably because recently Feirona and others have started to talk to Ermenhilde as well, I grown a bitx with my mouth. I¡¯m pretty sure noone other than me and Ms Francesca heard Ermenhilde here. ¡°Ah, I wasn¡¯t really making fun of you. I¡¯ll apologise if you were offended.¡±(renji) [Why do you have to¡­¡­..um, wasn¡¯t there a better way to say it?] Before he could saying anything, let¡¯s apologise first. ¡®After all it¡¯d be embarrassing to say something like ¡®I have a habit of talking to myself¡¯. And above all, it¡¯s no use stirring up trouble here. If tournamentmittee member, Utano-san, got a wind of it and decided to warn us, it won¡¯t end well¡­¡­¡­.Though I feel like I¡¯d be the only who¡¯ll get scolded. Well in any case, even this guy wouldn¡¯t want to face that in front of so many people. That¡¯s what I thought but I guess the red haired merc really didn¡¯t find it amusing at all. He must have thought that he had been made a fool of as he walked towards me with force that as if he was trying to make the earth rumble. As he kicked away the table that was in his way, the participants looked at me with irritated gazes¡­¡­¡­It¡¯s not like this is my fault, is it? ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say something really funny?¡±(redhair) He stood right in front of me. His height wasn¡¯t much different than mine but since I was sitting, it ended up with him looking down at me. He looked like an enraged beast making me confused in deciding how to reply. But to him, not saying anything must have irritated him even more as he punched the wall I was resting my back on. To have not grimaced even at that, he must be pretty well trained. ¡°Sorry. I wasn¡¯t really trying to make you angry.¡± ¡°Aahn!?¡± [Couldn¡¯t you just beat him down right here, right now?] I¡¯ll be the one who¡¯d end up getting beaten, I feel like. I guess his attitude must be really irritating for Ermenhilde. Well, it¡¯s the same for me as well though. Even though the tournament was about to start, why do I have to go through something this in the waiting room? His arm that was currently right beside my face was thicker than even mine. But not in the fatty, unhealthy way. It was truly well trained, muscled arm. My response must have seemed really irritating to him as even blood vessels were popping out on his arm. Even though the ones I truly enjoy teasing are Ermenhilde, Ms Francesca and Souichi only who give really funny reactions. ¡°Oi, can you not hear me!?!¡± ¡°I can.¡±(renji) But still, your face is too close. I feel like his spit woulde on me which would be disgusting. It seems my feelings showed on my face as he got even more angry with a red face. The other participants, though had full attention towards us, acted like it didn¡¯t concern them and didn¡¯t try to help me out at all. I feel like crying, seriously. But, oh well, if it was me in their ce, I¡¯d act the same though. ¡°C¡¯mon, the tournament is close right? Why don¡¯t you try and rest your body a bit?¡±(renji) ¡°Hah! As if I¡¯d lose to a brat like that. The [Hero]¡¯s disciple? Haha, sounds like the best opponent to raise my fame.¡± [Is what he says.] ¡°No, like I have said a countless time, I have not taught her anything that would make her my disciple, you know¡­¡­¡­.¡± Saying that, I gave a sigh. But then, suddenly, everyone in the room suddenly went silent. What now? It feels so awkward suddenly. ¡°Then, you are¡­¡­¡­?¡±(redhair) ¡°Well. My name isn¡¯t ¡®you¡¯ so I don¡¯t know who you¡¯re referring to though.¡± Only at times like these, my titlese handy. Since my face wasn¡¯t known rumours seemed to have spread quite a lot and it was pretty effective on such random people who try to pick a fight for no reason. This world isn¡¯t made of societies that are advanced in information tech like my previous one and is based more around your own merits and abilities. As the human who killed the threat that put the world in chaos, the [Demon God]; just that fact alone made others put me on a higher level than their own. Now, as long as I don¡¯t cower too much, like I was right now, it¡¯s more than enough. ¡°Ms Francesca, how¡¯s your condition?¡±(renji) ¡°Ah, yes. I was able to sleep well yesterday.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Averting my gaze from the red haired man, I turned towards Ms Francesca, who was looking at our interchange along with the small heighted man. Looking closely, that man was actually even shorter than Ms Francesca. Well, she really is taller than average though. ¡°That was misfortunate, eh?¡±(renji) ¡°No¡­¡­.¡±(fran) As I moved away without even meeting my eyes with the red haired man, he simply stepped away making a awkward face. And the short heightedcky ran away following after him. I felt like my life span reduced a bit getting threatened like that by heavy muscr man like that one. Since I did something I wasn¡¯t used to, I felt even more tired. Resting my back towards the wall, I sat down beside Ms Francesca. ¡°Haah. The participants in this tournament sure are hot blooded.¡±(renji) [You¡¯re one of those participants as well though?] ¡°All of my blood was drained away a year back already.¡± [Haah.] While listening to Ermenhilde¡¯s sigh, I turned towards Ms Francesca. Maybe because she was a bit nervous, her expression was slightly stiff. There was than red haired man¡¯s case as well. I hope she doesn¡¯t get too affected by this. Maybe, it could be that Ms Francesca might not have much immunity against men other than me and Feirona. And even with us, even though we have travelled quite a bit together, I have not heard her make any light/frivolous talk with any of us. ¡°You okay?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes. What about you Renji-sama¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°I feel like I am about to get crushed from just the pressure.¡± [You¡¯re still saying that? How pathetic.] ¡°fufufu.¡± As I spoke such foolish things, Ms Francesca gave a smallugh. Seeing her in a good mood, I also gave a smile as I stood up. There¡¯s still time till my turn but I should go and choose my weapon already. ¡°Today, you are not in your armour?¡±(fran) ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Yesterday, you were in full armour while with the king, were you not?¡± ¡°My fighting style depends more on moving around swiftly rather than holding my ground in one ce with heavy armour after all.¡± ¡°Well, I know that but¡­¡­¡­.¡± I guess, I really do look stronger when in armour. Well, I guess there¡¯s no one else who¡¯d take part in the tournament wearing nothing but normal clothes just for the heck of it. But this isn¡¯t a game after all. It¡¯s better to rely on your most trusted way of fighting. Even if you get strong armour or weapon, in the end the thing you can rely on the most is your own body. [She seems pretty worried for you, you know?] ¡°Ah, no, how can my worries be..¡±(fran) ¡°¡­¡­So you don¡¯t get worried for me at all?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s¡­¡­¡­that¡¯s not what I-!¡± Well, that¡¯d be sad in its own way but seeing her getting all flustered and embarrassed, I felt calmed down. But still, since others couldn¡¯t hear Ermenhilde, it¡¯ll look like Ms Francesca was getting embarrassed while talking to me. I wonder what others are thinking. ¡°Don¡¯t tease her too much.¡±(renji) [Aren¡¯t you the one who¡¯s always teasing her though?] ¡°I¡¯m allowed to.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t fair, Renji-sama¡­¡­..¡±(fran) Ignoring all that, I decided to help Ms Francesca get out of her embarrassment. Her neckline, that¡¯s normally hidden with her hair was currently visible as her hair were tied back with a ribbon and I could see her porcin white skin clearly tinged in a red shade. As I gave a smallugh seeing that, I felt like Ms Francesca¡¯s skin became even redder probably because she heard it. ¡°Ms francesca, what about your weapon?¡± ¡°Eh, AH, Ah, I, my weapon is..¡± When I asked that trying to change the topic, she looked towards the short sword at her waist. In a panic she tried to hold it but instead almost dropped it down. It seems she¡¯s going to use that sword today as well. Going by her match yesterday, that sword wasn¡¯t really very dependable. That said, it¡¯d be useless to change her sword right now as she won¡¯t get used to using the new one so fast. I wouldn¡¯t care much since it¡¯s me and Mururu on the front lines but when it¡¯s one on one, I felt like her sword was slightlycking. ¡°Will you be fine?¡± ¡°I have had this with me from the start of my journey after all.¡± [I see. So that sword is your partner, eh?] ¡°¡­¡­¡­.even though you get angry when I say that.¡±(renji) [fufu. It¡¯s not like that.] Liar. While I said that inside my mind, Ms Francesca gave augh as well. Done with that, I walked towards the weapons kept in the room while scratching my head. There were others choosing weapons as well but they all gave way for me. I guess I stood out a bit too much due to that red haired guy. While feeling a bit awkward, I picked up an orthodox double-edge straight sword. It¡¯s de has been dulled but it¡¯s length and width was close to the mithril sword I had been carrying around for the past few days. After that, I tried a few more but the one I chose first seemed to be the easiest to use. Thinking that, I attached it to my waist. When, the red haired man came beside me. Does he have something more to say, I looked at him but he silently looked at the weapons and picked up a heavy lookingrge sword. In terms of just pure strength, I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯d lose to him. ¡°Heroes, are pretty thin huh.¡± ¡°Hm?¡±(renji) ¡°I said, you¡¯re pretty thin.¡± It seems he realized that I was looking at his muscles. But still, to be called thin¡­¡­¡­. ¡°How nostalgic.¡±(renji) ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± I recalled being told that so many times back in the past. Normally, I think people gain quite a bit of muscle when they train a lot but for some reason, I had a constitution that didn¡¯t let me gain much muscles. It¡¯s not like I have none. But it¡¯s not like this man or O¡¯brien-san who focus on strength unlike me and Masaki-chan who focus on speed. It¡¯s that kind of difference but well, as a man, it¡¯s pretty envious to not have a muscr body. At least, I was envious before because I remember specifically training just to gain some more muscle. That said I never did gain more muscle than what was required for me to swing a sword properly. ¡°I, will defeat your disciple.¡± ¡°Is that so? Good luck.¡± Having chosen my sword, I turned my back at him. I could feel his bloodlust making my expression almost go stiff. If it was the past me, the actually really thin me, I would honestly be shivering right now. But still, oh well. It feels weird to say that I¡¯ve gotten to used to feeling bloodlusts now. ¡°Then, will you fight me as well?¡± ¡°hah?¡±(renji) But, while I was mocking my own self, he said something like that in an excited voice. I ended up turning reflexively only to see him stare with a cool gaze. ¡°You¡¯re really thin.¡± ¡°I heard that before.¡±(renji) ¡°In the past, I used to think that you¡¯d be a bigger guy.¡± ¡°Is that so? Well, sorry for being thin.¡± He¡¯s probably talking about the time when we were still on our journey. Maybe back then, we might have met somewhere. I have no memory of that though. I have literally met hundreds and thousands of mercenaries while travelling after all. If I wasn¡¯t really close with them, I won¡¯t recall who was who. But still, he sure is not holding himself back. He¡¯s probably strong¡­¡­..even more than Ms Francesca maybe. I could feel it from his confidence and way of talking. [You just got told.] ¡°I¡¯m used to it.¡± [Like I said, couldn¡¯t you change that? Like by showing your skill, or that you¡¯re actually pretty amazing after all or something like that.] Ermenhilde, unusually, tried to tease me a bit. It¡¯s probably not just my imagination that her voice seemed a bit worried as well. As usual, she¡¯s easy to understand. ¡°Your ability is not something you have to talk about. The ones who would decide how skilled I am are the spectators.¡± [fufu, that¡¯s true.] ¡°Saying that you¡¯re strong only to loseter is nothing but shameful.¡± Even I would be unable to bear such an embarrassment. [I think only Renji can handle that much talk-down without getting angry.] ¡°I just don¡¯t really care about it.¡± [Though I do think you should care a bit.] ¡°¡­¡­.seriously.¡± As I returned back to Ms Francesca after choosing my sword, she was currently in the process of retying her hair with her ribbon. Her beautiful golden hair were tied behind her back and then flowed down in a single bunch. Since I had seen her in any other hairstyle other than with her usual loose open hair, it felt really fresh. It¡¯s amazing how much a woman can change just from changing their hairstyle. While I was thinking that, her gaze turned towards me. Her pure white skin at her neck almost felt too dazzling to see. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±(fran) ¡®Nah, just thinking that I haven¡¯t seen that ribbon of yours before.¡± ¡°Ah, yesterday, Mururu-chan and Feirona-san chose it for me.¡± [I see.] Along with Ermenhilde, I said ¡®I see¡¯ as well. The colour contrast between her white ribbon and golden hair mixed to turn into a gentle colour making those who looked at it feel calm. It¡¯s amazing that Feirona and Mururu actually knew what to chose that would suit her best. But still, ¡°It really suits you.¡±(renji) ¡°Really? Thank you.¡± [Yeah. It looks great on you.] ¡°Yes. I got a ribbon that matched Mururu-chan¡¯s hair and in return I bought her a golden ribbon that matched mine.¡± ¡°Wait, that¡¯s weird.¡±(renji) ¡°Eh?¡± She got that ribbon as a reward for her performance in the team tournament right? Is it okay to gift something back for that¡­¡­¡­¡­.? Well, if she¡¯s happy then I have no right to say anything. ¡°I see.¡±(renji) [Even a beastwoman, who has lived only half age of what Renji has, is more resourceful than Renji.] ¡°you, where the hell did you learn to talk like that?¡± Why is it that her voice, that was worried for me just a while ago had now turned into a sharp cold de? Well true, long hair would be in the way when fighting and even when living on as an adventurer, or even as living as a noble, a ribbon is very good gift I think¡­¡­¡­.but, why do I feel so left out? No, well, recently I have been really busy so I haven¡¯t been able to meet Feirona and others much either so I can¡¯t reallyin. It is kind of my fault but¡­¡­¡­somehow, I feel a bit bad for doing that. I felt my face go stiff from the slight guilt of having not met them at all for the past few days. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Renji-sama?¡± ¡°¡ª¨Cnah..¡± [haah.] And once again, my partner gave a very human-like sigh. How many times is she going to sigh in just one day? ¡°As expected, my partner can only be you, Ermenhilde.¡± [Is that so?] My partner¡¯s voice was cold. Hearing our talk, ms Francesca gave a giggle. ¡°As usual, you two are really close huh¡±(fran) ¡°¡­¡­Eh?¡±(renji) [¡­¡­¡­..] Just that single word alone made Ermenhilde¡¯s mood be even worse. Well, I knew this¡¯d happen though But if I could get Ms Francesca tough like this, I¡¯d even happily bow down to Ermenhildeter. Her nervousness seems to have disappearedpletely now. And the smile she had right now was the same she showed when she waspletely rxed while we were travelling together. At times like these, Mururu¡¯spany would have suited her better but if I were to let a non-participant in here, it¡¯d only look like I was abusing my status and authority. In the first ce, I hate standing out like that. Not to mention, it¡¯d only cause more trouble towards Ms Francesca as well. ¡°It¡¯d be nice if my sword could talk like Ermenhilde-sama as well.¡±(fran) ¡°Really? I have to bear with her nitpicking you know?¡± [That¡¯s because you¡¯re undisciplined.] ¡°Well, it is a plus that it¡¯s not lonely even when alone.¡± [Muu.] ¡°Ah but still, her nitpicking is¡­¡± [Like I said, that¡¯s¡ª¡ª] Ms Francesca looked at our exchange with amusement. Back then, she was pretty formal towards even Ermenhilde but she¡¯s gotten pretty rxed around her nowadays. She¡¯s gotten used to it, I guess you could say that. That¡¯s why she said that, I think. A talking weapon. True, that might sound like something you¡¯d really want. It¡¯s pretty chuuni, I guess. I recall both Souichi and Koutarou were really excited about Eru at first. Ms Francesca might have a different reason though. ¡°But Ermenhilde is my partner. That alone, I won¡¯t give to even you, Ms Francesca.¡±(renji) [Of course. I am only Renji¡¯s¨C.] ¡°¨CPartner.¡± [¨CWeapon.] Our usual dialogue. I can¡¯t even count how many times we¡¯ve had this same conversation¡ª¡ªwe¡¯re both stubborn like children. On this topic alone, we won¡¯t give in to each other no matter what. I want Ermenhilde as my partner and she wants me to treat her as a weapon. But, this is just fine. Because we¡¯re like this, we have fun togther. Even though we want suchpletely pr opposite things, I trust ermenhilde from the bottom of my heart. And she trusts me back as well. ¡°fufufu.¡± Seeing our exchange, that she must have seen many times already in the past few months, Ms Francesca simplyughed. ¡°Renji-sama.¡± ¡°hm?¡± ¡°I hope we can fight in the 2nd round.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± [Hm?] When she said that, both me and Ermenhilde made a stupid sound. Even Ms Francescsa herself looked at us surprised at that. ¡°Is my 2nd matchup against Ms Francesca!?!¡±(renji) ¡°Why are you so surprised at that!?¡±(fran) [Why are both of you so surprised? That said, I am a bit surprised as well.] ¡°No, who cares whether you are surprised or not?¡±(renji) [Muu.] But really, I tilted my head in confusion. What the hell was Utano-san thinking when making the tournament table? Beside me, Ms Francesca was making a sad face. ¡°Only a little more is fine but, it¡¯d be great if you could notice me a bit more.¡±(fran) [Seriously. I¡¯m sorry that hecks such resourcefulness.] ¡°Why the hell are you apologising?¡±(renji) I¡¯ll cry, goddamnit. Ahh¡­¡­¡­Really, I have not been seeing anything around me. I just think about myself and am truly be indifferent towards others. Even though I myself ampletely dependent on others. I had not realized it at all. O¡¯brien-san, Masaki-chan. I was worried about those two and didn¡¯t think about anything else. How narrow-sighted of me. Really, the world I look at is really small. ¡°What happened, Renji-sama?¡± Getting worried about me who was drooping his shoulders, Ms Francesca asked me so. Her voice was brimming with kindness. ¡°Nah. It¡¯d be great if both of us could win through to the 2nd round.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes!¡± I¡¯m pretty sure she knows who my opponent is. That¡¯s why, she must have been worried. So that she could fight me in the second round. AS a student as an adventurer. I¡¯m pretty sure that after she graduates from the academy, Ms Francesca will have to quit being an adventurer. As a beautiful and skilled noble, there was no reason to live as something risky like an adventurer. That¡¯s why, at thisst stage, at least¡ª¨Cshe wants to fight against herrade with whom she has been travelling for so long. I¡¯m sure that after that, she¡¯d be able to part ways with a smile. The life of an adventurer is a constant cycle of meetings, farewells and reunions. Feeling a bit sad, we both went silent. As if they had been waiting for it, my name was announced. ¡°Ah.¡± The voice that came from beside me was filled with anxiousness. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you, in the second round.¡±(renji) That¡¯s why, I said that. But still, the anxiety and concern in her eyes didn¡¯t disappear. So I brought out Ermenhilde from my pocket and handed it over to her. ¡°Keep it. As a good luck charm. It¡¯s an item blessed by the gods themselves.¡±(renji) ¡°Is it okay?¡± [Yeah. Will you be fine alone?] ¡°I¡¯m not a kid anymore.¡±(renji) As usual, you talk like a mother in the weirdest of ces. ¡°It¡¯s a substitute for the ribbon. After the tournament ends, I¡¯ll give you a proper gift as well.¡±(renji) ¡°Eh¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°it¡¯s a promise.¡± Aah, I muttered in my head. I ended up saying that. I ended up promising again. Promises are heavy. It¡¯s to say them but difficult to fulfil. If you are unable to fulfil them, you betray not just the person you promised but yourself as well. Both end up hurt. Even though I¡¯m supposed to know that already, still I¡ª¨C made a promise. Being led to the entrance, I thought. ¡°Haah.¡± I got another reason to not lose. The sword on my waist felt so fragile that I couldn¡¯t calm down. At times like these, normally, Ermenhilde would make some light talk and calm me but she wasn¡¯t here either. Haah¡ª Seriously, how lonely. Chapter 53 Sword and Sword (3) Chapter 53 Sword and Sword (3) While ascertaining that my sword was on my waist, as I climbed up into the arena, an extremely loud cheer that could explode one¡¯s eardrums rose. Realizing that at least half of those cheers were for me, I almost felt my body freeze from fear and nervousness. Really, I¡¯m not used to being in front of so many people. At times like these, I¡¯d talk to Ermenhilde or myrades to avert my thoughts but¡­..right now, I was alone. Aah, I really am so helpless when alone. While I gave bitter smile realizing that, from my opposite side¡ª-O¡¯brien-san entered the stage. With grizzled blonde hair and a well maintained beard. Even though he is well past the age of being in active duty, he is a great man that still stands at the very forefront of the army while swinging his sword. His body was covered in the full te iron armour used by the Knight Order. Normally it¡¯s what lower level knights wear but its perfect for use in such a tournament. As expected, if he were to wear his full mithril armour here, it¡¯d be really unfair. In his hands was a two-hand sword which was longer and heavier than the one on my waist. Unlike me and Masaki-chan who focus on fast shes, his sword style focuses on smashing and hacking down the enemy. Once more, loud cheers rose. But somehow, the cheers felt slightly lesser than mine. Must be my imagination. It seems O¡¯brien-san himself realized that as he was giving a rare wry smile. Judging by his eyes and expression, he seems to be in a pretty good mood. When he¡¯s pissed, just standing in front of him, his stare alone would make it feel like your life span is getting shortened. ¡­¡­¡­¡­it¡¯s the kind of fear only people who have witnessed it can understand. ¡°It seems you¡¯re the more popr one.¡±(ob) ¡°I doubt that. If they knew how I really was, it¡¯ll probably disappearpletely.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be too sure of that.¡± Inside my head, the magic [voice] resounded. It¡¯s gave an introduction for me and O¡¯brien-san as normally done in such tournaments. In fact, like right now¡ª¡ª-this isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯m standing in such an arena. It¡¯s a great ce to win money and also a really good opportunity to test your own skill as well after all. To see how strong you are, to test how much you can fight alone. For me, who was the weakest of the 13, a ce like this Coliseum where you fight with blunt swords was a pretty convenient ce. At times, I was made to fight against monsters acquired by ve merchants as well though. ¡°Back then, you did train here quite a lot, eh?¡±(ob) ¡°It feels really nostalgic. To think, 3 years have already passed from that time.¡± I wonder, how long did we actually stay in the Imnesia continent¡­¡­.I think it was less than even a year. After getting used to fighting in this continent, getting used to killing monsters, we ustomed ourselves to fight with swords and magic. After that, we went to Elfreim continent where we had to fight actually strong monsters and demon¡ª-and finally, we went to Abenelm where we had to face off against whole armies of monsters and Demons, and then finally fought the Demon Lord and then the Demon God. Recalling those times, I realized how peaceful Imnesia continent already was inparison. Though the threat of monsters was there, they still had theposure of capturing those monsters to make them fight in the Coliseum in the end. Well, it¡¯s not like I, who had to fight desperately even against such weak monsters, have any right toin though. ¡°You were always so close to crying.¡±(ob) ¡°I didn¡¯t, in the end though¡­¡­¡­¡± This Knightmander who knew a lot of my embarrassing past spoke of such things with a broad grin andughed. He must be reallyughing recalling all sorts of things inside his mind. Not all, but I could remember a lot fo them as well so all I could do was just scratch my cheek and give a wry smile. Once I got used to fighting withrades, the next was to learn how to fight one-on-one, then against many while alone; all this was drilled into me here in this arena in the name of training. It¡¯s still actually kind of a slight trauma for me. I recall when I was told to fight against many goblins inside this arena with nothing more than this blunt weak-looking sword. I was sure I¡¯d die that day. It¡¯s said that the arena is a ce to test your skill and guts, but I really wish they¡¯d not put my life on the line as well. There¡¯s a limit to how spartan you can be. ¡­¡­¡­..thanks to that, I was able to survive till now though and have been able to travel even alone. But still, recalling those memories still make me hope that he could have been a bit more gentle with me. Seriously, I really dide close to crying so many times. ¡°Well, an adult can¡¯t cry in front of kids after all, right?¡±(renji) ¡°Ha¡ª¡ªcertainly, that¡¯s true.¡±(ob) When I said that, O¡¯brien-san gave a broad smile. In my opinion, adults have to look good when in front of kids no matter what. Even if you are unsightly, andpletely not cool, I really don¡¯t want to think of myself as being not cool. I don¡¯t want the kids to see me like that. An adult is a person who¡¯s made out of stupid pride alone. And for that pride alone, he must work as hard as possible and can be as strong as he can. At least, that¡¯s what adults are in my opinion. ¡°So, have you gotten any stronger from then?¡±(ob) ¡°I wonder.¡± The magic [voice] continued to speak inside my head. After finishing my and O¡¯brien-san¡¯s introduction, it was speaking about our journey¡ª¨Cabout the monsters we fought, etc. Hearing myself being introduced like some cool, super powerful warrior, I only felt embarrassed and felt like getting out of here as fast as I could. Yesterday, I wasughing when hearing Souichi, Masaki-chan and Aya¡¯s intros but right now, when I was the one being talked about, I couldn¡¯tugh at all. The only oneughing was the knight who held the same merits and result as the ones being told except for a few. While lightly talking with O¡¯brien-san, I drew my sword. And O¡¯brien, who had already unsheathed his sword, put it up on his shoulders as usual. ¡°Show me, how much you¡¯ve grown.¡±(ob) ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care.¡±(renji) I doubt the spectators can hear our talk. That¡¯s why we can talk like that. What I¡¯m wished to be, is a Hero. A Hero known as Yamada Renji. The hope of humanity, the existence that reaches a helping hand out to those in pain, never losing¡­¡­¡­an undefeatable hero. But still, since I¡¯m standing here¡ª¡ªI have to answer to those, almost selfish, expectations. That¡¯s the kind of existence a Hero is. I wonder if I¡¯m the only one who thinks like that. ¡­¡­¡­¡­even though to always win is an almost impossible task for me. Well, I think that you¡¯d say that I shouldn¡¯t stand here if I truly feel that way though. In the end, even while using my debt to Utano-san as an excuse¡ª¡ªlike this, I might be influencing someone right now. It¡¯s annoying to have so many expectations of me but still, I am¡­¡­¡­¡­just like before, someone who gets lonely easily. Holding the sword in my right hand, I rxed my body. I took no stance. In the first ce, this knight in front of me never taught me any specific style of fighting. There was form or type to the way I fight. I have not learned Battoujutsu like Masaki-chan or the sword forms the Knight Order teaches either. My way of fighting was the way to survive, the way to kill monsters. That¡¯s all this knight taught me. ¡°Fuu.¡± ¡°¡ª¨CYou don¡¯t seem very nervous now.¡±(ob) ¡°If I was, I¡¯d die in the very first second after all.¡± ¡°fuh¡­¡­..I guess I don¡¯t have to hold back then.¡± No, if you can please hold back against me. If he did what he said, even in front of so many people, he really wouldn¡¯t care a bit as he smashes me all over the ce. Giving a bitter smile, I took a deep breath once more. I said that but, I still am a bit nervous. I feel like the strength I was putting in my grip was stronger than even when I¡¯m facing monsters. I¡¯m well aware of O¡¯brien-san¡¯s strength. He has the destructive strength in a single swing of hisrge sword topletely destroy the floor I was standing on. Even if his sword is a blunt one, that won¡¯t change. I¡¯m sure, if his opponent was anyone other than me, he¡¯d hold back his full strength. But against me, he¡¯d go all out. That¡¯s the kind of man he is. I am well aware of that. That¡¯s why, I want to answer him back properly. Fighting at full strength¡ª-I want to win. Unrted to me being a Hero and whatnot, I just want to win against O¡¯brien-san. This past one year, I spent it freely. Averting my gaze that was still in chaos after the war with demons and the Demon God, I went away on my travels. While I spending time like that, O¡¯brien-san was working hard and doing his best to bring stability to the country and to end the chaos. That¡¯s why, at least here, I want to fight him with my full strength. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s just my own selfish excuse though. ¡ª¡ª-Inside my head, the magic [voice] finally stopped. ¡°OOHH!!¡± The next instant, even though he was wearing that heavy armour, O¡¯brien-san closed in on me with just a few steps. His force was incredible and my body almost went stiff from the pressure. He swung his sword at me with unimaginable destructive force behind it. It would be impossible for me to take that on with the sword I was holding. Without reacting to his yell, I kept my calm and dodged the swing by bending back my body. The pressure from the sword made my clothes sway as the sword crashed into the stone floor. Without even looking at that, I swung my sword. I aimed for his neck. But he blocked that instantly with the gauntlet on his left hand that had let go of his sword. A loud metallic ng resounded in my ears. Even though my strikes aren¡¯t that powerful as his, though it wouldn¡¯t wound him, it should still have numbed his hand. Yet, without showing any change in expression, he used his right hand to swing back hisrge sword. I stopped the swing with my foot and used that momentum to jump away to create some distance between us. In this world, most swords are mass produced ones. Since they are produced like that, most don¡¯t have much sharpness. If it was some mithril sword made solely for one user, it would take various things into consideration like more sharpness and habits of the wielder but swords like these, that are given in the Coliseum, are not like that. Above all, for the tournament they were blunted as well. So it was possible for me to block it with just my boot. It¡¯s a technique you shouldn¡¯t use in an actual battle even by mistake. ¡°Houu, you¡¯re like an acrobat.¡±(ob) ¡°I¡¯m not that good.¡± Lowering my waist, I held my longsword with both hands. Every weapon has its own advantage. While recalling the teachings of O¡¯brien-san, I took another deep breath. Advantages of a long sword, advantages of arge two hand sword. At the same time, all had their own weaknesses as well. All of that was thoroughly trained into me. You could say that it had been carved into my body even. Told through words then exined through my body. I was trained till it felt like I didn¡¯t have any arms. How nostalgic, really. ¡°Well, well, what are you going to do next?¡±(ob) ¡°let¡¯s see¡­¡± Even when I aimed for his neck, it was easily deflected. It clearly showed that there was a reason this man was still in active duty even at his age. His reflexes were at an astonishing level. Seeing my own full strength attacks deflected so easily, I became even more cautious. As if he found it amusing, O¡¯brien-san once again took his usual stance of having his sword on his shoulder. He¡¯s going to swing with his full strength once more. This man doesn¡¯t use any tricky moves. At least in one-on-one battles like this. The advantage of a 2hand sword was the greater range and destructive strength. And it¡¯s weight, that alone was a big weapon in itself. But¡ª¡ªall of those were its weakness as well. It¡¯s bigger range can be turned into a disadvantage if you can step in close to his body. Because its swings are so destructive, it causes stamina to deplete fast as well. And as for its weight¡­¡­.as long as you can avoid the attack, it¡¯ll create a big opening to attack. Thinking of all that; What should I do next? Even with all such weaknesses, even after stepping in close to him and dodging his attack, in the end, my attack was blocked. Just like how I know the weakness and strengths of hisrge sword, O¡¯brien-san knows the same for my longsword as well. And he also knows the way I fight. Since Ick the arm strength, I can¡¯t sh my sword directly with his. Due to that, my moves are limited. So I aim for the vitals. Neck, joints, heart; I fight with each strike aiming to kill instantly. That¡¯s why, he was able to block it. Because he knew that I would only aim for his neck at that moment. ¡°Let¡¯s go!!¡± That said, it¡¯s not like I had any other way to fight. I wasn¡¯t giving up, in fact, I felt unusually calm as I concentrated on O¡¯brien-san¡¯s charge. We¡¯re both aware of each other¡¯s moves and skills. Then, it¡¯ll be a battle of pure ability and skill. Until now, I had never been able to win against him because I was nowhere near his level. Whether it be in arm strength, my physique, my techniques, or experience. He swung his sword again. Against that full powered swing, I could only once again dodge by bending backwards and once more, the floor got smashed. From there, to create a big distance between us, I jumped away. ¡°OOH!!!¡± Trying to pursue me, his sword swung after me. The swing was so fast that it looked as if the sword was weightless as it closed in on me. Jumping back one more step, I somehow dodged that attack as well. The tip of sword slightly brushed my clothes making a small tear in it. My feetnded on the ground at the same time as the sword swung past me. Seeing the opening created from the wide swing of the sword, I rushed in towards O¡¯brien-san with full speed. But my actions were seen through already as he, while remaining in his stance, used his incredible arm strength to swing back his sword towards me. Swinging back the sword from such a weird stance should have limited the power behind the horizontal sh¡ª¡ªor so I thought. Feeling a bad premonition, I quickly dropped down my body when the sword rushed just above my head cutting through the air. Right in front of me was his right leg. His knee aimed for my face. As I bent my neck to dodge it, reflexively I swung my sword towards his left leg. His right leg rose and his left leg, which I tried shing, remained uninjured. While clicking my tongue, I rolled on the stone floor to distance myself away from him. But this time, O¡¯brien-san pursued after me. Against me, who was still on his knees, he brought down his sword from above. ¡°Shiit!!!¡± I dodged that sh by jumping to the side and then avoided the next one that came after me by bending my neck away. His sword moved so fast that you wouldn¡¯t believe that it was a 2 handrge sword. Unable to even take on that barrage with my sword, I continued to dodge it. I didn¡¯t even have time to properly stand up and fix my posture. He continued to swing, sh, and mow me down with his sword. And I dodged, twisted my body and moved my neck to avoid all of the attacks. As the speed of the attacks continued to rise, my speed in dodging them also rose. Let alone blink, I didn¡¯t even have the time to breathe. But his speed only kept on rising further. It was Boost magic that enhanced physical abilities. Something I cannot use. Even though it¡¯s a power that almost most of the people in this world possess. Magical energy. I could faintly see the earthen coloured magical energy around O¡¯brien-san. I don¡¯t consider it to be cheating though. This was normal way to fight for the people of this world. I, the one who didn¡¯t have it, was the weird one. The speed of his sword, sharpness, all rose. But still, I continued to desperately dodge. The ones I couldn¡¯t avoid, I parried them somehow by smacking my sword at the base of hisrge sword. He elerated. More and more. The fatigue in my arms continued to grow and my arm started to go numb. Theck of oxygen made it painful and my unblinking eyes hurt. But still, he continued to elerate. Even though he¡¯s already stronger than me, by using magic to enhance his movements, even while wearing the armour, he was faster than me. Each and every one of his attacksing from his enhanced arm strength made my arms grow numb. And I continued to parry those attacks with minimum required movements. Silence. As if even the grunts and shouts while fighting were useless, both me and O¡¯brien-san werepletely silent. Only the sharp sound of sword shing came to my ears. The [voice] of magic that normallymentated on the matches was also not resounding in my ears anymore. I want to breathe. I dodged the diagonal sh by lowering my waist I want to breathe. As if he knew I was going to dodge, he stopped his swing and returned back the sword aiming for me neck. I want to breathe. That attack, rather than using my sword to strike back at it, his hand holding therge sword¡ª¡ªI used my left fist to strike at his wrist to stop the attack. No matter how much arm strength he might have, it¡¯s still flesh and skin, and bones underneath that. It¡¯s much better than getting shed by the sword. In that instant, a single opening appeared. Rather than taking this chance to breathe, I used my sword and aimed for his knee joint that is not protected by his full te armour. I didn¡¯t even have to look at it, I simply aimed for the joint solely through my trained instinct. Let alone being blunt, the sword that had taken heavy damage from the swings of hisrge sword and was almost in tatters, was unable to cut through and simply ended up as striking him but still, that made O¡¯brien-san bend his knee. From there, I hastened my side, swung back my arm and with the minimum required movements, I stuck my long sword at his neck. There, finally, I took a deep breath. ¡­¡­¡­¡­it¡¯s a miracle that I didn¡¯t actually sh away his neck by going with the momentum. Or were they sure that if it was me I would stop myself in time? Huge cheers rose, like thunder. It was really a huge cheer of joy. ¡°You¡¯ve be better.¡±(ob) ¡°Where, exactly?¡± My heart was beating so fast that it felt like it¡¯d explode. Sweat poured down from all over my body and both my arms felt like they were going numb. The sword I had was in such a bad condition that no amount of repairs could save it. That¡¯s how ruined it was. Though I¡¯m not injured anywhere, it still feels like my whole body hurts. Inparison, O¡¯brien-san was simply breathing slightly roughly. Just looking at us, it should be clear who was in better condition. Yet, the [voice] dered me as the winner. ¡°Tchh. You really should go easy a little¡­¡­.¡± When I said that, O¡¯brien-san went down on his knees. At the same time, three men in priest-like robes came out from one of the entrances to the arena towards O¡¯brien-san. ¡°It¡¯s not broken. Only wounded.¡±(ob) He tried to stand up while saying that but went back down on his knees again. It was the knee I struck at just now. It looks like I hit it perfectly and ended up hurting his joint. Though this was a duel, I still felt a bit bad. Well, in my case, if I had failed at dodging even once, my head, or rather, my whole body would have been in pieces though. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Obviously. Seriously¡­¡­¡­..just because I got slightly injured, you¡¯re already like this.¡±(ob) ¡°Well, I can¡¯t help that.¡± Saying that, I lent my shoulder to give him support to walk. His full armour really was heavy. ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go to the sickbay.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­¡­To think that I have to borrow the shoulder of a man I once trained myself.¡±(ob) ¡°That¡¯s my line. To think that I¡¯d have to lend my shoulder to someone who trained me so hard that I almost vomited all I ate everyday.¡± ¡°That was because you were weak.¡± ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± That¡¯s why. ¡°Thank you, for training me so well.¡±(renji) ¡°Idiot.¡± When I said that, he turned his face away with a surprised voice. I felt nice seeing O¡¯brien-san get embarrassed for once. Somehow, I didn¡¯t feel weird while thanking him at all. Though he was a total spartan with me, he still always thought of me and it¡¯s thanks to him I¡¯m even alive right now. Though they are unpleasant memories, they are not bad. I¡¯m really grateful enough of him that I can still thank him like this. The white robed priests followed after us as the audience gave a huge round of apuse. I wonder what they thought of our fight. Well, for the time being I think they were satisfied, I think. Feirona and the others might be in the stands as well so it might be a good idea to ask them. ¡°Don¡¯t me Yuuko-dono too much, okay?¡±(ob) ¡°Huh?¡± After walking a bit, he suddenly said that. Why did Utano-sane up here? I was thinking in confusion when O¡¯brien-san continued. I, do not what happened that made you always have such a gloomy face.¡±(ob) ¡°Do, I really have been like that?¡± ¡°I have said this before as well but you¡¯re the type whose emotions arepletely visible on your face.¡± ¡°And here I was sure that I had matured a bit after all this time.¡± Well, that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯d get good at making poker faces though. But still, it¡¯s a bit eye opening to be told that directly to your face. Was I really making that gloomy of a face always? I thought I was pretty normal as always. But if he says that, it must be true. All said and done, this man has shed swords with me the most after all. He must be able to understand me pretty well now¡­¡­..I think. ¡°Because you were so gloomy, she came up with something like that debt or whatnot.¡±(ob) ¡°I don¡¯t really understand the connection between my debt and my gloomy face¡­¡­¡­..¡± ¡°It¡¯s to make you feel willing and eager again by bringing you out in front of everyone, is what I¡¯m saying.¡± ¡®You should understand at least that much!¡¯ it feels like he¡¯s saying that. But, well, yeah.. ¡­¡­¡­just how much am I making other around me worry for me? Just how hard do I have to work to be able to answer their concerns? Utano-san, Aya, and everyone else as well. Even Koutarou and Astraera¡­¡­.. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±(ob) ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± When I said that, O¡¯brien-san¡¯s shoulders shook withughter. It¡¯s a bit troublesome to walk since I¡¯m lending him my shoulder but still, I felt happy to see himugh like that. ¡°I guess, women who pull you around really do suit you.¡±(ob) ¡°What?¡± ¡°I have been thinking of this from back then as well but it seems you are only able to move forward when someone shows you the path and pulls you towards it.¡± Being told that, I had no words to say back. That¡¯s because I knew deep inside that it was true. In the past one year, I travelled to fulfil my promise to Eru but was I truly moving like when I was travelling with myrades¡­¡­.It¡¯s hard to say. ¡­¡­¡­.I felt pathetic to not even being able to refute O¡¯brien-san¡¯s words. ¡°That¡¯s how it is.¡±(ob) ¡°What do you even¡­¡­..¡± Could you not reveal it all so easily. Did my reaction seem funny to him, as heughed again. This time, out loud. ¡°Later, be kind with Yuuko-dono alright?¡±(ob) ¡°What kind of encouragement is that?¡± ¡°Fufu.¡± Haah, I sighed. Raising my head, in the balcony of the noble seats,¡ª¡ª-Utano-san, Aya and Yui-chan along with Anastasia on her shoulder were there. Probably, behind them Toudou, Kuuki and KNIGHT are also there. Can¡¯t say for sure about Kudou. And they were all looking at me. ¡°Don¡¯t tell this to Yuuko-dono okay?¡±(ob) ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°She is really scary when she gets angry after all.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Or rather, I definitely won¡¯t say that. We were talking about this during our duel¡­¡­¡­¡­if I said that to that shy Sage-sama, what would she do to me just to hide her embarrassment? Well, that might be interesting to see on its own though. ¡°It seems Aya has grown to be pretty beautiful as well. Great people do have great taste indeed. How splendid.¡±(ob) (T/N: to be exact what Obrien said was -¡®Great men have great fondness for sensual pleasure¡¯ but that kind of sounded a bit too weird so I ¡®localised¡¯ it the best I could.) ¡°What kind of weird things are you saying?¡±(renji) True, that sounds great. As a man, they are truly words one would be attracted to. But still. ¡­¡­¡­¡­So O¡¯brien-san had (such desires) this kind of side to him as well. Somehow, it felt really fresh. Chapter 54 Sword and Sword (4) Chapter 54 Sword and Sword (4) From the small palm holding my right hand, I felt warmthing to me. At the same time, the source of that warmth, light, also came out of that small palm. A miracle of the Goddess. It is used by the followers of Goddess Astraera, a small miracle of sorts. It heals wounds, cures diseases, truly an act of god. If your belief was weak and your ss weak, the effects would be lesser as well but the girl holding my hand was¡ª¨CAmagi Yayoi, a user of true miracles. Possessing healing spells that seemed more like reversing time itself, she has saved us countless times. Together with yayoi-chan, just like if we were in an infirmary, both us were currently behind a white curtain along with other priests. Since there were women among the contestants as well, it¡¯s a very obvious thing to do. Thanks to that, I was able to talk to Yayoi-chan at ease. ¡°As expected, it¡¯s great that yayoi-chan¡¯s here.¡±(renji) ¡°uu¡­¡­..I¡¯m happy that you say that but still¡­¡± She had a somewhat unsatisfied expression on her face. Probably because she was here, in the sickbay of the Coliseum. That said, it¡¯s not like this ce had any special facilities like an actual infirmary or clinic though. It was just a room with numerous beds with pure white sheets spread on them and some wooden chair sets like the ones we were currently sitting on. And sitting on all of those chairs were other priests who were healing the contestants of the tournament. It seems yayoi-chan was especially popr as the line after me was incredible. ¡­¡­¡­¡­..There were even some who were clearly not participants but they must be people who just want to have a chance to look at Yayoi-chan. Right now, she had tied back her usually loose long ck hair behind her neck and was also not in her uniform or civilian clothes but was wearing a pure white robe with golden embroidery. It resembled the robes worn by other worshippers of Goddess Astraera but it had more exquisite details. Possessing the ability to directly perform the miracles of the goddess, yayoi-chan held a very high position among the priests. Or rather, she had been officially dered as [Saint] (holy woman). As people summoned by the Goddess herself, we 13 are already considered as higher beings by the humans who worship the Goddess And even among us, Yayoi-chan who could heal all wounds, cure any disease was looked at as if she was a goddess herself. At some point, she began to be referred to as the [Saint], in time she learnt to act and work as truly a [Saint] and by the time the journey ended, she had saved countless people. From our point of view who knew only how to fight, what she did was truly admirable as well but for Yayoi-chan herself, there¡¯s only one man whose wounds she wants to keep on always healing. Her emotions showed clearly on her face and someone in front of her right now, I could only give a wry smile. ¡°I wanted to wear a pretty dress too¡­¡­¡±(Yayoi) ¡°You can wear one as much as you want after the tournament is over.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.I wanted to wear a pretty dress and cheer for Onii-chan.¡± She actually corrected her statement, this brocon. Yayoi-chan likes Souichi. As an outsider, I couldn¡¯t tell whether it was as siblings or as a man. There are times when I felt that she took it very far, yet at the same time there were moments where she maintains her distance like normal siblings as well. There are times when she¡¯d get so close to him that even Souichi will be bewildered yet she¡¯d im that it¡¯s only because they¡¯re brother and sister. It seems that side of her has be a bit more prominent aftering to this world and she has been often told about this by Souichi himself and Aya, who is her best friend. Utano-san has also been quite attentive about it but even after this one year, there¡¯s no change in her. ¡°A dress, eh?¡±(renji) ¡°Muu, Renji onii-san?¡± ¡°Nah, I was just wondering if Souichi even has theposure to be looking at dresses right now.¡± ¡°Muu..¡± When I said that, she puffed her cheeks in dissatisfaction. I guess she¡¯d still want to show her dressed up appearance to the person she likes. Yayoi-chan was much more mature than others her age but only in this respect, she was still very girlish. But in truth, when Souichi concentrates on something there are times when he loses sight of everything else literally. It¡¯s especially surprising to see the level of his concentration in tournaments like this where you have to fight in front of so many people. I¡¯m sure right now, his head is only filled with how he¡¯d fight me or Masaki-chan. I have sparred with him as training during our journey a few times but we have rarely fought properly. Especially me and Souichi, we have fought only once like that. That¡¯s why, i have no doubt that he¡¯s definitely thinking about ways to fight me or Masaki-chan right now. And because she knew his personality as well, yayoi-chan gave a deep, deep sigh. A [Saint] shouldn¡¯t be making such a face, really. ¡°But still, I¡¯m sure such dresses would suit Yayoi-chan as well.¡± (renji) ¡± ¡®as well¡¯? what do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Ouch, ow!¡± Could you not grip my hand so tightly? Unlike her, I didn¡¯t have any divine protection from Astraera so I am weaker than this girl in front of me even in terms of simple grip strength. Really, it¡¯s such a sob story. ¡°Smile, smile!¡±(renji) ¡°There¡¯s only one person worthy of my smile.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± As if she was sulking, the [Saint]-sama said that without blushing even a bit. Looking at her pointed lips ( ^ this shape), I could only give a wry smile forgetting my strongly gripped hand. Seriously. At least try to hide your true feelings a bit, will you? But still, I myself am never able to tell her that directly. How should I treat her feelings? I have thought about it many times but in the end, I have not yet reached an answer. This was a problem both Souichi and Yayoi-chan, only the [family] members could resolve by themselves. An outsider like me has no say I think. Was I just running or was this my trust in them¡­..Can¡¯t really call this as trust, now can I? ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±(yayoi) ¡°Nothing. Just thinking about how both you and Souichi are on really good terms.¡± ¡°fufu, of course.¡± Saying that, she puffed her chest proudly. She really is so happy that even I felt happy looking at her. I felt more energy fill in the palm healing my arm. Even though we¡¯re ten years apart in age, I still felt slightly embarrassed feeling her soft small hands. It made me realize how hard and stiff my hands were by swinging the sword all the time. ¡°How envious.¡±(renji) ¡°Really?¡± ¡°yeah.¡± I didn¡¯t have any siblings. I was a single child. That¡¯s why, maybe I consider Souichi, Yayoi-chan and others as adorable. Hearing me, Yayoi-chan gave augh. It must be imagination that her smile seemed to be full of mischief as well. ¡°Renji-oniisan as well, aren¡¯t you on very good terms with Aya-chan as well?¡±(yayoi) ¡°I wonder.¡± When I turned my gaze trying to run away from her, she gave a smile. ¡°Saying that again¡­¡­mouu.¡±(yayoi) ¡°I can¡¯t help it. We¡¯re ten years apart in age.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it really matters though.¡± ¡°I feel it does though.¡± Was I too old fashioned to think that an age gap of 10 years was too big? It doesn¡¯t seem like a problem in this world though. After all, O¡¯brien-san¡¯s wife was still in her twenties making the age gap between them almost 20 years. Thinking like that, I guess 10 year gap really isn¡¯t much. While sighing at Yayoi-chan who wasughing, I shook my head. ¡°This isn¡¯t something to talk about here, is it?¡±(renji) ¡°But I¡¯m bored.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you have a lot to do, don¡¯t you?¡± At least for today, she should be busy for the whole day. The injured won¡¯t end, and there should be many men who¡¯de just to get a chance to see Yayoi-chan as well. ¡°I know that healing the injured is important but still I want to talk like this once in a while as well.¡±(yayoi) Well, I can¡¯t deny her that. She doesn¡¯t have a personality that she would start chatting with any random person easily. There might be people who might be trying to listen to our chat behind the curtain as well but for now, I didn¡¯t sense any. ¡°So?¡± ¡°I¡¯m lonely ~¡±(yayoi) Wow, it¡¯s amazing she can say that. I looked at her with a fed up gaze. You literally have one person who can rid you of loneliness. At least I¡¯m sure that it¡¯s not meant towards me. Depending on who the person is, that line would make the perfect line to seduce someone. That said, I¡¯m the same in wanting to talk to her though. After all, even though we were both here in the capital, I didn¡¯t have the chance to properly talk to her even once. Especially since the tournament started everyone was really busy, so all the more so. ¡°Even if you say that¡­¡±(renji) Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t have any topic that could amuse Yayoi-chan. And most probably, the only thing she¡¯d want to hear from me is about me and Aya, I¡¯m sure. I think at her age, they really like that kind of talk. But unfortunately, I have nothing worth talking about it. I haven¡¯t even talked to Aya much these days. In fact, she should be more aware of Aya right now. ¡°Well, I heard that you were carried to the capital very injured or something?¡±(yayoi) ¡°Ah?¡± That¡¯s quite the old story now. I recalled the [Forest of Rotting Souls] and that shitty Skeleton monster. ¡°Ahh, I really came close to dying that time¡­¡­.¡± I leaked a really heavy sigh. Honestly speaking, it really wouldn¡¯t have been weird if I really had died that day against that kind of an opponent. But that¡¯s not what yayoi-chan what¡¯s to hear about I think. Her eyes were full of curiosity. ¡°At that time, something happened right?¡±(yayoi) ¡°¡­¡­..something?¡± I tried thinking. ¡°About how Yui-chan saved me?¡±(renji) ¡°No, after that! Mou..¡± Why is she talking like those old aunties you meet while walking down the road? I don¡¯t know what she¡¯d do to me if I said that to her but it probably won¡¯t be pretty for me, I¡¯m sure. I thought of talking like she did by hiding her mouth with her hand, so I tried to pull out my right hand from her grip but, failed. ¡­¡­.as usual, she¡¯s stronger than me in pure physical strength. Goddamnit! As if implying that she won¡¯t let me run away, her grip even became tighter. I didn¡¯t feel pain, probably because she was still healing me as well. If you¡¯re done healing could you please let go of my hand already? ¡°Didn¡¯t Aya-chan stay by your side and nursed you all the time till you woke up?¡±(yayoi) ¡°You sure know a lot.¡± Or rather, she was sleeping t on the table of my room though. Recalling that, I felt myself smile, or rather, it was a difficult to describe feeling. ¡°It¡¯s known to everyone you know? This world doesn¡¯t have much ways for amusement after all.¡±(yayoi) ¡°I¡¯ll be quite troubled if now we start to be used for amusement as well though.¡± ¡°Tell that to Aya-chan. She was the one who stayed overnight in your room.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± I didn¡¯t really pay it much attention before but I guess it¡¯s like that? Hearing her say that, I guess it¡¯s not strange for it to be a gossip topic. In fact it¡¯s amazing I didn¡¯t hear about it till now. I¡¯m sure the origin of the rumours are the maids of the castle. They should be the most knowledgeable in such gossips seeing they are in great number and are of the same gender as well. Uumu. I can¡¯t really silence them now but for it to be a strange widespread rumour is¡­¡­.uumu. ¡°Renji-oniisan, if you don¡¯t treat Aya-chan more kindly, you¡¯ll incur divine punishment you know?¡±(yayoi) ¡°¡­.nmuu.¡± ¡°Well, it was nice of you to invite her to dinner a while ago though.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°But still, wouldn¡¯t it have been fine if you took her back to her room as well after that?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.yayoi-chan, you¡¯re supposed to be younger than Aya right?¡± ¡°Yes, obviously.¡± Is it okay for her to te man to take her best friend back to his room so easily like that? That too, at night. I¡¯m pretty sure she knew what she was implying as well which made it even more difficult for me to say anything else. Are my sense for such things really that bad? While feeling a bit scared of this girl in front of me, I turned my gaze away, from this whole topic if possible. ¡°Renji-oniisan, you need to be more aggressive.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Aya-chan, she was satisfied with just getting invited to dinner you know? As her childhood friend, and best friend, it¡¯s really pathetic.¡± ¡°I see.¡± It seems she really is dissatisfied with our current rtionship. That Aya, what did she tell to Yayoi-chan? While thinking of that, I shook my head. It¡¯s better not to think much about it, I think. ¡°If it goes on like this, you¡¯ll forever be dominated by Yuuko-san, you know?¡±(yayoi) ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± What is this? Did I ever do something bad to Yayoi-chan? I thought a lot but I couldn¡¯te up with anything. If I had to say, Yayoi-chan is basically implying that my rtionship with Aya is too vague. Am I treating Aya as a proper woman, or am I looking at her as a sister or a daughter. Does Aya want to me as a man or does she want to me as family or a good friend. I guess as her best friend, she really must be worried about our such a vague rtionship. ¡°With that said, ¡°(Yayoi) ¡°Hm?¡± Suddenly, she gave a smile. I instantly went on guard, probably because this body fully knows the fearsomeness of the creatures called women, I think. ¡°After the tournament is over, be sure to properly patch thing up okay?¡±(yayoi) ¡°ugh¡­¡­.well, haah.¡± I don¡¯t even want to think what she wants me to do exactly so I just gave a vague response. Maybe she didn¡¯t like my answer much, I felt strength gather in her grip holding my hand once more. With *bikuri* my shoulder shivered due to slight pain. ¡°There, I¡¯m done.¡±(yayoI) ¡°Aah, thanks, Yayoi-chan.¡± All said and doen, she did properly heal my arm and hand that was hurt by O¡¯brien-san¡¯s sword so she probably isn¡¯t really that angry at me, I think. Rather than saying she was angry, it¡¯s more like she was simply trying to instigate my indecisive personality though. What is this, really. Rather than me, Yayoi-chan seems more mature and adult-like. How sad, or should I say pathetic¡­¡­¡­or should I be happy to see her grow like this? ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you staring at my face?¡±(yayoi) ¡°Nah, I¡¯lle back again after the second round.¡± ¡°Please fight without getting injured. Seriously¡± ¡°That¡¯s a bit too difficult for me, but I¡¯ll try.¡± Saying that, I opened the white curtain. When, my eyes met with the few people standing after me in line. Only a few were injured ones and most were fanboys here just to look at Yayoi-chan. ¡°C¡¯mon, move move. The injured onese first.¡±(renji) While making them scatter, I guided the next injured contestant first inside the curtain. ¡°Well then, good luck. Be sure to win, Renji-oniisan.¡± Just before I closed the curtain, saying that Yayoi-chan gave a small wave towards me. It felt a bit ticklish, seriously. Since Yayoi-chan was hidden behind the curtain, the surrounding gazes all gathered at me but ignoring them all, I exited the sickbay. Some time had passed since my battle with O¡¯brien-san so Ms Francesca¡¯s should already be over. I wonder if she won. While I was thinking of that, a familiar figure entered my vision. ¡°Kudou.¡±(renji) ¡°Ara, you¡¯re finally out.¡± While sighing, Kudou was in dress, different than the one yesterday. Since everyone else around were dressed in armour, she stood out even more. Though she didn¡¯t seem to mind it at all and was the same as always¡ª¨Cwith a tired expression on her face. If only she could smile along with those looks, she¡¯d give off such a good impression to others. Well, that¡¯s what makes her Kudou though. ¡°What happened, why are you here?¡±(renji) ¡°Well, it might be interesting so I thought I should inform you.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Yamada-san, your disciple lost you know?¡± My disciple, means Ms Francesca. ¡°I see.¡±(renji) ¡°Ara, you¡¯re not surprised?¡± I don¡¯t know why Kudou came to tell me about her loss but I felt like her tone was slightly mixed with an intention to tease as well. Even though Ms Francesca lost, all she cares about is teasing me I guess. Sighing while looking at her, I thought of what to do. Should I look for Ms Francesca, or should I let her be alone for a while? Unfortunately, I am a famous so if I were to go and talk to my ¡®disciple¡¯ it¡¯ll gather a lot of attention so it¡¯s kind of a pain. It¡¯s amazing how Kudou doesn¡¯t care at all about any of that. Is her heart made of Mithril or steel or something? ¡°Nah, I¡¯m a bit surprised.¡± ¡°Really?¡± When I said that, she grinned as she looked at me. Her expression changed from a tied one to a her teasing one. She looks like a cat, almost. ¡°What?¡± ¡°fufu, as usual, it shows on your face, Yamada-san.¡± ¡°As usual, you really love teasing don¡¯t you, Kudou.¡± While scratching the back of my head, I looked upwards to avoid her gaze. It seems our conversation attracted attention as a lot of nearby contestants were looking at us. Even though the 2nd round hasn¡¯t even started, that¡¯s quite the number that has gathered already. ¡°that aside, is it fine for you to not show up at your spectator seat?¡±(renji) ¡°Don¡¯t wanna. It¡¯s a pain.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..you¡¯re really honest, aren¡¯t you?¡± At least be a bit considerate towards Utano-san. Being told that with such a bothered looking face, I ended up feeling amazed her honesty instead. ¡°Thanks.¡±(kudou) ¡°That wasn¡¯t apliment.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Don¡¯tugh so delightfully. Can¡¯t really me her though. ¡°That aside, your disciple, aren¡¯t you going to look for her?¡±(kudou) ¡°Ahn?¡± ¡°She seemed pretty depressed, you know?¡± ¡°Did you see her ?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know where she is right now but she seemed to be in quite the daze even in the arena ring.¡± Well, looks like she took it pretty hard then. I recalled that red-haired mercenary. In terms of ability, experience and physique,¡­¡­ he surpasses Ms Francesca in every way. Honestly speaking, the chance for Ms Francesca to win was very low from the very start. Against students of her own age, she had the advantage of having more experience but against a professional¡ª-an adventurer, her skills were still far lower aspared to someone who does it for a living. But still, before the match, ¡­¡­our conversation. Umu, a little strength gathered in my arm scratching my head. ¡°Did youe here just to tell me that?¡± ¡°Yuuko and Aya sure are so serious always.¡±(kudou) Again, she changed the topic so suddenly. Seeing her usual habit that would normally confuse anyone who wasn¡¯t used to it, I leaked out a sigh. And without even minding my sigh, Kudou continued talking. If it wasn¡¯t for her personality, she really would have easily had a few boyfriends already. Even though she¡¯s got such a good face, what a waste. Well, I wish she¡¯d stop bothering me as well though. Even though she¡¯d do nothing and have a tired face always, only at times like these, when teasing someone, her nasty sidees out and she bes energetic. ¡°They should live more the way they want.¡±(kudou) ¡°Well, everyone has their own social tendencies okay?¡± And they also have various bonds and obligations. Utano-san is working hard to reorganise the country, Aya is making effort to learn how to properly control her own immense power. Toudou, Kuuki, Yui-chan¡­¡­.i¡¯m sure everyone else as well, are working hard in their own way. Thinking of that, I looked towards Kudou. ¡°The only ones ying around are just you and me.¡±(renji) ¡°How rude. Even like this, I am working hard to spread more ways of amusement throughout the world you know?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure at least 50% of your motive is just money though, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°About 70% to be exact.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make it better.¡± It¡¯s not something to say so proudly. Seeing her say that so proudly, I felt like lightly hitting her head like back then, but I restrained myself. My gaze turned towards her long hair¡ª¡ªbeautifullybed silky hair. She is, in the end, a woman after all. Well, she¡¯d probably dodge it easily even if I tried. Maybe she¡¯d even hit back yfully as usual. In any case, I don¡¯t want to disturb her wellbed hair, a rare thing to happen, right now. Kudou¡¯s personality is like that but her hair have done no sin. ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I was sure you¡¯d hit me.¡± And , she made the action of defending her head with her hands. She really goes at her own pace. Because I knew how much she didn¡¯t care about surroundings, her actions looked really childish. ¡°You won¡¯t?¡±(kudou) ¡°Don¡¯t wanna.¡± ¡°Tche.¡± Are you really a kid? I feel like sighing, seriously. ¡°I really like Yamada-san¡¯s tsukkomis though.¡± ¡°What kind ofpliment even is that?¡± Please don¡¯t praise me in ways that make it difficult or me to react. I¡¯m sure she teases Souichi and others like this as well, as they must be quite troubled with her. Especially Souichi, since he has a lot of women surrounding her after all. ¡°Go say that to Souichi or something.¡±(renji) ¡°These days, Toudou-san has been pretty fun as well though.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.Ang-san, eh?¡± ¡°Ah, so you knew!¡± Before I knew it, our talk had lost its topic again. ¡°Did Ms Francesca leave the Coliseum already?¡±(renji) ¡°Not yet I think. Maybe she¡¯s at the rear entrance, or maybe the toilet?¡± I could only think of those two options as well. There are quite a lot of people in the Coliseum now that the tournament has started. If she was looking for a ce to be alone, feeling depressed, she¡¯d go to a less popted area. I can¡¯t meet her if she¡¯s in the toilet but I can if she¡¯s at the rear entrance. ¡°I see. Then I¡¯m off.¡±(renji) ¡°Ara. Is your disciple more important than chatting with me?¡± ¡°She¡¯s not really my disciple since I haven¡¯t taught her anything much though. Well, but yes, Ms Francesca is more important than you.¡± ¡°So rude ~¡± Saying that, she cackled withughter. Since I can joke like this, it¡¯s pretty fun to talk with her. I¡¯m sure she enjoys it as well, in her own way. ¡± ¡®Ms¡¯, eh?¡±(kudou) As I began to walk away, she said that. ¡°What?¡±(renji) ¡°Nope, nothing.¡± And, she giggled. Maybe due to the dress, she looked more ssy, or rather, she looked good like that. If it as anyone else,ughing like that would make for a pleasant view but when it¡¯s Kudou, it only makes it look all the more shady. ¡°Well then, thanks for informing me about it.¡±(renji) ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± And this time, I walked away. . . . Ms Francesca was at the rear entrance¡ª¡ª-that is, the exit made for nobles or in case of emergencies. It wasn¡¯t any different from the other entrances but it had flowers or pictures painted on it, giving it a more elegant look. I always seem to forget it but she was also a member of a noble family and it must be no problem for her to be here at all. Did she say that she wanted to be alone or something as even the soldiers had left the ce for now. And even in this empty ce, as if to not stand out much, she was sitting at a bench ced in the very corner. She seemed pretty depressed as her trembling shoulders made it seem that she might start crying any moment. Suddenly, while I was looking at Ms Francesca, my hand was pulled. ¡°What, so you found her already?¡± (renji) ¡°We were waiting.¡± The one who pulled me was Mururu. WE haven¡¯t had the chance to meet much recently but she didn¡¯t seemed to have changed much anyway. Only, on her pure white hair, a golden ribbon was tied around it. ¡°That ribbon, it suits you.¡±(renji) ¡°Thanks¡­¡­¡­.So, about Fran.¡±(mururu) ¡°Yeah, I heard.¡± She lost her match. But I didn¡¯t have to say it out loud. Even though she was so eager, she lost without winning even a single round in the main tournament. I can understand how painful that could be. After meeting her, I have seen her train hard for this tournament for so long. Even though she came close to getting killed by goblins, her will didn¡¯t break. That¡¯s why we could only look at her from far away like this. Mururu must be feeling the same as me. Even though she found Ms Francesca much earlier than me, she still decided to just look at her from far off. ¡°Where¡¯s Feirona?¡± ¡°Together with Solnea, watching the tournament.¡± ¡°And, you came here to look for her.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Fran, looked really sad.¡± Well, it made even Kudoue to me just to tell me that after all. It really must have shown on her face when she lost. I guess, even that trouble hating Item Creator must have felt worried in her own way for her. I still can¡¯t understand how her mind works but that¡¯s not really important right now. ¡°Normally, it¡¯s best to let them be alone for a while in my opinion but..¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­No.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Slight anger appeared in Mururu¡¯s eyes. Her gold eyes really looked sharp like a wild beast¡¯s for a second. But soon they changed back to a worried, and sad gaze. ¡°You¡¯re really a nice girl.¡±(renji) ¡°What, so suddenly?¡± ¡°Anybody who gets sad for their friends is a nice person.¡± In front of me, Ms Francesca remained seated, unmoving. Considering the time I took getting treated by Yayoi-chan, the next match should be pretty soon. My next match was with¡ª¡ª¨Cthat red haired merc, who defeated Ms Francesca. ¡°Renji, isn¡¯t sad?¡± ¡°I am still in the tournament after all, I don¡¯t have time to be sad.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..then Renji is, a bad person?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± Saying that, I walked towards Ms Francesca. I wasn¡¯t even trying to be quiet about it yet she didn¡¯t notice mee at all. She must be still thinking about the match she lost and nothing else. I can understand. I as well, back then¡ª¨Cwhen I was still a burden for everyone else, was always being worried about it. The more you worry though, the more you make yourrades worry for you as well, I realized that. ¡°Yo.¡± ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± Her delicate shoulders shook greatly. And her head turned to look towards me. ¡°Can I sit, beside you?¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­.ye, yes of course.¡± [Finally, you¡¯re here huh?] Apologetic or rather, in a very sad voice, Ms Francesca replied. Along with Ermenhilde¡¯s voice resounding in my head. I sat down a little space away from her on the same bench. ¡°Seriously, you¡¯re not blessed at all are you?¡±(renji) [¡­.muu. Well, I do apologise deeply for that.] ¡°Are you a politician?¡± As if we were talking in some differentnguage, there was almost no reaction from Ms Francesca. Looks like she really did take the loss hard. ¡°Say, Ms Francesca..¡±(renji) ¡°ye, yes?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± She rubbed her nose and her replied with a stammer. I¡¯m sure she is¡­¡­.. You did your best. It was regrettable result. Let¡¯s work hard next time as well. Just take part next year. You¡¯ll definitely win next time. I came up with all sorts of words to say but I hesitated to say all of those. I am different from Ms Francesca. The troubles and suffering I went through are also different from what she¡¯s feeling right now. But, just like when I wanted to be alone, and didn¡¯t want to talk to anyone. If someone stood silently by you till your feelings calmed down, it is really helpful, I know that. At least for me, that is. That¡¯s why, in the end, without being able to say anything next, I just sat that there on the bench looking forward. Giving a nce, I saw Mururu worriedly looking towards us, or rather, at Ms Francesca. I wonder how much time passed after that. I felt a few nces here and there and on looking I saw a few nobles chatting while looking at us. When I looked back at them, they panicked and averted their gazes. It was the same for Mururu as well, though she looked like an adventurer¡­¡­..judging by her ears and tail that stood out, she must not be thinking of them very highly. But still the fact that she didn¡¯t go away showed how much worried she was for Ms Francesca. At first I thought she was a girl of few words but deep inside she¡¯s a pretty nice girl. ¡°Did you calm down a bit?¡±(renji) ¡°¡ª¡ª-yes.¡± [I see. I¡¯ll say this once more but, you did fight well Francesca.] ¡°yes.¡± She replied back to Ermenhilde, but her voice still seemed to be dissatisfied. I didn¡¯t watch the battle but she must not have been able to perform well due to nervousness. She must have been unable to truly use everything she had. That must be her biggest regret right now. ¡°Now then, it¡¯s time for my next match soon.¡±(renji) ¡°Ah.¡± As if she just realized something, Ms Francesca made a loud noise. Wondering what¡¯s wrong, I looked back at her only to see her bowing again. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±(renji) ¡°Ah, no, even though Renji-sama has the next match, you were still by my side here¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I was more worried about you rather than my next match.¡± [¡­¡­..You, really can hit on girls as smoothly as breathing, can¡¯t you?] ¡°That¡¯s not it. What did you hear that as, you idiot.¡± [idiot? Who did you just call an idiot!] Seeing our usual banter, Ms Francesca, though only a small one, she gave augh. As expected, beauties look better smiling rather than sad. It¡¯s charming. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry, Renji-sama.¡±(fran) ¡°hm?¡± ¡°I, wasn¡¯t able to get to the second round.¡± ¡°¡ª¨Cyeah..¡± ¡°Even though I even promised to fight you in the second round¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± I rested my back to the back of the chair again. ¡°Don¡¯t look down, look ahead. If you keep looking downwards, you won¡¯t be able to see others¡¯ faces.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Even when you¡¯re down, when you¡¯re sad, when you¡¯re in pain, look ahead, and look around you.¡± When I said that, her face rose up a bit. Not ahead, she looked at me. ¡°So, who do you see?¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­..Renji-sama..¡± ¡°No, not me.¡± Smiling wryly, I gestured her to look around her a bit. And getting the hint, when she looked towards Mururu, she made a small noise. ¡°Mururu-chan¡­¡­.. ¡°When you worry all alone, you only keep on feeling down more and more. Look around you more, you¡¯ll definitely find a sign of some sorts.¡± That can be a friend, arade or some kind of small motive even. But still, that will definitely be your first step forward. When you¡¯re stumped, panicking, just remember these words at that time. ¡°O¡¯brien-san¡ª¡ªthese are the words of the strongest knight of this country.¡±(renji) ¡°¡ª¡ª¨C¡± ¡°At least for now, Ms Francesca, you¡¯re not alone. You have friends who are worried for you.¡± Did she realize our gazes, Mururu hid a bit in embarrassment. But, the fact that her tail was still visible really made it look cute. ¡­¡­¡­¡­.It¡¯s very hard to protect your promises. I know that very well. No matter how much effort you put, no matter how much you struggle, there will be times when you simply will not be able to protect it. But still, people make promises. Promises connect people to people. It¡¯s one of the most precious kind of bond. And because you know how strong those bonds can be, we still make promises. Because we want to be connected with someone else. Because we cannot live all alone. [So Renji, it¡¯s about time for your next match I think.] ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Is it already that time?¡±(renji) Answering Ermenhilde, I stood up from my bench. So next is that red haired mercenary eh? Honestly speaking, just seeing his muscles makes me wish that I didn¡¯t have to fight him. ¡°We really couldn¡¯t talk much.¡±(renji) ¡°No, thank you very much.¡±(fran) It seems, talking with her has diverted her thoughts a bit. Her expression was the usual smile she made. My chest also felt lighter seeing that as I swung around my right arm a few times. ¡°My next match, watch carefully.¡±(renji) ¡°Eh?¡± [Oh that¡¯s rare. For Renji to say something like that.] I know that as well. I shrugged at her words ¡°Well, for once, I am being called her master so might as well act the part a bit, I guess.¡±(renji) ¡°Eh, umm.¡±(fran) ¡°You seem to be bad against enemies with big weapons. I¡¯ll show you how to deal withrge sword users.¡± Be sure to watch carefully. Saying that lightly, I started walking. Somehow, I really am bad at making such derations. When, Mururu came out from her hiding. ¡°Thanks.¡±(mururu) ¡°Your tail wasn¡¯t hidden you know?¡± When I said that, Mururu quickly held down her tail. Seeing her rare slightly embarassed expression, I smiled. At first she waspletely expressionless¡­¡­¡­well not that much but still she wasn¡¯t very expressive either. She has grown, or rather, changed. ¡°I¡¯ll leave Ms Francesca to you now.¡±(renji) ¡°Renji is?¡± ¡°I have my next match.¡± I¡¯m not really enthusiastic about it though. When I shrugged saying that, Mururu simply said ¡®I see¡¯, and went back to looking at Ms Francesca. I guess she¡¯s clearly more worried about her than me it seems. How lonely, and sad. Seriously. ¡°You okay?¡±(mururu) ¡°Hm?¡± While continuing to look towards her, she asked that to me. ¡°Can you win against the next one?¡±(mururu) ¡°Well, who knows.¡± I guess she was slightly worried. What do I do, I feel happy just from that much¡­¡­¡­.what is this really? ¡°Win.¡±(mururu) And saying that, she looked at me. Unusual for Mururu, her gaze held what you¡¯d call a strong will in it. ¡­¡­¡­.I guess it must be because my opponent is the guy who beat Ms Francesca. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡±(renji) ¡°Promise?¡±(mururu) ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Promise me.¡± She really likes her friends huh. Looking at such wonderful friendship, I felt like working harder. Was it because I was starting to grow old? ¡°Yeah, sure. It¡¯s a promise.¡± ¡°hm.¡± It seems she was quite satisfied by my answer as she walked away towards Ms Francesca. ¡­¡­¡­Really, I¡¯m so lonely. I¡¯ve been told to win but she isn¡¯t really worried for me. What is this? Renji-san is so lonely Mururu. Couldn¡¯t you have, you know, said it in a more gentler way? As I walked away feeling my legs get a bit heavy, I suddenly felt another gaze. It wasn¡¯t the same as the ones I had felt all this time, it was more¡ª¨C ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª-¡± Looking towards the source of the gaze, it was a single woman. With honey coloured hair and a passionate-looking red dress. And the strength of her sharp gaze truly suited her dress. Who was it? Just when I was thinking of that, seeing I had realized her gaze, she turned and walked away. The direction was towards the spectator stands for nobles. ¡­¡­.So she¡¯s a noble, eh? Well, considering the luxurious dress she was wearing, she had to be a noble. ¡°Well, whatever.¡± She was a pretty woman , while thinking of that, I walked away. Normally, this would be the time where Ermenhilde would make a tsukkomi about it but¡­¡­¡­.aah, I¡¯m really lonely. Chapter Interlude 7 Interlude 7 (Masaki POV) While I was spending time observing the matches while leaning on the stone wall, someone came beside me. There, a good friend of mine who wasn¡¯t much taller than me¡ª-Souichi-kun was standing. He wasn¡¯t in his uniform like yesterday, instead he was wearing thick, yet easy to move in normal clothes. On his waist was one of the mass produced swords given to the participants. While feeling a bit disappointed at seeing that, I turned back to observing the matches. ¡°How does it look?¡±(souichi) ¡°Just so-so, I guess?¡±(masaki) Did he understand what I meant, Souichi-kun didn¡¯t speak anything more. In front of me, on the arena ring, the one who was fighting was Yamada-san. While skilfully using the short sword he doesn¡¯t normally use, he was handling the opponentsrge sword. The fact that he was fighting even more fluidly than when he was fighting against the Knight Commander. Looks like he¡¯s gotten rid of his nervousness properly this time. Not to mention, his opponent right now is levels below O¡¯brien-san as well. I think right now Yamada-san must be feeling much more free in the ring than the first round. There was no wastage in his movements, in fact he even seemed to be rxed. He has a habit to over think everything a little. Though it might be troublesome to not think much like I do as well, but I¡¯m sure his habit to overthink isn¡¯t proper either. If you stay over concerned about something, your head gets filled with nothing but that problem and your body automatically bes restricted. That¡¯s why, I think that after finally winning against the man that he hadn¡¯t won even once before, he¡¯s finally gotten rid of one of his shackles. He¡¯s really easy to understand. Seriously, what a strange man. ¡°Somehow, niichan¡¯s fighting style feels strange.¡±(sou) ¡°yeah. Using a short sword against arge sword¡ª-Probably, he¡¯s teaching your senpai how to do it?¡±(masaki) What was her name again? When I brought that up, Souichi-kun went ¡®Ohh¡¯ as if he also realized it. ¡°To Francesca-senpai, eh?¡±(sou)(T/N: hereon I¡¯m using ¡®sou¡¯ for souichi.) ¡°Right right, that girl.¡± Since she fought in front of me as well, I remember her face. Yamada-san¡¯s disciple. For his disciple, her movements are rough, though she did match his style of fighting, it felt more like she had taught that herself by somehow mimicking it instead. Certainly, she had a simr fighting style to Yamada-san¡ª¨Cto all of us. Dodgin attacks with speed and making certain hits in the openings of the opponent. But she was still had faults in her attacking. Both timing and speed, were odd. It¡¯s amazing how she even survived travelling with Yamada-san with just that much. Well, I doubt his current journey is anywhere as dangerous as his previous one though. Above all, she was still hesitant in shing against humans. Like that, it¡¯d be impossible to keep on winning in this tournament. ¡°Oh right, Senpai lost didn¡¯t she.¡±(sou) ¡°¡­¡­¡­you know, she is your senpai, shouldn¡¯t you have at least gone and seen her?¡± ¡°ugh. What could I do, the timing with my match was just too bad¡­¡­¡± It seems he felt a bit guilty about it as well as he scratched his head awkwardly. ¡°Anyway, there¡¯s still time till your next match right? Why are you here, Souichi-kun?¡±(masaki) ¡°Nothing. Was just wondering how you were doing, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°What¡¯s this? Wore you worried for onee-san?¡± ¡°What ¡®onee-san¡¯¡­¡­.You¡¯re just an year older than me.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t change the fact that I am older though, does it?¡± As if he was dissatisfied, he pouted making him look really cute. That part of him was so childish, or rather, so adorable. My right hand almost moved to hug him but I used my will to stop myself. If I did that in such a crowded ce, I¡¯ll bebelled as a pervert. I¡¯m not Rin-san! (T/n:Kudou Rin) ¡°Masaki-san, what¡¯s wrong?¡±(sou) Looks like I was staring at his face a bit too much as he looked at me confusedly. Why is this boy so innocently pure? No, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s not that much but, how should I say this¡­¡­.he feels like a small animal. It¡¯ll be a different kind of problem if he was actually like Yamada-san or that muscle daruma Itou-san, but still why does he feel so different even though he¡¯s also a guy? Really, men are strange creatures. ¡°Umm, so, do you need something?¡±(masaki) ¡°Nah, I just came to check up on you.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Well, your next to next opponent will be Renji-niichan right? I was worried that you might get a bit to eager about it, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­shouldn¡¯t you be more worried for Yamada-san then?¡± Folding my arms in front of me, I spoke that feeling slightly disappointed. I am happy that Souichi-kun was worried for me, even more so that he came all the way to me and talked to me but, it feels strange that he was more worried for me. Fighting Yamada-san¡­¡­.well, I was the one who made the challenge but I¡¯m not going to go crazy about it. I¡¯m simply unhappy about how he hid away for a whole year making everyone worry that¡¯s all. At least he could have sent a letter or two to tell if he was fine or not. I knew that he hates going through trouble and is a bad writer as well but still, I didn¡¯t expect him to be the type who¡¯d make hisrades worry like that. That¡¯s why I was relived after finally seeing him again but still his aloof/detached part of him was¡­¡­..well, yeah. At least, apologise for once! That¡¯s all I wanted. Well, I¡¯m just trying to vent my anger but it looks like Souichi-kun thinks I¡¯m just very eager to fight him. ¡°Niichan, though like that, does take it seriously when he needs to after all.¡±(sou) ¡°Really? He still seems pretty absentminded most of the time to me though.¡± ¡°Well, he does, yeah.¡± Saying that and giving a bitter smile, Souichi-kun turned to look at the arena. On the arena ring, Yamada-san was still shing swords with the random mercenary. Yes, just shing swords. That wasn¡¯t even a fight anymore. It looked more like the swordsman called Yamada Renji was showing the skills he knew and had learned from his experience. That¡­¡­¡­.Francesca was it? I wonder if she can even understand why Yamada-san was using a short sword. Thinking that, I gave a sigh. ¡°How should I say this¡ª¡ª I thought he had changed but there are parts that haven¡¯t changed at all in Yamada-san as well.¡±(masaki) ¡°Yeah.¡± Even on this great stage, Yamada-san was fighting not for himself but for another person. That part of him hasn¡¯t changed at all. Not for himself, but for someone else. Always. As someone who cannot fight otherwise¡ª¡ªI guess, that part of him would never ever change. ¡°But if he could change a bit, it¡¯d be great if he could treat Yuuko-san a bit more nicely.¡±(masaki) ¡°I wish that he¡¯d more nicer to Aya though.¡±(sou) Saying that, he dropped his shoulders. When I looked at him, he simply gave a wry smile while giving a shrug. That gesture really didn¡¯t suit him at all as rather than looking cool, looking cute suits him much more. ¡°I¡¯m the one who has to deal with the repercussions, after all.¡±(sou) ¡°That¡¯s just probably because you¡¯re just too thickheaded.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­I¡¯m not that thickheaded, I think.¡± But, he doubted himself on that as well it seems as he averted his gaze with stiff face. Looks like he has been told that a few times by his friends at school as well maybe. It felt like that. Also, Souichi-kun is definitely dense. I can say that with sure confidence and pride. ¡°What do you think, Souichi-kun?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°About Yamada-san¡­¡­..he¡¯s, keeping some sort of secret you know?¡± ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª-¡± His stiff face stiffened even more as he turned towards Yamada-san fighting in the arena. I as well turned to look at him. An year ago, he was the type of guy who used tough a lot. But, in what I have seen for the past few weeks, he rarelyughs. No, even when heughs on the surface, if you were to ask if that was from the bottom of his heart, I¡¯ll have to shake my head. That¡¯s kind of smile the current Yamada-san always has. ¡°I know.¡±(sou) As I thought, Yamada-san really is easy to understand. The moment when our fight with the Demon God was settled. We all clearly remember the fury he released at that moment. Yamada-san had never been that angry ever before. But at that moment, he revealed hisplete anger, so much that even all of us felt scared of him, and even now I can never forget his back as he madly rushed at the Demon God. I¡¯m sure, everyone has realized it. They have realized it, yet nobody dares to ask. And that man, as long as we don¡¯t ask, he won¡¯t talk about it I think. ¡ª¡ª-Eru. We felt her magical energy incredibly weaken, and then, the earth was cut apart and the sky was split open, and the Demon God, who could regenerate from even a small piece of flesh, waspletely obliterated, sopletely that we couldn¡¯t even sense a single bit of him. ¡°But still, I want to wait till Renji-niichan tells us about it himself.¡±(sou) ¡°And you¡¯re fine with that?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Muu. That, when he makes that ¡®I believe in oniichan!¡¯ face, even I can¡¯t say anything further. I¡¯m sure Aya would make the same face as well. Was it because they were childhood friends, or was it because they both trusted Yamada-san with all of their heart? The fact that I don¡¯t find it agreeable is probably because the fact that Souichi-kun likes Yamada-san more¡­¡­.fills me with this sense of weird rivalry, or should I say jealousy, I¡¯m sure. I can¡¯t deny it. Or rather, I don¡¯t even want to think about losing to a man in such a thing! I know why Souichi-kun thinks so highly of Yamada-san, after all, I¡¯ve seen such a scene countless times. No matter how many monster stood in front, even against giant descandants of the Demon God, even against the Demon Lord both me and Souichi-kun couldn¡¯t defeat even together¡ª¨Che, Yamada-san, stood in front of all of us. Without making an excuse that he was the weakest, he treated us as children because he was an adult¡­¡­¡­and his back felt big enough, worthy enough for him to say that. But still, it¡¯s normal to want to be the number one person of the guy you like right? I¡¯m sure I¡¯m not wrong to wish that he¡¯d look more at me than Yamada-san. Rather than feeling worried for me, I want him to rely on me more. But the person who has be my first love was focusing not at me who was standing right beside him but more at the arena. If this isn¡¯t being dense, what is? If he was just acting to not notice my feelings, I would have cut his head apart. But, because he really hasn¡¯t noticed at all¡­¡­.I can only sigh. ¡°Haah.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Masaki-san?¡±(sou) ¡°Nothing.¡± I spoke in such a displeased voice that even I myself noticed. I wonder if that was due to Yamada-san for being so secretive or was it because the person I love was standing right beside me yet felt far away. But oh well, it¡¯s not like I have confessed my feelings to him either. I don¡¯t intend to hide my feelings but as someone who hasn¡¯t spoken it directly, I¡¯m not really in the position to call him dense. Once again, I sighed. To change my mood, I rested my hand on the katana on my waist. ¡°I really want to cut Yamada-san already¡­¡±(masaki) ¡°Scary!?¡± ¡°Well, rather than worry about difficult things, it¡¯s easier for me to just move my body.¡± Whatever happened back then, it won¡¯t help no matter how much we think about it. We were all there during the battle between Yamada-san and the Demon God Nayfell but we still don¡¯t know exactly what happened. So, we should focus more on what we can do right now. In my case, it¡¯s to vent all my resentment, or rather anger, no my emotions of having made us worry for a whole year at Yamada-san. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll apany you as well.¡± ¡°Ara, really?¡± I brought my lips closer to Souichi-kun¡¯s ears as he dropped his shoulders while saying that. Did I sumb to temptation or just got too courageous? Giving a few nces around, it seemed everyone else was too busy with themselves and weren¡¯t paying attention at us. Of course, neither Yayoi-chan nor Rin-san, who¡¯d interrupt me at such times, were here either. As I took a quick breath to calm my fast beating heart, I smelled a boy¡¯s sweat¡ª¡ªso as to speak, I could smell Souichi-kun slightly. ¡°Then, will you apany me tonight?¡±(masaki) ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª-¡± No, wait, well, uh.. ¡°I, I see.¡±(masaki) ¡°It¡¯s really fun training with you after all.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.I should have known.¡± Being looked at with such an innocent face, as he joined his hands behind his head and gave a smile, I felt like punching him right in the face but¡­¡­¡­at the same, time I lost the will to exin what I truly meant. Was it because Icked guts or was it because I¡¯m simply ipetent?¡­¡­¡­Wait, they¡¯re both the same. Looking away, my face stiffened. When I gave a sidelong nce at him, Souichi-kun was looking at me with a confused face. Could it be that he thinks of me as aplete fight loving maniac? Even if it¡¯s not that, it was clear that he wasn¡¯t aware of me as a woman of the opposite gender. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Masaki-san?¡±(sou) And as expected, without realizing my intentions, he asked that. His truly confused face was painful. Even though the strength in my arm resting on my katana grew, it¡¯s not anything bad right? ¡°Ah.¡± At the same time, inside my head the [voice] resounded as it announced the name of the winner. It was Yamada-san. Well, that wasn¡¯t a surprise. On the arena, Yamada-san, while breathing slightly heavily, was holding out an arm to help the mercenary who was on his knees using hisrge sword as a support. At the same time, I removed my had from above my katana and lightly smacked my own cheeks. Though there was also the fact that it felt imprudent to be like this before my match, but above all I just didn¡¯t want anyone to realize how red my cheeks were getting. ¡°What happened? ¡°It¡¯s nothing, you thickhead.¡±(masaki) ¡°¡­¡­.Eeeehh??¡± From what I¡¯ve seen, Yamada-san¡¯s fighting style hasn¡¯t changed. Dodge an attack, deflect it, and attack in the opening to end it. It was different from the pure overpowering smashing he did on that day. It was the original way he used to fight. Looking at it, I felt relieved yet slightly disappointed as well. As someone who has seen Yamada-san¡¯s true rage, I want to fight that Yamada-san but¡ª¡ª-the constraints put on Eru. I don¡¯t know what the seventh is. And, above all to truly anger someone you have trust in is¡­¡­.painful to my heart as well. For now, let¡¯s wish that maybe someday I can get to fight Yamada-san at his full strength. And it looks like Yamada-san had noticed us quite a while ago as he was looking at us from the arena. Souichi-kun was giving a wide smile and I was¡­¡­..probably smiling, I think. Probably. Haah. ¡°So next is your fight right?¡±(sou) ¡°Yeah.¡± I released the strength in my arm resting on my katana. I did confirm my opponent¡¯s name just in case but it wasn¡¯t anyone I knew of. Just an experienced adventurer but oh well. ¡°Do your best!¡±(sou) While looking at the person I like cheer for me like that, I gave a sigh. The mercenary that fought Yamada-san passed by me but he was actually a bright one. It was the face of a man who was satisfied that he¡¯d done his best in that fight. Turning my gaze back from that man, I saw Souichi making a troubled, somewhat unsure of how to respond face. ¡°¡­¡­Why did you sigh?¡±(sou) ¡°Tonight. Don¡¯t you forget our promise to apany me in my training, okay?¡± ¡°su, sure?¡± But I¡¯m sure, hindrances will be there as well. While thinking of that, I headed towards the arena. While thinking of the faces of the hindrances that wille, I stood on the arena. It¡¯s where Yamada-san had been fighting till now. Against me, stood a man. Now then, I¡¯m not nervous at all. My breathing is perfect and can clearly hear the sound of the audience. When I gave a pleasant smile, my opponent¡¯s face went pale¡­¡­¡­isn¡¯t that reaction a bit too rude? I thought that but oh well, whatever. I¡¯m going to use him to release all my frustration now. While smiling, I put my hand on my katana¡¯s grip. Lowering my waist, I loosened up my body. I sharpened my mind, you could say. The man in front of me took a stance with his sword but, I calmly observed him. Neck, elbow, wrist, knee¡ª-heart. All the vital parts were in in sight, and I had to suppress my body to instantly rush in before the match was dered start. And even among the countless cheers, I heard the sound of my katana unsheathe, very clearly. Chapter 55 Sword and Katana Chapter 55 Sword and Katana (TN note: After thinking a while, I¡¯ve decided to change Masaki-chan¡¯s ¡®demonic sword¡¯ to ¡®magic sword¡¯ from here onwards cuz, logically speaking it¡¯s weird for the heroes to be using anything ¡®demonic¡¯ after all. I don¡¯t even know why I decided to even use ¡®demonic¡¯ in the first ce. Maybe because it sounded cooler? ¡­¡­..Yeah, that must be it -_-¡® ) The longsword in my hand, felt really heavy. How many times had I thought that already¡ª¨C? . . For the Nth time, huge cheers rose as I stood in the arena. Those cheers were not for the ¡®human¡¯ Yamada Renji, but for the Hero of salvation. While knowing that, looking at loud excited cheering of the crowd, I ended up servicing them by waving my hand to them a bit as well. ¡°You look pretty rxed.¡± ¡°Really?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes, a bit too rxed.¡± Looks like my opponent doesn¡¯t think that I¡¯m very serious right now. I feel like that red haired merc said something simr in the second round as well but I honestly think that I¡¯m in a pretty serious mood right now. Frankly speaking, among all the participants of this tournament, there is not a single one against whom I can say that [I¡¯ll definitely win]. In fact, I can¡¯t even let down my guard even slightly against any of them either. Steeling myself so much, I¡¯m actually tiring myself mentally. Paying no regard to my inner thoughts, Masaki-chan looked at me with a chilly gaze. If I had some weird fetish, her gaze might have made me feel all excited. While thinking of such really inappropriate things, I faced her. ¡°So?¡± ¡°Hm?¡±(renji) ¡°Against me, will you at least fight seriously?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­I was pretty serious even in the first and second rounds though¡­¡± While scratching my cheek, I replied. At the same time, I began to hear the magic [voice] that I had finally gotten used to. But this time, the voice wasn¡¯t the usual one. Instead, it was a very familiar one¡ª¨CUtano-san¡¯s voice. She began our introductions. Hearing her first introduce herself before talking, I realized that she was always so diligent with everything. Thinking that, I smiled slightly. ¡°Haah.¡± Clearly noticing my reaction, Masaki-chan gave a sigh. The sigh she gave while dropping her shoulders was heavy, and deep¡­¡­¡­You don¡¯t have to be like that. Now I¡¯ll start feeling as if it¡¯s all my fault seeing a sigh like that. ¡°You sure are well loved by everyone.¡±(masaki) ¡°n¡­..muu¡± ¡°She¡¯s worried for you isn¡¯t she. She basically going so far just to show that she is with you, even if its only a bit.¡± Saying that in an almost teasing voice, I wonder how much did she mean seriously and how much she meant as a joke. As she talked while giving an exaggerated shrug, she really looked like Koutarou when he jokes around. If I said that, she¡¯d slit my throat without even waiting for the start signal though. Or maybe, she meant all of it seriously. When I hesitated to reply, she stepped in even more. But, for once, seeing her talk of such things instead of just about fighting, I guess she¡¯s in a pretty good mood. In fact, that¡¯s way better. The only thing I could think of was that it must be something rted to Souichi¡­¡­..or worst case, just because she is getting to fight me. ¡°What, did something good happen with Souichi or something?¡±(renji) ¡°¡­..muu.¡± Oh. Looks like I hit the right answer on the first try. Her teasing expression, for a second, seriously just for an instant, turned into a surprised one as she looked at me. How easy to understand. A girl in love is really adorable to see. ¡°I see, I see. So you were able to take a step forward with him, eh?¡±(renji) ¡°Shut up.¡±(masaki) She spoke that in a low tone. Her voice that seemed toe from the depths of her stomach could have made the heart of anyone who hears it tremble with fear. But, I¡¯m used to that as well. I was very familiar with her as she is one of my trustedrades after all. I didn¡¯t consider it scary or frightening. In fact seeing as how she normally acts so dignified, this was actually amusing. Maybe I was pretty fearless in a way? ¡°Yeah yeah, sure. I have no intention of turning a person¡¯s love story into a joke after all.¡±(renji) ¡°guh.¡± Finding Masaki-chan to be cute as she was lost for words, I drew my sword from the sheathe. I used a short sword to teach Ms Francesca how to use it againstrge sword users but as expected, I can¡¯t do something like that against Masaki-chan. She pretty serious when ites to fighting. Even if its amongrades, she won¡¯t like it if I held back my strength. But, in this world, to fight without holding back, even as training, means that it can be dangerous. She likes swords, loves to swing her katana and loves to fight. It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t understand her feelings but I hope she¡¯d at least try to understand my feelings of not wanting to hurt her as well. And because it was almost always Souichi who¡¯d go along with her training, at some point training became a daily routine for her. It must be because her partner was also a fighter of simr strength, she must have thought he¡¯d be able to do anything she can easily as well, or something like that. That¡¯s quite the dangerous way of thinking though. If they made a mistake anywhere, it won¡¯t end with getting just a small injury for them. Or rather, there has been a few times where Yayoi-chan had to heal either of the two due to some mishap. And they tried to hide that fact from us as well. At least they do understand that they would have gotten scolded. That makes it even worse though. ¡°Well, you¡¯ll probably be fighting Souichi in the finals. Why don¡¯t you win and ask him to listen to anything you say?¡±(renji) ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that amon trope? ¡®If I win listen to anything I say! I¡¯ll do the same if I lose!¡¯, Right?¡± When I said that jokingly, Masaki-chan looked at me with a nk expression. ¡°So there was such a tactic!¡±(masaki) ¡°¡­¡­¡­Onii-san¡¯s happy to see that your brain is useless as usual.¡±(renji)(T/N: renji refers to himself as oniisan in third person) ¡°Wh- Who¡¯re you calling useless!¡± Oh well. Swinging around my longsword a few times, I checked its condition. I did say that I could win, but in the end, this is a sword fight. No matter how much I try to distract her concentration, once we get into battle, it¡¯ll be useless. That¡¯s how incredible Masak-chan¡¯s power to concentrate in battle is. Since I knew that, I wanted to at least try and disturb her concentration even if only a bit but¡ª¡ªUtano-san¡¯s [voice] didn¡¯t allow me much time for it. Our introductions were finished. All that was left was for us to take stance before dering the start of battle. ¡°¡ª¡ª-¡± ¡°¡ª¡ª-¡± Hah. Looks like we were both thinking of the same thing. Just by matching our gazes, I felt as if our thoughts ovepped as well. Hisaki Masaki. The girl who wished for a sword that could [Cut through even fate] from the Goddess Astraera. In terms of attack power, she isn¡¯t behind even the Brave who has the divine protection of both the Goddess and the Spirit God. Against the magic sword user, and without Ermenhilde, even 10 of me can¡¯t win probably. While thinking of that, I lowered my waist. Just like Masaki-chan took stance for her quick sword draw, I also took a stance while holding my sword with both hands and almost hiding it near the left side of my waist. Depending on your view, it might look like we had the same stance. The only difference was that her sword was still in the sheathe and mine wasn¡¯t. Just like that, we waited for a few moments for the signal to start. The cold win caressed my cheeks and the loud cheers felt very far away. As if there was some barrier around me and the only things inside it were me and Masaki-chan. The world became slow and my concentration reached its peak and it felt like I could even see the wind itself. Forgetting how to even blink, I focused on the opponent in front of me. My opponent was the same as me as nothing except me reflected in her eyes. Right now, she¡¯s probably isn¡¯t thinking of Souichi even faintly. I took a breath, a deep, long, and uniform breath. We both did. Mine and Masaki-chan¡¯s consciousness, thoughts and even breathing were matched. The little space for us to fight, the arena, felt like it was infinitelyrge and as if only we two were the only beings alive in this world. The next instant. A slightly stronger wind blew. Her long, ck hair covered her vision as it swayed in the air. At the same time, the signal to start came. Without wasting even a second, I leaped in closing the distance between us. Nobody will all this unfair, not even she herself. By the time her eyes, that had been covered by her hair for only an instant, met with my eyes, I had already taken 2 big steps towards her. Without feeling even a bit surprised at my actions, Masaki-chan¡¯s waist lowered even further. And she drew her sword. The moment I realized that, I stepped in right in front of her. At the same time as I swung my longsword, her Katana was drawn out and rushed towards my neck even faster than my sword. There was no sense of hesitation or holding back in her attack. Her skill was wless as her katana came from her sheathe, towards my neck in the least amount of time and distance possible. The sh was so perfect that it looked like a straight line. But that¡¯s why, it was too easy to predict. As I aimed my longsword towards directly the trajectory of her katana, the perfect sh was instantly shaken. Because it was so perfectly executed, her movements were easy to predict. If I knew what she¡¯d aim for, if I could tell the path of her katana, there were countless steps I could take to fend against it. As I deflected the katana¡¯s trajectory by scooping it away with my sword, a loud metallic sound resounded. ¡°tch.¡±(masaki) ¡°Wa¡ª¨C¡± I was hoping to either break her katana or at least bend it with my attack but Masaki-chan¡¯s reaction was even faster. As expected of a person who has the divine protection of the Goddess. Her reaction speed was multiple times faster than even O¡¯brien-san. At the same time as my longsword was diverting her attack, she quickly changed the trajectory of her katana to reduce the burden taken from my attack. Katana and Sword. The biggest difference between those two is the sharpness, and endurance I believe. A katana swung by a swordswoman like Masaki-chan can cut through even steel but katana¡¯s have low endurance. If not for a magic sword made through the power of the Goddess, I doubt they can be used for long in a battlefield. In contrast, a normal sword was more used to chop/hack down the opponent rather than slice/cut through. But its endurance far surpassed that of a katana. Because they¡¯re made solely with use on the battlefield in mind, I guess it should be obvious. If I had a way to win against Masaki-chan, it would be to break her katana. That¡¯s the only way. In terms of physical ability, reaction speed, in basically everything, I am below her so that¡¯s the only choice I have. That was, to destroy her katana in the very first sh of our weapons when she¡¯d be sure to sh swords properly with me. But, in ended in failure. I tried to quickly open up the distance between us but, she won¡¯t let me. As I stepped backwards, she began to speedily step in towards me. Her drawn katana was once more in the sheathe before I even knew it and she rushed at me head front with her waist more lowered than even mine who had already drawn the sword. By lowering her body so much, it made it difficult for me to attack her. Even if I try to attack, it would be to difficult for me to aim at her properly. Even if I swung my sword, I wouldn¡¯t be able to bring out enough power behind my swing. With that kind of weak swing, her katana would split me instead. ¡°fuuh!!¡± She drew her katana again. I dodged her swift sh not by jumping back but by leaping to the left. Since I jumped away quickly without trying to maintain my form, I was able to avoid her attack with just some of my upper skin of my right arm getting cut but, I ended up rolling on the arena instead. It looked pretty pathetic, but I quickly stood up and prepared my sword. Once more, she rushed in towards me with almost enough power to break the stone floor, but this time to match her, I also plunged in towards her centre. Before, I feinted that I was going to jump back first before changing my direction. But that won¡¯t work again. At least not in this fight. Then, rather than stop the de, I stepped in to block her attack directly from her grip which couldn¡¯t cut me no matter what. But it seems my movement was seen through as she didn¡¯t sheathe her katana this time. Rather than using her draw technique the third time, she made a normal sh. But the sh she made was probably even sharper than Souichi¡¯s¡ª¡ª- ¡°Guh¡ª¡ª!?!¡± I quickly held up my longsword as a shield but it cut through like it was butter. What the hell is that katana even made of? That sharpness is unreal! While chasing that sh with my eyes, I put strength in my legs. A sh isn¡¯t the only way a katana can cut. After a swing, one could pull the katana to cut once more. After cutting my long sword, she pulled her sword. That was just a very slight movement but she must do that action to cut my body as well. That instant. In the time of a single blink, where the katana was about to touch my waist¡ª¨CI matched my movements with her and, with my left leg as the centre, I rotated my body. My clothes were cut, and a slight, shallow cut was made on my nk/side. While definitely feeling the sharp pain, I knew that my body was still in one piece. As I held down my side with my right hand, a wet feeling came to me. A slight amount of blood was sticking to my hand but, I¡¯m still alive¡ª¡ªI can still fight. As I quickly turned my gaze to look towards Masaki-chan who I had lost sight of due to rotating away my body, but she was just standing there looking at me with surprised face. I guess, she really didn¡¯t expect me to dodge her attack with that kind of manoeuvre. ¡°¡ª¨CHa.¡± I wonder was it me or Masaki-chan whoughed. If it was me, it must be a stiff, and miserable face. The long sword had been cut apart and had be the size of a short sword. But, because her katana was incredibly sharp, my sword wasn¡¯t broken and could still be used as a weapon. While looking at Masaki-chan who stopped due to surprise, I lowered my waist and rushed in towards her. This time, I held the sword near my waist as I charged towards her in the shortest distance. I feel, that me and Masaki-chan are the same. Souichi and Masaki-chan both don¡¯t want to lose to each other as [swordsmen/women] but their sword and katana were different. But in me and Masaki-chan¡¯s case¡ª¡ªIt¡¯s the same. There was literally no difference. How safely, without making the slightest waste, in the easiest way possible¡ª-can I cut the enemy, can I kill them. That¡¯s what our lifeline is, and you could say, also the core, spine of our fighting style. As her unsheathed katana aimed for my neck, I aimed for her heart at the same time. Her sh, and my stab. If you were to ask what¡¯s faster, it would always be the stab. That is¡ª¨Conly considering the full length of the longsword. ¡°guh¡­¡­unu¡ª¨C¡± ¡°¡­¡­.haah.¡± The sharp edge of the katana was touching my neck. That sensation alone felt like it could take away 10 years from my lifespan. Inparison, my sword¡ª¡ªhad not reached Masaki-chan¡¯s heart. The part of the sword that had been cut away by the katana had made all the difference. And inside my head, Utano-san¡¯s [voice] resounded. It was my loss. ¡°uuuuu.¡± ¡°eh, umm.¡±(renji) As Masaki-chan red at me while moaning and teary eyes, I was perplexed. For the time being, that face is super scary so I¡¯d be happy if you could take the katana away from my neck though. If she were to pull her katana right now, my carotid artery would pop, killing me. ¡°This..¡±(masaki) ¡°This?¡± ¡°This, isn¡¯t ..!¡± Well, honestly speaking, when we went for the kill, even I thought that I¡¯d win. And, Masaki-chan, who had be sure of her victory at that had stopped her movement already. That was the difference. In the battlefield, it would be a deadly opening. But this was a duel not the battlefield. As a result, Masaki-chan was the winner and I was the loser. That fact cannot be debated. But, it seems that to Masaki-chan, this isn¡¯t eptable/satisfactory. If my weapon was Ermenhilde instead, it would have never been cut nor would it have broken. Then maybe the result would have been the opposite. ¡­¡­¡­but then, from the start, she would havee at her full strength to cut me as well. In fact that one would be even difficult for me to beat. ¡°Even though I was hoping to beat you up today and release my anger for making us all worry by disappearing for a whole year!!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± Since she was making a truly regretful expression, she really must be speaking truthfully. Yeah. Oniichan¡¯s happy that you¡¯ve grown up to be so honest. ¡°Ummm.¡± ¡°Guh. Don¡¯t think that you¡¯ve won here!!¡±(masaki) How should I say this¡­¡­.amazing. She sounds exactly like those viins from those tokusatsu series. (T/N: tokusatsu= super sentai, kamen rider etc.) I looked at her back as Masaki-chan sheathed her katana and walked away fuming. What is this¡­¡­..am I at fault here? No, well I am in a way. I understand that Masaki-chan was trying to resolve my actions for the past one year in her own way. In fact, now I look totally like viin instead. At least, from the point of view of myrades. That said, if I had gone easy on her, it would have made her even more pissed. ¡°Haah. She must be in her difficult age right now, seriously.¡±(renji) For the time being, I decided to put it as that. It seems our fight really roused the crowd as the cheers were even louder than before. I¡¯m not joking, I feel like my ears will go crazy. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll leave the girl to her lover to deal with.¡± If I were to apologise, it¡¯d only make her angrier as well so I decided to put it away all towards Souichi who she¡¯ll have to fight in the finals as I walked down the arena. At least, with this my tournament has finally ended but¡­¡­.what a bad taste it leaves. Well, no matter how much Masaki-chan went easy on me, I still didn¡¯t think I¡¯d get this far. While thinking of that, I looked at my hand as I opened and closed it. It was the same as always. ¡°I wonder if I have gotten stronger even a bit.¡± Well, no matter how strong I get physically, if my mental strength doesn¡¯t match up with it, it¡¯s useless. My side gave a sharp pain. It¡¯s the wound Masaki-chan gave me. It seems the blood loss hasn¡¯t stopped yet. Seriously, I wish she¡¯d gone a bit more easier on me. While looking at my hand stained with blood, I smiled bitterly. I put up a good fight to Masaki-chan but seeing how I got hurt, I can¡¯t really feel happy. I¡¯m sure, once more¡­¡­¡­.I¡¯ll make all sorts of people worry for me. ¡°Optimistically speaking, it was kind of draw eh? Haah¡­¡­..what use is it growing stronger now anyways.¡± But, oh well. My life hasn¡¯t ended yet. Maybe one day I¡¯ll have to protect someone once again, then I need to get stronger. Grasping my stained right hand tightly, feeling a bit lighter, I walked away. Chapter 56 Meaning of Happiness Chapter 56 Meaning of Happiness While putting on the heavy armour once more, I gave a sigh. The room prepared for me to change was the same as before but with just me alone being here, it felt really quiet. Maybe because I was in the middle of the arena just a while ago, it felt even more quieter here. Well, both Toudou and Kuuki are busy, and neither do I require help to put on armour so I don¡¯t have a reason to call someone else either. After being in the midst of so much noise and cheering, it felt, how should I say this, quite weird putting on armour all alone. ¡°How lonely¡­¡­..¡± Though there¡¯s a part of me that feels that being alone like this makes me feel at ease, and I am truly free but, still, it feels lonely. Or rather, it must be my imagination that I alone feel a bit left out. Finally finishing putting on the mithril armour, I attached the mithril sword to my waist. Now if only I have Ermenhilde with me, I¡¯ll be set. But she¡¯s with Ms Francesca right now. I thought of looking for her as soon as my battle ended but there are thousands of people inside the Coliseum. To look for Feirona and the others would take a bit too much effort. If I¡±m lucky, I¡¯ll find Ms Francesca during the banquet, which is basically the after party, that¡¯ll be conducted after the tournament ends. And even in the worst case, tomorrow I¡¯ll just have to go and meet up with Feirona and the others. It might be not to bad to spend some time alone like this either. For the past 3 years, we have been together all the time after all. It¡¯s necessary for her as well to spend some time with others. ¡­¡­¡­thinking like that, I sighed again. Because we¡¯ve been together for so long, it feels a bit empty, or rather, lonely to be like this. I¡¯m sure I¡¯m get lonely far more easily than even Ermenhilde I think. While thinking of such foolish things, I left the room. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± When, she was probably waiting in front of the room, Aya was looking out the window before turning to look towards me. The dress she was wearing was the deep blue dress, the same one she wore on the dinner with me. It was dark hue dress but it matched well with Aya¡¯s white skin. Though I¡¯m not really knowledgeable on the what dress is considered to suit you or not, I just felt that it really suited Aya. But unlike that time, her hair weren¡¯t let down openly. He had tied them to the side, the same as always, and was currently ying with it with her fingers. ¡°Is something the matter?¡±(renji) ¡°No, nothing.¡±(aya) Saying that, Aya came beside with light footsteps. Maybe because she was wearing heels, she felt slightly taller than usual. She had also put on some slight make up as well. ¡°Just felt like talking with you, for a bit.¡±(aya) ¡°I see.¡± Her face, at a height slightly above my shoulder, was giving a bright smile. She really must be in a good mood. Her emotions transferred to even me as I gave a smile as well. ¡°Well, that was unfortunate, eh?¡±(aya) ¡°What was?¡± ¡°The fact that you lost.¡± ¡°Aah.¡± She knew that I didn¡¯t really mind it much as she spoke that in a light tone and with a smile. At times, the other contestants and people here in the arena would look at us with curious gazes as we walked by them but I didn¡¯t pay them much mind. Call it the price of fame, but both mine and Aya¡¯s faces were well known in the capital. Especially mine, since I was in the matches just a while ago. ¡°But still, it¡¯s a pity.¡±(renji) ¡°What is?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s a rare festival after all, yet we haven¡¯t had the chance to go check out the various stalls and stands.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really mind that. I just¡­¡­¡± Saying till that, she shut her mouth and didn¡¯t continue. As she started to fiddle with her hair again, she looked a bit embarrassed. I don¡¯t know why but since her mood didn¡¯t seem to be getting bad, I just continued to walk beside her while my armour made a nking sound. Even after walking a bit, Aya remained silent. AT the same time, I didn¡¯t have much to talk either. But still, to not be bothered by even such a silence, is probably because I¡¯ve gotten used to spending time with Aya. As we continued to walk leisurely, I felt Aya¡¯s elbow touch my waist portion of the armour. She must have taken half a step closer to me. The distance between us was a bit closer. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be too boorish to point that out so I continued walking, acting like I hadn¡¯t noticed. Giving another nce at her, her smile seemed to have gotten even greater. Or was it just my imagination? ¡°Did you have lunch yet?¡±(renji) ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s almost lunch time right? Have you had your lunch yet?¡± ¡°Eh, ah, yes. Or rather, there was a lot of things to eat back at our spectator seats.¡± ¡°So basically, you held back and ate less so are still hungry?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡­yes.¡± I was about to say that¡¯d ¡®you¡¯ll get fat¡¯ but I quickly stopped myself. It would be just as a joke but what would happen to me even if it¡¯s as a joke is¡ª¡ªwell, as clear as day. ¡°Then, apany me for a bit.¡±(renji) ¡°?¡± ¡°Now that my fight is over, I suddenly feel really hungry¡­¡­..will you stay with me for a while?¡± ¡°Ye, Yes!¡± Giving a wry smile at her enthusiastic response, I changed our direction from going towards our seats to the Coliseum¡¯s exit. The coliseum itself didn¡¯t have a dinner hall/cafeteria so I just have to go to the various stalls set up just outside the gate to fill up my stomach. Recalling the various snack stalls I saw yesterday, I felt my mouth water up. I was really hungry but I must not have felt it because I was even more nervous about the matches. ¡°fufufu.¡± As I walked at a bit fast pace, Aya beside me gave a smallugh. Feeling a bit embarrassed at that, I slowed my pace to normal again. But then, I realized I messed up. I¡¯ll really stand out, in the bad sense, in this armour. Normal people can¡¯t tell the difference between normal steel and Mithril but being in full armour alone will make others feel nervous around me. If I was to go out to stalls in such an outfit, I¡¯ll definitely stand out. Well, speaking of that, Aya will be the same. Though its not extravagant, she¡¯s still wearing a first-ss dress made of good fabric. Wearing heels and with makeup on, she looked like a woman rather than a girl, beautiful rather than cute. I might be partial to the people I know well but I still feel that Aya will definitely stand out in public right now. Though unlike me, she¡¯d stand out in a good way. ¡°Should we hurry a bit?¡± Maybe she was a bit concerned seeing me walk fast paced just before, she spoke that. Her voice was more energetic than usual probably because she was having fun teasing me for once instead of being the one getting teased. ¡°Nah, I can tolerate just this much easily.¡±(renji) ¡°Mouu¡­¡­..that part of you is so childish, really.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± Was it really? Being called a child by a girl 10 years younger than me left a really difficult to exin feelings. To not let her realize my feelings, I scratched my cheek only to feel the cold touch of mithril. Oh right, I was in full armour right now. ¡°This might make it a bit difficult to eat in.¡±(renji) As I spoke that while looking at the gauntlets I was wearing, Aya burst ut inughter. As sheughed while shaking her shoulders, she really looked like a girl of her age making me feel happy just looking at her as well. In the 3 years aftering to this world, she had started to gain that adult-like atmosphere around her but in my opinion, she looks better acting more like a child her age would. As we began to walk again, I felt Aya¡¯s elbow touch my armour covered waist again. ¡°Does it not feel cold?¡±(renji) ¡°What does?¡± ¡°My armour.¡± When I said that, she quickly moved slightly away understanding what I meant. Thinking of her actions as cute, I also felt a bit like a lonely parent. It must be what parents feel when their daughters move away from them, or maybe, I felt lonely as a man to have woman move away from me? As I smiled bitterly at feelings I myself didn¡¯t understand, Aya looked up towards me puzzled. ¡°Nah, just felt a bit lonely.¡±(renji) When I said that, she blushed madly and looked away. ¡°Mou, don¡¯t tease me like that!¡±(aya) ¡°That wasn¡¯t really my intention in the first ce though.¡± She scolded me to hide her embarrassment but still, I didn¡¯t sense her mood go bad. Though not as much as Souichi or Yayoi-chan, I do know what kind of personality Aya has. She¡¯s the type to say ¡®No¡¯ clearly when she wants to and when she can¡¯t speak up, she¡¯ll silently create distance between herself and the other person. And if she doesn¡¯t do that means that she truly trusts them. I¡¯ve seen her hide her embarrassment like that so many times already as well. Rather than saying that I got used to it, it¡¯s better to say that I began to enjoy it so much that I started liking spending time with her. That¡¯s why, even though it had be silent again, it didn¡¯t feel awkward at all. When we came to this world, she was unsociable, always tried hard as if implying that I should just stay back and leave the rest to her, but seeing her personality now, the gap in between tjose two personalities was really amusing. While I was spending time reminiscing, I felt her elbow on my waist again. When I looked towards her, she quickly averted her gaze to the other side. ¡°So, it¡¯s not cold?¡±(renji) ¡°Well, you looked pretty lonely so..¡± When I asked the same thing again, a different reply came. Hearing her blunt response, I ended upughing a bit. I felt bad but her reaction was simply too amusing. And above all,¡ª¨C I felt happy. ¡°Mouu!¡±(aya) ¡°Oh, don¡¯t start sulking again.¡±(renji) ¡°It¡¯s because you always tease¡ª¨C¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy.¡± When I said that cutting Aya¡¯s words off, she didn¡¯t continue further. Her nk expression was so fascinating that I wanted to just keep on looking at her but, maybe she realized my gaze, she quickly hung down her head hiding her face. She also stopped walking, so I also stopped. The people around us looked at us with weird gazes. ¡°What will you do? Want to go back to your seats before me?¡±(renji) Implicitly, I asked if this was too much trouble for her. I¡¯m sure Aya understood what I was asking as well. But, she quickly shook her head a few times and quickly walked up beside me once again. Her face was smiling, or should I say, grinning, but I shouldn¡¯t tell her that. Now that she had raised her head back again, I suppressed my urge to tease her more and we continued walking. Once more, I felt Aya¡¯s elbow touch my waist. This time, she didn¡¯t move away, and neither did I say anything else either. After a while, we finally left the Coliseum and while feeling the cold wind outside, I squinted at the strong sunlight. The weather is really nice. To have not realized that even after going out on the arena multiple times, I realized exactly how nervous I had been. ¡°Now then, what should we eat?¡±(renji) ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m not feeling very hungry right now.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so mindful you know? I have some change on me so I¡¯ll treat you.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡± As we talked while walking, as expected, we drew a lot of inquisitive gazes onto us. Both of us are used to gathering such attention but it¡¯s still weird to eat food like this. As a man, I don¡¯t really mind it much, but for Aya it might not feel veryfortable to eat while under the gaze of countless strangers I guess. ¡°I see.¡±(renji) Though I still doubted any reason to hold back now, for the time being we headed towards a nearby stall and bought one skewered Orc meat. It cost 2 copper coins¡­¡­¡­. You could buy 4 breads in that amount in a vige but I guess it¡¯s not the same in cities. Or maybe this was because a festival was going on currently. It¡¯s really not fair how the cost of normal things get almost doubled during such times. And even while knowing that, we still buy it anyway. Do we getx due to feeling joyous during festivals or does everything just feel more tasty at times like these? In either case, I guess the atmosphere and mood is really important. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±(aya) ¡°nah, just thought that this was really tasty.¡± While dexterously holding the stick with my gauntlet wearing hands, I took a bite. This world didn¡¯t have anything called as sauces, thus the only things put on as seasoning was some salt and spices. But that, in turn, enhanced the original taste of the meat even more. With my little knowledge of cooking, Imented on the taste of the Orc meat. ¡°Hm, it¡¯s really tasty.¡±(renji) ¡°Fufu.¡± Aya gave a small giggle as she looked at me eating from the side. I wonder how the surrounding people are thinking of us right now. ¡°Want to take a bite as well?¡±(reji) ¡°I¡¯ll pass.¡± Well, thought so. Even if we are closerades, it¡¯s still not normal to eat something the other has already taken a bite off. After a while, I finally finished eating the thing. But it only seemed to have increased my appetite; I really must have been hungry. ¡°But still, the capital sure is crowded.¡±(renji) ¡°Really?¡± ¡°yeah, it feels like it¡¯d be easy to get lost in here.¡± When I said that, Aya hid her mouth as she gave an refined lookingugh. Now then, what should I eat next? When I looked around thinking that, my eyes met with few people. Maybe they knew who we were, or were they simply curious about a man in full armour, and woman in a fine dress? Without paying them much mind, I walked off. Aya seemed to be the same. ¡°Don¡¯t get lost okay?¡±(aya) ¡°I¡¯ll be careful. If I got lost, let¡¯s meet up at the entrance to the Arena okay?¡± ¡°Mouu, Renji-san¡¯s supposed to be the older one here, right?¡± As I walked alongside Aya while she listened to my jokes, another stall caught my attention. This one wasn¡¯t selling orc meat, it was lizardman meat instead. It had less fat than orc meat and had more consistency. If it was our original world, it¡¯d be considered a healthy kind of meat. In this world, healthy food wasn¡¯t really a thing so Orc meat was more popr. Even though Lizardmen are more stronger than ORcs, it¡¯s a bit weird how their meat is considered of less value. Buying one of those, I held it with my gauntlet hands once more. ¡°Well then, since it¡¯ll be troublesome to get lost as well, how about we go sit down somewhere?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes, let¡¯s. Should we buy something to drink?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Oh right, I forgot to buy anything like that. ¡°I¡¯ll go buy something right now.¡±(renji) ¡°It¡¯s fine. Look for a ce to sit first, I¡¯ll go buy the drinks.¡± Before I could say anything, she spoke that and walked away. Looking at her back as she went away, I gave a sigh. Isn¡¯t the man supposed to go do such stuff¡ª¡ª¡ªor am I too old fashioned for thinking like that. I happy to see Aya being so considerate but at the same time being treated like this by a girl so younger than me feels a bit embarrassing as well. For the time being, I began looking for a ce to sit as told only to find one fairly easily. There were a lot of people around but, there were very few of them who were actually sitting there and chatting. Everyone else seemed to be moving around enjoying the festival. With smiles, with friends, family, lovers; chatting, holding hands, linking arms with each other; a lot of people, of various different races, were enjoying this festival. It was peaceful, and calm¡­¡­.and when I think that we were the ones who protected this, I feel more proud than happy inside my chest. Suddenly, I recalled what Koutarou had told me yesterday night. [If you¡¯re curious, go meet Astraera.] He said so. That one of my party members was trouble. Was it Ms Francesca, Feirona or Mururu? No matter who it is¡ª¡ªif he said that it was trouble, and to go as far as to take Astraera¡¯s name¡­¡­then it must be really serious. Astraera. The goddess who made unreasonable demands to us so many times. Starting from subjugating the Demon God, even though we didn¡¯t even have a ship, to cross the seas to the Abenelm continent, to somehow gain the trust of Spirit God, to go kill mountain-like big descendants of the Demon God, etc. ¡­¡­..thinking back on it now, it¡¯s amazing how we actually fulfilled all of those unreasonable demands. It¡¯s just a matter ofughing now but back then, we had to seriously, desperately, put our lives on the line to do those tasks. For this world¡ª¡ª¡ªthe world Eru loved, the world we came to like so much, where so many people lived, and to protect it all. Aah, I thought. I guess my holiday is finallying to an end. ¡°Renji-san?¡± As I stood there thinking in a daze while still holding the lizard meat, Aya came back up to me. In her hands were 2 wooden cups, and judging by the smell, it must fruit juice. ¡°Ah, Aya, eh?¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­are you okay?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Ah, um, wouldn¡¯t it better to sit down while eating?¡± ¡°Hahaha, yeah, I guess.¡± She made a face that seemed like she wanted to ask me something but in the end she never asked it. While looking at her gently, I sat down on a nearby bench. Aah, really, this armour is inconvenient. It¡¯s hard to even sit. ¡°Here.¡±(aya) ¡°Ah, thanks.¡± Taking the juice cup from her, I took a sip and washed it down my throat. I don¡¯t really drink much juice usually but it¡¯ll taste good with some alcohol in it. ¡°The weather really is nice today, right?¡±(aya) ¡°Yeah. Even though its winter, it¡¯s pretty warm today.¡± ¡°And, everyone seems to be having so much fun as well.¡± She spoke that while looking at the smiles of the various people passing by us. When I ended upughing hearing her say something I myself had been thinking, she looked up towards me confused. ¡°Nah, I was just thinking the same thing that¡¯s all.¡±(renji) ¡°Oh really?¡± ¡°Yeah, that everyone is so full of smiles and we are the ones who protected it.¡± ¡°¡ª-Yes.¡± So many humans had died. Even demihumans and beastmen as well. And we killed a lot of monsters and demons as well. And in the end,¡ª-I even killed a God. And the peace we earned was a ce where so many wereughing like this. They live a life with smiles on their faces. As we continued to look at that scene silently, a different sweet smell, other than the food we had, came to me. ncing beside me, Aya¡¯s face was right next to me. Realizing my gaze, she looked away¡­¡­but she didn¡¯t move away and stayed where she was, close to me. The slight reddening of her cheeks and ears must be imagination, I¡¯m sure. ¡°Are you feeling cold?¡±(renji) ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Your face is all red.¡± ¡°¡­..Mou, even if you realize that, please act like you didn¡¯t!¡± ¡°Hahaha.¡± Ahh, I¡¯m sure. This is what it means to be happy. It felt warm inside my chest and I felt so calm. I heard theughing voices of men and women and the energetic voices of the merchants trying to sell their stuff. Under the warm sun, a slightly cold air blew. And in this rxed andfortable time, we ate our lunch. Just this alone, was able to make a person feel happy. It can make oneugh. ¡°Ah.¡± And inside this happy time, I saw another familiar face. With honey coloured hair shining from the sunlight, her usual smiling expression was currently one of surprise. Oh? Did something happen to make her feel surprised? I tilted my head in confusion but I couldn¡¯t think of anything. And behind her Feirona and Mururu were the same, Solnea was as usual though. ¡°What happened, Renji-san?¡±(aya) ¡°No, Ms Francesca and others are looking towards us.¡±(renji) When I said that, Aya who saw them just now, jumped up from the bench suddenly. By the time I even thought of that, Aya had already walked fast towards Ms Francesca. She didn¡¯t run probably because she was wearing heels. I can¡¯t tell properly from behind but she seemed to be red to the ears. Was it that embarrassing for her to be seen with me? That kind of hurts. I was thinking of that when Feirona and Solnea walked towards me. Ms Francesca and Mururu were talking to Aya there. I can¡¯t tell what they were talking about but, oh well, they look like they¡¯re having fun. Can¡¯t be sure about Mururu but Ms Francesca was making a wide smile. ¡°So you were here, eh?¡±(elf) ¡°yeah. After the match ended, I got hungry.¡±(renji) ¡°Fu, you must been pretty nervous, eh?¡± ¡°Exactly. Where¡¯s Ermenhilde?¡± ¡°With Francesca.¡± As I asked that while giving a shrug, he answered me quickly. Well, they seem to be get along quite well. As they¡¯re both girls. If there was a problem, it¡¯d be this ck haired girl standing beside Feirona who was looking at me silently. ¡°What about you Solnea?¡±(renji) ¡°What, Renji?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t talk with the other girls?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Should I have?¡± Why are you asking me that? When I looked back at Feirona while smiling wryly, he just gave a shrug. Looks like she¡¯s been like that as usual all the time. ¡°If you¡¯re not interested then it¡¯s fine.¡±(renji) ¡°I understand.¡±(sol) How straightforward, should I say? I was unable to reply any more to Solnea¡¯s unique personality. It seems it was the same for Feirona as he didn¡¯t even pay this much mind. ¡°It suits you quite well.¡±(elf) ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°That armour.¡± ¡°Thanks for thepliment.¡± Finishing eating the lizard meat, I gulped down all of the juice in a single breath. ¡°You did well today.¡±(sol) ¡°Uhn?¡± In a rare moment, as Solnea talked first to me, I asked that back again in surprise. Feirona must have found it unusual as well as his normal calm expression showed some surprise. ¡°No, I was just thinking that as I thought, you are very strong, that¡¯s all.¡±(sol) ¡°Oh please. There are literally a shit ton of people who are more stronger than me. In fact one¡¯s right in front of me.¡± Saying that I looked towards Feirona but he just gave augh and didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Is that so?¡±(sol) ¡°Yes, it is.¡±(renji) Now then. Putting the stick/skewer inside the empty cup, I stood up. ¡°What are you going to do next?¡±(renji) ¡°What about you?¡±(elf) ¡°I, have to go give somepany to the King. And at night, there¡¯s a ball inviting all the participants so I¡¯ll be free only tomorrow.¡± And tomorrow, I¡¯ll probably sleep like a dead man. And I also have to go meet Astraera. ¡°I see. Then we¡¯ll talk then.¡±(elf) ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± That talk, is for what we¡¯ll do next. We came to the capital on Mururu¡¯s request but originally, Feirona is an elf, resident of the Forest of magical energy. Aya and Miss Francesca are students and Mururu lives in Elfreim. I¡¯m not sure what to do of Solnea but I¡ª¡ªwill probably leave on a journey again. It¡¯s my intuition telling me as if it was almost a fact. Koutarou even said that he¡¯d be waiting at the Elfreim continent. After meeting Astraera, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll have me go to the Elfreim continent,. I¡¯m sure. I should be able to go along the way with Mururu but as expected, I can¡¯t ask of others to travel to another continent with me now, an I? Thinking of that, I realized that my journey with theserades might being to an end as well. ¡°What¡¯s happened?¡±(sol) As if she could sense my thoughts, Solnea asked that. As expected, even in those words, I could not sense anything like emotion inside it. She must have simply be curious of me who had gone silent. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±(renji) I wonder what he was thinking as Feirona gave a wry smile as he looked at me. Chapter 57 God Chapter 57 God It was, apletely empty ce. As far as the eye could see, in all 360 degrees, both up and down; it was all pure white. Not a tinge of any other colour existed here and that is why ¡®She¡¯ was the one who lived here. Praying to the Goddess¡¯ statue, that prayer would then reach her, and only after gaining her permission, one could enter this ce. It was tranquil and pure. A sacrednd where only a chosen few were allowed to enter. It was that kind of a ce. ¡°You¡¯re finally here, eh?¡± While in this ce, even though she¡¯s supposed to not be not visible, or rather just made of light, or should I say looks like a distortion¡­¡­¡­.anyway, even though she¡¯s not supposed to have a physical body, she was currently, for some reason, sitting on a throne right in front of mepletely visible. Inside this white world, she was there with silver hair, elegantly wearing a white dress with silver embroidery, and the white skin that peeked out of her dress could charm anyone. Even the throne was made of silver, and the cushions on it were made of a white material. Even though everything was so rted to white, only her golden eyes, which was a different colour, stood out. Her almost cold looking, calm eyes stared at me and her mouth was straight as a line. Clearly, she was displeased. Her smiling expression shown in her silver statue felt like it was nothing more than a rare expression from her. But still to think of her as beautiful even now, I guess as expected of a Goddess eh? Goddess Astraera. The creator of humankind and the Goddess of light. The one who summoned us to this world and asked us to kill the Demon God. And she, while looking more like a Queen, sat on her throne, with her legs crossed, looking down towards me. ¡°Why, Astraera-sama, you seem to be well¡ª¡ª¡°(renji) ¡°No need for empty ttery. Raise your head.¡± Floor¡ª¡ª-well, since everything was white, it didn¡¯t really feel like a floor but still, I tried to greet her normally while giving a customary kneel when she cut me off instantly. I knew she was not in a good mood but she actually seems pretty damn pissed right now. Probably because I didn¡¯te to see her not a single time in the past one year. As I raised my while thinking of a way to apologise to her, she continued to stare at me coldly. Because she had incredibly sharp features, she looked really scary. Almost as scary as an angry Utano-san, if I had topare. ¡°Took you a while toe here, eh?¡±(ast) (T/N: ¡®Ast¡¯ for Astraera.) But in her next words, I also felt some warm feelings of ¡®thanking for the troubles¡¯, or something like that. She uncrossed her legs, as I heard some rustling of her clothes. And inside the tranquil space, I felt a more gentle atmosphere seep in. ¡°This past one year, how were you?¡±(ast) ¡°¡­¡­..Just as always.¡± ¡°I see.¡± When I said that, it seems she understood what I meant as her way of speaking was very gentle. As I stood up and faced her directly, now her eyes were narrow with gentleness instead. So she was just bluffing¡­¡­¡­.that¡¯s really bad for my heart. Feeling with my own body that her pressure had reduced, I felt relieved. It looks like in this one year, she¡¯s grown even more human like as well. While wondering whether I should be happy about that, I gave a deep sigh without letting her realize. ¡°How rude, the first thing you do after meeting me in such a long time is give a sigh?¡±(ast) ¡°It¡¯s probably because you have be more human-like though.¡± ¡°Really? I don¡¯t really understand though.¡± She sure can talk. While thinking about how serious she was, I gave another sigh. At that, her, almost cold, beautiful face gave a smile. Her expression was, really simr to Eru¡¯s. Well I guess it¡¯s only obvious. After all, Eru was born by dividing out a part of Astraera¡¯s own magical energy. It¡¯s normal for Eru to be simr to Astraera in many ways. Though their appearances are simr, their personalities arepletely opposite. They¡¯re more, if I had to say, like mother and her daughter. Astraera, Eru and Ermenhilde. If I had to speak of their rtionship, that¡¯s the best way to describe it. ¡°The fact that you¡¯re finally here means, I am allowed to presume that you¡¯re finally ready to look forward again right?¡±(ast) ¡°Do as you please. But, its only because the world seems to be in danger again.¡± ¡°I see. Then, you will save the world once more, right?¡± ¡°If, the world really is in mortal danger that is.¡± After a short pause. ¡°As long as my opponent is not another God.¡±(renji) ¡°I see.¡± AS I said that while shrugging, she said that while sighing in relief. Looks like she really thought that I¡¯d refuse. She really still has a lot to learn. I will, no matter what she says next, no matter what she wishes of me¡­¡­¡­if it is to save this world from danger, I will not refuse. That alone, I can say with pride. ¡°So?¡±(renji) But, I will not face another God. It¡¯s the same even for this Goddess. Even though she once said that she hates fighting but after having faced the Demon God, I can tell. This Goddess is in apletely different dimension of power. I can¡¯t even think that I could kill her easily even if I fought seriously. ¡ª¡ª¨CTo kill Gods, a sacrifice is needed. A lot of precious people need to be sacrificed for such a thing. ¡°Renji, are you aware of the abnormality widespread in this world right now?¡±(ast) ¡°The fact that the Demon God¡¯s descendants are appearing in Imnesia, and that the monsters have begun to move more actively, is it?¡± ¡°Exactly. The more serious one is the former¡ª-the fact that those descendants are still being born.¡± Fumu. So, as expected, they weren¡¯t a random natural urrence, but are truly the descendants of the Demon God. I was pretty sure already but being told that surely makes it easier to ept. I recalled that ck orc, and the ck ogre that attacked the Magic city. The skeleton I fought in the forest was¡ª¡ªI wonder about that one. There was one thingmon between the ck orc and the ogre. That was that they were both too weak for the Demon God¡¯s descendants. No matter how specialised Ermenhilde is to kill gods, the descendants aren¡¯t weak enough that they can be taken down by me alone. In contrast, the Skeleton was strong enough that even me along with Mururu couldn¡¯t beat it at all. Those two were newborn, but thetter one was there from a long time. That was the only way to possibly make it coherent. We had simply failed to find and kill that Skeleton during our journey to subjugate the Demon God. The Orc and the ogre were newborn and had not yet grown mature. That¡¯s why theycked experience, and¡ª¡ª-were weak. Considering that we didn¡¯t go near the forest back then indeed, it all makes sense. ¡°One, question.¡±(renji) ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°I definitely killed the Demon God Nayfell, with these two hands.¡± ¡°Yes, you did.¡± ¡°Then why are new descendants being born still? Wasn¡¯t it the Demon God himself who gave birth to them?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because Nayfell¡¯s corpse still exists.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Those few words, made me choke. As if my heart had been grabbed, it felt tight and painful inside. ¡°¡­¡­.corpse?¡± ¡°Yes. You should have received something from Zwenelia correct?¡± Being told that, I recalled¡ª¡ªthe Demon Go¡¯s heart. Beautiful like a crystal but much harder than that¡ª¡ª-ominous, abominable, detestable fragment of his heart. It¡¯s what the Spirit God Zwenelia sent to us through Mururu. ¡°That fragment of his heart?¡± ¡°Does it look like his heart to you?¡± Her words seemed to imply as if our perception of it was not correct. No, it¡¯s not impossible. All we think we know about the Gods is nothing more than what we theorized and nothing more. Maybe our perception is wed. And because of that we epted that without a doubt. Games, movies, mangas and novels. A lot of things existed in our world. In such things a lot of diverse ¡®info¡¯ about such beings of other world, like monsters, Gods, beastmen, demihumans, and fairies exist in mass quantity. And some of it did seem applicable in this world as well. Like monsters and beasts in forest being afraid of fire, water monsters being weak to lightning. Water beast fire, lightning beats water, earth beats lightning, and winds beats earth. The basic knowledge and concepts about elements etc did indeed be one of our weapons in this world. Though as this wasn¡¯t a game there were different set of problems but still¡ª¡ªthe knowledge we held was used by us with confidence. That¡¯s why even against the Demon God¡­¡­..by smashing the [heart] thaty in the centre of his body that surely seemed like just his weakness, I destroyed all of his body till nothing remained. I thought that it was enough but¡­¡­..it seems like that [heart] was its actual true body. ¡°Meaning?¡±(renji) ¡°Since you broke its main body, the number of parts it broke into turned into descendants in turn.¡± The moment I heard that, my shoulders felt unbearably heavy. My head hurt like crazy and I used my fingers to press on the temple of head. Does that mean, I am the cause of this? ¡°But, the problem doesn¡¯t lie there.¡±(ast) ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Felt a bit relieved?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.thanks for the kind words.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re way of speaking has turned back to normal.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± (T/N: Renji speaks formally with her but in the previous line he speaks like would normally so he fixes it here.) When I spoke it that way again, she gave augh. Even though the world is in danger, she¡¯s calm as usual. Seeing her, I gave a sigh again. ¡°So, do I have to go around killing the descendants now?¡±(renjI) ¡°That would be great on its own but, I doubt you¡¯d make it in time.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± I felt an ill omen when she said that. If the newborn descendants are the threat to the world, why does she say that I won¡¯t make it in time? Exactly [what] will I bete for? Waiting for her answer, I stayed quiet. ¡°The danger to the world is that the Demons are trying to revive Nayfell.¡± ¡°Revive¡­.¡± Repeating what she said like parrot, I searched through my memories thinking of something simr I had heard before. I found it soon enough. Back when I faced that demon at magic city, this is what that demon had said. That the Demon Lord Shelfa was refusing to revive the Demon God. Thinking of that, it seems a portion of demons, whether it be the majority or the minority, are in favour of this and the Demon Lord isn¡¯t interested in it. I can¡¯t imagine what that battle maniac is thinking at all but I don¡¯t really need to either. I won¡¯t know till I ask it directly myself. ¡°But the result will be¡ª¨CRenji, you should know it well as you made a simr wish.¡±(ast) ¡°¡­¡­¡­aah.¡± When I wished to revive Eru, Ermenhilde was born¡­¡­.it seems Nayfell will also be revived as apletely different existence. That must be what Astraera means. Now what kind of a God this pletely different existence ]is¡ª¡ªis that not the problem? ¡°Even I do not know what kind of existence it is.¡±(ast) ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°That is, whether it will hold the will of Nayfell¡ªone of the 3 pirs of this world or will it be nothing more than an avatar of destruction¡­¡­.or is it just a mere vessel.¡± ¡°And you don¡¯t know that.¡± ¡°There have been countless times when Gods have revived beings of their own creation, for eg. humans or demihumans, but for an existence that isn¡¯t even a descendant to revive a God, this is the first case after all.¡± I guess, it is. Even though Eru was born of the Godess¡¯ own magical energy, even the Goddess herself was unable to revive her properly. Then what would happen if mere Demons tried to revive their Demon God, I can¡¯t even imagine. Even though the world was in danger, I felt a bit of d¨¦j¨¤ vu,¡ª¨Cprobably because I did something simr. I got to meet my partner Ermenhilde but I¡¯m sure Nayfell¡ª-will be something different as well. It was a sad thing and painful¡­¡­¡­.once more, so many will get sacrificed. That Demon God, no amount of hate is enough for that thing. If it revived as he was before¡­¡­.I will again, fight with all my strength. Even while knowing how many sacrifices may arise to do that. He said he was bored. Just like Astraera wishes to look over the people who live in this world, just like Zwenelia like to sleep in peace and quiet,¡­¡­.that monster, wished for strife and conflict. Whether his will remains, or just his strength, or maybe he would be just a vessel. But¡ª¨CI will not ignore a God who wishes for strife. (Part 2 ) ¡°So, you said that I won¡¯t make it time?¡±(renji) ¡°The number of fragments into which the main body of Nayfell has been smashed into is simply too big. I¡¯m sure that by the time they revive him, you will not be able to kill all the descendants in time.¡± Is the number that big? I felt like asking how many, but decided not to in the end. I feel like I¡¯ll only lose my motivation hearing some insane number. If it was impossible for me alone, Souichi and the others can also help¡­¡­¡­.I thought but, if Astraera said that, the number should be so big that we won¡¯t make it in time even then. ¡°Then, what should I do? If you¡¯re going to tell me to kill a revived Nayfell again, I¡­¡­¡­.¡± I alone, am not sufficient¡­¡­..in terms of power, and life¡­¡­.in everything. ¡ª¡ª-the seven constraints set on Ermenhilde. Now that I know all of them, I know I cannot fight against a God all alone. [My will to fight.] [My will to protect someone.] [To keep a promise to myrades.] [Fighting against the Demon God or his descendants.] [Receiving Astraera¡¯s protection.] [Death of arade.] ¡­¡­¡­.and the seventh one. I cannot fight alone. If I don¡¯t haverades¡ª¡ªif I don¡¯t have a lot ofrades, I cannot release my full strength. And above all¡ª¨CI need to make a huge amount of sacrifices as well. I am not strong enough, to once again fulfil all those conditions. I¡¯m sure, that if all 7 of the covenants were released, I can fight one on one with Nayfell. No, I know I can win. Because my and Eru¡¯s¡­¡­..Ermenhilde¡¯s power specialise in killing Gods. But¡ª¡ª ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡±(ast) As if she could read my mind, Astraera spoke up with a smile. ¡°I, after the influence of monsters had reduced a bit more, was nning to prepare a recement in ce of nayfell.¡±(ast) ¡°A recement for Nayfell?¡± ¡°Right now the world, due to Nayfell¡¯s influence as well, is tilted towards the monsters¡¯ advantage. So, I was thinking of increasing the influence of the humans (Goddess) and the demihumans and beastmen (Spirit God) to restore the bnce in the world.¡± This is the first time I¡¯m hearing of something like this. But still, true, the world was currently overrun with monsters but there was no influence of humans or demihumans in Abenelm where the demons and Monsters live. That¡¯s because the monsters and demons continue to increase in Abenelm. While the humans get killed and decrease due to monsters, Monsters themselves keep on getting born. That does destroy the bnce. That¡¯s why, right now while the Demon God was not in existence, it was the best time to fix the bnce between the 3 pirs. ¡°But, the demons are trying to revive Nayfell by themselves.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes. If that happens, the demons will once more point their fangs towards humans and demihumans.¡± I don¡¯t even have to think to imagine what the result would be. War will start, once more. Children and elders will have to take up weapons once more, and instead of working on fields peacefully, it¡¯ll turn the world into a kill or be killed world once again. That hell, will start again. ¡­¡­¡­just thinking of it made me feel dizzy. ¡°And this time, the world, being already exhausted from fighting against the Demon God once, will not be able to survive.¡±(ast) ¡°You say that but you still sound pretty calm¡­¡­.Or is it just my imagination?¡±(renji) ¡°No.¡± When I asked that, she shook her head. Her silky silver hair swayed from her movements. ¡°Renji, I have only one wish to make of you.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°A new Demon God¡ª-Lead a new demon God that hates fighting to the throne of Gods.¡± But, the words she spoke werepletely out of my expectations. ¡°¡­¡­.What?¡±(renji) ¡°Did you not hear me? I am asking you to lead a new Demon God to the Abenelm continent.¡± ¡°No, I get that but¡­¡­¡­¡± I understand that its necessary and important but still¡­ I am one the Heroes who saved mankind and the Demon God is an enemy that mankind must defeat. He¡¯s the natural enemy of all living beings of this world. And she¡¯s asking me to arrange for a new Demon God¡­¡­¡­..I can already imagine how people will react to this. Because I did not give her a reply, Astraera tilted her head in confusion as she looked at me. No even if you make such a cute gesture, I still can¡¯t easily nod my head to something like that you know? ¡°Do you perhaps need further exnation?¡±(ast) ¡°Please, yes.¡± My voice was so t that it surprised even me. Looking at me like that andughing slightly, she once again crossed her slender legs. If she wore sses as well, she¡¯d really look like a sexy teacher, I¡¯m sure. The reason I thought that was because Kudou did the same action as Astraera many times before while saying that. Really, both Kudou and Koutarou are nothing more than bad influences to everyone. ¡°This world has not yet recovered to survive another war. So, we need to put a Demon God on the throne who doesn¡¯t fight. If we can do that, even the monsters will go silent.¡±(ast) ¡°¡­¡­¡­.Wait, why would monsters?¡± ¡°In fact, I should be the one to ask that of you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why did you all not realize why the monsters have be more and more active after Nayfell died?¡± From just those words, everything connected inside my head. At the same time, a heavy, very heavy¡­¡­from the depths of my stomach, I leaked a sigh. ¡°Meaning?¡±(renji) ¡°Do I have to say everything out loud for you to understand? Or do you simply want me to say it?¡± ¡°¡ª¡ªNo.¡± And , aftering into this space, for the first time¡­¡­..Astraera, though only a small one, but she gave augh that I could clearly hear. While looking at her, my heart only felt heavier. Basically, now that a overpowering entity like the Demon God had disappeared, the monsters had begun to rampage and do whatever they felt like. They eat when they want, and go on rampages when they feel like it. And the one who was suppressing these natural instinct of monsters was the Demon God Nayfell. That means, the reason why the monsters were rampaging about right now was because I killed the Demon God. No, that also needed to be done but¡­¡­.realizing that I¡¯m the cause behind it, I really can¡¯tugh. ¡­¡­¡­..in the end, what did that monster truly want to do? I hate nayfell. And I¡¯m sure, he wished for someone like me as well. He wanted to kill and destroy the world. Yet, because he existed, the monsters were kept in check as well. In the end,¡ª¨Cwhat lied at the end of his path? If I had lost and Nayfell had lived,¡­¡­..what would have the world been like? ¡°Renji, when will youe back next?¡± While I was feeling like scratching my head, a calm voice came to me. It was as calm as the surface of ake, it was Astraera¡¯s normal voice. When I heard the same voice I had heard the first time I met her, I felt a bit relieved. But, what she spoke waspletely different from that time, it was a personal thing instead. ¡°¡­¡­..next time..¡±(renji) ¡°You won¡¯te again?¡± ¡°No, I will, I think.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Maybe because she has a physical body right now, but being shown a smile like that made me extremely conscious about her. Though, even if she had been nothing but light, or should I say, a distortion in space, I still would have listened to her anyway. ¡°Sometime soon.¡±(renji) ¡°I don¡¯t like waiting. Please,e meet sooner next time.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± While giving a vague reply, I lightly shook my head that felt a bit heavy. ¡°Renji.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Since it was a rare festival, I was hoping you¡¯d call me out in the city.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.if you showed up in the city, it won¡¯t be just a bustling festival anymore, you know?¡± That¡¯s what you care about? When I gave a sigh while averting my gaze, I felt the pressure from her increase a bit. ¡°Even though I was waiting for so long.¡±(ast) ¡°¡­¡­..I don¡¯t care.¡± Saying words that would be normally considered almost sphemous, I gave a loud sigh. ¡°Though this body doesn¡¯t require food, I still have a sense of taste you know?¡±(ast) ¡°I know.¡± I had taken her to so many stalls before so of course, I know. I¡¯m sure that must have awakened the gourmet inside of her. Now leaving aside whether that was a good thing or not, why am I the only who is asked to do such things? Even if its not me, tehre¡¯s Souichi and Kuuki¡ª¨Cin fact, I¡¯m sure Koutarou would immediately listen to anything Astraera asked. It must be because I was the first to have ever brought her out of this space, I guess. ¡°Freshly roasted meat is really tasty you know?¡± Saying things that should be weird for a Goddess, she looked at me sulkily. Though Gods require that they are worshipped, this Goddess still loves festivals more than prayers and offerings. I don¡¯t know who would want to watch a peerless beauty like her eating skewered Orc meat from a stall on some street. I definitely don¡¯t want to. But still, this goddess really wants to eat it. I really can¡¯t understand what gods are thinking. ¡°The next time Ie, I¡¯ll bring some for you, okay?¡±(renji) ¡°No, Renji, I want to eat a freshly roasted one.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..is that so?¡± Looks she really wants to get out of this space. Well, I can understand her. Once you learn to enjoy such things, this empty space will always feel boring. I guess this also my responsibility as I was the one who brought her out of here. ¡°Even though back then, you¡¯d always take me out.¡±(ast) Even though she says ¡®me¡¯, she¡¯s just one part of Goddess Astrara¡¯s will. ¡°It was a youthful indiscretion on my part.¡± (renji) ¡°You still look pretty young from my point of view though?¡±(ast) ¡°Why, thank you.¡± ¡°Also, I find your normal way of talking is much more likeable than this.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Sure.¡± After that, the conversation ended. ¡°So, where¡¯s this Demon God I¡¯m supposed to lead?¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± But, at that she made a really surprised face. ¡°Are you really asking me that?¡±(ast) ¡°What, did I ask something strange?¡± ¡°No. You really are sensitive to just hostility and nothing else, aren¡¯t you?¡± Wait, is she calling me dense? Feeling slightly sullen, it must have shown on my face as Astraera gave a gentle smile. ¡°The descendant you people called as a tortoise. It¡¯s the girl you found where you ughtered that descendant.¡± ¡°Torotise?¡± Tilting my head on a word that doesn¡¯t exist in this world, I quickly recalled something. Tortoise. Or rather the descendant Koutarou named [Genbu]. (T/N: Genbu refers to: ck Tortoise, a Chinese constetion symbol. Google for more info.) It was giant like a mountain, and very slow. From above, it really did look like a tortoise¡­¡­it was once called the strongest descendant that lived ion Imnesia. Hearing that old name, I recalled the ce where we killed it. Meaning¡­¡­. ¡°¡­¡­¡­So it¡¯s Solnea, eh?¡± When I said that name, the Goddess¡¯ smile deepened. Chapter 58 The Journey for the Demon God鈥檚 Revival Chapter 58 The Journey for the Demon God¡¯s Revival There was the fact that the tournament ended only a few days ago, but the guild was really active and lively today. Due to most adventurers taking part or going to see the tournament, lots of requests had been umted as well. From subjugating monsters to gathering herbs, but the most popr right now was carriage escort missions. The various nobles who hade to watch the tournaments had to return back to theirnds and would often hire adventurers to escort them safely, and since the mood has been like this, the nobles have been prettyx with their money as well. Basically, it was a chance for adventurers to earn. It had be normal for reward for escorting to be double than normal, and there was even a chance that you could get a good tip if you did your job well. So, all the adventurers inside the guild were actively trying to get themselves a lucrative escort job right now. ¡°So, this will be the reward. Will it be enough?¡± The man sitting opposite of me on the table showed an extremely extraordinary amount. I gave a nce towards the receptionist without letting the man realize, only to see the receptionist giving a bow towards me with a troubled face. Looking at his face, rather than agreeing, I could only give a sigh. Why did it be like this? Well, the reason is that after the tournament, my face became famous and now my name sold well basically. Before, only my name was known as the hero who killed a God but other than that all else was not known since I was living away secluded in some rural vige but now I finally appeared in public, that too in a big even like the tournament. And considering the fact that I¡¯m working as just an adventurer now was also known, there would obviously be one or two nobles who¡¯d try hiring me. Nobles are, to say simply, full of people who like to put on airs. [I once hired one of the Heroes etc etc.]. They probably want to brag like that. True, that reward amount is fascinating and there is a part of me that wants to ept it but, ¡°I¡¯m very sorry, but I have already taken another request.¡±(renji) Saying that, I refused him. This was the third one already. The noble in front of me and the receptionist dropped their shoulders simultaneously at that. It looks like this noble is quite well known within the guild so I was told to at least consider talking to him. ¡°Is that so..¡±(noble) ¡°If you want, should I introduce some strong adventurers to you?¡±(renji) ¡°No. It is more than enough that you were at least willing to listen to what I had to say.¡± Saying that he left his seat and went away. At least he was a pretty polite person. There are few whose attitudepletely changes when they realize that I won¡¯t ept¡­¡­.well, not that bad but it still bes clear that they are not happy to have been refused like that. [What a pain.] ¡°Seriously.¡±(renji) Answering to Ermenhilde, I also stood up from my seat. Stretching my body a bit, my neck made a nice cracking sound. ¡°But still, Feirona and others sure arete.¡±(renji) [They must have things to take care of as well. We¡¯re the unusual ones who have nothing to do and are freely moving around.] ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s true.¡± Up till now, it hasn¡¯t really been a problem that much but really it¡¯s difficult to meet someone when you don¡¯t have mobiles to contact someone. Let¡¯s meet at the guild today. I had said that but we hadn¡¯t even decided on some specific time. It¡¯s very normal if he¡¯s busy in some other task as well. Well, so that I can peacefully wait, I moved away to corner seat where I won¡¯t stand out much. Today, unfortunately, the sky was cloudy and it won¡¯t be weird for the weather to go bad at any time. Judging by how cold its getting, it might snow in the afternoon. Once, I really snow but I haven¡¯t really liked it much aftering to this world. It gets really cold, almost freezing, and causes lots of problems when you¡¯re travelling. Even though the traffic of people near the capital is pretty high, it¡¯s not like there are cars running in and out 24/7. If the road freezes, the carriages will definitely meet an ident and it bes to find dead wood to make campfires to warm yourself as well. Water bes cold as ice and even inside the tent, it¡¯s always chilling. While I was looking outside the window into the street, thinking of such things, I felt a gaze at me. I ignored it for a while but it looks like the person didn¡¯t intend to go away anytime soon. [What happened?] ¡°Someone looking at me.¡± [Mu¡­¡­¡­..oh, looks like another noble.] When I told that Ermenhilde, she told me who the owner of that gaze was. At times like these, Ermenhilde is really useful. Since she doesn¡¯t have a physical body, she can look around freely, and nobody would know it. And above all, only I can hear her voice as well. Hearing her answer, I gave a sigh again. Really, the title of a Hero is nothing but trouble. Honestly speaking, it¡¯s a pain to stand out like this all the time. [Francesca and others are with them as well.] ¡°¡­¡­.What?¡± Hearing that, I also looked towards the direction where the gaze wasing from. Just like Ermenhilde said, there, Ms Francesca was standing along with Mururu, Feirona, and even Solnea. And one more woman I didn¡¯t recognise. I felt like I had seen that woman somewhere but I couldn¡¯t recall. Her lush honey coloured hair reached the tip of her shoulders and were tied back into a ponytail. Seeing as she was wearing a dress even inside the guild, she must be the noble Errmenhilde talked about. Wearing a fiery red dress in a stylish manner, her strong gaze also matched her dress. She was a woman 10/10 men would call a beauty. Her height was simr to Ms Francesca, in fact Mururu was only as tall as her chest portion. It really looked like Feirona was surrounded by 3 beautifuldies. Sorry, but Mururu your height makes it impossible for you to be counted. While I was thinking of that, Feirona and others walked up towards me. ¡°You were too slow to notice.¡± ¡°I had noticed quite a while ago though.¡±(renji) ¡°But you didn¡¯t react at all.¡± ¡°Because there was a presence I did not recognise. So I had Ermenhilde look instead.¡± When I said that, Mururu spoke ¡®I see¡¯ in a small voice before moving to sit beside me. Getting silently urged, I stood up. Looking at the woman¡¯s expression once more, her eyes were sharp and lips were tightly shut. A slight red tinge could be seen on her lips and a soft fragrance came to me, probably some kind of perfume. She must be the type who pays a lot of attention to her appearance. Just looking at her would be pretty rude so I also straightened my posture, she was a noble after all. Just when, I finally recalled where I had seen her. It was during the tournament. After Ms Francesca had lost, it was her gaze I had sensed while I was talking to Ms Francesca back then. ¡°During the tournament, did we perhaps meet?¡±(renji) ¡°¡ª¡ªSo you had noticed Renji Yamada-sama.¡± ¡°Of course. You see I am a bit sensitive to others¡¯ gazes.¡± ¡°Oh how rude of me. I should have greeted you properly.¡± ¡°Renji-sama, are you two acquainted already?¡­¡­..¡±(fran) ¡°No, we just passed by each other in the arena, that¡¯s all.¡±(renji) This is the first time I am talking to her after all. While feeling almost coldness seep through her sharp eyes, her unexpectedly cute voice made me a bit surprised a bit. This also a kind of a ¡®gap¡¯ charm I guess? ¡°Nice to meet you¡­¡­¡± There I finally realized I haven¡¯t even heard her name yet. It¡¯d be weird to ask of her name so I instead looked towards Ms Francesca instead, as she noticed my gazed and panicked to quickly introduce us. ¡°This is Melentia Barton. She¡¯s my sister, seven years older than me.¡±(fran) ¡°I am Melentia Barton, my younger sister has been in your care.¡±(mel) As Ms Francesca introduced her, Melentia-san gave a bow. Her every movement was polished and refined, it wasn¡¯t something one could master in a day or two. For someone who is supposed to be in her twenties, she looks pretty young. And she seems to have mastered the mannerisms of nobles at this age already as well. She must have been going out as a noble in public from quite the young age. But, her strong gaze remained the same. She might not think too well of me maybe. Maybe she¡¯s angry that I made her younger sister live the dangerous life of an adventurer or something? While thinking of such things, I gave a bow as well. ¡°So you were Francesca-dono¡¯s older sister. Though I did not know you, I still apologise for not having greeted you myself.¡±(renji) ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to. In fact, I should apologise. It seems my younger sister has been troubling you for some time now.¡±(mel) ¡°Oh, no such thing. In fact I had been saved many times by Francesca-dono during our journeys as well.¡± ¡°Oh really? Even though the teachers at her academy used to say that she won¡¯t make much aplishments as a magician.¡± ¡°Aplishments don¡¯t depend on talent, but on your own will, is what I believe.¡± Her gaze remained sharp as always but I sensed some gentleness in her voice as well. I guess, she herself doesn¡¯t think as lowly of Ms Francesca as she is saying. In fact, she might have even been worried for her for living the life of an adventurer. Well, it¡¯s pretty normal though. After all, an adventurer is a job where there¡¯s no certainity for even the next day. ¡°fufu, it seems you¡¯ve met quite a great person, Francesca.¡±(mel) ¡°Yes!¡±(fran) Being ttered like that made me feel a bit itchy instead. Ms Francesca seemed to have liked hearing that as she spoke that with a wide smile. When I averted my eyes, Mururu was making a confused face and Feirona was giving a slight smile. He must beughing inside I¡¯m sure. Solnea seemed to be uninterested as usual as she continued to calmly stare at me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have note up myself even though I had noticed you just now.¡±(renji) ¡°No no, in fact, it was impolite of me to have stared like that at the man who has been taking care of my sister.¡±(mel) ¡°Please don¡¯t mind it. I believe that any would consider it an honour to be stared at by a beautifuldy such as yourself.¡± [Oi!] ¡°Oh you¡¯re good at ttery!¡± Ermenhile made a retort in between but Melentia-san simply nodded without being perturbed at all. Her expression showed not even slight surprise and just gave a light smile. Rather than saying she was used to it, it seemed like she understood that it was nothing more than just lip service. It showed that she was that used to such kind of conversations. ¡°There¡¯s no use standing as we talk, please take a seat.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes, if I may then, please excuse me.¡±(mel) When I said that, everyone sat downpletely surrounding the table. Only Melentia-san and Solnea were still standing. Melentia-san must be hoping to sit downst as a way to be polite but Solnea wouldn¡¯t understand that. Maybe she¡¯s still confused from our conversation. ¡°Solnea, you can sit as well.¡±(renji) ¡°Okay.¡±(sol) When I said that, Solnea sat down. And after that, Melentia-san sat down atst. ¡°First I apologise to havee and met you in such a way by using my sister.¡±(mel) ¡°No need to. It did surprise me but since I have been along with Francesca-dono, I have been thinking of greeting you once as well.¡±(renji) ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°I let your precious sister be in the face of danger so many times. I have been thinking of apologising for that.¡± ¡°But that was my¡ª¨C¡°(fran) Saying til that, Ms Francesca stopped her mouth. Feirona beside him seemed to have stopped her as he seemed to be still smiling a bit. I guess he understands that I¡¯m saying things that I don¡¯t really mean. No, I did in fact think of giving an apology if we ever met though. Yeah. ¡°So, what business might you have with me?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes. Since the tournament is finally over, and as thanks for taking care of my sister as well, if possible I was hoping to invite you to our residence.¡±(mel) ¡°Oh my, how polite of you to do so.¡±(renji) Her sharp gaze seemed to have slightly softened up a bit. Looks like it was she really does n on inviting me. I guess I don¡¯t have to worry about her getting angry for putting Ms Francesca in danger. Well, her gaze is still quite sharp so I can¡¯t really let my guard down. [Renji, I think you understand but¡­¡­¡­] But the problem is that I have the request from the Goddess as well. To lead Solnea to the throne of the Demon God. And to thus silence the monsters. Though I haven¡¯t really been given a time limit, since the case itself is so important, I want to finish it as fast as possible myself. I need to go through Elfreim and towards Abenelm. Since I¡¯ll have to go by a ship, I don¡¯t even know how many days it¡¯d take so that¡¯s also troublesome. ¡°I am happy for the invitation but.¡±(renji) ¡°Do you perhaps have some other ns?¡±(mel) ¡°I took a request just a while ago. I will soon have to leave for the Commercial City Merdiore.¡± Merdiore. It¡¯s the only port City that has a sea route connecting Elfreim to Imnesia. It¡¯s also considered the most flourishing city in Imnesia as well. I¡¯ll have to hire a ship there and then head for the Elfreim continent. I did consider asking Yui-chan to lend me Fafnir¡¯s ability to fly there but had to abandon them due to certain circumstances. In the end, I am one the 13 heroes who saved the world. No matter how much I want to deny it, if everyone else thinks that way, my opinion won¡¯t matter anymore. And now I, am trying to revive the Demon God who is the enemy of the whole world. Even if it is to support the life of the world itself, even if that Demon God is apletely different one than before, it still won¡¯t look great to the public for a hero to revive the Demon God. In the worst case, not just me, the rest of the 13 might have get harmed in the process as well. When I thought of that, I didn¡¯t feel like getting the help from anyone else and figured it¡¯d be necessary to move alone. I might be over thinking this but this world, whether for better or worse, is just too pure. The revere the Goddess and treat her as absolute. That Goddess did say to revive the Demon God herself but anyone who says that might be considered as a liar instead, or so Utano-san thinks. That¡¯s how much deeply rooted the fear of the Demon God is in the people of this world. It¡¯s so deep that there¡¯s no way it could be removed in just one year. The emotions of people, I who hasn¡¯t studied something like psychology, cannot really understand. But¡ª¨CI can somewhat understand the hatred and fear of the Demon God. It¡¯s been only three years since I came to this world, and have spent only two years dealing with the Demon God yet my feelings areplex on the matter. To the people who have been living in this world from birth, their feelings in this matter would be even moreplicated. Thus, so as to not stand out a lot, I decided to use Fafnir only to go from Elfreim to Abenelm¡ª-to the throne of the Demon God in the God¡¯s castle. ¡°Are you in a rush?¡±(mel) ¡°Yes. I need to hire a ship as well you see so I need to hurry.¡±(renji) ¡°Then, why don¡¯t you hire our ship instead?¡± [What?] Ermenhilde spoke instead of me but of course, Melentia-san didn¡¯t hear her. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± So, she looked confusedly at us who went silent for a while. Her action made her look a bit childish making me once again realize that she was Ms Francesca¡¯s older sister indeed. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, so can you prepare a ship?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes. Ours is a mercantile house which functions majorly in Merdiore after all. One ship could be prepared in a matter of days.¡± Hearing till that, I looked towards Ms Francesca. She realized that hadn¡¯t talked about her own house to me at all so she made a troubled face. That said, I recalled that I hadn¡¯t asked much about it either. No, it¡¯s because she didn¡¯t seem to be much used to the noble¡¯s mannerisms so I didn¡¯t ask her much. To think that her house was a mercantile house¡­¡­.. I recalled her reaction on seeing the Mithril sword for the first time. I guess she must have gotten a good eye on judging items while working at her house. ¡°That will, definitely be of help but¡­¡­.¡±(renji) ¡°If, you¡¯re thinking that it might be troubling us, then please don¡¯t. To lend a ship to a Hero will earn us much more trust than any amount of money ever could.¡± Well, I guess that¡¯s true. I don¡¯t really specialise in business but I know that it depends on the trust and rtionship between the customers and the merchants. Even in our own world, business constantly sue famous personalities in CMs/Ad.s which is to gain the trust of the public. Then, if someone who waspletely unaware of anything was told that they lent a ship to a Hero once, their whole house will get the mark that their house is [ trusted by a Hero]. And not just that, it actually might have more benefits than I could think of. I won¡¯t go as far as to say that this was Give and take but if they are gaining something from it, I don¡¯t have a reason to refuse either. It¡¯s quite the trouble to prepare a ship and in fact I¡¯m not even sure how much it costs to hire a ship right now. Then, best to go the specialists themselves. I¡¯ll be relieved if someone who knew what they were doing would prepare the sip as well. Considering its Ms Francesca¡¯s family, I¡¯ll be rxed as well. ¡°Give me some time to think about it.¡±(renji) But instantly agreeing would be showing your own weakness here so I decided to gain some space and time. In fact, I do intend to leave only after a few days anyway. There¡¯s no reason to give a quick reply. ¡°I understand. I n to leave the capital after three days. Please be sure to decide by that time.¡±(mel) ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the trouble.¡±(renji) ¡°It¡¯s fine. Since you are so famous, I believe it¡¯s not easy for you to move around easily as well.¡± It seems she understood that as she didn¡¯t even give some kind of warning either. Or maybe she knew I¡¯d say something like that. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll take my leave now. Thank you for lending me some of your precious time.¡±(mel) And giving a bow, Melentia-san left the ce. At first she was making quite a grim face but by the end, her face had be quite gentle. Did she actuallye to trust me a bit or was that an act as well. Merchant house¡ª¨Cas someone who deals with money, it¡¯s difficult to read what they¡¯re truly thinking. I guess that¡¯s the same in every world. ¡°Fuuh.¡±(renji) ¡°I¡¯m very sorry Renji-sama. To have brought my sister to you so suddenly¡­..¡±(fran) ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine. I did consider talking to them if I had the chance to meet after all.¡± I mean it. I did expose her sister to danger after all. Even if its what she herself wished for, it should be my job to contact her family first. As the one who taught¨Cshowed her how to fight. But oh well, it¡¯s already been decided what to do about Melentia-san. Don¡¯t have to think much about it now. Thinking that, I looked towards Feirona. ¡°So do you guys have any n on what you¡¯re doing next?¡±(renji) ¡°If you¡¯re asking that means you have something in mind as well?¡±(elf) ¡°¡­¡­..It¡¯s good that you¡¯re so sharp.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡±(mururu) When I said that, Feirona simply gave knowing shrug implying he understood. Mururu didn¡¯t really get it so she asked again but the details are the same as what I said before. Once more, we¡¯ll leave on a journey. And I am thinking of inviting Feirona and the others on it as well. After havingpleted many requests together, I think I know their abilities and personalities. And I consider them as trustworthy. ¡°Like I said before, my next destination is beyond the ocean.¡±(renji) ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°Elfreim continent. I am heading there. If you guys don¡¯t have any other ns, Feirona and Mururu, I am hoping to hire you guys to go with me.¡± When I said that, Mururu¡¯s eyes slightly opened wider. ¡°Renji wants to hire me?¡±(mururu) ¡°Both you and Feirona to be exact.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­What about Fran?¡± She spoke that with a somewhat worried voice while looking towards Ms Francesca. She also felt a bit sad but maybe it was just my imagination. ¡°Ms Francesca has her school. And, the next journey will be¡­¡­.quite dangerous.¡±(renji) ¡°That is, I am still too weak?¡±(fran) ¡°Or rather, the journey will be long. It could be that we might be unable toe back to this continent for a whole year.¡± If that happens, it¡¯d be problematic for her as a student. Especially Ms Francesca is a third year. She will graduate this year. It would end up affecting her graduation if she came. Thinking of that, I really could not consider taking her with us. It seems Ms Francesca also understood that as when I told her that it¡¯ll be long, she gave aplex yet relieved sigh. I don¡¯t consider her to be a burden. In the past few months, we travelled together a lot. Her ability, personality, I know pretty well. As she is now, Ms Francesca can be considered apetent adventurer. ¡°That¡¯s quite the long journey you¡¯re talking about.¡±(elf) ¡°Yeah. The client for the job is quite a troublesome one you see.¡±(renji) ¡°Who?¡± ¡°That, I¡¯ll tell you if decide to ept the job.¡± As expected I can¡¯t just lightly say that it¡¯s a request from Astraera herself. Not to mention there¡¯s quite a lot of eyes and ears here. Who knows where the objective of this journey or that its from Astraera might leak. Well, if I had to tell them it¡¯ll be after we depart out of even Merdiore. [Though it might be long, depending on the situation, it can bepleted pretty soon as well though.] ¡°fumu.¡± [But, it will be a dangerous journey. Consider it a proof of trust in your abilities that you¡¯re invited to take this request as well.] ¡°Don¡¯t say useless things, idiot.¡±(renji) [Who are you calling an idiot?] ¡°As usual you two sure get along well.¡±(elf) While giving a wry smile at our conversation, Feirona rested his chin on his fingers and went into thought. Mururu was¡­¡­.not thinking much from the looks of it. Maybe she¡¯s nning to decide based on Feirona¡¯s decision. ¡°So, Renji-sama, till Merdiore¡­¡­¡±(fran) ¡°Yeah. Even without the matter about the ship, I still n on heading towards Merdiore. Let¡¯s go till there together, okay?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes!¡± When I said that, Ms Francesca nodded with a wide smile. Thinking that soon I¡¯ll have to say goodbye to this smile as well, an unexinable feeling rose in me. ¡°Renji.¡± When, a calm voice called towards me. Looking that way, as usual without any emotion, Solnea was looking at me. ¡°What should I do?¡± ¡°What do you want to do?¡±(renji) I answered her question with another question. Until now I have been telling her to do this and that but from here onwards I want to hear her own will as well. Even if there¡¯s nothing there right now. Astraera said so. To lead Solnea, a different Demon God than Nayfell, a Demon God that dislikes fighting to the throne of Gods. I still am not sure how that¡¯ll work. But, I know I can¡¯t continue like this. Right now, Solnea is no different than a puppet who does whatever she¡¯s asked of. That¡¯s because she was born just now and doesn¡¯t hold any will of her own. That also exins why Solnea doesn¡¯t have any memories as well. I believe that a personality is formed from your countless experiences. Since she has none of those, her will is so weak. Then what I can do is show her the world. The world of humans, the world of demihumans and beastmen. And show her just how pretty and fun ce this world is. Nayfell wished for strife and conflict, he was god who could only exist and feel emotions while fighting. Just like how Astraera enjoys looking at the lives of people, Zwenelia likes to sleep in peace, Nayfell enjoyed being feared, and hated¡­¡­¡­.and along with those feelings, he wished to fight the ones whoe at him. I¡¯m sure he never knew what Orc meat tasted like or what a stew¡¯s warmth feels like or what a juice made out of fresh fruits tastes like. Then I want to teach all of that to Solnea. The lives of the people, the beauty of this world, the fun of talking with your friends andrades. Just like how Eru, who was born as a weapon, changed, Solnea, who was born as a Demon god, would change as well¡­¡­¡­I believe so. I might be too na?ve but that¡¯s all I have. I may beughed at¡ª¡ªbut, that¡¯s all I have. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±(sol) To my question, Solnea, as expected¡­¡­¡­without showing any wave of emotions, said that. Chapter 59 Start of the Journey (1) Chapter 59 Start of the Journey (1) Opening a very typical looking wooden treasure box inside the treasury, I found the full set of a very familiar equipment. Inside the room full of items that didn¡¯t have much practical use, like armour, swords, robes and other such items decorated with ornaments, that chest really looked old. That also made it stand out the least inside the whole treasury. It¡¯s not a ce where thieves could enter anyway but still, I examined the equipment kept purposely in a way that it wouldn¡¯t stand out. A set of clothes and a mantle, along with leather gloves and boots. The clothes, though also made out of leather, felt very soft and there was also a belt to tighten the clothes to perfectly fit the body. There was also a holster for throwing daggers along with the daggers themselves that had been created with such a magic that they¡¯ll definitely hit the target once thrown. And also a knife I can use when not using Ermenhilde. This one was made out of a dragon¡¯s fang, it was only a lower rank dragon though. The mantle had the protection of wind spirit Sylph and also had an effect that lessens the impact when falling from tall ces. Near the chest portion of the mantle was an ornament crafted by an elf. This small ornament also held magical energy that lightens the weight of the equipment I was carrying. All of it looks pretty simr to what I usually wear now but its in apletely different level in terms of defensive ability. After all, these were created by Kudou using the raw materials obtained from top ss monsters and demons of Abenelm. Defeating just one of those would take tens of adventurers to fight together, that¡¯s how fearsome each and every one of those monsters were. These aren¡¯t avable normally in the market, and the set is a custom made one solely for my use. Not just in terms of defensive ability, but even in terms of magical defense, and against breath attacks of dragons and demonic beasts, it is able to withstand it, even if only a bit. With just this alone, one¡¯s survival rate would get higher by a lot. ¡°Oh, found it.¡± [Finally, eh?] As I brought it out, it was very light. It felt a bit dusty, probably because I hadn¡¯t used it in a long while. But for something I hadn¡¯t even touched for a whole year, it¡¯s still in pretty good shape. It looks like they made sure that nothing gets damaged. ¡°Did you find yours already?¡± ¡°Yeah, what about you?¡±(renji) ¡°Not yet, still looking.¡± While I was thinking of first drying the clothes a bit after leaving here, a voice called towards me from the other side of the treasury. That voice came from the other side of all the armour sets lying in here. Holding my clothes, as I walked towards there, with a nice shaped butt facing towards me, Utano-san was bending over looking for items that will be of use during a journey. To avoid any intruders inside there were no windows here so under the faint light of the magicmp, I could see her butt swaying. And since she wore a tight dress, I could even notice every slight movement as well. If I had to say even further, the line of her underwear slightly visible over her dress made it even more seductive. So as to not lose to temptation, I averted my gaze to look and touch at the various armour sets that would be useless in an actual battlefield. They seemed pretty well maintained as not a single speck of dust came on to my fingers. Well, I guess its normal for the treasury to always be well maintained. Probably. Inside my head, I calmly analysed the various armours kept here. [What happened, Renji?] ¡°Nah, just thinking that this armour would really sell for a lot.¡± [I guess. It has a lot of decorations but has no magical properties attached and also looks pretty heavy though.] ¡°Well, it¡¯s only courtesy-use armour so this is fine.¡±(utano) Without looking towards me, she talked with her butt still facing me. No, but, really Utano-san. Since she was probably looking for something kept deep inside, her butt was moving left and right a lot. If Ermenhilde wasn¡¯t here with me, what would I have done? Is this because I worked too hard in the past few days? I have been really conscious of Utano-san these past few days. Or rather, Utano-san has been a bit too defenceless. But it¡¯s normal for me as a man to feel like this while being alone in a dark ce with a woman right? Well, Ermenhilde is also with me though. Back then, she was more wary and showed less openings. Or maybe she¡¯s tempting me knowingly? No, that¡¯s not possible since Ermenhilde is with me. But that means Utano-san really has grown a bit more rxed. Well this is like an interval between one big event and another. In the end she¡¯s also just a human. Even if she can use super powerful magic, she can¡¯t be cautious of her surroundings all day and night. It¡¯s is important to rx your nerves like this once in a while, she knows this as well. Then it means she¡¯s simply just rxed right now. It¡¯s quiteplicated as a man but it also felt good to see that I am trusted that much by her. ¡°If you need anything else as well, you can take it you know? King Joshua has given full permission after all.¡±(utano) ¡°Even if say that¡­¡± My next journey. Since it¡¯d be difficult to gain support from the country for such a cause, we were told that we could at least use the treasury and its items freely. On Imnesia we can still pass through with money but the concept of money itself doesn¡¯t exist on Elfreim. So Utano-san has been choosing various items and ornaments that could be used for barter. I can differentiate between what¡¯s practical to use and what¡¯s not but when it¡¯ses to essories and ornamental items, I have no idea what¡¯s good or bad. At most I can tell what would suit who. And barely make out if something is fake. And even that¡¯ll be tough if I have not seen the actual items many times already. I honed that skill desperately in my previous journey. After all before that, I was so useless in that sense that it was almost a burden. While I looked around the surroundings, I could only think about how all these weapons were so impractical. Since I don¡¯t possess magical energy as well, even when I know an item has a magical protection, it¡¯s still useless to me. My constitution really is inconvenient. Holding up a small engraved ring, I yed with it twirling it around between my fingers. Shining the light of themp on it, I saw that it was engraved with Elven letters. And going by what¡¯s written, it will enhance the physical abilities of the wearer slightly. ¡°fumu.¡± [Thinking of gifting it to someone?] ¡°That might be a nice idea.¡± Rather than saying gift it, it¡¯s more like having them use it. If its Feirona or Ms Francesca, they should be able to use it. Mururu¡¯s arm/hand size changes when she fights so rings would only be in the way. Now that I think about it, I had not yet given her any present to congratte her performance in the tournament so I¡¯ll give this to her. I thought that but then again, I felt like if its to congratte her, it might be nicer to prepare something myself. Randomly handing over an item from the treasurycks any emotion after all. In either case, I put the ring inside my pocket and looked for other things. [What¡¯s that to the right? Is that a potion?] ¡°Hmm?¡± Looking towards where she told, I saw chemical like substances kept there of various colours. Shining themp on one them, the faint light passed through it. On itsbel, a difficult to pronounce name was written. Looking at the backside, the contents were written. Looks like it¡¯s a strong paralysis drug. You can¡¯t call it a potion but I wonder if it could be of use somewhere. But using poisons is a pretty difficult task on its own so I decided to return it back to where I picked it from. And I picked the bottle next to it. As expected, this one had a difficult to pronounce name as well. But this one was quite less in quantitypared to the other one. Even though that one was filled to the brim, this one¡¯s only slightly less than half full. [What¡¯s that?] ¡°Let me check.¡± This is¡­¡­..looking at the back, numerous names of herbs were written and it wasbelled as a stimnt. It¡¯s less quantity, and the fact this was a stimnt, hmm, could this be¡­ [Is it a potion?] ¡°No, this isn¡¯t it.¡± [Then, it¡¯s useless.] It is useless, but it kind of makes me curious. Seems really interesting after all. Looking for more simr things, I picked the next bottle. ¡°So..¡± Just when I was about to check its contents, suddenly Utano-san spoke up. Like before, with her butt still towards me. I ended up putting the two containers inside my pocket. No, it was purely by reflex, really. I do think I shouldn¡¯t have done that though. I¡¯ll reflect on it¡­¡­.probably. ¡°I heard the destination of your journey but still, how long do you think would take till you can return?¡±(utano) ¡°Who knows. Maybe half a year, or one full year¡­¡­¡­..¡± It could be longer, but it could be shorter as well. ¡°I really can¡¯t tell.¡±(renji) ¡°I see.¡± When I said that honestly, she answered with an even tter voice than usual. ¡°hm¡­¡­well, this should do.¡±(utano) While I was wondering if she got angry due to seeing myck of any n, Utano-san stood back up straight and took a breath. In her hands was a light looking bag filled with items. ¡°With this much, you should be fine for a while.¡±(utano) ¡°Yeah, thanks.¡± [Thanks, Yuuko.] ¡°Oh now that¡¯s rare, for you to thank me so honestly.¡±(utano) ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Normally you¡¯d say something to the contrary, and be uncooperative.¡± ¡°And here I thought I had always been giving my thanks properly though¡­¡­¡± Have I always spoken in that way to her? I know when I¡¯m just teasing her but, when thanking¡ª¡ªI am sure I did it properly. While I stood there lost for words, she must have found my reaction amusing as she gave a giggle while hiding her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding. You do say ¡®thank you¡¯ when you need to.¡±(utano) ¡°Thank goodness. I¡¯d feel bad for you if I had not been thanking you properly after all.¡± ¡°In only that sense, you¡¯re pretty serious aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­what do you mean ¡®only that¡¯?¡± [Umu.] You¡¯re taking Utano-san¡¯s side as well, Ermenhilde? While feeling a bit sad, I took the bag from her hands. Even though it fit right in my palms, the bag was actually pretty heavy. Was my sad face amusing as Utano-san rested her back on the shelves she had been searching just now and looked at me gently. The fact that her eyes still looked pretty sharp, I probably shouldn¡¯t say that. ¡°You will return properly this time, right?¡±(utano) ¡°Of course. I will¡­¡­I haven¡¯t paid back your debt anyway.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. Don¡¯t you forget to properly pay me back okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that dishonourable I think.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡­..I know that, very well.¡± And this time, with a smile that anyone could tell that it was a proper smile, she looked at me. ¡°But, back to the problem at hand. That girl called Solnea, how are you nning on turning her into the Demon God?¡±(utano) ¡°Well. I was told to lead her to the throne of Gods but I¡¯m not sure where exactly that is. So for now, I n on taking her to the ce where I killed Nayfell.¡± ¡°I see. Looks like it¡¯ll be a harsh journey.¡± ¡°Not really. I have been there once after all. My prior knowledge shoulde in handy.¡± The ecology and specialities of the monsters living in Abenelm and ces where Demons gather, and the whole topography as well. If I were to use all that info properly, I alone should be able to make my way to the Demon God¡¯s castle as well. ¡°I trust you on that. All said and done, somehow you are the one who has the highest survival abilities out of all of us after all.¡±(utano) ¡°Really?¡± ¡°You and Hiiragi-kun both. Only you two can make food out of monsters, and can also tell between all types of herbs and wild grasses.¡± ¡°Not all of them.¡± ¡°But, you can tell which are edible right? That alone is pretty amazing in my opinion.¡± ¡°If we¡¯re talking about such things, then can¡¯t you read even ancient elven and dwarven letters? You can even hear the voices of the spirits as well.¡± That seems more useful while travelling to me though. Well, if I said that we¡¯ll start talking around in circle though. So, as normal, I praised her as well before ending the conversation. [So Renji, do you have some kind of proper idea?] ¡°hm?¡± [To make Solnea into a Demon God that hates fighting, that is.] ¡°Well, by showing her the daily lives of people, treating her to tasty food, showing her beautiful scenery¡­¡­¡­¡± [Can all that alone make one like people?] ¡°I think so.¡± Ermenhilde spoke in a fed up tone but I ended upughing at that. Giving a nce, I saw even utano-san hiding her mouth. ¡°I know a God who came to like humans like that after all.¡±(renji) [Astraera-sama, eh?] ¡°Hmm, who knows.¡± That one, only needed tasty food to turn like that though. But, while feeling amused at Ermenhilde, I felt slightly sad at the same time. Eru¡¯s memories will not return. No, because Eru and Ermenhilde arepletely different existences in the first ce, I should say that Eru now only exists within our memories. But still, that sadness was only slightly there. I didn¡¯t sigh like before. Whileughing, I only felt a small stabbing pain inside. And soon enough, I will stop feeling even that small pain as well. At that time, I¡¯m sure, I will definitely cry. [What¡¯s wrong, Renji?] ¡°hm?¡± ¡°You were in a daze. Are you tired perhaps?¡±(utano) ¡°Not really. I was just thinking of the Goddess that humans all love.¡± [Hm?] ¡°¡­¡­¡­I see.¡±(utano) Ermenhilde made a confused sound but Utano-san instantly understood my thoughts from just that. Eru¡¯s death. The only ones who know about it are me, Utano-san and Koutarou who I¡¯ll meet in Elfreim. If I don¡¯t tell that to anyone ever, I¡¯m sure these two will keep it a secret as well. But then, the girl called Eru will¡­¡­¡­.will the Goddess¡¯ death will only be known and then forgotten among us three? (T/N: Just reminding, and from what I have understood, that Eru was born by dividing original Astraera¡¯s energy. So the current Astraera is only the other remaining half of the original Astraera while the other half (Eru) is dead. Which is why Renji in thest chapter called Astraera as only one part of her I guess. So I guess in a way, the original Goddess is also dead since Eru (who was a one part of the original) is dead?) When I thought of that, once more I felt a stabbing pain in my chest. ¡°After this journey is over, there is something I need to tell you as well.¡±(renji) [To me?] ¡°yeah.¡± [fumu. I don¡¯t expect much but let¡¯s just say that I¡¯ll be waiting for it.] ¡°So are you looking forward to it or are you not? Which is it?¡± [Whenever you say something like that, you tease me as well so I don¡¯t expect much¡­¡­.but I am looking forward to it as well.] ¡°So basically, you enjoy getting teased by me?¡± [No! Not teasing¡ª-but I do enjoy talking to you.] ¡°Fuh¡­¡­..you are really are a weird one.¡± [I can¡¯t help it. I¡¯m you part¨C¡­¡­weapon after all.] You, were about to say ¡®partner¡¯, weren¡¯t you? She seems to have realized it as well as the atmosphere became a bit awkward. ¡°I get that you two get along well but don¡¯t just forget me and get lost in a world with just you two there, okay?¡±(utano) ¡°No, no, we don¡¯t get along that well.¡±(renji) [Muu] When I said that giving a joking shrug, Ermenhilde made a displeased sound. But this is usual. Utano-san, walked towards us silently and with her pretty finger, touched my cheek. ¡°Un.¡± Anyone would call her expression to be a smiling one but for some reason, only to me, it felt like she was crying. To change the mood, I took a breath and the spoke in a much livelier voice. ¡°This should be enough for now, after all we¡¯ll be going to Merdiore on a carriage.¡±(renji) ¡°You sure?¡± ¡°Well, I might find some interesting things so I¡¯ll do the rest of the shopping there.¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s leave this ce shall we?¡± Saying that Utano-san left the treasury. Chasing her footsteps, I also left the ce. The door to the ce was a simple wooden one but two soldiers were permanently on guard at the doors. Those soldiers saluted us as we left. ¡°So, you think you can wear those?¡±(utano) ¡°It¡¯s a bit dusty.¡±(renji) ¡°Then, let¡¯s get a ce and wash them properly first.¡± ¡°At the same time, might as well bask it in the sun as well.¡± ¡°Sounds great.¡± No, I was just kidding though. But with just that, I felt like Utano-san¡¯s footsteps became slightly lighter. Her eyes are still the sharp as usual but she was ying around with her long hair, twirling it between her fingers. That¡¯s her habit whenever she¡¯s in a good mood. Even though her expression was same, the fact that I was able to tell her mood from just a small habit like that was proof that we have really travelled together a lot. Realizing my gaze, Utano-san gave a puzzled look at me. ¡°You seem to be in a good mood.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­..Not really.¡± But still, she continued to y with her hair. The fact that she herself wasn¡¯t aware of this habit made it even lovelier. Should I tell her that? What kind of fool would do that, I wonder? (Part 2) The ce we were heading to was something like a back garden. The ce where maids usually do stuff likeundry. I¡¯m sure nobody would have a problem if I dried my equipment there. Since the sun is high right now as well, it¡¯s the perfect time to bask the clothes in the sun. Eventer, many soldiers and knights, nobles passed by us as we headed towards this rear garden. There was already a person there before us as well, and it was not a maid washing some clothes. It was a woman with long silver hair wearing lightly decorated white dress¡ª¡ªKing Joshua¡¯s only daughter, Princess Amalda Imnesia, was sitting on a bench rxing. She didn¡¯t have her usual dignified expression that I normally saw during the tournament, instead, she was simply in thought while making a warm andfortable expression, looking far away. As I was looking at her thinking about her atmosphere was different than usual, she realized our presence and turned towards us. ¡°Ara?¡±( amalda) ¡°Well if it isn¡¯t Princess Amalda¡ª¡ª¡°(utano) ¡°Fufu. No need for that formal tone, no one else is here right now.¡± ¡°Fine.¡±(utano) ¡°Eh?¡±(renji) She changed her way of talking so easily? What is this? In the time I wasn¡¯t here, did these two get closer to each other? Back then, they were more strained, or rather, Princess Amalda always seemed scared of Utano-san. Well with that gaze and way of talking, anyone would get scared of Utano-san. But still, really, a lot can happen in one year. I think maybe this is somewhat like what Urashima Tarou felt like. (T/N:Google Urashima Taro to learn about his folk tale.) While feeling a bit confused, I went along with Utano-san towards Princess Amalda. ¡°Princess, please excuse us as we work here for a while.¡±(utano) ¡°Sure?¡± ¡°Yamada-kun, give the coat first.¡± Being told that I gave her my coat I was holding in my left hand as Utano-san, even though we were in front of the princess, began to dust off my clothes without paying any mind. Really, is this okay? It¡¯s kind of rude, or rather, it¡¯s making me feel a bit nervous. Thinking that I looked towards Amalda but she was looking at Utano-san as if she was doing something incredibly fun. ¡°That looks like fun. May I help as well?¡±(amalda) ¡°¡­¡­..Eh?¡±(renji) ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t mind. Yamada-kun, give the trousers next.¡±(utano) Ehhh¡­¡­¡­.. I looked at Utano-san to confirm once more but she didn¡¯t even look at me as she was busy with dusting off my coat. Like really, is this okay? While thinking that, I gave Princess Amalda the trousers as told. As I did, with a smile, the princess started pping and dusting off the trousers along with Utano-san. Her slender arms seemed tock strength making it look really dangerous. While I continued to look over Princess as she worked, I handed over my mantle to Utano-san next as told. After they had finally dusted off my boots and leather gloves as well, both the women sat down on the bench together while panting slightly. Well, the princess aside, why does Utano-san have such low stamina as well? ¡°What?¡±(utano) ¡°You haven¡¯t been exercising much recently?¡±(Renji) ¡°¡­¡­¡­.I specialise more in desk work, that¡¯s all.¡± [So, she says.] She always said that didn¡¯t she. While thinking of that, I spread my throwing daggers and Knife on the ground. Taking it out of the sheathe, I confirmed the condition of every de by putting it against the sunlight. They are all in perfectly usable condition. Throwing one of the daggers, it flew a bit before stabbing into the ground. ¡°Return.¡±(renji) The moment I muttered that, that dagger returned back to my hand. There were 7 of such daggers. I tested each and every one of them properly one by one. ¡°Such an interesting de.¡±(amalda) ¡°Well, an elf made these after all.¡± Saying that, next I swung around the knife acrobatically to test its condition. This one, seemed to be fine as well. As weapons I will be depending on against the monsters and demons of Abenlem, they are trustworthy indeed. When I finished, I heard a small apuse. Looking that way, it was princess Amalda. ¡°For showing me something really interesting.¡±(amalda) ¡°No, no. this isn¡¯t anything special at all.¡±(renji) I put the knife back in its sheathe. Ermenhilde remained silent probably because she still in a bad mood. It was when I used the mithril sword as well but as expected, Ermenhilde doesn¡¯t like it when I use any other weapons. While smiling wryly at my partner¡¯s lovely temper, I slowly cleaned off the dirt that stuck to each of the daggers. ¡°So, you two seem to have gotten pretty close.¡±(renji) ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand what you mean, Renji-sama?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m just surprised. That Utano-san actually has a friend she really gets along with that¡¯s all¡­¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re implying that I don¡¯t have friends, is that it?¡±(utano) ¡°No way, just your imagination.¡±(renji) When I gave a shrug, she gave a clear sigh. Since I was on the ground and she was on the bench, it ended up with me getting red down at by her with cold eyes. And the fact that I didn¡¯t really mind it was proof that there was definitely something wrong with me as well. ¡°Haah. So princess, why are you here?¡±(utano) ¡°Just, wanted some time to think.¡± ¡°Something to think about?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I wonder what it was. While wiping of the third dagger, I continued listening to their conversation. ¡°I have thought of this before as well but¡­¡­..¡±(amalda) ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Yuuta-sama is a bit too kind, I feel like.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­umu. Even though she said that with such a serious atmosphere, why is that I almost dropped my dagger in reflex? ¡°Let me ask this first and foremost.¡±(renji) ¡°Ah, what is it, Renji-sama?¡±(amalda) ¡°This conversation, is it fine for me to hear it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind. In fact as a man, I would like to hear your opinion on this as well.¡± ¡°Yamada-kun¡¯s opinion?¡­¡­¡­.i wonder if that would even be of any use.¡±(utano) [What are you talking about?] ¡°Something you don¡¯t really have to worry about.¡±(renji) [Why? I want to hear it as well.] Why is my partner so curious in only such weird things? ¡°So, what did you hope to ask about Kuuki?¡±(renji) ¡°There¡¯s no one here right now. You don¡¯t have to speak so formally, Renji-sama.¡±(amalda) ¡°Haah.¡± Looking towards Utano-san, she shook her head as well. Looks like she must have been forcibly changed like this as well. ¡°So, what did that Kuuki do?¡±(renji) ¡°No, in fact, it¡¯s that he doesn¡¯t do anything¡­¡­¡­..evenst night.¡±(amalda) Oh no. I don¡¯t want to hear such things from a girl¡¯s mouth. Was it because I still had an ideal fantasy image of a girl in my head? Well, Princess Amalda is 18 now and Utano-san is 28 this year. Neither could really be called a girl anymore¡ª¡ª ¡°What?¡±(utano) ¡°Nothing.¡±(renji) I think, humans can die just by being red at. How many times have I thought that aftering to this world. As I turned my gaze down to the dagger in my hand without letting anyone realize, I felt like timid herbivore animal. ¡°So, what happenedst night?¡± ¡°Sost night, I visited his bedroom but¡­¡­¡­..¡± So that guy¡¯s ate bloomer as well, or rather a more passive kind of guy eh? It¡¯s amazing how he was able to control himself even when a beauty like Princess Amalda came to his room. ¡°¡­¡­¡­But I ended up falling asleep first.¡±(amalda) ¡°Wait what!?!¡±(renji) ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Ah, sorry, it¡¯s nothing please continue.¡± Oh shit, this princess is an airhead. Back then I thought of her as a girl who has lived an overprotected life but she turned out to be simply a natural airhead. ¡°But, he didn¡¯t do anything to me even though I was sleeping¡­¡­..¡±(amalda) [But he did sleep beside you right?] ¡°Yes, of course but still.¡± Kuuki, you¡¯re actually amazing. I could only feel amazement at his self control powers. Or rather, really, is it fine to tell something like that to a man like me? I questioned for the Nth time, but still had no answer. ¡°Since this will be the first time for both you, I do think that it¡¯d be better if both of you were properly conscious this time at least. It¡¯ll be a precious memory as well after all.¡±(utano) Somehow the way you spoke it made it sound really lewd, Utano-san. Huh, I wonder why women are able to talk of such things so well? While feeling a bit timid, I put more strength in my arm cleaning the dagger. ¡°But that means I can¡¯t tempt him, make him drunk, or look at him while sleeping?¡­¡­.I¡¯m starting to lose confidence.¡±(amalda) ¡°Princess¡­¡­¡­..¡± [fumu.] I, honestly, cannot hide my surprise of the fact that you are such carnivore. Even though her looks and atmosphere is that of a dignifieddy, to think she¡¯d be like that inside¡­¡­¡­¡­Women are really scary. And above all, she¡¯s unaware of her own nature, or rather, everything she thinks of revolves around Kuuki. Utano-san was giving me nces but I have no way of helping this. I know Kuuki¡¯s personality. He really treasure the princess with all of his heart, I¡¯m sure. And though that should make the princess feel happy as well, she also wants him to have a bit more desires, or rather, lust towards her. ¡­¡­¡­.I feel like my own thoughts aren¡¯t making much sense right now. ¡°By the way, are you always consulting such things with Utano-san?¡±(renji) ¡°Wait¨C¡°(utano) ¡°Yes. Yuuko-sama sometimes takes out time to listen to me.¡±(amalda) ¡°About what kind of things exactly?¡±(renji) ¡°That is a secret. It is a bit embarrassing to tell that to a man.¡±(amalda) Really? After all you¡¯ve already said? Could it be that the things she spoke of before like tempting and making him drunk be Utano-san¡¯s ideas? Maybe the princess ttered her saying that Utano-san was experienced so she should give her some guidance or something? I realized that I was smiling without even wanting to just thinking of that scene. Did she discern what I was thinking, Utano-san was making a surprised expression. The fact that her gaze was going here and there must be because she was in a panic. ¡°So, Renji-sama, do you have some good advice for me?¡±(amalda) ¡°Well, I can¡¯t think of anything but taking the route of frontal attack.¡±(renji) ¡°Frontal attack?¡± ¡°Invite him to dinner, drink together, create a good mood and then invite him to your bed. If it¡¯s a guy like Kuuki, it¡¯d have more effect than using weird tactics I believe.¡± ¡°But that didn¡¯t work, I tried.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­That ipetent fool.¡± ¡°I think Yuuta-kun would also say that, but Yamada-kun, you¡¯re thest person in the world who has the right to say that.¡±(utano) [Seriously.] Ermenhilde, seriously, who¡¯s ally are you? While grieving from the harsh betrayal of my partner, I went into thought. Well, 50% of those thoughts were about tonight, thinking of vulgar things that might happen to Kuuki. ¡°Then, I may have a nice item for you.¡±(renji) ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that it¡¯ll not be anything worthwile.¡±(utano) While acting like I didn¡¯t hear utano-san¡¯s remark, I put my hand into my pocket. It¡¯s the stimnt drug I found in the treasury earlier. I was thinking of giving it to her, showing her the various ways to use it¡­¡­¡­. But what I brought out was a container that was full to the brim. It wasn¡¯t the stimnt, but the other one. The one whose contents even I hadn¡¯t checked yet. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±(amalda) ¡°Where did you find something like that?¡±(utano) ¡°In the treasury.¡±(renji) ¡°While I was helping you, you were looking for such things?¡±(utano) Utano-san¡¯s gaze grew sharper. ¡°So, what is it?¡±(utano) [What¡¯s written, Renji?] ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± While putting my hand to shade against the sun, I checked the back of the container. The faint red liquid was really beautiful. Lots of ingredients names were written, and in the end¡ª¡ª¨Cthere was an aphrodisiac. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°What is the matter, Renji-sama?¡± ¡°Yamada-kun?¡± Oh shit. This one¡¯s even more dangerous than just a stimnt. Just when I was about to return the container back inside my pocket, I wonder what she thought of as Utano-san snapped her fingers. And from just that, the container disappeared from my hands. In a panic I looked around only to see the container in Utano-san¡¯s hands. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Yuuko-sama, what¡¯s wrong?¡± This time, it was Utano-san¡¯s turn to go silent. As expected of the Sage. She knew what kind of aphrodisiac it was. She must have taken it from me thinking that I had just found something dangerous again but she probably didn¡¯t expect it to be an aphrodisiac. Of course, neither did I to be honest. Right before my eyes, her cheeks slowly grew redder and redder. It¡¯s an expression she¡¯d never show in front of others normally. Since normally she has a sour face, or rather, an atmosphere that isn¡¯t inviting to others, this change seemed to have really surprised Princess Amalda as well. While looking at the change in Utano-san, I felt, that today I really might die. Who the hell put something like that inside the treasury?? [Just what¡¯s going on?] ¡°I don¡¯t understand either, Ermenhilde-sama.¡±(amalda) While listening to their nonchnt voices, I brought out Ermenhilde from my pocket and threw it slightly away from me. As if she was waiting for it, Utano-san¡¯s fingers snapped. Kuuki, I hope you fall in hell(read as heaven). While falling inside the depths of hell (read as pitfall), I thought that. I am happy she was at least kind enough to properly gather up my daggers inside the holster that had been lying on the ground. Even though I am supposed to leave on life threatening journey soon¡­¡­¡­we are the same as always. I¡¯ll do something stupid, and then get punished. Just like we have always been.¡ª¡ªI felt like I had returned back to that time once more. Inside the circle where my friends lived. Well, even I think that having an aphrodisiac on me was a bit too much, even as a joke. Also, I¡¯m really d that none of the kids were here. Really. Chapter 60 Start of the Journey (2) Chapter 60 Start of the Journey (2) The next morning. As I headed towards the north gate of the capital¡¯s walls, about 5 carriages and 10-something people were gathered there, loading up stuff inside the carriages. Among those, around one more luxurious looking carriage, 4 soldiers, dressed in full armour like knights were standing. I don¡¯t know whether Melentia-san hired them or were they knights directly serving the Barton House but judging by the way they wore the armour and the cautious gaze they all had, they seemed to be quite skilled. That said I could only make a vague estimate of exactly how skilled they were. While I was looking at one of such knights, Ms Francesca, who was standing between those 4 as if being protected by them, noticed me. And then, Melentia-san noticed me as well. Since it¡¯d be rude if I didn¡¯t go and greet them, I walked towards them. I am bad at being formal with others, but I can¡¯t avoid this either. ¡°Renji-sama, thank you very much for apanying us today.¡±(mel) ¡°No, I should be the one to thank you for going as far so to prepare horses for me as well.¡±(renji) ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t have to. That said, I was hoping that you¡¯d also ride inside the carriage with us¡­¡­..¡± ¡°That, I apologise, but I simply prefer riding on a horse.¡± Saying that, I softly refused her offer. I don¡¯t really mind riding inside carriages, or rather, I really would love to properly spend some time with a beauty like Melentia-san. But, then again, it¡¯d be too much for me to continue talking such formally during the whole journey. It¡¯s quite the regretful decision. I am not really hoping to get close to her personally but still, I want to make a good impression at least. All the more so, if she¡¯s such a beauty. I believe that should be normal for any man to think like that. But still, her tone and gaze sure have a distinct sharpness. It was like that the other day as well so I think that this might be her natural expression. Since her younger sister has a overly warm atmosphere around her, maybe it makes her sharpness stand out even more. Well, that¡¯s also charming in its own way. ¡°How unfortunate. I was very interested in having a chat with you.¡±(mel) ¡°It¡¯s an honour for you to say that but I don¡¯t really have many interesting things to talk about.¡±(renji) ¡°Oh, is that so? My sister¡¯s always telling me what an incredible man you¡ª¡ª¡± ¡°O, Onee-sama!?!¡±(fran) Oh well, just what did Ms Francesca tell about me to her? I¡¯m a bit curious but it¡¯d be difficult to ask that right here. There are too many people here after all. Well, if I get the chance, I¡¯ll keep in mind to ask that. ¡°In fact, I even had difficultying to the capital alone. I was able to only thanks to your sister and myrades.¡±(renji) ¡°You¡¯re quite the modest man, aren¡¯t you?¡±(mel) ¡°Not really. It¡¯s true that I have been helped by your sister quite a lot. Enough that I could thank you for it.¡± When I gave such praise, Ms Francesca¡¯s face became more and more redder. [Ahem.] ¡°Well then, please excuse me. Myrades are waiting for me that way as well. If something happens, please tell me unhesitatingly.¡±(renji) ¡°Of course. Please wait for a while, we¡¯ll be done loading our baggage soon enough.¡±(mel) ¡°Very well.¡± Yeah yeah, while wryly smiling to my partners cute interruption, I moved away from there. Ms Francesca¡¯s wide smile was quite impressive. Melentia-san was smiling elegantly as well. [You¡¯re making a sloppy face.] ¡°I was born with this face.¡± [¡­¡­¡­fuun.] ¡°I was just greeting her.¡± Giving a bitterugh towards Ermenhilde who got angry, I slight caressed the medal inside my pocket. I doubt her mood will get better from just that but at least she wouldin/scold less. While finding her reactions to be lovely, I looked around the surroundings. I did say that myrades were waiting for me but there was no truth to it. In fact, since I came here just now myself, I hadn¡¯t even checked to see if Feirona and others were here or not. Well, now that I said something like that, it¡¯ll be awkward to be seen moving about looking for them as well. So I searched with just my gaze, but thankfully I found the blonde elf and the white wolf beastwoman soon enough. They stand out quite a lot after all. On a bench near them, Solnea was also sitting there. They had already noticed me as they were looking towards me. As I began to walk towards them, their gazes looked like they became softer as well. ¡°Sorry, am Ite?¡±(renji) ¡°Un.¡±(mururu) ¡°¡­¡­.I didn¡¯t really see you guys when I came here though.¡± ¡°Just your imagination.¡± Don¡¯t lie so smoothly. Giving a smile at that cute lie, I felt a bit rxed as well. AS expected, I feel morefortable near my trustedrades. It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t trust the nearby other adventurers but I end up creating a wall, or rather, I maintain some distance with them unknowingly, maybe because I have been living as an adventurer for too long? ¡°Did something happen?¡± ¡°hm?¡± While I was in thought, Mururu looked up towards me puzzled¡­¡­¡­as usual her eyes looked sleepy, like she was in some kind of a daze. ¡°But yeah, I thought you¡¯d be here much earlier than us as well.¡±(elf) ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I was sure you¡¯d be here already and would havepleted all preparations beforehand.¡± ¡°How serious do you think I am?¡± [That¡¯s right¡­¡­¡­haah.] Really, I don¡¯t have such a serious personality. Well, I do tend to get things done earlier though. Also, Ermenhilde? If you give such a big sigh, even I¡¯ll feel a bit bad you know? ¡°Well, some things happenedst night.¡±(renji) ¡± ¡®things¡¯?¡± ¡°Yes, ¡®things¡¯.¡± [You were just getting scolded that¡¯s all.] ¡°Please shut up there, will you partner?¡± [And, got drunk as well.] ¡°Seriously. Could you not resist at least the day before?¡±(elf) ¡°I got invited. And, I didn¡¯t oversleep due to drinking too much.¡± In the first ce, I¡¯m here before the time to leave, so you can¡¯t even call this oversleeping. But, I should just let go of that point. Rather than yielding, it¡¯s more fun to talk about like this. Feirona as well, while making an amazed face, wasughing. [Seriously. It¡¯s because you¡¯re always acting like this, you get scolded.] ¡°you got scolded?¡±(mururu) ¡°Well Mururu, we adult men have to deal with a lot of things.¡±(renji) When I said that in an exaggerated manner, her sleepy face became a bit sullen. While finding that slight change in her expression amusing, I turned towards Feirona. ¡°So, what were you guys up to?¡±(renji) ¡°Nothing at all, I guess.¡±(elf) ¡°Got bored.¡±(mururu) From what they tell, when they offered to help with loading the luggage as well, they were politely refused. I guess as Ms Francesca¡¯s friends, Melentia-san must be treating us as guests. We wouldn¡¯t really care much about it but from the point of view of a noble, they simply cannot be discourteous enough to make their guests do something like manualbour. It¡¯s how their mannerisms are. Nobles really have a all sorts of troubles aspared to even me. Mururu didn¡¯t really care about anything at all, but I¡¯m sure Feirona is also bored but he understands the situation and decided that it¡¯d be better to just stand here doing nothing. Since it was still early in the morning, there weren¡¯t many people around other than us. Only the soldiers on guard duty around the area were patrolling the ce. Since near the gates, there were no guilds or bars, there weren¡¯t many adventurers to be seen either. ¡°What¡¯s with the getup?¡±(elf) ¡°hm?¡±(renji) ¡°That equipment is different from what you wore earlier right?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. I just took back my equipment I had left with the King for safekeeping.¡± When I said that, Feirona made a slightly surprised face but Mururu simply made a fuun~ sound. What a waste to brag in front of her. ¡°Your reactions really are weak eh?¡±(renji) ¡°It¡¯s because I don¡¯t know what¡¯s good or bad about such armour/equipments.¡±(mururu) ¡°Because you¡¯re a beastwoman? I guess your own body is your weapon and armour, eh?¡±(elf) ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°But still, at least show some interest. Really, give me a reason to exin about it.¡±(renji) She puffed her chest with pride making her look cute. But seeing that her tail was swaying around, she must be happy. Though I doubt Feirona said that as apliment though. And suddenly, as if she smelled something, she brought her face close towards me. ¡°It smells like the forest.¡±(mururu) [So you can tell?] ¡°I have a strong nose.¡± Saying that, Mururu made a short sound with her nose. I as well, imitating her, brought my sleeve near my nose. I am at an age where I still get worried whether I¡¯m smelling of something weird after all. ¡°Smell of the forest?¡± ¡°Fruits and grass, like the smell of deep inside a forest¡­¡­.and also, wind. The smell of Earth spirit Gnome and wind spirit Sylph.¡±(mururu) ¡°The protection of the spirits eh? As expected of the equipment used against the Demon God, I guess.¡±(elf) At Mururu¡¯s exnation, Feirona also reacted. Looks like he already figured what my equipment was like. As expected of an elf and beastwoman who live alongside the spirits. They are really sensitive to such protection on equipment, I realized that once more. Equipment forged by humans is definitely strong. Whether it be made of iron, steel or silver. But all those, slowly deteriorate over time. And can even break if used relentlessly. But, equipment like mithril ones made by dwarves or the ones imbued with the protection of spirits made by elves, as long the spirits do not remove their protection, their ability will not reduce no matter how much time passes. It¡¯s effects reduce in dead ces like the forest of rotting souls but in the Elfreim continent where we are headed, and in Abenelm, the protection is very strong. I know from my journey one year ago, they give more defence that it shows. And it seems these two understand that as well. ¡­¡­¡­..Really, looks like I don¡¯t have a reason to exin about it at all. ¡°How uninteresting¡­¡­¡­.you guys aren¡¯t giving me the fun of exining about it at all.¡±(renji) ¡°Renji¡¯s long talks are, difficult to understand.¡±(mururu) [At times, he does like to talk in an overly theatrical way after all.] Mururu spoke that while averting her gaze. I don¡¯t recall giving any such long exnation before though. What kind of character am I inside Mururu¡¯s mind? It¡¯s really making me curious now. While thinking that I will have to properly talk with her once, I looked around. When, I saw Solnea sitting on a nearby bench. Since it was still slightly hazy outside as the sun hadn¡¯t not risen properly, the ck dressed beauty looked somewhat like a ghost sitting there. Having low presence, and with that dazed expression, and neither was there any will in her eyes. If a child saw her, they¡¯d think of her more like a exquisitely crafted puppet rather than a human. ¡°If you really think that. I might have to teach yu a bit.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­¡­I¡¯m fine.¡±(mururu) ¡°But it¡¯s fun you know, studying that is.¡±(renji) Youe to know so many things you didn¡¯t know. That¡¯s a one of a kind feeling as well I think. I think that way probably because before I used to hate studying and did not enjoy my job at all. But aftering to this world, learning to read and write desperately, understanding the basics of travelling, ecology of monsters, usage of weapons, way of fighting; though neither of those were truly necessary to survive in this world, I still recall how happy I felt to find those skills of use to me. Even if it was something I vaguely knew, it was still nice feeling to see others depend on me for once. Knowledge is power. Having understood that very well, I was thinking of really teaching lots of things to Mururu once I get the chance. ¡°Not just me, even Feirona and Ms Francesca have studied a lot you know?¡±(renji) ¡°ugh.¡±(mururu) ¡°Right?¡±(renji) ¡°Fuh,¡­¡­yeah, that¡¯s true.¡±(elf) When not just me but even Feirona nodded, Mururu averted her gaze trying to run away. Looks like she really bad at it. But the fact that she¡¯s not openly rejecting the idea means she doesn¡¯t hate it either. Beastmen are a race that ¡®run¡¯ inside the forests. I guess, sitting in one ce and reading a book, that is ¡®not moving¡¯, must be not liked by them. ¡°She did try to read a book alongside Francesca at the inn but she got bored of it pretty quickly.¡±(elf) ¡°Feirona, I told you to keep that secret!¡± ¡°Oh, so something like that happened as well.¡±(renji) And Feirona gave an exaggerated shrug. Since he¡¯s normally calm and cool, seeing him tease Mururu like this was really amusing. Mururu being herself, shut up when talk about studying came up. Even her tail that had been swaying around had dropped down towards the ground. Even her wolf ears seemed to be slightly drooping a bit. ¡°Maybe you should ride the carriage with Ms Francesca and try spending the journey reading a book with her?¡±(renji) ¡°I refuse.¡± Instant reply. The vigour behind her words made it even more amusing. ¡°Really? Riding the carriage, protected by the escort team, travel while reading a book. You might get to feel like a noble girl, you know?¡±(renji) ¡°I don¡¯t like it.¡± Looks like Mururu didn¡¯t enjoy that kind of life like Ms Francesca as well. Though she probably wouldn¡¯t mind the former part of that. ¡°Too bad. I was thinking of making fun of you about how it didn¡¯t suit you at all.¡±(renji) ¡°Renji, as usual, you¡¯re such a bully.¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t help it. That¡¯s just how I am.¡± When I gave shrug while saying that, Mururu moved behind Feirona as if hiding from me. [Looks like she hates you now.] ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s it though.¡± And, she started hitting Feirona¡¯s back. It doesn¡¯t seem like she¡¯s putting power into it though. Even Feirona was smiling at it. It feels more like I just made my daughter sulk, that¡¯s all. ¡°Now then, it looks like we still have some time so I¡¯ll go take a look there okay?¡±(renji) ¡°Sure, I leave it to you.¡±(elf) Saying that, I moved away from them and towards the bench on which Solnea was sitting on. Did she not move even a bit while we were talking, it looked like she was in the exact same posture as before. Does she not even get tired? Sitting beside her, only then did some change finally appear on her. That said, all she did was look towards me. ¡°Good Morning.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You greet others with a ¡®Good morning¡¯ when you meet them during the day, Solnea¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Good Morning.¡± When I said that, she repeated my words like a parrot. I doubt she even understands the meaning behind it. Thinking about how I should exin it to her, I was a bit lost for words. Now that I think about it, why do we say ¡®good morning¡¯ to each other everyday? I recalled even my own childhood, but couldn¡¯t find the answer. Before I knew it, I was saying that as if it was normal. Because my parents always said it every morning, I did too. They say children imitate their parents but do they also imitate every habit or greetings as well? Somehow, my own sea of thoughts seemed to have been affected a bit. ¡°Is something wrong, Renji?¡±(sol) ¡°Nah, nothing. That aside, we¡¯re about to go on a journey but did you feel something different?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Thought so. The biggest enjoyment of journeys is to get to see new ces, meet new people, and sometimes earn money. It differs for everyone. But as far as I could think, Solnea had no such reason at all. It¡¯s because this woman simply holds no interest in anything at all. Even though she¡¯s technically living, except some information, this woman has nothing at all. She doesn¡¯t have the feeling you get when you see something beautiful or amazing, and neither does she hold any kind of greed for something. Those [emotions] that humans have before they even fully understand it, she doesn¡¯t have any yet. They are attained through growth as a child, and matures as your own body matures along with it. What one could call as your [spirit/mind], she doesn¡¯t have it. At least, I don¡¯t sense it in her. ¡°I see.¡± Was I supposed to say something more, or is this fine for now? I really am not good at thinking up topics to converse about. I haven¡¯t racked my brains so much even when dealing with a merchant. As if she felt something from me, Solnea continued to stare at me. ¡°What is it?¡±(renji) ¡°No. Did I do/say something wrong?¡±(sol) ¡°¡­¡­¡­What?¡± ¡°It feels, different than before.¡± ¡°Different? What exactly?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± It felt like a proper conversation, yet not actually a proper one. What a weird exchange of words. Maybe she realized that I was thinking too much before to her talking? But, after that, her gaze soon diverted away from me. She, once again, stared towards the mercenaries doingbour. I had no way to put my question/doubt into words properly. ¡°Are you curious?¡±(renji) ¡°Of what?¡± ¡°Why I felt different than usual to you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Once more, her gaze turned towards me. Her emotionless ck eyes, looked really deep and cold. It looked like a bottomless pit. I was being looked at by such eyes, but I looked straight at her and didn¡¯t look away. ¡°Then, ask. If you are curious about something, ask me, ask me anything you want.¡±(renji) ¡°Okay.¡± But that voice was as well,pletely t, empty. She resembles her, I could say, she resembles the weapon Ermenhilde, when I first met her. Not Eru, back when I still called her Ermenhilde. Her, that was nothing more than a weapon, and Solnea, who¡¯s not even that much. Thinking that, I shook my head. Eru was Eru. Solnea is Solnea. I may not be able to help associating the two but it¡¯s rude topare them with each other. To both of them. (Part 2 ) ¡°So, did you find something interesting?¡± ¡°No, I was just wondering about what they were doing.¡±(sol) As expected, neither her gaze nor her voice held any kind of emotion in it. Just like the time we met, she¡¯s just saying what she thought of. ¡°What do you think of it?¡±(renji) Itched on to her words, and questioned her further. I don¡¯t know if this is the right way but I have no other way to start a conversation with Solnea except by using this tactic or by bringing up a topic that might get her curiosity. Normally, I can sense things from the tone and gestures of the person but with Solnea, that¡¯s also very difficult. There are very faint fluctuations in her at times but it¡¯s not enough to tell whether she¡¯s actually showing interest in something or not. She just doubts things slightly, that¡¯s all. ¡°Wearing extravagant clothes, they work hard for others to gain money. Just what kind of merit is there behind all that?(sol) ¡°Well that¡¯s quite the philosophical question, or should I say, a difficult to answer question.¡±(renji) ¡°Philosophy?¡± ¡°It refers to the study of the root and meaning behind everything.¡± When I said that, she continued to stare at me as she probably didn¡¯t understand. Well, I doubt the concept of philosophy in and itself exists in this world right now, so that¡¯s the proper reaction. In the first ce, I myself don¡¯t know much about it except the meaning of the word itself. No, maybe I don¡¯t even the meaning of the word itself properly either. Maybe that¡¯s also a part of philosophy as well. ¡°Humans, can live as long as they have something to eat, water to drink and a ce to live. They don¡¯t even need money or even clothes for that matter. Is that what you think?¡±(renji) ¡°No, I don¡¯t. Wearing clothes gives a sense of relief and to get clothes, you need money. And the more money you have, the more decorated clothes you can buy to dress yourself up. You can hire people to protect you. By doing that you attain a sense of security and peace. Thus, money and clothes are also vital to a person¡¯s life.¡±(sol) ¡°¡­¡­..You¡¯re pretty smart, aren¡¯t you?¡± Looks like Solnea has been looking at the beings called as humans more closely than I thought. Since her words were stiff and formal, it felt even more philosophical than it should have. But still, I haven¡¯t been spending time with her recently so who did she hear that from I wonder? The ones who could tell something like that were¡­¡­¡­.either Feirona or Ms Francesca, I guess. Mururu, doesn¡¯t seem the type to think of such stuff in the first ce¡­¡­¡­maybe it¡¯s a bit rude to say that though. In any case, seeing that she had be able to think this much even when I wasn¡¯t around made me feel a bit shameful. Maybe, I am not needed as much as I thought I was. ¡°No.¡±(sol) While I was beginning to feel slightly uneasy for the journey we were about to leave on, Solnea spoke up as we she was trying to refute me. I looked towards her trying to question why she said that but she was still looking in front¡­¡­.towards them mercenaries doingbour. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. A person should be able to live on by just thinking about themselves.¡±(sol) ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Why do they then, try to help others? I simply cannotprehend.¡± ¡°Hmmm.¡± A person can live if he just cares about himself. It¡¯s a definite fact but¡­¡­I wonder. I think there will be no perfect answer to this till the end of time. Building a house, cultivating crops, rearing cattle, gathering water to drink. Certainly, all of this can be done by a persona alone. ¡°But, it¡¯s not possible.¡±(renji) ¡°Why?¡±(sol) ¡°Because somehow, people are just made in a way that cannot bear to live on alone.¡± For example, a conversation. It can¡¯t be done alone. I doubt any person can bear to never ever talk to anyone else, it¡¯s far too lonely¡ª¡ªI know that very well. And so only other humans can remedy that. That¡¯s why, I think no one can live alone forever. But Solnea must realize and understand, feel that by herself. ¡°Well, all of that, you will understand slowly, one-by-one as we go on here onwards.¡±(renji) ¡°And is that fine?¡± ¡°Yes it is. That¡¯s what we all call as ¡®life¡¯ after all. I think.¡± I¡¯m not certain either. Even though I¡¯ve reached the middle portion of my own life, I still don¡¯t have the qualification to talk about the meaning of life I think. That¡¯s the job of priests and monks, and of Gods, I believe. ¡°Say, Solnea.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Did something really fun happen to you yet?¡± When I asked that, I felt like I sensed slight ripples in her emotionless eyes. ¡°No.¡±(sol) But her answer was the same. In the same voice, without any change. ¡°Even when youugh, and Francesca and othersugh, I don¡¯t.¡±(sol) It seemed like she truly mourned and regretted that fact. It really felt that way. ¡°Is that so?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Do you want tough?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I guess, this much is fine for now. Just a little, very slightly¡ª¡ª-feeling the baby steps, a very small one step, in her voice, I stood up from the bench. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll talk to youter.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes.¡± Should I have told her, that maybe one day you will be able tough. Thinking of that, I left the ce. That conversation really made me feel only more uneasy about the uing journey. The Demon God that hated humans. Now then, I caused lots of troubles for both Utano-san and Ermenhilde yesterday but what should I do? ¡°But still, it¡¯s quite rare to see you stay silent all of the time.¡±(renji) [Hmph. I just sensed the mood wasn¡¯t right for it.] To think that one day I¡¯ll hear something like that from your mouth. I, am deeply moved, so much that I might cry. Giving a wry smile thinking about how she would be puffing her chest if she ahd an actual body, I saw another figure stand nearby Feirona and Mururu. As I walked towards them, the figure turned towards me. ¡°¡­¡­¡­.Oi.¡±(renji) ¡°Ah, good morning.¡± I red at Aya who gave a greeting as if it was all normal, but she simply ignored it like it was nothing. Seriously, this is why I hate people who have gone through life-or-death battles. Threats bepletely useless. ¡°Why are you here?¡±(renji) ¡°Well, when I woke up I saw Renji-san leave for some ce so¡­¡± ¡°You followed me?¡± ¡°How rude. I was worried that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Hou?¡± Wearing her original equipment like me, Aya yed with her hair as she spoke that with a smile. Beside her were two bags, probably necessities for travelling. Sensing the atmosphere, both Feirona and Mururu were quiet and were looking around. ¡°I think I clearly told you ¡®no¡¯ about this?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes, you did. But Renji-san, you see, I have been invited to Ms Francesca senpai¡¯s house as well.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.What?¡± This is the first I¡¯m hearing anything about this. When I looked towards Mururu, she simply gave a nod. ¡°Last night, we decided that at the inn.¡± ¡°After I had decided about journey eh?¡±(renji) ¡°Well, I wonder. I wouldn¡¯t know anything about that.¡±(aya) How shameless. The next day after I was told about Solnea by Astraera, I talked about this journey and its objective with King Joshua, O¡¯brien-san and my formerrades. There, both Yui-chan and Anastasia made a strong request toe as well but I rejected them. Solely for of my own satisfaction of not wanting to let children take part in another such dangerous journey. And of course, Aya wasn¡¯t an exception to this so I refused her as well. In the first ce, as an adult I made an excuse asking what she¡¯d do about her school. Since I knew that she wouldn¡¯t ept it, I lied telling that I¡¯d be leaving tomorrow and only told the truth to King Joshua and Utano-san. But it looks like Aya saw through it and was one step ahead than me¡­¡­¡­.even though I actually tried to use my brain for once toe up with this. I recalled how Utano-san seemed to be acting strange this morning, it must be because she must have realized Aya¡¯s actions as well. Well, she is much better at this than me. But then, that means that even Utano-san has allowed her to go through with this? Even though she was also on my side in not letting children take part in such dangerous things. Or maybe¡ª¡ªam I the only one who still thinks of Aya as a child? ¡°Ah, Toudou-san packed a bentou(lunch) for us as well.¡±(aya) ¡°Yay!¡± Just those words alone made Mururu speak up with joy. Her tail was also moving around more energetically than before. Feirona was silent, he was basically leaving the decision to me. ¡°Say, Aya.¡±(renji) ¡°Eh, um¡­¡­yes, what is it?¡± When I asked again, she looked up towards me with a slightly more scared expression. ¡°Did you talk about this with Utano-san?¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­.N, no but I was thinking of sending a letter when we reach Merdiore.¡± That, is basically meaning that I¡¯ll be the one getting scolded by her. That woman, all said and done, is pretty lenient towards children after all. And in the end, I am the one who has to deal with the repercussions. That¡¯s be basically an epted fact now. Having said that, Aya¡¯s gaze didn¡¯t seem to calm down as she was thinking that I¡¯ll be scolding her. When I pressed on my temples with my hand, Aya¡¯s expression clouded further. Well, at least it looks like she understands that what she did was wrong. Although, it¡¯s not that bad to be honest. Getting in danger, making others worry¡­¡­¡­I don¡¯t really have the right to lecture others about it do I? That¡¯s why I had instead decided to tell Souichi and Aya the wrong date instead. An adult that doesn¡¯t mind children putting themselves in danger¡­¡­¡­might exist but that¡¯s not what me, Utano-san or anyone else wants. Thinking of how I could persuade her, I also wondered whether it was right to always treat her like a kid. Now, which is the right answer? ¡°Mururu. Let¡¯s have our lunch over there.¡±(elf) ¡°Sure. Renji,ter.¡±(mururu) Saying that, Feirona took Mururu away with him. Really, that guy sure knows how to read the atmosphere well. Eremenhilde, I hope you learn something from him. Mururu was waving towards Aya as well. Really, these girls get along really well. ¡°So,¡±(renji) ¡°Yes.¡±(aya) At my voice, Aya almost curled up her body stiffening up. What happened to all that confidence you had before? ¡°¡­¡­¡­..Are you reallying just because Ms francesca invited you?¡±(renji) ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡ª-¡± ¡°I won¡¯t get angry so tell the truth.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.No¡­¡­.¡± I see. I took a deep, long breath. Oh well. ¡°Fine.¡±(renji) ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°I said it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll write the letter to Utano-san¡± Or rather, since we haven¡¯t departed yet, she could just run back to the castle and¡­¡­.I guess that¡¯d be impossible. And considering it¡¯s that woman we¡¯re talking about, she probably already knows that this would happen. Can this be also called trust I wonder? Well, I¡¯ll just have to send a letter through a peddler from Merdiore. There were no proper mail delivery service in this world yet so it was normal to hand over letters to travelling merchants and peddlers. There¡¯s not much secrecy and if that peddler got attacked by a monster and died, you will have no idea where that letter even went though. There¡¯s that, or using magic familiars as carrier pigeons but¡­¡­¡­.oh right, Ms Francesca is a magician as well. Though I never asked her, I doubt she has one. I¡¯ll try asking Melentia-santer. Anyway, ¡°You decided this yourself right? Then I don¡¯t really have a right to say anything.¡±(renji) She¡¯s 18 already. This is third year aftering to this world. She understands the harshness of journey¡¯s very well. The danger of battles, the pain from injuries, she knows that all yet if she chose toe, I don¡¯t have a reason to stop her anymore. I¡¯m not Utano-san but maybe I¡¯m pretty lenient as well. Yeah, I am. She¡¯s just 18. Rather than going on a long journey again, she should be at the academy, making friends. Even though I know that¡­¡­..I end up also feeling reassured to see her travel with us as well. Yes, it¡¯s reassuring. Do not mistake it as ¡®happiness¡¯. That would be pretty troublesome in all sorts of ways as an adult after all. I wonder what she was thinking as Aya¡¯s expression was still a bit gloomy. I guess she¡¯s thinking that I¡¯m still angry with her. And I was quite angry when I saw her here¡­¡­.I think. I don¡¯t want her to be reckless, I don¡¯t want her to be in danger. I want them to go to school and study like every child does. I think that way as an adult, as her guardian but in the end, it¡¯s just being self righteous. Ignoring Aya¡¯s will, that would be my will instead. I know that¡ª¨Cis not right. I have been told that quite a lot of times back then as well, but still somewhere deep inside me that feeling still remains. She¡¯s just 18 yrs old, I can¡¯t just ignore that. ¡­¡­¡­no, no matter how hold Aya and the others get, how big they get, I¡¯ll remain the adult and they¡¯ll remain as children¡­¡­¡­I¡¯ll end up thinking that way I¡¯m sure. I turned to look towards this child. She has gotten taller in the past one year. And she has gotten prettier as well. I¡¯m sure in the future she¡¯ll be a beautiful woman. I wonder what kind of face she¡¯d make if I said that. But that would be contrary to my principles of [teasing]. In my opinion, teasing should always be to enjoy the other person¡¯s reactions. You should never mix real emotions in it. ¡°You¡¯ve grown.¡±(renji) [What, that came out of nowhere.] ¡°I was just thinking that she¡¯s grown up as well. See, she¡¯s slightly taller right?¡±(renji) Back then, she barely reached my chest but she¡¯s taller than that now. When I said that, Aya¡¯s expression became slightly relieved. ¡°But,¡±(renji) ¡°Yes!?¡±(aya) ¡°Do not be reckless, okay? I promised to protect you so when you get reckless, I have to put my life on the line to protect you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t intend to die. And neither do I n on letting you die ¡­¡­..It¡¯ll be a dangerous journey but let¡¯se back alive, with everyone.¡± With everyone. Once we lost lots of lives in that journey. But this time, I don¡¯t n on letting anyone die. Will that be so difficult? Am I being too na?ve to think that way? I think I am. But even then, I end up saying that anyway. Because if I don¡¯t, I can¡¯t move ahead. I must get rid of all ill thoughts. That¡¯s why, I make promises. No matter how difficult, painful,¡­..or sad, it may be. To protect a promise, I can move forward. That¡¯s how weak of a human I am. ¡°Thanks, Aya.¡± Taking another breath, I said that. Because I¡¯m weak, that¡¯s why¡­¡­¡­I¡¯m happy to get to travel with Aya like this. I won¡¯t say it out loud though. ¡°Eh?¡±(aya) [How rare. You¡¯re such a contrarian though.] ¡°¡­¡­¡­.that, Utano-san called me that yesterday didn¡¯t she?¡± Don¡¯t use words you don¡¯t even properly understand. Iughed. ¡°Even like this, I get lonely pretty easily. The morerades the better.¡±(renji) ¡°Oh so that¡¯s the reason¡­¡­¡­.¡±(aya) When I said that, Aya seemed visibly depressed. Even her shoulders seemed to have dropped a bit. Since I thanked her I guess she must have been expecting something more from what I¡¯d say next but do you really think I would say something like that so easily? When Iughed, Aya looked up towards me bitterly. That reaction is definitely amusing. ¡ª¡ªI guess, I have been feeling a bit too uneasy for this journey. Saving the world, reviving the Demon God, request from the Goddess¡­¡­¡­at the end of this journey, sacrifices will be made definitely. I can¡¯t change that. Solnea was worried about the fact that she couldn¡¯tugh. Right now it¡¯s nothing more than just a vague doubt but slowly, she has been starting to question a lot of things. I feel like that¡¯s something to be happy about. Right now Solnea doesn¡¯t have anything like emotions but after seeing a lot of this world, and learning more¡­¡­¡­I can expect more from her. But, In the end, she has to live as a Demon God. As not Solnea but as the Demon God, a life not of a human is waiting for her. I wonder what would she say when I tell her that?¡­¡­.Well, I did take Astraera around to stalls though. Thinking that, I realized how absurd my own thoughts were. As expected, alone, my thoughts will go in the wrong direction. That¡¯s why, having Aya in front of me is reassuring¡­¡­..she looked really lovely as she tilted her head as I looked at her though. Looking towards Solnea, she was simply looking here with a dazed expression. If sheughed, she¡¯d really be such a beauty. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Renji-san?¡±(aya) ¡°Nah, about Solnea¡­¡­.¡± ¡°What about Solnea-san?¡± ¡°She¡¯d look really beautiful if she smiled right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± [¡­¡­..What?] Instantly, my side was hit by an elbow¡­¡­¡­.I thought I¡¯d break a bone, seriously. Even though that was just a joke to get rid of the heavy atmosphere. Since she hit me pretty well, I actually felt a bit out of breath. As I slouched forward slightly, Aya walked away leaving me. And after walking a bit, she turned back to look over her shoulder towards me. ¡°Renji-san, no breakfast for you today.¡±(aya) Saying that, with a smile, Aya walked away towards Feirona and the others. Why did she look so scary even when she was smiling? ¡°So harsh. It was just a joke.¡± [You get what you deserve.] I guess. Well, it¡¯s better than starting the journey with a heavy atmosphere. I truly think so. Chapter 61 Start of the Journey (3) Chapter 61 Start of the Journey (3) By the time they were done loading the luggage in the carriages, the sun had begun to peek through the mountains in the horizon. 5 carriages stood lined up near the North gate, and their drivers took their seats. At the same time, Ms Francesca, Melentia-san and Solnea boarded in the frontmost carriage. After them, the 10 adventurers also got on their horses and took position around the carriages. The gate was still big enough to easily let everyone pass, and the guard on top of the walls shouted to open the gates. As the soldiers to the side of the gate turned the crank handles, with a heavy sound, the massive wooden gate began to open. Our vision opened up. And the dim, silent world came into view. ck mountains, blue clouds, and the chilly air. It¡¯s the moment right before sunlight takes over the world. As the sun began to slowly peek more and more from the other side of the mountains, colour seemed to return to the ckened world. While witnessing that moment, we got on our horses as well. At the same time, the drivers of the carriage made a ¡®Hyah!¡± sound, and began to move the carriages forward. ¡°You look like you¡¯re having fun.¡±(aya) Aya, as she rode up beside me on her horse, said that with a smile. That said, Aya herself seemed to be enjoying this as well or was it just my imagination? ¡°Yeah. As I thought, I simply enjoy travelling a lot.¡±(renji) [fufu¡­¡­.well, this is something you just can¡¯t get tired of seeing after all.] ¡°Yeah. Even though I see this scene almost everyday, I just can¡¯t seem to get bored of it.¡± While replying to Eremnhilde, I brought up my horse beside the front carriage. The knights of the Barton house rode alongside the carriage 2nd from the front. And the rest of the adventurers beside the remaining carriages. To the right of the front carriage were me and Aya and to the left were Feirona and Mururu. Even if it is a paved road, its still not asphalt like modern worlds. While riding above the uneven road, the carriage moved while making noise. While finding that sound pleasing to the ears, I looked towards the sky. Few early birds were flying through the air while making *chiichii* sounds that mixed with the sound of the carriage wheels. ¡°Aya, do you hate travelling?¡±(renji) ¡°No, I like it as well. If I didn¡¯t¡­¡­.well, I won¡¯t be able to chase after you, right?¡±(aya) ¡°I see.¡± She hesitated a bit probably because her words held a lot of emotion behind them. While feeling some of them, I turned to look towards her to only to see her smile bashfully under the ever-increasing sunlight. A strong wind blew past us. Aya¡¯s hair and robe fluttered and so did my mantle as well. Once again, I turned my gaze back towards the sky. The clouds seem to be moving fast. But the air doesn¡¯t feel like its getting damp. It doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯ll rain. It¡¯s the perfect weather to depart. I felt not just my mind, but body feel lighter as well. ¡°Once again, I¡¯ll be in your care.¡±(renji) ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°We¡¯re travelling together again. So, I¡¯ll be in your care.¡± When I said that again, Aya made a surprised face. But when her face oddly shifted towards a smile, maybe she thought she had been teased, she averted her gaze in embarrassment. You know, I properly mean things that I say sometimes. I don¡¯t mean to be vague in that sense. ¡°Yes!¡±(aya) And after a moment¡¯s time, she turned back and answered with a wide smile. Her smile was so befitting a girl of her age and she truly looked happy. This expression suits her the most I believe. Having a childish smile, yet having that habit of trying to be as womanly as possible. Since Aya possessed both of those sides to her, I wonder which I Aya do I prefer more? [You¡¯re not gonna say that to me?] ¡°Huh?¡± [That, ¡®I¡¯ll be in your care¡¯, or something like that?] While I was worrying over a question I had thought over countless times, Ermenhilde asked me something weird as well. What kind of demand is that? Aya thought the same as she was also hiding her mouth with her right hand as her shoulders shook withughter. Well, I guess Ermenhilde¡¯s excited from the new journey as well. Seriously¡ª¡ªhow human-like she is. ¡°You¡¯re always with me aren¡¯t you?¡±(renji) [muu] ¡°Fine, it¡¯s a bitte but¡ª¡ªfor this journey as well, I¡¯ll be in your care.¡±(renji) Are you happy now? When I implicitly asked that, Ermenhilde went silent. ¡°¡­¡­.You two really get along, don¡¯t you?¡±(aya) ¡°I wonder.¡± [fufufu] As I rode my horse while looking at the slightly pouting Aya, with a slight knock, the window of the carriage was opened. The one who peeked out was Melentia-san. The wind made her honey coloured hair sway. Looking inside the carriage, I saw Ms Francesca talking with Solnea. Before we departed, I had asked Ms Francesca to take care of Solnea, and by the looks of it, everything¡¯s fine. And Solnea¡¯s expression was the same as usual. For just a second, maybe she realized my gaze, she seemed like she gave a sidelong nce towards me. Matching her, Ms Francesca looked towards me as well but before either could say anything, Melentia-san spoke up. ¡°Renji-sama, Aya-sama, Are you two not feeling cold?¡±(mel) ¡°Thank you for your concern but we¡¯re fine. We are used to travelling after all.¡± ¡°I see. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask.¡± ¡°That consideration alone is enough for us.¡± After I said that, the window was closed once again. Since I felt a gaze, I looked towards Aya only to see her looking at me with narrow eyes. Of course, she wasn¡¯t smiling either. ¡°You seem to be on quite good terms with her.¡±(aya) Why do her words feel so much more sharper than before I wonder? While thinking of such foolish things, I cracked my neck a bit. Though I can¡¯t really call it stiff, it still somehow makes my shoulders feel stiff whenever I have to talk like that, using words I don¡¯t normally use. Maybe I should ask Aya to massage my shoulders tonight. I thought of that, but wait, will that be considered as sexual harassment? ¡°I was just talking politely, that¡¯s all.¡±(renji) ¡°It didn¡¯t seem that way to me though?¡± Hearing her low voice, I ended upughing instead. Even while knowing that it¡¯ll only make Aya angry, I couldn¡¯t stop myself. And as expected, Aya¡¯s expression became even more sullen. This way of talking is normal if you have to take part in formal balls and parties. You could say that I have heard that almost infinite times from other nobledies who came to me attracted by the title of the Hero. My talking with Melentia-san is the same. That still doesn¡¯t mean that I am well acquainted with the mannerisms of the high society but I have had to talk to a lot of people. I am confident that I can read a person¡¯s thoughts, at least the surface thoughts that is. Melentia-san is a merchant. Nothing more and nothing less. That¡¯s the only reason she¡¯s sticking with us. Because both me and Aya, as heroes, are worth it. That¡¯s what it¡¯s like, to be merchant from the very core. Preparing horses for us, and going to Merdiore together is also because she must be gaining something from it. This world isn¡¯t gentle enough that id¡¯ think that this is all because she¡¯s Ms Francesca¡¯s family. World, or rather, the society at least. Even if their society is a hundred steps behind ours, human beings still don¡¯t change that easily. I wonder who was it that said that? By having us as their escort¡­¡­¡­.well maybe not, but even by just riding the horses alongside us might have some kind of appeal for her. Now was I too distrustful of others? But in anyway, I won¡¯t just ept this at face value. There¡¯s a lot behind it. But still¡ª¡ªI haven¡¯t even done anything that would make me be called a Hero though. Well, since she didn¡¯t travel with us, I guess she won¡¯t know that. ¡°Looks like you still have a lot to learn as well, Aya.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­.Muuu.¡± If she doesn¡¯t learn such subtleties, there is still time before Aya can debut in the high society. I doubt that overprotective Utano-san would ever let Aya appear there like she is now. Like she is right now, she¡¯d might even get fooled by some bad guy. Well, I can be considered as a ¡®bad guy¡¯ as well though. After all, even I know how indecisive I have been. Just because I don¡¯t want to destroy our current rtionship. And even though I realize that¡­¡­I still continue talking like this with Aya. ¡°You¡¯ll understand someday.¡±(renji) ¡°That part of you, hasn¡¯t changed at all.¡±(aya) ¡°hm?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.treating us like children.¡± Aah, I see. But as she sulked like that, she did look childish. Souichi said that Aya was trying to be like an adult. So that she could stand by me. Recalling that, I end up thinking, that I never asked her to be like that. Sulking childishly like this, getting angry, puffing her cheeks, talking without any restraint,ughing, doing something stupid and then getting scolded; that¡¯s the kind of rtionship I want. That¡¯s when I can act normally¡­¡­and rx. But if I say that, Aya would again get angry saying that I¡¯m still treating her as a child though. I know that, so I didn¡¯t say anything and took off my left glove. As I felt the cold wind, my fingertips felt like they were going numb. Man, winter really is harsh. ¡°I¡¯m not really treating you as a child though. That¡¯s not my intention at least.¡± Saying that, I rested my hand on her head. Rather than caressing it, I just rested it there, like lightly hitting her head. I haven¡¯t grown out my hair but I think that it¡¯s quite trouble to properly set your long hair. That¡¯s why, I didn¡¯t stroke her head and ruin her hair. ¡°Muuu.¡± But even then, she still seemed dissatisfied. She doesn¡¯t seem very angry but still Aya¡¯s horse went slightly away from me. Wait, was this sexual harassment as well? I thought, but had no answer. Though she didn¡¯t say anything till an year ago, but I think she¡¯s at an age where I should really stop doing such things. Should I be happy to see children grow, or should I feel sad to see them change? Well, it¡¯s probably the former. Turning away from Aya, I looked ahead. Our destination was still very far away. It¡¯ll take about 5 days to reach Merdiore from the capital. It¡¯s closer than Magic City but still pretty far. At night, we n on getting a room in a inn in a vige so we might take even more days to get there. [What a boring journey.] While I was putting on the leather glove, Ermenhilde suddenly muttered that. Both me and Aya burst into a shortugh at that. [Hm?] ¡°A boring journey is perfect for me though.¡±(renji) ¡°Same.¡±(aya) [Really? I really want Renji to act more like a Hero sometimes though.] ¡°¡­¡­¡­.You¡¯re still saying that?¡± It really doesn¡¯t suit me. As I gave a shrug, Aya giggled while hiding her mouth. ¡°fufu, I think it might suit you as well though?¡±(aya) ¡°Oh please. If I started acting like a Hero, no amount of lives would be enough for me.¡± [Isn¡¯t that why I, the god ying weapon, am with you though? What happened to the vigour you had when saving Ms Francesca or Mururu?] ¡°Rather than saying I saved them, saying that we were fighting together is more correct.¡± Both the ck orc and the Skeleton were strong enemies for me and I don¡¯t know what would have happened if I was fighting them alone. When I think that way, it¡¯s more correct to say that we fought together. But Aya who didn¡¯t know that, looked towards me with slightly shining, curious eyes. She was with me only till just before I fought the Skeleton and she still doesn¡¯t know that she had unknowingly killed that skeleton while using that powerful fire magic to get out of underground. And after that, I lost consciousness. While I was thinking that, the carriage window was knocked once more. Looking that, the window opened to show Melentia-san once again. ¡°Do you mind, if I listen to that tale as well?¡±(mel) ¡°Well, it¡¯s not really exciting and nothing more than a story of a normal monster subjugation though. Is that okay?¡±(renji) ¡°fufu, of course.¡± Hmm, so she had closed the window but was still hearing us?¡­¡­ Or is the window itself so thin that voices can pass through normally. I was a bit confused inside but I realized that Ermenhilde was talking as well. Maybe Ms Francesca, who can hear her [voice] told that to Melentia-san? Thinking that I looked towards them but they were on the other window offering sweets to Mururu. What the hell are those guys doing? They get along so well, I¡¯m almost envious of them. Maybe it¡¯s because Ms Francesca is always feeding Mururu different things¡­¡­¡­well, whatever. [Then, since Aya¡¯s here as well, why not start from one year ago?] When Ermenhidle said that, Aya¡¯s expression visibly lit up. It¡¯s really nothing that interesting though. One year ago. After killing Nayfell, we 13 came back to the capital to rest. Aya only knows till there. After returning to the capital, resting in my room¡­¡­.the next day, before the sun rose, like today, I disappeared from capital Imnesia. After that, what happened at the capital, I don¡¯t know. From what I¡¯ve heard, Utano-san made various arrangements and prepared a good rumour to be released in the public exining my disappearance. Now then, after that¡­..what did I do? ¡°That said, I don¡¯t remember doing anything more than desperately killing monsters like right now though.¡± [Well, that¡¯s true.] At the very start, I was pretty serious as well. Desperately, as if trying to torment my own body, I went around killing lots of monsters. Now that I think back at it, I was doing nothing more than taking our my anger. Eru died, and even when she was revived after pleading to Astraera, it was apletely different person. Not knowing what to do, I did nothing but kill more and more monsters with Ermenhilde in my hands. Yeah, that was just me venting my anger. And after some time, I ran out of fuel. After a half year had passed, I recall that I had not a single speck of eagerness or willingness left in me. And other than that, I just travelled around to fulfil my promise to Eru. Around when I had run out of even travelling expenses, I met Ms Francesca. Seriously, what an unexciting tale. Even a minstrel with an incredible voice and pitch could not make this into an exciting tale. ¡°Where should I even start from?¡± [First of all, in the one year that Aya wasn¡¯t there, Renji saved three women.] Oi, idiot, stop. Don¡¯t fabricate my past. Fearfully I turned to look towards Aya but she was still smiling waiting for me to tell her about it¡­¡­¡­.why does it feel so oppressive even though she¡¯s smiling? If others weren¡¯t here, I might have fallen in a pitfall and then buried with just my head above the soil I think. Melentia-san who couldn¡¯t hear Ermenhilde didn¡¯t show any change but inside the carriage, Ms Francesca was suppressing herughter. Seeing as how hard she was trying to suppress it, my woman troubles may end up as a topic ofughter here. Solnea, without a care about anything else, was simply eating the snacks inside the carriage. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡­..Hm?¡±(renji) [What happened?] When I suddenly pulled the reins of my horse, the horse panicked slightly from it. While we were casually walking our horses, I saw a small shadow inside the grass. There¡¯s no way any human children could be here so it was most definitely a goblin. I narrowed my eyes but I couldn¡¯t confirm his existence. Well, most probably, they¡¯re¡ª¨Cless than even 10. If it¡¯s just that much, I doubt they¡¯d attack so many adventurers. Calming my horse down, I lowered my speed. ¡°What is the matter, Renji-sama?¡±(mel) ¡°Nothing, there are some monsters in the grass that¡¯s all.¡± When I said that in a light tone, Melentia-san¡¯s atmosphere became stiff. On the other side, it looks like Feirona and others had noticed as well as Mururu had stopped eating and was ring in front. Looking behind me, it didn¡¯t look like the adventurers were in turmoil or anything yet. ¡°Goblins?¡±(aya) ¡°hm? Yeah. So you sensed them as well?¡± Well, if they stand out that much, it¡¯s only normal. Seeing her cold gaze, I once again realized the difference in our specs. ¡°Well with this many adventurers, they probably won¡¯t attack.¡±(renji) ¡°that¡¯s true.¡± Monsters aren¡¯t fools. They would never be stupid enough to attack more than their own numbers. Though there are such idiots as well sometimes, but they¡¯ll only lose. But just because we had more numbers, I don¡¯t intend to be negligent. And it was the same for other adventurers as well. After leaving the capital¡­..a ce protected by walls, outside was thend of monsters. It¡¯s a harsh world where death is always beside you. Even with such pretty scenery, sweet air, andfortable wind. This world, has yet is simplycking that dreamy feel. ¡°Will it be fine?¡±(mel) ¡°There should be no problem. If something happens, it¡¯ll be taken care of.¡±(renji) ¡°fufu. That¡¯s very reassuring.¡±(mel) Well, I didn¡¯t say who will be the one taking care of it though. Having realized my words, Aya gave a sigh beside me. Of course, without letting Melentia-san see it, with me in front as a wall. But in truth, if goblins did attack, before they could even reach us, they¡¯ll get finished by Feirona¡¯s arrows and Aya¡¯s magic. Goblins¡ªno in fact, even if it were lizardmen, that should be enough. Well, since lizardmen live near water, they don¡¯t really appear near the highway though. ¡°So, we were talking about an year ago right?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes, about how Renji-san seduced three women, or something.¡±(aya) [umu.] Don¡¯t ¡®umu¡¯ goddamnit. I didn¡¯t seduce them! . . . (Part 2) Aah, I¡¯m so tired. As I breathed out as I sat down on my bed, Feirona, who was sitting on the other bed, looked towards me. In the morning we travel as much as we can and at nights we have decided to rest at the various viges between the capital and the Commercial city. As expected, nobles don¡¯t like to camp outside. Well, since they won¡¯t get to bath in that case, so it¡¯s only normal. ¡°You seem awfully tired today.¡±(elf) ¡°I enjoy travelling but not talking this much.¡±(renji) The whole day, I had to talk about my past. Though not as much physically, but I¡¯m really tired mentally. Because I knew this would happen, I had refused to ride the carriage with her but in the end, it didn¡¯t matter much. Well¡­¡­.I didn¡¯t expect even Aya to be so interested in my story as well though. I guess, she really was worried for me after I had disappeared alone. Thinking that, I felt a bit uneasy inside. I should stop, this isn¡¯t like me. Thinking that, I cracked my neck. ¡°Considering that, I think you talk quite a lot even normally though?¡±(elf) ¡°That¡¯s just when with I¡¯m with people I know well. I may not look it, but I¡¯m pretty anxious around strangers you know?¡±(renji) ¡°fuh, Well, I wonder how serious you are about that.¡± While enjoying talking with Feirona, I moved around my body as it felt lighter after removing my equipment. Maybe because I didn¡¯t exercise much recently while at the capital, I felt like my body had grown a bit dull. It looks like it was the same for the blonde elf as well as he was also moving around his body as he took of his equipment, trying to release the stiffness from travelling so long. By the way, I had handed over Ermenhilde to Aya aftering to this vige. I don¡¯t intend to use her in front of people and I do have a proper normal sword¡­¡­¡­..well, Ermenhilde really hates that though. But, I want to her to go and chat with other girls as well sometimes. Even though I¡¯m being considerate for her, she still dislikes it. Right now, they should be taking a bath together or something¡­¡­.Wait, is it okay to put a medal inside hot water? ¡°So?¡± ¡°hm?¡± ¡°You said that we¡¯ll travel to the Elfreim continent but what¡¯s our final objective?¡±(elf) Oh right, I had still not told them our final destination. ¡°That means, you¡¯re epting on the point that you¡¯ll travel with me to the other continent?¡±(renji) ¡°Yeah. Our chief did say that I should go and be of help to you as much as I can, after all.¡±(elf) By chief, he meant the chief of the elves living in the forest of magical energy, I guess. Hm, did I ever do anything to gain his favour?¡­¡­..I thought but couldn¡¯t think of anything. Maybe I may have helped him indirectly sometime, somewhere? ¡°And, I¡¯m personally interested in this journey of yours as well.¡±(elf) ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Even when I was with you back at the Magic City, being with you turns out to be quite interesting and stimting after all.¡± ¡°fuh¡­¡­..that¡¯s not a very different from a conservative Elf¡¯s way of thinking, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I know.¡± Elves normally don¡¯t leave the forests that is their territory, so Feirona who often worked in the Magic City was already a bit special. And now, he¡¯s even willing to cross over to another continent. It¡¯s quite dynamic for an elf who normally hate any kind of change. ¡°Yeah, so we were talking about our objective right?¡±(renji) ¡°Well, don¡¯t you want to negotiate the reward before that?¡±(elf) ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to win against you in that anyway.¡± ¡°That¡¯sing from you with the smooth tongue?¡± Smiling at his joke, I looked outside the window. The sun had set and it was already dark. And the only thing lighting up this world of darkness were the faintly shining magicmps. The vigers walking about in that dim light seemed to be really excited. It¡¯s probably because a big noble group hade to their inn. This vige even had a big item shop, bar and a brothel as well. I can¡¯t see it right now but I saw many adventurers go in and out of those ces. They must be happy to have people in the vige who would spend so much money at the same time. Melentia-san and Ms Francesca had their household knights with them, and in the worst case, Aya was also there. They wouldn¡¯t be in any danger, even if something sudden happened. ¡°For the time being, my request is for you guys to only apany me till Merdiore. There¡¯s a chance someone could hear us here after all.¡±(renji) ¡°I see.¡± The fact that he didn¡¯t ask anything more shows that he understood that the topic is not normal enough for others to hear. Really, this Elf is so dependable. His thinking and deduction abilities are great. ¡°So, what are you going to do now?¡± ¡°Let¡¯ see. Maybe take a bath and then cool down at the bar?¡±(renji) Basically, the same as usual. Feirona who knew how much I loved drinking didn¡¯t say anything on it. If it was Ermenhilde, this where her sighing and scolding would start. Slightly missing that as well, I really can¡¯t be helped. I ended up bitterly smiling at myself. ¡°Then, tonight I¡¯ll apany you as well.¡±(elf) ¡°Oh, sure. It¡¯s more fun to drink together with someone rather than alone. It¡¯s too lonely otherwise.¡± ¡°I¡¯ming to keep an eye on you. If left alone, you¡¯ll probably be lying somewhere drunk.¡± Huh? Wait, why am I being thought of as a bad drunk now?? I haven¡¯t drunk till I dropped in¡­¡­..quite a long time now though. ¡°¡­¡­..While in the middle of a job, even I won¡¯t drink that much, you know?¡±(renji) ¡°I wonder about that. Weren¡¯t you drinkingst night as well?¡± Saying that, Feirona left the room with a wry smile. He was holding a change of clothes under his arm. Bringing out a set of new clothes from my bag as well, I followed after him. Other than the shared room me and Feirona were using, the second floor also had private rooms which were slightly more costly. They were the few rooms at the end of the corridor. At the door, a knight was standing. Then that must be Melentia-san¡¯s room. Originally Ms Francesca was also supposed to have her own room, but then Mururu would be left out so they shared a room as well. And Aya and Solnea were sharing another room. At their doors as well, knights were standing. Am I the only one who finds that to be weird instead. At least, Aya was making a troubled face as well. It would be fine if it was well built room like in the castle but wouldn¡¯t sound pass through since the walls and doors are wooden? ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±(elf) ¡°nah, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Did he find me looking at the knights to be weird as Feirona stopped and spoke up to me, but I shook my head. Well, I doubt they would converse about anything that should not be heard. And if she was really troubled by it, she¡¯de ask either me or Ms Francesca. And , all said and done, Aya is used to such a lifestyle as well. She wouldn¡¯t care since it¡¯s only for a few days. ¡°Also I overslept this morning becausest night, I drank and made someone drink something weird along with the alcohol that¡¯s all.¡±(renji) ¡°What do you mean?¡±(elf) ¡°Well, lots of things happened. Really, a lot¡­¡­..¡± When I said that, he realized that it wasn¡¯t something that he should ask deeper about so he left it there. Just like that, we headed towards the bathhouse on the first floor. Since there were many customers other than us as well, it was pretty crowded. Since not every house in a vige would have a bath, there are even vigers who use this inn¡¯s bathhouse¡­¡­.It reminded me of the public-baths of our world. No, since there was no roof, I guess I should call it an open air bath. Since the female section was on the other side of a big wooden wall, it made it even more simr. Without minding it much, as I took of my clothes, a slightmotion arose inside. The reason was my own body. My whole body was covered with numerous scars. Since I could feel the gazes, I could tell. ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time, but really, that is incredible.¡±(elf) ¡°Not really.¡± Any adventurer who has gone through a lot of hard battles would have such a body filled with scars in my opinion. Thinking that, I looked down at my own body. Most of the scars here were left by the Demon god Nayfell. The rest are from times when I wasn¡¯t with Yayoi-chan, but most of them are from Nayfell. Since I didn¡¯t have my own magical energy, even with Yayoi-chan¡¯s abilities, my wounds were hard to heal so the wounds given by Nayfell remained prominently. The power granted by the Goddess and the Demon God¡¯s power itself. Comparing a granted power to a God¡¯s own power, it¡¯s clear which would be stronger. And since I was even more difficult to heal, the scars remained. Well, to a man, scars were a medal of honour. I thought of it optimistically like that. Though sometimes, in fact many a times, it ruins the mood though. ¡°Now, if I had a few on the face as well, I¡¯d look really cool.¡±(renji) ¡°Fuh, you don¡¯t change no matter where you are, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve just gotten used to it that¡¯s all. It¡¯s important to get used to others seeing you with curiosity after all.¡± That said, Feirona¡¯s body waspletely clear. On his pure white skin, typical to elves, there was not a single scar. Elves have high self-healing abilities and taking the help of the spirits, they could even further enhance that ability so this was obvious. Here, rather than feeling envious, I felt like I¡¯d won at something more; I must really have gone crazy. After taking off my clothes, and washing down my body, I dipped myself into the big bath that could let almost 10 people in at the same time. It must be a magician taking care of bath as even with so many people inside, the water was still crystal clear. It¡¯s temperature was perfect as well. ¡°Fuu¡­¡­..¡± Why do humans leak out a voice whenever they enter a bath I wonder. Submerging myself till the shoulders, I thought of that. Aah, I can feel my tiredness get washed away. As expected, taking a bath after a long journey is a blissful experience. And drinking after washing away your fatigue is even better. I¡¯m so excited that I can¡¯t wait. Ermenhilde isn¡¯t here with me either so I can enjoy without restraint. While I was rxing myself like that, Feirona also entered the bath a little space away from me. So as to not let his long hair get wet, he had tied them above his head with his towel. Looking at just his face, mixed with the beauty of elves, he really looked like a woman. ¡°At first I didn¡¯t really understand why you liked resting your body in hot water so much but, certainly, this is reallyfortable.¡±(elf) ¡°I know right? Whoever thought of baths the first time was a genius.¡± ¡°Yeah, true.¡± A few kids, probably from the vige were running about inside. And it looked like the adults who were probably meant to look over them weren¡¯t here either so it was pretty lively inside. Well, this is also one of the charms of a public bath indeed. When, my gaze went towards the wooden wall separating our bath with the women¡¯s. ¡°What? Curious about that side?¡±(elf) ¡°¡­¡­¡­in your head, just what kind of problematic guy am I?¡± And, what does he mean by ¡®curious¡¯? I am interested in women but I don¡¯t have a hobby of peeking at women whose names I don¡¯t even know. And such a joke wouldn¡¯t sit well with Melentia-san or Ms Francesca. And Aya wouldn¡¯t hesitate to throw me in a pitfall as usual or blow me away with less powerful spell. In either case, I¡¯ll end up with injuries. In Mururu and Solnea¡¯s case¡­¡­..I don¡¯t know. I feel like those would give no reaction even if they were seen. At least, Solnea wouldn¡¯t. ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯ll get out first.¡±(elf) While I was thinking about their reactions, Feirona stood up beside me and left the water. He¡¯s still not used to these so can¡¯t stay inside very long. Then, thinking maybe I should as well, I stood up. After all, it¡¯s pretty lonely to be here all alone. Even though back then it was normal for me. In the past, Souichi and others were really embarrassed to enter the bath together. Well they were in that kind of age so it¡¯s normal but I wonder since when was it that they got used toing with me? While thinking of that, I finished changing clothes. Putting my dragon bone knife on my belt for emergency purposes, my clothes other than that were a normal set of light tunic and trousers. It was the same for Feirona. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go drinking shall we?¡±(renji) ¡°Yeah. Seriously, only at such times do you sound so lively.¡±(elf) ¡°It¡¯s one of the greatest pleasures of travelling, drinking and eating a vige¡¯s tasty dishes, that is.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s very like you, seriously.¡± While hearing Feirona¡¯s amazed voice, we walked out into the night vige whileughing. Sometimes, being alone with a guy isn¡¯t that bad either. Since Ms Francesca and Mururu were always with us till now, looks like tonight should be fun. Chapter 62 Merdiore (1) Chapter 62 Merdiore (1) After crossing over the gently sloping hill, far away, but clearly, we saw a huge group of buildings¡ª-it was a city surrounded by tall walls, and behind it was the sea. It was slightly smaller than the capital but its poption was more. It was the Commercial City, Merdiore. At the same time, the blue sky, and the vast blue sea that spread till the horizon, the barren mountain nearby, and the grass ins spread around the city, all came into our view. The most attractive of them all was definitely the blue sea. I think, if we head forward a bit more, the beach should alsoe into view. While I was looking at the scenery while matching it with my memory as well, Mururu, who was riding with me on the right side of the carriage today, slightly pulled on my mantle. ¡°Hm?¡±(renji) ¡°It¡¯s the sea!¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. I think soon we¡¯ll start seeing the sea birds as well.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..yeah!¡± Had she not seen such a scene very much, as Mururu was simply staring at the sea without being cautious of her surroundings like she usually is. She really must like it. I thought that beastmen didn¡¯t really like the seas and the oceans though. Or maybe she¡¯s really been moved by the scenery? I hope it¡¯s thetter. While thinking that, I nced inside the carriage. Solnea¡¯s expression, while looking at this scenery, was the same as always, emotionless. But at least, she¡¯s still looking that way. Ms Francesca beside her was talking about something. Probably exining her what a sea is. It shoulde as obvious but this world also has seas and oceans. Being called as the mother/origin of life, this world¡¯s water bodies hold far more creatures living inside than ours I believe. The most striking among those are of course, the monsters. Instead of pirates that can be usually found in the seas in normal fantasy stories, almost all of the seas are ruled by the monsters. From small monsters like Sahagins, Kelpies, and low level spirit Nereus, there also giant monsters that could destroy a ship alone like Hydras, Krakens, and Aspidochelones. Instead of normal sea birds, there are Harpies, Sirens, and Echidnas, monsters tha5t show up quite a lot in fantasy stories. Well, Harpies normally live on top of mountains so they don¡¯t usuallye down towards the seas/ocean. It is far more dangerous than being onnd and not just the monsters, even the weather is an enemy. If you get caught up in a storm, there is no way to run and since ships in this world are still made mostly of wood, they can break very easily. To the people of Merdiore, such knowledge wasmon sense and they are quite used to it in fact. But to the people who have always lived away from the sea, it is a terribly fearsome ce. Of course, it¡¯s not easy to swim in it either. If attacked underwater, no matter how strong of an adventurer you are, it won¡¯t matter. It¡¯s already tough just staying afloat, there¡¯s no way you could swing a sword inside water due to the resistance. It is the same for magic as well. You can¡¯t swim and concentrate enough to use magic either. Were you expecting swimsuits? Such illusions don¡¯t apply to this fantasy world. Now you¡¯d wonder if the seas are that dangerous, how does a proper sea route to Elfreim continent exists. I¡¯m not too knowledgeable in the topic but from what I¡¯ve heard from Utano-san, ces exists where two different types of water connect with each other. In our world as well, there are areas where fresh river water joins with sea/ocean water. Now what difference it makes, I¡¯m not too sure of that but apparently the concentration of salt and oxygen changes in such areas. And in this small borderline, monsters don¡¯t attack¡­¡­or rather, attack lesser than normal. I really have no idea but the sailors are experienced with it. Rather than calling it a professional job, it sounds more like a sage¡¯s job to deal with such things. By the way, the sea birds I talked about with Mururu just now were the normal ones that also existed in our world. They also end up as prey for the Harpies and Sirens though. Forget the illusion about monster girls as well. After all, these are meat eating beasts. Literally. There are no dreams or hopes here. ¡°Now that I think about it, Mururu came to Imnesia on a ship right?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How was your trip?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I was inside all the time.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Oh right, she was a stowaway on a ship. Recalling that, I nced towards the carriage. Looks like since Melentia-san had closed the window, they didn¡¯t hear that. Phew, I sighed in relief. [This beast girl really is a carrier of lots of troubles, isn¡¯t she.] ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m still less than Renji.¡±(mururu) ¡°So you agree that you bring trouble? Also, I have not yet caused any such big of a trouble/problem.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± [¡­..Haah.] When I said that, Mururu looked at me truly amazed and Ermenhilde gave a heavy sigh. Those reactions are as if implying that I do create problems. ¡°No, I really haven¡¯t, you know?¡±(renji) ¡°So the person himself really doesn¡¯t realize it, I see.¡±(mururu) ¡°No, really, are you one to talk? You too have brought quite a lot of problems Mururu.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± No, don¡¯t just agree at that. Or rather, I should really stop this. Feeling sad as I gently caressed my horse, it gave a small neigh. Feeling slightly healed from just that, I began to trot further down the highway. Since yesterday, we have been passing by quite a lot of people on the highway as well. Although most of them were merchants as we are close to the Commercial city after all. Most of the adventurers also stuck close to the carriages they were escorting and there were almost no adventurers actively fighting against the monsters on the ins. Even though goblins and kobolds do appear here as well, in the end, the world of monsters also works on the principle of survival of the fittest. All these low level monsters end up as prey for the Harpies. Though Goblins can use swords and spears, they aren¡¯t skilled enough to use bows as well, so to Harpies, Goblins are an easier prey than humans. Thus, even though goblins appear in huge numbers near every city, they rarelye out here. And when they do, they are easily dealt with. Instead, the bigger problem was the tall bare mountain that was visible even from here. It was tall enough to even pierce the clouds in the sky. And that whole mountain was infested with Harpies, so much that you could see them if you went a little bit closer. They have the lower body of a bird and the upper body simr to that of a human. But it¡¯s only resembles a human, and they can¡¯t even talk ormunicate with us. And they don¡¯t think of humans as more than prey either so we can also only treat them as monsters. [¡®You too¡¯, you said. I¡¯m not sure what to think of that.] ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± At just those words, I felt my eye flinch. Could it be that I unconsciously ept the fact that I bring problems? ¡°Renji-san!¡± Just when I was thinking of that, Aya called towards me in a panicked voice so I turned look at my surroundings. Beyond the gentle slope was a vast open grasnds. I would clearly see monsters approaching even if I didn¡¯t want to. Confirming that there weren¡¯t any, I turned to look at the sky. But, there were no monsters there either. ¡°What happened, Aya?¡± ¡°In front, the mountain¡­¡­..¡± Being told that, I looked towards that mountain. With my eyesight, I couldn¡¯t see harpies yet but¡ª¡ªnarrowing my eyes, I noticed a big dark spot. Huge. Harpies are the size of middle school children normally, but this was just too big. I can¡¯t exactly tell how much bigger this was but it was probably more than just a few meters. ¡°¡­¡­¡­A griffin.¡± ¡°You can tell, Mururu?¡±(renji) ¡°Un.¡± Hearing her muttering, I turned towards her to see that she was also looking that way. And her narrowed eyes could also tell the true identity of that figure. A griffin. They have the body of a lion, and the head of an eagle. With big wings on their back, it can fly with the power of the wind spirits¡ª¡ªIt was a demonic beast. It was a mid size demonic beast that normally doesn¡¯t live on Imnesia and only appear in Elfreim and Abenelm. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s a griffin?¡±(renji) ¡°You can confirm with Aya as well.¡±(mururu) When I asked again, Mururu pouted in displeasure. No I didn¡¯t mean to offend you, I just found it hard to ept that truth. While thinking of apologising to herter, I kicked at my horse and moved towards the other side of the carriage¨Cwith Aya and Feirona. ¡°Aya, Feirona, can you see it?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes, but¡­¡­¡­¡±(aya) ¡°This is the first time I¡¯m seeing one but aren¡¯t griffins supposed to not be on Imnesia?¡±(elf) ¡°Yeah.¡± Agreeing to Feirona¡¯s question, I looked towards the mountain again. But that ck spot wasn¡¯t visible anymore. It must have flown to the other side of the mountain. Griffins usually create a nest on top of such tall mountains. That¡¯s also one of the reasons Griffins don¡¯t usually live on Imnesia. There are very few tall mountains like this in all of Imnesia. They aren¡¯t nonexistent, of course, but that would limit the ces where Griffins could live heavily. So they simply don¡¯t live here. Well, it¡¯s not like we¡¯re biologists or anything either though. As long as we know how to take down and subjugate a Griffin, that knowledge is more than enough. ¡°Ah, not more trouble again¡­¡­..¡±(renji) [fufu, looks like I don¡¯t have to be so bored again.] ¡°Oh please spare me.¡±(renji) I¡¯m the one whose life is on the line you know? Hearin her voice resound in my head, I literally scratched my head in worry. Griffins don¡¯t exist in Imnesia. So that also means that people of Imnesia don¡¯t know how to fight against griffins as well. Even its ecology and habits are only vaguely known. Just like what I saw and experienced was different from what I had read in the books. I don¡¯t know since when did that griffin start residing here but the fact remains that nobody has been able to subjugate it yet. Even though a beast like that making a nest so close to major city would make it an instant target for subjugation. ncing towards Aya, it looks like she was also looking towards me as our gazes connected. She looked like she was excited, probably because a griffin wasn¡¯t really a match for her. Even though it¡¯d be a desperate fight for me. ¡°This is why I didn¡¯t want to ept Her (astraera) request.¡±(renji) I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be facing all sorts of troubles in the future as well. Am I just that unfortunate, or does Astraera push this trouble on me knowingly? I feel like it can be thetter but sometimes the former seems pretty usible as well. While I was worrying about such stuff, the carriage¡¯s window opened and Ms Francesca peeked out. ¡°Is something the matter, Renji-sama?¡±(fran) ¡°nah, it¡¯s nothing. That aside, is Solnea okay?¡± ¡°Eh? Ah, yes. She seems to be enjoying the scenery.¡± That¡¯s okay, then. Looking up at the sky, it was as clear as it could be. If I had wings, I would just fly away forever. I tried to escape reality like that. And Solnea, as usual, dazedly looked at me. . . . The sea breeze caressed my cheeks as I smelled the sea. Merdiore. Surrounded by 10m tall walls, and with sea to the west and north of it, the city was a bustling ce. After one of the knights showed the pass to the guards, we entered the city. The first thing that came into view was, simply, a lot of people. Not just humans, but even demihumans and beastmen as well. In between, I could even see a few fairies, like Anastasia, Hobbits, and bearded Dwarves as well. There were even Elves like Feirona and beastmen of all kinds of tails and ears. A lot of people, from a lot of different races. It was city filled with those. That said,pared to the capital, the city was only a third as wide. Due to that, the congested crowd stood out even more. Now whether you see that as a lively ce or simply an overcrowded ce, depends on perspective. There are a lot of people in the capital as well but this city felt like it had more energy. [As usual, there are so many people.¡±] ¡°But it¡¯s fine though.¡± I hate crowds but being in sucha lively ce makes me feel energetic as well. Well, I wouldn¡¯t ever think of settling here though. After all, there just too many people here. I¡¯ll start feeling fatigued in just a few days I¡¯m sure. Since the salty sea breeze would damage wood, most buildings were made of stone. And since Merdiore wasn¡¯t very big in terms of area, most buildings also had two-three storeys as well. Though I know how rare earthquakes are here, it still looks really dangerous. Every building in the main street had a signboard in front of it; bars, weapon shops, item shops, etc were lined up. To attract customers, the shopkeepers were shouting loudly about the best bargains they were giving. ¡°Well then, let us proceed, shall we?¡± The carriage window opened and Melentia-san urged us to move ahead. Lightly kicking the horse, we proceeded ahead. Even though it was so crowded, the fact that the path for carriages and horses was not obstructed is because the rules of this city were set and were being properly upheld by the citizens. Even though there¡¯s no specialw or fine to implement it, the fact that those rules were still being followed was proof that the public order of this city was very stable. Also, and even though so many horses and carriages were passing, the people weren¡¯t really looking towards us either and were continuing with their own business¡­¡­¡­.Basically, this was amon sight for them. It was a year ago, thest time I came here butpared to that time, the faces of the people are smiling even more. And Mururu, who was beside me, was looking around curiously at her surroundings. ¡°Is it your first time seeing something like this?¡±(renji) ¡°un.¡± Even her reaction was given slightly absent-mindedly. I guess she¡¯s really been captivated by this scene. I guess it¡¯s appropriate for her age, but still it felt amusing so I ended upughing but she didn¡¯t even notice that. Normally, she¡¯d re at me, scold me or pout whenever I treat her like a child though. ¡°But wait, this shouldn¡¯t be your first time in Merdiore right?¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­.At that time, I was only thinking of getting to the capital as fast as possible.¡± ¡°Hmmm.¡± Now that I recall, she really was pretty unsociable when we first met. A request from Zwenelia¡­¡­..in this case, it should be an oracle, I guess? That duty was top priority in her head. Saying that she was ¡®dutiful¡¯ might sound nice but I really doubt that it¡¯s okay for you to think only about that at all times. You¡¯ll miss out on seeing such a beautiful world. ¡°Later, maybe we should go together and hit some stalls in the area?¡±(renji) ¡°¡®Hit¡¯?¡±(mururu) ¡°Meaning that we can go together and visit and check out the various shops and stalls here. I¡¯ll treat you to one skewered roasted meat as well.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Really?¡± She looked really lovely as she asked that while tilting her head, questioning me. ¡°Yeah.¡±(renji) Honestly, I¡¯d love to get a drink to go with the meat as well but as expected, I can¡¯t take Mururu with me, she¡¯s still too young. I do want to let her taste alcohol one day though. I replied that but she averted her eyes. But her lips clearly revealed that she was happy. If I can get to see such an expression, I don¡¯t mind treating her once or even twice. Next time, maybe I should take Astraera as well. I was thinking of that when the carriage turned from the main street to a smaller road. ¡°Oh right, have you heard anything about Ms Francesca¡¯s home?¡±(renji) ¡°Nope. She said that we¡¯ll understand when we see it.¡± ¡°I see.¡± I felt that it might be quite rude to not know anything about it before going to someone¡¯s home so I thought of asking Mururu about it. Her family must be a family of merchants for generations. I wonder what kind of position/status they have in Merdiore. Since they said they¡¯ll prepare a ship for us, maybe they are in trading business? Or are they just rich enough to own a personal ship? If I recall correctly, in Merdiore, except for the City Head, there were many nobles who run various businesses. To say simply, there are nobles who manage and control the cirction of arms, items, manage the port, and theing and going of people as well. All these jobs were under different nobles. And above that, they are also working together and cooperate to earn as much profit as possible. Thinking of that, I think Ms Francesca¡¯s family must be in charge of managing the port. Though I have no recollection of ever hearing the name of Barton family, they might be powerful nobles. Her, by power, I mean in terms of assets. After continuing through the off-street for a while, we got out into an open area. It¡¯s the residential area where mostly nobles reside. We were in the higher ss districts, basically. Climbing up the slightly nting road, buildings clearly much luxurious than the ones on the main street came into view. Since the area was at a point even higher than the walls, you could see the scenery outside the walls till the horizon at the sea from here. Truly, it¡¯s ce only rich people would have. That said, you could see this scene from the port as well though. ¡°So many houses.¡±(mururu) ¡°I know.¡± Since here not even the sea breeze could reach, there were even quite a few buildings made of wood as well. And in quite a lot of colours as well. Is this perhaps trending in the whole world or was it just the hobby of nobles, I wonder. Travelling through the wide road where even 2 carriages could run side by side, we went past the district. In an even upper ss district, there was the house. In terms of size, it was even bigger than the colourful one we just saw. It¡¯s painting was also very orthodox, and in my opinion this looked better. But, it did feel slightly empty maybe because we just saw such coloured houses. In front of the gate of that house, was man wearing butler clothes with another young man standing behind him. And along with them, a lot of maids were waiting for us¡­¡­or rather, for Ms francesca and Melentia-san. Coming close to them, I climbed down the horse and handed over the reins of my horse. ¡°Thank you for apanying us through the long journey. If it pleases you, why not give us the privilege of servicing you at our house?¡±(mel) ¡°Thank you very much for your consideration. But, there is something I need to see to so I¡¯ll be heading to the guild first.¡±(renji) ¡°I see.¡± ¡°I apologise. Even though you were kind enough to invite me¡­¡­.¡± ¡°No, please don¡¯t mind it.¡± I know it was rude to refuse her like this but I¡¯m really worried about that griffin. Judging from the people in the streets, there isn¡¯t anymotion about it yet but it¡¯ll be toote once anything happens. Before there are victims, before they multiply, I must deal with it. [fufu, you seem quite eager today.] ¡°Is that so.¡± For someone like me who hates such trouble, really, even I wonder what am I doing. Now the serious one or the trouble hating one, which is the real me? While thinking of something I had no answer to, I bid farewell to Melentia-san, Ms Francesca and the rest of the adventurers I had travelled with. Mururu looked a bit lonely but we¡¯re still in the same city. They can meet whenever they want to. And since we have to get a ship from them, we¡¯ll have to go and meet them sooner orter anyway. That¡¯s why, even though ms Francesca also seemed lonely, she didn¡¯t seem too sad. Since we told her the name of the inn we¡¯ll stay in, she cane and meet us anytime. By the way, the inn we¡¯re staying in is the same inn we had rented all those years ago when we first came here. It¡¯s a bit expensive but, I figured it¡¯ll be nice to pick the same one this time as well. Indulging yourself is also one of the pleasure of a journey, in my opinion. ¡°Well then, Ms Francesca, see youter.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes.¡± That¡¯s all the words I need to say. As long as I¡¯m alive, we can meet again. With new encounters alsoe farewells. And thus, reunions also exist. That¡¯s what travelling is all about. Along with Aya pulling along the reluctant Mururu, we left the Barton mansion. And , I¡¯m sure they¡¯d contact us soon enough. Since we travelled together, I¡¯m sure they¡¯d want to treat this connection more preciously. And about Ms Francesca as well, this wasn¡¯t a proper farewell anyway. Mururu¡¯s so attached to her after all. ¡°So, what are we doing next?¡±(elf) ¡°We¡¯re heading to the guild. I need to ask about that Griffin and learn what¡¯s going on around here.¡±(renji) ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±(aya) Aya also agreed to my suggestion. It looks like she¡¯s a bit worried about seeing a griffin on this continent as well. The distance from the district to the guild was quite a lot so in the way, I bought and treated Mururu to a roasted meat as promised, which made Aya jealous so I bought her one as well and now I couldn¡¯t let Solnea to be the only one without it, so I bought her one as well. Feirona paid for himself but still, I had to pay for 4, including me. What is this feeling of exhaustion I¡¯m getting? But since Mururu seemed happy, I guess its fine. If I don¡¯t think of it that way, I¡¯d start feeling sad. ¡°is it tasty?¡±(renji) ¡°Un.¡± ¡°that¡¯s great, then.¡± While eating the meat together, we walked down the pathway. So that they don¡¯t get lost, Mururu and Solnea were holding on to my mantle. I totally feel like a father. Both Aya and Feirona were smiling looking at me like that but I pretended to not notice and continued eating. Or rather, isn¡¯t Solnea too old to look like a child? She looks like a beauty in her twenties after all. She¡¯s even taller than Aya. Well, her mind isn¡¯t even a year old though. ¡°So, is it tasty?¡±(renji) I asked the same thing to Solnea as well. Solnea tilted her head for a while, and then, ¡°Un.¡± Imitating Mururu, she gave a small nod as well. Chapter 63 Merdiore (2) Chapter 63 Merdiore (2) When you think about port cities, you think about ships. At the Merdiore port, a few dozen merchant ships were anchored, and inside, an even more number of battleships were anchored as well. The main, and the only difference between a merchant ship and a battleship was the size. In our world, they¡¯d have artillery and cannons attached to the ship but this world¡¯s ships don¡¯t have any of those. Because they have something more convenient- magic. If the monster is clinging close to the ship, they¡¯d fight it at closebat and if its far, they¡¯ll use magic to blow it away. This is the way battles usually ur on the seas in this world. The ships are made of wood, and if I had topare, they were close to the galleon ships used during the age of discovery in our world. It has 3-5 masts, can run pretty fast and can carry a lot as well. On the other hand, they are weaker against impacts to the sides and not just monster attacks, even huge waves could make them lose bnce and could even overturn them. The battleships were slightly wider and more bnced than merchant ships though. It also had the same number of masts but wasparatively slower. It¡¯s currently folded, but normally the Imnesia g is visible on the sail as well. The number of crew members required for a merchant ship was about 300 people and 500 for a battleship. In a sense, the port itself seemed to hold an air of intimidation. ¡°Well this is amazing.¡± Feirona, instead of his usual calm mood, spoke this with a dazed and surprised expression. He looked towards the ship, the looked at the slightly muddy water, then looked at the ship again. Maybe she found it amusing, Mururu observed Feirona as he continued to stare at the ships. ¡°Is this your first time seeing a ship?¡±(mururu) ¡°Yeah. I hadn¡¯t left the forest very much before this after all.¡±(elf) ¡°I see¡­¡­.It¡¯s really fast.¡± ¡°Is that so.¡± Mururu spoke that, somewhat proudly. And Feirona talked with her whileughing slightly. It¡¯s like looking at an older brother and sister. And even Solnea was dazedly staring at the ships. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±(renji) ¡°No, I was just thinking that so many people can ride on it.¡±(sol) Looks like, rather than the ship, she was looking at the people on the ship instead. Just to load the luggage into a merchant ship, dozens of people were working together. You¡¯d expect them to use magic to do all such stuff like its shown in normal fantasy settings, but this is more realistic. After all, lifting items and carrying them with magic exhausts far more magical energy than you¡¯d expect. Though there was a time when Aya carried tens of barrels at the same time through magic, it was only possible because she has magical energy in a whole different level, a gift directly from the goddess. To me it really looked like she was doing it very easily though. Really, not having magical energy is such an inconvenience. Since I really have no perception about it, I can¡¯t even talk about it like a normal human. In fact, there have been times where I have been told to have a thought process like that of a Elf, pixie or other such demihumans. ¡°Yeah. You need hundreds of people just to move the ship after all.¡±(renji) ¡°is that so?¡±(sol) ¡°If there¡¯s strong wind, just spreading the sails would allow the ship to move but without wind, they have to manually row it with oars.¡± ¡°Oar? What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°See those insect like legsing out from the bottom side of the ship? Those are oars.¡± [What kind of analogy is that?¡­¡­¡­] It¡¯s fine, they honestly look like that to me. Solnea, for once, seemed to be hearing me properly as she was focused on the oars. Seeing us stop just staring at the ships, the sailors gaveughs. But that wasn¡¯t sneer but simple amusement at Solnea and Feirona¡¯s honest reactions which probably made them happy. To the sailors, their ship was their life. Just like a sword is to a swordsman and forests are to elves, to the sailors, seeing such an honest reaction towards their ship makes them feel proud and happy, I recall being told that once. They really are devoted to their jobs, and I still remember how every man seemed to be connected from their hearts. ¡­¡­¡­..I also recall being made to work hard like crazy after we departed as well. I wonder if that also counts as ¡®good experience¡¯. I really can¡¯t decide. ¡°Renji?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. So, are you curious about anything else?¡± ¡°You should ask anything you want Solnea-san. Renji-san knows a lot of stuff.¡±(aya) ¡°¡­¡­¡­.Don¡¯t make it sound like I know everything though.¡± I felt a bit embarrassed being praised by Aya like that. To be honest, in terms of extent of knowledge, I feel like Aya might be aware of a lot more things than me. I only know about lots of things but very shallowly. But her knowledge about the topic she knows is deep. And she really excels in exining things as well. Unaware of my thoughts, Aya gave a giggle and looked up towards the ship while standing in between me and Solnea. Seeing her press down her hair blowing from the wind, I felt a ¡®womanly¡¯ charm in her I never saw a year ago which made me give a wry smile. Should is see that as growth or should I see this as some change in my own feelings towards her? [What happened? Captivated by the scenery?] ¡°Well, something like that.¡±(renji) As I breathed out, Ermenhilde tried teasing me. When I shrugged at her words, Aya looked up towards me in confusion. Telling her that it was nothing, haah, she didn¡¯t seem satisfied but she didn¡¯t pursue it any further. ¡°But still, to think it¡¯s the first time Feirona¡¯s seeing a ship.¡±(renji) ¡°Yeah. I am looking forward to it but I am also slightly fearful of whether something so big can really float on water.¡±(elf) ¡°hahah, I guess that¡¯s normal.¡± ¡°Since wood floats on water, is that principle used behind this?¡± ¡°Just think of it that way for now then. Now I¡¯m looking forward to sailing with you.¡± ¡°As usual, you are such a tease.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I am though.¡± When I said that, except Solnea, everyone gave a sigh at me. Of course, even Ermenhilde. Well, I¡¯m used to this treatment now. It looks like Mururu isn¡¯t that affected by Ms Francesca not being with us anymore. No, I guess she¡¯s pretending to not look lonely. I think I¡¯ll have Aya keep herpany for a while. ¡°fufu. If you¡¯re surprised from just this, you¡¯ll be really amazed when you¡¯re on the ship.¡±(aya) ¡°I see.¡±(sol) ¡°fumu¡­¡­..I look forward to it.¡±(elf) When Aya said that while looking at those two, Solnea, in her usual t voice, and Feirona, in a slightly more excited voice than usual, replied back. Solnea aside, seeing Feirona so excited like that was so rare that both me and Mururu exchanged nces with each other. ¡°Then, Renji, can you operate a ship as well?¡±(sol) Is this due to thement that apparently, ¡®I know a lot¡¯? Her expression was the same as always but somehow, it looked like she was trying to look deep inside me as well. It made me feel a awkward making me scratch my cheeks which made Aya burst into a funny expression. ¡°Unfortunately, I do not know how to operate a ship.¡±(renji) ¡°There is something Renji can¡¯t do as well?¡±(sol) ¡°You, what kind of person do you see me as?¡±(renji) Smiling at that weird question, Solnea made a nk puzzled expression. Her face was asking why I wasughing. That was weird as well, but right now Solnea doesn¡¯t understand that. ¡°The things I cannot do are more in my case.¡±(renji) ¡°Really?¡± But, the one who reacted to my words was Mururu. She looked up at me suspiciously. ¡°Renji¡¯s actions differs from what he says.¡±(mururu) ¡°¡­¡­..How rude.¡±(renji) [That¡¯s because you try to leave things for others to do even when you can do it yourself¡­¡­¡­haah.] When I gave a shrug, both Feirona and Aya ended upughing. ¡°In the first ce, a ship isn¡¯t something one man alone could operate.¡±(renji) ¡°What do you mean?¡±(sol) ¡°There¡¯s the ship¡¯s captain, then there are sailors who work as per hismands. Then there¡¯s also a vice captain, navigator¡­¡­..there are a lot of different people working together, only then does the ship move.¡± But it looks like Solnea didn¡¯t really understand what I was trying to tell her as she remained silent and was still waiting for me to continue exining. I am not really good at exining but this was really amusing. But still, she¡¯s asking quite a lot of questions today¡­¡­¡­.thinking of that, I recalled that it was me who told her, in front of Ms Francesca house, to ask me if she wanted to know anything after all. She¡¯s really obedient to everything I tell her. In fact, it made me feel like she was waiting for me to tell her that all this time. ¡°So, are you interested in the ships?¡±(renji) ¡°No.¡± But, her reply was a simple one word denial. Her expression towards me as I dropped my shoulders was the same expressionless as always making me feel all the more exhausted. ¡°But, it looked like you were interested in them so..¡±(sol) ¡°Eh?¡± It was Aya who reacted to those words. Probably, I feel like something like a wall exists between her and Solnea. ¡°Renji, are you interested in ships?¡±(sol) ¡°Ships, or rather, I just love the sea, that¡¯s all.¡±(renji) Feeling the salty sea breeze, the beautiful scenery untainted by science. If only the monsters didn¡¯t exist, it would be the best thing ever in my opinion. Also, there¡¯ll be swimsuits. Well, the Aspidochelone that sometimes appears can also look like a whale so you can enjoy it as a part of scenery as well. The giant monster Aspidochelone is actually a harmless monster. But its sorge that its size alone bes a huge problem. ¡°The sea, is it?¡±(sol) ¡°The scenery from atop the ship is incredible you know? Though travelling on foot or on horses is also fun, its amazing on ships.¡± When Iughed while saying that, Solnea turned to look back at the ship. As expected, still no expression. But it looked like she was staring at it more enthusiastically than before. While I was looking at Solnea, my left arm was pinched slightly. Turning towards the culprit, Aya was looking at me with half open eyes. ¡°Well then, since it¡¯s no use just staring at ships, let¡¯s go to the guild shall we?¡±(renji) ¡°Yeah.¡±(elf) ¡°un.¡± Feirona and Mururu answered back. Solnea turned away from the ship as well and began to walk alongside those two. ¡°We should get going as well.¡±(renji) [Yeah.] ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± The strength on hand pinching me lessened and turned more into Aya walking while holding on to me with her fingers, making me give a bitter smile. It¡¯s quite fresh, walking like this without letting anyone else realize. I think so. ¡°Don¡¯t get lost, okay?¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­..I¡¯m not a kid anymore.¡± . . . As I opened the Merdiore guild¡¯s door, a few gazes turned towards us but realizing that we were also adventurers, they soon lost interest. Checking the ce, I saw dozens of adventurers spending time freely. Half of them were enjoying drinking and eating though. Seeing that, I was confused. Did something good happen? ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Renji-san?¡±(aya) ¡°I¡¯ll go ask some stuff. My face should work as well. Wait for me.¡± Since it¡¯d be weird for them to wait right at the door, I asked them to get seated somewhere. Since I¡¯m more used to such stuff, I should be the one to do it. And not to mention, there are a lot of people who know me here. Around 2 years ago, we stayed almost a month in Merdiore to subjugate monsters. I should be able to make use of my connections from back then, I think. While thinking that, I walked towards the reception. Just like the guild at the capital, there were multiple counters set and all of them had lines of adventurers. Joining the shortest one, I tapped the shoulder of the adventurer in front of me. With a really bothered face, he turned towards me. ¡°¡­¡­What?¡± ¡°Did something happen here? The guild seems a lot more lively than usual.¡±(renji) ¡°Aah,st night, there was a huge monster subjugation. They¡¯re dividng the rewards right now.¡± I see. I recalled the goblin hunt at Magic city. Since there were a lot goblins to be subjugated by a lot of adventurers, the reward was of course divided. But when huge monsters are taken out by many adventurers together, this happens as well. It¡¯s nothing rare but it looks like more than 20 adventurers here. If it¡¯s a monster that needs that many adventurers¡­¡­.was it an Ogre? And maybe multiple of them? ¡°Did they take down Ogres or something?¡±(renji) ¡°Something even bigger.¡± Saying that so proudly, Hehehe, the manughed as if bragging. Judging by his appearance, he should be in his thirties so he should be quite experienced. At least, he shouldn¡¯t be the type to consider Orcs or Harpies as something great. ¡°It was a Griffin, a Griffin!¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Griffin, you say?¡±(Renji) ¡°Yeah. They¡¯re as good as blind at night after all. Sost night, we stayed awake climbing the mountain.¡± The man was talking proudly but I could only tilt my head in confusion. Because after all, I saw a Griffin just close to Merdiore. [What the hell is this guy talking about?] Well, I want to agree with Ermenhilde as well but it doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s lying either. And above all, the atmosphere inside the guild was really proof. ¡°But, I also saw a Griffin though.¡±(renji) ¡°Aah, that¡¯s because we haven¡¯t killed them all.¡± Those words alone made it all the more nonsensical for me. The way he spoke means that they took down more than one. Well, though Griffins are tough demonic beasts but as long as you know the way, you can take them down fairly easily. In the guild, not just humans, even demihumans¡ª¨Cprobably elves or dwarves from Elfreim must also be there. After all, beasts that don¡¯t exist here do exist verymonly on other continents. It should be normal to use their knowledge to make a sessful subjugation. That¡¯s quite the happy thing indeed but it¡¯s weird why all of them haven¡¯t been taken down yet. Griffins move in pairs of male and female. They should know what this means as well though. Looking at me making a confused face, the man looked at me as if he was looking at something weird. ¡°Sorry. You did well living even against a Griffin.¡±(renji) ¡°Well, yeah. Wanna hear it all?¡± ¡°Maybe some other time.¡± I am interested but it looks like it¡¯ll be long so I refused. Tanned skin, gold hair, and a small scar beneath the eye. I have memorized his face so I cane talk to him whenever I need more info. After that, I stood there for a few minutes waiting for my turn toe. When I finally stood in front of the counter, the man behind it nced at my face, looked down towards the document, then instantly looked back up to me. ¡°RenjI!?!¡± ¡°yo, looks like you¡¯re still doing well, Dagram.¡±(renji) The one who made the surprised voice was Dagram. I forget his real name but that¡¯s what everyone calls him here. Brown hair, thick beard, and tanned skin typical to those living in port cities. He¡¯s a lot shorter than me but he¡¯s make up for it with width. And I don¡¯t mean that in the obese way either. That¡¯s how muscr he is. A dwarf. Though a race that mainly focuses on iron and steel work, he¡¯s a weird one that instead works at a clerical job in a guild. And by the way, though he has such a dense beard, he¡¯s not much older than me. It¡¯s simply because he¡¯s a dwarf. When his loud voice reverberated in the guild, almost all the gazes focused towards us. ¡°You bastard, where the hell have you been wandering around all this time?!?¡±(dagram) And Dagram, while shouting, put a knee on the counter and held my cors with both hands. I know he¡¯s not actually serious but a dwarf¡¯s natural brute strength alone made my head sway making vision unstable. ¡°I heard you had disappeared and got so damn worried! You goddamn idiot!¡± ¡°Ahh, a, ah, a,¡­¡­¡­¡± I tried replying but my head was spinning too much. Without realizing my state, he continued shaking me while shouting. [Oi Dagram, Renji is¡­¡­..] ¡°That voice, Ermenhilde, you¡¯re also here?¡±(dagram) [Yeah, I am but¡­¡­¡­] ¡°Seriously, this fool. As usual he¡¯s making everyone around him so worried eh?¡± [no, like I said, Dagram, Renji is¡­¡­¡­..] And till my face started to go pale from sickness, he continued to shake me like that. No, I don¡¯t mind him shaking me that much though, I did make him worry like this after all, and this exchange really was nostalgic. By the way, it was Aya who saved me. Though, that first made him even more surprised which resulted in me being shook even harder but I digress. And it was also fun to be part of the wee that all the other adventurer joined in as well, but could you guys not urge me to drink when it¡¯s still noon. Even I wouldn¡¯t drink so early when in front of Aya. It¡¯s bad education to the kids¡­¡­¡­.I¡¯d drink if not in front of her though. ¡°Ueghh¡­¡­..I feel sick¡­¡­.¡±(renji) ¡°Sorry, sorry, but, it¡¯s been two years already eh?¡±(dagram) Looks like he was reflecting on what he did as he apologised while scratching his head in embarrassment. I am not really angry, in fact I¡¯m feeling quite happy. [Seriously.] ¡°Really, sorry. It was my bad. Okay?¡±(dagram) ¡°nah, I¡¯m not angry. It¡¯s fine.¡±(renji) ¡°I knew it. That¡¯s the kind of guy you are Renji.¡± This bastard, his attitude changed way too fast. He hasn¡¯t changed at all, even Aya, who was massaging my back gave a sigh. ¡°Aya, you have grown up as well.¡±(dagram) ¡°Dagram-san hasn¡¯t changed at all though.¡±(aya) ¡°HA HA HA. Don¡¯t you know dwarves don¡¯t grow any bigger than this?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Not in that sense¡­¡± She sighed again. It¡¯s too much to ask of Dagram to read between the lines. He¡¯s the frank and impulsive type and is the type of guy who¡¯d walk on the path he believes in at all costs. That¡¯s why I have a favourable impression of him and it made me feel happy and nostalgic to see this kind of exchange again. ¡°So, these three are? Introduce us.¡±(dagram) ¡°yeah, The Elf is Feirona, the beastwoman is Mururu and that¡¯s Solnea. We¡¯re travelling together.¡±(renji) ¡°Ou! Feirona, Mururu and Solnea, is it?¡± Dagram spoke those names again, as if making sure to remember them. It¡¯s not like his memory is bad or anything, it¡¯s just one of his habits. ¡°I am Dagram. As you can see, I¡¯m a dwarf.¡± With a sultry smile, the dwarf gave his intro making Aya make a troubled face. As usual, she doesn¡¯t like it. And judging from how Utano-san and even Kudou have said they didn¡¯t find it very special either, I¡¯m guessing all women will probably not like it. In fact even Mururu was sending nces towards me making a troubled face seeing it. She basically wants me to do something. As a man, I really don¡¯t understand what¡¯s the problem though. ¡°Oi, Dagram, stop with that smile that troubles every woman.¡±(renji) ¡°Shaddup! They aren¡¯t saying anything right?¡± He¡¯sughing heartily but, you know, that¡¯s because they just don¡¯t want to offend or hurt you, that¡¯s all. Even Utano-san bes unable to say anything in front of his smile. I guess it¡¯s a woman thing. ¡°Also, Feirona, was it?¡±(dagram) ¡°ye, yeah.¡±(elf) Being called suddenly, Feirona replied in a surprised manner. In a rare asion, even Feirona had been surprised by Dagram¡¯s smile. Sinceing here, Feirona really has been getting surprised by a lot of things. It¡¯s pretty amusing and it should be good experience for Feirona as well. Well, I wonder if I am allowed to talk about experience to a man who has lived countless years more than me though. ¡°You, are you the type that¡¯s okay with dwarves?¡±(dagram) ¡°Hm? That¡¯s¡­¡­¡­¡±(elf) ¡°After all, there are elves that don¡¯t like dwarves right? Well, since you¡¯re Renji¡¯spanion, you should be fine I think¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Oh so that¡¯s what you meant. I don¡¯t mind it much.¡± ¡°I see, I see.¡± And once more he gave that weird smile of his. I understand that he¡¯s happy but really, stop with that smile in front of women. And on top of it, Aya, Mururu and even Feirona looked at me with a troubled face. Solnea, who remained expressionless as usual, instead looked surreal here. While we were talking like that, a few drinks were brought to our table. I didn¡¯t order them so I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s a treat. As I gave my thanks, the unfamiliar guild member gave a bow with a smile. ¡°Haven¡¯t seen her here before.¡±(renji) ¡°Really?¡± On my words, Dagram tilted his head in confusion. It¡¯s cute when a girl does it but when a muscr dwarf does it, it¡¯s just weird. ¡°That kid, you saved her long back.¡±(dagram) ¡°is that so?¡± Being told that, I turned to look towards the guild member as she went back to the counter. She looked around 20 yrs old or maybe slightly older. With blue hair tied up, her neck and ears could be seen from under her hair, making her look sexy. Her skin was tanned just right giving her a lively impression. Dagram said that I saved her but I don¡¯t really remember. It might sound rude but, I ended up trying to recall her resting my chin on my fingers¡­¡­..only to get elbowed by Aya. ¡°It¡¯s rude to stare so much.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.Sure.¡± Like I said, why is her smile so scary? Since the start of this journey, I feel like she¡¯s bing more and more bold. Seeing that Dagramughed out loud. ¡°What, already on a leash?¡±(dagram) ¡°Th, that¡¯s not¡­¡±(aya) ¡°No need to say it, Aya. HA HA HA, looks like tonight drinks will be tasty, RenjI!¡± Aya hung her head from just those words. Seeing her like that Dagram¡¯s voice became even louder. ¡°Feirona, do you drink?¡±(dagram) ¡°M, me?¡±(elf) ¡°No, as Renji¡¯srade, I¡¯m sure you can hold a drink or two.¡± ¡°In your head, what kind of criteria do you think I base myrades on?¡±(renji) What kind of thinking is that since he¡¯s myrade he can drink? No well, Feirona is a good drinker though. He¡¯s better than even me. ¡°For the time being, leaving the talk about drinks aside. Dagram, tell me about these Griffins.¡±(renji) Turning the talk back to the important talk, everyone else gave a sigh of relief. Is his smile really that difficult to bear? The man himself refuses to realize that though¡­¡­¡­no, at least Solnea doesn¡¯t mind it either. ¡°Griffin? The ones living in the mountain?¡±(dagram) ¡°yeah. I saw one before we entered Merdiore but, you guys haven¡¯t subjugated them yet?¡± ¡°About that¡­¡± Monsters are subjugated. It¡¯s an obvious thing to do as adventurers. From what I¡¯ve heard, a few Griffins have started living on the mountain but they have been sessful in subjugating them as well. Then, why are they not wiping all of them off? Dagram¡¯s also an inhabitant of Elfreim. He should be well aware of their threat. Realizing my expression, Dagram scratched his head as if it was difficult to say. After a small silence, I took a sip from the drinks prepared. By the way, mine and Dagram¡¯s drinks are filled with alcohol. ¡°Honestly speaking, we¡¯re troubled to decide what to do.¡±(dagram) ¡°¡­¡­¡­From what I heard before, you guys have been able to sessfully take down a few right?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s just a Griffin, anyone can do that as long as we have the numbers. Fortunately, there are quite a lot of adventurers with Griffin subjugation experience here as well.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a port city just for show. In the past one year, adventurers from Elfreim have increased a lot.¡± That¡¯s great. The level of monsters between Elfreim and Imnesia arepletely diffe. If the very experienced adventurers from that side also came here, it¡¯s a great plus for Imnesia. I thought that but Dagram was making a cloudy expression¡­¡­or rather, he looked troubled. ¡°What you saw was probably an Arch Griffin.¡± Hohh, At those words, I released a long breath. Even Aya put a hand on her mouth from surprise. And Feirona and Mururu, had probably heard the name at least as they were shocked as well. ¡°I see. That is definitely something you can¡¯t fight against easily.¡±(renji) ¡°We came to know about it onlyst night. Thanks to that one, only half of the team was able to return alive.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­..The guys here seemed quite happy even then though.¡± ¡°Those are the ones who didn¡¯t see it. There were three Griffins nests at different areas. One of them turned out to be an Arch Griffin¡¯s nest.¡± Basically, the man I talked to before just happened to be lucky to have faced just the Griffin. Arch Griffin. Though normally speaking they aren¡¯t any different from normal Griffins. It¡¯s just a term given to fully matured, very experienced griffins. But the one thing troublesome about demonic beasts was that the more they live, the stronger they get. Griffins have the protection of Sylph, the wind spirit and as they grow older, they be skilful enough to draw power directly from the spirits. The protection that at an early age only protects them from basic arrows, can turn into an incredibly offensive attack, or make them fly even faster as they grow older. As an Arch Griffin, they are even able to use roars to blow away close opponents, or use high screams to disrupt the concentration of magicians etc. They are a very troublesome opponent. It¡¯s the kind of demonic beast that¡¯s notmon even in Elfreim¡ª¨CIt only appearsmonly in Abenelm. ¡°Why is an Arch griffin in Imnesia?¡± Before I could say anything, Aya questioned Dagram. But the man only shrugged at it. ¡°No idea. It appeared about ten days ago.¡±(dagram) ¡°What you mean you have no idea¡­¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Even if you say that, we just thought that it was a normal griffin at first. 10 days ago, there was a storm at sea so we thought these griffins might have been carried here by the storm.¡± ¡°But, something more was mixed with them.¡± And when they approached it, it turned out to be more than just a Griffin, eh? Now that¡¯s¡­¡­¡­It wouldn¡¯t have been just a nightmare for the ones that had to fight the Arch Griffin. It¡¯s not just bigger, but also ferocious. It uses not just its beak or talons, but also the power of Sylph to use spirit magic to attack. Adventurers alone won¡¯t be enough, you¡¯d need proper knights to kill one. ¡°Are there any survivors?¡± ¡°There¡¯s 2 getting medical treatment though they aren¡¯t in any shape to talk.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..I see.¡± I shouldn¡¯t even ask how many had gone. It¡¯s a miracle that there are survivors but the fact they can¡¯t even speak means that they¡¯re still in critical condition. ¡°But still, even though such a monstrosity is so close, why is no one panicking?¡± ¡°That, well, first of all, only Elfreim inhabitants have realized that its an Arch Griffin and the info hasn¡¯t been leaked outside the guild yet.¡± I see. Looking at my surroundings, no one seemed to be interested in our talk and they didn¡¯t react even when we talked about it. The people of this continent has never seen an Arch griffin and there¡¯s likely no adventurer who knows how to deal with one. I can understand why only inhabitants of Elfreim know of it. ¡°Also, there are also Harpies and Goblins nearby. It¡¯s not gonna be troubled to find things to eat.¡±(dagram) That really is one single relief. Dagram muttered that. That¡¯s true. Griffins are carnivores and if there are monsters nearby to them, they won¡¯te all the way to attack the city. ¡°What will you do about the subjugation?¡±(renji) ¡°Right now, we¡¯re discussing it with the capital. I don¡¯t really like it but we might have to get the help from the knights.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Though this problem is beyond the power of just the guild to take care of alone, they still have their pride. ¡°if you need any help, just tell me.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­¡­you sure?¡± ¡°Only if there¡¯s a need, okay?¡± ¡°Kuku, Sure, you¡¯re the best, buddy.¡± Saying that he struck at my back. It felt like getting hit by a wooden log. [Why don¡¯t we just go and kill it instead?] Just then, Ermenhilde said something terrifying. But even Aya seemed to be thinking the same as she looked at me. Feirona and Mururu just stayed silent, letting me decide. ¡°Thanks, Ermenhilde, Aya but you know, we can¡¯t just depend on you heroes for each and everything, right?¡±(dagram) ¡°We don¡¯t mind¡­¡­¡­¡±(aya) ¡°Aya.¡±(renji) I stopped Aya from saying anything. The Guild has their own thinking. If they¡¯re discussing it with the capital, this info should reach Utano-san and O¡¯brien-san as well. And those two know we¡¯re here as well. And they would either move the knights even while knowing that or they would officially send a request to us to subjugate it. The Arch griffin has a lot of prey around it. We don¡¯t have to rush it. We should wait to see their decision. Aya can certainly take on an Arch Griffin but this is the Guild¡¯s job. First we must respect the guild¡¯s opinion in the matter. And if they send a request, we can ept it. Even if we¡¯re the Heroes, we can¡¯t just rudely take control of someone else¡¯s job. Even if that means we have to stand back and watch. There are a lot of times you have to just be patient and endure it. ¡°Well, for a while, we¡¯ll be in Merdiore. We can move whenever required.¡±(renji) ¡°Thanks, really.¡±(dagram) ¡°Well, you¡¯ll call us when the timees anyway, I¡¯m sure.¡±(renji) ¡°Nah, I¡¯ll just have to ask you about the reward.¡± So basically you¡¯re agreeing that you¡¯ll call us eh? Hitting our cups together to mark the end of difficult talk, we both gulped down our drinks. ¡°Puwaahh.¡± ¡°Why does alcohol taste so good after talking about problematic things I wonder.¡± ¡°I know, right.¡± And, we bothughed together. [So sultry¡­¡­¡­.] Do you not understand the charm of that smile? ¡°please don¡¯t start drinking from noon, Renji-san.¡±(aya) ¡°What, Aya, are you jealous that I took Renji from you?¡±(dagram) ¡°Looks like you¡¯re already drunk Dagram-san.¡±(aya) ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­Ou.¡± Seeing Aya¡¯s ¡®smile¡¯, Dagram groaned. And he leaned in towards my ear. ¡°Isn¡¯t she starting to be more and more like Yuuko?¡±(dagram) ¡°Dagram, women be stronger the older they get.¡±(renji) In a small voice, we both spoke. [Is what he¡¯s saying, Aya.] ¡°Renji-san, we¡¯re heading to our inn. Right now.¡± Well I knew she¡¯d hear us. And I know she knew that I knew as well. Yet why did her voice sound so cold. Mururu just wanted to get as far away from Dagram as possible and was already standing. Even Feirona was picking up his and Solnea¡¯s things and was standing up. You guys, do you really hate Dagram¡¯s weird smile that much? ¡°The inn, it¡¯s the same one you stopped in back then?¡±(dagram) ¡°yeah.¡± ¡°I¡¯lle to invite you at night. We¡¯ll go drinking.¡± ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± [Do you really not intend to lessen your drinking even a single bit?] And as usual, Dagram gave his weird smile. When I shrugged at Ermenhilde¡¯s words, at the same time Aya pulled at my mantle. Is this what they call being on a leash/dominated?? Chapter 64 Merdiore (3) Chapter 64 Merdiore (3) ¡°Renji, please wake up.¡± While feeling someone shake my shoulder, I half-opened my eyes to see everything covered in ck. I tried to make sense of what was going on but my mind didn¡¯t work. I tried closing my eyes and going back to sleep but my shoulder was still being shaken so that was impossible as well. Getting up while yawning, I saw Solnea¡¯s face. Looks like the ckness I saw before was her pitch ck dress. Last night, having a drinking bout with Dagram and others, I remember that I got cocky and drank more than I could handle but I don¡¯t remember anything else. While I was trying to suppress the headache from my hangover, Solnea called my name again. Was she perhaps worried to see me not speak anything even after getting up? But her voice was t as always so I can¡¯t tell if she¡¯s actually feeling something. ¡°Yeah, thanks Solnea. I¡¯m awake now.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Looking around me, the ce looked like a disaster scene with ¡®corpses¡¯ lying all around. Last night, the number of people who took part in the drinking party were around 30. And all of them were people who had helped us when we had stayed in Merdiore before. Humans, demihumans and beastmen. Without minding any racial differences, everyone was lying t on the ground or tables. In truth many more people had helped us than these but due to either being out away on a quest or having been unable to create time on such short notice, many had not been able toe. ¡­¡­¡­¡­.And, it¡¯s been two years after that. There were some who had lost their lives against monsters as well. While mourning for their lives, we all spent thest enjoying our drinks. Everyone told me that rather than being sad,ughing was a better way to pay my respects to the departed ones. Really, they are so strong. The people of this world. ¡°Oh man, what a bad posture to sleep that is.¡±(renji) While looking at the Hobbit lying on the ground, I spoke that. Since I slept on the sofa, I was much morefortable than these guys. As an Elf who didn¡¯t really hate dwarves, Feirona was instantly liked by every dwarf and was made to drink a lot alongside them as well I recalled. But I couldn¡¯t find him here on looking. ¡°Where¡¯s Feirona?¡±(renji) ¡°That side.¡± Looking towards where Solnea was pointing, I saw him sleeping on a Sofa as well. Mururu was trying to wake him up but he didn¡¯t seem to budge. My drowsiness is finally going away but the headache is still there. Looks like we all really drank a bit too much yesterday. I¡¯m, d I handed over Ermenhilde to Aya beforeing otherwise who knows how much she¡¯d scold me if she saw me like this. Well, if Ermenhilde had been with me, I would have not gotten this wasted in the first ce though. But still, what should I do? Looking around the bar again, where should I even start? Even if I wanted to wake them up, most are still in sound sleep and the tables are littered with empty mugs and bottles. The floor was filled with sleeping dwarves and elves and beastmen. In a corner there were even empty barrels lying around; seriously, I can¡¯t even imagine how much did we drank.. Literally, this was like a painting of hell. Though we did indeed rent the whole bar, it¡¯ll take a whole day just to clean things up. ¡°Fuaaah¡­¡­¡­Good morning, Solnea.¡±(renji) ¡°Good morning, Renji.¡± She greeted me back, as usual, there was not even a slight movement in her expression as she looked up towards me. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±(renji) ¡°No. I was wondering what will Renji do next?¡± ¡°I want to go back to sleep again¡­¡­¡­is what I want to say, at least.¡± If I did that, god knows what Ermenhilde or Aya would say to me. I didn¡¯t even to think much to imagine them scolding me. While Solnea stood near me silently, I yawned again. That¡¯s how dull my brain feels right now. My throat felt dry so I picked up a nearby ss and brought it near only to smell a strong alcohol¡ª-probably Vodka¡ªin it, making me frown. As a port city filled with many sailors, the alcohol found here was usually stronger than normal. When sailors can set out due to storms or something, it¡¯s normal for them to get drunk like hell so a suitable alcohol is prepared for them. I¡¯m also pretty used to drinking strong liquor butparing it with a dwarf¡¯s ability would be nothing less than suicide. ¡°What about breakfast?¡±(renji) ¡°Not yet. Aya said that we¡¯ll have breakfast here.¡± And, she found us like this instead, is it? Did shee here by her own will or did Aya tell her toe, in either case, I was saved. If Solnea hadn¡¯te, I would have slept through till noon I¡¯m sure. ¡°And, where¡¯s Aya?¡± ¡°Gone to call this person called ¡®master¡¯.¡± (T/N: Master is used for bar owners as well.) As I got up from the sofa, my legs staggered a bit. And ended up slightly hitting Solnea who nearby. ¡°Ah, sorry.¡±(renji) ¡°No need.¡± Looking outside the window, the sun was still rising up and it was still early morning¡­¡­..well, a bit past that time to be honest. Opening the window, I let fresh aire in. The cold wind caressed my face and cooled down my drunk head. Taking a deep breath alone made me feel better. ¡°Did you have fun?¡±(sol) ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Last night, I could hearughing till veryte at night.¡± ¡°ugh¡­¡­¡­¡± True, we did make quite a lot of ruckus. If they were sleeping in the inn next door, it¡¯s normal for the noise to reach them. Looks like, I¡¯ll get to hear about this from Aya and Mururuter as well. Thinking that made feel a bit guilty probably because I was aware that we really did drink a bit too much I think. But I couldn¡¯t help it. After all, I was able to meet so many of my friends after a long time, that too in a world where death coulde to anyone easily. Talking about our tales, it¡¯s normal to keep on drinking¡­¡­¡­¡­Now I¡¯m making excuses like a drunkard as well. ¡°Now that I think about it, Solnea, have you ever drunk alcohol before?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°fuumu.¡± Maybe I should rmend her that too one day. I thought of that as I shook the shoulder of an Elf I knew lying on the floor near me. But he only gave a groan and showed no signs of waking up. It was the same for the dwarf by him as well. While I was worried over what should I do, the door of the bar opened. The ones who came in were Aya and the Bar owner¡­¡­..he¡¯s a mysterious man whose age and name were a secret. Now if it was hot beauty it¡¯d be great but instead he¡¯s a bald, tanned, muscr man. And without really minding the disastrous scene inside his bar, he walked into the centre of the ce. It showed that he was pretty used to such situations¡­¡­.It¡¯s amazing how anyone can get used to this. ¡°Ah, Renj-san, so you¡¯re awake.¡±(aya) Just when I was thinking whether she¡¯d scold me or not, surprisingly Aya spoke brightly. Feeling like that was anticlimactic, I wanted to tsukkomi myself asking if I actually wanted to get scolded or something? ¡°Ah¡­¡­.Morning, Aya.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes. Looks like you really had a great timest night eh?¡± ¡°Did you say that knowing the implication of your words?¡± ¡°??¡± When I muttered that, she tilted her head wondering if she said something strange. Well, I guess she¡¯s still too young to get such innuendos. If it was Koutarou here, he¡¯d be grinning along with me. While thinking of that, since I¡¯ll get tired just standing, I sat down back on the sofa. ¡°Where¡¯s Ermenhilde?¡±(renji) ¡°Ah, here.¡± When I asked that, Aya brought out the medal from her pocket. ¡°Morning.¡±(renji) [Good morning, you drunkard.] And her voice was clearly displeased as expected unlike Aya or Solnea. [Seriously. I¡¯m not saying you shouldn¡¯t drink but could you at least try to live more healthily for once?] ¡°O, ou¡­¡­.¡± [I understand that its good to get rid of the fatigue from a long journey as well but like this, you¡¯d just end up getting sick instead you know? In the first ce¡­¡­] I see. So this why Aya didn¡¯t say anything. While hearing Ermenhilde¡¯s scolding I nced at Aya to se her nod at Ermenhilde¡¯s every word silently. ¡°Sorry, Ermenhilde.¡±(renji) [¡­¡­.What?] ¡°My head is really aching so stay quiet for now.¡± [Houu.] When I tried to make an appeal while pressing my head, her tone felt like it became even colder and deeper. But before Ermenhilde could start speaking again, the bar owner who was in the hall was standing behind Solnea before anyone realized. In his hand was frying pan and woodendle which he gave to Solnea. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Wake up everyone here.¡±(bar master) Saying just that, he began to pick up the jugs and sses from atop the tables. Being suddenly given such items, Solnea just stood there confused. ¡°What am I supposed to do?¡±(sol) ¡°Ah, you see..¡±(aya) Saying that, Aya took both the items from Solnea with a smile. Honestly, I got a bad premonition. ¡°Oi, Aya stop¡ª¡ª¨C¡°(renji) ¡°You have to do this.¡±(aya) And before I could stop her, she began to hammer thedle on the pan making huge gonging sound. ¡°Okay everyone, it¡¯s time to wake up!!!¡± Still recovering from the hangover, that sound felt even more terrible as I blocked my ears while sitting on the sofa. It was the same for everyone else as well as they began to groan and moan from the sudden noise. With movements worse than a zombie¡¯s, some began to finally move. But Aya wasn¡¯t stopping there and decided to continue till everyone woke up. She¡¯s the devil. ¡°Solnea-san, do you get it now?¡±(aya) ¡°I see. I understand.¡±(sol) ¡°Wait, Sol¡ª¡ª¡± In the end, in a matter of minutes, everyone was up whilepletely exhausted and senseless. And the bar master brought us water in the washed sses and mugs. Gulping down the water, I felt like my headache became slightly better. I wonder what she was thinking as Solnea looking at the frying pan anddle constantly. May she had fun with it. ¡°My head hurts.¡±(renji) ¡°You get what you deserve.¡±(aya) [You can y it more, Solnea.] Looks like she really was angry as even Aya¡¯s voice was cold. Also Ermenhilde, don¡¯t say such terrible things out of nowhere. I stopped Solnea in a panic who was starting to put strength in her hands once again. ¡°fuu. What a bad experience¡­¡­.¡± While we were talking, Feirona came walking towards us. Looks like his head was aching from the sound as well as he was pressing his head with his hands. Mururu¡¯s expression as she walked beside him was a worried, or rather, an interested gaze. ¡°Morning, Feirona, Mururu.¡± ¡°yeah, morning.¡±(elf) ¡°Good morning, Renji.¡±(mururu) Hearing him speak in a rare tired voice, I smiled bitterly as I stood up from the sofa. Looking around, I saw some of them had already begun cleaning up the ce. ¡°Now then, we should start helping with the clean up as well.¡±(renji) ¡°Yeah.¡±(aya) The women were in the kitchen washing stuff and the men were gathering all the tes and dishes from tables or clearing trash away. Once that was done, we arrange the breakfast prepared by the bar master and other who could cook on the tables. There were 30 of us here. Using almost half of the tables here, we started breakfast. By the way, the food prepared was fish good for digestion and soups along with white bread. Since the alcohol was still in our system, this was perfect. ¡°Aya, Mururu, will this much be enough for you guys as well?¡±(renji) ¡°Eh?¡±(aya) ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t eat properly you won¡¯t grow you know?¡± ¡°Mind your own business!¡±(aya) When I tried being considerate of her, I got scolded instead. And after that, I wonder what she was thinking as she was paying attention to her chest¡­¡­¡­.That wasn¡¯t what I meant you know? Mururu did seem to be not satisfied as she ahd already finished her soup and got more white bread from Feirona. Feirona, on the other hand, seemed to not have much of an appetite as he was just slowly drinking his soup. ¡°Say, Feirona, how much did you drink?¡±(Renji) ¡°Who knows. I don¡¯t remember but I feel like I might have drunk at least half a barrel.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Wow.¡± ¡°What about you, Renji?¡±(elf) ¡°I think, I barely had about one third of a barrel.¡±(renji) [Why the hell is your unit for measurement in barrels in the first ce!?] The tsukkomi from Ermenhilde was cold as well. As we both sighed, I sipped my soup silently. Haah¡­¡­.it¡¯s tasty. Just when I was thinking that everyone else was also silent like us¡­¡­..the dwarves had already begun to regain their energy as they started to ask for more bread and soup. Is their stomachs made of steel or something?? ¡°Apparently this soup was made by Aya-jouchan you know?¡±(random guy) ¡°Really? By that kid who was once so clumsy?¡± ¡°Damn, this is better than what my wife makes.¡± Hearing those voices, Aya was biting her bread happily. As expected, she¡¯s happy to have her cooking get praised like this. While feeling happy for her, I sipped my soup as well. ¡°yeah, this is tasty.¡±(renji) ¡°Really?¡±(aya) ¡°Yeah. Even though back then you didn¡¯t properly know how to hold a kitchen knife, you really have grown up well.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­please forget that already.¡± Hearing me, she hung her head in embarrassment. Laughs arose from other tables as well. Back then, when once Merdiore was attacked by a huge monster army, we did prepare food in emergency with Toudou taking the lead but looks like everyone remembers that event very well even now. Well, since both Aya and Yui-chan were just kids back then, it was normal. After all, they were in middle school and elementary school at that time. It¡¯s normal to not be able to cook at that age¡­¡­.or at least that wasmon sense in our world. ¡°Speaking of cooking. What about Yuuko¡¯s skill, Renji?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask. We don¡¯t even talk about it¡­¡­..¡±(renji) ¡°O, ohh¡­.¡± When I replied that to Dagram as he asked thatughingly, he shut up as if he realized something. All humans have something they are good at and things that they suck at. [I did hear that now she can prepare at least roughly eatable food.] ¡°Only ¡®roughly¡¯?!?¡± Someone reacted in a loud voice and everyone began tough. Utano-san¡­¡­..can prepare food, probably. I think. Since she¡¯s intelligent after all, though I wonder if that is a valid excuse. At least she ahs the eye to choose what¡¯s good for your body. But, she ends up using only those ingredients or rather¡­¡­..Yeah. The food she prepares is at least good for health. But the problem is the taste¡­ That things is understood by Toudou and others who ate Utano-san¡¯s cooking back then as well but still, that taste is¡­¡­Back in our world, she could somehow fix the taste with curry and stuff but that doesn¡¯t exist in this world. So what she chose was to make it spicy instead. I don¡¯t even want to remember any further. ¡°Renji.¡± ¡°hm?¡± Solnea who had been eaten her white bread spoke up. Looks like Ms Francesca and Feirona have properly taught her to not speak before finishing the food in your mouth. ¡°What will we do today?¡±(sol) ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡­do you want to do something is what I¡¯d like to ask but it¡¯s not like you know what things there are to do here either.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Then maybe I should show her around the ce? Yesterday we went to the port and the guild, maybe we should go to the various shops and stores in themercial district today. ¡°Then we should tour the streets together. Feirona and Mururu, what will you two do?¡±(renji) ¡°I am going to go sleep at the inn, first and foremost.¡±(elf) Looks like his hangover is really bad. Seeing as he had been drinking with Dagram, I¡¯m sure he actually did drink as much as he had said. Dwarves are race who can drink liquor like its water, you could say. While eating, before sleeping, it¡¯s normal for them to drink. ¡°Aya, what about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking of going and greeting all the people who helped me back then here.¡±(aya) ¡°Then, I¡¯ll also go with Renji.¡± ¡°Got it. If I recall, both Kudou and Yuuichirou also live in Merdiore right?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes. Rin-san in themercial district and ¡­¡­¡­..Enomiya-kun, probably in the residential district I think.¡±(aya) Ah but , Kudou¡¯s still in the capital I think. Though she might have returned by Utano-san¡¯s teleportation magic as well. I¡¯ll go show up there and return if she isn¡¯t there. And Yuuichirou was¡­¡­I wonder. After separating one year ago, I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s been doing since then. Utano-san said that I¡¯d understand once I meet him. Enomiya Yuuichirou. The same age as Aya and Souichi, he has the title of [Avenger], and is one of myrades. He was once bullied as a child and has been trying to change desperately aftering to this world. He,well¡­¡­¡­.went through all sorts of trouble but I wonder if now he¡¯s energetic and lively. ¡°Going to meet Yuu?¡± Hearing our talk, a fox eared beastman spoke up who was sitting beside us. He was probably bad with hot soup as he was cutely puffing at the soup trying to cool it down first. He¡¯s a guy though. ¡°Hm, yeah. It¡¯s been a year after all so I was thinking of properly meeting him again.¡±(renji) ¡°Then, he should be at the graveyard right now. Go there.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Why graveyard?¡± Why did he say only that one ce? I tilted my head but Aya nervously pulled at my sleeve. ¡°Celes-san was a resident of that district apparently.¡±(aya) ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡­¡± I see. Having forgot about it, I scratched my head ashamed of myself and took a bite off my bread silently. As I chewed down strongly, seeing me not act normally, both Feirona and Mururu looked confused. Celes. Real name, Celestia Gernia. Former subordinate of O¡¯brien-san, even though young, she was a member of the Elite first Knight Order. During the Demon God subjugation journey, she travelled with us and took of care of women¡¯s mental care of our party as well. She was strong, kind and pretty. Hearing her name, I recalled her face making me feel sad. ¡°I see.¡± I finally understood why Yuuichirou had taken residence there as well. And this is probably why Utano-san didn¡¯t go deeper into the details about it. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go there in the evening.¡± ¡°Yes. Then I¡¯ll go with you as well at that time. I want to talk with Enomiya-kun as well.¡±(aya) ¡°Then, we should meet up somewhere.¡± When I said that, Aya nodded happily. During the day, I¡¯ll give a tour to Mururu and Solnea and in the evening, I¡¯ll meet up with Aya and go meet Yuuichirou. I guess that settles the n for today. Since Feirona will be resting at the inn, it¡¯ll be fine even if Ms Francesca came there asking for us. Well, he¡¯d probably be dead asleep from the hangover though. ¡°Sure. How about the za at the centre?¡±(aya) As its name would suggest, the za was at the centre of the whole city, had water fountain and was filled with stalls an stores. Since the fountain makes for a goodndmark, it¡¯s a good ce to meet up. But the drunks here weren¡¯t going to let such an interesting topic get away. When Aya said that, everyone started talking excitedly. ¡°oh, going on a secret date?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a ce where young couples gather, eh?¡± ¡°Just stay together the whole time.¡± ¡°So the little girl will finally climb the steps to adulthood eh¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Oi Renji¡¯s is having a tryst with the little girl!!¡± ¡°Sh, shaddup! All of you!!¡±(aya) Blushing madly, Aya shouted only to get more teased. Looks like the drunkards have fully recovered already. Well, their bodies aren¡¯t weak enough to get sick from a hangover of this level. While sipping the soup, I dazedly gazed at them. Right now they¡¯re all so close to us but back then, they disliked us quite a lot or rather, were very cautious of us. Even if we had been summoned by the Goddess to kill the Demon god, to them who lived in the fear of demons and monsters, beings from another world were nothing familiar either. Where we lived, thought process, everything was different from us. And above all, even though resources were limited, we received more assistance and help. They didn¡¯t like that either. Yet, right now, they were all drinking together with us, joking around, andughing along with us. Seeing Aya getting teased by them, it felt like all them treated Aya as their own daughter. You aren¡¯t a parent if you never tease your own child as she grows. It might only be a pain from Aya¡¯s perspective though. But still, she seemed to be having fun as well, or was it just my imagination. ¡°Renji.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Feirona was pressing his head aching again probably from all the noise. And Mururu continued to eat as if all this wasn¡¯t rted to her. Among that, Solnea who had been silent till now looked towards me and spoke. ¡°What¡¯s a tryst?¡± ¡°Da, do¡­¡­..Don¡¯t ask about such things!¡±(aya) ¡°¡­¡­¡­..Is it something bad that shouldn¡¯t be known?¡±(sol) Solnea¡¯s confused voice and everyone¡¯sughter ovepped. This, this is nice. I ended up smiling as well. Looking at me like that, Aya made a troubled face, then a shy face, then hung her down. While I was looking at Aya whose emotions were changing every second, ¡°Feirona, what¡¯s a tryst?¡± ¡°Ask Renji.¡±(elf) On top of his headache from the hangover, Feirona who got even tired from all the ruckus gave a bitter smile and said that. Chapter 65 Such Days Without Fighting (1) Chapter 65 Such Days Without Fighting (1) Just like the Magic CIty Ofan, Merdiore was also divided into various districts. Business district, residential district, school district and the port area. In the residential area there was further division between the nobles¡¯ area and the general public, but there are also quite a lot of fishermen and sailors who¡¯ve taken up residence near the port area as well. The buildings were built in a systematic grid pattern and at the centre was a park from where the main street went in all 4 directions making a cross. Now then, as the name of the Commercial City would suggest, trade andmerce is prevnt here, mainly of fishes. Beyond the sea, from Elfreim as well, goods are brought in making the able to get those items even faster than the Capital. An then there are also Elves here who can enchant weapons and items with magic. And even Dwarven cksmiths who know how to use Mithril as well. With sun at its highest, walking through the lively business district¡¯s main street, I yawned. I am awake properly but that doesn¡¯t mean the alcohol ispletely out of my system yet. I did go an wash myself at the inn before going out but my head still feels heavy mostly because I still have a hangover. ¡°You okay?¡± ¡°Hm. Thanks for worrying, Mururu.¡±(renji) [Don¡¯t worry about him. It¡¯s just a hangover anyway.] Unlike Mururu who was worriedly asked me that while looking up towards me, Ermenhilde¡¯s voice that resounded in my head was cold. Looks like she¡¯s still angry that I left her with Aya to go drinking. I feel sorry, but isn¡¯t meeting my old friends important as well? Though I could have taken her with me as well. But sometimes it¡¯s fun to fool around with just all guys. ¡°Renji. What¡¯s that?¡±(sol) As I walked while thinking that, Solnea lightly pulled at my mantle and pointed towards one of the items kept on one of the stalls. Since telling her yesterday to ask me whenever she wants to know something, she¡¯s been questioning about everything she¡¯s been seeing today. It could be that even though she looked to be gazing at her surroundings indifferently, she might be curious about it inside. ¡°Oh, that is¡ª¨C¡± Common items were rolled in cloth and lined up in that street stall, and the one Solnea was pointing at was a silver earring that was kept right in the centre of all the items. Due to the detailed structure, one might not notice but it also had very small gems iid in it. It¡¯s barely the size of my pinky finger but it clearly looked the most expensive among all the items in that stall. ¡°It¡¯s an ornament. You wear it on your ears.¡±(renji) Saying that, I looked towards the shopkeeper. Maybe because all of the items were just ornaments, the shopkeeper was also wearing a lot of them. Maybe by showing them how the ornament looked while being actually worn was also to impress the customers I think. When Solnea also turned towards her, the twenty -something shopkeeper raised her light brown hair to show her ears clearly. There, a gold earring slightly bigger than the one disyed was visible. ¡°I see. So that¡¯s how its used.¡±(sol) ¡°It¡¯s all for improving a woman¡¯s appearance. See, even Mururu is using a ribbon on her right.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­..Renji, the way you said it was rude.¡±(mururu) [Yeah, what do you mean ¡®even Mururu¡¯, huh?] Giving but a shrug, I looked towards Solnea who seemed to be focused at the items. The shopkeeper was exining a lot of things hoping she¡¯d buy some but Solnea didn¡¯t seem very interested in that. With her usual expressionless eyes, she continued to stare at the various ornaments kept. ¡°Want one?¡±(renji) ¡°No.¡± I asked thinking she might be interested but she rejected it. At the same time, her gaze moved away from the ornaments as well. The shopkeeper was the one who most surprised by her sudden actions. She looked at me as if hoping I¡¯d buy something but if the person herself isn¡¯t interested. And above all, my purse doesn¡¯t have that big of a surplus either. When I refused giving a forced smile, the shopkeeper also dropped her shoulders and gave up. Understanding that I really had no intention to buy, she also easily withdrew. ¡°If you want something, tell me okay?¡± ¡°I understand.¡± As I spoke that while walking away from the stall, she replied in her usual t voice. Does she really understand though? I sighed, making her look towards me. ¡°Should I have bought it?¡±(sol) ¡°Nah, it¡¯s useless to buy something you¡¯re not interested in.¡±(renji) ¡°I see.¡± When I said that, she replied while tilting her head. Since there was no change in expression on her face, it looked really surreal. Having lost interest already, she faced forward and started walking again. Maybe because she wore an all ck dress as well, her atmosphere felt really cold but once you get used to it, it¡¯s not that bad. I¡¯ll just think of it as a part of her charm as well. ¡°Renji, that.¡± Next, Mururu pulled on my mantle and pointed towards a stall. There, they were selling grilled minced fish rolls. It was probably simr to grilled chicken. I couldn¡¯t tell from here but Mururu, who has a sensitive nose, might have smelled it from here. When I looked at her with amazed eyes, she looked at me with upturned eyes as if pleading me. Even though she had such sleepy eyes till now, suddenly they are shining with excitement now. ¡°It looks tasty.¡± ¡°I meant that for just Solnea you know?¡±(renji) ¡°I see.¡± [¡­¡­¡­.all you think about is food, isn¡¯t it?] ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten it yet so I¡¯m interested.¡± Like I sid, buy it with your own money then. Why are you telling me? While I was thinking that, Mururu went a pulled Solnea¡¯s dress. Was it just my imagination or was Mururu even more delicate with her than when pulling my mantle? ¡°Solnea.¡±(mururu) ¡°You¡¯re right. Renji, what is that?¡±(sol) ¡°¡­¡­¡­.This isn¡¯t fair.¡±(renji) [Fufu. This is fun.] When I dropped my shoulders, Ermenhildeughed. Her voice sounded like she was really enjoying this as well so I could only silently walk to that stall along with everyone. It¡¯s also troubling that even Solnea seemed like actually interested in it than anything else before. ¡°Food above all, is it?¡±(renji) ¡°What does that mean?¡±(mururu) ¡°Meaning that you both love food above everything else like ornaments etc.¡± [You talking about yourself?] ¡°Hm¡­¡­..It¡¯s not a phrase really meant to be used on men though..¡± I feel like I haven¡¯t seen many situations where this phrase could apply. Also, though I do think of food as important, my top most priority is sleeping. While loosening the thread on my leather bag, which I use as a purse, and exining about it to both of them, I bought two for each and bought and Orc meat one for myself. Well, it¡¯s stupid to be the only one to hold back after all. ¡°Don¡¯t leave and throw it okay?¡±(renji) ¡°Of course.¡±(mururu) [You look like a father of two children.] ¡°As if I¡¯d want such big children already.¡± ¡°Same¡­..Renji¡¯s a bit undisciplined to be one.¡±(mururu) [Not ¡®a bit¡¯ , he¡¯s very undisciplined in my opinion.] Is this still because I was lying wasted from drinking this morning? Goddamn these two, saying anything they feel like. Going silent for a while, we walked while eating when my mantle was pulled again and I stopped. And then I answered Solnea¡¯s questions. This cycle repeated quite a few times. And things that caught her interest ranged from ornaments like before, high exposure clothes being sold in shops, cosmetics etc. You can¡¯t call any of those necessary to live but yet they were costly, probably why it caught Solnea¡¯s interest. Is she also as practical minded like I am I wonder. As a guy it doesn¡¯t really matter but is it okay for a woman to be like that as well? Well, in the first ce it¡¯s doubtful whether Solnea has the necessary knowledge and awareness to make such decisions though. I tried exining all in a way that would make someone want to buy an item but it was in vain. While I was walking while thinking whether this was okay or not, my mantle was pulled again. Having already gotten used to this feeling in half a day, I turned to see Mururu point in a direction where a crowd had gathered. Seriously, Ipletely feel like a babysitter. ¡°Renji, what¡¯s going on there?¡±(sol) ¡°A festival?¡±(mururu) ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything to celebrate today though.¡±(renji) The twenty-something people who had gathered were doing something inside a easy made tent. As we both went closer to it, a dry cking sound came. ¡°Chess, eh?¡±(renji) Peeking inside from above the crowd, I spoke what the people had been doing. Chess. A gamemon in our world, and something Kudou sold hugely in this world. It¡¯s pretty costly and rather than y chess, the people of this world preferred working on their farms more so I had heard that it hadn¡¯t be as popr though. Looking closely, some well dressed men were ying chess while sitting inside. There were 5 chess tables. All 5 tables were filled with two yers on each side focused in their game and then there were other round tables on which people were ying (trump) cards. Looks like by setting up a temporary tent, they have created something like a amusement centre. ¡°What¡¯s chess?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­..hmm, how should I exin?¡± Thinking of how to easily exin the game in simple terms, I stood there thinking for a few seconds. ¡°By moving those pieces one by one like that, it¡¯s a GAME¡­..game where they have to take out each other¡¯s pieces to win.¡± (T/N: he says ¡®game¡¯ in english first before switching back to the JP word.) ¡°Take out each other¡¯s pieces??¡± ¡°Ummm, you see, the pawns, knights and every other different pieces has its own speciality and features but¡ª¡ª¡ªSeriously, how do I exin this.¡± [Renji, can you y this as well?] ¡°yeah, I know the rules at least but¡­¡­..¡± [Then wouldn¡¯t it be better to show them by ying rather than just talking?] ¡°¡­¡­¡­I guess so.¡± That does sound easier and faster. When I asked one the people watching the others y, it looks like many of the spectators didn¡¯t even actually know theplicated rules and were just passing time here because it was apparently still fun to see others y. And, there were also amny who slowly learned how to y by just by continuously watching. Well, that happens as well. That said, my knowledge of chess isn¡¯t more than what I have read on the inte out of curiosity. Since there was no one in my friends who yed chess, I only yed against theputer AI as well. And since I haven¡¯t done that in years now, it¡¯s all vague in my head. After a while, as I stood there, finally space opened up on one of the tables. When I asked the others to let me in, they happily let me go and y. Looks like since chess wasn¡¯t as popr yet, they were happy to see new yerse and y. ¡°now then,¡±(renji) Solnea sat down in front of me. After arranging my own pieces, I arranged Solnea¡¯s pieces as well and snapped my wrist a bit. Since we were new yers, we drew attention of the crowd and quite a lot of people gathered around to watch. I don¡¯t like being put in front of such a crowd but since Solnea has shown interest, I¡¯ll work hard to have fun as well. That said, all I can do is teach the basics to her as well. And by actually moving both mine and Solnea¡¯s pieces, I showed her how pawns, bishops, rooks etc worked and their characteristics. Moving the piece, taking down enemy pieces, and promoting pawns by taking it all the way to the enemy side. And, when the king falls, it¡¯s a loss. When I exined it all, she muttered, ¡®I see¡¯. ¡°fumu.¡± The dry cking sounds reached my ears. We both were silent, and it was our third match now. That said, since in the first match I moved Solnea¡¯s pieces as well, and the second match was obviously my win. Chess, in my opinion, depends on how much the opponent moves per your prediction. Reading moves ahead of time, you set a trap. So that the opponent moves ording to what you n and lead him directly into your trap. That said, I don¡¯t really get ¡®Reading dozens of steps into the future¡¯ that you see so many times in movies and inte. In our world, Chess has existed for over hundreds and thousands of years and is also a sport, a show of strategy and tactics. ying it like this, I truly get why it is so. I actually thought a lot as I tried to lead Solnea into a trap in the second match. And in the next match, Solnea tried to use the same tactic and I acted like I was getting fooled while setting a tarp of my own. That said, since this we¡¯re both amateurs, I doubt it actually looks like some refined trap to those watching. But it was enough to defeat Solnea who was also an amateur. As expected, I won the third match as well. ¡°It is my loss.¡±(solnea) ¡°I am the one teaching you after all. I won¡¯t lose that easily.¡±(renji) That said, I don¡¯t really have anything more to teach her. She¡¯s really smart. She has really sharp observation. She understood the tricks I used and also learned to prepare a counter against it very well. And in the end, it¡¯s not like I¡¯d have much to teach considering what I have is not more than half assed knowledge I looked up on the in my spare time. In that sense, it¡¯s amazing how she memorized how every piece moved from just hearing it once. I guess this what they call talent? Or was this her intellect she possessed from being a descendant of the Demon God? Well, in the end¡ª¨CSolnea, as she calmly and silently yed chess, looked really beautiful. While we were ying, the men watching us for mostly focused on Solnea instead. ¡°I see.¡±(sol) ¡°So, did you enjoy it?¡± ¡°Yes. This is difficult to win just from tracing someone else¡¯s movements.¡± Saying that, she arranged her pieces again. Her actions were slow and there was no emotion on her face but, she¡¯s enjoying this, right? ¡°Can we y one more time?¡±(sol) ¡°Before that, why don¡¯t you try ying against someone else first.¡±(renji) Saying that I left my seat and a different man took my ce. With curly gold hair, he was clearly a noble. Even though it was their first time meeting, he greeted Solnea with a smile as he arranged his pieces. This is a bit different than I imagined but to interact with other people like this should be good for her. Solnea¡¯s ¡®world¡¯ was a bit too small right now. WE, who are travelling with her, my friends I introduced in Merdiore, and Utano-san who she met in the capital are all she has to call as acquaintances. It should be good experience for her to talk with other people like this as well. But Solnea herself didn¡¯t seem to like that as she stared at me who had stood up. In her eyes, I felt like I sensed very minute sense of bewilderment. I really must be a bully as seeing that, I only felt happy. ¡°Well, Mururu seemed bored as well after all.¡±(renji) ¡°Un.¡± Turning aside her gaze, I turned towards Mururu who was sitting on the table to the side. I doubt she actually understood my intention but she was probably bored of chess already anyway as she was iling her legs looking really bored. I went and slightly kneeled in front of her. ¡°I¡¯m going to buy us something to drink so, you want anything?¡±(Renji) ¡°I¡¯ll go buy it instead.¡± When I spoke, Mururu energetically jumped of the table. She really must be happy to get to move her body again as her wolf tail was swaying around. I guess I should let her move around then. Giving a wry smile I gave her a bag filled with a few copper and gold coins. ¡°Buy something for me and Solnea as well.¡±(renji) ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°And don¡¯t waste the money uselessly, okay?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.okay.¡± While realizing the time it took to reply that, I didn¡¯t say anything further and let her go. Well, I doubt she¡¯d get lost either. This ce pretty easy to find and not to mention, Mururu¡¯s nose and senses are incredible. After seeing Mururu off, I turned back towards Solnea¡¯s table. Since it was her first time facing an opponent other than me, she seemed to be having trouble. Her cid sea-like expression was the same as always but her opponent didn¡¯t use the same type of moves as me. She seemed to be trying to lead her opponent but it seems her opponent understood that so it looked like she was the one getting lead on by her opponent. The man didn¡¯t seem to hesitate before ying his move. Strong¡­¡­..or rather, he¡¯s pretty experienced in ying chess probably. From what I¡¯ve heard, Chess has be a good pastime for the nobles. There aren¡¯t any tournaments or matches like in our world and neither can you earn money if you¡¯re good at chess in this world either. So, most people would obviously prefer to work on their fields rather than waste time at chess. Thus, it got popr with the second and third sons of nobles who have a lot of free time. I¡¯m sure this man is also of that type. [It¡¯s so weird.] ¡°Hm?¡± [The Demon God is surrounded by people right now.] Due to Ermenhilde¡¯s sudden words, I almost burst out. Everyone looked at me weirdly for a second but soon turned back towards the chess board as the next move was made. ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡± [¡­¡­..fuun] Solnea isn¡¯t Nayfell. Was it because she has no memories or was it because her personality was simply different? In either case, she¡¯s different from Nayfell with whom, conversing itself was useless. I think so¡­¡­..I want to believe so. She might not be AStraera, but I wish Solnea also learns to love people. Feirona, Ms Francesca, Mururu. And not just them, but a lot more people as well. In the end, Solnea lost that match as well, and a different man came to y. Chess gives the image of being a mentally tiring game but is Solnea fine? In the meantime, Mururu returned back with two drinks in her hands and a fish stick in her mouth. ¡°What¡¯s that in your mouth?¡±(renji) ¡°Nafingg¡±(mururu) [Talk after you¡¯re done eating at least.] As usual, this girl does what she wants. . . . After that, getting enthusiastically invited by that blond man and after having multiple matches, by the time we left it was already noon. ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired?¡±(renji) ¡°No. Not at all.¡±(sol) Solnea also sounded slightly regretful as she walked up alongside me. Mururu, on the other hand, in the time Solnea kept ying, she went around various food stalls, trying all of them out. Even her stomach seemed to be slightly bulging right now. ¡­¡­¡­¡­I didn¡¯t check, but seriously how much did she eat? ¡°Also Mururu, tomorrow we¡¯ll go do some jobs, okay?¡±(renji) ¡°I know.¡± [That¡¯s right, working for the amount you¡¯ve eaten is truly how adventurers work.] ¡°un.¡± Looks like she herself knew that she had eaten a bit too much as she spoke slightly embarrassed. Should I consider thisudable or should I think that she had iting? That said, the purse I gave her hasn¡¯t be that light so she did restrain herself a bit. I¡¯ll think of it that way. I¡¯ll still have her work for what she ate though. ¡°Solnea, did you enjoy chess?¡±(renji) ¡°I am not sure.¡±(sol) She spoke in her usual t voice but from what I¡¯ve seen from her talking to others, she probably did find it fun at least a bit. Whether for better or worse, Solnea who didn¡¯t talk much was surrounded by a lot of people and had to converse with them as well. Now am I being just meddlesome or is this also considered parental affection? Well, thetter would only invite all sorts of misunderstandings though. ¡°I see.¡±(renji) ¡°Renji did you¡­¡­¡±(sol) ¡°Hm?¡± While I was looking at the slight inted Mururu, Solnea spoke up. Without actually turning towards her, I only inclined my head to hear her. ¡°Did you enjoy, chess?¡±(sol) ¡°Yeah.¡± I gave an immediate reply. Though this was the first time actually ying it against someone other than on the inte, it was pretty fun. It¡¯s pretty fun to mingle with so many people and get excited about something. Well, that said, I am definitely the type who prefers to move around his body more. Maybe because I used my head and concentrated a lot more than normal, I feel really tired. ¡­¡­¡­.Even though I don¡¯t want to consider myself as a muscle-head. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Maybe we should y again sometime?¡±(renji) ¡°If Renji wants to.¡± As usual, she won¡¯t show her own will. But I still felt like there was some progress as I felt a slight wave of emotion in her. ¡°But still, Mururu, how much did you eat?¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­¡­.A lot?¡±(mururu) [What exactly do you mean by ¡®a lot¡¯ is what we want to know though.] She maybe realized that I was string at her stomach as she gave a slight re towards me. When Iughed at that, she punched at my thigh very lightly. Since it didn¡¯t hurt, I ended upughing even more. [What the hell are you two doing, seriously.] While hearing her fed up voice as usual, we entered one of the bigger item shops on the main street. The items kept were not in any way inferior to the ones in the capital¡­¡­in fact, it might be even better. ¡°Renji, do you want to buy something?¡± ¡°Hm, yeah, a little something.¡± Since every item had been divided perfectly by type and use, it was easy to find what I wanted. A chessboard and pieces. Finding it more costly that I expected, I hesitated a bit but in the end I decided to ignore it¡­¡­¡­there were quite a lot of types but the one in the middle, and it¡¯s price, was suitable for me. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Renji wants to y chess as well?¡± ¡°Well, yeah. If we have this, Solnea won¡¯t get bored either right?¡± Me and Mururu like to move around, and enjoy scenery more, but Solnea¡¯s chain of emotions was more difficult to understand. Then, I hope she can enjoy something like chess since she did show interest. I doubt there¡¯d be anyone who ys chess in Elfreim but she can enjoy it while we¡¯re in Merdiore after all. ¡°Maybe you should y it as well if Ms Francescaes to meet?¡±(renji) ¡°Fran ys chess as well?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. But it did seem popr with nobles after all.¡± ¡°fuun.¡± Looks like Mururu really isn¡¯t very interested. Well, I already understood that since she resembles me in that sense. Feirona¡­¡­.I think he¡¯ll be good at it if he learns once. Or rather, I feel like he¡¯d instantly get better than even me. ¡°Here.¡±(renji) ¡°Is this okay?¡±(sol) ¡°Well you didn¡¯t want anything for yourself so.¡± After buying that we left the item shop and I handed it, and the bag it was given to us in, over to Solnea. Even if she shows interest, she won¡¯t ask for it. That only happens for food. Really, food beats everything eh. I wish that she¡¯d take after Aya or Ms Francesca more than Mururu though. With this, maybe she¡¯s learn some more womanly emotions¡­¡­¡­.well, there¡¯s nothing womanly about chess though. I feel like the gift might have its own type of trouble as well. ¡°Thank you very much.¡±(sol) [Don¡¯t mind it. Renji¡¯s way too kind to every woman after all.] ¡°Could you please stop with such easily misunderstood words already?¡± To Ermenhilde¡¯s sudden words, I ended up speaking like that. Now then, after getting lunch, where should we head next? ¡°Or rather, Mururu, can you even eat lunch now?¡±(renji) [You don¡¯t have to force yourself to eat, okay?] ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, I think.¡± When we spoke in amazed voices, Mururu spoke that confidently. Well, if she¡¯s like this, I do8ubt she¡¯d be ¡®forcing¡¯ herself to eat. Looking back to make sure that Solnea was still silently walking with us and had not gotten lost, she was holding the chess bag close to her chest as if preciously. It doesn¡¯t look like she¡¯s holding it too tight to break it. Her face is expressionless as always though. Chapter 66 Such Days Without Fighting (2) Chapter 66 Such Days Without Fighting (2) The sun had begun to set. Under the dusk coloured sky, sitting on a bench in the central park, I shivered from the cold. The cold here isn¡¯t as severe as in Japan but it was still winter right now. It¡¯s still pretty cold. I tried to bear the cold by covering myself with my mantle but it didn¡¯t seem to be very effective. If it was going to be like this, I should have kept at least Mururu or Solnea with me. After all, it would have been much warmer if even a single person was with you. You can also talk with them, and walk with them. As I sighed feeling lonely after separating from myrades, who had been with me till a while ago, a voice resounded in my head. [Why are you sighing now?] ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just so cold.¡± [Well, it¡¯s winter after all.] That¡¯s all my partner said. I wish she¡¯d try to keep the conversation going a bit more. That¡¯s very like her but it also made me feel cold and ,lonely again. I know these are such cheap troubles but I can¡¯t do anything about it either. While sitting on the bench, I began observing the people passing by. Kids with their parents, or lovers, holding arms with each other, an old couple, young brothers, and men who were waiting for someone, like me. Everyone wereughing, worrying about what to eat for dinner, hurrying back home; everyone had a different expression. While I continued gazing at this wave of people, a familiar person walked towards me from the crowd. And due to the cold wind, she was holding her robe close to her body and holding down her hair from swaying too much. She looked to be even colder than me. ¡°Sorry, did I make you wait too long?¡±(aya) ¡°Nah, I got here just a while ago as well.¡± [Really?] Ermenhilde destroyed my try to make a normal greeting instantly. Even Aya looked at me with a difficult to exin expression. Since Aya was pretty tall, and I was sitting, she was looking down towards me making it all the more awkward. Hmm, making such a voice I stretched my stiffened body only to see Aya startughing. ¡°What?¡±(renji) ¡°It¡¯s nothing, don¡¯t worry.¡±(aya) She said that but her expression seemed to be really cheerful and happy, and due to my partner who can still never read the mood, I dropped my shoulders feeling slightly embarrassed. Maybe she noticed my feelings as Aya cleared her throat andbed back her slightly disarrayed hair due to the wind. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go, shall we?¡±(aya) ¡°Hm? Ah, yeah.¡± Even as I stood up, once again, It really is cold, eh? I spoke up When I said that, she agreed and started walking beside me. A few gazes gathered towards us inside the park. And every gaze was that of a young man, because that¡¯s how attractive Aya¡¯s appearance was. ¡°So, has Rin-san returned already?¡± ¡°Kudou? Nah, her house was locked.¡± I recalled the house made of stone and concrete. It was on a whole different scale, making me feel amazed at how she didn¡¯t mind living there. She didn¡¯t even try to slightly blend in with the surroundings like Toudou¡¯s restaurant. It was clearly a house from a different world. ¡°¡­¡­..You sure she wasn¡¯t just asleep?¡±(aya) ¡°No, Mururu said that she couldn¡¯t sense any human presence, so it must be true.¡± ¡°fuumu, I see.¡± [What, did you need Rin for something?] ¡®Ah, yeah. Well not really. I was hoping we could get her help for the Griffin subjugation as well.¡±(aya) For something she spoke so casually, the matter wasn¡¯t that simple. It¡¯s not something you should be talking about at a perfect date spot and in the evening, right? Well, I¡¯d be troubled if she started talking about romantic things as well though. ¡°What, did you ept a request or something?¡±(renji) ¡°No, not really but I was hoping to prepare beforehand so we could move as soon as the requestes.¡± [¡­¡­.Right, Aya is really diligent after all.] It¡¯s almost as if you¡¯re implying that a certain someone isn¡¯t diligent in his work? Well, not that I actually think of myself to be diligent though. Dagram was the one gathering the necessary people required but true, it¡¯d be more rxing if Kudou was here as well. Even as the [Item Creator], she has more physical ability than me and is also good at making decisions on the fly. She¡¯d be fine even when fighting on the front lines against an Arch Griffin. But then, I¡¯d totally look like nothing more than a burden though. But I guess that¡¯s usual as well. How sad, or should I say, pathetic. Even though I have already abandoned any hopes to actually be a Hero, I still can¡¯t let Aya or Kudou fight alone. ¡°A Griffin likes corpses of animals and¡­¡­¡­.what was it, it was a weird named grass.¡± I should ask Feirona and other elves and Dwarves in Merdiore about it. Since Griffins have a good nose, you can lure a Griffin with the smell of blood and that peculiar grass. It¡¯d be easy to get it trapped as well. Since it¡¯s a bird, it¡¯s also easier to take one in the dark as well. While recalling the methods of dealing with Griffins I had been taught, I decided to be of use by using my brains more. ¡°Oh right, where are Mururu and others?¡±(aya) ¡°I had them both go back to the inn.¡± ¡°Is that so? I thought it¡¯d be fine to introduce them to Enomiya-kun as well.¡± [Yeah, but Renji bought Solnea a chess board so they had to go back.] ¡°Eh? Chess?¡± Why are they rted? Aya tilted her head in confusion. ¡°Ah, I had her y chess during noon and she seemed to be interested in it so I bought her a set due to which she became interested in ying it with Ms Francesca as well.¡±(renji) While I was giving her a tour, she asked me multiple times if Ms Francesca woulde to the inn or not. Still without any expression though. She never directly said that she wanted to y but I¡¯m pretty sure that was what she meant. It probably was not my imagination that her footsteps looked light as she walked back towards the inn with Mururu. ¡°Oh is that so¡­¡±(aya) I didn¡¯t do it without any intent behind it that could make me feel guilty and purely out of good will, hoping she could truly enjoy this world, but Aya didn¡¯t seem very convinced. Well, I know she isn¡¯t that narrow minded but somehow her words still felt a bit cold. Or could it be? That she was anxious that I gave only Solnea a present? Looking at her, she was looking at me suspicious half open eyes. Even her walking speed rose and it ended with me walking slightly behind her. The setting sun cast a shadow behind her as she walked with her hair swaying at every step she took. It looked so much like a good painting that I wondered how many people were there in the world who had such a disposition. ¡°I want her toe to like humans and learn to enjoy all sorts of things, you know?¡±(renji) ¡°Fuun. Oh really?¡± To my excuse, Aya replied without turning back towards me. I¡¯m sure she was pouting right now. As she walked while joing her arms near her waist, she really looked like a sulking child. While finding it pleasant, I thought of how to fix her mood. Now if this was Mururu or Solnea, buying a skewered grilled meat would suffice though. While thinking of such rude things, I continued walking. [If you¡¯re going to meet Yuuichirou, how about buying at least a few flowers first?] ¡°yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± Since we were in a great date spot, there quite a few flower vendors in view. She heard Eremenhidle as well as Aya stood beside me silently and looked at the flowers. Looks like even if the world is different, it¡¯s stillmon sense to give flowers to your lover or offering some at a person¡¯s grave. In Japan though we use chrysanthemum but in this world, they tie small lovely white flowers together in a bundle when leaving some at a grave. Since white was close to silver, and silver was the symbol of the Goddess, it was meant to lead the souls of the dead to the Goddess apparently. Getting a bundle of flowers from the florist, I paid the expenses. After finishing buying, the florist looked at me and Aya with a knowing gaze. She must be letting her imagination run wild in his head I guess. The florist was young girl after all. She must really enjoy love talk. Looks like that doesn¡¯t change in any world as well. ¡°Now then, we got this as well, let¡¯s get going.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes.¡± It really must be my imagination that her voice still sounded t. Did she want some flowers as well? I thought but to travellers like us, flowers don¡¯t have much meaning. Even if you decorate it somewhere, you don¡¯t know when you might have to leave again after all. And for the same reason, it¡¯s useless trying to grow some by yourself as well. But still wanting flowers is, I guess, what makes her a woman. In our previous world, giving flowers as a gift might be eptable but in this world, gifts to an adventurer need to be more practical and pragmatic¡­¡­¡­or am I the only one who thinks that? While gazing at Aya who was walking slightly ahead of me while sulking, I ended up smiling. It¡¯s very adorable to see her like this when she¡¯s usually more Adult-like, or maybe this was more like her. In any case, I prefer this Aya more I think. ¡°Aya, don¡¯t sulk so much.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really sulking or anything.¡± I am sure she enjoys such time as well. She was pouting as if angry but her voice sounded really happy. Adventurer. Monster hunts. After getting summoned here, she received inhumane power and abilities. Yet, we still don¡¯t know when we might die. We never think that we¡¯ll die, living our life till the very end of our life span and it¡¯s doubtful that we¡¯d get to die happily lying on a bed. That¡¯s why, such small things are so precious to both me and Aya. [You two sure get along well.] ¡°When Eru says it, it feels more like sarcasm though.¡±(aya) She turned around to say that but her lips were still pouting but her expression looked more fed up than angry. This¡¯d be fine if Ermenhilde had an actual body, but she¡¯s just a medal. I end up as the one taking her gaze. ¡°You were with Renji-san alone for a whole year after all.¡±(aya) [I felt more like a babysitter though.] I had no words for my partner who replied with that instantly. I don¡¯t recall causing so much trouble but, it must be true if she says it. Looking at me nkly for a second, Aya burst intoughter. Seeing her smile warmed my heart and even though I had been just told something heartless by my partner, I still ended up smiling. ¡°I told you when we were travelling to Merdiore as well but I really did spend thest one year just rxing after all.¡±(renji) ¡°But that¡¯s fine, isn¡¯t it? As long as we can talk andugh like this. Even though we may still be very far from true peace, it¡¯s still a peaceful time right now.¡±(aya) ¡°¡­¡­¡­I guess so.¡± I didn¡¯t deny her. I just couldn¡¯t. Because I feel the same. As long as we canugh, while rxing like this, I¡¯m sure, that¡¯s the happiest thing to ever exist. Without the threat of monsters, demons or the Demon God, if I could travel around this beautiful and rich world,¡ª¨CI¡¯m sure that was what Eru¡¯s wish was as well. That¡¯s why, when I alsoughed at her words, Aya looked at me nkly again. And then gave a truly happy smile. As we continued walking while talking like that, the crowd became slowly lesser and lesser. The number of buildings also reduced and instead, barren trees with leaves fallen on the ground as per the season came more and more into our view. Along the side of the path, which was most probably a flower bed, there were no flowers growing right now. This path with only withered trees around gave a quite deste feeling. Going further ahead, we reached a ce surrounded by an iron fence. Probably because this ce was at a point even higher than the residential area, you could clearly see the sea from here. It was a cemetery truly fitting one that would exist in a port town, you could say. It wasn¡¯t that big and the number of graves were less than even hundred. Rarely is a body left intact after losing to a monster and most of the times, that body is often taken away by the monsters as food anyway. There are many cases where not a single piece of body is found and you have to treat them as missing. But, after a battle¡­¡­..if you can¡¯t find someone even after a few days, the chances of them actually living are considered very low. Such corpse-less individuals only have their names carved on the gravestone. ¡°It should be obvious but, it¡¯s such a mncholic ce.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Answering Aya¡¯s mutterings, I saw a figure standing at the cemetery gates. Thinking it might be Yuuichirou, I looked at the figure but their height was shorter than Yuuichirou¡¯s. It¡¯s been a year since I¡¯ve seen him but I¡¯m sure he was at least 170cm but the figure in front of me was maybe even lesser than 160cm from what I could tell. For someone who came to visit a grave, it¡¯s weird that the person is standing at the gates. Were they waiting for someone? Thinking that we walked closer when the person gave a bow. Reflexively both me and Aya did the same as well but I didn¡¯t sense much friendliness from the person. Just a formal greeting. With dark purple semi-long hair and a dignified expression that felt somewhat cold, she was wearing a tunic and a ankle-length long skirt. As we headed into the cemetery while I confirmed her appearance with a sidelong nce, my side got elbowed. ¡°Mouu.¡±(aya) ¡°What, I was just confirming who that was!¡±(renji) [Oh I wonder about that.] How much o they distrust my rtionship with women? Oniisan will get really sad, you know? While talking stupidly inside my head, we headed inside the cemetery. Knee high graves had been made in a uniform pattern and all were very well maintained as well. And as if surrounded by the numerous stone graves, under the setting sun, a single man dressed in all ck was holding something like a long broom stick and was cleaning a grave. Even though the sun¡¯s setting, he really must be a zealous man. And in front of him was a big grave. Bigger than both me and the ck clothed man, it was a grave meant for all the ones who didn¡¯t have a corpse and the ck clothed man seemed to be just staring at the grave in a daze. ¡°Yo, Yuuichirou.¡±(renji) To the ck clothed man¡¯s back, I called out. His clothes were ck, the long coat he was wearing was also ck. And his boots and gloves as well. Even his tanned skin looked on the cker under the setting sun. And among all this ck, only his grayish hair stood out. In the past one year, his hair really have grown a lot. It was long before as well but right now its as long as a woman, while tied very simply behind his back. But his body looked much smaller than even us. The reason was Yuuichirou¡¯s left arm. He didn¡¯t have one. In a battle long ago, he hadpletely lost it. The empty sleeve swayed in the wind. Reacting to my voice, the man turned around. He really must have grown ustomed to living peacefully in Merdiore as he didn¡¯t sense even after we came so close to him. It¡¯s something that would have been unimaginable before. ¡°Ah.¡± With a slightly surprised voice, his violet eyes opened slightly wide. ¡°Huh? Yamada-san and Aya-chan, why are you guys here?¡±(yuu) And with a leisurely, almost stupid sounding voice, he tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Long time no see Yuuichirou. We are on a journey and have made a stop here. How are you? Been doing well?¡±(renji) ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Enomiya-kun.¡±(aya) ¡°Un. Yeah, it¡¯s been a long time both of you. You two seem to be doing well as well.¡±(yuu) ¡°Yeah.¡± With a smile, he gave his greetings as well. That gesture of his looked much more mature than a year ago. ¡°Have you been visiting the grave everyday?¡±(renji) ¡°No way, not everyday. Right now, Ie only once a week.¡±(yuu) ¡°¡­¡­.I see.¡± Saying that, I stood beside Yuuichirou and ced the yellow flowers we bought a while ago. As I joined my hands to pay respects, Yuuichirou gave his thanks. Here lie everyone of those who had no corpse left to bury. People attacked by monsters, adventurers who never returned after going ona job. And travellers who got lost forever mid journey. Among those, Yuuichirou¡¯s lover, Celestia-san was also included. She travelled with us, and died. And we¡­¡­.couldn¡¯t bring her body back with us. ¡°But still, it¡¯s rare to see both of you together here like this. Did something happen?¡±(yuu) ¡°About that, let¡¯s talk about itter in detail Enomiya-kun.¡±(aya) ¡°Sure. How¡¯s Souichi?¡±(yuu) ¡°Way too energetic. Renji-san is the same as well.¡±(aya) [umu. He was staring at women even at the cemetery entrance.] Even though we met after such a long time, is that really what you want to talk about? Yuuichirouughed seeing getting mmed by both Aya and Ermenhilde. And after some time passed with me getting teased like that, Yuuichirou took deep breathes to stop himself fromughing too much. ¡°Are you guys in Merdiore for a while?¡±(yuu) ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ll be heading to Elfreim soon though.¡±(renji) ¡°I see.¡± By the time we stopped talking, the sky had already gotten quite dark. The air became colder and Aya shrugged from the cold. Looking at her, both me and yuuichirou exchanged nces. ¡°Well then, I¡¯lle see you guys next time.¡±(yuu) ¡°Don¡¯t mind it. We¡¯re totally free so we¡¯lle again.¡±(renji) ¡°Sure. Next time, let¡¯s properly sit down and talk.¡±(yuu) [Yeah, that sounds nice.] Another cold wind blew. Aya¡¯s robe and skirt blew up and she gave a small shriek. Since we¡¯re close to the sea, the wind is pretty strong here. I think in summers the wind would feel really nice. And the scenery is incredible as well. Though I doubt the cemetery is a good ce to be enjoying the scenery. ¡°Now that I think about it, it¡¯s rare to see you two alone with each other like this.¡±(yuu) ¡°Hmm?¡± Was it really? Being told that, I tilted my head in confusion. I recall quite a lot of instances where I was alone with her though? During the journey, we did spend a lot of time as night guards together. We went buying stuff together many times as well. Well, I think what he means is probably it¡¯s rare since Aya became more conscious of me. Back then, I think she didn¡¯t really mind the differences between men and women. ¡°Well, I guess.¡±(aya) Before I could say anything, Aya spoke that puffing her chest with pride. Even though she was blushing like crazy when getting teased by those drunks about this, she seemed fine when Yuuichirou says the same thing. In a way, she¡¯s gotten used to it perhaps? Afetr a slight gap of silence, Ahem, I cleared my throat. Well that doesn¡¯t mean she doesn¡¯t get embarrassed anymore. Unlike her previous pure smile, her current proud expression looked really amusing. ¡­¡­¡­when I thought that, Aya stomped on my foot. Since it didn¡¯t hurt I guess she held back. And Yuuichirouughed again. Seeing him like that, it feels like he¡¯sughing a lot more aspared to a year ago. And he also seemed to have gotten used toughing as well. And it¡¯s not a deceiving or secretive smile either, it¡¯s simply a bright pure smile. Recalling Celestia-san, his thoughts always seemed to go towards the negative. But still if he canugh like this right now, looks like he¡¯s settled matters with his heart as well. Or maybe he¡¯s trying to move on ahead. Aya also gave augh and wiped the tears welling in her eyes. Those tears are probably not because ofughing to much but due to being happy to see Yuuichirouughing happily like this. At that moment, a rustling sound came to us. ¡°Yuuichirou-san.¡± Before I could turn to look, a calm voice came to us. Looking towards the source of the voice, the woman who had been standing at the entrance of the cemetery was standing their silently. ¡°C-san.¡±(yuu) Calling her name, Yuuichirou gave a curt bow. So her name is C. I looked towards Yuuichirou asking to introduce us when Yuuichirou¡¯s expression was not the cheerful one from before, instead he was giving a more mature looking smile. And then, he walked towards her side. And she didn¡¯t seem to mind that as if it was a very natural action. In fact, she seemed to step in a little closer to Yuuichirou. ¡°This is Seravi Gernia. Celes-san¡¯s younger sister.¡±(yuu) ¡°¡­¡­..Nice to meet you.¡± And she gave a bow again. Seeing her, both me and Aya exchanged nces for a second. I had never heard of her having a younger sister and she seemed very different from Celestia-san as well. Celestia-san was lively, vigorous, always leading and pulling us along with her. But her younger sister standing in front of us seemed silent and slightly gloomy. Maybe that made her expression look slightly dark as well. It might sound really rude, but she was nothing like her older sister. Since Celestia-san always left such a strong impression, I ended upparing the two. I do feel that it¡¯s bad of me to do that and I know it¡¯s very normal for sisters to havepletely opposite personalities. ¡°We are currently living together.¡±(yuu) But the next words made my heart almost jump out from surprise. ¡°What?¡± I was lost for words and Aya looked at Yuuichirou with a ck expression. The boy called Yuuichirou is a very quiet and calm boy. Introverted, he rarely speaks up his own thoughts. It might sound bad but he¡¯s the type that gets flown around by his surroundings¡­¡­.that¡¯s the kind of boy he is. He would sometimes agree with someone even though he¡¯s of thepletely opposite opinion and then would get stressed about it as well. And the one who encouraged and lifted him up was Celestia-san and Yuuichirou was captivated by her and worked hard to change so that she mighte to like him as well. And hearing that he was now living with Celestia-san¡¯s younger sister honestly surprised me. It¡¯s not like falling in love again is bad or anything. In fact, I feel like really supporting him if he¡¯s trying to move ahead. But, I always thought that Yuuichirou preferred lively women like Celestia-san that¡¯s all. Also, there¡¯s also a rude part of me thinking that he was ate bloomer. ¡°Nice to meet you, Seravi-san. My name is Renji Yamada.¡± ¡°Oh my, how very polite of you. I¡¯m Seravi Gernia. Yuuichirou has told me a lot about you.¡± ¡°Eh, um, Nice to meet you as well, I¡¯m Aya Fuyou.¡± Greeting each other, we three gave a bow. It might look really surreal from Yuuichirou¡¯s point of view who was still standing. ¡°Are you done with your work and talk?¡±(sera) ¡°Un. Sorry to have kept you waiting Sera-san. What will you two be doing? If you like, we can take dinner together¡­¡­.¡±(yuu) ¡°Ah, no, no. We¡¯ll pass for today. Right, Renji-san?¡±(aya) ¡°I guess. Yeah.¡±(renji) ¡°Really? Then since you¡¯re in Merdiore, we¡¯ll invite you again some other time. Then, let¡¯s go home, shall we Sera-san?¡±(yuu) ¡°Yes.¡± Saying that, both of them gave a bow to us, who stood there stiff, and left together. She stood to the left of Yuuichirou and seemed to walk as if supporting his now nonexistent left arm. ¡­¡­¡­Seriously? ¡°Renji-san, did you know?¡±(aya) ¡°Nope, I didn¡¯t.¡± I pinched my cheek but yeah, it hurts. This isn¡¯t a dream. In this world women have a strong sense of virtue and it¡¯s almost taboo for a woman to show her skin before marriage. It was the same for cohabitation as two people who were neither family were children living together would be seen by the society as having ¡®that kind¡¯ of rtionship. And since it¡¯s not just Yuuichirou who is from our world, and also a woman who is originally from this world¡­¡­¡­..i¡¯m pretty sure they are in that kind of rtionship. The one between man and woman. It¡¯s a happy thing to be honest but the fact that none of us knew that made itplicated. He could have told us beforehand geez. Well, in this world where there¡¯s no inte or phones, it could take months for just one letter to reach and it¡¯s impossible to write a letter to someone who¡¯s always travelling so I can¡¯t reallyin. ¡°Yuuko-san, did she not know as well¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Who knows.¡± Her voice seemed as if she was muttering to herself and even my own reply seemed tock the strength in my voice. That¡¯s how shocking that was. Yuuichirou. THAT Yuuichirou was living together with a woman! That kid, though this might sound really rude, but he¡¯s too na?ve when ites to thing concerning romance. He¡¯s the type who¡¯d forget to tell his own feelings because he couldn¡¯t say it once. [Why the hell are you grinning like that. Looks disgusting.] ¡°¡­¡­¡­.You really show no mercy, do you?¡± Now that I think about it, I forgot to tell him about the Griffin subjugation in the end. Chapter 67 Such Days Without Fighting (3) Chapter 67 Such Days Without Fighting (3) Hiding myself in a not so thickly grown, lush tree, I gazed up at the sky. The sky was clear and blue, the clouds white, and the sun was shining as the cold wind caressed my cheeks. While tightening my body from the cold wind, I have continued staring at the sky¡­¡­.for about 3 hours now. Not that I have a watch on me and I am only able to tell that from the movement of the sun, but I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m not wrong. ¡°About 4, is it¡­¡­..?¡± ¡°nah, that one is slightly smaller than the ones we had seen till now, so that makes it 5.¡±(renji) ¡°Really? But like the one before, its wing is also slightly damaged though.¡± ¡°Mu.¡± [¡­¡­¡­It¡¯s amazing how you guys can tell all that from down here.] While we counted the number of griffins in the sky, Ermenhilde spoke that in an amazed voice. No, we¡¯re not just ying around. Finding out the exact number of griffins before we head to subjugate them is also a very important job, you know. Hiding in the tree, and carrying Mururu near my chest, I put on my mantle to endure the cold. And by hiding my body temperature like that, we observed the movement of the griffins. Griffins in Elfreim normally make abundantly green mountains as their nests but there was only this bare mountain near Merdiore. There is not a speck of greenery on this mountain. Then that means these griffins¡¯ behaviour is probably different from the ones me or Mururu know of. Or rather, the griffins must have changed their behavioural patterns to adapt to this newnd. And to investigate that, we are observing them from the morning. It¡¯s not like Mururu pestered me to do something else since there was only chess to y at our inn or anything. This is also a job. We¡¯ll even get a reward for this. ¡°It¡¯s easy. The one flying right now has a damaged wing¡­¡­.and the new griffin¡¯s cry is slightly higher pitched than the rest.¡±(mururu) ¡°that¡¯s true.¡± [¡­¡­¡­.It¡¯s okay since I know that beastmen have senses far more sensitive than humans but it¡¯s really amazing how you can understand the same things, Renji.] ¡°It¡¯s experience that¡¯s all.¡±(renji) Also, to differentiate between monsters is a skill very necessary to adventurers. Especially when in party, saying ¡®Go defeat that goblin¡¯ and ¡®Go defeat the goblin with a scar on its face¡¯ make a lot of difference. Those eyes and ears that can catch such peculiarities instantly are very important skills to have to an adventurer in my opinion. While observing these griffins with Mururu, I gave a yawn. It might have been better to stay inside with Aya and Feirona and watch their chess games¡­¡­..Well, but then I recalled that the main reason we came here was because it was painful to just sit in one ce and not move around at all. By the way, currently the skill ranking in chess is Aya, then Feirona, then me andst is Solnea. And it won¡¯t be strange if Solnea surpassed me as well in a few days. I recalled even Aya telling how both Feirona and Solnea learnt things extremely fast. That means, I am just too slow at getting the hang of things. I recall I was told this about swordsmanship as well but still, it¡¯s a weird feeling to be surpassed by kids and amateurs so fast. I have gotten quite used to this feeling as well but that doesn¡¯t change that it still feels a bit sad and frustrating. So, getting scared of ying with Solnea again, I ended up going to the guild to get some jobs. Even feel like it¡¯s pathetic as I sighed. Also, Feirona instantly became better than me. That actually didn¡¯t really surprise me at all though. I had already given up on that. ¡°The big one, isn¡¯ting.¡±(mururu) ¡°Yeah..¡± We have been waiting since morning but the Arch griffin had yet to show itself to us. That is the one I want to see the most though. You can¡¯t tell a Griffin and an Arch Griffin apart from a single nce. Since they are technically the same race, there isn¡¯t much change in appearance. But they can be at least twice as big than normal having lived so long. A griffin is usually 3-4m big. Slightly bigger than lions of our world. Their wingspan is really big so they seem much bigger than what they actually are. That said, it¡¯s still much bigger than a human. Inparison, an Arch griffin can be as big as 5-7m. We don¡¯t exactly know how long a griffin lives but we do know that it bes an Arch Griffin when it has grown to its limit. Even I think that the naming difference is very vague. But, its power is definitely different than normal. Normal Griffins can use spirit magic that the Demihumans call [Ward Spells], and can destroy a magicians concentration from a single cry to stop their spell casting. But an Arch Griffin can even create wind des and tornados. If we¡¯re talking about just wind magic, they can fight on equal or surpass this world¡¯s strongest magic users. ¡°Mururu, have you ever hunted an Arch griffin before?¡± ¡± No, papa said that it¡¯s dangerous and didn¡¯t allow it. Even though I am already an adult, he still called me a child and refused me.¡± ¡°I see.¡± [Probably because your body is still too small.] ¡°I¡¯ll grow big soon!¡± Seeing her get worked up just from Ermenhilde¡¯s singlement is exactly why she¡¯s still a kid but I should probably not say that. ¡°Isn¡¯t it nice though, it shows that your father deeply cares for you.¡± ¡°I wish he¡¯d stop treating me like a child though.¡± ¡°In my opinion he¡¯s just simply worried for you not because you¡¯re a kid or anything.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Renji, are you taking my father¡¯s side?¡± ¡°hmm¡­¡­.I don¡¯t know him nor have I ever seen him so I can¡¯t really say.¡± But I think I understand how her father feels. I really haven¡¯t met him but I¡¯m pretty sure that he really cares for Mururu. Maybe he¡¯s worried as hell since Mururu had toe all the way here alone due to Zwenelia¡¯s oracle. I recalled how Mururu had been broke when I met her. She had told how she had been robbed of all her money by some people. It¡¯s great that it was just money. Those heartless people could even take someone¡¯s life as well. When I thought of that, I suddenly felt the warmth in my arms as more precious. Just thinking about how this warmth could get stolen, my heart tightened. It¡¯s the same feeling I had for Aya and Souichi¡ªand all the kids back then. Feeling like a parent yet not actually a parent. Even I can¡¯t exin it but I find those feelings really precious to me. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing. I was just thinking about how I totally understand what your father felt.¡± Hiding away on a ship, getting mugged. Anyone would be uneasy. ¡°Renji¡¯s also treating me like a kid?¡± [That¡¯s not it, it¡¯s better to say that he¡¯s just worried for you.] ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s just as Ermenhilde says Mururu.¡±(renji) ¡°fuuun.¡± She didn¡¯t seem very satisfied and made a sulky sound. I felt that this was what made her seem so childish but I think at her age, I was also simr I think. I smiled hoping she won¡¯t notice but she did notice it and my arm was slightly pinched. Rather than pain, it felt itchy. That was again also so amusing that I shook fromughter. ¡°Hmph.¡± [If you get angry from just this, then you really are a kid.] ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± This time she pinched my upper arm slightly stronger. ¡°ow, that hurt.¡±(renji) ¡°That was the intent.¡±(mururu) As we continued looking at the sky while messing around like this, a few Harpies appeared in the sky this time. They had the lower body of a bird and the upper body of a hairy human. Instead of arms, they had wings, and though they didn¡¯t have a beak, they had fangs inside their mouth. They were mostly orange-ish in colour. Just when I was thinking that they probably rose p from near the foot of the bare mountain, they suddenly did a nosedive again. Looking that way, I spotted a few goblins moving on the ground. And just when I thought they¡¯d go directly at the goblins and attack them, even faster the Griffins violently assaulted the Harpies. Facing an attack from a body that¡¯s more than 3m the harpies were unable to withstand it and began to freefall from just a ramming attack from the griffins. It¡¯s not important but this is the time when Griffins hunt it seems. ¡°As expected, it has be like this.¡±(renji) [What do you mean, Renj?] ¡°Nah, I was just thinking about how the movements of other monsters has also changed since the Griffins arrived.¡± [That¡¯s true.] Goblins feed on cattle, humans and wild grass. Harpies feed on such goblins and humans. They had such an ecosystem built but due to the sudden appearance of Griffins that eat humans goblins and harpies, the hunting methods of monsters has changed. Or rather, both goblins and Harpies have stopped attacking anything out of fear. Due to that, even when the Griffins are prowling in the air, the other monsterse out of hiding unable to starve any longer. And that¡¯s when the Griffins attack. Right now, only the Griffins are winning alone. If we leave them alone, the number of griffins will increase at a fast rate. And once the number of goblins and Harpies reduce, they¡¯ll start attacking humans next. Here, it¡¯d be the unlucky Merdiore city. Now, I doubt they are socking in personnel that the whole city would fall just toa few griffins but they will suffer quite a lot of damage. Right now, there¡¯s five of them and Griffin¡¯s breeding season is in spring. After only a few months, their numbers will double. Griffins are simr to the birds of our world in the sense that theyy multiple eggs at the same time. ¡°Mururu, don¡¯t move.¡± ¡°Un.¡± Though we are pretty far away, the Griffins are sensitive to even the slightest of movements in the air due to having the protection of Sylph. And though there is a certain method to use that against them as well, it¡¯ll be difficult to face them with Mururu alone. And if it ended up calling other griffins, we¡¯ll have no way out. Covering us with my mantle, I observed the Griffins as they preyed on the Harpies. Really, they are pretty big. In fantasy novels and manga, Griffins are often portrayed as rideable mounts but I really doubt these things are tameable. After all they eat humans and are really ferocious. Even if I was on its back, I¡¯ll only be worried of getting eaten by it. The Griffins beak has a lot of strength. It can rip apart an arm off the body very easily. It was the same with even harpies as the Griffins tore them apart limb by limb and swallowed them whole. And after having their full, they left just the innards lying there and flew away. And even those innards were eaten away by the goblins, so all that was left was blood stains. Seeing such a scene right in front of me made me recall that one scene from that dinosaur movie but it is reality here. Thinking about how the next time I could be the one in ce of those harpies, I really couldn¡¯tugh about it. Even after witnessing such a cruel scene, my heart didn¡¯t waver at all, probably because I¡¯ve also grown up and matured now. And seeing that even Mururu showed no such signs either even though she¡¯s half my age once again proved to me the cruelty of this world. Not that someone like me who has only lived a mere 3 years here has any right to say about it though. ¡°Now then, it¡¯s pretty depressing thinking of how we have to fight those things as well.¡±(renji) ¡°You¡¯re always like that.¡± [that¡¯s true.] ¡°Really, you two sure get along so well.¡±(renji) I have been trying to be more proactive recently you know? Is this that? Because the first impression was just so bad? While thinking of that, I opened my mantle and stood up. Looks like it¡¯ll be difficult to get to see the arch griffin today. Since the Griffins in the sky have disappeared as well, it¡¯s about time to return. Since I sat in the same position for such a long time, all of my joints hurt. ¡°We¡¯re going back?¡±(mururu) ¡°yeah, do you have something else you want to do?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Saying that, she also jumped up to her feet. She really is so nimble. I feel that no matter how many times I see that. ¡°Renji, have you hunted a Griffin before?¡±(mururu) ¡°More or less, yeah.¡± Griffins exist in Elfreim and Abenelm every here and there as if it waspletely natural. I¡¯m bad against flying opponents but that doesn¡¯t mean I could just avoid thempletely. Well, we didn¡¯t face them alone, magicians like Aya or Koutarou were good opponents against them. If they¡¯re flying, hitting them with a single lightning attack would end it. The power of a thunderbolt¡­¡­..is it referred to as ¡®power¡¯? but anyway, the voltage of a thunderbolt is about a billion volts. And the amount of time it takes to hit is just a microsecond. Even the temperature around the air increases incredibly high. There is no way to dodge it and nothing could survive after getting hit by that¡­¡­there was a time I truly thought that was the case. Well, dragons and ghosts-types are able to survive that without trying much¡­¡­..Ghosts aside, I still find it strange how Dragons are still categorized under normal life forms. ¡°Can you beat one alone?¡±(mururu0 ¡°Probably not.¡±(renji) [Why do you reply that instantly¡­¡­..] ¡°Because I¡¯m an honest guy. I hate lying.¡± [With which mouth are you saying that?] Shrugging at Ermenhilde¡¯s amazed voice, I began walking towards Merdiore. Mururu quickly came up to walk beside me as well. Due to the fear of griffins, the goblins and the harpies in the area don¡¯te out much nowadays so it¡¯s pretty rxed even walking so openly like this. That said, it¡¯s nothing more than postponing the actual problem. ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±(mururu) ¡°Well it is almost noon.¡± By the time we return to Merdiore, it¡¯ll be past noon. Thinking of that, I brought a cracker from a small bag attached to my belt. ¡°Want one?¡±(renji) ¡°Un.¡± Even after seeing that gruesome Griffin¡¯s eating scene, we were the same. Mururu ate that cracker beside me and looking at her made me hungry as well so I also brought out a piece of dried meat and bit on it. Walking while eating isn¡¯t exactly good manners but I really am not in any position to say that. If Aya scolds, we¡¯ll both get scolded together. While I was walking and thinking of that, I felt my mantle getting slightly pulled. Looking that way, Mururu was looking up towards me. ¡°Will Fran not travel with us anymore?¡±(mururu) ¡°Well, yeah. She¡¯s just a student. She has to go to school to learn a lot as well.¡± ¡°School?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a ce where men and women of her age go to study like in Magic City Ofan and here in Merdiore.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­study.¡± ¡°It¡¯s really important you know?¡± ¡°I see.¡± She spoke, in a depressed voice. I guess since they were so close, parting hurts even more. Right now they are in the same city but that¡¯ll change when we get on the ship. Well, it¡¯s one of the never changing things of travelling after all but I guess it must be harder at Mururu¡¯s age. ¡°It¡¯ll get lonely.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± I agreed to Mururu¡¯s mutterings. It will be a bit lonely. We travelled together for almost half a year, so it¡¯s only normal to feel that way. But just because it makes you lonely doesn¡¯t mean you should hate such farewells in my opinion. I am an adventurer. A traveller who goes from city to city, vige to caves. With meetingse farewells. And thene reunions. You go away only to unexpectedly meet somewhere to have a happy reunion. When I said that, Mururu lightly hit me. ¡°If,¡± ¡°hm?¡± ¡°If fran said that she wanted to travel with us, will you take her along?¡± ¡°I wonder. If it¡¯s her own will to do so, I¡¯ll think about it.¡± That said, even if it¡¯s her own will, the journey from here onwards will be a matter of life and death. Unlike Imnesia, Elfreim is and harsh to humans. Just because she got used to travelling a bit doesn¡¯t mean that I can take her there so readily. And Abenelm is beyond the question. Well, I don¡¯t even n on taking Mururu and the others to Abenelm either though. If possible, I just want to take Aya with me there. ¡°¡­¡­..I see.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t coerce her okay?¡±(renji) ¡°I won¡¯t. I won¡¯t even ask her to¡­¡­.but.¡± [But?] ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Looks like she really does want to still travel with her. She¡¯s still a young child. I understand the feeling of wanting to stay with a friend you finally made. But, this alone I cannot help. If she pushed her and got Ms Francesca injured, it¡¯ll be Mururu who¡¯d feel more hurt. It¡¯d be fortunate if it ended with just an injury in fact. Dangeres along with you when you¡¯re travelling. From here onwards, monsters will only get stronger and stronger. Me, Feirona and Mururu will be busy protecting ourselves first. Even Aya can¡¯t protect both Solnea and Ms Francesca at the same time. She¡¯s specialised in using highly offensive magic spells after all, not protecting others. Now will Ms Francesca be able to protect herself when the timees¡­¡­..If you asked me that, I¡¯ll hesitate in nodding. ¡°Don¡¯t make such depressing face and let¡¯s return. If you keep up that face, you¡¯ll only make others worry more, right?¡±(renji) ¡°un.¡± Putting my hand on her low hanging head, I lightly patted her. She didn¡¯t resist and let me continue. Back when I did this to Aya and Souichi, they usually cheered up again. ¡°Renji, I want to eat that as well.¡± ¡°Yeah, sure. Now eat this and cheer up.¡± Handing over the dried meat that I had half eaten, Mururu quickly munched it down. When you¡¯re hungry, your thought always go in the negative direction. Now though it¡¯d be difficult to fill your stomach with just the emergency rations, it¡¯d be great if she cheered up even a bit. It really messes with my own mood when she gets depressed as well. Maybe that¡¯s because I¡¯m too indulgent towards children though. [It¡¯s like you¡¯re artificially feeding your kids.] (T/N: like how animals or humans teach young animals how to eat.) ¡°Now that¡¯s just rude, Ermenhilde.¡±(renji) ¡°I¡¯m not a kid.¡± Even her reply to Eremnhilde¡¯s insensitive words wascking energy. This might be a serious. . . . Getting back to the inn, I saw a familiar looking carriage standing in front. Confirming it with a side nce, I parted with Mururu and headed to the mens room but no one was there. Feirona was probably in the woman¡¯s room ying chess with the girls. Thinking of that, I somehow felt a bit lonely. What is this feeling of alienation I¡¯m getting? ¡°Say, Ermenhilde?¡±(renji) [What, Renji?] I spoke up to Ermenhilde as I sat down after throwing my mantle on my bed. ¡°Are you also sad at parting with Ms Francesca?¡± [Well, I guess I do feel lonely but then again, not really either.] ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± [¡­¡­¡­.Meaning that, I¡¯ll be with you no matter what.] ¡°What an embarrassing statement.¡± [Really?] Calming down after removing my equipment, fuu, I leaked out a heavy sigh. I¡¯m not lonely. After getting to Elfreim, I¡¯ll part with Mururu and Feirona as well after all. I have already resolved myself to say farewell to myrades. But, I also felt tired realizing that I had grown so ustomed to saying farewell to people that my emotions in the matter were nowhere near as strong as Mururu¡¯s. I recalled when I parted from Utano-san back at the capital. Half a year, maybe a full year even. It might get even longer, maybe I might nevere back alive. Yet, I easily said my farewells and left on the journey. I wonder what she feels about that. Maybe if I get the chance, I should ask her that. Well, I think I¡¯ll just get humiliated if I ever asked her something like that though. I know that she shows no mercy at such times after all. ¡°Really, it¡¯s heartening to have you with me.¡±(renji) [fufu, I know right?] ¡°yeah.¡± I don¡¯t know how serious she was so I ended up smiling wryly. Maybe she said that just to cheer me up. Or maybe that was truly the will of Ermenhilde. But, by talking like this, it¡¯s true that my heart felt slightly lighter than before. Getting back up from the bed, I stretched my body. It¡¯s because I¡¯m hungry that I¡¯m thinking of such things. Just when I was thinking that, my door was knocked on. ¡°Come in, it¡¯s open.¡±(renji) ¡°pardon the intrusion.¡± Along with those words, honey coloured hair that I hadn¡¯t seen in the past few days came into my view. ¡°Ms Francesca.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Renji-sama.¡± She wasn¡¯t in her usual travelling clothes. Instead she was wearing high ss elegant clothes. ¡°So? Did something happen?¡±(renji) ¡°Ah, no, I was just wondering how Mururu was so..¡± [¡­¡­¡­.You two really do get along so well.] ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. So, did you meet Mururu already?¡± Stopping Ermenhilde from saying anything more than necessary again, I spoke up. It¡¯ll only make this awkward between those two if Ms Francesca hears about it. ¡°Yes. Since I was in the other room till now.¡±(fran) ¡°I see. Oh right, why don¡¯t you sit down first. No need to talk while standing.¡± Offering her a seat, I also sat down on the opposite side of the table. ¡°Want something to drink?¡±(renji) ¡°I¡¯m fine, thank you.¡± I missed her formal way of talking as well. As she gave a wide smile, I smiled as well. ¡°It¡¯s been a while. Have you been fine all this time?¡±(renji) ¡°fufu, looks like Renji-sama hasn¡¯t changed much either.¡± [Not really. Just now, he was moping around thinking of various things.] ¡°¡­¡­.Is that so?¡± ¡°well, who knows.¡± Hitting Ermenhilde over my pocket, I simply gave a shrug to her question. Seriously, Ermenhilde talks a bit too much. ¡°Oh right, so you taught Chess to Solnea it seems?¡±(fran) ¡°Yeah, so, can you y chess as well?¡± ¡°A bit, I was taught by a friend. Since my friend had a set in our dorms.¡± ¡°I see. If possible, y with Solnea once in a while. She seems to have taken quite a bit of interest in ittely.¡± ¡°So it seems. I yed her a while ago, and only won barely.¡± Barely, eh? Was that an indication of her skill, or was she just being humble. Going by her personality, it¡¯s probably thetter. And aftr talking of such things with her for a while, the door was knocked on again. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°pardon the intr¡ª¨C¡± Before she could finish speaking, the door got opened. The one who knocked on the door was Aya it seems but it was Mururu who opened the door half way through her words. Probably, she got curious of what we were talking about alone in my room. Well, it was probably different for Mururu though. ¡°Ah, wai¡­¡­.Mururu. You¡¯re supposed to let me finish¡­¡­.¡±(aya) ¡°Renji doesn¡¯t care.¡±(mururu) ¡°I do care. Open the door after the proper greetings Mururu.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­.you do?¡±(mururu) [Do you really care?] Ermenhilde, you have the same opinion as Mururu as well? ¡°What if I was changing clothes? Wouldn¡¯t it be awkward?¡±(renji) ¡°But Fran is here right now¡­¡­¡­.¡±(mururu) ¡°I¡¯m talking about when she¡¯s not.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care really.¡± ¡°Then do so. If you¡¯re an adult already, normally women don¡¯t just walk into a man¡¯s room so thoughtlessly.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.is that so?¡± ¡°Eh, ah, yes¡­¡­.I think?¡±(aya) Why did she ask Aya there? Is it because she¡¯s also a girl? Also, the fact that you don¡¯t mind such things is proof that you¡¯re still a child Mururu. I¡¯m worried that she¡¯ll get tricked by some weird manter on. Aya being herself, who knows what she was imagining as she was blushing. Seriously, what are you imagining? Realizing my gaze, she panicked and look here and there trying to avoid me and cleared her throat. [What were you imagining?] ¡°uwaah!?!¡± [¡­¡­Why are you so surprised at my voice?] As usual, this is so amusing. Offering both of them to sit as well, I moved to sit on my bed since there weren¡¯t enough chairs. That means only Feirona and Solnea are in the other room. That room is bigger but I can¡¯t just tell them to go away either. Thinking of shifting to that room if the talk paused for a while, ms Franesca brought up a different topic. ¡°Renji-sama, tomorrow night, do you have any prior appointment?¡± ¡°Nah, not really. Why?¡± ¡°My father, was hoping to invite both you and Aya-san to dinner.¡± ¡°me and Aya, eh?¡± I looked towards Aya and she gave a nod. Since she also her senior at school, Aya didn¡¯t seem to mind it much. Looking towards Mururu, she was talking with Ms Francesca happily. Seeing her, I guess it really can¡¯t be helped I felt. That said, I don¡¯t think I need to read too deeply into this. ¡°What about Feirona, Mururu and Solnea?¡±(renji) ¡°It¡¯s fine. He has said to invite all of them as well.¡±(fran) ¡°Then, I ept that invitation.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah, tomorrow you¡¯ll get to eat to your heart¡¯s content Mururu.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­..I don¡¯t eat that much.¡±(mururu) When I said that, Mururu replied sullenly. Her expression was so adorable that all three of us gave a smile. She seemed to mind that as she lightly hit Ms Francesca. While gently caressing her head, Ms Francesca seemed to be having fun as well. While looking at those two, Iughed and even Aya was smiling. [It will get lonely I guess.] At Ermenhilde words no one else reacted. Meaning those words came only to me. ¡°I guess so.¡± That¡¯s why, I also spoke truthfully. Chapter 68 Such Days Without Fighting (4) Chapter 68 Such Days Without Fighting (4) Getting down from the carriage prepared for us, I felt the cold wind on my cheeks. Looking up towards the sky, stars, that looked so close that you¡¯d think you could just grab them, were shining brightly. I ended up staring at that starry sky in a daze. This is like the Nth time I have thought this but really, the starry sky of this world is simply too beautiful. Though the pale bluish moon of our world was beautiful as well, once you get used to it, the red moon of this world is incredibly lovely to see as well. Back then, I didn¡¯t like it much since it reminded me of the colour of blood. Or rather, it felt really eerie and weird. While I was thinking of such things, Aya and Feirona also got down from the carriage as well and stood beside me. As I had given my arm to help Aya get down, Feirona also gave a hand to Mururu. Andstly, Solnea got down as well. Normally, I don¡¯t do such things but since Aya was currently wearing a light green dress made of out of a smooth cloth and high heels on her feet. The skirt of the dress was long but it had a slit on the left side giving her a more mature look. Since it looked difficult to walk in, I gave her my elbow as support and though shyly, she took it. Mururu was in pure white dress and low heel shoes. At first she was also supposed to be wearing heels but she was unable to even walk in it so we switched to shoes. By the way, when she tried the heels for the first time at the shop and almost tripped, I tried supporting her only to get my own foot crushed by her heel as she stumbled. It hurt like hell, or rather, he top bone of my foot almost felt like it broke so I suggested to switch her into shoes. She wanted to wear the heels Ms Francesca chose but since it would cause only trouble to others, I had to stop her. Solnea was not in her usual ck dress and was instead wearing a light purple dress chosen by Ms Francesca. Since the dress made her body outline stand out and her white shoulders were in the open, it made her look really sexy. All of these dresses were made to perfectly fit and weren¡¯t something one could make in just a day or two. But since they only invited us to dinnerst night, how did they even order the tailor beforehand. Also, how did they know their sizes from? ¡°Do these clothes not look weird on me?¡±(elf) ¡°Just rx. You have a good looking face so you look good no matter what you wear.¡±(renji) [¡­¡­¡­Is that supposed reassure him?] ¡°I see.¡±(elf) For once, even Feirona was a bit conscious about what he was wearing. I guess it¡¯s only normal as instead of the normal travelling clothes he usually wore, he was currently wearing a tuxedo. Basically, clothes that properly follow a dress code. After getting the invitationst night, they prepared a set of formal clothes for us as well. As expected, since he was handsome his dress really suited him and if not for the pointy elf ears, anyone would mistake him for someone from a noble family. Seeing him fiddle with necktie he was not used to wearing was charming as well. Beside him, Mururu, probably slightly conscious of the short height of the knee-length skirt was pulling the hem of her skirt and kicking the ground with her boots repeatedly. ¡°If you kick the ground so much, those specially prepared boots would get dirty you know?¡±(renji) ¡°Ah.¡± When I said that, she quickly stopped having realized what she was doing. Seeing her unable to calm down having worn such clothes for the first time made her look really childish. ¡°This skirt and boots, they feel weird.¡±(mururu) ¡°I¡¯m not used to this necktie either. Yeah, they do feel weird.¡±(elf) ¡°un.¡± Saying that, she held and shook the hem of her skirt. Under the faint lighting from the mansion, her white thighs looked charming. I thought I had gotten used to seeing that considering Mururu¡¯s always wearing hotpants-like short pants but in a skirt, the feeling ispletely different from before. [How improper.] ¡°As a girl, Mururu has to get used to wearing skirts someday or the other though.¡±(renji) ¡°Muu.¡± ¡°Just like how Aya, you have to get used to wearing heels.¡±(renji) ¡°Uu¡­..¡± While finding her to be charming as usual as she held on to my arm to walk, I looked towards her face right which was right beside me. Her hair, instead of being tied to the side as usual, had been tied behind her neck with a barrette right now. Though she had a childish look to her usually, right now she looked more like a splendiddy. That is, if she learns to walk properly in high heels. [Why not just wear slightly less taller heels?] ¡°I thought I¡¯d get used to it one I started walking¡­¡­..¡±(aya) Looks like even she thought that she should have gone for less taller heels as her reply to Ermenhildecked power. ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s a rare asion after all. And it¡¯s not like skirts and heels are dangerous or anything.¡± Well, if you move like you normally do in a skirt, it¡¯ll be dangerous in a different way though. But not saying that, I just yawned. Ah, but, I¡¯ll be d if my foot wasn¡¯t stomped on by a heel again. That really hurt, okay. I turned my gaze towards the silently standing Solnea. Since getting on the carriage, she hasn¡¯t spoken much. I was worried that something might have happened but apparently she was silent solely because there was nothing interesting to talk about, that¡¯s all. This wasn¡¯t her first time riding a carriage either and neither did she find the night scenery very interesting. In my opinion, the city at night felt pretty nice though. ¡°Now that I think about it, you sure seem to have no problems wearing high heels.¡±(renji) ¡°Got used to it.¡±(sol) ¡°¡­¡­..It¡¯s convenient how that¡¯s all the exnation you have.¡± ¡°Whether it be chess, or wearing heels. Solnea-san really learns everything fast.¡±(aya) ¡°Is that so?¡±(sol) It doesn¡¯t seem like she¡¯s aware of it either. Even though Aya said that, she just spoke that sounding slightly perplexed. But, truly, it is as Aya said. Having already learnt all the rules of chess ording to Aya-sensei, Solnea wouldn¡¯t lose to any of the townsfolk anymore! I should take her to that ce once more in a few days. I thought that she¡¯d be happy, then tilted my head in confusion. I couldn¡¯t imagine Solnea showing such a emotion. I really want to at least see her smile but that¡¯s still a far away goal. [What was it? The word from your world used for Aya and Mururu as they are currently¡­¡­.?] ¡°¡®Good clothes can make anyone look great¡¯, that one?¡±(renji) [yeah, that one.] ¡°I¡¯ll get angry Renji-san, Eru.¡±(aya) Even though she said that in a yful voice, both us were lost for words. It was Ermenhilde who asked that though¡­¡­.And Ermenhilde being herself was asking me [Was it not apliment?] Looks like she didn¡¯t get my joke. Hearing that, was it just my imagination that Aya¡¯s smile became even scarier? While facing the contradictory situation of getting red at and smiled at, at the same time, I felt once more that Aya really was turning more and more like Utano-san. She¡¯s be mentally stronger, or rather, has be able to say what she wants to. Well, that woman looks at people with a gaze that feels like she¡¯s looking at garbage and not a smile like Aya though. Trying to run from Aya¡¯s ¡®smile¡¯, I turned to look towards the noble mansion shining under the red moonlight. It should be obvious but it was much bigger than any other normal house. There was a wall around the whole mansion and the entrance was a huge iron door. Through the gate, there was a courtyard big enough that it¡¯d take a few minutes to cross it even with a carriage and finally at the end was the mansion itself that looked simr to a european style house from the medieval times. It was Ms Francesca¡¯s¡­¡­.Barton family¡¯s mansion. Aftering to Merdiroe, this was my first proper visit to here but still, under the red moonlight, the mansion looked eerily silent. Well, I actually can hear some voices from inside and I can clearly see the light from themps in the corridors of the mansion as well. By the way, since most nobles had still not switched to using magicmps, they still used normalmps inside their houses. A while after all of us got down from the carriage, the driver took away the carriage to somewhere behind the mansion. ¡°Now, for a while, don¡¯t talk okay?¡±(renji) [I can talk as long as you guys don¡¯t react right?] ¡°¡­¡­¡­Well, I guess only if it¡¯s just to me.¡± I¡¯m used to hearing Ermenhilde talk while in public as well after all. When I said that, instead of Ermenhilde, Aya gave a giggle. What was there tough about in this conversation? ¡°You can talk to me as well, Eru.¡±(aya) [Umu. I¡¯d get bored if I don¡¯t talk at all. Aya¡¯s kind after all.] ¡°You make it sound as if I¡¯m not kind though?¡±(renji) [But Renji was the one told me to stay quiet, right?] And what came was her sulky voice. I wasn¡¯t really trying to hurt her but she got angry anyway. Looks like Ermenhilde really just wants to talk to me regardless of circumstances. Now I understand her feelings, but tehre are some manners even between friends. I don¡¯t like seeing her get angry at me either. Well, I do when I feel like teasing her though. ¡°Wait, Ermenhilde?¡±(renji) [Hmph. I¡¯ll only talk to Aya for the whole evening.] ¡°¡­¡­¡­Ah, Ermenhilde-san?¡± Though she doesn¡¯t seem that angry, it should be fine but its still a bit sad to not get a response from her. Just when I wondering what to do, the door to the mansion opened and an aged man in a tuxedo appeared. As the double doors opened, the light of themps inside shone bright on my eyes which had gotten used to the darkness of the night. ¡°I apologise to have made you wait for so long.¡±(man) ¡°No, please do not be concerned.¡±(renji) Answering that it was nothing formally, we began to walk. Looks like she got slightly used to the heels as Aya seemed to be walking much better than before. She¡¯s still has linked up arms with me though. Walking through the high ss red carpet, and after another door, about ten or so maids and butlers were waiting for us. Since he was probably not used to this, Feirona¡¯s body was quite stiff. And even Mururu, probably unconsciously had moved behind me and Aya as if hiding. Solnea continued to walk as usual with her dazed face. ¡°Renji-sama, Aya-sama.¡± Beyond these maids, standing in front of the stairway that went to the second floor of the mansion, a woman spoke up. Looking towards that voice, Ms Francesca was standing there wearing a bright yellow coloured dress. Since I was more used to seeing her in her travelling clothes and school uniform, for a second I failed to even recognise her. Even her hair, that was normally tied behind her head with a ribbon, was tied with a white ribbon and hanging from above the left shoulder. This new look gave a fresh feeling but I had to really restrain myself to not let my gaze move towards her chest that was even more emphasized because she was wearing a corset. ¡°Everyone, thank you very much foring here tonight.¡±(fran) Saying that, she held the both ends of her skirt and gave an elegant bow. That action was so refined that it felt really graceful . looks like she really has properly been taught in noble mannerisms as well. Well, since she talked very politely normally as well, I was pretty sure already. But because her image as an adventurer is so strong, it still made me slightly shocked. I ended up muttering ¡®houu¡¯ under my breath. Even though she¡¯s barely older than Aya, she¡¯s so masterful at this. ¡°And thank you to have invited all of us here as well.¡±(renji) Answering her, I also gave a bow. After me, everyone else gave a bow as well. Was she surprised by hearing me speak so seriously as well, Ms Francesca¡¯s smiling face broke for a second and showed a surprised expression. But she instantly fixed that. [It seems it such things really don¡¯t suit you.] I know very well. Because I feel the same. Ms Francesca probably heard that as well as her smile seemed less stiffer than before. Answering back to Ermenhilde inside my head, I lightly hit on the medal from above the pocket. Seeing that usual action from me, Aya gave a sigh beside me¡­¡­..It wasn¡¯t my fault, it was Ermenhilde who didn¡¯t read the mood. Why did it feel like she was ming me? Did I make a mistake in educating her somewhere? ¡°Please follow me. We have prepared a meal for you, and hope that it suits your taste.¡±(fran) Saying that, she led us towards what was probably the dining hall. Soon, the man who apanied us from the inn till the mansion opened up the door to the room. Though not very old, he still seemed much older than the other butlers. He might be something like the head butler here. As expected, we were led to the dining hall. On a long table that could fit at least ten people at the same time had some fruits decorated on top of it. In every corner, splendorous items that fit a nobles house were kept. A giant vase, or a painting that didn¡¯t make much sense, a silver statue of the goddess and what was possibly a horn of a demonic beast was hanging on the wall. All of these seemed to be high ss items but the fact that they were all kept in a way not to purposefully show them off gave a good impression. I guess since they are merchants at heart, they probably don¡¯t indulge in the usual noble habits that much. It¡¯s a real pain to see a finely crafted vase iid with gems and stuff and then get an infinitely long exnation about how some famous craftsman made it. Looking inside the dining hall, since there wasn¡¯t that kind of atmosphere, I felt relieved. And my gaze turned towards the 4 people standing towards the other side of the long table. One was Melentia-san. I had heard that ms Francesca was the youngest of three sisters so the one standing to the left of Melentia-san must be the middle sister. Though the oldest sister and the youngest seemed to have the same honey coloured hair and voluptuous body, the second sister in contrast had pale blue hair and was also wearing a simr coloured dress on her not so sexy body. She was slightly shorter as well, enough that I wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if she was the youngest of the three. Melentia-san was, though different from the one I saw before, wearing a passionate red dress. With those strong willed eyes, red really suited her. Then, my gaze met a quite youthful looking woman who should be the mother of these three. Like the second daughter she also had pale blue hair tied up, and was looking towards us with a sharp gaze. Looks like Melentia-san¡¯s sharp gaze is inherited from her mother. But the mother was much shorter in height than Melentia-san, barely to her shoulders. Though still taller than the second daughter. ¡°Well well, thank you very much for havinge to our house today.¡± And the one spoke that should be the father. I just felt it from a single nce. With the same honey coloured hair and gentle smile, tall, and tight physique. Honestly, he might be more muscr than even me. Rather than a merchant, the man felt more like an adventurer. Even his properly cut made him look all the more manly. Rather than hold a pen and signing papers, holding a sword seems to fit him more. He probably in his forties but he looked much younger. Seeing his smile, he really felt like he was Ms Francesca¡¯s father. Whether it be the hair, the smile, or atmosphere in general. ¡°Thank you for inviting us today.¡±(renji) ¡°Oh please raise your head. It¡¯s not such a big thing.¡± ¡°Very well, please excuse me then.¡± The conversation was the same even from when we were travelling as Heroes and met nobles but hearing the father sound honestly surprised, even I felt a bit surprised. Unlike his appearance, he¡¯s quite the humble man it seems. That was my first impression of him at least. I feel that it was nice to see him so friendly rather than sound high-handed, when the mother, who was standing beside him, elbowed him in the side. And it was amusing to see Melentia-san move away so that we don¡¯t notice that. Judging from the flow of events, it looks like this was amon thing. A timid father and his confident wife eh? ¡°We, well then, please take a seat Renji-sama, Aya-sama, and Francesca¡¯s friends as well.¡± Seeing him use formal speech to even Feirona and others, I felt like I understood his nature slightly. Beside me sat Aya, then Solnea, Feirona, Mururu, in that order. When sitting, I didn¡¯t forget to pull the chair for Aya either. It¡¯s a part of the gentlemanly conduct after all. Saying thanks in a small voice, Aya sat down. Confirming that her mouth was slightly upturned, I also sat down without saying anything further. Sitting directly opposite to me was Ms Francesca¡¯s father, then the mother in front of Aya, and Francesca sat in front of Mururu. Giving a smile towards Mururu, she returned a light smile as well. While finding that to be lovely, I turned back towards the father sitting in front. ¡°Oh sorry to have beente in introducing myself, I am Leonhart Barton.¡± ¡°And his wife, Arteria.¡± As he gave a perfect bow, it was hard to imagine him to be the same man who was elbowed by his wife¡­¡­by Mrs Arteria. ¡°During the journey, it seems you saved Francesca¡¯s life. And no amount of thanks can be enough for that.¡± ¡°Please raise your head, Leonhart-dono. In fact, I was the one who was saved by your daughter many times.¡± After that for a while, I praised ms Francesca for a while. I shouldn¡¯t be the only one who ends up slightly exaggerating a daughter¡¯s exploits during her journey to her parents right? In the mean time, Ms Francesca seemed to be constantly muttering something with a red face but I decided to ignore it. I think she probably trying to deny what I was saying out of embarrassment in a really small voice. Seeing that even the sharp eyed Arteria-san and Melentia-san were also listening attentively , though I felt bad for Ms Francesca, I was happy to see that she was really loved in her family. I wasn¡¯t sure what kind of position she¡¯d have in the family as she was told to not have a talent in magic but it seems she¡¯s really loved. ¡°Ah but, talking so much even when dinner is in front of us, I¡¯d feel bad for the cooks who went through all the effort to make this.¡±(renji) Since my talk about Ms Francesca finally reached an end, I spoke that. It¡¯s fun to talk about our travels but it¡¯d be rude to the cooks to not eat the dishes in time. And I¡¯d feel bad to make Mururu wait any longer as well. ¡°That¡¯s true. Then let us continue our talk after dinner is done, shall we?¡±(leo) ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°If possible, Aya-sama, it¡¯d be great if you could tell us some stories of Francesca at school as well¡­¡­.¡± ¡°of course.¡±(aya) First both Aya and me took a taste of the dishes, then everyone began to eat at their own pace. To Solnea, Aya said to imitate her as well as she could. Looks like Mururu was imitating after Ms Francesca and Feirona as told beforehand. As expected, it¡¯d be impossible to teach her table manners in a single day after all. She seemed quite eager to learn but simply didn¡¯t have the concentration for it. She was bad at delicate actions and staying still after all. Normally, it¡¯s considered good manners to not talk when eating but tonight, as if showing to be at ease, Leonhart-san often spoke up. I for one truly enjoy a lively meal so I continued to answer to him. Of course, most of these questions were about Ms Francesca though. At times, as if he finally recalled, he did ask about us as well. It¡¯s fine to just treat me and Aya as normal people you know? But even if I said that, I¡¯d only end up making these people feel troubled so I didn¡¯t. When we finished with the appetisers, the soups were brought in. It was a maid who brought it in, and there was no excess in any of her movements. Without making a single sound, she took away the dishes on which the appetisers were served and the soup dishes were ced. [¡­¡­¡­.this won¡¯t be enough for Mururu.] But since I couldn¡¯t reply to her, I just gave a slight nod so that Leonhart-san and others don¡¯t notice. Beside me, Aya, gave a short giggle. . . . (Part 2) After finishing the main dish and the dessert, I took a breath as I wet my throat down with the wine. Though I have been properly taught table manners, all this formality still stiffens up my shoulders. By the way, Aya and Mururu were brought fruit juice. Alcohol is only after they be adults. Both seemed to look at me implying not to treat them as children but on this matter alone, I won¡¯t yield. ¡°Renji-sama, Aya-sama, would you perhaps have some time after this?¡±(leo) ¡°Is there something you need?¡±(renji) ¡°Need, or rather, there¡¯s something I want to discuss about.¡± He must have something he really wants to talk about it seems. Judging by his side nces, it must be about Ms Francesca. The fact he asked for Aya as well was¡­¡­..well, probably because he¡¯s treating her in the same way as me as she has the status of a hero like me as well. Honestly, I¡¯d like nothing more than to be treated normally but with Aya here as well, I hesitated to say that. ¡°I do not mind. Feirona, can I leave Mururu and Solnea to you?¡±(renji) ¡°Sure.¡± Somehow I feel like I have been asking Feirona to act as babysitter quite a lot of times recently. But if I said that I feel like Mururu would get angry so I won¡¯t. ¡°Then, Francesca, go take your friends to your room to talk will you?¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡±(fran) ¡°Melentia, Kfina, both you also go and get acquainted with them as well.¡± When leonhart-san said that, everyone else left their seats silently. And at the same time, I handed over Ermenhilde to Feirona as well. [I can finally talk.] Her voice resounded in my head. Since Melentia-san and others are still there, I wanted to tell her to not talk yet. Well, Feirona should be able to take care of that. I feel like I rely a lot on him. Or maybe Ms Francesca might introduce even her to her sisters. I¡¯ll leave that aside for now. Though I don¡¯t want too many people to be able to hear Ermenhilde¡¯s voice either. As everyone left, only me, Aya, Leonhart-san and Mrs Arteria were left in the room. The maids silently cleared away the dishes and left as well. ¡°Once again, you have my gratitude to have been helping my daughter till this day.¡±(leo) Once again, Leonhart-san and Arteria bowed. ¡°Please, I said this before as well but your daughter has helped me many times as well. And she has even been helping Aya here at school as her senior as well.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes, Francesca-senpai has been very kind to us at school as well so please raise your heads.¡±(aya) Now if I only I could tell how much I dislike such formalities. But that¡¯d only make it sound even ruder. Since they are the ones weing us here, we have a duty act ordingly as well. That¡¯s what we refer to as courtesy. It was too stiff for people like me and Aya who weremoners to the core but this alsoes as a part of having the title of a Hero I believe. This¡¯d sound like worthless nagging but I really don¡¯t think the title of a Hero suits me. I wasn¡¯t born as a noble and lived such a life after all. ¡°So, what is the matter you wanted to talk about Leonhart-san?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes, that¡¯s¡­¡­this may sound rude but from your point of view, how is Francesca?¡±(leo) ¡°Meaning?¡± Unable to get what he was asking, I asked him to exin. Leonhart-san looked towards him straight, and with a strong gaze. ¡°I always thought that she was the type who hated fighting. Raised almost as a princess, she grew up as a tender-hearted girl¡­¡­..but then she awoke to magic, and began to head on that path.¡± Looks like the topic was about ms Francesca after all. As he spoke while slightly shivering, I almost felt sadness from him. And as his face bent lower and lower as he spoke, I got worried for a second that he might even be crying. ¡­¡­¡­.Beside him, mrs Arteria seemed to be looking at him with a chilly gaze though. ¡°I do not wish for her to get involved in such dangerous things, we are from a merchant family after all. Now though it¡¯d be difficult for her to inherit the family business, at least I want her to live the life as a daughter of a merchant house would, and one day marry a man in the same business like Kfina.¡± ¡°uh, okay¡­¡­¡­.?¡± Aya spoke sounding troubled but Leonhart-san seemed to have not heard that. After that, for a while, he told us about Ms Francesca before she went to the magic Academy. Like how she hated bugs, and even used magic to get rid of them. That was how the [magician] Francesca Barton was born in fact. It seems though the people of this family posses magical energy, they can¡¯t use magic itself so they were very surprised at first, and then became very happy. But as a result, she gotpletely absorbed in magic and finally enrolled in the academy. By the way, Leonhart-san was against that decision apparently. He even gave fervent speech about it. Just how much does he like his daughter? At first I thought he was the mild type of person but looks like inside, he¡¯s quite the passionate man. That part of him quite resembles Ms Francesca as well to be honest. ¡°I apologise. When ites to our daughters, my husband stops seeing everything else.¡±(arteria) ¡°No, as a man, I do understand his feelings as well.¡±(renji) I think every male parent is like this when ites to daughters. I¡¯ll get really worried whenever Yui-chan would be reckless or do something dangerous and if she ever got a boyfriend I won¡¯t be able to calm down I think. Well, before me, that boyfriend would have to pass the tall wall that is KNIGHT and Fafnir though. And she¡¯s just 16 right now anyway, such things are still far away. I thought that but then again, Aya was 15 back then, and Masaki-chan was 16¡­¡­¡­..realizing that, I guess they were this age as well when she began clinging to Souichi. Then there was also Yuuichirou¡¯s case but when ites Yui-chan, I don¡¯t think she¡¯d get a lover without telling anyone. When I met her in the capital, she showed no such signs as well and even that over talkative Anastasia didn¡¯t say any such thing. ¡°Is that so?!¡±(leo) I got a bit surprised by leonhart-san as he suddenly rose his face and said that but something happened underneath the table that he shook once and then seemed to calm down a lot. What the heck just happened under the table? His foot must have been stomped on I think. Happens a lot to me as well after all. I won¡¯t say by whom though. ¡°Well¡ª¨Cthis is the main matter but, can Francesca survive and achieve aplishments as an adventurer?¡±(leo) ¡°As an adventurer, is it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°After returning home, we heard a lot about Francesca¡¯s travels with Renji-sama from her.¡±(arteria) ¡°¡­¡­¡­I see.¡±(renji) Now, what did she tell I wonder. She didn¡¯t go through anything that might make this father of hers so sad though. In contrast, Mrs Arteria didn¡¯t seem to show much unrest like her husband. So, she was the one who continued the topic. Even though he looks like such a firm man, is he that weak mentally? Or was it only because it concerned his daughter? ¡°She spoke about it very happily, in fact she showed a smile we never saw from her when she was at home.¡±(arteria) ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°After getting saved by Renji-sama, everything started when you decided to help her with her academy assignment supposedly?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Now that I recall, the first time I met her was when I saved her from that goblin attack eh?¡±(renji) How nostalgic. It¡¯s almost been half a year from that time. After getting almost killed by some goblins, she cried a lot. Even though now I think she has grown strong enough to manage even a group of goblins alone. ¡°But, though she was very lively at first after returning home, recently she has been sighing around a lot.¡± ¡°Sighing, you say?¡± I nced at Aya but she shook her head. Looks like even Aya has no idea what¡¯s this about. Of course, neither do I. After a few months, she¡¯ll also graduate from the academy. Now I don¡¯t know what she ns to do after that but I believe that she¡¯s been sighing because she¡¯d be unable to travel with Renji-sama and your group any longer.¡± ¡°Did she say that?¡±(aya) ¡°No. That girl, I wonder who she¡¯s taken after, but she always tries to carry her burdens and problems alone.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Giving vague replies, inside, I agreed as well. Back when we first met, she had been trying to do everything alone after all. Even though she wasn¡¯t even used to travelling, she tried helping me as well. Even though she couldn¡¯t cook, she tried hard to. She did all out of good intention and she did help me a lot. And above, all it was lonely to travel alone so travelling with her made me feel lively as well. But, she wasn¡¯t in any way perfect at everything and there were many times she got depressed due to not being of much help to others. Because I know that, I could understand what Mrs Arteria was saying. ¡°So, how does this concern to being an adventurer?¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­..if she had the ability to excel as an adventurer, would it be possible for her to continue to travel along side you Renji-sama?¡± ¡°I see. So that¡¯s what you mean.¡±(renji) Fumu, I rested my chin on my fingers. I didn¡¯t expect something like this. I didn¡¯t see any difference in Ms Francesca when she came to meet us at the inn and she didn¡¯t seem to show any reaction when I talked about travelling to Elfreim either. That¡¯s why, I was sure that she had also somewhat resolved herself to part ways with us. ¡°Did Francesca-san say something like that even once?¡±(renji) ¡°No. Like I said before, she¡ª-¡± ¡°Now this might sound very harsh of me but our journey from hereon will be very dangerous. Honestly speaking, I cannot guarantee that even me or Aya would return back safe.¡± I could sense the two in front of me gulp. I said this to Mururu as well but we aren¡¯t strong enough to be able to protect her in that kind of ce as well. The divine protection of the goddess didn¡¯t make us omnipotent. I can¡¯t even fight properly unless against an apostle or a descendant of a God and Aya only specialises in attacking. I hired Feirona and Mururu solely to protect Solnea. There was not much margin to add Ms Francesca into it as well. Then, she¡¯d have to protect herself. ¡°If she understands the danger, and wishes and openly speaks to still travel with us, and¡­¡­¡± And¡­ ¡°If Leonhart-san is still willing to send his own precious daughter to such a dangerous journey, I am willing to conduct a test.¡± I wonder will he allow it? To let her daughter go off on a dangerous journey¡­..where she could even die? If it was me¡ª¡ª I don¡¯t know. I wonder what it¡¯d be. I have never truly had a daughter and I am currently taking Aya, who was closest to a daughter to me, on said journey but somewhere deep inside I wish for her to be somewhere safe as well. If Yui-chan ever said that she wanted to go on such a dangerous journey, how would I answer? ¡°I assume you are aware of the Griffin nest near Merdior yes?¡±(renji) ¡°Wha, yes.¡± ¡°Information is life to merchants, I guess.¡± It should be obvious that¡¯d they¡¯d be aware of such a thing. ¡°Soon, we¡¯ll be subjugating those griffins. If she says that she wants toe with us, she¡¯ll have to prove her strength there.¡±(renji) Saying all that without a pause, I took a deep breath. If Ms Francesca were to travel with us again, Mururu will be happy, and Solnea will also have another opponent to y chess with. And honestly, it¡¯s never bad to have too many beauties on a journey. But, the journey is very dangerous. Death is a possibility. If she fully understands that, gets approval of her parents, and shows to have strength enough to protect herself, only then¡ª¡ª ¡°From when I first met her, she has definitely gotten much stronger. But the question still remains whether she¡¯d be able to protect herself in the uing journey.¡±(renji) But, I thought. It was like this back when I first met her as well. Even when I said that she might die, she still looked ahead. Shepleted the Orc subjugation. These two asked whether she¡¯d be able to be an aplished adventurer but I wouldn¡¯t know that. I may have travelled around the world in order to subjugate the Demon God but still I have only been an adventurer for just 2 years. But then again, I do think I faintly understand what¡¯s important to an adventurer. Will and effort. Talentes second. Though one might need talent to make some great aplishments as an adventurer but to an adventurer, what¡¯s more important is the will to survive and to put in effort for it. ¡°Is that all you wanted to talk about?¡±(renji) ¡°Uh, Yes.¡± ¡°I see. Then, we¡¯ll take our leave. Thank you very much for this enjoyable time tonight.¡± Taking another breath, I gave a meaningful smile. Rxing at that, both clearly broke their expressions. I may consider the title of a Hero as a burden but that¡¯s not so to the society. They will see me as the Hero no matter what. Even now they seemed to be acting sorry wondering if they had angered me by anything. Even though they are much more amazing having so much wealth, and ships that were the corner stone for trade, than someone like me whose only aplishment is to have killed a God. But no matter what I say right now, it wouldn¡¯t reach these two. I¡¯ll ask Mururu to tell it to Ms Francescater. ¡°We¡¯ll prepare a carriage so can you please wait a while?¡± ¡°Of course. I need to talk to Francesca-san as well. When the carriage has been prepared please call us.¡±(renji) Saying that, I stood up. I¡¯ve eaten my fill and also got to hear a lot about Ms Francesca and her past as well. In the end, it became slightly awkward but I can call this an enjoyable night I think. I really must be amoner to the core to be already thinking for a way to apologise for tonightter. ¡°Aya, let¡¯s go.¡± Holding out my left elbow, Aya entwined her arm around mine. Looks like she still hasn¡¯t gotten used to the heels. How charming, really. ¡°Sorry to have decided all that by myself.¡±(renji) ¡°It¡¯s fine. As long as Francesca senpai wishes for it and Renji-san is fine with it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.It¡¯ll be a dangerous journey though.¡± ¡°fufufu.¡± Did I say something amusing as Aya gave a smallugh. Leonhart-san gave a p and the door to the dining hall was opened and a few butlers came in. Looks like they¡¯re here to lead us to ms Francesca¡¯s room. So we followed after the butler. ¡°I¡¯m with you as well. Let¡¯s protect them together.¡±(aya) ¡°Yeah.¡± How reassuring, really. ¡°I¡¯ll be relying on you then.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes. Please do¡ª-as much as you want.¡±(aya) The moment she said that, due to the heels, she stumbled even though there was nothing in the way. She didn¡¯t fall as she was supported by my elbow but how should I say it¡­¡­¡­..yeah.. ¡°I¡¯m still uneasy about this.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­..I¡¯m not wearing heels ever again.¡±(aya) That¡¯s not okay on its own though. Chapter 69 The Hunt and the Test Chapter 69 The Hunt and the Test *ck* *ck* a dry sound reached my ears. Finding that sound to be calming, resting myselfpletely to the back of my chair, I read the letter in my hand. The sender was Utano-san and the content was regarding the reward for subjugating the Griffins. And also a demand to send back a letter telling her about our current situation. She knows that I¡¯m not really the type who writes back letters but looks like she¡¯s really worried for us. Now even I have no choice but to write back a letter in such a case. I smiled bitterly. But, what should I write back in the letter? While recalling the various events that urred aftering to Merdiore, I spread out a nk paper cleanly in front of me. Even like this, I am the type who takes good care of things, you know? As I stretched my body, my back gave a slight crack. ¡°What was written inside?¡±(aya) Here in the Men¡¯s room, Aya, who was ying chess with Solnea, asked that. And even Solnea who sat in front of her looked towards me reacting to Aya¡¯s words. Feirona and Mururu had gone along with Ms Francesca to do some work in the neighbourhood. While we¡¯re just rxing here ying chess. Seriously, our lives are so peaceful right now. But that¡¯ll onlyst till today. ncing at the blue bird resting on the edge of my bed¡ª¨CUtano-san¡¯s familiar, I gave a sigh. By the way, Utano-san really loves this small blue bird. She really went through a lot of trouble to finally find it. This world is a ce where the weak are eaten by the strong. Survival of the fittest. A small powerless bird like this would instantly end up as a monster¡¯s prey. What fly freely in our world, in this world these type of birds are, though not an endangered species, but still are very less in number. The reason she was so fixated to have this small blue bird as her familiar was because apparently it¡¯s supposed to bring happiness or something. She only heard it from somewhere but she really holds it dear. When I gently caressed the small bird with my finger, it made an adorable tweeting voice. ¡°Is your match over?¡±(renji) ¡°No, not yet.¡±(sol) ¡°I see. Then first finish it. Then we¡¯ll talk.¡± It was Solnea who replied and hearing what I said, she instantly turned back towards the chess board. In contrast, Aya seemed to be really curious about the contents of the letter so she continued to look this way for a while but soon turned back towards the board as well. Same ck hair, beautiful looks, tall height; seeing the various simrities between these two, they really felt like sisters. Solnea would be the older sister though. In terms of looks and body that is. Once more, *ck* *ck* the dry sound resounded in the room. From the open window, the noise from the streets could be heard, and the cold wind passed making my clothes sway. The bare mountain visible in the distance had now be a nest for Griffins and the small ck spots that are visible asionally must be the griffins out for enthusiastically hunting their prey. While thinking of such things, I pondered over the contents of the letter. It was a letter written in proper japanese. We can read it easily but the inhabitants of this world can¡¯t even read or understand a single bit of it. Back when we were just summoned we had no choice but to talk in Japanese even though it was inconvenient but now it¡¯s be something like a codenguage for us. Taking out Ermenhilde from my pocket, I flicked it up with my thumb. As it twirled in the air, shining in the sunlight, I grabbed it and opened to see. It was tails. ¡°haah.¡± [what¡¯s wrong?] ¡°Nah, it¡¯s just that the coin toss gave a tails so I feel like something bad¡¯s about to happen.¡± [Isn¡¯t that the usual though?] Why are you sounding so excited there? Griffin subjugation. That alone isn¡¯t very problematic. After all, I even have experience fighting dragons that are much more troublesome than just griffins. I won¡¯t feel as troubled just to fight some griffins after all I¡¯ve been through now. I know how to beat them. Drop lightning if flying, and if that¡¯s difficult, use bait to lure them to the ground and cut their wings using that chance. No matter how great the protection of wind spirit Sylph they might have, they can¡¯t fly without wings. After that, it¡¯s just a big beast that can use magic. ¡­¡­¡­.the fact that it can use magic puts in a whole different ss from other beasts though. ¡°Are you worried about something?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Did she notice what I was thinking, Aya was looking towards me instead of the board. Looks like it was Solnea¡¯s turn to make a move. ¡°What?¡±(renji) ¡°Renji-san, are you worried about something? Because you¡¯ve been flipping Ermenhilde a lot recently.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Is that so?¡± While saying that, I put the medal back inside my pocket. I guess, it¡¯s be a habit of mine? I myself never realized it though. But, certainly, whenever something happens I do recall flipping the medal to test whether it¡¯d be good or bad. ¡°Now, we¡¯ll be getting quite busy from hereon Ermenhilde.¡±(renji) [Yeah. I can¡¯t wait.] ¡°Oh please, I don¡¯t enjoy putting my life on the line you know?¡± While saying what I always say, I caressed the blue bird again. What should I do next? The reward for Griffin subjugation, now I don¡¯t know the current market price for that but the amount the capital¡ª-Utano-san has suggested is a pretty big one. With this much money, it¡¯ll be easy to gather adventurers who¡¯d fight alongside us. I¡¯ll leave that to Dagram though and we should start preparations for the subjugation I guess. There¡¯s also the test for Ms Francesca as well and also the existence of a tough enemy, the Arch Griffin. No matter how much we prepare ourselves, there¡¯s nothing as being overprepared in this case. And as for Ms Francesca¡¯s test, I feel like they¡¯re overthinking about it a bit too much. As for me, I just want proof that she won¡¯t hold us back¡­¡­..that is, she¡¯ll be able to protect herself. In the end, she¡¯s only be an adventurer 6 months ago. I don¡¯t expect her to have movements like Feirona or Mururu in just that much time. And of course, neither do I expect her to be able to use magic like Aya either. As long as she can follow my instructions, not falter even against an incredibly powerful enemy, and if she can be quick witted at any instant. Knowledge and experience wille to her gradually. Just because she worked hard for a week or two, she won¡¯t grow that much. It¡¯ll be difficult to defeat a griffin with just her magic so rather than learn attack magic, what¡¯s more important will be to learn binding and restraining type magic. I wonder if she has realized that. But then again, I, who didn¡¯t give her any advice and left it all to others, am not being very nice either. Thanks to that, I feel like Mururu hasn¡¯t been talking to me much these days. I do understand that she¡¯s trying to implicitly tell me to give her advice though. Well, it¡¯s not bad to put in some hard work, and Feirona¡¯s with her as well so she shouldn¡¯t overdo it. [You¡¯re always like that.] ¡°I don¡¯t want to die yet after all.¡± At Ermenhilde¡¯s voice, I gave a light response. I spoke that very honestly and was truly what I thought as well. I don¡¯t want to die. That¡¯s what makes me, me. Aya who heard that giggled as she moved her piece. It was funny to see Solnea look at Aya puzzled at that. ¡°mou, don¡¯t speak such ominous things, will you?¡±(aya) ¡°Hm, sorry, sorry.¡±(renji) As I gave an apology to Aya, ¡®Check¡¯, she spoke. Looks like their match is heading towards the end as well. Or maybe Aya¡¯s finally taking the game seriously only now. Feirona, Mururu and Solnea have started to get used to the area, Ms Francesca seems to have gotten more calmer as well, and due to the Griffins, there are way less monster attacks these days. Even though threat and danger is just beside us, our current lifestyle is might be the most rxed out of all the times I have travelled. We spent two weeks like this. But this peace is also finallying to an end. ¡°I really wanted toze around a bit more.¡±(renji) [Hmph. Have you forgotten the objective of this journey?] ¡°I haven¡¯t.¡± [I wonder about that.] She seemed to sound more severe probably because I haven¡¯t worked for the past few days at all. Basically because I have beenzing around like it was a holiday for me. As I gave a shrug at my partner¡¯s voice, I looked outside the window. The weather seemed as clear as it could be but the air felt slightly humid. It might rain at noon or at night. ¡°It¡¯s my loss.¡±(sol) ¡°Yes. Solnea-san, you¡¯ve really gotten better at this.¡±(aya) ¡°I have not yet won against Aya though?¡±(sol) ¡°You won¡¯t win that easily. You have to attain victory through your own hard work after all.¡±(aya) ¡°I see.¡± While talking, those two began clearing up the chess pieces. I, who was bored, decided to simply admire the small blue bird in the meantime. When I put out my finger in front of it, it looked adorable as it jumped on to that finger. Was it under Utano-san¡¯s control or did it actually have the consciousness of a bird as well? I don¡¯t really know much about familiars but it looks like a normal bird to me right now. I gently caressed the bird with my finger. [Now that I think about it, does Aya not have a familiar as well?] ¡°Yes. Even if it¡¯s a familiar, it¡¯s still a living being. And I am really bad with animals.¡±(aya) ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°I do find small birds or cats cute but I¡¯m a bit¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°What about dogs?¡± ¡°A long time ago, I was attacked by one so..¡± I see so that¡¯s why she¡¯s bad with animals. Due to one incident she ended up not liking all animals as a whole, I guess. But it seems she was pretty embarrassed of that fact as her expression seemed shy as she said that. ¡°Also, the biggest problem is that I really don¡¯t like controlling an animal against its will¡­¡­¡±(aya) [I see.] ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s fine that way.¡± When I said that, she didn¡¯t have anything more to say. I¡¯m sure with Aya¡¯s magical energy she control literally anything¡­¡­.except Gods and God¡¯s descendants that is. Well, I am not knowledgeable about the fine details of contracting a familiar so I am not sure. But from Aya¡¯s reaction, I think my deduction wasn¡¯t too far off the mark. And to be honest, I¡¯m really happy to see that Aya thinks that way. ¡°Now then, what did Yuuko-san say in the letter?¡±(aya) Having finished clearing away the chess pieces, Aya asked that. Her expression had changed from what it was when she was ying. Even her atmosphere, slightly changed. ¡°To take care of the griffins asap, that¡¯s all.¡±(renji) ¡°I see.¡± It seems her reaction was the same as mine, not very surprised. As the name, the Commercial city would suggest,merce¡­¡­.or rather, it was a vital point for trade. It has the only trade route with Elfreim and the ce where goods to be exported out of Imnesia and imported from Elfreim gather. And above all, it¡¯s a city where humans, demihumans and beastmen all gather. If something happened to such a ce, it¡¯ll create problem between the two continents. That¡¯s why, we were asked to urdently deal with this problem. Seriously, she makes it sound as if its so easy. ¡°fufu.¡± ¡°hm?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothi¡ª¡ª¡± ¡°Why is Renji smiling as well?¡±(sol) For a second I didn¡¯t realize what Solnea was talking about? Wasn¡¯t Aya the oneughing? But I realized that the atmosphere was so that I was probably smiling as well. On being pointed that out by Solnea, I used my other hand, that didn¡¯t have the bird on it, scratch my cheek. ¡°Was I smiling?¡±(renji) ¡°yes.¡±(sol) [Yeah. Looks like you¡¯re quite eager as well this time.] ¡°¡­¡­..That¡¯s not it.¡±(renji) I¡¯m just feeling more at ease since we got an official order. No matter how difficult or absurd it might be, getting precise instructions always makes things easier. But I doubt that has any connection to me feeling more eager about it. It won¡¯t make enjoy fighting, and I would never, voluntarily, start a fight myself. I hate getting hurt and have had enough of suffering from the pain. I want to avoid danger. But if I¡¯m told to do something, I will. Is this what they call being a person with naturally underling mentality? ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll go and call Feirona-san and others.¡±(aya) ¡°Yeah, I leave that to you. I¡¯ll head to the guild.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Saying that, Aya left the room. It¡¯s amazing how fast she is to always take action like this. She understands what to do even without me telling her, or something like that. Griffin subjugation. We can¡¯t just head there instantly. First I have to let everyone know the details written in Utano-san¡¯s letter, then make preparations as well. At earliest, we¡¯ll do it tomorrow, it could even be the day after. Feirona and others should be out on a job they got from the guild. There¡¯s still time till they return. I¡¯ll go and get Dagram to help me with the subjugation prep in the meantime. ¡°Renji.¡± ¡°What is it, Solnea.¡± While I was in deep thought, Solnea who was still in the room spoke up. She might be confused to see me still here even though Aya left maybe. ¡°I¡¯m also heading out soon, so what will you do in the meantime?¡±(renji) ¡°I¡¯lle with you.¡±(sol) ¡°Got it.¡± [¡­¡­.Instant reply, eh.] Ermenhilde, as if trying to read my thoughts, spoke in a doubting voice. Is she wondering if I have some evil thought? ¡°If there¡¯s something Solnea wants to do, I want to allow her that as much as possible okay?¡±(renji) [fuun.] ¡°Why are you sulking now?¡± [I¡¯m not sulking. I just find it strange seeing Renji act so honestly/obediently.] ¡°What a partner I have, seriously.¡± To start the preparations for travel¡ªfor battle, I stood up. That said, all I did was put on my mantle, hiding the throwing daggers on me, attaching the dragon bone knife to my belt and the mithril sword to my waist. ¡°So, what will you be doing?¡±(renji) I spoke that towards the small bird resting in the top of my bed. When I did, as if it understood me, it flew lightly andnded on my shoulder. Though you see such a scene in tv dramas a lot, in actuality, birds are very wary creatures. The fact that they¡¯dnd on a person¡¯s shoulder is proof that they¡¯re very used to the person. Well, considering it¡¯s Utano-san¡¯s familiar it should be obvious though. But still, I felt happy. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go shall we?¡±(renji) [¡­¡­what if it flies away due to the crowd and noise outside?] ¡°If that happens, it¡¯ll still just go back to Utano-san.¡± [I guess so.] Picking up my cloth bag that I use as purse, I cleaned up the room first a bit. ¡°Now that I think about it..¡± While clearing up the things, I turned towards Solnea who was gazing at me dazedly as usual. ¡°What do you think of chess. Enjoying it?¡±(renji) ¡°I am not sure.¡± ¡°That¡¯s pretty vague.¡± ¡°is that so?¡± Sitting down, she held the bad with the chess board and pieces within her slender arms. From the time I bought her that, she¡¯s always held it like that as if it was treasure¡­..I think. At least, I have never seen her hold anything this preciously before. ¡°Didn¡¯t Ayapliment you on your skill as well?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes¡­¡± As if she didn¡¯t understand what I meant, she replied in a vague sounding voice. Though it¡¯d look like she has changed a lot while living in Merdiore, she actually hasn¡¯t changed at all. As usual, her expression is difficult to read, she speaks less, and would never say what she wants. At least she¡¯s started to ask about things she¡¯s interested in. and even that doesn¡¯t happen much when with Feirona and others. Even today, she didn¡¯t say that she wanted to y chess. But because she was carrying the bad around with a face that seemed to be wanting to say something, Aya was the one who invited her to y together. While feeling slight uneasy whether this pace of growth was fine or not, I couldn¡¯t think of any better solution either. I wonder how it was like with Eru. These days, I¡¯ve been thinking that a lot. I think¡­¡­.and then feel sad due to being unable to remember such details. Memories are of the past. Who was it that said that humans should leave the past and head to the future? Did I read it on the Net, or was it in a book? Or maybe a friend or family member told me? Everytime I think of Eru, those words pop up in my mind. It made me extremely sad, yet at the same time, I felt that I didn¡¯t feel as depressed I thought I would. Is that kind of rtionship people have with their past? Even though it concerns yourself, it starts feeling like it does not matter to you any longer. ¡°Is that what it was?¡±(sol) ¡°hm?¡± ¡°Was I being praised?¡± ¡°Yeah. She was definitely praising you.¡± When I was going into deep thoughts again, Solnea¡¯s voice brought me back. And I smiled wryly at her way of speaking. As she tilted her head in confusion due to not realizing other people¡¯s good intentions, due to her good looks as well, she looked cute. From here onwards, she¡¯ll show interest in a lot more things, converse more, and understand emotions. When she does, I wonder how Solnea would change. Or would she remain the same? ¡°You really should speak up more about what you want to do.¡±(renji) ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯ll be helpful to me as well.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± As I left the room after confirming all of my equipment, Solnea followed after me. The bag with the chess board was still held close to her chest making me smile. ¡°You can leave that in the room. You don¡¯t want to drop it and break it right?¡±(renji) ¡°yes.¡± Giving an obedient reply, she went back into the room. ¡°She¡¯s like a docile child.¡± [Do you really want such a big kid?] ¡°No way.¡± Even if an adventurer has a child, that child will only face misfortune. If you want to have a child, do it after you stop being an adventurer. Resting my back on the wall of the inn, I folded my arms. ¡°Even now, I already have my hands full with acting like a babysitter. If the number of kids increase further, I won¡¯t be able to handle it.¡± [if Aya heard that, lightning will fall on you, you know?] ¡°I never said ¡®who¡¯ were included in kids though?¡± [Muu.] Shouldn¡¯t Mururu be the one you think of at first? Well, for Ermenhilde I guess Aya¡¯s also still a child. ¡°Sorry to have kept you waiting.¡±(sol) ¡°Don¡¯t mind it. Now then, let¡¯s get going.¡±(renji) Together with Solnea who came back from the room, we headed down towards the first floor of the inn¡ª¨Cwhen, I felt a sensation on my mantle. As usual with a emotionless expression, Solnea held on to the edge of my mantle. Now if she had held on to it with just her finger or something, it¡¯d be really cute but seeing her hold on properly with her whole hand was well, very Solnea-like to do so. ¡°What is it?¡±(renji) ¡°Renji, will you y chess with meter?¡±(sol) ¡°Wha?¡± Due to the suddenment, I couldn¡¯t even reply back properly. ¡°¡­¡­..Why?¡±(renji) ¡°Just now, didn¡¯t you say to tell what I wanted to do?¡±(sol) [Indeed.] ¡°Don¡¯t you ¡®indeed¡¯ me damnit.¡±(renji) I lightly hit my partner who was some iprehensible things from above my trousers. Even if you tell me to y chess with you now..Let alone Aya, I¡¯m weaker than even Feirona at it. I am not sure if I can win against her. I honestly have zero confidence of winning. ¡°Aya and Feirona are both stronger than me you know?¡±(renji) ¡°Strong or weak is not relevant to me when ying chess with them though.¡±(sol) ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I don¡¯t get it. Then why is she ying chess¡­¡­.well, I guess you could say that she just enjoys ying that¡¯s all. But in that sense does the opponent¡¯s strength really be irrelevant? ¡°Well, if you¡¯re okay with me, sure.¡±(renji) ¡°I see.¡± [Shouldn¡¯t be really difficult for you to win against her now, Renji?] ¡°I think so. But if she doesn¡¯t mind that, I don¡¯t mind ying with her.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be looking forward to it.¡± But well, it¡¯s going to get really busy for sometime so the chess match will have to be put off forter though. ¡°I¡¯ll get really busy for some time so it¡¯ll be a while till I get to y with you but, is that fine?¡±(renji) ¡°I do not mind.¡± ¡°I see. Okay, then let¡¯s head to the guild now.¡± Saying that, I began to walk. This time she didn¡¯t pull on my mantle. Leaving the inn and reaching in front of the guild, I passed through the swinging double doors as the noise of the adventurers came to me. Even though the threat of Griffins was there, it¡¯s not like adventurers don¡¯t have any other job. True, the damage from monsters like harpies and goblins has lessened but adventurers also have other jobs like escorting merchants, and gathering herbs and ingredients for magic and alchemy as well. The profits will be less but they¡¯ll still be busy with such jobs. Some the adventurers saw mee in and looked towards me. Some of them, who were an acquaintance of mine, raised their hand and gave a greeting. I greeted them back but other than those gazes there were also some which were more focused behind me. That is, they were looking towards Solnea. Rather than a simple man like me, a beautiful girl like her is a better treat for their eyes after all. ¡°Oi, Dagram.¡± ¡°You¡¯re finally here, Renji. Since it was you, I thought you¡¯d be here first thing in the morning.¡± ¡°huh?¡± [fumu. Did something happen?] When I spoke up to Dagram who was at one of the counters looking bored, he suddenly told that to me. When I tilted my head confused at what he meant, he also got confused seeing my reaction. ¡°What? Aren¡¯t you here to ept the griffin subjugation request?¡±(dagram) ¡°Well, yeah I am but, why did you say I¡¯d be here first thing in the morning?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s because a letter from the capital came herest night.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..is that so?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡± ¡°Yeah, an acquaintance at the capital¡­¡­Utano-san¡¯s letter came to me only a while ago after all.¡± Looks like a letter was sent to the guild through another route as well. Then couldn¡¯t they have told me the samest night as well? But I guess they didn¡¯t have time to send someone to me. Not to mention they must have thought that I¡¯d be here sooner orter anyway. ¡°What the hell? Even though the letter to me came from some damned old man , you got one from a woman? As usual, you make me jealous.¡±(dagram) ¡°Let me off. Here, I am supposed to write back a letter telling the current circumstances you know? Me, write a letter? There¡¯s a limit to how much that doesn¡¯t suit me.¡± ¡°yeah, I guess so. Just imagining you sitting in front of a desk writing a letter, it really doesn¡¯t suit you at all.¡± ¡°Well if we¡¯re talking about that, you working at the reception doesn¡¯t suit either though.¡± ¡°Shaddup. Who do you think has been kindly offering all sorts of good jobs to yourrades, huh?¡± While I was talking with Dagram like that, the little bird sitting on my shoulder lightly poked at my cheek. Getting surprised, I stopped talking and it became calm again. Is it telling me to finish things here quickly? ¡°Hm, the hell is that bird?¡±(dagram) ¡°Utano-san¡¯s familiar. This is the one who brought me the letter.¡± ¡°Houu, since this is Ane-san we¡¯re talking about I was sure her familiar would be some demonic beast.¡± (T/N: Ane-san technically means older sister but is also used for women who are confident and dominating types sometimes.) ¡°Even though she¡¯s like that, she really likes cute¡ª¡ª-¡± I spoke till that when the little bird started pecking at my cheek again. This time, it was actually serious and it really hurt making me raise my voice. ¡°Kakaka. Looks like the master and the familiar are one and the same. What the familiar sees and hears also reaches the master, that is her, Renji.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean the familiar has to get angry as well.¡± Though I¡¯m also stupid to still say such things even while knowing that but how devoted is this familiar to Utano-san. When I was thinking of that, it started pecking at me again. This habit of always making others rush is also simr to its master. ¡°I and the people around me will be troubled if I were to rush anything though.¡±(renji) ¡°But then again, you take a bit too much time with things as well.¡± [umu. It¡¯s exactly as he says, Renji.] ¡°What will I gain by rushing things? If I keep on running looking just ahead, I¡¯ll miss all the beautiful scenery around me.¡± [I feel like Renji get¡¯s a bit too captivated by the scenery andpletely stops moving most of the time though.] Isn¡¯t it fine though? Beautiful scenery, clean air, idyllic atmosphere. I love all of it. Looking at me holding my head, both Dagram and Ermenhildeughed out loud. Goddamn it. ¡°So, you¡¯re epting the grifin subjugation quest?¡±(dagram) ¡°¡­¡­yeah. We¡¯ll start tomorrow at noon. So make sure that as few as possible people leave Merdiore during that time.¡± ¡°Looks like you¡¯re nning to have a pretty intense battle.¡± ¡°Aya is with us after all.¡± When she fights seriously, it¡¯s really bad for people to be anywhere near. Honestly speaking, even I be nothing more than a burden at that time. I gave a shrug but Dagram gave a tired sigh. As a veteran adventurer, or rather, as someone who were in Merdiore two years ago, he knows very well just what level of magicians both Aya and Koutarou are. After all, it was these two that blew away one whole section of that bare mountain that the Griffins have made into their nest right now. But still, it¡¯s nowhere near like the time in Abenelm where they¡¯d create craters at every ce they go. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll try and do something. Think it¡¯ll take a lot of time?¡±(dagram) ¡°Can¡¯t say. I went quite a lot of times to observe the griffins but that Arch griffin alone didn¡¯t show itself.¡± If it was just simple griffins, it¡¯ll end pretty fast but without confirming exactly how old and how skilled that Arch griffin is, I can¡¯t say anything for sure. Of course, it¡¯ll still be nowhere near the Demon God Nayfell¡¯s level though. Even if I wanted to hear more about that arch griffin, the ones who barely returned alivest time from fighting it also sumbed to their wounds and died the other day. Even if they were adventurers, death still felt sad. Without letting such emotions show too much on my face, I gave a sigh. [I couldn¡¯t even tell even the normal griffins apart though¡­¡­..] Are you still talking about that? ¡°This will be slightly troublesome I know but I leave it to you.¡±(renji) ¡°It¡¯s not just ¡®slightly¡¯ damnit. Just how many people do you thinke and go through the highway everyday??¡±(dagram) ¡°¡­¡­..Ugh..¡± [How many?] ¡°Who knows? I can¡¯t tell without properly looking into it. But it¡¯s a big number I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°Oi.¡± If you don¡¯t even know, don¡¯t tell me that! Looking fed up towards myrade who hadn¡¯t changed at all, he gave his sultry smile. [muu] And as if it was pre-established fact, a voice of disgust came instantly from Ermenhilde. Now then, all that¡¯s left is too meet up with Aya and the others and prepare for tomorrow. Looks like tomorrow will be really busy. I muttered to myself. Towards me, as if trying to console me, the small blue bird tweeted softly. Chapter 70 A Small, Small Step Chapter 70 A Small, Small Step That house looked so worn out that it felt like a strong wind alone could blow it away. At the edge of Merdiore, it was built on a cliffside with sea nearby so the wind felt really pleasant. The view from here was also great and if not for the graveyard so nearby, it would be a perfect location. Just from the looks f it, it felt like a punch alone could open a hole in the wall of the house and , it really felt like the quality of the house didn¡¯t matter much to its inhabitants. Well, it could be that I am simply not aware of some great aspect to this house as well though. This house is where Yuuichirou was currently living. Or rather, it¡¯s a ce that has been used by the gravekeepers as a home for many generations. Since he told that himself, it shouldn¡¯t be wrong but because it looked like this I still was left really surprised. If he were to ask the country¡­¡­..no, if he had even asked Dagram, they would have prepared a much better house for him though. Or perhaps there was some personal attachment to this house? While thinking, I lightly knocked on the worn out door which had clearly seen many years pass by. I was almost afraid that I might break it down if I used to much strength. ¡°Ah, wee Yamada-san.¡± ¡°Yo, Yuuichirou, mind if Ie in for a while?¡± The owner of this house, Enomiya Yuuichirou opened the door. Gray hair, tanned skin, and dark purple eyes. He was tall, and though he didn¡¯t look much like a japanese person, this wasn¡¯t because he wished to change his appearance to Astraera like Koutarou did. He himself doesn¡¯t pay much attention to it anymore but long back he was very conscious of his looks. Back in our world, apparently he had also been bullied due to it or so I have heard. His clothes were also simple old looking clothes, and he looked more like amoner than even me. Well, it¡¯s not like we¡¯repeting for it or anything though. ¡°Sure but¡­¡­It¡¯s a pretty small house though.¡±(yuu) ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± Saying that, he let me inside. From outside, the ce seemed to be in tatters but inside, it was well kept and the ce was tidy. I didn¡¯t feel the cold breeze I was feeling inside either so they must have properly taken measures against winding as well it seems. And the house didn¡¯t even make creaking noises from the strong wind either so it seems the house is more well maintained that I first thought. The furniture was minimalistic, amp, tableware and some cooking tools could be seen. ¡°Ara?¡± As I observed the house without making it seem rude, Seravi-san, whom we met a few days ago, came out from an inner room. Wearing just a simple cotton tunic and a long skirt, she totally looked like a normal town girl but unlike her older sister, she had a more calm atmosphere around her which suited her more. Looks like she came out from the bedroom just now. Judging by how she was putting her hair in order with her fingers, she must have woken up just now. Even though it¡¯s noon already. To be asleep till sote, what have they been doing tilltest night? Should I be delighted for myrade¡¯s happiness or should I be jealous of it? ¡°Wee Renji Yamada-sama.¡±(sera) ¡°Hello, Seravi-san. Also, I dislike being referred to with a ¡®-sama¡¯ honorific so please call me in some other way if possible.¡± As I said that while greeting her, she made a troubled look and turned towards Yuuichirou. And he just gave a smallugh and nodded in reply. Wow, they canmunicate through just their gazes. Realizing my gaze, Yuuichirou scratched his cheek embarrassedly and averted his eyes. It doesn¡¯t look cute at all when a guy does that. ¡°Yamada-san, please sit down, there¡¯s no need to stand as we talk right?¡±(yuu) As he spoke that quickly trying to hide his embarrassment, I took a seat. Realizing that I could totally see through him, he also gave a wry smile and sat down. From back then, Yuuichirou had been bad at hiding his own feelings. Even if he remained silent, the movements of his body or slight change in expression would totally give it away. Now I can¡¯t exactly guess what he¡¯s always thinking but I can tell when he¡¯s panicking or when he¡¯s having fun. It bes even more obvious when you get close to him and it was also proof that he didn¡¯t have his guard up around me which made me happy. ¡°Will you be fine with tea?¡±(sera) ¡°Ah, please don¡¯t worry too much about it. I came empty handed as well after all.¡±(renji) When I raised my hands saying that, she gave augh. Yeah, she definitely is Celestia¡¯s sister. Herughing face did seem simr to Celestia. ¡°So? Yuuichirou, when and how did you be so close with Seravi-san?¡±(renji) Putting my elbow on the table, I asked Yuuichirou about his romantic life with a teasing smile. Realizing my intentions, Yuuichirou made a troubled yet somewhat happy face and looked outside the window. ¡°You¡¯re asking that again¡­¡­..I haven¡¯t really done anything special you know?¡±(yuu) ¡°Fuun.¡± ¡°What¡¯s with that smile of yours?¡± ¡°I was born with it, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Seriously.¡± Ad, he sighed. But seeing as his cheeks were light, it wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t want to talk about it either. I guess most people do enjoy proudly telling others how their romance started with their lover. ¡°After Yamada-san disappeared from the capital, I came to this area. Because I had heard that Celestia-san was a resident of this ce.¡±(yuu) I don¡¯t know if his feelings have been already resolved or still in the process of it, but from the way he was able to easily say her name, it looks like he has gotten over Celestia-san¡¯s death. Compared to me who still can¡¯te to talk about Eru¡¯s death, this 18yr old sitting in front of me looked more mature than me. Do children really mature this fast? Or am I still just a child? Thinking that, I breathed out. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±(yuu) ¡°Nothing. So, did you look for Celestia-san¡¯s house aftering here?¡± ¡°Yes. That said, her family was already¡ª-¡± Saying till there, he looked towards Seravi-san. She had her back towards us and was preparing some tea. And she was lightly humming as well. When I met her a few days ago, I thought she might be the gloomy type but this should be her actual personality I think. So was she just get too anxious around strangers? And the meaning behind Yuuichirou¡¯s gaze, it hit on me, and I just muttered ¡®I see.¡¯ It seems Celestia only had her younger sister in the family. I don¡¯t know what happened to her parents but back then, monsters were far more aggressive. And considering how she was the vicemander of a mostly male knight order, I understood what that meant even if I didn¡¯t want to. ¡°So that¡¯s how you met eh?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes.¡± I¡¯m sure they probably didn¡¯t get along much when they first met. Having lost her only family, blood rtive, sister; how many would allow a man who just travelled with her sister for a while into their lives? Yuuichirou didn¡¯t talk much about it but I can imagine. ¡°She seems like a really good person.¡±(renji) ¡°Really. In fact, I feel like she¡¯s too good for me.¡±(yuu) ¡°No such thing. You¡¯re a good guy as well. Have more confidence in yourself.¡± When I replied that instantly, he looked at me surprised then averted his eyes and scratched his cheeks in embarrassment. Crying for others and putting your own life on the line for others. It only sounds easy but Yuuichirou, who actually did it, I know he¡¯s a good guy. For that reason, he even lost an arm and Celestia-san lost her life. But still, he¡¯s can smile like this right now. I was very surprised yesterday, but really, this is a delightful thing. When Iughed, he shook in his seat ufortably. ¡°And your job as a gravekeeper?¡­..¡±(renji) ¡°It¡¯s for Celestia-san¡¯s grave. After all, in the end we were unable to bring her body back.¡± Talking till that, hmm, I stretched my body a bit. ¡°But still. Isn¡¯t this ce a bit too dangerous to live for two people?¡±(renji) Raising a different topic I implicitly told that the gloomy talk was over. Looking towards the ceiling, though it might survive the wind and rain, I could clearly see some parts of the wood really worn out. I feel bad to say this, but really it looks like it might fall down any second. ¡°Once we¡¯ve saved up a bit more money, we n to renovate the ce.¡±(yuu) ¡°I see. Though couldn¡¯t you just ask Dagram or someone to lend you money?¡±(renji) When I named my dwarven friend, Yuuichirou gave a wry smile saying ¡®that might be so¡¯. The receptionist-cum-adventurer Dagram has a lot of savings, and he also has a strong sense of feeling of moral obligation. If Yuuichirou asked even once, he¡¯d give him money instantly. ¡°Well, this house has its own good parts as well.¡±(yuu) ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah. Since it¡¯s so small, you can always tell where the other person is and even speaking in a small voice reaches the other person.¡± Fumu, I nodded. ¡°And above all, since the winter nights are cold, you have to stick really close with each other at night when sleeping.¡± The moment Yuuichirou said that, with a loud *kacha* a teacup was ced in front of him. ¡°Here.¡±(sera) ¡°yeah.¡±(yuu) Her gaze was incredibly cold and you couldn¡¯t tell that these two were lover living together. The person who had been pleasantly humming just a moment ago seemed like apletely different person. After a moment¡¯s gap, a teacup was ced in front of me as well without making even a single sound. Feeling the difference, I ended upughing out. ¡°I hope it suits your tastes.¡±(sera) ¡°Thank you very much.¡±(renji) To me, she spoke with her eyes down looking shy. Well she actually is embarrassed I think. After all, in front of a man she barely knows, he just talked openly about such things. Acting like I didn¡¯t notice it all, I simply gave my thanks. ¡°Mouu, please don¡¯t talk about such weird things.¡±(sera) ¡°But..¡±(yuu) Without swaying even a bit from her gaze, Yuuichirou took a sip from the steamy tea. Let alone look diposed, he seemed to be in fact enjoying her reactions. Even though he was always cowering back then, he really has gotten strong. While admiring him, I took a sip from the tea as well. ¡°..we¡¯re so happy right now. I just end up telling everyone.¡±(yuu) ¡°yeah yeah, go explode you goddamn riajuu!¡±(renji ) (T/N:google riajuu if unaware) Or rather, his character was way too different from what I remember. Is this the power of love? I ended up thinking of such stupid things. Or maybe, this was his true nature. Being bullied in our world, and going through such a brutal journey in this world. He was always depressed. That was the Yuuichirou I knew. It¡¯s been a little more than two years since Celestia died. I can¡¯t tell exactly how long but it should be around that much. There¡¯s also the saying that time heals the wounds of your heart as well I guess. But it was nothing more than words. The person himself must try to ovee those wounds, in fact sometimes time only makes those wounds deeper. At least Yuuichirou was thetter. After Celestia died, he became the [Avenger]. To Yuuichirou whose poweres from anger and the wounds on his body, his current situation is what he wishes for yet at the same time that also bes the restraint to his full power. I also understood why Dagram and the others had victims in their subjugation group against the griffins as well as why they haven¡¯t been able topletely kill them all. That¡¯s because Yuuichirou never took part in the subjugation in the first ce. That¡¯s because he won¡¯t be of any use right now. It¡¯s something to be d of yet also slightlyplicated seeing that the threat of monsters was still present in this world. ¡°Well, even Yamada-san has been living a fulfilling life everyday, right?¡±(yuu) ¡°You think so?¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re even travelling together with Aya right?¡± ¡°that¡¯s, well,¡± I ended up vaguely replying to that. Averting my gaze from him, I looked outside the widow. The weather was as clear as it could be but right now, shining sun almost felt hateful. Even though when he was travelling with us he was a silent and docile boy, now he¡¯s be able to talk back like this, joke like this andugh from the bottom of his heart. ¡­¡­¡­.he¡¯spletely changed, but right now he¡¯s much more lively. I felt so. ¡°Oh right, where¡¯s Eru-san?¡±(yuu) ¡°I didn¡¯t bring her. She¡¯s been scolding me more and moretely.¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s because you do things that invite scolding after all.¡± ¡°Maybe so.¡± I don¡¯t think that a person¡¯s personality is decided the moment he¡¯s born. It¡¯s slowly formed as he/she lives on. Then, the existence called Ermenhilde. Her personality was also created through the one year she has been living with me and the fact that she scolds so much is because I have beenzing around that much I guess. ¡°As usual, you two get along so well.¡±(yuu) ¡°Not really. I have to deal with her tiring scolding everyday you know?¡± ¡°If you two weren¡¯t close, she wouldn¡¯t be scolding you in the first ce though.¡± ¡°I guess, that¡¯s true as well.¡± Well, it¡¯s troubling to think that the amount of scolding is a measure to judge how close you are to someone though. But let¡¯s leave that aside for now. ¡°How rare. Back then, you would always be together with Eru-san.¡±(yuu) ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­¡­..probably.¡± I replied instantly to Yuuichirou¡¯sment but I myself felt that Icked persuasiveness. That¡¯s because I know the truth very well. Yeah, that¡¯s right. I was always with her. Recalling that, I smiled wryly. Whether in a city, travelling or fighting, it was normal for us to be together and though this might just be my own personal impression but¡­¡­..I felt that her connection to me was even stronger than Astraera¡¯s. I really think so. But that was that. Right now, I¡¯ve gotten used to moving around alone without Ermenhilde as well. Should I be happy that my private time has increased or should I be sad that I¡¯ve started to be away from Ermenhilde at times? No matter how much I think about it, I won¡¯t get an answer. That¡¯s because my own self is resisting finding the answer to that. ¡°Did something happen?¡±(yuu) ¡°¡­¡­..You can tell?¡± ¡°Somewhat.¡± ¡°I see.¡± I muttered. I didn¡¯t think I let it show on my face but maybe I am the only one who thinks that. I took a deep breath and strength left my body. ¡°Eru died.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± When I said that, I felt more strength leave my body. As if these arms weren¡¯t my own, I put down the still half filled teacup on the table. ¡°Is that why, you left alone on a journey back then?¡±(yuu) Yuuichirou said that, and at the same time he gave an eye signal to Seravi san. She , reading the mood, quickly left the room. ¡°then, the one who was with you was¡­¡­..¡±(yuu) ¡°What I revived by begging to Astraera¡ª¨CI¡¯m calling her Ermenhilde now.¡± ¡°I see. Yes, true. Back then, Yamada-san, you always called her ¡®Eru¡¯ after all.¡± We were silent for a while. What the hell am I saying? I questioned myself. I didn¡¯te to Yuuichirou¡¯s home to talk about this. The subjugation of griffins. I came here to ask for his help, then why am I talking about myself here. I¡¯m sure when I saw Yuuichirou and Seravi-san so happily living like this, I couldn¡¯t hold myself back. The reality of Eru¡¯s death that I¡¯ve been keeping to myself. They say time heals the wounds of the heart. I guess it is true¡­¡­¡­..As long as there¡¯s someone who¡¯d support you during the time, those wounds will heal one day. But¡­¡­¡­I was a fool, trying to carry that burden alone. But that only made the wound deeper as it gouged into my heart. Yet, time keeps on stealing away my memories of people dear to me, of Eru. Even though I clearly remember I lost her, I still can¡¯t remember much about her anymore. That reality would one day be unbearable to me. And when I finally do be unable to bear it, what would happen? Will I go on a rampage like Yuuichirou did back then? Or would I get over it? ¡°Shit! Don¡¯t tell anyone else, okay? Other than you, only Utano-san and Koutarou know of this.¡±(renji) ¡°Haa? Then why did you tell me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know! Because you seemed so happy, my tongue just slipped.¡± ¡°Normally, shouldn¡¯t you tell Aya before me? If we¡¯re speaking of priority, that is.¡± ¡°What the hell is that supposed to mean?¡­¡­¡­.¡± Covering my face with my right hand, I gave a deep sigh. Seriously, what the hell am I doing? Even though I never wanted to tell this to him, I couldn¡¯t even control my emotions and ended up saying it all. The phrase ¡®there¡¯s no use crying over spilt milk¡¯ sure is apt. ¡°I¡¯ll see youter. Right now, I¡¯m very busy with the request from Astraera. I¡¯lle meet again once I¡¯m done.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­¡­.No, why did youe here in the first ce then?¡±(yuu) ¡°Forget about it!¡± Getting up from my seat, I left Yuuichirou¡¯s ¡®love nest¡¯. No, it should be better to say that I ran away. When, Yuuichirou came after me out of the house as well. His left sleeve swayed emptily in the air. ¡°What you just told me, have you really not told that to even Aya?¡±(yuu) ¡°Yeah. I still haven¡¯t told her. I haven¡¯t even told Ermenhilde either. She, remembers that we journeyed together but she doesn¡¯t remember anything that happened between me and her.¡± ¡°¡ª¨CI see.¡± His shoulder dropped down. Was I because he understood that one of his formerrades hadpletely changed? We, have be too used to death. Too many people died,rades died, friends died. We saw that reality too many times. And, Eru¡¯s death was also nothing more than just one of those. I should have also treated it like that as well. There was never a reason to hide Eru¡¯s death in the first ce. I should¡¯ve just shared it with everyone and supported each other. But, I took it all on myself and disappeared from their side. Eru¡¯s death, and her will as Ermenhilde. I just couldn¡¯t endure it all. That¡¯s why, I raged. So much that I almost died multiple times in just half a year. I don¡¯t understand. Back then, why did I keep Eru¡¯s death just to myself? Why did I hide it from everyone? I wished to be a Hero. But I never could be one. I sacrificed so many people, I let so many people dear to me die, and only then was I able to fight a God. And that me¡­¡­¡­still couldn¡¯t protect the one thing I really wanted to protect. How could I ever be a Hero like that? I justed wanted to look away from that reality. Or maybe I just didn¡¯t want to ept that Eru was dead. ¡°But, ¡®still¡¯ means that you do n on telling them one day right?¡±(yuu) ¡°¡­¡­¡­.Yeah. Once this journey ends, I will.¡± ¡°I see. Then, I¡¯ll keep quiet as well.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Seriously. What am I saying to a kid who¡¯s ten years younger than me? I scratched my head and tried to change my thoughts. Seeing others¡¯ happiness, to start talking about my own true feelings. It¡¯s really not how an adult should act. I felt disgusted just from all the self-hate. ¡°Well then, pleasee to visit us again. There¡¯s nothing much to do here though.¡±(yuu) ¡°That¡¯s not true. I never thought one day you¡¯d be bragging about your wife to me. It was fun.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t really doing that though¡­¡­¡­¡± Saying that, Yuuichirou gave an embarrassed smile making me sigh. It¡¯s toote for that you know. Well, but still I never expected to be able to talk like this with Yuuichirou and rather than surprise, the feeling of happiness was more. As expected, I really do love to feel others¡¯ happiness. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯lle show up again. Stay healthy and safe. And do your best with your work, okay?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes.¡± I decided not to tell him about the griffins. Since he¡¯s finally living his life happily, I don¡¯t want to invite him to danger again. I have Aya with me and trustworthyrades as well. Then, we will be the ones who take on the troublesome things. For Yuuichirou to fight, he needs to get wounded first. That¡¯ll make Seravi-san worry for him. I don¡¯t want to make him fight so much that¡¯d I make someone else worry or cry. ¡°See youter.¡± Saying that, I walked away. Now then, I¡¯ll have to work hard enough for his part as well. I don¡¯t really specialise in fighting too willingly though. ¡°Yamada-san, do your best.¡±(yuu) That voice was too low and though it was meant for me, it wasn¡¯t loud enough to actually let me hear it properly. That¡¯s why, I also went along and acted like I didn¡¯t hear it and continued walking forward. Those words went deep into my heart. I felt neither objection nor embarrassment to it. Probably because those words came from Yuuichirou who had ovee his pain. I¡¯ll do my best. Saying that in my mind, I took a small, small, really, very small step ahead. Chapter 71 King of Griffins (1) Chapter 71 King of Griffins (1) The sun had not yet begun to rise, and inside my dark room I unsheathed my mithril sword and checked its de under the light of themp. I never got the sword chipped while in Merdiore in the first ce so there should be no problem but it¡¯s just a uncontroble habit of mine to check it anyway before an actual fight. That¡¯s probably because I love swords. Checking its condition, I maintained it properly. I feel like when I¡¯m doing this, I am calm inside. Sitting down on the floor, spreading out a piece of cloth, Iy all my weapons on top of it. Including the daggers and knife. Picking up each one by one, I cleaned the de with a new piece of cloth and removed any stains that might have been on the de. But they weren¡¯t that dirty in the first ce so I finished pretty quickly. Picking up one of my daggers, I gave it a swing and the sound of the air getting cut by its sharp de reached me. Satisfied from that pleasant, familiar sound, I put the dagger back in its sheath. The dragon bone knife, as its name would suggest was made out by carving and shaping the bone of a dragon, so its de looked pretty rough but its edge was much sharper than even a normal sword. To test its sharpness, I pushed it on my finger nail and it cleanly, without much resistance, cut the tip of my nail. After checking every weapon like this, I took in a breath, and then slowly, with ease, breathed out. When I picked up the mithril sword to put it back in its sheath, the door was knocked on. ¡°I¡¯ming in.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Saying that, the one who entered was Feirona. Even though it was still so early in the morning, there was no sign of sleepiness on his face. On his back was a bow and quiver and a sword on his waist. This look, that I had grown used to seeing, still made me feel confident as well. ¡°There¡¯s still time before we set out but, how¡¯re the preparations going?¡±(elf) ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m almost done.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Feirona took off his weapons and sat down on the bed. While seeing him, I took out Ermenhilde out of my pocket. Gripping the gold medal in my palms, faint jade green magical energy leaked out from it and turned into a sword in my hand. The de was pure white as if it was made of silver and it shone under the light of themp. Only one of my covenants was released right now. Even though I¡¯m supposed to be fighting griffins soon, this really makes me uneasy. The only covenant released was my fighting will but that really made me feelplicated. [What?] ¡°nah, just thinking that the de was really pretty as usual.¡± [fufu, I see.] When I gave my honest impression, Ermenhilde clearly spoke up happily. Well, if she¡¯s happy that¡¯s good as well. ¡°What about you? Are you done with the prep?¡±(renji) ¡°yeah, no problem here. That said, this is my first time fighting a griffin. I¡¯m not sure what I¡¯d need against them either.¡± As I asked that to Feirona, he replied back in a rxed voice. There was no sense of unease or over eagerness in his voice. I was amazed to see him so rxed even when he¡¯s about to fight against an enemy that he¡¯s never fought before. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. With your skills, it won¡¯t be much of problem.¡±(renji) ¡°Being told that by you does make it more reassuring.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s great then.¡± Saying that, I shined Ermenhilde¡¯s de under themp. The temper line of the sword was as straight as it could have been, without a single bend. Though it¡¯s not as sharp as Masaki-chan¡¯s de, it can still easily cut apart goblins and Orcs like butter. ¡°And, how¡¯s your own condition?¡±(elf) ¡°As usual. I so scared to fight that I¡¯m shaking.¡± ¡°Fuh, well that¡¯s reassuring as well.¡± ¡°Oh leave me alone.¡± Replying that, I averted my gaze from the Divine de in my hand. And the sword dissipated into green magical energy. ¡°It¡¯s very like you to be the same as usual even before a big fight I guess.¡± ¡°What? Did you want me to be actually more nervous?¡± ¡°No way. If you started acting nervous, it¡¯ll disrupt my mood as well.¡± ¡°What an unfair remark.¡± Giving a smallugh, I stood up. Putting away the items I used to inspect my equipment, I cracked my enck once. ¡°Now then, what about ms Francesca? You guys have been with her for the past few days right?¡± ¡°Look forward to it. She worked really hard together with Mururu so that she could surprise you.¡± [fufu. To surprise him, eh?] ¡°Well, can¡¯t wait to see that.¡±(renji) I looked outside the window. The sun will begin to rise soon. It¡¯s about time when Aya and others woke up as well. After getting breakfast first, then meeting up with ms Francesca, we¡¯ll make camp in the ins near the bare mountain and annihte those griffins. Honestly, I hoped to have Yuuichirou¡¯s strength with us as well but he¡¯s finally settled down with a woman and is walking on to a new path. It¡¯d be boorish of me to be an obstacle to that. Well, considering his personality, he wouldn¡¯t have cared at all about it though. But he¡¯s also the type who hates fighting. That¡¯s why he chose a job like gravekeeping that doesn¡¯t require him to use the powers of a Hero. He might have epted if I had asked but that¡¯s slightly different from him voluntarily epting it I think. Now knights and adventurers have to fight continuously because it¡¯s their job but making someone fight solely because he¡¯s strong is¡ª¡ªor maybe I¡¯m being na?ve here as well. But even while knowing that, I didn¡¯t ask Yuuichirou to fight means that even I still have lots to learn. If I was hoping to keep danger to a minimum, I should have relied on Yuuichirou, I understand that very well. ¡°Then, let¡¯s see if she has what it takes.¡±(renji) ¡°Don¡¯t make her do something too rash though.¡±(elf) ¡°I know. If I let such a good girl get injured, her father would kill me.¡± I recalled Leonhart, [Ms Francesca¡¯s father]. For a merchant he was well built and I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if someone said that he was an adventurer. In a purepetition of strength, I can very easily see thing go badly for me. [He let Ms Francesca go understanding and epting the risk and conditions so I don¡¯t think you have to worry about that though.] ¡°I can¡¯t be like that now can I? It¡¯s not my hobby to see beauties get injured.¡± [Nobody cares what your hobbies are.] ¡°hah, I guess so.¡± Also, a battle is to put your life on the line. Your priority should be to stay alive till the end. Even I understand that. When I gave shrug saying that I was just joking, Ermenhilde gave a really heavy sigh. And after a while, the door was knocked on. ¡°Renji, Feirona, are you two awake?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± When I answered, the door opened. It was Solnea who appeared. She had already changed out from her nightgown and was in her usual ck one-piece dress. But, there was also a blue bird on her shoulder. ¡°So you¡¯re awake already. The sun hasn¡¯t even risen yet. Why not sleep a bit more?¡±(renji) ¡°Because Aya and others started moving around already. And it¡¯s almost morning anyway so.¡±(sol) ¡°I guess that¡¯s true as well.¡± Giving augh, I sat down on my bed. Seeing me, Solnea also took a seat on one of the chairs in the room. At the same time, the small bird on her shoulder flew up and sat down on mine. As it chirped right beside my ear, I gave a smile. Animals sure can be cute, really. As I gently caressed its head with my finger it came closer as if it liked getting spoiled by me. ¡°What happened Solnea? I thought I told you that it¡¯d be difficult to be with us for today, right?¡± ¡°I remember Feirona, but Aya and others said that we were going to take breakfast right now.¡± ¡°Oh so you came to call us, eh. Thanks.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± So it¡¯s already time. I was about to stretch my body but remembered that the small bird was on my shoulder and stopped halfway. Seeing me make such a half gesture, Feirona gave a smile and stood up and put his equipment back on. When I also stood up while also paying mind to the small bird, Ermenhilde gave an exaggerated sigh. [Are you nning to take that bird with you as well?] ¡°No way. Solnea, take care of it while we¡¯re gone okay?¡± ¡°Understood.¡± When I said that, the blue bird flew back to Solnea¡¯s shoulder. Was this the result of Utano-san¡¯s training or had it be more intelligent simply from turning into a familiar? Either way, I¡¯ll have it keep an eye on Solnea while we¡¯re away as well. It seemed like bird had understood me well. ¡°Now then, let¡¯s do some proper work for once eh?¡±(renji) ¡°Seriously. You¡¯ve been constantly away from guild work from the day we came to Merdiore so be sure to work hard today.¡±(elf) [umu. Make sure to work him hard.] ¡°¡­¡­¡­No but, I did important stuff like confirming the number of Griffins etc you know?¡± Why do they say things that¡¯ll make me instantly uneager about this? While dropping my shoulders, I put on my mantle and seeing me like that Feirona in a low voice but clearly,ughed out. I wonder how much was he serious and how much was it just a joke. ¡°Don¡¯t expect too much okay? There¡¯s not much I can do here.¡±(renji) ¡°I know, of course. We¡¯ll only ask you to do things that we know you can.¡± ¡°I wonder about that.¡± When I gave a shrug, this time Ermenhilde was the one whoughed. Even though we¡¯re about to go face a really dangerous beast, there was no sense of tension in our talks. While thinking that this was a good thing, I left the room. ¡°Renji.¡± Just then, Solnea spoke up. Wondering what was wrong I turned around to see her, in a rare moment¡­¡­..well not sure of that but anyway, Solnea was making a somewhat meek face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±(renji) ¡°Will you be fine?¡± A very quiet voice reached my ears. Maybe because she came when I was checking my weapons, she was looking at my weapons with a curious gaze. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°No, I heard that you will be heading to a battle soon so..¡± Hearing that, I tilted my head confused at what had happened. I had already talked to her about the Griffin subjugation and though the enemy was a demonic beast, since we know it¡¯s habits and weaknesses¡­¡­.well, I did exin that we¡¯d be fine. There¡¯s no certainty to anything but I do make sure toplete a job as safely as possible. I had exined all that to her but was she still worried about something? ncing towards Feirona, maybe he sensed something from Solnea¡¯s reaction because he was currently resting his back to the wall and standing with arms folded. It seems he ns on waiting till this conversation ends properly. ¡°We haven¡¯t had our game of chess yet.¡±(sol) ¡°Hm?¡± At first I didn¡¯t get what she said. Chess, chess? After that word rotated in my head for a while, I finally got what Solnea was saying and also realized the answer. She¡¯s talking about how we talked about having that chess game yesterday but still haven¡¯t yed yet. ¡°I see. Well, why don¡¯t we have that match after we return? Is that okay with you?¡±(renji) ¡°Yes.¡± When I said that, she gave a slight nod. She really is like an obedient child, not being selfish or wilful at all. Well, it¡¯d be troublesome if I actually had such a big kid though. Being a father at my age doesn¡¯t suit me at all. Even though I do basically act as a substitute father to all the children. ¡°Pleasee back safely.¡±(sol) ¡°Su, sure.¡±(renji) Since this was the first time she said something like that, I stuttered a bit. No wait I feel like she did say something simr when I went to participate in the tournament back at the capital but at that time the way she spoke felt like it was obvious for me to win or something. Even though getting so surprised at her words should normally be considered rude, Solnea simply continued to stare up towards me without showing any change of expression. Well this was a first. Rather than feel surprised at being stared by a beauty like this, I was honestly more surprised at this change in her. So as to regain myposure, I cleared my throat and took deep breaths. And Solnea continued look at me with emotionless eyes. ¡°I got it. I¡¯ll be sure toe back safe¡­¡­¡­..It¡¯s a promise.¡± I was able to say that normally. No, should I say that those words came to me unconsciously. It¡¯s an old habit. ¡ª¡ª-I promise. To definitely fulfil it. To protect it. To return back safe. No matter how strong, big, or ferocious my opponent may be, because I promised, and to fulfil that promise. [You sure about this?] ¡°hm?¡± [I thought you always said that you won¡¯t make promises so easily? Using something like ¡®it¡¯s difficult to fulfil them¡¯ as an excuse.] ¡°It¡¯s fine. Now that I¡¯ve said it, I¡¯ll keep it.¡± [I see.] Saying that, I walked off. It must not be my imagination that Ermenhilde¡¯s voice seemed clearly more cheerful than usual. Seeing me like that, Feirona didn¡¯t even try to hide his smile as he walked alongside me. ¡°How very reliable indeed.¡±(elf) ¡°Don¡¯t tease me too much. I¡¯m just a weak little human after all.¡± [And already, you¡¯re talking like that again¡­¡­¡­¡­] ¡°Well, I¡¯ll moderately work hard I guess.¡± I promise. I¡¯ll work hard. Those are words I had been constantly avoiding for a while now. It makes me really itchy but¡ª¡ªto move forward, it¡¯s a path, words I can¡¯t avoid. And finally as I came down to the first floor while thinking of such things, Aya and Mururu, who were already changed into their normal clothes, and Ms Francesca, who must havee here pretty early, were sitting on a table together having a chat. Realizing we hade down the stairs as well, she, slightly nervously, gave a bow towards me. Seeing her like that made me recall how she was when we first made and I ended upughing slightly. Compared to back then, Ms Francesca has grown up a lot. As people who travelled with her, we know that the best. And we also know that if she keeps on working hard, she can grow even further. ¡°Good morning, Ms Francesca.¡± ¡°Good morning, Renji-sama.¡± ¡°What happened? We were supposed to meet up at the main gates right? Did you get too excited and not sleep or something?¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­¡­fufu. You could say that.¡±(fran) Maybe she felt something from my words, she removed her tense expression and gave a smile. I think she was probably thinking of the same thing as I was. When I first met her, the next day after I saved her to be exact, I recalled how she was awake so early back then as well. It was a nostalgic piece of memory. But others who didn¡¯t know of that could only look at her confused as to why she suddenly smiled like that. Well, she¡¯d probably tell them if anyone were to ask though. It¡¯s not really some kind of secret after all. ¡°now then, let¡¯s quickly have our breakfast and head to work, shall we?¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± But when I said that, Mururu looked up towards me in a suspicious manner. I looked at others wondering if I said something strange but they didn¡¯t seem to show any reaction. ¡°What happened?¡±(renji) ¡°Did something happen?¡±(mururu) Hmm. Unable to understand what she meant, I could only look back at her for a while. ¡°Nothing really.¡±(renji) ¡°I see.¡± And, when I said that, she didn¡¯t pay any more attention to it and turned away. ¡°Weird girl.¡±(renji) ¡°I¡¯m not. Renji, you¡¯re just easy to understand.¡±(mururu) ¡°But you¡¯re definitely not though.¡±(renji) Well, I guess even she does get easy to understand when it is anything concerning food. I wonder if she picked up on something. Beastmen are very sensitive to the subtleties of emotions as well after all. But the fact that she didn¡¯t try to pursue it any further was very Mururu like indeed. But still¡ª¨C ¡°It quite hurt to be called as easy to understand by you.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­..And, you were also rude in return.¡±(mururu) ¡°Well, sorry about that.¡± When I gave an insincere apology, she lightly elbowed my side. I guess you can call such a rtionship to be an intimate one as well. . . . (Part 2) The difference between demonic beasts and normal monsters, in my opinion, was simr to the rtionship between humans and beastmen. Demonic beasts were a more superior version that held the agility and the toughness of beasts. But unlike beastmen, they can even use magic¡ª¨Cespecially spirit magic thates with the strong protection of the spirits. Griffins were the same. A winged lion. It¡¯s ws could cut through even steel easily, they could run faster than horses, and could even fly. And they also had the divine protection of Sylph making them able to use wind type spirit magic. Honestly speaking, even the biggest strongest Ogre in this continent would be put in a lower level than a griffin. The main reason being that they could fly. After all, human¡¯s can¡¯t fly. The protection of the Sylph helps them against arrows as well and because it was a winged demonic beast, it was excelled at moving in the air. It could easily dodged any normally thrown projectiles like stones or fireballs. Now then how are you supposed to take them down? First method was to depend on pure numbers to drag it down to the ground and kill it. It was the tactic Dagram and others used during the first subjugation. This method didn¡¯t require much specific nning. But at the same time, it was also equally dangerous. And then there¡¯s was the other way, the one we¡¯d be using today. That as to lure it out and then trap it. And so, to find bait to use for the lure, I was currently inside the woods. ¡°fuu.¡± Drawing the mithril sword out of its sheath, I faced the goblins that were hiding in a thicket. There were 2 of them. Both of them held a rusted, unmaintained knife in their hands. ¡°Renji-sama.¡± ¡°I know.¡± I gave my sword a swing. Did it get more wary due to the sound of air cutting, the goblins clearly seemed to be putting all strength in their body. It was 2 vs 2. Ms Francesca held her short sword in a natural stance. The length of our swords were different but her stance seemed to be somewhat familiar to mine. Loose. Her whole body seemed to be rxed but her gaze was stuck to the goblins so that she could instantly react to any kind of movement. [Is there a need to be so cautious against such opponents?] ¡°Stuupid. If I let my guard down against mere goblins and got even slightly hurt, Aya wouldugh at me.¡± [I don¡¯t think she would but¡­¡­¡­..but yeah, she will shocked at least.] ¡°See? The image of Yamada Renji inside her wouldpletely shatter if something like that happened.¡± [I¡¯m pretty sure that image already crumbled a long time ago and has been buried into the ground though.] I guess so, Iughed. ¡°Ms Francesca, take the left side.¡± ¡°Fufu, yes.¡± Both of us, at the same time, moved to either sides. Matching us, the two goblins also split to face us. Now then, then goblin charged towards me without being on guard and with its momentum, it swung down its knife at me. Deflecting it away with the sword¡¯s broad part, I destroyed the goblin¡¯s bnce. Checking over at Ms Francesca¡¯s side, she used the moment where her short sword and the goblin¡¯s knife shed to use her other hand to stab an ice dagger into the opponents chest. How clever. Sword an magic. It looks easy to do but how many swordsmen or magicians can actually do that in a real battle? At the very least I think it¡¯d be too difficult for me. That said, I can¡¯t use magic since I don¡¯t have even a speck of magical energy in me in the first ce though. While moving my body, my mind was thinking ofpletely different things. While still in my thoughts, I dodged the goblin aiming for me with minimal movement and guided it away. Downward swings, horizontal shes, avoiding all such easy attacks, my back reached a tree. It must have thought of me stopping as an opportunity as it tried to stick its knife in me. I repelled that knife with the dragon knife I held in my other hand. With a shrill sound, that rusted knife flew in the air. The goblin, confused, looked at its own hand having lost its weapon. I kicked its stomach and blew him towards Ms Francesca. ¡°Ms Francesca!¡± I called her name. reacting to my voice, she turned this way and without panicking stabbed the goblin that flew over to her instantly. From the chest of the goblin that was only as big as an elementary schooler, the short sword stuck out. After spasming violently for a second, its body became lifeless. ¡°Looks like your reaction time has grown quite a lot as well.¡±(renji) ¡°Really?¡± When I said that, she made a happy expression as she withdrew her sword from the goblins body. Her expression was still that of a lovely noble girl but what she was doing was monster extermination. The gap between the two things was so strong that I¡¯m sure I¡¯m not the only one who would get aplicated feeling inside. It¡¯s nice that she was smiling but she was still holding a blood stained sword in her hand as well. ¡°But still, why do we need goblins for the griffin subjugation?¡±(fran) ¡°For the bait.¡± ¡°But wouldn¡¯t it be easier and safer to just buy orc meat from the market?¡± ¡°That would cost money and above all, it won¡¯t be fresh meat.¡± While answering to her questions, I picked up the goblins by the nape of its neck. Though small, they still weighed about 30Kg each. Holding one in both hands, it¡¯s 60Kg weight load on me. While pulling the goblins along, we left the ce. Behind me, Ms Francesca sheathed her sword with a practised movement. ¡°You really have been using that sword for quite a while now right?¡±(renji) ¡°I guess so?¡± ¡°Has it not started to wear out yet?¡± ¡°That¡¯s, well, yes but if I maintain it properly it¡¯s very much useable.¡± Saying that, she gently caressed the handle of the short sword lovingly. Looks like she¡¯s quite attached to it but really, she¡¯s been using it for 6 months now, it should be slowly starting to wear out by now. Even if not, she had been practicing a lot with Feirona and Mururu these days as well. We¡¯re in the middle of a job right now but I really should examine itter. Well, I¡¯m also only slightly better than an amateur so there¡¯s only little of what I can do in terms of maintenance. It¡¯d be better to show it Kudou. She still hasn¡¯t returned to her house in Merdiore but seeing how she hates trouble, she¡¯ll return as soon as the griffin problem is resolved. I¡¯m pretty sure she heard the details from Utano-san and decided not to return worried that she might get dragged into this mess as well. That¡¯s the kind of woman she is. She understands my personality pretty well as well, you could say. [You really treasure it a lot eh?] ¡°Yes. It¡¯s one of my few treasures.¡± ¡°Calling a sword that can be bought from any store as treasure is quite unusual though.¡± ¡°Maybe so. But I think it depends on the person what they consider a treasure.¡± [That¡¯s true.] ¡°Yes.¡± For some reason, Ms Francesca and Ermenhilde seemed to havee to some kind of mutual understanding. As a weapon and someone who treats weapons preciously, I guess they just connected well. That said, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m one to talk. I do treat my partner very preciously and it was the same for the mithril sword, knife and the daggers as well. But that, and clinging to a weakening weapon is two different things. I want to exin her that but¡­¡­¡­how should I say it? ¡°Well, it¡¯s toote to worry about the weapon though.¡± I thought that but that¡¯s nothing more than putting away a problem forter. Calling it a ¡®problem¡¯ might be an exaggeration though. I couldn¡¯t remedy the situation right now anyway. While talking like that, we soon reached the exit from the woods and the ce where we separated from Aya and the others. There myrades were standing with almost 10 goblins already taken down. Even though we¡¯ve only killed 2 in the same time. So fast. Half of those have huge holes in their chest though. Aya must have blown them with her magic. So easy to understand. ¡°Sorry. We were a bit slow.¡±(renji) ¡°nah, we came back just now as well.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The conversation seemed simr to a couple meeting up for a date. That said, I doubt such customary type of conversation even exists in this world so it might be just my imagination as well. While in such stupid thoughts, I threw the two goblins on the mountain of corpses as well. ¡°Now then,¡± Taking a breath, I cracked my neck. And removing my gloves, I drew out my knife. ¡°I¡¯m about to do something slightly disgusting so you might want to get away a bit Ms Francesca.¡±(renji) ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°He¡¯s about to cut open the goblin corpses and lure the griffins out with the smell of blood.¡± Mururu gave the exnation in my stead. Hearing that, Ms Francesca took a step back. Her expression was clearly stiff as well. Though not showing it clearly, Feirona wasn¡¯t making a very good expression either. Friffins were carnivores and due to the effect of Sylph¡¯s protection, their sense of smell was incredible. So the easiest way to lure out griffins was to use the smell of blood and flesh. The fresher the better. They¡¯re not some gourmets but they are smart enough to tell the difference between fresh meat and meat bought from a store. Thanks to that though, just gathering this many goblin corpses would be effective. While exining that, I kneeled down near one of the corpses. ¡°Eh, umm, let, let me help ¡ª¨C¡°(fran) ¡°No need to force yourself. Go stand aside with Aya. Feirona you as well, go stand on top of a tree.¡±(renji) ¡°Should I just aim from there with my bow?¡± ¡°Just aim at the goblins that would also get attracted from the smell. Griffins won¡¯t be affected by normal arrows.¡± Saying that, I looked towards Aya who was sitting quite far away on top of a pretty big rock. Even if she has gotten used to killing and hurting monsters, she still isn¡¯t used to seeing a corpse mutted like this in front of her so she quickly goes away as far as possible. And I don¡¯t really consider that to be a bad thing either. Every person has something they just can¡¯t get used to. In fact it¡¯d be weird for a girl to actually get used to seeing a monster¡ªthat too a humanoid one, get split open like this. Mururu was, well, she¡¯s a beastwoman so its fine. In Elfreim, everyone still lives by the principle of self sufficiency. Now though they won¡¯t eat goblins that barely have flesh on them, Orcs and other creatures of its subspecies and other monsters are all precious food. They are taught how to cut open such creatures from childhood so there was no surprise. ¡°Should I help as well?¡±(mururu) ¡°Nah, it¡¯d be bad if the smell caught to you. You should also stay a bit away.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± An important point to keep note of was that if the smell stuck to you as well, you¡¯ll get noticed by the demonic beast due to their strong sense of smell. Since it couldn¡¯t be helped in my case, I¡¯ll be acting as decoy. Well, that¡¯s not a new thing for me though. It was our fighting way from back then, I¡¯ll be the decoy and others would use the chance to strike and kill the monsters. It¡¯s dangerous, scary, and I don¡¯t want to die; I always thought that but once I got used to it, it ended up bing our main way of fighting instead. I could even suppress my sense of fear with pure willpower as well. ¡­¡­¡­.to say it in a more embarrassing way, I thought that as long as I can trust myrades, we could survive any situation. While in such thoughts, I opened up the goblins stomach with my knife. I wonder since when did I stop feeling anything even while opening up corpses like this. It must be the same as how I got used to fighting and killing things as well. While thinking of such philosophical things, I cut open its belly and let the smell of blood spread in the air. At least with this much smell around, it shouldn¡¯t be able to discern me alone. In the end, I used the water bag on my waist to wash my hands and put on my gloves. [You¡¯ve really gotten used to doing this eh?] ¡°How many times have I done this already? I¡¯d get used to it even if I didn¡¯t want to.¡± [fumu.] ¡°Humans, whether for better or worse, are very adaptive creatures in that sense, Ermenhilde.¡± I wonder if my usage of those words was apt here or not though. It feels like the crime scene of crazy serial murderer. It may sound weird seeing I am the one who did it but really, I want to at least put a nket or something on top of these. But that would only make my own effort useless though. ¡°Ms Francesca.¡± As I walked towards the females gathered together, I spoke up the name of the one I needed. ¡°We¡¯re getting on top of trees as well.¡±(renji) ¡°Wh, Yes!¡±(fran) [¡­¡­.you¡¯re already so nervous. Will you be fine?] ¡°I, I¡¯ll be fine.¡± There¡¯s no need to be so nervous¡­¡­.well, I guess anyone would be at their first time. Aya and Mururu hid in a nearby bush and Feirona was on top of a tree with his bow ready at a point where the girls and the goblin corpse were both in his view. And me and Ms Francesca climbed up right atop where the corpses were lying. While climbing on to arge branch, we waited for the griffins toe. ¡°Does it smell?¡±(renji) ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°The blood. I was right in it after all. If it smells bad, you can move a bit away.¡± ¡°Ah, no, it¡¯s fine¡­¡­.the smell isn¡¯t that bad.¡± The way she said it means that I still was smelling though. Was she kind or just honest? While thinking of that, I moved slightly away from her. I can¡¯t move too far away as we were sitting on a branch but this should be better, even if only slightly. In contrast, even though Ms Francesca was so close to me, I couldn¡¯t smell anything nice since the smell of blood hadpletely disrupted my nose. How sad. ¡°So, umm, what do we do next?¡±(fran) ¡°Once the griffinse down to eat the goblin corpses, we¡¯ll jump down to stab them.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­that¡¯s it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s it. It¡¯s a simple but effective method.¡± Saying that, I lightly caressed the handle of the mithril sword. ¡°Monsters and Demonic beasts. What do you think is the simrity in those two?¡±(renji) ¡°Simrity, is it?¡±(fran) She spoke the question back like a parrot. Did the way I asked it wrong? ¡°They have a heart and think with their brains.¡±(renji) ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Yes, same as humans. Once the heart or brain gets crushed, they die.¡± And the goblin corpses were right below us. By jumping down from here, you could clearly aim for both heart or the brain. Right up top is a clear blind spot for the griffins. No matter how strong the protection of Sylph they might have, it¡¯s a distance where they¡¯d be toote to act even after noticing. The [Arrow reflecting ward] may be able to deflect away light things like arrows but it can¡¯t divert heavy things like a human body. Basically, the [Ward] can¡¯t deflect things with great mass and weight. I exined it all to ms francesca since we had nothing better to do till the griffins came. By the way, in the meantime, the number of dead goblins kept on increasing from Feirona¡¯s arrows. ¡°¡­¡­..haah.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because magic has lots of weaknesses as well. Thinking around those is pretty interesting you know.¡± ¡°And Renji-sama who can think of all that is pretty amazing as well though.¡± ¡°Not really. I¡¯m just a bit more open-minded than normal that¡¯s all.¡± Utano-san says that to me many times as well. Was it apliment? While I was thinking of that, Feirona, who was in my view, averted his gaze from the goblin corpses and turned towards the mountain. Following his gaze, I saw Griffins flying this way. I could sense Ms Francesa take a gulp. ¡°Now then, it¡¯s time for work Ms Francesca.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± When I said that in a small voice, she replied in a low voice as well. Seeing her gaze was nailed on the griffins, without making her jump from surprise, I poked at her defenceless shoulder. ¡°No need to be so nervous. You haverades so don¡¯t worry about messing up. In fact, just think that it¡¯d be fine even if you mess up a bit.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.Sure.¡± [For once, you¡¯re being pretty gentle.] It¡¯s not that rare right? I shrugged skilfully while still on the branch. After a short pause, I turned back towards the griffins. Were they cautious of their surroundings, the griffins didn¡¯tnd easily. If it was Aya, she could strike them down from such distance but not Ms Francesca. Of course, neither can I. First, we need to have themnd on the ground and take the bait. We must endure till then. I wonder how much time had passed. A few minutes or more than that? Or maybe less? Finally, the Griffins grew less wary and pped their wings toe down to the ground. Covered in dark brown hair, their wings were of the same colour. Its head was white and beak golden. Its body was a bit more than 3m big and if their wingspan was to be included, it¡¯d be close to 6m. Even with such a big body, there was no sound as it walked on the ground. That was no because it was just that light stepped but due to the Sylph¡¯s protection, so that they could approach its prey silently. ¡°So big¡­¡­¡­.¡± Ms Francesa muttered in a very low voice. ¡°This is the average size. Once they grow up a bit more, they grow almost twice as big.¡± ¡°That big!¡± While sensing her gasp, I slowly withdrew the mithril sword from my sheath. [Not using me?] ¡°I doubt more that more than one or two restraints have been released anyway. This is easier to use.¡± [muu] No matter how strong the enemy, the conditions for the release of my constraints is set. When it¡¯s not a descendant of the demon god and not strong enough to be considered very dangerous, I could tell how many constraints will be released. If 3 or 4 get released, I will use Ermenhilde but if not, the Mithril sword was more convenient. It¡¯s sharpness wasn¡¯t inferior to Ermenhilde either and there was no danger even if it broke. But it¡¯d be a big problem if something happened to Ermenhilde. Or rather, in such a situation I don¡¯t want to force Ermenhilde unreasonably. ¡°Look closely Ms Francesca.¡± The griffin walked closed to the goblin corpse and reached for it with its beak. Choosing that moment, ¡°It¡¯s heart is right beside the base of the wing, at the centre of its back.¡± Saying that, I jumped from the branch. The distance down till the griffin was about 3m. holding the sword in both hands, I put all of my weight into it and pierced through the griffin¡¯s back. It gave out a long cry but I definitely felt that the blow was fatal. It tried to fly again but with its heart pierced, it was unable to p its wings and fell down to the ground. ¡°¡­¡­¡­I was so worried that it might struggle for an instant.¡± [pathetic.] To my muttering, Ermenhilde spoke in a truly sad voice. I can¡¯t help it can I? the opponent is multiple times bigger than me. If I got attacked by its ws, it could tear me up easily. Even with setting such a perfect trap, scary things were still definitely scary. Thinking that, I climbed back up. Since ms Francesca was in a skirt, I paid attention to not look up as I climbed and sat back down in my previous spot. ¡°Next will be Ms Francesca¡¯s turn.¡± ¡°Y-yes!¡± [no need to get so worked up. As long as they don¡¯te in multiple numbers together, there¡¯s no need to be that on guard.] ¡°Demonic beasts are usually stronger but in turn, they aren¡¯t very good at using their heads.¡± In the end, they¡¯re still animals. Since they move on their instincts they have sharp senses but they can¡¯t win against their own hunger. Even while knowing it might be a trap, they end up heading towards the food in front of them. As said by Ermenhilde, if they really don¡¯te in multiple numbers, this trap could be used multiple times. Well, this kind of trap only works on Griffins and simr beasts though. I nced towards Aya and Mururu just to see them sigh in relief as their shoulders were drooped. [Then, while wishing the next one wille alone as well, let¡¯s wait again.] ¡°¡­¡­..Oi, you idiot. Why did you make such a g raisingment.¡± [What¡¯s that supposed to mean?] While we talked like that, the sound of pping of wings came to me again. Looking towards it, two griffins were heading towards us. Feirona with his bow ready and arrow nocked, looked towards me. He was asking me what to do now that there were twoing. I gave a signal with my hand for him to standby and thought of what to do. Well, if I just needed to subjugate them quickly, the best would be to ask Aya but if Ms Francesca is to travel along with us, I want her to get as much experience as possible. But still, two at the same time might be too dangerous for her. I thought of various things inside my head. ¡°Now then, let¡¯s work hard shall we?¡±(renji) ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be the decoy so Ms Francesca do something to stop their movements somehow.¡± ¡°Somehow?¡­¡­.is it?¡± ¡°Yes. somehow.¡± Saying that, without hesitation, I jumped to the ground. The smell of goblin blood can¡¯t be removed that easily. Then it¡¯s the easiest for me to get their attention. After that, let¡¯s trust in Aya and Francesca who won¡¯t be noticed. It has always been this way. Aya who knows that, I wonder how she sees my actions. I think she might be at her wit¡¯s end as well. As my feetnded to the ground, I drew my mithril sword and held it in my right hand. [By the way, what¡¯s a ¡®g¡¯?] ¡°When something happens which ispletely opposite to what you just say, basically.¡± [What kind of magic is that?] ¡°It¡¯s just a type of omen.¡± Well, maybe it¡¯s slightly different than that? I had enoughposure to think of such things. Feeling surprised at that, I realized I was smiling. Now then. ¡°Come at me you shitty birds. I¡¯ve got no grudge against you but I¡¯m gonna kill all of you anyway.¡±(renji) While ring at the griffins in the air, without fear or hesitation, I said that. Chapter 72 King of Griffins (2) Chapter 72 King of Griffins (2) While being looked down at from up high in the sky, I gripped the Mithril sword in my right hand more tightly. How should I pull them down to the ground? While I was thinking that, before I coulde up with some strange n, one of the Griffins came down to the ground fluttering its wings. It looked very heroic as it stood there. I have seen the Dragon King Fafnir up close. A dragon, that is considered one of the strongest life forms in this world. Yet, while seeing this Griffin which was much smaller than that dragon, was it because I am a man that I still felt awed and found the griffin to be looking really cool? As itnded on the ground with a heavy sound, it calmly stared towards me. ¡°¡ª¡ªWha.¡± [Hmph. Looks like you¡¯re being looked down on Renji.] From its gaze I didn¡¯t even feel any sort of animosity or hatred for having killed itsrade. It just acknowledged my presence, as a fodder, as its prey, I stood here. It didn¡¯t even consider me as a threat let alone a worthy enemy or foe. It came down to kill this living fodder. That¡¯s what its gaze seemed to imply to me. Not that I can actually read its thought but that¡¯s what it felt like. But Ermenhilde seemed to have sensed that as well because in her voice, I could clearly sense a slight irritation and definite anger. Seeing such a reaction from my partner, it instead made me more calm. ¡°now then,¡± The other one was still in the sky. Does it intend to remain there? Or will it support it from the skies? In either case, what I have to do is already decided. It¡¯s gaze was still fixed at me and had not yet noticed Ms Francesca and the others. Then, I¡¯ll have it struggle around as much as I can. So that myrades can move and act easily. ¡°I¡¯m gonna start, Ermenhilde.¡± [yeah, go for it.] In a straight line, I headed towards the Griffin. As soon as I was in range, I swung down the mithril sword on it. Griffin didn¡¯t move at all. It continued to look down at me and the attacking towards its defenceless body¡ª¡ª-but just before the sword could reach it, it jumped its huge body back in an unbelievable speed and movement to dodge it. Before my sword, having lost its target, could hit the ground, I took another step forward and swung the sword back up towards it. This time, the attack reached it slightly and its hair flew in the air. Under the blue sky, its light brown hair fluttered. Without looking at that for even a second, I stabbed my sword with great momentum towards the ce where the hair were falling. But before that attack could reach, the griffin turned away even faster to avoid that attack aimed at its vitals¡­¡­.the next thing I knew, I flew in the air. An impact came from the right. Without understanding why, I flew in the air, and the next instant I fell to the ground. While rolling down on the ground, I confirmed what had blown me away. It was its wings. Unfurling its giant wings, and with the momentum of turning its body, it had knocked me flying. I had been blown away from just that¡­¡­.as usual, a demonic beast¡¯s power, its physical ability, is truly monstrous. Well, I guess it is an actual monster after all. Rolling away like that and creating some distance from it, I stood back up as soon as the momentum of my rolling died. [It¡¯sing!] The instant I heard Ermenhilde, I jumped to the side. The next moment, the ground I was standing on before was torn apart. After a slight dy, the wind blew my mantle strongly. A de of wind. You could call it a kamaitachi as well, a sharp invisible de of wind. With a nce I confirmed where Aya, Mururu, Ms Francesca and Feirona were. For the time being, let¡¯s make sure not to unknowingly drag them into this as well. Well, Feirona and ms Francesca are on top of trees and Mururu has Aya beside her. If its Aya, she should be able to defend against such an a attack easily. Drawing one of the daggers from my waist, I threw it at it. Even without concentration, I could hit sucha big target easily. But even though it headed towards the griffin, midway it made an impossible movement and missed. The [Arrow deflecting Ward]. A barrier of wind that could easily avert such light thrown weapons. Witnessing that barrier once more, even though I knew about it, I ended up clicking my tongue. Seriously, what a troublesome barrier. ¡°return!¡± I was surprised the first time I saw it but after knowing how to fight and deal with it, it¡¯s not surprising anymore. The deflected dagger reacted to my voice and this time attacked the griffin from behind. At the same time, I charged towards the griffin from front. It must havee to the conclusion that the barrier would take care of the dagger as it aimed directly at me. As it raised its right foreleg to attack me, I made a horizontal sh to face it. The mithril sword shed with its ws as sparks flew. But the impact that came with it shocked me. My right arm went numb and unable to kill the momentum, I ended up retreating backwards. Clicking my tongue at the usual physical strength it possessed, with my left arm I grabbed the dagger that flew towards me which had been unable to prate the barrier as expected. Jumping backwards and creating some distance between us, I took a stance with the mithril sword in my right hand and the dagger in my left. It was an impromptu two sword stance but, seriously, what should I do next? If I could use magic, there were many things I could do but there¡¯s a limit with just a sword. Now I have felt this countless times before as well but that doesn¡¯t change the fact that my options are limited. I possess no magic and my cheat was weak. For me, fighting such a monster head on and wounding it was really difficult. [What are you going to do now?] ¡°What should I do indeed.¡± At the same time, a de of wind was released as it headed towards me while gouging the earth. I can¡¯t see it directly but since I could see its path as it gouged the earth, I could dodge it without much difficulty. Jumping out of the range of the wind de, I once more rushed towards the Griffin and pointed my de at it. Did it finally start getting irritated of me being a hindrance, the griffin¡¯s attacks started bing more fierce. But that also meant that every attack became cruder as well. Forelimbs, beak, wings, wind spirit magic. I averted, received and dodged all of those. This is troublesome. Without disrupting my concentration, I sighed within my mind. As expected, when it¡¯s not a surprise attack, it¡¯s difficult to take it down instantly. I realized that my breath was bing rougher as well. While I was in such thoughts, a sudden impact blew me away. Rolling on the ground again, I quickly looked towards the sky. The one griffin that had remained in the sky was looking down towards me. It must have been its magic that blew me away. Did I hit my head as I fell? I shook my paining head as I stood up. ¡°Where¡¯s ms Francesca?¡± [Still atop the tree.] Then, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s about time I have her do some work as well. After thest attack, both of the griffin¡¯s awareness was concentrated on me, or rather, they¡¯re currently seeing only me and nothing else right now. I went through quite a bit of pain but finally I have both of their attention. While gazing at the two griffins simultaneously, I moved towards the mountain of goblin corpses. Like this, at least one of them can be taken down with an ambush attack I think. Well, it is her first time facing a griffin and I am a tad bit worried whether her short sword would reach the griffin¡¯s heart though. But from what I saw in the battle against those goblins, she can use magic to create a de of ice or rock as well so she should be able to handle that. I am a bit uneasy but if I keep thinking that way, we won¡¯t be able to do anything. Breathing out, I resolved myself. Let us have some faith in her. ¡°Ermenhilde. Tell Aya and others to take down the one in the sky as soon as Ms Francesca takes action.¡± [Got it.] Really, at such times her [voice] is so convenient. I doubt griffins can understand humannguage but they would get curious of who else was here if I shouted something out. While being cautious of the griffins, I retreated and reached the corpse mountain at exactly the same time when Ermenhilde finished her exnation to others. Taking a deep breath, I smelled so much blood that I almost felt like vomiting. I took a deep breath to calm myself but instead it made me more sick. Sighing, I loosened up my body that had started growing stiff from tension. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s do this.¡± [Yeah. The hunt has just begun, let¡¯s hurry this up.] Hearing her, I pointed my sword towards the griffin that seemed like it had begun to drool. ¡°Come and eat me if you think you can. Don¡¯t cry when you wreck your stomachter though.¡± When that happens, I¡¯ll stab you to death from the inside. Muttering that in low voice, I ran. And predicting as I felt a slight wind behind me, I slid on the ground to dodge the wind de. I felt the strong wind pass by and saw the tree behind me get a deep cut on it. Without hesitating from that attack, I jumped in towards its bosom and shed with my sword. At the same time, I used my dagger to stop the swing from its right forelimb made to drive me away. Even if my own power wasn¡¯t enough to pierce its skin, all I have to do is use its own power against it. The dagger stabbed into its leg and I felt a wet and warm sensation on my left arm. The next instant, I was blown away from the violent and brutish swing of its limb. Again? Such a though came to me for a second. Blown away like a pebble, for the Nth time today, I rolled on the ground. And I ended up right underneath the tree in which Ms Francesca was hiding. Seeing it all go as nned, even though in pain, I ended up smiling. While acting like I was deadying t on the ground, I gave a nce upwards in the tree to see Ms Francesca look at me worriedly. Also, since she was in a skirt I think I saw something totally unfitting that of a battlefield but let¡¯s ignore that. ¡°Ah, that hurt.¡± [Obviously. Even when knowing it¡¯d hurt that much, it¡¯s amazing how you still can decide to act as bait anyway.] ¡°used to it. I¡¯m just used to it. Humans can really do anything once they get used to it.¡± [yet I feel that avoiding painful things is what makes one human though.] I guess that¡¯s true as well. Encouraging my own hurting body, I stood back up. Well, my consciousness is still fine and the pain isn¡¯t that bad. Only some light hits andcerations. I don¡¯t think I have broken any bone either. Like that, I moved a bit. I moved just enough to make sure that when the griffin moves it¡¯lle directly below ms Francesca. And maybe thinking that my movement was me trying to get away, it rushed towards me. Probably thinking of ramming me or wing me down. To face it, I lowered my waist and gripped my weapon tightly and¡ª- ¡°Ms Francesca!!¡±(renji) ¡°Yes!¡± With a loud woman¡¯s shout, just like me before, she jumped down from the branch with her short sword. There was no way that griffin could react in time and shended on its back and stabbed the short sword into its back. The next moment, the griffin rampaged from the pain. Raising its front limbs like a horse it struggled and tried to throw ms Francesca off itself. Judging from that I can tell that her sword did not reach the heart after all. Ms Francesca on its back screamed. ¡°Don¡¯t move¡ª¡ª¡± I gripped my mithril sword tightly and holding it like an arrow knocked on a bow¡ª¨C ¡°¡ª¡ª-Yoh!!¡± This time, without any interruption, I stabbed straight into what should be its heart. The sword went deep into its body and the griffin stopped moving. The next instant, I felt another presence behind the griffin¡¯s body. It was the other griffin that hadnded on the ground. Seeing it, I lightly tapped my pocket. ¡°Now.¡± [Aya, do it.] Immediately, multiple grassroots grabbed the hind legs of the griffin stopping its movement. Each and every one of those grass was as thick as my finger and were strong enough to not break even as the griffin struggled violently to break free from this sudden trap. And as it tried to struggle and fly away and the grass seemed like it¡¯d bend and break, it was suddenly blown away to the side. With a loud noise, it crashed into the trees and after taking down a few trees with it, it was released. No matter how strong body the griffin might possess, there¡¯s no way it could endure something like that. After getting released from the grass, it¡¯s wings were broken and its beautiful fur was stained with blood. It was a cruel sight. But still, it had not died and was trying to stand back up. Its stamina amazed me but¡ª¡ªbefore it could stand up, Feirona jumped down from his tree and skewered its head. As usual, he¡¯s nimble. Since I could never move as nimbly as he does, I could only honestly admire him. If I tried that, I would have probably fallen down head first. Thinking that, I withdrew my mithril sword from the griffin¡¯s body. As I wiped the blood of it with my mantle, Ms francesca climbed down its back and ran towards me. ¡°Are you hurt somewhere!?¡±(fran) ¡°Hm? Ah, this much is usual.¡± [¡­¡­though I don¡¯t consider getting used to pain a bad thing, the way you said it doesn¡¯t sound right.] Did I say something weird? While I was thinking that, Aya, Mururu and Feirona who took down the other one with ease also came towards us. Well, Mururu didn¡¯t do much this time though. ¡°You did pretty well.¡±(renji) ¡°I was really surprised when you suddenly jumped right in front of the griffin.¡±(elf) ¡°Sorry sorry. Well, it¡¯s great that you understood what my intention was though.¡± When I said that to Feirona, he gave a deep sigh. If it was Aya or Feirona who had gone out instead of me, that griffin would have died before it could be led towards Ms Francesca. Saying thanks for understanding without me having to say it out loud, I turned towards Ms Francesca. ¡°Oh, right.¡±(renji) ¡°Yes?¡±(fran) ¡°open your right hand.¡± I showed my own open palm to her as example. Unable to understand what I meant, she still imitated me and showed her palm. When, I lightly smacked my own palm against her. Basically a high five. ¡°Wha?¡± Ms Francesca spoke up confused. Finding her reaction amusing, Iughed. Seeing me like that, then looking at her own palm next, she looked back towards me. Seeing us like that, Aya giggled while hiding her mouth. ¡°Eh, umm?¡±(fran) ¡°When things go well and as nned¡­¡­.how should I say this? It¡¯s kind of a ritual?¡±(renji) ¡°I don¡¯t think its as formal as you¡¯re making it sound though.¡±(aya) Since I couldn¡¯t think of better of a word for it, it ended up bing a question instead. And Aya gave a tsukkomi at that. Among us, we do it quite a lot. When things go well, when we end up safe like this without losing anyone, that is.¡±(Aya) Saying that, she raised her palm towards me as well. When I high-fived with her as well, her smile deepened. But the next moment, her eyes narrowed again. ¡°But, Renji-san, you were being reckless as usual I think.¡±(aya) [Seriously. He doesn¡¯t listen when I tell him that so scold him more for me as well Aya.] ¡°What? I wasn¡¯t forcing myself at all.¡±(renji) ¡°It may not seem as forcing yourself to you Renji-san but that doesn¡¯t change the fact that it was reckless.¡±(aya) ¡®Especially when I¡¯m here as well¡¯ I¡¯ll just act as I didn¡¯t hear thatst part. Even if I could just rely on her, it just seems too uncool to me. While I was talking to Aya, I heard another *p* sound. Looking that way, Mururu and Ms Francesca did a high five as well. Both were smiling making me feel pleasant as well. ¡°Ah, but.¡± But soon, Ms Francesca¡¯s expression clouded again. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Wondering what happened, I spoke up as she turned towards me along with Mururu. ¡°No, it¡¯s just that in the end, I couldn¡¯t kill the griffin so¡­¡­..¡±(fran) ¡°Aah.¡± That, eh? Well, it¡¯d be impossible with that sword. I was thinking that she might create a weapon out of her magic to attack but that wasn¡¯t bad either. She did aplish her job after all. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t worry about that too much. Since at least you were able to take action properly.¡±(renji) ¡°¡­¡­.Is that so?¡±(fran) [yeah, I think so as well.] ¡°Yes, you were able to jump down from the tree perfectly as well.¡±(aya) ¡°See?¡±(renji) Feeling relieved, she sighed with her hand on her chest. I can¡¯t have her fight being worried about each and everything either after all. Only two griffins remain. And including that Arch Griffin, only three remain. (Part 2) ¡°Though I joke around a lot, I don¡¯t like lying.¡±(renji) ¡°Then you should have just praised her honestly.¡±(aya) ¡°But I¡¯m bad with serious stuff like that too.¡± ¡°Fuh, well that¡¯s true as well.¡±(elf) Aya spoke in a fed up voice as Feirona agreed to myment. Is that much fun to tease me eh? As my ss heart was getting wounded, Mururu pulled at my mantle. ¡°Did Fran do well?¡±(mururu) ¡°Yes, she did.¡±(renji) When I honestly answered to Mururu¡¯s question, Ms Francesca held her hands together in front of her chest in relief. Looks like she¡¯s happy now. But because seeing such a reaction is embarrassing is why I didn¡¯t speak this directly before though. I really have a troublesome personality if I say so myself. Mururu seemed satisfied as well as she muttered ¡®I see¡¯ with a smile. [You really need to learn being more honest Renji.] ¡°But wouldn¡¯t such a me be too off putting?¡± [I don¡¯t think so?] ¡°¡­¡­¡­You are a tad too honest you know?¡± I sighed at my partner reacting so honestly to my joke. Seeing us, Aya giggled. Mururu and Ms Francesca as well. Even though we¡¯re still in the middle of the job, these guys sure are carefree. ¡°Here.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­With me as well?¡±(elf) And finally, I pointed my palm towards Feirona. He must not have expected it as he spoke that curtly. Since he¡¯s normally acting all cool and calm, something like this might be embarrassing to him. His reaction was so amusing that it showed on my expression as Feirona just narrowed his eyes. ¡°There are still a few griffins left. Let¡¯s hurry up and take care of them as well.¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡­¡­..¡± Did he resign himself to it as Feirona finally raised his right hand as well. And the sound of a high five resounded in the air. . . . The bare mountain near Merdiore wasn¡¯t some sharp cliff but actually even had a proper paved path leading to the very top of the mountain. If I had topare, it was simr to Mt Fuji of Japan. Though it is definitely not as tall. But aspared to the scenery around it, the mountain didn¡¯t have even a speck of greenery on it. Years ago, it was supposedly very lush green or so I¡¯m told but due to the effect of the Demon God¡¯s descendant that had been once living on this mountain, all greenery had slowly died away. By the time we had been summoned to this world, it had already be a bare mountain but from what I¡¯ve heard from the people who had seen the green mountain before, it was apparently a very beautiful ce to see. Everytime I recall this, I think how much I wanted to see it that way. In this world where science and machines didn¡¯t exist, the nature was pure and air was clean. It¡¯s a beautiful world. And even in such a beautiful world, a ce that the inhabitants called beautiful, I always wondered how pretty that ce would be. I¡¯m sure I¡¯m not the only one who has this thought either. While walking through the gravel path, so as to fix my slightly ragged breath, I slightly turned my neck around. ¡°fuu..¡± Now then, I wonder how tall this mountain truly is. Unfortunately, there were no urate markings either so I couldn¡¯t tell but I think we have climbed at least a third of its height now. Originally, there was no n to be climbing mountains. The n was to use goblin corpses as bait to lure out the griffins and ambush them to kill them all. It was the safest and the easiest way toplete the subjugation in my opinion and if possible, I wanted to take out the remaining griffins and the Arch Griffin like that as well. But looks like it won¡¯t go that easily. After that, we were able to take down one more griffin but the remaining didn¡¯t show up at all even after waiting for a long while. I had asked Dagram and minimised public travelling on the highway, but that was only till noon. And currently looking at the sky, in the cloudy sky, the gloomy sun was almost reaching its highest. Meaning, we didn¡¯t have much time left. Though I know rushing things won¡¯t get us a good result but if we cross over the time limit, there really might be casualties. So, though slightly dangerous, we decided to head towards the griffins¡¯ nest ourselves. Even if Griffins were bird-type demonic beast, with their huge size, they won¡¯t be able to make a nest on some small cliff or some weak tree top. If they did, they¡¯ll be the ones to wall due to their own weight. So they make their nests in wide t open areas, where they could see any enemy approach from afar. Having already looked up the map of this mountain beforehand, it was all in my head right now. ¡°Renji, we there yet?¡± ¡°A little more to go. What, getting tired?¡±(renji) ¡°uun.¡± When I asked that back, Mururu shook her head. She probably asked that not because she was tired but because Ms Francesca was clearly looking more and more fatigued. I nced towards her who was walking slightly behind us. Aya was walking beside her as well. Though far, I could hear her ragged breath here as well. Looks like its her first time climbing a mountain so her stamina was running out faster than usual. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±(elf) I stopped for a while and waited for her when Feirona came back. He didn¡¯t seem tired in the slightest as he climbed down from a few rocks with light steps. ¡°Got tired, so we took a break.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I see.¡± His gaze turned towards Ms Francesca instead of me. Looks like he understood who I meant when I said ¡®tired¡¯, so he didn¡¯t say anything further. ¡°So, how was it?¡±(renji) ¡°Yeah. Like you had said, in an open spot slightly away from here, the griffin¡¯s nest is there.¡±(elf) ¡°Then, we¡¯ll be done once we kill those as well?¡±(mururu) ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s finish it up quickly and go back to our inn to sleep.¡±(renji) ¡°I¡¯m hungry as well.¡±(mururu) ¡°¡­¡­..You two, really don¡¯t change do you?¡±(elf) [Haah, could you be more focused¡­¡­..How deplorable.] Both Feirona and Ermenhilde spoke up in astonished voices at the same time. While we were talking like that, finally Ms Francesca caught up to us as well. Her breathing was rough and heavy. And her hair was sticking to her forehead from sweat. ¡°You okay?¡± ¡°Ye, yes. I¡¯m still¡­fine..¡±(fran) As she gave a forced smile, I looked towards Aya who was walking with her supporting her. She just gave a wry smile and shook her head. Looks like she won¡¯t listen even if I told her to wait at the foot of the hill it seems. ¡°Well, let¡¯s move ahead then.¡±(renji) ¡°Yeah. I found a ce where we can see the enst without getting noticed as well, I¡¯ll lead you there.¡±(elf) ¡°I leave it to you.¡± I¡¯m sure he¡¯s also showing his concern by finding a ce where she could rest while we can confirm the griffins nest at the same time. Seriously, this guy really knows how to take care of everyone. Once again, I looked up to the sky. The clouds were getting thicker and though the weather shouldn¡¯t go bad out of nowhere, we still don¡¯t have much time left. Well, if it rains, it actually would be advantageous to us since we¡¯re fighting griffins. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± Since I just stood there in a daze, Aya spoke up to me. ¡°Nothing. Looks like the weather could worsen anytime now.¡±(renji) ¡°So it seems. It¡¯d make things easier if it rained though.¡± Rain¡ª¡ª-or rather, when the world is filled with water droplets, it was a situation fatal if trying to manifest Wind spirit Sylph¡¯s spirit magic. The wind de, and the wind barrier, both are very difficult to see from the naked eyes. But when its raining, you can see that invisible wind as well. Just the difference of seeing and not seeing an attack makes a huge difference and would lessen the burden on us during battle. But¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Ms Francesca, keep working hard for a bit more okay?¡± ¡°Ye-s.¡± If it rains means that our bodies will get colder as well and you¡¯d drain stamina faster. And not just Ms Francesca, even Mururu and Feirona, though they weren¡¯t showing it, they are pretty tired as well. Of course, it was the same for me and Aya as well. Fuumu, while putting my finger to my chin, I began walking. Though fighting against an Arch Griffin is great experience, I don¡¯t want her to overexert herself either. If things look like they¡¯re going bad, It¡¯ll be better to just ask on Aya to end it. The first attack will be a lightning strike. Literally. And that would end it. While I was in such thought, we reached the ce Feirona found where we could stay unnoticed while checking the griffins¡¯ nest. ¡°Let¡¯s rest up a bit.¡±(renji) ¡°Eh, but¡­¡­¡±(fran) ¡°It¡¯ll be noon soon. Here, drink some water and fix your breathing.¡± Handing over the water bag on my waist to her, I put down two other bags on the ground. They contained some provisions, potions and medicinal herbs. Since I didn¡¯t bring it in bulk, I divided the crackers and the dried meat between Feirona and Mururu. Knowing that it wasn¡¯t tasty, Mururu frowned but I can¡¯t help that. If we even tried cooking something, the griffins would instantly smell it after all. Splitting some food with Aya as well, we tried to confirm the positions of the griffins. 2 remained. One was the same as the ones we had killed till now, with brown fur. And the other one, was almost twice as bigger than the one by its side and its fur wasn¡¯t brown but ck. And though we¡¯re pretty far¡ª¨C ¡°It¡¯s a female, eh?¡±(renji) ¡°So it seems.¡± Underneath her ck furred body, was a pure white¡­¡­egg. The egg alone was bigger than any human and was ced right in the centre of the nest made of grass and branches. I see. This is why me and Mururu didn¡¯t get to see it no matter how many times we scouted out. It was always here at the nest, warming the egg. That means, the other griffin must be her male partner. ¡°Seriously, it¡¯s pretty depressing.¡±(renji) Leaking a sigh, I looked up towards the sky. The dark clouds that seemed to have gotten even thicker felt like they were expressing my current feelings. After killing so many monsters, and even killing many of them without feeling anything just a while ago, I still felt disturbed just by seeing a mother warming its egg. I could only smile bitterly. How absurd. Even though I¡¯m about to go kill the mother, how can I hesitate over just an egg now? ¡°Aya, could you go back to Merdiore with Ms Francesca?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.you know I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Her voice seemed slightly angry because I asked such a stupid thing at such a moment. I guess it was obvious. If she didn¡¯t have even that much of a resolve, she won¡¯t be travelling would she? The resolve to fight is the same as resolving to live and to kill. Even though I already know that Aya has it, I still asked such a thing. That¡¯s probably because I¡¯m still treating her as a kid. [Renji.] ¡°Hm? What is it, Ermenhilde?¡± [¡­¡­.Can you fight?] Instead, I ended up getting worried for by her. Giving a wry smile at that, I brought out the medal from my pocket. ¡°A little toote to ask that, don¡¯t you think?¡±(renji) I¡¯ll fight. Flipping the medal with my thumb, it twirled in the air with a dry sound. And I caught it with my right hand. It was, Heads. ¡°It¡¯s Heads. I¡¯ll manage somehow.¡± Chapter 73 King of Griffins (3) Chapter 73 King of Griffins (3) Thick clouds covered the sky and though it was still noon, the world had be dark like it was evening. The air was humid and the temperature had risen. The griffin that was in its nest also noticed the change and looked up towards the sky. Was it due to its wild instincts or was it due to the protection of Sylph? Either way, it definitely felt the change. Confirming its reaction from far away, I gave a quick nce towards Aya who was concentrating nearby. In contrast to the darkening world, her body was glowing with gold magical energy and it felt like the sun was shining only here. That¡¯s how dazzling and warm that light was. Fuyou Aya¡¯s magical energy. Second only to the Goddess Astraera¡¯s power, she was the [Grand Magus] who could face one on one with even the Demon God himself if it was only apetition of magic. Beside her, both Ms Francesca and Feirona were looking at her,pletely entranced. As users of magic themselves, they must have felt something. In contrast, Mururu, who was pretty much indifferent to magic was simply thinking about how much she was shining. I think that¡¯s not really right either though. [As usual, her magical energy is incredible.] ¡°I know.¡± Agreeing to Ermenhilde¡¯s voice, I looked towards the sky. The thickening clouds were slowly gathering around Aya and the grey clouds had mostly turned into dark ck ones. The pressure around increased so much that even I who had no magical energy could clearly sense it. And the torrent of magical energy, not wind, made the leaves and nts around sway. The speed of the clouds also grew faster as they swirled right above us. Suddenly, as if letting the whole world know, with a huge sound that resounded till deep inside my own stomach, thunder roared. The ck clouds had transformed into thunder clouds. Seeing shes inside the ck clouds, I could see thin lightning within. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡± Looking closely, I could see Aya¡¯s lips moving. She was chanting the spell to fire the lightning strike magic. To use magic, imagination alone is enough but to make that magic stronger, effective, have more range and to manifest the magic with stability, it was necessary to make that imagination distinct and vivid. For that purpose, [spells] were used. When used it to obliterate the countless demons that had once filled the skies, and when she used it to pierce through the Dragon King Fafnir¡¯s scales, the lightning that had made even the Demon Lord falter, she had used this spell. The reason she spoke in such a soft voice that we couldn¡¯t hear was not because she¡¯s in some deep concentration or anything but simply because she¡¯s too embarrassed to shout the incantation out loud that¡¯s all. Well, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t understand. It would be a bit too much to have two with us who¡¯d shout out the names of their attacks loudly everytime. In fact, even us fighting together with him felt embarrassed. Shouting out your attack names was pretty useless in real life. True, it raises your spirit and confidence and I do get that it might help you put more strength behind the swing of your sword. But, it also gives away what you¡¯re about to do so it was basically the same as giving away your trump card. ¡­¡­¡­..but even when I exined that, he didn¡¯t listen to me saying that it was the spirit that matters more. Seriously how much more effort do they put in it? [What¡¯s wrong?] ¡°I just recalled something I didn¡¯t want to.¡± [Did something happen?] ¡°It¡¯s something back then.¡± Next time I see Koutarou, I really should punch him in the face at least once. While thinking that, I caressed the handle of the knife on my waist. ¡°What incredible magical energy.¡±(fran) Ms Francesca who came beside me spoke that in a dazed voice. With her left hand she held down her hair that was blowing from the torrent of magical energy while suing her right hand to keep her skirt down. If the weather was nice, those ck stockings covering her beautiful legs would be a sight to see as well though. Mururu who had her hair tied didn¡¯t have any problem but even Feirona was using his hand to keep his hair down. Really, long hair can be a bit troublesome at such times. ¡± I don¡¯t think I can use magic like that.¡±(fran) ¡°Well, that¡¯s because it¡¯s Aya who¡¯s using it after all.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Even though she spoke that easily, her face showed a frustrated expression. I could easily understand what was going through her mind. I¡¯m not her but¡­I know what it feels like to see a genius right in front of you who was also younger than you. Because I was the same. I was also once envious of Souichi and others. That¡¯s why, somehow, I could understand her feelings from just her expression and her tone. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You have things, only you can do as well.¡±(renji) ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Aya is Aya. You don¡¯t need to be Aya as well, is what I¡¯m saying.¡± [What do you mean?] ¡°¡­¡­..Why are you the one asking that?¡± When I sighed like that, I felt the wind making my mantle flutter be even stronger. Raising a cute scream, Ms Francesca rolled up. Smiling on seeing her like that, I moved in front of her to protect her from the wind. ¡°Mururu, don¡¯t get blown away by the wind, okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Saying that, she moved along with Feirona and hid behind a nearby rock. We should do the same. When I thought that, an even louder thunder roared. ¡°I¡¯m starting.¡± Aya dered. The Arch Griffin was still focused towards the sky and had not noticed us yet. She can do it. I was confident of that. ¡°Ms Francesca, be sure to look carefully.¡±(renji) ¡°Wha, Yes!¡± ¡°This is the magic that destroyed around a thousand demons in an instant.¡± A thunderous roar resounded that could make ones legs feel paralyzed. The instant Ms Francesca gripped on to my mantle, the world was enveloped in light. A light that really made one think that followed by an explosion that could tear your eardrums. The shockwave went through me and for just a second, I lost all sense of bnce. I couldn¡¯t even tell whether I was even standing or lying on the ground. I couldn¡¯t even keep my eyes open due to the intense light. Using my right hand to cover my eyes, I used my left hand to support Ms Francesca who was desperately clinging to endure the shockwave. The body-numbing shockwave onlysted for an instant. The bright light also died down and I hit my ears to regain my lost sense of hearing. That alone made me feel incredibly dizzy. My senses didn¡¯te back instantly but I was able to endure it without falling down. That¡¯s how big of a shockwave it was. Let alone taking it directly, it affected us even though we were standing here so far. This was Aya¡¯s magic. Even though this was still far from her full strength, we still took this much damage. If we had been even a bit closer, it would have been actually dangerous for us as well. ¡°Re-nji¡­¡­sama?¡±(fran) ¡°I¡¯m here. Looks like you¡¯re fine as well.¡±(renji) My mantle was pulled strongly. Seeing her move trying to look for me like that, I replied while putting more strength in my supporting embrace while holding her. When, I felt something cold on my cheeks. The moment I realized it was rain, it began to rain fiercely. Because of the lightning strike, I guess it¡¯s normal for rain to follow. Before we catch a cold, we should get some shelter¡ª- ¡°Renji-san! It¡¯sing!!¡± Aya shouted loud enough to not get drowned down by the storm. ¡°Ermenhilde!¡± Instantly, I forced my still slightly numb limbs to tightly grip the long sword created out of magical energy. At the same time, a wall of rock manifested in front of us. And the next instant, the rock wall creaked violently. Even though it was a wall created by Aya, it was already cracking. There was only one enemy here who could use such a strong attack. ¡°Ms Francesca! Go towards Feirona and¡ª¡ª¡± Before I couldplete my sentence, I felt a gaze on me. Looking on top of the wall of rock, I saw it. A Griffin three times bigger than normal. I couldn¡¯t tell before from far away but¡ª¡ªthis was much bigger than any I¡¯ve seen before. It must be really old. It¡¯s eyes were staring at me without moving and I¡¯m sure it woulde down to attack me if I made even a slight movement. It¡¯s throat was shrinking and eyes were wide. It¡¯s angry. I could tell that from experience. At what? ¡ª-at us, who tried to kill it. [Renji!] ¡°tch!¡± Was I too overwhelmed by the pressure, finally I regained control of my body. Returning to my senses from Ermenhilde¡¯s words, I held on to Ms Francesca and jumped backwards. She raised a cute scream that really didn¡¯t match the situation but I ignored it. The next moment, the griffin came down where we had been standing. The fact that it didn¡¯t seem bothered by the rain was probably because of the wind barrier surrounding it. Normally, that barrier would be invisible but due to the rain, I could see it right now. That barrier could even deflect arrows. Seriously, this thing is way too big. It might even be bigger than a ogre with just its main body alone. As it spread its wings wide to intimidate us, the pressure I felt was simr to what I felt when I first faced the Dragon king Fafnir. There¡¯s no chance I could win. A mere griffin. It was just one of the many species of demonic beasts. But even so, the griffin in front of me had such a presence. My eyes met its eyes. I could clearly sense a ¡®will¡¯ in them. Other than anger, there was clear distinct will in its eyes. It was judging us as enemies. With a eased movement, it turned its eyes to look behind me. Probably towards Aya. Then, it turned to look at Feirona and Mururu. ¡°Ren¡ª-¡± [Stay quiet! Do not talk.] Ermenhilde shut up Ms Francesca who was probably about to speak to me. She didn¡¯t want even the slightest of things to stimte this griffin. And in the meantime, I thought. How did this griffin survive? Aya definitely struck at it with lightning. Even if it was a surprise attack, it was a magic that even surprised Fafnir. No matter how old this griffin was, a mere demonic beast should not have been able to survive it. Yet, it is alive and in front of us. I could only think of two possibilities. Either this griffin has some special resistance towards lightning or through some method, it was able to nullify the lightning. And there are three things I know right now. First, it survived Aya¡¯s magic. Secondly, now that it hase so close, Aya can¡¯t use magic on it again. Andstly¨C ¡°Mururu! Stay beside Aya and Ms Francesca!!¡±(renji) I have no choice but to face it head on now. Letting go of Ms Francesca on to the ground, I ran towards the Arch Griffin with full speed. It must have been expecting it as it showed no sign of panic. It¡¯s head turned towards me and I could tell it was gathering strength in its limbs to attack. Resolved to face it directly, I put strength in my grip holding the sword as well. Feirona, trying to support me,unched an arrow but as expected, it was deflected by the wind barrier. It raised its right limb. The timing was perfect. If I were to continued running like I am, I will get crushed under its foot. In the time I reached it, I desperately thought. It¡¯s an enemy that could resist Aya¡¯s magic. I am now not even sure that I could hurt it at all. We¡¯re going to definitely need Aya¡¯s magic to kill it for sure. I know her full strength. If she were to use her magic at full strength, this whole area will turn into a burnt ground. If that happens, we¡¯ll end up as cinders along with it. ¡°Let¡¯s do this, Ermenhilde!¡± [What are you nning to do!?] I rushed right in front of the griffin, and at the same time, it brought down its leg at me. Abandoning even the thought of taking that attack head on, I focused solely on dodging. I concentrated. And thought. I focused on each and every movement of the griffin; so much that my head hurt, and came to the conclusion that I couldn¡¯t dodge it. Even if I can see the attack, my body won¡¯t move in time. Or rather, my reactions are still dull due to the shockwave from the lightning earlier. I swung my de like baseball bat and shed at its right leg. Holding the sword with both hands, I used my full strength yet my hands wentpletely numb and the divine sword was blown away. Still, I was able to avert that attack¡ª¨Cbut, with incredible reaction speed, it used its left leg to strike from the other side, outside of my view. Feeling an impact that made me wonder if my right arm had been broken, and unable to endure, I was about to be blown away but I used my dragon bone knife to stab at the ground and create some distance between us. It¡¯s a situation where my body moved faster than I could think this time. Looking at its left leg, I could see torn grassroots entwined around it. Aya must have used them to obstruct its attack but it must have torn itself free by force. And yet, it still held so much power. If I had taken a direct hit, what would have happened to me? Quickly standing up, and ignoring the feeling of dizziness and nausea that I got from just one attack, I leaped on the griffin. Something hot, not pain, ran through my right upper arm but I ignored it for now. If I did start worrying about it, I won¡¯t be able to concentrate further. I didn¡¯t have the time to care about myself. Grabbing the thicker than expected fur on its body, I held on tightly so as to not fall down. I didn¡¯t even have the time to put my knife back into its sheath so I held it between my teeth. As I pulled my head closer towards its fur, I could smell the distinct beastly smell. [Cover us!] Since I had the knife in my mouth, Ermenhilde gave the directions in my ce. At the same time, the Griffin rampaged to shake me off. But it only tried to get rid of me by unfolding its wings and kicking the ground just once. Instantly, it used its experience and instincts of having lived several years to switch to using magic to blow me off. As I prepared myself for the impact, at the same time the griffin also stopped its struggle. In that moment, I used all of my strength, as if trying to rip off its fur, to pull myself on top of its back. It was then I finally realized that the griffin¡¯s limbs had been trapped by grass roots. It must have been Aya and Ms Francesca but it quickly ripped them off with brute strength. [So, what are you going to do?] What should I do? It¡¯s great that I was able to climb on top of it as if I was riding it but really, what should I do next? I did all this in the na?ve hope that its attacks won¡¯t reach me here but it also made me realize that I had no way to kill it decisively either. I put the knife I had within my teeth back in its sheath and drew my mithril sword. And used all my strength to stab it into the griffin¡¯s back. ording to my experience, if I stabbed it all the way through, it should pierce the heart but¡ª¨Cbefore all that, my sword was unable to even pierce its flesh. It felt like stabbing at something made of hard rubber. My strength wasn¡¯t enough to pierce through its stiff skin. Seriously, I felt like crying at my own powerlessness. In the meantime, the griffin, finally free of its constraints, began to move. It felt simr to when I am riding a horse somewhat; so weird. It must havee to the conclusion that I was unable to do anything even while riding its back as it looked towards Feirona who had been shooting arrows at it for a while. It moved with ease, probably because it thinks that we have no way to fight against it anymore. ¡°Renji! Do you think you can do something about it already!?¡±(elf) ¡°You sure make it sound like its easy!!¡±(renji) While shooting arrows constantly as if to keep the griffin back, Feirona spoke that. Seriously. As a man, it sure is pathetic to not have any sort of finishing move, really. Muttering to myself. I looked down towards the griffin who continued to move even with me on its back. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate you shitty bird!¡±(renji) Throwing away the mithril sword, I drew the dragon knife and held in my left hand. In my right, I manifested a long sword made of Ermenhilde¡¯s magical energy. The de was silver as usual, with a jade coloured line running down it. The covenants released were just two. Chapter 74 Friend Chapter 74 Friend (TL Note: Solnea=Sollunea now) ¡°Here, Renji-san, I¡¯ve peeled it now.¡± As I took the te while getting up from my bed, a perfectly peeled and cut apple was kept on the said te. Looking towards Aya who had done the peeling, the way she was making an expression as if asking me to say how well she did it was really charming. And being aware of how bad and awkward she once was at such things back then, it made it even more charming. Well I did know that she had improved her skills a lot in the period of our journey though. But still, getting taken care of like this by her was a very fresh experience. ¡°Thanks.¡±(renji) ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± And her voice was slightly excited as well showing that the girl sitting beside my bed was in good spirits. Is it really that fun to take care of injured people eh? Muttering that to myself, I was about to pick up an apple piece when a very sharp pain ran through my right upper arm so I put down the te on the bed and picked a piece up with my left hand instead. It has been 3 days since we subjugated those griffins but the pain in my right arm had yet to subside. It was the same for every joint in my body as well and I needed help just to go to even the toilet. I don¡¯t really consider myself to have a weak constitution but I did fall from the sky and get smacked by multiple tree branches in the way. I think my current condition was unavoidable. Now if I possessed magical energy, I could use healing miracles or enhance my metabolism to increase the recovery speed but, I don¡¯t. and Yayoi-chan wasn¡¯t here either. In such a situation, I really can¡¯t do anything about my injuries¡­¡­.this is also one of the reasons why I end up considering myself as weak, or a burden. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s tasty.¡±(renji) But not showing such thoughts on my face, I ate one of the apple pieces and gave my impression. [¡­¡­¡­fruits are sold directly in stalls so is there won¡¯t be much difference in taste anyway though?] When, the medal ced near my pillow muttered that. ¡°Well, the centre¡¯s been removed after all.¡±(renji) ¡°Renji-san?¡±(aya) Her expression was the same but her voice seemed I octave lower than her previous energetic voice. Quickly eating the rest of the apple and evading Aya¡¯s questioning, I turned towards Feirona and Sollunea ying chess on the table. And behind Sollunea, Ms Francesca was standing and teaching various things to Sollunea everytime she made a move. Having Francesca stolen from her, Mururu was sitting on the window and staring outside at the streets of Merdiore with sleepy eyes. Since it¡¯s her, I¡¯m sure she won¡¯t fall but I¡¯ll be more relieved if she just sat down on a chair¡­¡­.but she¡¯ll reply back saying that she¡¯s bored so it¡¯s useless though. Such a peaceful scene could be seen inside my room, that is, if there wasn¡¯t me, lying on the bed covered in wounds. I looked almost like mummy considering that allof my body was covered in bandages. ¡­¡­¡­Mummy monsters don¡¯t exist in this world though. ¡°Oi, Mururu, wanna eat an apple?¡±(renji) ¡°Un.¡± As I held out the te towards Mururu, she picked up the biggest piece and gulped it down in a single bite. Cheeky girl. While thinking that, I looked at her with half closed eyes as she ate the apple with swollen cheeks. ¡°That¡¯s bad manners, you know.¡±(rneji) ¡°It¡¯s fine. You¡¯re the only one looking.¡±(Mururu) [That¡¯s not really the problem here though.] ¡°¡­¡­¡­Ermenhilde and Aya were watching too anyway.¡± When I said that, Mururu turned away to look outside the window again. The fact that her tail was swingingrgely was because she was happy to have eaten the apple, or was she actually a bit embarrassed of eating with a big mouth like that I wonder? In either case, the way she put it made it sound like she was more embarrassed of being seen by the them rather than me¡­¡­¡­there¡¯s definitely something wrong in her as a girl, I¡¯m sure. ¡°Aya, you should eat some as well.¡±(renji) ¡°Sure. Well, maybe just one.¡± Saying that, she picked up one the slices she had cut herself and opened her mouth by just a third and took a small bite. When she noticed that I was looking, she hurriedly slightly averted her mouth as well. This is what a girl is meant to react like, right? I wonder how muh time passed just like that. Their chase game must have finally ended as Sollunea and Feirona began putting away the chess pieces. It¡¯s been like this for the past few days. They y chess here from early morning, and Aya or ms Francesca would look after me. Once the chess game was over, they¡¯d head to the guild and do some jobs. It was almost as if we were adventurers who had decided to be resident adventurers in Merdiore. ¡°Well then, Renji-san, we¡¯ll be going out for a while¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, see youter. Don¡¯t be reckless and hurt yourself, okay?¡± ¡°Nobody is as reckless as you are Renji.¡±(elf) ¡°Can¡¯t refute that.¡± When I shrugged my shoulders at his words, I felt a sharp pain in my right arm. How pathetic. He must have also noticed that slight disturbance in me as Feirona gave a tired sigh. Even if I know it¡¯ll hurt, I can¡¯t suddenly change my habitual actions, can I? ¡°Ermenhilde-sama, Sollunea-san, please look after Renji-sama, okay?¡±(fran) ¡°I know, Francesca.¡±(sol) ¡°¡­¡­..do you guys really not trust me at all? How sad.¡± [Well it¡¯s you we¡¯re talking about after all.] ¡°I guess I should be happy that so many people are worried for me eh?¡±(renji) Picking up an apple, I said that as I took a bite making everyoneugh. Though I doubt menial jobs from the guild would be much trouble to me, my shoulders still feel pretty weak. After seeing everyone off, the room became quiet. Lying on bed, I didn¡¯t have any topic to talk about, and probably Ermenhilde didn¡¯t have one either. And Sollunea wasn¡¯t the type to start a conversation in the first ce. Thus, there was no other choice but to enjoy the wind blowing through the window as it made the curtains flutter. Basically, get bored. ¡°Are your injuries better now?¡±(sol) ¡°Yeah, no problems. I¡¯ll be back in perfect condition in about ten days.¡± Saying the same thing as yesterday, I consoled Sollunea. After I was put to bed-rest, she always asks the same question everyday. I really will heal in about ten days, but I doubt I¡¯ll be able to move like before though. After all,ying in bed like this, doing nothing is going to put my body out of shape, I¡¯ll need more time to get back into form. As for the wounds, though there are medicines, but due to the restorative miracles of priests, the medical tech hasn¡¯t advanced at all. Unlike surgeries etc in our world, they just have to put their hands above the affected part and send in magical energy which is faster and hurts way less. But in that case, someone like me who doesn¡¯t have magical energy is unable to get that kind of healing and has no choice but to stay in bed and wait for the wounds to heal naturally. The only effect healing miracles have on me is reducing the pain slightly, that¡¯s all. If it was Yayoi-chan, though it¡¯d take some time, she could heal mepletely but as expected, just because I got slightly hurt, I can¡¯t just have here to Merdiore all the way from magic city Ofan. Aya was of the opinion that Yayoi-chan wouldn¡¯t mind at all but I¡¯d actually heal up normally by the time she actually reaches here¡­¡­I think. I mean, it¡¯ll take half a month just toe here from there after all. Considering there are only horses and carriages in this world as modes of transportation, it¡¯s only normal. Man I really want a car, or at least a train. Well, considering how much pollution those cause, it¡¯d be instantly rejected in this world. Me included. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°For what?¡±(sol) ¡°Chess, for not being able to y with you.¡± When I said that, she was expressionless as usual but she did seem to look at me in a slightly curious manner. My right shoulder didn¡¯t move properly, and my left arm was even worse as I was unable to even lift it. My whole body was pretty much in a simr condition, internal damages, in fact, it was a pain to even have a proper meal for the past few days. The only thing I could handle was stew, that too, only when it had been cooked till the ingredients were all liquid. It felt like I didn¡¯t even eat anything. I can eat fruits like apples given to me like how Aya did but it¡¯s one the very few solid eatables I can have right now. ¡­¡­¡­.I once again resolved myself to take care of my body more. Well, no one could expect that I¡¯d end up falling from the sky, like this time after all. ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡±(sol) After a while, Sollunea gave a reply. It was with her usual t voice but the fact that she took time before replying shows that there are some kind of emotion emerging inside her that even she herself isn¡¯t aware of. ¡°As long as you¡¯re alive, we can y after you¡¯re healed after all.¡±(sol) ¡°Well, yeah I guess.¡± When I shrugged my shoulders again, I groaned from the sharp pain again. ¡°Renji, you¡¯re alive¡­¡­.and that¡¯s enough.¡±(sol) [Is what she says.] ¡°I almost really did die though.¡± If Mururu had not caught me when I fell from the sky, I can¡¯t even imagine what would have happened. Well, at the very least I would not have been even able to talk like this I¡¯m sure. Now whether I¡¯d be unable to talk forever is¡­¡­..anyway, in either case, I am realizing this quitete but I really did something dangerous. This why monster subjugation is scary and dreadful. If possible I want to live without such dangers and live a rxed life. ¡°But, you did not die.¡±(sol) ¡°Well, I just got lucky.¡± And also, ¡°I promised didn¡¯t I? I tend to keep at least my promises you know?¡±(renji) [Just promises?¡±] ¡°Yup, just promises. If tried to do more, I¡¯m sure I¡¯d end up breaking even those promises.¡± *yawn* as I yawned while saying that, I heard a sigh from Ermenhilde. To not change at all even after all that¡¯s happened, we really are great partners. I¡¯m not gonna say that out loud though. If I did, she¡¯d only scold me on various things, I¡¯m pretty sure. ¡°I see.¡±(sol) ¡°Hm?¡± As I chatted with Ermenhilde, Sollunea stared directly at me. She was making a face as if she hade to some kind of realization. ¡°What?¡±(renji) ¡°No, just, if as long as you promise, you will not ever die, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..What¡¯s with the sudden ominous question?¡± Well, I guess it¡¯d be too much to ask of Sollunea to not talk so straightforwardly. But it came so suddenly that even I was left unable to reply. Seeing my reaction, I could hear Ermenhilde snickering intentionally which made me uneasy. ¡°Well then, promise me.¡± [What about?] ¡°That you won¡¯t die. Renji, promise me.¡±(sol) In a calm, t andcking any sort of emotion, voice. Yet, it felt beautiful to my ears. Even though I should have gotten used to her voice, those words alone, more than usual¡ª¡ªseemed to almost resound inside my head. ¡°There¡¯s no need for a promise. I don¡¯t intend to die anytime soon.¡± Giving a light answer, I took a bite off the apple. Finding the taste adequate, I gulped down the rest in one bite. While chewing down on it, I averted my thoughts from Sollunea¡¯s promise. Even I felt that it was really unfair of me to do that. It¡¯s especially not a way to act with someone like Sollunea who has no memories of any sort. I wonder what she thought of me, but with her usual expressionless face, she simply continued to stare at me. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why did you suddenly say something like that?¡±(renji) ¡°Was it really so sudden?¡±(sol) [Well, it certainly was to be honest.] There was no logical chain leading to that, I felt. Well, I guess it wasn¡¯t too strange for her. It¡¯s amazing how much I have gotten used to Sollunea¡¯s weird conversations. I wonder if she realizes that, but anyway, I could also only stare back at her. ¡°Even without promising anything, I¡¯ll safely take you to Abenelm.¡±(renji) ¡°I¡¯m not really worried about that.¡±(sol) ¡°¡­¡­.Really?¡± ¡°I am well aware of your strength.¡± [fumu.] That statement only troubles me more you know? At least consider the fact that I almost died facing a griffin. Also, I don¡¯t understand why Ermenhilde suddenly sounded so happy there. You of all people should be the most aware of how that fight with those griffins went. I don¡¯t even have the strength to make a retort any longer. ¡°Now that I think about it, you have always been saying that I won¡¯t lose or I¡¯d win from the time we met.¡±(renjI) ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Why so confident? I feel weird saying this myself but I¡¯m really not that strong you know?¡± It really feels pathetic to say this about myself but I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯d win even against the stronger adventurers. Just getting surrounded by multiple goblins can mean death for me. So why does she, from the moment we met¡ª¡ªeven when we were in the capital, consider me so strong? Recalling that, I became curious. It¡¯s not like her memories returned or anything but she does seem to have some sort of basis behind it all. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±(sol) [¡­¡­..after making such a bold statement, that again eh?] ¡°But, I know you two¡¯s strength very well.¡± Astraera said that Sollunea was a descendant of the Demon God that we had killed. Does she have some memories from back then still inside her?¡­¡­..the memory of me killing him/her. If that¡¯s the case, I feel like that¡¯s not a very nice image to have of me. No one would have a very great impression of someone who killed you. Then where do her emotions or impression of mee from? While I was thinking of such things, I heard a knock on the door. ¡°Hm?¡± And without waiting for a reply, the door was opened. The one who appeared was a dwarf with overbearing smile, Dagram, and a white haired, tanned skin young man, Enomiya Yuuichirou. ¡°¡­¡­..At least wait till I answer.¡±(renjI) Was there even a reason to knock the door then? Yuuichirou gave a stiff smile at that and Dagram simplyughed unabashedly. Seriously. [What happened? For both of you toe together?] ¡°Just paying a visit to an injured friend, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Why thank you. I was almost going to die of boredom.¡±(renji) ¡°Even though you didn¡¯t die even after falling from the sky with a griffin? How pathetic Renji.¡±(Dagram) Saying that, he put down the bad he held on top of the table, and sat down on a chair. As usual, this guy has nerves of steel. Well, most dwarves are like this though. Following after him, Yuuichirou also entered a room and gave a small greeting before sitting down as well. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±(renji) ¡°Fruits. ording to Yuu here, we need to bring fruits when paying a visit right?¡± Hearing that I looked towards the bag on the table. Though small, Dwarves can still carry quite the amount in both their hands. Just how much fruit did this guy buy? My stomach ached just thinking about the contents. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll be sure to eat themter.¡±(renji) ¡°That¡¯s right, when injured, the best thing to do is to eat a lost and sleep a lot.¡± What a hot blooded theory as usual. Well, he¡¯s not exactly incorrect either though. ¡°Is that so?¡±(sol) ¡°Yeah. Make sure that he eats a lot Missy.¡± ¡°Are you trying to make me fat¡­¡­..¡± ¡°If you do get fat, just exercise to get back into shape. In the first ce, you¡¯re too thin. Put on some more muscle. What¡¯s with that pitiful arm.¡± As Dagrampared his own arm with mine inside his head, I pretended to not hear him and muttered a sigh. Even I want to put on more muscle you know. That¡¯d make my body sturdier, and stronger. Right now, I stillck endurance and am weak to continuous hits. Do you know how much I havemented that fact? But maybe because Dagram knows that, he brought so many fruits. When I thought of it that way, I felt a bit warm inside. But I hope he¡¯d not teach weird things to Sollunea. She¡¯s the type who¡¯d do exactly what¡¯s been told to her. ¡°So, Yamada-san, how is your body now?¡±(yuu) ¡°It¡¯s as you can see.¡±(renji) [For a while, he can¡¯t move. Seriously, against a mere Griffin¡­¡­..how deplorable.] ¡°Well, that¡¯s about it.¡± Seeing Ermenhilde reply in my stead, Yuuichirou gave a wry smile. It must towards my partner and her too lofty ideals. A ¡®mere¡¯ Griffin she says. True, as one the heroes it might be the right way to put it. Though practically non existent in Imnesia, they are all around in Elfreim and in Abenelm, they¡¯re not more than a low level Demonic Beast. If I struggled so much against a mere Griffin, travelling all over Abenelm would sound as a pipe dream. And that¡¯s putting it lightly. ¡°You could have called me as well when going to fight it.¡±(yuu) ¡°If something happened to you, I would get scolded by Seravi-san so..¡± ¡°You really worry for the strangest things¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Idiot, I wasn¡¯t really worried or anything.¡± Saying that lightly, I bit on thest piece of apple left and gulped it down. ¡°Even without you, we should¡¯ve won with ease. It was a mere griffin. It¡¯s less than a small frypared to fighting the Demon God Nayfell one-on-one!¡±(renji) [Houu.] ¡°Oho, talking big today eh Renji?¡±(dagram) ¡°It was super easy, I tell you. I mean, it¡¯s a griffin, just a griffin. Once we reach Elfreim, we¡¯ll have to face them like everyday. I went through a bit of trouble this time but that¡¯s just because I didn¡¯t expect to end up against a such an experienced Griffin. It¡¯ll be much easier next time.¡± I boasted. Both of them are well aware of my abilities. They also know what¡¯d happen if I face such Griffin alone. Yet, they said nothing. Probably because I was bluffing while sounding so confident. Even though I had zero confidence. I am scared of fighting and hate getting hurt. But still. ¡°¡­¡­¡­that¡¯s why, don¡¯t worry about me. You should just keep on happily living with Seravi-san.¡± With that, I had said everything I wanted to say. He hated fighting. Even though he wished for power to fight, he still hated it, was a coward and a crybaby. Still, he worked hard for the person he liked, lost her, yet kept on moving forward; I remember it very clearly. Even though I was unable to give him a push in the back, I was still able to fight alongside him and help him. Why would I not want him to be happy? That little shy crybaby has finally be independent, why would I want to be a hindrance to that? Yuuichirou looked at me with surprised. His face looked so funny that Iughed silently but the pain in my body made me stiffen up. But it was still so funny that I ended upughing anyway. He must have realized what I meant as Dagram also simply picked up an unpeeled apple andughed with a wide smile. Of course, in a loud voice. ¡­¡­¡­.by the way, weren¡¯t those apples supposed to be a gift for me? Well, let¡¯s just ignore that. Yeah. [Of course, together, we can do anything.] Her light words also felt stronger than ever. She must have realized my intention as well. For a second, hearing us, both Dagram and Yuuichirou went silent and then began tough while shaking their shoulders. That¡¯s right. Keepughing. That¡¯s what makes me the happiest as well. Even if I¡¯m injured, even if I¡¯m scared¡­¡­¡­.. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to call me to the wedding okay?¡±(renji) ¡°You¡¯re jumping way ahead now!!¡±(yuu) As long as I have an objective I can work hard. With an aim, I can move forward. That¡¯s the kind of human I am. For someone else, I can fight. For something I can fight. And¡ª¨Cwithout those, I¡¯d end up rotting away. That¡¯s simply the kind of man I am. ¡°Sounds fun.¡± Seeing us, Sollunea muttered that. It must have been my imagination that her face looked like she was smiling slightly rather than her usual expressionless face. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!