《Isekai Shoukan wa Nidome Desu》 Prologue ¡°You have come!! O Brave Heroes!¡± (???) Ah, this is the second times I heard this line. The first time is also this castle¡¯s royal family, with the same lines being told by the same princess. However, compared to the first time, where I have no idea who the people next to me are, but right now there¡¯s approximately 40 of my classmates. My classmates are pretty shaken, some of the girls even had frightened expression. Since this is my second times, I could afford to be lenient. Not to mention, this is kind of ¡°what I had hoped for¡± kind of development. The name of this world is ¡´Eclair¡µ. The war between the Human, the Demon and the Beastman intensified once, ruining the world. And¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dit¡¯s the world that I had saved once. Before speaking about this world in details, I think I should tell about me, Suzaki Setsu first. Dozens of minutes ago before I was summoned. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DOi!£¡Get me Yakisoba Bread, Gloomy Yuki¡± (???) High school lunch break¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DMy back is suddenly kicked, sending me outside the classroom. The guy who did it, I think he¡¯s called Endo or something. Recently it¡¯s getting troublesome for me to remember the name of a person one by one. ¡°Mine is cream bread!¡± (???) ¡°I want curry bread, Gloomy Yuki!¡± (???) So troublesome¡­I have been asked by the guys whose name I could hardly remember anymore. Should I just call them Endo¡¯s follower No.1 and 2? Although I could just refuse them here, These guys who are the bullies of the class would surely call me after school because of my ¡¸Impertinence¡¹. It¡¯s the most troublesome for me, and I really hate it. Silently taking out my wallet, I decided to just go buy them. By the way, Gloomy Yuki(T.N:Nekurayuki) seems to be my nickname. Hair stretched out covering my eyes, also not really tall. I could only accept if someone were to said I obviously looks like a gloomy otaku. And then, for the Yuki part¡­. ¡°Yuki-kun! What are you doing?¡± (???) A girl with brown bob cut hair with a bit of extension attached approached by running to me who¡¯s going to buying something. She¡¯s my childhood friend who lives next door, also my classmate Hanabashira Yuuhi. Slightly shorter than me, the part that should curve out did curve out and the part that should curve in did curve in, a stylish and pretty girl. ¡°Hm, Yuuhi huh? I¡¯m going to buy something but¡­¡­you really did not stop calling me Yuki as ever.¡± (Setsu) ¡°That because Yuki-kun is Yuki-kun!¡± (Yuuhi) Though you might have noticed, the Yuki part of Gloomy Yuki, it came from this person calling me Yuki instead of Setsu. Although Yuuhi calls me that as she mistook Setsu as Yuki at first(T.N: His name is written as Yuki, read as Setsu), according to Endo and co, they see it as an idol-like existence of the class having a close relationship with a gloomy person even as far as calling by nickname¡­thus I received bullied-like treatment out of weird jealousy. The class somehow see me as an eyesore. The boys envy me, and the girls think I¡¯m creepy¡­something like that? Not like I care. To the Yuuhi who doesn¡¯t know she¡¯s the cause of my nickname, some men and woman call out to her. ¡°Yuu, where are you going?¡± (???) ¡°Let¡¯s get on the early line! My stomach is empty~¡± (???) ¡°Mizuki is the same as always.¡± (???) The voice of the man and woman interrupted our conversation, I also know that these guys are the one that stand out in class. The first one with the so-called two block hairstyle, an ikemen with wild features, Kondo Jiro. his name sounds bitter but nowadays it¡¯s all about the look. The second one is a twin tail girl and shorter than Yuuhi, Asakura Mizuki. With a lively personality, as well as athletic ability¡­. I¡¯ve heard Yuuhi complain that she didn¡¯t have the brightest head though. The last one is an ikemen that gives the image of a mild-tempered man with longish brown hair. Harusaki Kouma is the so-called perfect superman, a popular Riajuu. [T.N: Pretty sure you guys know what Ikemen and Riajuu means] They¡¯re all my classmates, as well as Yuuhi¡¯s friends. These four people are always at the center of the class. By the way, Yuu is what they use to call Yuuhi. ¡°Ah, yes! See you later Yuki-kun!¡± (Yuuhi) Yuuhi returns to the classroom while waving at me. Those three people get in between me and Yuuhi. Somehow I think they¡¯re glaring at me. Thinking that they hated me, I went back to buy things. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DSay, why is Yuu being together with such a gloomy person? ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DEeh? Yuki-kun is not gloomy you know? I heard that kind of conversation at the end. I bought all the bread asked using my own money. Its because I don¡¯t have the time to ask them one by one. As they¡¯re also asked me to buy the drink, I head to the vending machine outside. Is his favorite sweet coffee? Cafe au Lait? I bought it and returns to the classroom. And then, when I turn my sight towards the school ground, the upperclassmen were playing soccer there. The soccer club seems to be mixed, as a pretty good guy managed to pass the defense, and shoot. The ball that was kicked with a yell full of fighting spirit, is it going straight for the goal¡­not, it passed on top, making a beautiful arc and flew towards me. I face it with both of my hands full with the breads and drinks, which means I can¡¯t stop it with my hands. ¡°Sigh¡­so troublesome.¡± However, the ball which approached me, suddenly loses momentum in front of me who¡¯s sighing, and bounced on the ground. Now then, let¡¯s hurry up and deliver these breads. Lunch break is over, and the afternoon class begins. Fortunately Endo and co were not offended. Therefore I could turn on the power of my smart phone during lesson as usual in peace. Blocking the teacher¡¯s line of vision with the textbook, I opened the site for the web novel on the internet. The thing I¡¯m looking for¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DTransferred to the different world, the summoned-series novel. ¡­..More than 10 years ago, I got summoned to a different world, and saved that world. I don¡¯t tell anyone since nobody would believe it. More than 10 years ago¡­I who saved the world, got kicked out from the world by the human country that summoned me. Although I think that I might have died, growing up as a Hero, I who had arrived at the realm of immortality can¡¯t die from normal way, thus I reluctantly have been flicked out with the Transfer Magic. ¡­Though as expected I was surprised that when I came back to the current age I had been reincarnated as a different human. If I think about it, the king might have think that I would get in the way. He may have thought that I would take his position as king. Well, there¡¯s too many things I left on the other side as it was too sudden. Therefore I¡¯ve been desperately searching since I was young for a way to return there. I keep on piling though the book to read during holidays. Fortunately I still inherited all the power that I have as the Hero, thus I spend most of my times during the holidays reading the book. The reason why my power remains is a mystery. According to the web novel, it seems to be something like ¡®opportunism¡¯. What a convenient word. [T.N: ¤´¶¼ºÏÖ÷Áx. Separately it is called Convenient Principle, not sure if Opportunism is really the correct word. I think its close to Deus Ex Machina, but I¡¯m not sure myself] Still, I haven¡¯t found a way to return. I keep on wasting time with school life in this world, as I had no clue at all. However, I can¡¯t give up. Therefor I¡¯ll keep searching on the internet. Currently, the web novel is my best hope. I keep searching for them at school, and will continue searching for them after school with the house PC. It is for this purpose that I don¡¯t want to be disturbed after school. [T.N: I don¡¯t know man, I think the occult book had better chance than the fantasy story written by otaku] I take no notice of the teacher¡¯s class, and keep on typing the character. This is the part when I suddenly felt the sense of incongruity. ¡°¡­¡­..The flow of magical power?¡± (Setsu) I didn¡¯t feel that flow of magical power for long, but for me to suddenly sense it must be because of something. The magical power should not be in this world, as I have never come across an existence that can use it in the current time. However, I feel the flow of such a magical power in the classroom¡­and also at my feet. (Don¡¯t tell me!?) ¡°Uwaa!? What is this!?¡± (???) One of the male student jumped. Like a chain reaction, the voice came out from all over the classroom. A huge magic formation shines beneath our feet¡­. This is the same thing as that time when I was summoned for the first time¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D (¡­¡­¡­.The world had not abandon me yet!) Thus, the classroom is wrapped up in light, and now I would be summoned again to the different world along with the classmate¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D CH 1 A few minutes after being summoned, all of us lined up before the King of the Human country. While the king rubs his excellent beard, he evaluated us. ¡°Fumu¡­the heroes from the different world have come. I am the center of the of the human being, the person unifying Destinea Kingdom, King Destinea. I welcome all of you.¡± (King) [T.N: Not sure if his name is Destinea or every king use that name once they become king. I¡¯ll just use king] The minister and knights around the king bow to us when he said that. ¡­ Somehow King Destinea aged a bit, his wrinkles increased, looking like a respectable middle-aged person. Judging from his appearance, around 5 years had passed? ¡°Thank you King Destinea. We will serve you, as I have come here to fulfill the mission given.¡± (Kouma) It¡¯s Kouma, the hero of our class is the one that answered the king¡­what an idiot. The reason we got summon was told by the princess a few minutes ago, and my classmate the part time female teacher who heard the reason accept it with a touched feeling. As the princess said¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dthis country, and continent are being attacked by the Beastman and Demon race. The cause in unclear. The war that should have ended suddenly starts again, as they got attacked. Besides, the Beastman and the Demon race seems to have made an alliance, pushing the human country to a hard fight. To regain peace again in this country, I want to leave the role of ending the war to the Heroes¡­..it feels like that kind of story. Frankly speaking, I can¡¯t stand hearing that wish. Just because a totally irrelevant country is in a pinch, only a fool would decide to stake his life for it. I also turn them down at first. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DHowever, right now the group is different. ¡°Yes! If you¡¯re fine with us!¡± (Kouma) The hero of our class, Kouma gives a good reply. Other people also nods with serious face too. At least think about it a little¡­.¡­¡­when I tried to butt in, I noticed magical power dwelling in the princess¡¯s eyes. (¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dis that Charm Eye?) [T.N: Direct translation is something like Eye of Enchantment, but the given Katakana said Charm Eye, so I¡¯m using that] Charm Eye, it¡¯s a bad magic that makes the opponent listen to your wish¡­the important thing is that all of them had been charmed by these eyes. By the way, it can¡¯t be used to make someone fall in love with you, it could only be used to make whatever you said be easier to accept. However¡­¡­¡­it needs considerable power to charm the people of the same gender as you. It seems that the princess had grown up in these 5 years too. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DAt first even beginner¡¯s class magic is dangerous for her. Well, Charm Eye of this level won¡¯t have any effect on me. Even Medusa¡¯s Petrification Eye won¡¯t work on me. As for other people than me who¡¯s such a charm doesn¡¯t work on them is¡­.. ¡®Why are you all so eager!?¡¯ Yuuhi seems to be showing that kind of panicked feeling. It seems Charm Eye doesn¡¯t work on her either. I keep giving her my divine protection since we were small, so needless to say mental interference magic won¡¯t bear any result to her. ¡­Yuuhi is the only human that I value almost as much as my parents in this second life. I had been helped by that brightness. Therefore, I promised on this life that I will protect her. ¡­Even if we¡¯re not affected by the charm, just both Yuuhi and me won¡¯t be able to change the result of the majority. And with that, we¡¯re made to receive something like a magic aptitude test because of Kouma(Idiot). The test is easy as you just need to touch a crystal ball the size of a soccer ball. There you can check the quantity of each person¡¯s magic power as well as suitable attribute. [T.N: Author just put Idiot on top of his name. Basically, written as Kouma, read as Idiot.] Nothing will happen to the crystal if there¡¯s no magic at all. If there¡¯s magic, and its Green, from there Yellow, Orange, Red, Blue, Purple, Black, all the way to White, the color will come out according to the quantity of magical power. Green is the lowest, White is the highest. The average of the people in this world is Orange. If talented Blue or Purple. Black is on a monster level¡­something like that? ¡°Amazing!! Kouma-sama¡¯s magical power is white!! The suitable attribute is the 5 basic attribute including light!!¡± (Princess) The princess was jumping with so much joy towards the result of Kouma¡¯s test. He seems to have quite the talent after all. Although the magical power of the human in modern time could be quite a lot, White is really on a monster level. He would be a considerably influential person if he trains properly. To say about the suitable attribute so that you can understand, it¡¯s possible to check that using the crystal gem if you have some knowledge about magic. The magician of the castle, as well as the princess and me knew this. By the way, the basic attribute is Fire, Water, Lightning and Earth, these 4 types. The hero that is receiving the greatest admiration also has an aptitude for light magic as an addition. Light attribute is particularly precious in this world. They¡¯re really going to overwork you hard later, you¡¯re out of luck. Although Kouma is great, the other people are also generally overflowing with talent too. Any group had Purple as the lowest¡­am I crazy in the head? Kouma¡¯s gang members are all Black with a little white mixed in, all of them are above Black? Yuuhi is Gray. You can see that it is almost White. There are a lot of members with high amount of magical power as well as a lot of suitable attributes. The normal of this world is roughly just 1 or 2, these guys had at least 3 or more. Yuuhi especially had the most proper attribute. She had 7 attributes, a monster level. ¡°Next one please!¡± (Princess) The princess¡¯s voice directed at me. I noticed that I¡¯m the only one that had not finished the test. Uwaa¡­all eyes are staring¡­ ¡°Put your hand on the crystal.¡± (Princess) I put my hand on the crystal. Although the princess is looking with eyes full of expectation¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dthe crystal had no color. ¡°Eh¡­? What is the meaning of this?¡± (Princess) The princess is showing a perplexed expression. The princess put her hand as a trial, the color changed normally. Purple huh? She then raised her arm. I understood it immediately, the eyes of the princess turn into the eyes seeing garbage. She¡¯s a fierce woman that could change her eyes. I could still see the strong image of mischievous kid in those days. [T.N: Can¡¯t really make out the 2nd line, Raw:Ä¿¤Î‰ä»¯¤¬¼¤¤·¤¤Å®¤À] ¡°Is your magical power 0¡­..well, such a person will probably come too. Then let¡¯s dismiss for today! Since each of you will be provided a room, please use it freely!!¡± (Princess) Kuhaha! Openly changing her attitude! She didn¡¯t even give me a glance either, as she goes somewhere. If I look towards my back I would see the gaze of my classmates ridiculing me. Especially the Endo gang who¡¯s smiling together. Even the magician hired by the castle, ¡¸Despite being a Hero¡¹ could be heard to have been said. ¡­. What a pity, there doesn¡¯t seem to be any good magician in this castle. The reason why the crystal does not change color when I touch it, is not because there¡¯s no magic power. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThe crystal ball of that level just can¡¯t measure it. That crystal doesn¡¯t have the capacity to measure the amount of magic power higher than White. Therefore the color can¡¯t change without being able to finish measuring it¡­.. By the way, my suitable attribute is almost all. I could handle all the attribute a human can use without limit. All of them£üIt¡¯s what I obtained while I¡¯m fighting. [T.N: Not sure about last line. Raw: ¤½¤ì¤âÈ«²¿¤¢¤¤¤Ä¤é¤È£ü‘é¤Ã¤Æ¤ëÄÚ¤ËÞâ¤ßÈ¡¤Ã¤¿¤â¤Î¤À¤¬¤Ê] That¡¯s how it is. Although I felt bad for the guys in the castle, allow me to use this idea. I want to get out of the castle as soon as possible, so I will use the knowledge obtained from the summoned to another world¡¯s novel ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI¡¯ll have them label me as useless.¡± (Setsu) I mutters that in a whisper. I¡¯ll push the useless label, until I¡¯m kicked out of the castle. Then my free life in a different world will begin!! Since I only fight during the first one, so allow me to play a lot during this second times! Thus, my plan of having me kicked out went underway. CH 2 ¡°Today¡¯s training is up to here!! Please disperse and take a rest!¡± (???) A beautiful dignified voice sounds through the training area in the castle¡¯s garden. Equipping a breastplate that greatly pushed up her chest beneath her clothes, wearing a skirt designed for the female knight, is beautiful woman with wavy blue hair¡­the voice of this woman greatly resounded through the training ground. Eruka Verso¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dis the name of this woman. [T.N: Eruka or Elka, which sounds better?] The purpose of the training this time is for everybody to control their great power, and has been going on for almost one week. The people who can¡¯t shoot magic at first are now already a splendid magician, with the given power their growth is very fast. Playing some part of this rapid growth is this beautiful female knight with blue hair, Eruka. Being a magic warrior, she¡¯s a woman that fits her youthful look being respected by the soldiers in the castle. The male classmates had been captivated seeing her for the first time, and I even heard some of the girls called her ¡®Onee-sama¡± in the shadows. That Eruka is actually my former companion. Eruka the Magic Sword User of Solid Ice¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dshe was strong enough to have two nicknames spread. [T.N: Raw said ¡°¡¡šêÍÁ¤Îħ„‡Ê¿¥¨¥ë¥«¡±, the first two kanji is for Ice and Earth, which confuses me on what to name her, as later on it seems like she¡¯s only good with Ice, not earth] That¡¯s why I don¡¯t understand. Why is a person like Eruka being in charge as our trainer¡­she should have gone to the front lines of the war as usual. Is there some kind of reasons..? ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡­well it won¡¯t help even if I think too deeply about it, the guys have gone up a few level thanks to her becoming our instructor. Although I don¡¯t care much about my classmates, I don¡¯t want them to die either. It¡¯s a thing to congratulate for if it¡¯s difficult for them to die. On the contrary it¡¯s going to be hard for them to protect Yuuhi if they didn¡¯t get stronger. I join my classmates in returning to our rooms, and when I return, there¡¯s a guy who joined shoulders with me familiarly. ¡°Yo Gloomy Yuki, let¡¯s review today¡¯s lesson together.¡± The bully Endo¡­and his followers. I desperately endure myself from sighing, and went to the usual spot to be thrown by these guys. ¡°Oraa!¡± (Endo) ¡°!¡­¡± (Setsu) Endo¡¯s kick enhanced with magic hit my belly. Here is the back of the castle, it¡¯s dark and there¡¯s hardly anyone passing here. Just think of it like the back of the modern day gym. I jump exaggeratedly at the same time as he kicked my belly. I flung against the castle wall on purpose. I even put my expression in agony pretty well, and let out a groan as naturally as possible. I¡¯ve already took it to perfection for having done this for a few days already, so although it didn¡¯t hurt and not bother me at all, Endo and his followers showed their ugly grins after being deceived by my performance. ¡°We sure are lucky! For there to be such a good punching bag! You guys do it too!¡± (Endo) ¡°Ou!¡± (Minion no.1) ¡°Just right when I want to try out the magic I practiced.¡± (Minion no.2) These guys are really good at no good things, as they start adding new ways to assault me. Having done this for a few days, I¡¯m really in trouble here as their attack doesn¡¯t leave any wounds to me. Against their weak assault, I really need to greatly pretend to be injured. I burn myself using my own magic when their fire ball hit, and also hit myself whenever I had the chance when they hit me. Although it has started to frustrates me, it can¡¯t be helped that such minor details are necessary. Once the Endo Family(lol) finally relieved their stress, they will leave me on the ground after casting a weak Heal. [T.N: Any lol in this chapter is from the author, not me] Although I return as soon as the pain goes down, the surrounding people didn¡¯t said anything about my remaining wounds. Although someone like Yuuhi might get worried about me, unfortunately I haven¡¯t met her at all recently. For Kouma¡¯s group which is the center of the class, they seems to be one head stronger than the other classmates. Therefore they we¡¯re provided with a separate menu by a different person. As they seems to be staying at a different place as special treatment, we can never meet even if the training ends. Since Eruka mentioned about them a few times, it seems that they¡¯re doing well. ¡°Ora! I¡¯ll try a new technique today!¡± (Endo) ¡°You serious Endo!?¡± (Minion no.1) ¡°Nice nice!¡± (Minion no.2) Oops, almost forgot. I am currently in front of Endo who¡¯re chanting an aria triumphantly, as a crimson red ball of flame is formed. Heeh, isn¡¯t that the arrangement for Fire Ball? ¡°Here I go! Corona Ball!¡± (Endo) The magic shot straights towards me with considerable heat capacity. The size is small but the heat is great. It might be able to slightly burn me if it hits. Now then, how will I take it?¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DWhen I relaxed my body, Endo Ball(lol) was frozen solid in front of me. ¡°Ha?¡± (Endo) Although Endo had a stupid, dumbfounded looks, I know who the culprit is. ¡°You guys, you¡¯re really looking for trouble doing this in a place I can see huh?¡± (Eruka) ¡°E-Eruka-san¡­¡± (Endo) Eruka the Magic Sword user appeared in a resolute manner, as cold air was discharged from her hand. Magic Sword User of Solid Ice, as you can see she¡¯s an expert in Ice element. Although she has a considerable skill as a swordsman, her true forte is in Ice Magic. ¡°So, what are you going to do, Endo?¡± ¡°Tch¡­ I¡¯ll go back. I¡¯m sorry Eruka-san, you don¡¯t have to worry since we¡¯re just playing around.¡± (Endo) ¡°Is that so, then please be careful okay?¡± (Eruka) ¡°Yes~. Oi you guys too.¡± (Endo) ¡°Y-yeah.¡± (Minion no.1) ¡°Ou¡­¡± (Minion no.2) The three people return to the castle. That¡¯s some new things they said to Eruka. Well , for now I should say my thanks. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± (Setsu) ¡°I don¡¯t mind. However, I would like you to protect your body by yourself from now on. Since I¡¯m not that free either.¡± (Eruka) ¡­Oh? ¡°How about you spend some effort to become a little bit stronger? There should be some method to strengthen you body. That way I¡¯m not going to have unnecessary trouble either.¡± (Eruka) ¡­Oh? Oh? ¡°Please don¡¯t get in trouble if you can¡¯t fight. Since this country currently has no room for such a situation.¡± (Eruka) Hoho¡­..in other words, they can¡¯t afford to spend any extra energy to use on some incompetent one. Kuhahaha¡­¡­.My Eruka(Slave) could have the habit of saying that? H O W S T U P I D ¡°Kuhaha¡­¡­..hahaha.¡± (Setsu) ¡°? Is there something funny?¡± (Eruka) ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DYou have become considerably great now huh?¡± (Setsu) ¡°! Kyaa!¡± (Eruka) *Gou!* A gust of wind suddenly raged and shake¡¯s Eruka¡¯s blue hair, as her body floats in the air. I pounced forward, applying a shoulder carry on Eruka. Putting my weight, I fixed my arm below her shoulder. ¡°Wh-what are you doing!? Get away from me!!¡± (Eruka) ¡°The slave with such tongue against me(master) need to be punished.¡± (Setsu) ¡°What are you saying¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DHiin!¡± (Eruka) I start spanking Eruka¡¯s butt which is right next to my face with my hand using all my might. I take off the female knight order¡¯s skirt, and keep on beating the beautifully round butt. *Paan! Paan! Paan!* ¡°Higi! Doing such a thing¡­..nGuh! Once I got away¡­..nHii!¡± (Eruka) ¡°Still with that tongue!? For such girl I¡¯ll do this!¡± (Setsu) I put more power into the spanking hand. Although I kind of forgot about how to control my power after a long time, the sense gradually returns, as I was able to deliver ¡®the usual pain¡¯. ¡°This¡­Ah! This way of beating¡­.Hii! Don¡¯t tell me¡­. Hiiin!¡± (Eruka) ¡°Huuh? Did you finally remember¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DEruka(Pervert)?¡± (Setsu) ¡°Aaah! Setsu-sama! ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DnHiiin!!¡± (Eruka) As a reward for having remembered, I finally hit her with all my might. She starts convulsing with *bikubiku*, she then approached me once I lowered her on the ground to take a rest. ¡°Se-Setsu-sama! I really missed you, you know!? Every day is so hard without you spanking me hard-bu!?¡± (Eruka) I stop Eruka¡¯s noisy mouth with my hand. ¡°Aah! Shut up, shut up!! I admit it¡¯s kind of my bad¡­¡± (Setsu) ¡°Puhaa! It¡¯s true you know!! Since I really don¡¯t know what to do when I heard that this country is forcibly sending you back home.¡± (Eruka) When I let down my hand for her to talk, her expression turn darker while she talks. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡­I kind of made you worry, but I¡¯m back.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Welcome back¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DSetsu-sama!¡± (Eruka) I hug Eruka tightly. ¡­This feeling again after such a long time. How to say it, I finally felt like I¡¯ve really returned to this world. ¡°Fuhi¡¯ ¡­¡­..finally after 5 years¡­¡­Setsu-sama¡¯s smell¡­..fuhi¡¯..¡± (Eruka) ¡­¡­way to spoil the mood¡­ ¡°Time for some punishment!!¡± (Setsu) ¡°Aaan!! Please stop grinding my head!!¡± (Eruka) ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DHere, I¡¯ll tell you some information that no one knows, about Eruka Verso. ¡°This real pervert girl!!¡± (Setsu) ¡°Please stop grinding my heaaaaad!¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Deh? Somehow it kind of felt good for a moment¡­.¡± (Eruka) She¡¯s a genuine one through and through in this world. A hentai. CH 3 Author¡¯s note: There¡¯s many explanation here, sorry for the slow progress. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DWhen I got summoned for the first time, the country provided the me who is not that strong yet with 3 soldiers to accompany me. One of them is Eruka. The me at that time was unable to master my power yet, so Eruka became my sparring partner. Although it was difficult at first, once I gradually learn how to use my power, I start winning one-sidedly after that. It was at that time that Eruka awakened. The moment she got send flying with my kick, she seems to start feeling great pleasure from it for some reason. Since then she starts receiving my attacks on purpose, making her unsuitable for my sparring partner, so I start sparring with the other 2 instead. What happens with Eruka after that? She suddenly begged to be my slave. She who have awakened as a genuine true-M, starts crying as she begged to be under me by all means. I give up, and give my approval¡­. As I start making Eruka overwork just according to her request, it was a matter of time before I awoken as a true-S. [T.N: Don¡¯t tell me u don¡¯t know what those S & M means] ¡°Well, I was able to recall the old times like this¡­.Eruka, there¡¯s something I want to ask you.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Yes! Whatever you want!¡± (Eruka) I give my question to Eruka who had ¡®become a chair¡¯ for me as punishment. ¡°What happened 5 years ago? Why is the war that I should have ended taking place again?¡± (Setsu) The princess didn¡¯t say why the war happened. She only said that they¡¯re receiving attacks from the Beasman and Demon race. I don¡¯t think that ¡®they¡¯ would set an attack without any reason. I have ¡®ordered¡¯ them not to start a 2nd war as it¡¯s a pain in the ass. ¡°That¡¯s¡­it¡¯s because of this country.¡± (Eruka) ¡°This country? Destinea is the cause?¡± (Setsu) ¡°Yes¡­surely 5 years ago, the war is over. However¡­although Setsu-sama is Destinea¡¯s power, fearing your popularity, they forcibly sent you back to the original world.¡± (Eruka) ¡°¡­Tch, aah, I¡¯ve roughly understood it¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dthose guys probably heard about that, and attacked in retaliation¡­something like that?¡± (Setsu) ¡°It is as you imagine¡­.¡± (Eruka) The Kingdom forcibly ¡®erased¡¯ me, so those guys who adores me won¡¯t permit that. This story finally connected my puzzle. ¡°Well¡­in other words, this is my fault?¡± (Setsu) ¡°It¡¯s because those people adores Setsu-sama from the bottom of their hearts¡­.¡± (Eruka) I¡¯m starting to get itchy when she keeps on saying that. But still¡­. ¡°Another war is such a pain¡­just once is enough.¡± (Setsu) ¡°wai-¡­Setsu-sama¡­.¡± (Eruka) I have no more responsibility for this world. How to spend my time selfishly now¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°That¡¯s what I thought anyway¡­. Haah, well it¡¯s not like I¡¯m not responsible for this at all¡­ can¡¯t be helped, shall I get involved a little bit?¡± (Setsu) ¡°! Have you considered about participating in the war!?¡± (Eruka) ¡°Aah about that.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Yes, what about it?¡± (Eruka) Participating in the war is totally rejected as it¡¯s a real pain in my point of view. Then, there¡¯s only one thing I need to do. ¡°For the time being, I¡¯m going to meet those fellows. I was planning on going there anyway, plus the war might be over depending on their moods.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Well, certainly¡­but I don¡¯t think that will work¡­.¡± (Eruka) N? I thought that their anger would calm down once they know that I¡¯m in this world. ¡°Although I do thinks that the anger of those people would be settled, but¡­for the current state, the human nation in this war intends to take the territory of the Demon continent and Beastman continent which they were unable to conquer previously.¡± (Eruka) ¡°Huuh!? In other words¡­¡± (Setsu) ¡°Yes. They(human) intends to win the war.¡± (Eruka) This is not a defensive war!? Not to mention it has become more complex¡­. ¡°In other words, the heroes summoned this time¡­¡± (Setsu) ¡°Yes. They were summoned to win. They¡¯re going to explain about this in the future, as I heard that they¡¯re planning to attack the enemy country¡­¡± (Eruka) Did they intend to use me for that as well? Although the human country wanted to gain the territory in the last war, as the war has ended, the people might antagonize them if they started the territory war again. ¡°So they¡¯re welcoming the fact that the other sides attacked first¡­something like that?¡± (Setsu) ¡°It is just as you imagined¡­¡± (Eruka) The main point is they intends on using me until the very last. [T.N: Òª¤Ï×îáá¤Þ¤Ç°³¤òÀûÓ䷤Ƥ¤¤ë¤ï¤±¤À¡¢óÂ¤á¤¿ÕæËÆ¤·¤Æ¤¯¤ì¤ë. Might not be that accurate.] ¡°We who acted as you attendant thought about methods to stop that¡­but I still think the best way is for you to return to Eclair¡­.¡± (Eruka) ¡°You¡¯re staying in the kingdom and pretends to work faithfully aiming for my re-summons¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dis that your intention?¡± (Setsu) ¡°Yes, although your form has become different now¡­that is fine. If I use the boys and girls not knowing about the war, I could even raise a revolt.¡± (Eruka) [T.N: Not completely sure about the last line. RAW:Öª¤é¤ÌÊÀ½ç¤ÎÉÙÄêÉÙÅ®¤ò‘éÕù¤ËÀûÓ乤ë¤È¤Ê¤ì¤Ð¡¢¤µ¤¹¤¬¤Ë·´ÂÒ¤òÆð¤³¤·¤Æ¤·¤Þ¤¤¤½¤¦¤Ç¤·¤¿¤«¤é¡¹ Eruka said that with a smile. That¡¯s a smile she put when she¡¯s telling the truth¡­did you seriously planning to cause a revolt? ¡°This country doesn¡¯t learn their lesson¡­..they only troubles Setsu-sama and use you¡­. I¡¯m planning to end the war so no further damage will occur¡­ so I¡¯m planning to do the same thing again.¡± (Eruka) ¡°Yeah, as I thought this country is foolish as usual¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dwell, with this I¡¯ve thought of some new idea.¡± (Setsu) ¡°?¡± (Eruka) I stand up from Eruka and said that. Or rather how long are you going to crawl on four like that? ¡°I want to go out of this country.¡± (Setsu) ¡°¡­yes¡­I thought you¡¯re going to say that.¡± (Eruka) Eruka stand up and say that. I see, did she knew about my idea? ¡°I¡¯m going to have a trip at will without worrying about the war¡­or that¡¯s what I thought, but it¡¯s going to get noisy when there¡¯s a war going on. I¡¯ll give the punishment to those guys who started the war again once I meet them, that would be more mature of me.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Fufu that¡¯s right huh.¡± (Eruka) ¡°Why are you laughing?¡± ¡°No, even if the outside appearance has changed, the inside is still the gentle Setsu-sama after all¡­is what I think.¡± (Eruka) ¡°Huh?¡± (Setsu) ¡°You want to stop the war because of the people summoned with you¡­right?¡± (Eruka) ¡°Nn?¡­well¡­is that really it?¡± (Setsu) Well, although I do think I don¡¯t want Yuuhi to get into any dangerous situations, the other guys are just extras. By the way, I¡¯ve told Eruka that I¡¯ve been reincarnated. About how my name is still the same¡­¡­ well, long live Opportunism. [T.N: MC is mocking his own plot convenience¡­] ¡°Well, never mind about that.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Yeah¡­. So how do you indent to leave of the country? Although as expected I think I don¡¯t want to part with the summoned heroes yet¡­¡± (Eruka) ¡°Aah, if it¡¯s that it¡¯s easy. I only need to push my ¡®good-for-nothing¡¯ label. Then I will selfishly gets kicked out of the castle.¡± (Setsu) ¡°I-I see¡­..however¡­with how you¡¯re being assumed as a good-for-nothing¡­it¡¯s a bit painful for me¡­¡± (Eruka) Her face was down while saying that it was unpleasant from the bottom of her heart. I¡¯m glad that you think that way. ¡°You¡¯re the one who said I was weak a while ago though?¡± (Setsu) ¡°Hau!?¡± (Eruka) The word she said before I revealed my true self a while ago, I won¡¯t forget for the rest of my life. When I hit her while smirking, I had to stop because she gets excited while apologizing. She¡¯s really a true M. ¡°¡­Well whatever. So, I want you to interfere with the thought of the princess and king, and I want you to be the one kicking me out.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Aaan¡­more¡­-ah! Me!? That¡¯s¡­saying that I would be the one trapping you¡­.¡± (Eruka) ¡°Once you managed to drive me out I¡¯ll spank you 100 times.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Understood! This Eruka! I will play my part to the utmost as Setsu-sama¡¯s dog!¡± (Eruka) ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DToo easy. ¡°Alright¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dafter that¡­¡± (Setsu) ¡°Setsu-sama, shall we meet with the other 2 attendants?¡± (Eruka) ¡°N? Aah¡­that¡¯s right.¡± (Setsu) My other 2 attendants are also in this country. I certainly wants to meet them. ¡°Should I show my face to those 2 first? Where are those guys now?¡± (Setsu) ¡°¡´Grein¡µis raising different heroes from me.¡± (Eruka) Ahh, Yuuhi and Kouma¡¯s group? ¡°¡´Tia¡µis in the castle¡¯s Magic Institute. She should be the leader there now.¡± (Eruka) ¡°Heeh, both of them seems to have succeeded in life¡­. aside from me, that is.¡± (Setsu) Nn? Somehow I don¡¯t like it. Here I am having terrible experience getting kicked and hit¡­well, that¡¯s from my own skill though. ¡°Setsu-sama, d-don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± (Eruka) ¡°Let¡¯s think of a punishment for a while¡­.¡± (Setsu) When I think about the upset face of those two, I smiled in pleasure. This time I noticed that I can really enjoy getting summoned the second times. CH 4 The next day the training resumed with Eruka, so I decided to slack on today¡¯s training, and went to visit Yuuhi in the different training ground. When I peeped at the building from the nearby wall, it seems that their training are on a completely different level from our training ground. Flight magic, cutting wind, fist that could leave a sound. The four people there are performing various types of attacks. And the opponent is¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Come on! Narrow down the interval between attacks! This is a party of 4 people! You won¡¯t even leave a scratch on me if you don¡¯t synchronize your breath!¡± (???) A blonde mild-tempered man wearing the castle¡¯s armor. If 10 people look at him, all 10 will agree that he¡¯s an Ikemen, it seems that he and Kouma are a good match. ¡°Heeh, you¡¯ve changed a lot in these 5 years, Grein.¡± (Setsu) [T.N: Gu-re-in, I go with Grein as I don¡¯t want it to sound like Grain.] The opponent of the 4 heroes is my ex-attendant, Grein Armony. ¡´Sword Master Grein¡µis his nickname. Although 5 years ago he had an appearance of an innocent boy, he had become a fine young man now. When I asked Eruka, it seems that he even had a fan club. As expected of Mr Ikemen. Grein perfectly fends off the attacks of 4 heroes. This really makes his opponent who are monsters with magical power of highest grade admired him. The wild-Ikemen Jiro is cladding his fist with magic, using taijutsu for close-range battle. The twin-tail Mizuki has a dagger, having fast attack in close-combat like Jiro. The class¡¯s hero Kouma has a shining golden sword, using attack magic from medium range. Holy Sword huh? As expected of the Hero. The Holy sword is something like a skill that anyone could use if the have the Hero title, and the strength of the sword depends on the heroes. Kouma¡¯s sword is the most common ¡´Excalibur type¡µsword in the heroes industry(?). The effect is Purification, Light Slash, Physical Reinforcement, also an all-round magic reinforcement. Indeed, it gives the hero-like feeling. [T.N: Basically, MC is trying to say that the sword is the most cliche holy sword among any hero¡¯s story.] ¡­Since I also have the Hero title, I can also use the Holy Sword for the time being. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DYou may call that a Holy Sword¡­however. A roaring sound breaks out from Grein¡¯s training ground while I was reminiscing. In an instant a huge fireball appears in my view, about the size of a 2-story single house. The one throwing it is my childhood friend Yuuhi. She¡¯s a complete long-range magician type. It is evidence that she has a considerable ability since she can shoot that magic and still doesn¡¯t run out of breath. She has considerably grew up without me knowing. However even that is still not able to damage Grein. Tearing up the exploding flame, the figure of the scorching Grein is not there. That attack could probably even ¡®cut¡¯ the space, as even those 4 people had a bitter smile when he easily defended against that. ¡°That attack just now was not bad, it was good. Let¡¯s stop here and take a rest slowly for today.¡± Grein had a smile while he said that. The 4 people who heard that started to collapse. It seems that they have been fighting with their full concentration, so although there doesn¡¯t seem to be any injury, they¡¯re really worn out on the inside. ¡°As expected Grein-sensei is strong¡­¡± (Jiro) ¡°My dagger didn¡¯t even graze him¡­¡± (Mizuki) That¡¯s natural, he¡¯s not an opponent for you who had just obtained power for one week can do anything about. ¡­Well this is already out of standard for one week, but Grein is more out of standard than you. ¡°Yuu, are you okay?¡± (Kouma) ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine! What about Kouma-kun?¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°If Yuu is okay, then I¡¯m good too.¡± (Kouma) The two starts talking as they drink the water that the castle maid brought. Kouma is glancing at Yuuhi drinking the water. I see, Yuuhi is popular indeed. Oops, I must mind my own business instead of other people¡¯s love affair. I waited for when Grein is away from those 4¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dand dash with all I got. ¡°What!? Guooo!?¡± (Grein) ¡°Huh? Grein-sensei?¡± (Jiro) ¡°Maybe he went to the toilet?¡± (Mizuki) I instantly kidnap Grein, carried him on my shoulder and took him to the back of a building which looks like a storehouse at a remote position. ¡°You¡¯re that kid without any ability!! Where did you get that power¡­what are you planning to do!?¡± (Grein) When I unload him at the back of the warehouse, Grein instantly pulls out his sword with cautioned look. Fumu, interesting. I beckoned him with my hand. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DCome at me.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Gu¡­.Uooooh!!¡± (Grein) When I let out a little bit of bloodlust out, Grein readied her sword while having cold sweat and charged. When I released the bloodlust just now, I just created a situation of ¡®kill or be killed¡¯. Like this, it¡¯s possible for Grein to battle without much hesitation. This appearance warned him to be careful, as it¡¯s a technique that I thought of to create a situation for him to forcibly take a self-defense measure. [T.N: Basically, instead of treating MC as a student, he makes him thinks of MC as an opponent that he could not hold back against.] I dodged the sword slashing down, and observe him calmly. I significantly raised my hand. It¡¯s going to get chopped if I relax. Well, not like that would happen. I managed the timing and catch Grein¡¯s sword with my bare hand. Of course I¡¯ve applied it with magic reinforcement. ¡°Wha-!?¡± (Grein) Grein had an astonished look on his face, and I moved my leg. ¡°I will remind you slowly¡­..of your fear¡­¡± (Setsu) I have a smile that could only be said as evil if you look from the side, ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dand I kicked the area between Grein¡¯s legs with all my might. ¡°~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!!!!!¡± (Grein) Once I look at this Ikemen falling down while suppressing his pain, fumu, I managed to see something good. Serves you right. ¡°Th¡­this technique¡­.M- ¡´Man Killer¡µ¡­¡­to use this means¡­¡± (Grein) ¡°Oh! Did you recalled it? This kick of mine.¡± (Setsu) ¡°C-could it be¡­.S-Setsu-san¡­¡± (Grein) *drops* ¡°Ooooooiii!? Why are you fainting!?¡± I shakes Grain who fainted because of the pain, trying to wake him up. Is my kick really that effective¡­.. ¡°My balls?¡± (Grein) ¡°It¡¯s safe.¡± (Setsu) ¡°My bad, I¡¯ll try not to do that again.¡± (Setsu) ¡°No, I could only recognize Setsu-san right away thanks to that.¡± (Grein) This guy faints for a few minutes, after finally waking up, we leaned against the wall of the building and start talking. ¡°To think that you would appear using the hero summons¡­¡± (Grein) ¡°I¡¯m surprised too. I¡¯ve been looking for a way to return from the other side¡­and can¡¯t find a clue myself. It really is a coincidence to have been summoned this time. (Setsu) ¡°Then let¡¯s give out thanks to this coincidence¡­although we checked the castle for a way to summon Setsu-san again¡­¡± (Grein) ¡°Yeah, I heard about that from Eruka.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Ooh! So you have already met Eruka.¡± (Grein) This guy too seems to have desperately tried to bring me back. I¡¯m glad they¡¯re so obedient. ¡°Have you met with Tia?¡± (Grein) ¡°Nope, not yet.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Then please go meet her today. She still continue studying a way to re-summon you.¡± (Grein) ¡°I see¡­then I guess I need to tell her properly that I have returned.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Yes, she will be pleased. Surely!¡± (Grein) I see, let¡¯s go there to show my face at the end of the day. At first I planned to do it tomorrow. ¡°Then shall we go there slowly¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dah, that¡¯s right. I¡¯m probably going to leave this place once of these days.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Really?¡± (Grein) ¡°? You¡¯re not surprised.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Well it¡¯s Setsu-san, I thought you might say that.¡± (Grein) Am I that easy to read? ¡°I see¡­well I¡¯m planning to cross the continent and met ¡®those¡¯ guys.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Ooh! Everyone will be pleased with that! But just that won¡¯t be able to stop the war you know?¡± (Grein) ¡°I¡¯ve already heard about that from Eruka¡­¡± (Setsu) Since it¡¯s simple¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI said that to Grein. ¡°Well, whatever. I¡¯ll get going then, I¡¯m glad to meet you again Grein.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Me too¡­you have finally returned back. I¡¯m really glad, Setsu-san.¡± (Grein) ¡°Ou, later then. Ah, is it alright for me to ask you to take care of Yuuhi?¡± (Setsu) ¡°? Yuuhi-san?¡± (Grein) ¡°Yeah. she¡¯s my childhood friend from the other side. Please use your position to favor her, as I¡¯m going to punish you with ¡´Man Killer¡µagain if there¡¯s anything that happens to her okay?¡± (Setsu) ¡°!¡­¡­.I will keep that in mind.¡± (Grein) I ask him again for confirmation, and parts with Grein. Reunion after a long time is good as expected. It feels like my suppressed personality up until now can finally be unleashed. Finally the last one, as I¡¯m going to meet with Tia, I decided to return to the castle. [T.N: POV change to Grein] I, Grein Armony managed to meet him again after 5 years, and I was overjoyed for that. As I decided to follow him before, I¡¯m certain that a huge hole appeared in my heart when Setsu-san disappeared. With the hole buried, I returned back to my lodgings in high spirits after a long time. On the way back, the heroes that I¡¯ve been training, Jiro-kun, Mizuki-san, and Kouma-kun rushed up to me from the other side. ¡°Where have you been Sensei!?¡± (Jiro) ¡°We¡¯ve been looking for you everywhere!¡± (Mizuki) Jiro-kun and Mizuki-san said that. I remembered that I had disappeared suddenly, so I apologize properly. ¡°Sorry, a friend visited me suddenly and I had to entertain him.¡± (Grein) Although ¡®friend¡¯ is not really the right term, I think that kind of relation is not bad. ¡°So what are you here for?¡± (Grein) ¡°I want you to train is a bit more, can you spend your time a bit?¡± (Kouma) Kouma-kun had a serious eyes when he said that. Although I made the afternoon as a rest because today¡¯s training is packed with actual combat, it might have not been unsatisfactory for them given this situation. ¡°I don¡¯t mind¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThere should be 4. Where¡¯s Yuuhi-san? (Grein) Once I approved it, I noticed that Yuuhi-san that Setsu-san ask to look after is not here. ¡°Ah, it seems that Yuu went back to the castle.¡± (Jiro) Since Jiro-kun had said that, I was relieved. ¡°I see¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dthen, shall we start our training?¡± (Grein) To grant their request, we visit the training ground once again. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI still have a slight pain between my legs. [T.N: POV turns back to MC.] ¡°Oi Gloomy Yuki, where have you been today?¡± (Endo) When I returned to the castle, I got caught by the troublesome fool. I really don¡¯t have the time for this. When I desperately hold myself from sighing, Endo joined shoulders with me in an overly familiar manner as usual. ¡°You don¡¯t think that you¡¯re going to have a sweet time today right? You should never have that attitude, so shall we be more strict today?¡± (Endo) Endo is grinning along¡­.along with his followers. [T.N: He¡¯s saying he really can¡¯t remember the name of the others] Yeah yeah good job good job¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DWhen I desperately endure from sighing, ¡°Wait a minute Endo-kun!!¡± (???) A voice sounded causing us to freeze. When I turn my face towards the source of that voice, Hanabashira Yuuhi is there. While muttering that she finally found me, she starts walking towards us. ¡°Ha-Hanabashira-san!? W-what business do you want from me?¡± (Endo) While Endo is confused meeting with Yuuhi¡¯s pretty face, her face hang down sloppily, and reply in an unpleasant voice. ¡°Ah, no. I have business with Yuki-kun. Therefore can you lend Yuki-kun for a while?¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°Ah¡­yes.¡± (Endo) Endo got shot with a single stroke¡­ it was indeed pitiful. ¡°Thank you! Then Yuki-kun can you follow me?¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°Yeah¡­.¡± (Setsu) Yuuhi snatched me from Endo, and start leading my hand leaving them. When I look back, Endo and co had the eyes full of hatred. It¡¯s amazing for human to be able to make such eyes. After taking enough distance from them, Yuuhi separates her hand from me, and suddenly jumped into my chest. ¡°Yahhou! Finally Yuki-kun after a long time!¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°O-oi.¡± (Setsu) Yuuhi hugs me tightly. Her huge chest hits mine, changing it¡¯s form. Uwah, this is bad. As expected some problem might ¡®arise¡¯ if I didn¡¯t separate. ¡°Wai- get away from me for a bit¡­¡± (Setsu) ¡°Haaah~ Finally Yuki-kun after a long time~¡± (Yuuhi) I got weakened for a bit and she starts putting all her weight on me! H-her chest are..! ¡°I¡¯m worried you know? They said Yuki-kun had no magic power¡­how did it become like that?¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°Well¡­I managed somehow.¡± (Setsu) ¡°¡­.I guess so, you seems to be fine and energetic¡­¡± (Yuuhi) ¡­It seems that I¡¯ve made her worry. I¡¯m slightly sorry for that. ¡°That¡¯s right Yuki-kun! Do you want to go to town together when we get our time off?¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°Town?¡± (Setsu) Speaking of town, there¡¯s one downtown of Destinea. It¡¯s considerably wide, you won¡¯t get bored at there are many interesting things. It seems that Yuuhi visit me today for an invitation. ¡°How about it?¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°Yeah, I guess it¡¯s fine.¡± (Setsu) She came all the way here to invite me, so spending one holiday for Yuuhi is cheap. ¡°Really!? Absolutely okay!?¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°I got it I got it.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Yay~!¡± (Yuuhi) Yuuhi parts with me while doing a banzai. I¡¯m not regretting it even for a moment since the warmth is gone okay? It¡¯s the truth okay? We have a bit of a small talk after that, reporting our current condition to each other. Yuuhi¡¯s training seems to be hard after all when i heard from her, as Grein¡¯s training is efficient but only for the strong-minded¡­. We decided to look for the right time afterwards and separated, as I have some business to do after all. ¡°I¡¯m glad we got to meet today! I managed to recharged my Yuki-kun Energy!¡± (Yuuhi) What the heck is Yuki-kun Energy. [T.N: Just imagine Musukonium] ¡°It¡¯s absolutely okay to rely on me when you¡¯re in trouble! Don¡¯t break the promise of us going out!¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°Okay okay, I know already.¡± (Setsu) ¡®See you later~!¡¯ She runs off after saying that. ¡­Now then, I will not be able to leave this country until i went around town with Yuuhi¡­. This is bad right? ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± I noticed it at that time. While hiding in the shadow, Endo is staring at me with eyes full of grudge. CH 5 ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DPhew¡­¡± (Setsu) I came to the castle¡¯s Magic Institute because it is said that Tia Amulet, the last of my former attendants is there. The atmosphere in front of the door seems to be quite dangerous, but although I¡¯m fairly hesitated to enter, I made up my mind and opened the door when I noticed the bad smell. A very nasty, bad smell.¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D However its a strangely familiar nasty smell. If I¡¯m not mistaken, it¡¯s the similar smell that always sticks to that person¡¯s clothes at that time¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dbut it was not at this dangerous scale. I almost choked instinctively, so I kept all the smell away from myself with wind magic. Although it¡¯s already hopeless that it had already soaked into my clothes, it become slightly better now. I can finally look at room, and find the one I¡¯m looking for. The room is really spacious when I see it again, and overall dim, with distorted-shaped plant hanging on the ceiling, with magic stone storing magic power rolling here and there. There¡¯s also a glass container containing mysterious liquid in it. Is that a beaker? They are displayed on an appropriate table. There¡¯s one lying there, and when the content is dripping on the floor, I heard a sizzling sound when the liquid touched the floor. Is that acid? Is the one inside that thing acid? The other side of the table also had a lot of beaker-like things, and the lady which is my purpose is there. The lady sits on a chair, working on something on that messy desk. When I approached to call out to her, the lady suddenly turned and looked me in the eyes. With purple hair that is grown until the center of her back, expressionless eyes, and beautiful lips with a slight tinge of red¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dand also having a young face and body. She wears a huge unbalanced white robe, and a white shirt underneath it. This girl is none other than the last of my attendants, she doesn¡¯t change at all from 5 years ago, the figure of ¡´Mad Scientist Tia¡µ. [T.N: Direct translation is Evil Professor, but I think Mad Scientist fits better.] This Tia just stares at me. Until she finally opens her mouth. ¡°N¡­. ¡®been a long time, Setsu.¡± (Tia) ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI¡¯m really surprised. My body is shabbier than before I was reincarnated. Even my eyes are hidden as I still haven¡¯t cut my long bangs yet¡­..so I really have no idea how she could managed to recognize me when even my eyes are hidden. ¡°How the hell did you recognize me with this appearance, Tia?¡± (Setsu) ¡°Setsu, I have the ¡´Magic Eye¡µ, I¡¯ve been traveling with you for so long that I won¡¯t mistook your magic power.¡± (Tia) [T.N: Anyone got better name than magic power?] That¡¯s¡­ I see¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dshe¡¯s a carrier of an extremely rare magic eyes. Just like it¡¯s name suggest Magic Eyes refers to putting magic power to your eyes. Various effect could be demonstrated by putting magic power. In Tia¡¯s case for example, her eyes has the ability that could capture the magic power in her view. It seems weak at a glance, but there won¡¯t be that many place to hide once your magic power is caught in her view, so it¡¯s ideal as a countermeasure for surprise attack. Her eyes really helped us during our journey. By the way, the Charm Eye that the princess used is a technique than anyone can use if you have the talent and training. Magic Eye is a power that mainly manifested when one was born, so the Charm Eye that anyone could use are not labelled as Magic Eye. Although there are many powerful Magic Eyes, not that many of them are left right now. That¡¯s why the cause of how the Magic Eyes are born is unknown 5 years ago. ¡°But you really didn¡¯t change huh¡­ still looking like a loli like before?¡± (Setsu) ¡°Muu, I¡¯ve properly grown slightly taller this time. A wizard can¡¯t grow up that easily.¡± (Tia) ¡°A wizard had a hard time growing old? Although it¡¯s the first time I¡¯m hearing it¡­well how about you tell me how much you have grown?¡± (Setsu) ¡°0.5mm.¡± (Tia) ¡°Isn¡¯t that in the margin of error?¡± (Setsu) When she heard my words, Tia had a displeased look and start punching me with *pechi pechi* sound. ¡°Shut up, Setsu is mean like always.¡± (Tia) ¡°Yeah yeah, my bad.¡± (Setsu) The head of the short Tia comes into contact with my chest. Her appearance of *pechi pechi* beating my chest with her thin hands, even after 5 years had passed since then, it can only be said as childish. ¡°This part of you doesn¡¯t change too.¡± ¡°Naturally, I won¡¯t change that easily. Anyway¡­although I¡¯ve heard from Eruka that Setsu had come back to this world via a summoning, why are you here?¡± (Tia) ¡°Aah, that because I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯ve been desperately researching for a way to summon me again¡­. I just thought that for the time being I should say thanks.¡± (Setsu) ¡°N, this degree is nothing. In addition, it¡¯s cheap if I can meet Setsu again.¡± (Tia) Although I¡¯m glad when she said that, it feels a bit itchy after all. I felt uncomfortable somehow, so I shake my head and put my hand under her armpit and lift her like during the old days. I sit on a chair, and let Tia sit on my knee. Tia doesn¡¯t show any resistance when I carry her, as she just leans her back on my body. ¡°N, as I thought, although the figure had changed, this comfortable feeling is indeed belongs to Setsu.¡± (Tia) She had a satisfied look as she puts her whole weight on me. We usually took a rest like this under the shade of a tree during our journey. ¡°That¡¯s right, I want to ask what happened after you got forcibly sent back home by this country.¡± (Tia) ¡°? Why?¡± (Setsu) ¡°I¡¯m considerably interested at how your appearance had changed. I didn¡¯t learn much from Eruka.¡± (Tia) ¡°Is that so? ¡­That fine I guess.¡± (Setsu) I told Tia everything without concealing anything. About having reincarnated, about how I looked for a way to come back here, and about the summoned situation¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°15 years or more had passed in Setsu¡¯s world. But this world is only 5 years.¡± (Tia) ¡°That seems to be so¡­¡± (Setsu) Well, it¡¯s not impossible for the flow of time to be different between worlds, since the boundary is different. Remembering what I must tell her here, I opened my mouth again. ¡°Ah, while I¡¯m here¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D.¡± (Setsu) ¡°You want to get out of the country?¡± (Tia) ¡°Like I said how the hell did you guys able to figure that out¡­¡± (Setsu) ¡®Because Setsu looks like he¡¯s going to say that¡¯¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dis what Tia said. Am I really that easy to read¡­? ¡°You¡¯ve become readable after meeting those people and ending the war.¡± (Tia) ¡°What are you, an Esper..?¡± (Setsu) ¡°However, there¡¯s one thing I want to advise you at the moment¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D.¡± (Tia) ¡°N?¡± (Setsu) ¡°That is¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D.¡± (Tia) Dozens of minutes later, I who had a long talk with Tia looked at the time and went out of her laboratory. At the end with her saying ¡°with this I could devote myself on experimenting on normal magic¡± kind of leave an impression on me, so I kind of felt slightly sorry. Since she spent a lot of time for my sake, as I thought I need to do something for her soon. Also to Eruka and Grein. And then, about Tia¡¯s advice¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°¡­it¡¯s fine if you made some mistake¡­seriously.¡± (Tia) [T.N: Not sure about this one. Raw: ¡­¡­³öÀ´¤ì¤Ðégß`¤¤¤Ç¤¢¤Ã¤ÆÓû¤·¤¤¤¼¡­¡­È«¤¯] Walking the long corridor illuminated with light, I start walking to return back to my room. In my head, the face of the person who got summoned together with me before appeared¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D In the middle of the night¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D When everyone had fallen asleep, there¡¯s someone visiting my room. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DMay I enter, Setsu-sama?¡± (???) ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been waiting, Eruka.¡± (Setsu) ¡®Excuse me¡¯¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DEruka who¡¯s wearing some rough shirt and shorts entered while saying that. I tell her to sit on a chair, as I sit on the bed. I¡¯m sorry for you guys who are imagining some lewd things, there¡¯s no such sweet one this time. ¡°Did you managed to talk to them?¡± (Setsu) ¡°Yes¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Djust like Setsu-sama¡¯s aim, I was able to led the king and princess to a conclusion of driving you out.¡± (Eruka) ¡°Is that so, you did well.¡± (Setsu) I praised Eruka who did her work obediently. ¡°Tomorrow, they will call Setsu-sama to tell you about it. You¡¯ll be given 3 days to stay here.¡± (Eruka) ¡°So they want me to get out after that time huh, understood.¡± (Setsu) ¡°¡­Setsu-sama?¡± (Eruka) ¡°Hmm?¡± (Setsu) Eruka had a doubtful look like she¡¯s not convinced somehow. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just go all out at full power? You don¡¯t even need to care about endangering our position¡­¡± (Eruka) ¡°Either way it¡¯s going to be troublesome¡­¡± (Setsu) Well aside from that, it¡¯s certainly possible for me to use the method that Eruka said. I have the power to do just that. ¡°However, it¡¯s no good then¡­¡± (Setsu) ¡°Why is it¡­?¡± (Eruka) ¡°It¡¯s easy, because the pursuers will follow.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Pursuer..?¡± (Eruka) To save their faces, this country will not just part with a human that they¡¯ve summoned so easily. Therefore it¡¯s obvious that they won¡¯t let me apart from the castle even if I negotiate. And it seems they don¡¯t really want to part with the good-for-nothing me just due to the fact that I¡¯m a person from another world¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dis the side of the story that I¡¯ve heard from Eruka. Let¡¯s say I go with that idea¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dforcing my way with the country, that would be the proof that I have some strength. In other words it would get leaked even when I was concealing my ability¡­ then the response of the country will be between this 2. 1, They¡¯ll send pursuers to search for me as a wanted man as I¡¯m a person who had resisted the country. 2, Desiring my power, they¡¯ll send pursuer demanding cooperation, proposing a negotiation. Since that¡¯s the conclusion I¡¯ve arrived to considering the thought process of this country, the possibility of them acting differently from that is really low¡­. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI see, the possibility of them sending pursuer is really high.¡± (Eruka) ¡°Right? In short, since it¡¯s a pain, I¡¯m not going to force my way.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Understood. But the current method also takes a considerable effort too.¡± (Eruka) ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± (Setsu) As it do takes time, it¡¯s also a pain to have them kick me out. ¡°However, it¡¯s only going to be a pain for now, as they won¡¯t have any reason to send out pursuers later on to chase me to the other side.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Is that so¡­¡± (Eruka) ¡°It¡¯s a hassle as it takes some time, bur I really want to continue being treated as a good for nothing. So I want you to look at me like that at that time.¡± (Setsu) Instead of forcing my way and slip out, since it¡¯s easier to just escape safely with their help, I¡¯ve been spending some time just for the trouble. ¡°Well, although I do feels like going all out forcing my way, being voluntarily kicked out is not that bad either.¡± (Setsu) ¡°I see¡­. With this I¡¯m finally convinced.¡± (Eruka) [T.N: basically, the pursuers are just an excuse as he could easily handle them. He¡¯s just doing whatever he wants right now, that¡¯s it, that¡¯s what makes Eruka convinced.] ¡°That¡¯s good then¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dah, that¡¯s right.¡± (Setsu) A question floated in my mind in the middle of the conversation, let¡¯s ask casually. ¡°How did you pressed the idea of having me kicked out to the king?¡± (Setsu) ¡°That¡¯s, I just speak some ill things about Setsu-sama and¡­¡± (Eruka) ¡°Hou¡­ and what exactly did you said?¡± (Setsu) ¡°Um¡­.. something like ¡ºThat thing is a hopeless good-for-nothing¡», or ¡ºIt¡¯s a waste to spend your time for such a good-for-nothing even if it¡¯s just a little¡», also ¡ºI can¡¯t endure having that good-for-nothing on the castle¡»¡­.¡± (Eruka) ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Aahn¡­those are some good glaring eyes.¡± (Eruka) ¡°Haah¡­. What the hell are you saying about your master¡­?¡± (Setsu) ¡°But I¡¯m just doing what Setsu-sama ask me to do.¡± (Eruka) While it is certainly like that¡­ugugu, I¡¯m a bit hurt having someone said that about me¡­. Especially when a person close to you called you a good-for-nothing. ¡°¡­Well whatever. Anyway Eruka, you did well. I¡¯m quite saved with this.¡± (Setsu) ¡°No no¡­but I¡¯m going to get separated from Setsu-sama again in a few days¡­¡± (Eruka) ¡°¡­I guess.¡± (Setsu) Eruka had the job of training the heroes along with Grein. If I make her follow me, they¡¯ll definitely send a pursuer. Tia is the country¡¯s wizard. The same problem will occur if she disappeared. ¡°Unfortunately it¡¯s not possible to take you along, I¡¯m sorry okay?¡± (Setsu) ¡°No, Since I understood you point¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dthe night have grown late too, so I think I¡¯ll head back to my room.¡± (Eruka) ¡°Yeah, thanks a lot for today.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Fufu, Setsu-sama is troublesome but is still gentle huh? Even though it¡¯s fine to use us more than this.¡± (Eruka) Eruka raised from her seat with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m not really that nice though¡­¡± (Setsu) ¡°You¡¯re very gentle you know? I want you to rely and use me more.¡± (Eruka) ¡°¡­.Are you saying that because you¡¯re getting excited?¡± (Setsu) ¡°Yes!¡± (Eruka) This girl¡­with such a serious face. It really makes it looks like her previous expression is just a lie. ¡°Haah¡­.since I¡¯m tired from having to move around so much today, I¡¯m already sleepy.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Absolutely!! I¡¯m glad that I got to be ordered by you!¡± (Eruka) Eruka heads towards the exit of the room while saying that¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D While she heads to the door, she looked back and opened her mouth. ¡°Setsu-sama¡­did you hear the story about ¡®that¡¯ person?¡± (Eruka) ¡°¡­Yeah, I heard about it from Tia.¡± (Setsu) ¡°I see¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dno, I¡¯m sorry for asking about that. Good night, Setsu-sama.¡± (Eruka) ¡°¡­.Good night.¡± (Setsu) After Eruka left, I thought about what Eruka had said. ¡°¡­¡­what¡¯s the point of asking me¡­. That person¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dthat person should have died.¡± (Setsu) [T.N: The gender is not confirmed, so I¡¯m using that.] [T.N: POV changed to third person] At the castle¡¯s corridor, Yuuhi who is Setsu¡¯s childhood friend had become unable to sleep as she thinks about her promise with Setsu, so she had a walk around the castle. (Going around with Yuki-kun~?) While thinking about such things at that time, Yuuhi became strangely happy. Setsu¡¯s existence is considerably large for her, but she doesn¡¯t know why. While strolling around the castle in high spirit, a door in front of her suddenly opened. (Uwah! They¡¯re going to get angry at me in the middle of the night!!) Going out in the middle of the night, Yuuhi hid herself in the shade as she think she would obstruct whoever it is that coming out. Erasing her presence, she tried not to get found. It¡¯s very easy for her to do technique like this considering her overflowing talents. Who came out of the door, was a woman called Eruka who was training her classmate in a different training ground. She¡¯s a person of the same influence as Grein¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DYuuhi had that much of a recognition. (Eruka¡­.¡­¡­right? What is she doing at such a time¡­) ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dnight, Setsu-sama¡± (Eruka) (!!) Certainly just now¡­.saying ¡®Setsu-sama¡¯¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D Yuuhi was at a loss. Setsu¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Din other words that was Yuki-kun¡¯s room, and a woman came out of it. Unfortunately, for someone called Setsu, there¡¯s only him out of all the classmates. (What kind of relationship do you have¡­.Yuki-kun) Yuuhi at that time, questions and uneasiness began to swirl inside her¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D CH 6 ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI will have you leave the castle.¡± (King) A few hours after the meeting, I was called by the King in Destinea Castle at dawn. The Princess and Eruka are standing next to the king. The princess is viewing me as trash as usual¡­. but although Eruka is trying her best to look down on me, it doesn¡¯t go that well as it becomes a funny face instead. I guess it¡¯s impossible for her who takes great pleasure from being looked down upon by me. ¡°¡­May I hear the reason?¡± (Setsu) ¡°This Eruka, she doesn¡¯t want to waste her energy teaching someone without power. Although it is unfortunate, but I can¡¯t have you roam around freely inside the castle without any job either.¡± (Setsu) That¡¯s nice coming from someone who had abducted the said person without permission¡­. well I won¡¯t be saying any unnecessary things, so I just listened silently. ¡°As expected I will give you some money to spend. I¡¯ll even give you the castle¡¯s weapon if you want to be an adventurer.¡± (King) ¡®It¡¯s impossible to be a master without any power though¡¯¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dthe king didn¡¯t forget to add that sarcasm remark. I¡¯ve already been an adventurer from a long time ago though. I¡¯ll obediently accept the money, even though with my style I won¡¯t have any problem even without it. I don¡¯t need any weapon though. ¡°Although originally I want to drive you out of the country, I¡¯ll allow you to stay downtown if you leave the castle, since you are a hero after all.¡± (King) ¡°¡­. Thank you very much.¡± (Setsu) What the hell is this old man saying¡­ But I was saved as they didn¡¯t kick me out of the country, so I should be able to spend my remaining time at the town. When I pay attention to Eruka, she looks at me and nods slowly. Did you arrange that? I¡¯m saved. ¡°Please leave the castle the day after tomorrow, and with this our talk is over. You¡¯re dismissed.¡± (King) ¡°Yes¡­¡± (Setsu) While having a depressed atmosphere, I leave the throne room. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI¡¯m super happy on the inside though. [T.N: POV changed to 3rd person] After Setsu had left the throne room, the king who was sitting on the throne issued a command to Eruka. ¡°Eruka, choose an appropriate amount of money to give to that guy.¡± (King) ¡°Certainly.¡± (Eruka) Once the king saw that Eruka has left the room, he faced her daughter who had been having a death glare at the door which Setsu had used to leave. ¡°Margaret, you¡¯ll ruin your beautiful look if you keep on glaring like that.¡± (King) ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡­even if you said that Otou-sama! Why did you not decide to just drive that outrageous thing out of the country!?¡± (Margaret) ¡®Margaret¡¯ refers to the name of the princess, while the ¡®outrageous thing¡¯ refers to Setsu. She seems to be dissatisfied that Setsu doesn¡¯t need to leave the country. ¡°¡­.It will only dirty the name of the heroes if you let that outrageous thing step on Destinea¡¯s soil! No¡­I¡¯m disgusted to have to call that as a hero!!¡± (Margaret) Margaret¡¯s face is distorted with anger, as her inborn magic rose waveringly from her body. ¡°Since it was a strong demand from Eruka, I need to hear it. Is there anything you are not satisfied with?¡± (King) ¡°That¡¯s right!! ¡­ when I look at him it reminds me of that person¡­the one summoned from 5 years ago!¡± (Margaret) Setsu¡¯s face when he got summoned appeared in her mind, as Margaret felt that Setsu¡¯s presence is similar to ¡®that man¡¯, so it seems to make her considerably angry. Or more accurately, hatred. ¡°For him to be similar to our ¡®real¡¯ hero¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± (Margaret) ¡°STOP IT!!¡± (King) ¡°!!¡± (Margaret) When she almost blurted out the whole sentence, the king stops her with a roar. ¡°Even if there are guards, we don¡¯t know if there¡¯s anyone listening, so refrain yourself from such careless remarks.¡± (King) ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, Otou-sama¡­¡± (Margaret) Margaret lowers her head, seeming to reflect about it deeply. The irritating atmosphere from a while ago also disappeared. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DBack to the story, although you said that you don¡¯t like it that the person didn¡¯t leave the country, this has already been decided. It¡¯s unwise to oppose the opinion of Eruka who we left to train the heroes.¡± (King) ¡°I¡­. understand.¡± (Margaret) She had a downcasted face and bloodstained hand from her grip¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dfortunately, there¡¯s no one who heard that conversation. Having cool off her head¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DMargaret leaves the room, after which the king remembers something from their conversation. (That good-for-nothing man¡­ if I¡¯m not mistaken his name is Setsu..?) It is a name that you could say will provoke the king. (The man who betrayed our Human country, the man who ¡®stopped¡¯ the war¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D) ¡°Fuh¡­ there¡¯s no way right?¡± (King) The king shook off the thought that appeared inside his head. For that man to return¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dthere¡¯s no way such a thing would happen. [T.N: POV still in 3rd person] Endo passed the castle¡¯s corridor along with his followers. There¡¯s still some time before the training, and it seems that being unable to do anything to Setsu yesterday had increased his stress. ¡°Man~ Still being stressed Endo?¡± (Minion no.1) ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DShut it.¡± (Endo) ¡°Eh?¡± (Minion no.2) Endo replied to his followers without hiding his anger at all. ¡°My days doesn¡¯t go that well recently¡­it seems that I need to add more punishment to that guy¡­.¡± (Endo) The figure of his beloved person and Setsu(Gloomy nerd) embracing each other appeared inside his head. The current head of Endo is full of hatred towards Setsu after witnessing that. ¡°Ah¡­ Endo. It¡¯s Gloomy Yuki.¡± (Minion no.1) ¡°Huh?¡± (Endo) Just like his follower said, the figure of Setsu can be seen to be walking on the other side of the corridor. His hair is unkempt as usual, his eyes are hidden, with a lowered back and small body¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DEndo thinks: ¡®Why is such a guy could be together with Hanabashira Yuuhi? I¡¯m better than him right?¡¯, something like that. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡®If Kouma then I could understand. He¡¯s a perfect man, there¡¯s no factor that I can win from him.¡¯ But for a gloomy guy to get along with her more than the perfect man, Endo would never be able to allow that. It is because of this anger that he bullied him¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dall because of jealousy. ¡°I¡¯ll embarrass you¡­way more than before!) When Endo stares at Setsu, he who noticed him almost leaks out a ¡°Geh!¡±. His mouth really seems like it wants to form that word. Endo seems to have noticed his distorted face. ¡®He fears me¡¯. Elation overflows from him when he thinks that. ¡°Yoo Gloomy Yuki, what are you doing?¡± (Endo) He forcibly joined shoulders, and his followers surrounds the front and back to block him. ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Oi oi where¡¯s you greetings? Huh!?¡± (Endo) ¡°!¡± (Setsu) Endo¡¯s fist sinks into Setsu. Superiority complex start emerging from him. ¡°N?¡± (Endo) At that time, his eyes suddenly towards Setsu¡¯s hand. ¡°What is this thing you¡¯re carrying?¡± (Endo) ¡°!!¡± (Setsu) He forcibly snatched it. It is something like a drawstring bag, and it feels a bit heavy although small. About 10 gold coins shone when he opened it. Endo who learned about the currency of this world knew the amount. ¡°Around 100 000 Yen huh¡­where the hell did you get this?¡± (Endo) [T.N: Somewhere around $1000USD.] One gold coin is around 10 000 Yen, with 10 pieces of that, in other words its 100 000 yen. It¡¯s a lot of money if you consider the current age, so even Endo didn¡¯t have that amount of money. ¡°¡­Since they think that I¡¯m just a good-for-nothing that can¡¯t fight¡­the people of the castle decided to help¡­then various people from the castle give me money¡­¡± (Setsu) ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dheh!¡± (Endo) His mouth distorted wickedly. ¡°Then, this is mine.¡± (Endo) He said that and put the drawstring bag into his pocket. He felt really good somehow. ¡°Uwaah! You¡¯re serious Endo!¡± (Minion no.1) ¡°Then let¡¯s go buy some things to enjoy!¡± (Minion no.2) His followers start making some noise, and even though it was their voices that irritates him before, the current Endo accept them pleasantly. ¡°That¡¯s right huh! Then let¡¯s splurge around town once the training is over!¡± (Endo) Laughing horribly, they leave the place and go to the training area. The only one left is Setsu standing still in place¡­. [T.N: POV change to MC again.] ¡°Oh man~¡­.¡± (Setsu) [T.N: He¡¯s saying this in playful manner.] I saw Endo who leaves while having a vulgar laugh and crude remarks. Although I¡¯m just acting it, indeed taking away my money without mercy is too much¡­. If it¡¯s not me, they would have definitely cried. Well, when I think that this is due to the fact that I¡¯m close to Yuuhi, I came to see Endo as pitiful. His jealousy had been coming out. Well, he¡¯s bothering me instead of Yuuhi¡­it¡¯s probably useless, but that guy is really insensitive to other people. [T.N: ¤¢¤¤¤Ä×Է֤ؤκÃÒâ¤Ë¤Ïâg¸Ð¤À¤·, can¡¯t really figure out the last line.] ¡°¡­ Well I¡¯ll let it go since I could just have them prepare that money again, even though it¡¯s a pain.¡± (Setsu) ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DOh? Is that Setsu-san?¡± (???) ¡°¡­ Grein huh?¡± (Setsu) Its a pity that Endo is no longer here, but I met with Grein who¡¯s not having an armor. He¡¯s a dazzling Ikemen as usual, just go explode already. ¡°Why are you in such a place?¡± (Grein) ¡°Aah about that¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± (Setsu) Saying that the day of my leave has already been set, I also tell him that I got robbed. ¡°The day after tomorrow huh¡­. However are you fine with them doing things like that to Setsu-san?¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s fine, since they¡¯re probably going to get screwed even if I didn¡¯t do anything.¡± (Setsu) ¡°¡­ What¡¯s with that?¡± (Grein) From the knowledge I get from reading the novel on the internet for such a long time, people like Endo mostly doesn¡¯t have a good ending. [T.N: Like being left with broken limbs to get eaten by monsters.] In that way, staying true to his desire even when he is weak, he¡¯s going to hit his limit sooner or later. Once broken, to satisfy his further desire, he¡¯s going to start taking a road normal people wouldn¡¯t take¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°He¡¯s going to ruin himself in the end, since there¡¯s no easy road.¡± (Setsu) ¡°? What do you mean by that?¡± (Grein) ¡°What makes the body is the most important.¡± (Setsu) I didn¡¯t say anything wrong. Since it¡¯s easier to get what you desire the stronger you become. ¡°Ah, occasionally there¡¯s one thing I want to ask.¡± (Setsu) ¡°What is it?¡± (Grein) ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DWhen is the next day off from training?¡± (Setsu) ¡°¡­. to think it would be today¡­¡± (Setsu) I visited downtown with a tired expression. Today is the 2nd day after the order to leave was given, in other words, today is the last day of the time limit I was allowed to stay in the castle. And today the summoned people is given a day off. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DIn other words, ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThanks for waiting, Yuki-kun.¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°¡­No, I¡¯ve just arrived too, Yuuhi.¡± (Setsu) My childhood friend who I have promised to have a date with downtown appeared before me¡­. That¡¯s right, on the promised day given by the king, is also the day of the promised date. (Somehow it has become troublesome¡­) Although my mood is falling, it¡¯s not good to show my mood in front of this girl. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dit¡¯s the last day I was allowed to be in town, so I¡¯ll try to make some good memories even by force. ¡°Then, shall we go?¡± (Setsu) ¡°Un!¡± (Yuuhi) I line up next to Yuuhi, and start walking on the streets. Today, I will go out of the country as soon as this date is over. Let¡¯s enjoy this town so that I won¡¯t regret it, is what I decided. ¡°Is there anywhere you wanna go?¡± (Setsu) ¡°¡­¡­¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°.. What¡¯s wrong?¡± (Setsu) ¡°! No! Nothing¡¯s wrong! That¡¯s right! Let¡¯s spend our pocket money on food and eat a lot!!¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡± (Setsu) I have a feeling that Yuuhi is low-spirited somehow¡­have I done something to her? Could it be¡­ ¡°That looks delicious! It looks like donuts!¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°Is that so¡­ wanna try eating it?¡± (Setsu) ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Ddid you noticed that I¡¯m going to disappear? ¡°¡­This is fun, Yuki-kun.¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°¡­.Yeah.¡± (Setsu) Her face sometimes shows a lonely expression, but I can¡¯t read it properly¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D CH 7 Author¡¯s note: It¡¯s a fantasy shuraba ¡°Now that I think about it your clothes is a bit different today.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Eh! R-really?¡± (Yuuhi) Yuuhi is wearing a bright attire, with the white floral design on the dress, and a brown hot pants. Since she¡¯s always wearing training clothes during training(Thick and short T-shirt), it feels a bit refreshing seeing her in other clothes after a long time. ¡°Mizuki-chan and I bought it when we have free time after our training.¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°Aah, did she chose for you?¡± (Setsu) ¡°H-how did you know about that!?¡± (Yuuhi) It¡¯s been like that for a long time. If the clothes that Yuuhi wears really suits her, it¡¯s absolutely a clothes that other people chose for her. ¡°That¡¯s because your fashion sense is the worst¡­¡± (Setsu) ¡°D-don¡¯t say that!¡± (Yuuhi) I remember that time when she goes out for a walk to the convenience store while wearing jersey¡­.Yuuhi¡¯s fans will cry if they see that. ¡°Y-Yuki-kun is also looking good! The clothes I mean!¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± (setsu) My current clothes is the so-called adventurer¡¯s clothes in this world. Since I had Eruka prepared that, it¡¯s a long trousers with enough room for both mobility and safety, a long-sleeved black shirt, and also a brown jacket on top. Since the brown jacket is processed from the skin of a low rank monsters, although it have a high heat resistance, its a comfortable wear that would not obstruct my movement. Although the main reason I¡¯m wearing this today is because I¡¯m going to leave town, obviously I didn¡¯t tell her that. ¡°Where did you get it, that clothes?¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°¡­I got it from a person I get to know in this world.¡± (Setsu) I¡¯m not telling a lie here. ¡°S-so that¡¯s how it is!¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°Yeah¡­¡± (Setsu) Yuuhi is waving her arms around, her appearance is kind of amusing today. ¡°Are you in bad shape?¡± (Setsu) ¡°No! It¡¯s different! Doesn¡¯t that shop seems interesting!? Let¡¯s enter!¡± She runs ahead trying to deceive me. Umu¡­Although I thought that I might be a bit dense, could it be about that? I can¡¯t think of any other reason why she would have that upset tone. (¡­.Should I question her later?) It¡¯s bothering me now that we¡¯ve come here. Let¡¯s ask Yuuhi directly after this. Even if there are times when Yuuhi shows her disruptive tone, the atmosphere didn¡¯t worsen. Although I am worried about the cause of it, it¡¯s not a thing I can carelessly ask without destroying the mood. ¡°Kya!¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°Ooops!¡± (Setsu) While I was thinking a bit, I support Yuuhi as she almost fell down after knocking against a person. I didn¡¯t really notice but it seems that the surrounding people had increased. It seems that we have come to the center of the castle district. ¡°Are you okay?¡± (Setsu) ¡°Yes¡­ thank you.¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°Ou¡­¡± (Setsu) Yuuhi¡¯s face is bright red¡­even I would get embarrassed seeing her reacting in that manner. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DSince the woman that I am close with in this world are only the ¡®odd¡¯ types, as expected this kind of reaction feels refreshing by all means. Uwaah, I¡¯ve probably been staring at her¡­. ¡°Just take care for a bit, since there are many people here.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Yes¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± (Yuuhi) ¡®Yuki-kun is gentle after all¡¯¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI had a feeling that I heard Yuuhi mutters that line. We pass the center of the town, and decided to enter an available cafe with good atmosphere. Although there are a lot of cafes at the center of the town, since that place are crowded, it¡¯s considerably noisy after all. As I thought, that¡¯s a place that only popular people would use. Therefore there¡¯s not that many people here, we enter a shop with with the wood as the theme. We got two seats and orders two coffees. By the way, there are tea and coffee in this world too. There¡¯s no cola though. ¡°This is a good shop.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Yeah, although the shop in the center is noisy, it¡¯s pretty quiet and calm here¡­¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°That¡¯s right¡­did the noise at the center troubled you?¡± (Setsu) Yuuhi laugh with ¡°ehehe¡±, raising my sense of guilt. This girl is not that good with crowds, so I should have been more careful there. ¡°Did you calm down?¡± (Setsu) ¡°I¡¯m fine now, the coffee is pretty good too.¡± (Yuuhi) The coffee in this shop is certainly delicious. Delicious enough to make it possible for someone coming for the first time to think of coming here again. The master is a quite middle age man, standing behind the counter with an apron above a black shirt. Various cooking tools lined up on the counter, as he prepares coffee carefully with his boorish hand. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DShould I listen to her now that the atmosphere had settled down? ¡°Say, yuuhi.¡± (Setsu) ¡°N?¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°¡­Is there something wrong? You¡¯ve been absent-minded here and there today.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Eh!? H-how did you know!?¡± (Yuuhi) Although she¡¯s been shaking too much from being upset. ¡°No, what are you saying now after all this time? You¡¯re always making that face.¡± (Setsu) Uu~¡­¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°You didn¡¯t want to say it that much?¡± (Setsu) With her face bright red, Yuuhi is glaring at me with watery eyes. I won¡¯t get upset even if she¡¯s glaring at me like that, on the contrary I think it¡¯s lovely. ¡°I-is it really okay for me to say this¡­?¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°Please tell me, as expected I¡¯m anxious about it.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Uu¡­.O-okay then.¡± (Yuuhi) Yuuhi finally agrees, and then opened her mouth. ¡°Yuki-kun¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DSince you¡¯re meeting with Eruka last midnight, what kind of relationship do you have with her?¡± (YuuhI) ¡­..Wow, did she saw at that time? ¡°I, you know¡­I kind of get anxious thinking about what kind of relationship did you have¡­¡± (Yuuhi) What kind of relationship¡­in other words, lover-like meaning. ¡­Let me tell all of you here so there¡¯s no misunderstanding, Eruka and I were never in a romantic relationship. Although I do feel something like goodwill for her, I got transferred before anything could happen. Even if the days are blurred after coming home, there¡¯s not even one time when it became a special relationship. Well if you consider the special relation in particular, it¡¯s in the meaning of master and slave. In a sense it might be a bit deeper than a lover..? By the way, since we¡¯retalking about how it happened, I was pretty normal until Eruka asked to be my slave. ¡°¡­No, it¡¯s nothing like that between me and Eruka¡­.¡± (Setsu) ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DDid you call for me just now, ¡®Setsu-sama¡¯¡­?¡± (???) ¡­I broke out in cold sweat. Suddenly hearing a voice I know, when I fearfully confirm the owner of the voice¡­. ¡°¡­Yoo, Eruka.¡± (Setsu) ¡°What a surprise meeting you here, ¡®Setsu-sama¡¯.¡± (Eruka) This girl! Not only did she not try to hide our relationship, she¡¯s also trying to emphasize it!? ¡°¡­Why are you here?¡± (Setsu) ¡°Because this shop is my favorite. Did ¡®Setsu-sama¡¯ likes this place too?¡± (Eruka) You¡¯re only liking this place just now, oi. No good!! I¡¯m really having a bad feeling from this girl!! ¡°!! Yuki-kun!! What does she mean by that!?¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°Wa-wait! Calm down for a bit!¡± (Setsu) ¡°Even if you ask what I mean¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dthat¡¯s because I am Setsu-sama¡¯s property.¡± (Eruka) Sensei, please stop dropping those kind of bombs. ¡°P-property!?¡± (Yuuhi) Yuuhi stands up from her chair trying to question me. ¡°Calm down!¡± (Setsu) ¡°That¡¯s right, I am Setsu-sama¡¯s faithful servant. I¡¯m even in charge of his personal care.¡± (Eruka) ¡°Personal care!?¡± (Yuuhi) Certainly she¡¯s in charge of taking care of me but it¡¯s not like that! Won¡¯t Yuuhi get completely misunderstood from that!? [T.N: Remember that she and 2 others were his personal attendant.] ¡°To go that much¡­.Yuki-kun! What did you do to Eruka-san after coming to this world!?¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything! Therefore I¡¯m asking you to calm down!¡± (Setsu) ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything? For me it¡¯s because I begged you to make myself to be yours.¡± (Eruka) ¡­Oi oi did you really need to go there..? This is going to be bad you know? ¡°!! Shouldn¡¯t you and Yuki-kun have only met for a few days!? It¡¯s too light to make yourself to be his!!¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°That¡¯s why I said to calm down¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D.¡± (Setsu) ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as a short time! Setsu-sama and I have been together for a long time alr¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D.¡± (Eruka) ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DHow about both of you calm down right now?¡± (Setsu) *Biku*¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D When I said that more quietly than the current voice, the inside of the store is suddenly wrapped in silence. The guests from far away got frightened, the men in my surrounding faint, the women talking with their friends are having some kind of toilet accidents. Yuuhi who is near me doesn¡¯t move and had become stiff, while Eruka was kneeling while trembling herself. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DWhat I put into my words just now is bloodlust. Normally you use them on your opponents in battle, but having mastered it to the extreme, I could suppress a certain space with my power. Since they¡¯ll likely die of shock if you mistook the addition and subtraction, I suppressed it fairly so that the effect is low. I¡¯m sorry for having unrelated person rolled up in the effective range. The power is enough for Yuuhi who have little to no experience with that to feel it. Well, it is indeed effective on Eruka. This girl would really fear me once I get angry. ¡°Eruka, do you know why I stopped you?¡± (Setsu) ¡°No¡­¡± (Eruka) ¡°The reason is you. When people learn that the Magic Sword user employed by the castle was having a deep relationship with a worthless man, please understand how bad that is from my point of view. Worst case, you might get killed if the King and princess who really hates me know about it you know? Here is a public place, reconsider your words, how much more dangerous thing are you going to say? It¡¯s not easy to deceive everyone you know? ¡­Do you want to make me lose my ¡®important one¡¯?¡± (Setsu) ¡°I-I¡¯m deeply sorry¡­¡± (Eruka) [T.N: ¡®Important one¡¯ is written in kanji, with ¡®Eruka¡¯ written on top of it. Just Japan¡¯s double meaning] With her face down, I pat the head of the apologizing Eruka. Eruka is indeed an excellent woman, I don¡¯t have to repeat the same thing twice. ¡°It¡¯s good that you have understood! ¡­My bad, having to lecture you.¡± (Setsu) ¡°No¡­I¡¯m also lacking consideration¡­I¡¯m the one who neglects your creed.¡± (Eruka) My creed huh¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI barely remember it¡­ ¡°Oops¡­Can we put this topic off for the time being, Yuuhi? I¡¯m sorry, are you okay?¡± (setsu) ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± (Yuuhi) Have you recovered yourself¡­they should at least let you experience this during the training. I call out to Eruka again. ¡°Eruka, I¡¯m sorry but can you use your money to buy me a suitable change of clothes for all of us? I¡¯ll pay the money later.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Y-Yes!¡± (Eruka) I ask Eruka to stand up, and make her do some shopping. Since this terrible scene is my responsibility, I have to clean it up¡­although I depend on Eruka, There are some part that I need to do myself. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI¡¯m sorry for the uproar, I¡¯ll pay for it no matter how much. That¡¯s why, cant you guys keep quiet about this uproar?¡± (Setsu) I ask with my best, and the visitors that are still awake nodded on the spot in spite of being scared. Now then, next should be about explaining this to Yuuhi¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI guess? CH 8 Author¡¯s Note: This one is longer than usual [T.N: Like, crazy long] ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DHmm¡­¡­from where should I start the explanation?¡± (Setsu) Some time had passed from before, right now the only people in the store are Yuuhi, Eruka and me. I felt bad for the other guest, but I had Eruka used her Charm Eye to make them promise not tell anyone about what happened inside the store, and then had them go home. For the promise made with Charm Eye, it will keep remaining inside the head even after you cancel the eye unless in extreme circumstances. The wish of the princess should still continue remaining in my classmates. ¡°¡­That¡¯s right, first of all shall I speak about my relationship with Eruka?¡± (Setsu) ¡°Yeah¡­¡± (Yuuhi) The thing that I will speak about right now is, about how I have come to this world, and somehow about my puzzling master-servant relationship with Eruka. I¡¯ll skip the part about having reincarnated since it¡¯s confusing. ¡°What the heck is puzzling master-servant relationship!?¡± (Yuuhi) Although Yuuhi¡¯s question is reasonable, it¡¯s hard to say that it¡¯s because she had awakened to M when I have a sparring practice with Eruka. Sorry, Yuuhi. ¡°Let¡¯s stop there, the important part is about when I¡¯ve come to this world right?¡± (Setsu) ¡°It¡¯s amazing that you¡¯re able to ignore it with such a straight face¡­yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± (Yuuhi) After that I talked about having obtained powers from various continents. And also the reason for incurring this country¡¯s ill will¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D And that from now I will go out of the country and meet some people. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DAs I though Yuki-kun want to go.¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°¡­How did you know?¡± (Setsu) ¡°Somehow, you have this atmosphere that seemed like you want to go somewhere.¡± (Yuuhi) What the hell, am I that easy to read..? Eruka nods with an ¡°uhuh¡± at the side. ¡°Say¡­. can¡¯t I follow you?¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°¡­No good. There¡¯s still too many things you lack.¡± (Setsu) ¡°But! Even when I can fight!?¡± (Yuuhi) Certainly the magic in Yuuhi may be called the top-class, but the problem in this case is her ability. ¡°You¡¯re lacking experience, the experience of attacking and killing a monster, the experience of killing an enemy¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± (Setsu) The experience of killing a companion¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI almost blurt that out, but I stopped. This one only applied to me, there¡¯s no need for Yuuhi to experience that. Although I don¡¯t know how she perceived my sour look, Yuuhi didn¡¯t make a fuss. ¡°Then¡­what should I do? I ¡­I want to be with Yuki-kun¡­¡± (Yuuhi) ¡­I think that I¡¯m a proud man now that there¡¯s a woman here saying that to me. Although I¡¯m not planning to take anyone, I¡¯ve intended to suggest this. ¡°If you want to follow by all means¡­learn the basics from Eruka, if it¡¯s her, Yuuhi will be able to be independent. Eruka, can I ask you that?¡± (Setsu) ¡°It is Setsu-sama¡¯s request. I¡¯ll fill her with plenty of experience as long as Yuuhi-san is ready.¡± (Eruka) What a reliable woman she is¡­my view of her would have changed if she¡¯s not a pervert. ¡°How about it?¡± (Setsu) ¡°¡­I,¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI want to be strong. So that I can go around the world with Yuki-kun¡­Eruka-san, can I ask that of you?¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°It¡¯s going to be tough you know?¡± (Eruka) ¡°I¡¯ll do anything.¡± (Yuuhi) The clear will of wanting to be strong is reflected strongly in Yuuhi¡¯s eyes. Since she didn¡¯t get affected by the princess¡¯s Charm Eye up to now, although at first her eyes had hesitation without any purpose, right now her eyes are as strong as the others. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dshe passed, Setsu-sama.¡± (Eruka) ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll leave her to you, Eruka.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Leave it to me, I¡¯ll bring her up as a magician that will be able to burn up the continent.¡± (Eruka) No¡­although I did say to let her get some experience¡­at most just make it at the level of a city. ¡°You don¡¯t have to go that far¡­after that is, that¡¯s right¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dsince we still have time, to make up for the lost time, let¡¯s all walk together this time.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Un! It¡¯s a promise!¡± (Yuuhi) The Yuuhi of today seems to have finally obtained a goal after coming to this world. ¡°Is it evening already¡­¡± (Setsu) The three of us left the shop to walk around town. Although it¡¯s true that I could no longer be in the country, I stayed a little bit too long. ¡°Since I have to prepare to leave the country, since there¡¯s a place that I need to go to for a bit¡­. what the the two of you wanna do?¡± (Setsu) ¡°A little¡­may I have a bit of time to talk with Yuuhi-san?¡± (Eruka) Only the two of them? ¡°Okay. Then let¡¯s meet again later.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Yes¡± (Eruka) When I see them again, it¡¯s time to say goodbye¡­ Eruka leaves with Yuuhi who had become speechless. Now then, I should finish my business early. [T.N: POV change to 3rd person] As Eruka and Yuuhi part parted with Setsu, they moved in the town towards a quite place. ¡°Um¡­the talk?¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°Aah, I don¡¯t have any important talk in particular. Just a little bit about his story.¡± (Eruka) Eruka didn¡¯t dare to use Setsu¡¯s name here. She had learned her lesson from before. ¡°He had a belief that is too naive to live in this world. That is the reason why he got angry a while ago.¡± (Eruka) ¡°Belief¡­?¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°Yes¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dno matter how much he will be abused by others, no matter how much he got neglected, even if he get assaulted, he would never retaliate. However, if the person he loved is exposed to danger, he will use every cards he have to help¡­that is his belief.¡± (Eruka) [T.N: Not sure which one I should chose, creed or belief.] It sounds as if he didn¡¯t care about what is done to him without thinking of doing anything. ¡°Well it¡¯s probably also because of his strength, since it¡¯s possible to say that he won¡¯t get scratched with most of what is done to him. If we think of him at the level of a fierce animal, it¡¯s likely for us to only be a gathering of ants to him.¡± (Eruka) ¡°Yuki-kun¡­he¡¯s that strong.¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°It can be said that he¡¯s out of standard¡­However for the ants, if they bite his companion, he will crush them with his every effort¡­he¡¯s a man with such a thought.¡± (Eruka) At the cafe, Setsu didn¡¯t worry about his true identity being found out, it¡¯s Eruka¡¯s position he was worried about. If the country knew about it and knew that she had a connection with someone the country have a grudge with, the country will never forgive Eruka. Even if she¡¯s still Setsu¡¯s former companion, no, it¡¯s because their viewpoint is very limited. Last night, it was also considerably dangerous to have gone to Setsu¡¯s room. Well, Eruka won¡¯t make the mistake of being found out. Although she did get found out by Yuuhi¡­. it¡¯s alright since she a girl who didn¡¯t get brainwashed by the princess, but if it was other people it was a sure out. She doesn¡¯t want to go to war, she accepted the condition of using her energy to the development of the heroes, in the castle. ¡°We no longer have any need to stay in the castle anymore too¡­¡± (Eruka) Her purpose, for Setsu¡¯s return have already been accomplished in unexpected form. ¡°Can we follow Yuki-kun?¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°That¡¯s no good, since the pursuers will chase if you follow him.¡± (Eruka) Although the country employs her to raise the heroes, it also has the meaning of monitoring her at the same time too. They don¡¯t want to have any unnecessary extra thing related to Setsu¡­ they tried to be cautious of her to the point of watching her at night, but with the war going on, Eruka managed to win by pointing out the lack of staff. ¡°Well, it¡¯s also pleasant seeing you guys grow, not to mention there¡¯s a little something we need to investigate.¡± (Eruka) What they really need to investigate¡­it¡¯s about a certain person that Tia and Eruka had reported to Setsu. That¡¯s the only person that they really need to clarify by all means, so it¡¯s really important. ¡°That much¡­ is it really that important?¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°At least¡­ it is important for us.¡± (Eruka) She starts speaking about the content. ¡°At that time, around 5 years ago¡­he who had been summoned had befriend another person who had been summoned along with him. I think they kind of clicked together seeing that they¡¯re from the same place. Both are getting stronger, and although they¡¯re starting to get familiar with this world¡­I wonder where it had been different? One of them is on the summoning country¡¯s beck and call, positively participating in the war¡­the other one is doing the opposite, escaping from the country, and created a relationship with the Beastman and the Devil tribe. And then¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dthey clashed. ¡°The person who tried to have the Human country win marched into the Devil continent along with the army, planning to wipe out the Devil tribe¡­. It was him who stopped it. To defend the Devil tribe that he befriends, he clashed with that person. At the end of the battle¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DHe¡­ killed that person himself.¡± (Eruka) It is a battle where the fight completely changed the geographical features, Eruka remembers it well. It is definitely a fight between heroes¡­but he is definitely a hero among heroes, even when compared to the heroes of the Human country, or the heroes of the Devil and the Beastman tribe ¡°Although he got depressed for a while having killed a friend, he barely managed to recover from suicide. ¡ºThere¡¯s still a lot more lives I need to shoulder¡» is what he said with a wry smile. The resolution to kill that her told you about before, even he himself didn¡¯t have it. He had lost it since then.¡± (Eruka) ¡°¡­¡­¡± (Yuuhi) Yuuhi became speechless. His past is much more fierce than she could imagine. ¡°I and the others in this world are ¡°used¡± to taking lives. Our feelings are hardly moved no matter how many enemies we buried¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DHowever, if he were to kill again this time, I wonder what would happen¡­¡± (Eruka) ¡°¡­..¡± (Yuuhi) Yuuhi still can¡¯t utter a single word. On that side is about the Setsu that she doesn¡¯t know, so what she wanted to say had all been lost. ¡°¡­Shall we go back to the story? The investigation that we said are important, refers to that dead person.¡± (Eruka) ¡°¡­.That person should be dead already right?¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dthat person might still be alive.¡± (Eruka) ¡°!?¡± (Yuuhi) That person is alive¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dit¡¯s a sentence that could shook the country. ¡°There¡¯s no conclusive evidence¡­..however Tia seems to have detected his magic power. Although it was just for an instant, we planned to investigate to clarify it¡­¡± (Eruka) ¡°If that person is alive¡­what will you do?¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°¡­I think that I¡¯ll put an end to that person. That person is too dangerous after all.¡± (Eruka) Fortunately they had come to the more unpopular area. Declaring to kill someone, it¡¯s not funny if they got caught. ¡°¡­ Isn¡¯t that dangerous?¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°That person is really intent eradicating the Devil and Beastman tribe. The important person I¡¯ve made in this world had been deprived in the war¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dis what I heard from him.¡± (Eruka) In other words it¡¯s revenge, and the reason why he participated in the war at that time. ¡°If that person is alive¡­that person will participate in this war for sure. If that person is there, he might have been forced to kill each other again. Because I want to avoid that, I planned to do what I said before.¡± (Eruka) If that person is alive, she will kill that person before that person is made to participate in the war¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dis her plan. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DOops, sorry. The thing I want to talk about is not that kind of story.¡± (Eruka) ¡°¡­.?¡± (Yuuhi) The heavy atmosphere disappeared from Eruka. Yuuhi was taken aback and breathes out unintentionally. ¡°What I want to say to you, after you have become strong, I want you to help supporting him.¡± (Eruka) ¡°Yeah¡­ why are you asking me to do the obvious?¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°Am I listening correctly?¡± is what Yuuhi¡¯s expression said. Eruka changed her perception of Yuuhi. Even after hearing Setsu had killed a person, she thought that her idea of him might changed a bit, but that doesn¡¯t seems to be the matter. ¡°Yuki-kun had helped me many times when I was in Japan. Although the surrounding people give Yuki-kun strange looks, he is really sweet and gentle. Since I¡¯ve been protected all the time, I was slightly glad when I learned that Yuki-kun doesn¡¯t have any power when we came to this world. I can protect him this time¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DHowever he¡¯s just concealing his power¡­there are parts of me that are slightly disappointed. (Yuuhi) Yuuhi could only laugh with a wry smile. ¡°So you want me to support Yuki-kun?¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°Yes¡­although I said that, since he is strong, I want you to protect him in a different way.¡± (Eruka) ¡°Different?¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°I want to prevent him from taking lives as much as possible. If we didn¡¯t have any dangerous encounter, he will not show his power. That is his belief after all.¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°In other words¡­. it¡¯s about being strong enough to not have any dangerous encounter?¡± (Yuuhi) Eruka gives an agreeing nod. Once she became strong, she would be able to support Setsu. There¡¯s no better desirable outcome for Yuuhi. ¡°I¡¯m going to be strict on you from now on you know? Please don¡¯t expect to have any holidays.¡± (Eruka) ¡°Y-Yes! I¡¯ll do my best!¡± (Yuuhi) The two walked around town in the evening. No one expects it at this time, that sooner or later, the name of Yuuhi who had obtained more power than expected will reached Setsu¡¯s ear who had left the continent, and it even arrives earlier than the name of Kouma who is the Hero that wields the Holy Sword. [T.N: POV changed to MC again] After having separated from the two, I went to visit the town outskirts. Although I don¡¯t want to stay here for too long as the neighborhood is not that safe, there¡¯s no helping it since I have business here. The place I¡¯m aiming for had a comparatively better peace and order than the lower region.even if I said it was better, a pick pocketing happen in front of me a while ago. The person got his baggage snatched, but even that person snatched the baggage from another person, so it¡¯s like the thief¡¯s stolen bicycle got stolen. The first person sure is pitiful¡­since it was this messy, shouldn¡¯t the country do something to manage it more? ¡°It¡¯s ragged as usual¡­¡± (Setsu) The place I¡¯m looking for is a bar. The signboard shows that it was not yet open for business. Although it got a wooden exterior, the aging makes it seems like it will fall apart at any moments. The shop¡¯s name at the entrance is barely readable. ¡ºBaus¡¯s Tavern¡» [T.N: ¥Ð¥¦¥¹ or Ba-U-Su. I¡¯ll change it later if I find better name.] Here is my destination. Although I put a lot of effort to open the door, the door barely moved¡­ ¡°At least maintain it properly¡­there we go.¡± (Setsu) I give the door a light kick and break it down. The door that got blown away scattered in a mass inside the shop. It really is a mystery how the shop is still not broken yet even if I didn¡¯t come and put some force into it. It is pretty sturdy even if it looks ragged¡­judging from appearance alone it really is impossible for it to not change at all for 5 years. ¡°WHO IS IT!?¡± (???) My ears heard a good old nostalgic roar. ¡°You broke the door!! Do you want this to be your last joke huuuh!?¡± (???) What appeared from the inside of the shop is a large man who exceeds the height of 2 meters. The brown tanned body is swelled with forged muscle, moving about in his sleeveless shirt. Anyway his face is stern, as the grizzled hair mixed with white shows that this fellow is a guy passed his middle age. ¡°Even the roar is the same as before¡­old man¡­you never listen¡­¡± (Setsu) ¡°Huuuh? That tone¡­. You¡­ you¡¯re Setsu?¡± (???) ¡°Been a long time, Baus. I¡¯m breaking down the door as usual to enter.¡± (Setsu) ¡°UOOOOOOHHH!!! You¡¯re really Setsu!!?¡± (Baus) In the excitement the large man keeps on slapping my back, I know that this fellow hasn¡¯t changed at all and kind of glad for that. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DOr rather it hurts so stop it already!! ¡°Hahaa~I see, you got kicked out of this world in that way.¡± (Baus) ¡°Your way of saying it really pissed me off for some reason¡­¡± (Setsu) I was explaining the reason that I disappeared from the very beginning. Although Baus nodded while fixing the door, everything he said really makes me feel offended somehow. ¡°Somehow it feels like you¡¯re having a grudge on me¡­.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Didn¡¯t I have a pretty solid reason for that!? You occupy the warehouse for 5 years and when you come you break the door again!¡± (Setsu) Ah, that¡¯s right. I remember the reason that I came here. ¡°Please open the warehouse, I need to do some preparations as I¡¯m leaving this country.¡± (Setsu) ¡°We¡¯re not finished talking about the door yet you shitty brat¡­well, I¡¯m going to open it now.¡± (Baus) ¡°Thanks¡± (Setsu) Baus repaired the door moderately, and then opened a certain door behind the worn out counter of the bar and entered. I followed behind, entering the room in the interior. The room was made to be sturdy that can¡¯t be imagined from its appearance. The floors are fine, and there¡¯s no wooden debris falling out from the ceiling. ¡°This place doesn¡¯t change at all.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Your luggage is still there after all. Although the state of preservation should be good, I originally planned to just get rid of that junk-like thing considering the master.¡± (Baus) ¡°Yeah, everything looks fine. Everything looks just as it is.¡± (Setsu) ¡°¡®Everything is fine¡¯ my ass¡­¡± (Baus) The old man¡¯s complaint is reasonable, but I want you to understand my position for having been transferred suddenly. ¡°Here it is.¡± (Baus) Baus open a particularly large door in the room. On the inside contains equipment like huge swords, shield and bows, stern protective gears, shining ores, and gold coins that are dazzling for the eyes. All of this are the things that I had scraped up at that time. I¡¯ve been active as an adventurer one time, as a result I obtained the money, equipment, and all the gems in this warehouse. Why did I ask Baus to manage it? This guy used to be at the top for human, being the strongest adventurer for the human. ¡°As I thought¡­ this is more than what I earned in my whole active career.¡± (Baus) ¡°I¡¯m young after all, old man.¡± (Setsu) ¡°I¡¯m still just 163 years old.¡± (Baus) ¡°Just how long is the average lifespan of this world!?¡± (Setsu) Although I¡¯ve know him for a long time, this is the first time I¡¯ve heard about his age. Well when I think about it the age is not really that strange. The amount of magic affects the vitality in this world. As you can see, as Baus was the former strongest adventurer for the human, the amount of magic he have should be quite large. He always used the body strengthening magic. After his decline, he retires from being adventurer and open the tavern for business¡­ ¡°You¡¯re noisy despite being my ¡®apprentice¡¯.¡± (Baus) ¡°You¡¯re the one who always makes the noise you damn old man.¡± (Setsu) He¡¯s noisy every single time. ¡­Well in a way, I am kind of like his apprentice. Although it was really just a coincidence, this guy helped me who was acting a little rash, and made me his apprentice. At that time when I just became an adventurer, I think I failed and he helped me? ¡°¡­You¡¯re mistaking some poisonous grass for medicinal plant and ate it before vomiting.¡± (Baus) ¡°Oi¡­Don¡¯t say that.¡± (Setsu) Since it was a mistake that even a beginner wont do¡­I mean it can¡¯t be helped since that herb is delicious. I swear since that time that I will never excessively eat the medicinal herb that I pick up. Like that, experienced adventurers start leaving their baggage to the top-class Baus. If it¡¯s this guy, taking care of the weapon is his forte. ¡°Now then, talking is good too but quickly arrange your item since I¡¯ve open it.¡± (Baus) ¡±Oops, that¡¯s right.¡± (Setsu) I enter the warehouse, looking for my thing. This warehouse is really large huh, is it magic? ¡°It¡¯s the same principle with magic bag, or rather did you forget that I made this myself?¡± (Baus) ¡°No¡­I didn¡¯t forget.¡± (Setsu) Magic bag¡­it¡¯s a convenient bag that will change its capacity according to the amount of magic of the owner. Depending on the person you can even put an entire dragon inside. ¡°This one and this~?¡± (Setsu) I check my own magic bag, and see the inside. As I thought I still can¡¯t see the bottom, even when I put my hand inside, I can¡¯t reach the bottom no matter how far I pushed it. Then I throw a gem inside, and reach out my hand again. Something touched the tip of my finger. When I reached for it and grab it, what came out was the gem I just threw. ¡­Well it¡¯s that kind of thing, even if the capacity is so big that you can¡¯t see the bottom, if you imagine the thing you want to take out and put your hand inside, it is easily obtainable. This is a way that a person who created this bag do, but is there a same device in this warehouse? ¡°Just close your eyes and imagine the one you need, it should appear in front of you.¡± (Baus) Although I was half in doubt, I close my eyes and imagine it. Then I felt a presence of something changed in front of me. ¡°Open up and see for yourself.¡± (Baus) When I open my eyes, a large sword in its sheath with the length that easily exceeded my height appeared in front of me. When I went to the Devil continent, I got this from the Demon King. Although I had the Holy Sword as a Skill, it was slightly inconvenient. Therefore I came to use this large sword. The sharpness was perfect, even when I neglected it for a long time. There¡¯s little decorations on it, and as it is a double-edge sword with black blade as it¡¯s feature, I named it Kuromaru. [T.N: Kuro=black, Maru= full circle/perfection, also a common suffix for a Japanese male name.] ¡°You haven¡¯t change at all, Kuromaru.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Don¡¯t you wish you have a better naming sense though?¡± (Baus) I think Kuromaru is a good name. ¡°However, this place really got the same principle as the magic bag¡­¡± (Setsu) ¡°Well I only take the magic used on the magic bag and give it to the room. It took some time, but it works great.¡± (Baus) Well, I guess it would work if you just used what was put on the magic bag and apply it to the room instead. I resume searching the warehouse. Why is there a puppet here¡­? Seeing me stopped working when I find something I didn¡¯t remember, Baus talked to me. ¡°You¡¯re really the same as ever¡­as I thought you really planned on taking revenge against this country.¡± (Setsu) This guy suddenly start having a serious talk¡­ ¡°Huh? Who the hell would do such a thing?¡± (Setsu) ¡°They transfer you out to the point of almost being killed you know? Even your appearance had changed¡­.¡± (Baus) ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t even think about such thing.¡± (Setsu) I¡¯ve determined to settle down in this world a long time ago. However, this country tramples on that decision, even taken my life in Japan too. It would be a lie if I said I didn¡¯t hate them. ¡°However, I¡¯m the one who had killed the ¡®hope¡¯ of this country. They would have to do at least that much¡­ is what I think.¡± (Setsu) Another person who got summoned with me, we became friend after we came to this world, we learn how to use our power together, say goodbye, then repeats¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dreally living our lives. That guy participates in the was as the legitimate hero of this country, and I who left the hero duty got along well with the Devil and Beastman. Therefore, I¡¯ll never allow that fellow who was going to murder all of the Devils with the blade without any mercy. Although it was me who would be unreasonable if you consider it from the human¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°This country is currently housing a few of my important thing.¡± (Setsu) Eruka, Grein and Tia were safe. The Demon King and the Beast King is alive too, that¡¯s enough for me. Especially those three in this country, I as the leader got discouraged a bit when I appeared before, but they¡¯re always being there for me. ¡°Haah¡­ you really have no self interest as usual.¡± (Baus) ¡°That¡¯s rude. And I do think about myself.¡± (Setsu) What does that sigh really mean? ¡°I knew you would think like that¡­If it was me, I would have tried to expose their action no matter what. You might think of them as just a gathering of ants, but aren¡¯t you the bit worried? You need to at least try to get back at them¡­¡± (Baus) I felt like anger was mixed in with Baus¡¯s words here and there. ¡­Maybe this guy is also worried about me. ¡°Even if I do that, my surroundings will get dangerous once they knew¡­after that there¡¯s going to be a lot of people tracking me.¡± (Setsu) I¡¯m amazed at what he¡¯s saying right now. I¡¯m not a fool, if anything, it¡¯s like he¡¯s praising me and I got somewhat itchy for that. ¡°¡­It¡¯s nothing much. If there¡¯s anyone who tried to put their hands on my thing, I¡¯ll erase them for sure, that much is enough.¡± (Setsu) ¡°That¡¯s fine right? No matter what they said, the war didn¡¯t occur because of you.¡± (Baus) ¡°¡­¡­¡± (Setsu) ¡°Forget it, there will be people who will think about ¡®protecting¡¯ you, so there¡¯s no need for me to get angry here.¡± (Baus) I can¡¯t really retort to that, so I just proceed with my work silently. I wanted to hear Baus¡¯s opinion, but I can¡¯t. Probably because he said ¡¸Do you understand?¡¹. [T.N: Yeah, not sure about this one.] ¡°You¡¯re in the way, old man.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Heh, you¡¯re the one coming here with trouble. I¡¯m even in a good mood right now to offer some help.¡± (Baus) ¡°Hah! Like I would need any help with this kind of thing.¡± (Setsu) I¡¯ve packed the herb that could be eaten, all that¡¯s left is the type of flowers that could make you fainted in an instant. [T.N: Again, not sure about this, but pretty sure it¡¯s wrong.] ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThen it¡¯s good, just get going already, you stupid apprentice.¡± (Baus) ¡°¡­.Yeah, I¡¯m going, shitty master.¡± (Setsu) I go out of the shop with the baggage. It¡¯s time to open the shop soon. ¡­As I thought when I speak to Baus, even though I¡¯m being treated like a child, for some reason I didn¡¯t find it unpleasant. (Maybe he¡¯s something like a father figure for me¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D) I shake my head to remove that ridiculous thought, and hurried to the meeting place with those two. I¡¯ve spent too much time, the sun had almost set. Since the meeting place is at the previous spot, I¡¯ll arrive soon. While running in the town, Baus¡¯s words repeated in my head. He talked about the continuation after the war, when I tell him I won¡¯t go ¡¸killing¡¹ anymore, he said; ¡ºNo-killing huh, I think that¡¯s a good resolve, but don¡¯t forget that it might lead to your treasured one being killed you know?¡» (Baus) ¡°¡­I won¡¯t let that happen.¡± (Setsu) While muttering that, I raise my running speed. Killing¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI recalled that act. The feeling at that time, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to accept that for my whole life. ¡°Yuki-kun!¡± (Yuuhi) When I arrived at the meeting place, Yuuhi is already there. However Eruka is nowhere to be seen. ¡°Where¡¯s Eruka?¡± (Setsu) ¡°She went back, seems that she still have to prepare for tomorrow¡¯s training. Were you in such a hurry that you¡¯ve forgotten? Since I¡¯ll also be taking the basic training from tomorrow on, it seems that it will be a full-scale training for me.¡± (Yuuhi) It can¡¯t be helped if that¡¯s the case, sometimes she acts like that¡­ Still, if it¡¯s a battle training I might want to join a bit. There¡¯s a chance that I could send that stupid Endo flying. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DIf I¡¯m thinking about such thing, as I though I got influenced by the old man. ¡°Yuki-kun, Where have you been? The sun had already went down you know?¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°Today is the given date after all, I¡¯ve prepared the tools for camping.¡± (Setsu) I tapped the magic bag attached to my waist when I said that. Since the money, sword and food are all inside, I¡¯m relatively light right now. By the way, I divided the food with Baus. I got a bit too much after all. ¡°I see¡­ I, I¡¯ll become strong so that Yuki-kun don¡¯t have to protect me!¡± (Yuuhi) What Yuuhi meant is something along the line of ¡¸I wont depend on you¡¹, but in any case I¡¯m glad. Could it be that she heard about my belief from Eruka? ¡°I won¡¯t meet any dangerous situation, so that Yuki-kun doesn¡¯t have to fight!¡± (Yuuhi) ¡­As I though she did heard about it from Eruka huh? ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. Please do that okay?¡± (Setsu) ¡°Un! ¡­That¡¯s why¡­come back safely okay?¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°It¡¯s impossible for me to get into any dangerous situation.¡± (Setsu) While I said that, I cut my hair that have grown long with wind magic. Although I don¡¯t have much sense for it, the hair falls on the ground. With the hair covering my eyes disappeared, the view in front of me is cleared. Since I hate it being unshapely, for now I just cut the one I can see. Although I¡¯ve been planning to cut if before, it kept on growing until now before I noticed. Well, this might be a good chance to leave with a new feeling. ¡°Is it weird?¡± (Setsu) ¡°No! It¡¯s all right! You¡¯re cool like always!¡± (Yuuhi) ¡­Even if I recall my face, it should be a mediocre face the same as my previous life¡­well whatever, I¡¯ll take that as a compliment. [T.N: I think he¡¯s saying his previous life also had a normal face, not that his current face is the same as the previous one.] When I tried to take care of the hair that dropped, Yuuhi emitted a small flame from her hand, burning the hair that dropped. ¡°That¡¯s a beautiful flame.¡± (Setsu) ¡°When you said that¡­somehow I¡¯m glad.¡± (Yuuhi) Yuuhi became embarrassed while saying that. Her flame is a clean orange, it¡¯s a flame magic with such a clean color that I¡¯ve never seen before. The color really fits the evening sun(Yuuhi) which is her name. ¡°I¡¯m proud of my flame magic the most. However, I really didn¡¯t want to use this power to injure a person.¡± (Yuuhi) I don¡¯t even want to use magic in the first place¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dis what Yuuhi said. ¡°We¡¯ve come to such a world¡­. it¡¯s unpleasant but we need to fight not matter how much we hate it¡­everyone else is also training without question¡­I got scared of learning a technique that could take a life.¡± (Yuuhi) Having obtained that doubt¡­is because I didn¡¯t let her get affected by the Charm Eye. If I didn¡¯t give her the divine protection, Yuuhi might have not having such fear¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DHowever that¡¯s not good, absolutely. ¡°However, if I learn how to protect someone, if I become strong¡­I think that I wont be scared anymore. That¡¯s why, so that I won¡¯t trouble Yuki-kun¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI want to be strong so that I would be able to protect you.¡± (Yuuhi) ¡º¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DForget it, there will be people who will think about ¡®protecting¡¯ you, there¡¯s no need for me to get angry here.¡» (Hah¡­it¡¯s like I¡¯m still in front of my master, just what is that guy) The old man¡¯s smug face appeared in my head. You¡¯re right huh? That face won¡¯t be good for business. ¡°Yuki-kun..?¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Doops, sorry. Yeah, become strong so that you¡¯ll be able to protect me okay?¡± (Setsu) ¡°Un!¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°I see, I see¡­tei!¡± (Setsu) ¡°Ouch!?¡± (Yuuhi) I flick my finger on Yuuhi¡¯s forehead. Her forehead is red while she glared reproachfully. ¡°It hurts¡­Why!?¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°Didn¡¯t you said you want to protect me? You can¡¯t even prevent this much.¡± (Setsu) ¡°I-I see! O-one more time!¡± (Yuuhi) Ah, I didn¡¯t mean for it to be like that¡­ Still, I apologize to Yuuhi in earnest, and flick it one more time. She prepared herself since it¡¯s not a surprise attack this time. ¡°Ouch!¡± (Yuuhi) My finger cuts the wind and hits Yuuhi¡¯s forehead. ¡°It¡¯s no use unless I avoid it!¡± (Yuuhi) There¡¯s nothing you can do to avoid a forehead flick¡­ I let out a wry smile seeing Yuuhi like that. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll consider you pass if you can avoid it the next time we met.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Really!? I¡¯ll work hard!¡± (Yuuhi) Don¡¯t tell me she will only practice how to avoid a forehead flick¡­ There¡¯s no hope for her if she only focus on that¡­right? The surrounding had already become dark when I noticed, although it¡¯s fun, it is time to go¡­ ¡°Then¡­I should be going.¡± (Setsu) ¡°¡­.Un, have a safe trip.¡± (Yuuhi) I start walking towards the road that leads to outside of the town. In front of it, a dark forest of the night had already spread. ¡°Yuki-kun, I, you see¡­I really li¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°Stop right there, Yuuhi¡± (Setsu) I blurt that out suddenly, cutting Yuuhi¡¯s words. Letting a woman say it¡­it was downright out for me. ¡°I have women waiting for my answers here in this world©`©`©`©`©`so many of them in fact, won¡¯t you just hurt yourself saying it to someone like me?¡± (Setsu) ¡®So many¡¯ is not really a lie¡­still, there are a few people I think. I wonder why are they having that kind of feeling towards me¡­ For Yuuhi¡­ that is¡­I noticed her goodwill. I too would like for it to happen¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dhowever I leave over too many of previous engagements in this world. [T.N: Engagement, as in, appointment kind of meaning, not fiancee.] ¡°But still, I¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°Then, let¡¯s do it this way.¡± (Setsu) I didn¡¯t allow her to say much more, I look back and said. ¡°The next time we meet, if the Yuuhi at that time are strong enough that she could protect me¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI will say this;¡± (Setsu) ¡®You are important, please be together with me¡¯¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dsomething like that Yuuhi after hearing me said that, her face had become so shocked. Feeling happy from the bottom of her heart, she says in a voice mixed with determination. ¡°¡­Understood. I¡¯ll absolutely will make you say that. Because I¡¯ll become even stronger than Eruka!¡± (Yuuhi) Ah, Eruka huh¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThat¡¯s a good target¡­ No, isn¡¯t it bad that she¡¯s her aim? What should I do if Yuuhi become a super-M¡­ ¡°Y-yeah, please do your best!¡± (Setsu) ¡°U-un¡­¡± (Yuuhi) The me who cant wipe out the uneasiness are at a loss for words for some reason. It¡¯s okay, it should be okay. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go! See you later!¡± (Setsu) ¡°Ah, wait Yuki-kun!?¡± (Yuuhi) I start running as I couldn¡¯t hide my unrest. The cold sweat doesn¡¯t stop!? Why¡­. ¡°Guoooooohh!!! Calm yourself!!!!¡± (Setsu) I run while shouting. I immediately remember that I¡¯ve said a pretty embarrassing thing, even my face is red. ¡°Aaaaaahh!! Please let Yuuhi be saaaaafe!!!¡± (Setsu) I worry about Yuuhi, which contradicts wanting to part from her¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D Before long, although we will meet again¡­at that time, I really worried that Yuuhi will become a super-M ¡­I really don¡¯t want her to be a super-M¡­. CH 9 [T.N: Yuuhi¡¯s POV] I, Yuuhi was just about to confess a few minutes ago. Even I don¡¯t know why in that timing. I guess I might be lonely from parting with Yuki-kun. Well he kind of leave the reply hanging¡­but when we meet again, if I could avoid a forehead flick from him, Yuki-kun said that he would then confess to me. Eh? How did it turn into forehead flick? Well whatever. ¡°~?¡± (Yuuhi) So, I¡¯m kind of in a very good mood right now. Although I only felt uneasy when I came to this world, right now I feel excellent. I¡¯ve liked Yuki-kun for a very long time¡­I didn¡¯t even know exactly how long. When I noticed I already liked him, I don¡¯t really understand the reason. Some people said that love has no need for reason, and I think that the current me understand that. I¡¯ve spent a long time with him. Naturally, Yuki-kun is important to me, and I think that Yuki-kun also values me greatly. However¡­no matter how close we are, I somehow felt that he was not from this world. And today, I finally able to know the reason. Yuki-kun had lived in this world¡­and thought about coming back here for a long time. When I knew that, I really envied Eruka-san who speaks about it. She knows about the Yuki-kun that I didn¡¯t knew, just with that alone I felt jealous. I felt relieved when I learned that Eruka-san and him are not yet lover. The reason I confessed today, it might be because I wanted to be one step further than her. ¡­but Yuki-kun seems to be very popular in this world¡­what should I do if there are many women by the time we met¡­ ¡°¡­well, I¡¯ll leave that to the me at that time.¡± (Yuuhi) What would I think about it, I wont know as I am still not in that situation yet. However¡­it might not be all that unpleasant. Seeing as they are all people who came to like him, I think that I might be able to get along well with them too. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DWhat should I do if she¡¯s not a human? Oops, I¡¯ve been thinking while walking, I¡¯ve already returned back to the center of the town without noticing. Although it was terribly bustling before, most of the shops are already closed with almost no one here, there are only people at the bar. I too must return to the castle in time for dinner¡­although I might be a bit late, eating together with everyone is the best¡­even though it¡¯s just Kouma-kun and the others. ¡°Yuu!¡± (???) A voice could be heard from behind me who is walking a bit fast. The only people that would call me Yuu is Kouma-kun and Mizuki-chan, and not Jiro-kun. When I turn around the one that stood there is Kouma-kun alone. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s wrong Kouma-kun?¡± (Yuuhi) He should have been resting in the castle today like he said. Since using the Holy Sword skill consumed a lot of stamina, Grein-sensei had told him that taking a rest is important. ¡°No¡­I¡¯ve been looking for Yuuhi since you didn¡¯t show up.¡± (Kouma) ¡­huh? Didn¡¯t I already tell everyone that I¡¯m going shopping today? Although it¡¯s not possible to tell them that it was just Yuki-kun and me since it¡¯s embarrassing, I think that I did told them when I go out in the morning¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s go back, Yuu. It¡¯s going to be dinner soon.¡± (Kouma) ¡°U-un. You¡¯re right.¡± (Yuuhi) It¡¯s a bit dark and I can¡¯t really see his expression¡­ but I think he¡¯s a little bit angry. I wonder if I did something bad? ¡°Let¡¯s go?¡± (Kouma) ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DEh?¡± (Yuuhi) Kouma-kun grabbed my hand. Pulling it just like that, it¡¯s not like I won¡¯t go even if you didn¡¯t do that, so why would he act that way? ¡°Say, Yuuhi. Do you want to go shopping with me in town on our next rest day?¡± (Kouma) ¡°Shopping?¡± (Yuuhi) Kouma-kun ask that without turning towards me. Although I¡¯m happy with the invitation, I¡¯m going to be coached by Eruka-san on the holiday. Since I already expected that my holiday is no more after agreeing to that, taking a rest on that day just because another business came up is inexcusable. She¡¯s abandoning her holiday with me too after all. All of this is so that I can be with Yuki-kun, so although I¡¯m flattered that Kouma-kun invited me, I have no other choice but to refuse. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my schedule is full on the holiday.¡± (Yuuhi) When I tell him that, Kouma-kun just said ¡°is that so? And back down. Somehow I¡¯m kind of felt bad for him. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DYou didn¡¯t want to spend time with me because you want to spend the holiday with that guy huh.¡± (Kouma) ¡° ? Did you say something?¡± (Yuuhi) ¡°No¡­it¡¯s nothing.¡± (Kouma) Although I¡¯m unable to hear it since it¡¯s just a small mutter, I didn¡¯t pursue it since he said it¡¯s nothing. I felt his grip on my hand is getting stronger. Although I want to ask him to let go since it hurts a bit, seeing Kouma-kun¡¯s face being too serious, I can¡¯t say anything. As I thought he¡¯s acting a bit weird today, is how I felt. That night, I asked Mizuki-chan about how Kouma-kun is acting. She said, ¡°although it seems that he spend the holiday reading a book and taking naps, but I heard him saying that he¡¯s going to look for Yuuhi who¡¯s returning late¡±. ¡°Although I told him not to worry too much, ¡ºWhat would you do if she go to the dangerous place in the town!?¡» is what he keep on saying¡­as expected of Kouma I guess, so maybe he went to town outskirts looking for you.¡± (Mizuki) Mizuki-chan said that with an astonished look. I wonder what she¡¯s implying? ¡­I mean I¡¯m not so careless that he needs to be worried. Well, I did go to the town outskirts though. N? ¡­the outskirt? Did he really come looking for me at the town outskirt? (It should be around evening if he sets out looking for me from the castle) In other words, its at the time when Yuki-kun and I were saying goodbye¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D (¡­Don¡¯t tell me he heard about that(confession)¡­) My face turned red as soon as I thought about that, I¡¯m at my wits end in the room. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DHaving other people listen to my first confession, that is way too embarrassing. I keep on thinking about what I should do, everyone else were already fast asleep, I¡¯m the only one awake. Dark circles could be seen under my eyes when I came out of the room the next day. [T.N: POV change to MC ¡°Fuaaahh~~.¡± (Setsu) ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DInside a forest approximately around 100km away from Destinea, I woke up in response to the morning sun that is peeking from the gap of the trees. I need to go to the port town first to cross the continent. Although I should have already left the port town right now¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D (Just where the hell am I¡­) ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI who lacked the composure after leaving Yuuhi when I left the country just keep on running, and then I noticed that I¡¯m here. Although I saw maintained road used by merchants on the way, as I keep on running nonstop without care, before I noticed it I¡¯m already in this forest without any road. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DIn short, right now I¡¯m lost. Since I got sleepy by the time I noticed I¡¯m lost, although I¡¯m sleeping in such a place, everything is fine since I¡¯ve already brought along tools needed for camping. ¡°What should I do now¡­I guess for now there¡¯s no other way aside from finding a road?) I¡¯m really regretting it now but I really should have brought a compass. Since I have Tia on our last trip, we never get lost because of the convenient magic that she developed, but I¡¯m alone this time¡­I guess this is called careless. Well worst case I could just jump high to fly up and look for a town from the sky, but I might get mistaken as a flying monster though. (I should move first, I might be able to meet other people who knew something) Although I could just follow the road once I found it, unfortunately I have no idea which end should I walk towards, well, its a win for as long as I met even one person on it¡­ While cling on such a slight hope, I collect the¡¸Magic Stone of Monster Repellent¡¹ that I put around the bed. Just like its name suggest, I put it since it keeps monsters out. Deciding on the range and putting one each on a corner of a square area, I insert my magic power into each one. I then create a barrier that could ward off monsters according to the magical power. Although it could still maintain the barrier even if it¡¯s moved, the effect disappeared once you pick it up. ¡°That¡¯s the last one.¡± (Setsu) I squat down and pick up the last one, and when I throw it into the magic bag, a lukewarm wind blew on my face. ¡°N?¡± (Setsu) ¡°Burururu¡± (???) When I felt displeased and look ahead, there¡¯s a huge wild boar whose head is approximately around my height. It¡¯s whole body is covered with brown fur, and it have two huge tusk. This creature is what they called monsters that are in this world¡­ Apparently it approached as soon as I removed the barrier, so the wind from before is the snort of this fellow. [T.N: The words for them is ħÎï(mamono). The meaning is close to demon, but I just don¡¯t want people to confuse it with the Devil tribe, so I¡¯m sticking with monster for now. Give suggestion if you have better one.] As I¡¯m still not moving, the wild boar looked at me with the eyes watching on a prey. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, wanna pick a fight?¡± (Setsu) ¡°BURURURURUuuuu!¡± No more discussion huh¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D The wild boar greatly shook its head, trying to penetrate me with its tusk. I lightly dodge it, taking some distance from it. ¡°Burururu¡­¡± ¡°This one is ¡´B class¡µ I guess?¡± (Setsu) About the B class, there are threat degree of the monsters in this world. Rank is decided on how dangerous the monster is, the lowest is E class, and then continue to D, C, B, A, S, SS, until SSS. So the strength of a B class is somewhere in the middle. By the way for the job called adventurer, they are also ranked similarly. Although both the monster and adventurer are on the realm of their own once they exceed S rank, the former-adventurer Baus was actually an SSS-rank adventurer where there¡¯s only a few of them in the past. Well even I managed to climb to SSS class in my previous life! ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DNow then, enough boasting for now and let¡¯s face this wild board. The wild boar is accumulating power while scratching the ground with its foot. It totally looks like an engine warming up. ¡°¡­alright, it¡¯s finally Kuromaru¡¯s turn after a long time.¡± (Setsu) I shove my hand into the magic bag in order to cut down this guy in two with the sword. Although I talk about the no-killing or my belief somehow yesterday, monsters are not included. although not all of them, but the monsters could be considered as the enemy of all living creatures. These guys basically doesn¡¯t have a will, they attack any creatures aside from themselves, living only on the feeding instinct. It¡¯s a relation of eat or be eaten. I also got used to the law of this world which is survival of the fittest because of these guys. ¡°Sorry okay, as expected I still didn¡¯t want to be eaten.¡± (Setsu) I take out a large sword out of the bag, and unsheathe it. The side blade reflects the morning sun and shines in black. I faced the wild boar that unleashed the accumulated energy in a dash, dashing forward in full throttle. That would have hit for sure, if it¡¯s not me that is. ¡°BURUOOOOooooo!!!¡± I swing down Kuromaru from above towards the wild boar who roared while dashing. ¡°There¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± (Setsu) The moment the sword hit the wild boar, it sinks into the body like cutting tofu, cutting the body in two. ¡­The wild boar that had split in two falls in front of me, rolling on the ground as a lump of flesh. ¡°Wew¡­ you¡¯re still as sharp as before, Kuromaru.¡± (Setsu) To cut the not-so-soft bone of the monster, there¡¯s not even one nicked part on the edge of Kuromaru. Although I didn¡¯t heard much about the material, should I ask about it this time? I am interested about it. I return Kuromaru ot its sheath, and threw it into the magic bag. By the way, the sheath has the ability for automatic cleaning, so a sword would be clean just by putting it inside. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m done with the exercise¡­. Let¡¯s move for now?¡± (Setsu) That is not addressed to anyone in particular¡­ I turn my back on the bisected wild boar, and start walking in the forest. The dead monster, it will turn into magic particles sooner or later if you just leave it unattended, so there¡¯s no need to process it as it will be disintegrated in the air. It seems that it won¡¯t disintegrated if you take it from there, and it will rot in the same way as normal creature. Although I heard that the magic power in the ground seems to affect it somehow or other, I don¡¯t know the specific details. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DIs that a road?¡± (Setsu) Did I walk for one or two hours¡­ when I make my way through the forest, I finally found a road made of soil without any tree around. While I¡¯m relieved for the time being, I go near it. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Daround the place near the road, a woman¡¯s scream suddenly resounded in the area. ¡°Kyaaaaaa!!¡± (???) ¡°!?¡± (Setsu) I hide my body behind a tree by the time I heard that scream, checking the surrounding. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dover there..? Towards the road that I see¡­ one carriage falls down there. Several men dressed similar to me fall down, their body covered in blood. Ugh¡­there¡¯s even freshly-severed head¡­ Even though I didn¡¯t kill, I¡¯ve seen a lot of corpses that other people killed, so I had a bit of resistance¡­ but I¡¯m still not used to seeing severed head. It still make me lose my appetite, it¡¯s an unimaginable thing at the time I¡¯m in Japan. While I was preoccupied with the corpses, several man with dirty appearances appeared with vulgar voice. ¡°Ora oraa! Take it quickly, you lot!!¡± (???) ¡°Stuff all the valuables in the bag!¡± (???) ¡°Oi, what should we do with this girl? She still a kid but her look is pretty good.¡± (???) ¡°Please¡­stop¡­¡± (girl) I see, bandits huh? 5 people¡­ that¡¯s a very radical bandits, the band of bandits that I used to know avoid killing and work more efficiently you know? Although the merchant¡¯s carriage seems to be attacked, who¡¯s that girl? ¡°Let¡¯s sell her! Some weird noble somewhere would buy her.¡± (Bandit A) ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± (Bandit B) ¡°Then we¡¯re really in luck! For us to have come around a merchant with such weak guards!¡± (Bandit C) ¡°Please¡­. Please return my goods¡­¡± (Girl) ¡°Tch! Shut up!¡± (Bandit) ¡°Ouch!¡± (Girl) ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI¡¯m shocked, that kid is a merchant? Although the girl clung to the foot of the bandit telling them to return her commodities, they just kick her flying. ¡°Oi! Don¡¯t injure her from now on since she¡¯s a product too!!¡± ¡°Cheh! That girl is the one that came to me touching me with her hand!¡± Although I really want to jump in on this, I think about it a little bit. The other party is such a troublesome fellow¡­or rather, from the looks of it they seems to have other comrades. Dealing with the other party is going to be a pain too¡­ ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DBut I can¡¯t really call myself a man if I didn¡¯t help that girl here¡­¡± (Setsu) It¡¯s true that it¡¯s a pain in the ass, but ¡°My lunch would taste like shit if I didn¡¯t help out here!¡± (Setsu) It can¡¯t be helped, it would leave a bad aftertaste if I didn¡¯t help. I¡¯ll keep on regretting for having not done anything. I dash out from the shadow of the tree, and run towards the bandits. There¡¯s a great distance, but I arrived there in no time at all, sending a surprise attack on the bandits by swinging my fist. ¡°Oraa!¡± (Setsu) ¡°Guh!?¡± (Bandit A) It¡¯s already too late when he noticed me, my fist had already hit his back. The bandit got blown away in the shape of a shrimp, rolling on the ground. Still, they¡¯re weak¡­ I didn¡¯t even used magic enhancement you know? Bandits these days are no good huh. ¡°Please don¡¯t worry, your spine is safe and sound.¡± (Setsu) I said that to the bandit that is groaning while lying on the ground. Well he probably won¡¯t be able to move for a while die to the pain. ¡°What was that!?¡± (Bandit B) ¡°You bastard!!¡± (Bandit C) Oops¡­ As expected the bandits who noticed get ready for battle. The two who are near pull out their knife, and threw themselves at me at the same time. ¡°You didn¡¯t even think about the combination¡­¡± (Setsu) The two knives just thrust out straight foolishly, so I drops it by beating their wrist before it reached my body. Before the knife falls on the ground, I deliver a blow to each of their abdomen with my fist using both of my arms. ¡°*cough*!¡± (Bandit B) ¡°Guh¡­¡± (Bandit C) ¡°Alright, now for the two at the back~.¡± (Setsu) The two who received my blow in the abdomen are rolling on the ground having trouble to breathe, so I go pay a visit to the remaining two. ¡°Damn!! Let¡¯s scram!!¡± (Bandit D) ¡°R-run!! What¡¯s with this guy!!?¡± (Bandit E) The remaining two judged that they¡¯re no match for me, so they turn their back and start to run into the forest. Their judgement is the only thing that¡¯s not bad. However. ¡°Naive, you want to escape?¡± (Setsu) I put some power and kicked one of the rolling bandits and then kicked another one towards the two who are trying to run away. ¡°What!? Stop screwing wit¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dguoh!?¡± (Bandit D) ¡°Gyaaah!!¡± (Bandit E) ¡°¡­and that¡¯s a goal.¡± (Setsu) I see their figures colliding and rolling in the forest, and I couldn¡¯t hide my laughter. Although I tried going forward towards them, I felt something weird when I stepped on the ground in front of me, and when I looked under, there¡¯s the first bandit that I knocked off, still lying on the ground on his stomach. ¡°Oops, almost forgot about you?.¡± (Setsu) I grab the back of his hair, and lift him while dragging it. Now then, allow me to play a bit more. When I went towards where the others had fallen, the two bandits who tried to escape before let out a smalls scream and inched back. Ohho~ They got real scared now. ¡°Hii`¡­¡± ¡°P-please wait¡­ I¡¯ll give back the luggage¡­P-please spare me¡­¡± The two people that I kicked flying had already fainted, they doesn¡¯t move an inch no matter what I do, so I ready my fist for the rest. ¡°P-please¡­forgive me..¡± ¡°If you accept what the girls said just now, I wouldn¡¯t have poked my head into this¡­Yeah, be at ease as I won¡¯t kill you.¡± (Setsu) The man let a sigh of relief when I said that. If a person who knew me well sees this, they would have likely said that I would have leave them in ¡¸grief state¡¹. What a bunch of rude people. ¡°Y-you¡¯ll really overlook it?¡± (Bandit) ¡°My appetite will sharply decrease if I did that to you.¡± (Setsu) I won¡¯t allow any grudge over food¡­It is one of the major desires of human after all. [T.N: Sorry, can¡¯t make this one very well.] ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DN? It¡¯s not really a grudge over food? Don¡¯t sweat the details. These guys are like that too¡­ I look at their face. You think I¡¯ll have an appetite looking at you!!? Even if I said that¡­as expected in this case it¡¯s a bit too much. ¡°But still, as a man I really hate a man who raise his hand on a woman.¡± (Setsu) The bandit¡¯s face turn blue real fast. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DN? You guys used violence too right? Since if it was Eruka, you¡¯ll be out long ago. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dso with that, let¡¯s have a get together as a villain.¡± (Setsu) N? Which one is the bad guy? ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DWho knows? At the very least I am not a hero. ¡°Please be at ease, I¡¯ll only beat you to point that you¡¯re almost dead.¡± (Setsu) ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThere¡¯s already no consideration for the bandits when I said that. My thirst for blood is a bit too much there¡­they¡¯re already having a deep blue face¡­ ¡°That¡¯s enough I guess.¡± (Setsu) I get the 5 bandits, and bind them to one of the tree with a strong rope that I took out from the magic bag. Well, if they¡¯re lucky someone might helped them. When I return to the road, the previous girl rushed to me. ¡°U-um!! Thank you very much for helping me!¡± (Girl) She¡¯s wearing a light blue dress, the hair that have some sands attached is a little black, with a short forelock hair at the front. Her face is small with lovely eyes. I guess she¡¯s around 12-15? People don¡¯t really work as a merchant at that age. ¡°N, yeah it¡¯s fine. Since I was nearby when they attacked after all. By the way, there¡¯s something I want to ask you.¡± (Setsu) Even if I said that, when I¡¯m in the middle of tying the thief, that¡¯s when it hit me that I should have asked them the way to the port town. ¡°Fue? What do you want to hear?¡± (Girl) ¡°Yeah, I wanna go to port town. Do you know the way?¡± (Setsu) ¡°I-is that so!? I-I¡¯m going that way too! If it¡¯s there I know the way!¡± (Girl) Ooh! Alright, with this I¡¯m no longer lost. ¡°That¡¯s great. Please tell me at once!¡± (Setsu) ¡°U-um¡­ although I could tell you the way¡­¡± (Girl) ¡­What? Even though I really want you to tell me the way quickly¡­ ¡°W-will you please be my escort¡­?¡± (Girl) ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DHuh?¡± (Setsu) ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DWith that, it was the first encounter between me and the young merchant Ruri. CH 10 ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThe girl who introduced herself as Ruri seem to be an apprentice merchant. Some time had passed since that time, we left those place after I put the dead bodies of the murdered guard adventurers into a hole which I made using Earth magic and bury them. This is something like the manner of the adventurers, where you must bury the dead body of your fellow adventurers. For the reason, there¡¯s the case of wanting to prevent the monsters crowding the corpses from showing up, and it is to prevent them from turning into undead under the influence of the magic power in the area if the corpses are left unattended ¡­ are the two main reasons. Although the first one is what it is, the second one is a pretty difficult talk. When a humanoid animal died and left unattended in the nature, it will adsorb the magic power from the ground turning them into an undead, that¡¯s the common sense for the adventurers. Although the undead in itself is just below C-class if they don¡¯t have a great magic power, there seems to be a case of someone unable to lift their sword to fight as the friend they have a good relationship with turned into an undead. To prevent such a situation, it could be said that this is a necessary work. It¡¯s not a job where I could just say ¡°It¡¯s a pain in the ass¡±. Once Ruri and I finished with that, I overturned the carriage sideways to rebuild it, and I pulled the horse that somehow stayed without escaping. Ruri grips the reins of the horse. ¡°But still¡­ for a kid like you to be a merchant¡­¡± (Setsu) ¡°Don¡¯t call me a kid! Didn¡¯t I tell you many times already that I¡¯m an apprentice? APPRENTICE!¡± (Ruri) Oops, that right. This girl, Ruri used to accompany her grandfather who¡¯s a merchant, and she use to help him with the work, but her grandfather seems to have died because of a disease several days ago. Although she had acquired some experience as a merchant, her grandfather didn¡¯t allow her to be a full-fledged one until his very last breath, saying she should still remain as an apprentice. ¡°¡­But if I managed to deliver this brooch to the Devil continent, even Ojii-chan in heaven will recognize me.¡± (Ruri) [T.N: Ojii-chan(grandpa). Oji-chan(uncle). Take note kids, this term might come up the next time you read manga/hentai] Her aim seems to be delivering the brooch to a certain person in the Devil continent. The person asked her grandfather to repair it when her grandfather goes to the Devil continent previously, so he accepted it at that time. He¡¯s already received the money, so all that¡¯s left is delivering it. ¡°Ojii-chan died when he was going to send the brooch¡­ therefore I as his apprentice should properly deliver it.¡± (Ruri) ¡°¡­And once you leave while thinking that, you had such an experience on the way¡­¡± (Setsu) ¡°Uuu¡­¡± (Ruri) I look at the commodities piled up inside the carriage. Most of them are miscellaneous goods, and although there are some raw foods, the bags are packed with dried meat and other preserved food. These seems to be a proper products, it seems that she intended to do business on the Devil continent once she had sent the brooch. I guess as expected from a merchant¡¯s grandchild..? Well that¡¯s probably why she got targeted by the thief. ¡°Although I give a request for guards¡­ and I did managed to hire some using the last of my funds, but I can¡¯t employ adventurers of higher rank¡± (Ruri) It¡¯s those murdered people. ¡°Well there¡¯s no way I would be able to hire the high-rank without offering a large sum of money¡­¡± (Ruri) You need at least 3 months of salary to hire the S-class or higher. Judging from their equipment, they seems to be a C-rank party. Well it¡¯s the kind of adventurers that you will be able to employ if you splurge a bit of your money. To be frank they¡¯re on the level of unreliable. ¡°Um¡­ although it¡¯s good for me, is it really alright for you not to get any reward?¡± (Ruri) ¡°Didn¡¯t I said that it was fine? It¡¯s enough if you just tell me the way to the port town.¡± (Setsu) While she gave me a ride to the port town, I accepted the duty as her guard. Since she had become alone, it really makes me hesitant to just sprint and leave her unattended. It would be the worst if she got attacked again and got sold after I¡¯ve spend all that trouble to save her¡­ ¡°But¡­¡± (Ruri) ¡°Then please treat me to a meal once you¡¯re done delivering the brooch.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Eh!? You¡¯re going to follow me there!?¡± (Ruri) ¡°N? Yeah¡­ since my destination is also the Devil continent.¡± (Setsu) If we¡¯re going to the same destination, it wont be boring even with all the long time spent. Since I¡¯m really in that much of a hurry to return¡­ ¡°Is that so!? By the way, what are you going to do there?¡± (Ruri) ¡°I¡¯m going to meet some friends. It¡¯s been around 5 years since I last met them.¡± (Setsu) ¡°I see¡­¡± (Ruri) First of all I¡¯m going to deliver my fist once we met¡­ or rather aren¡¯t you supposed to be at that(Demon Lord) castle? What are you doing being absence during the war¡­ (Well, I guess that¡¯s fine? I¡¯ll just wait for you while sitting on the throne¡­ kukuku) I wonder what your face would looks like, seeing some unknown guy sitting on your chair. ¡°Setsu-san, you¡¯re making a really bad face¡­¡± (Ruri) ¡°Oops, my bad.¡± (Setsu) I inadvertently start thinking about making fun of that person by habit. Although that person got some bossy tone, the reaction face is really interesting once you make fun of that person. I start smirking again once I imagined that person¡¯s teased face, but then I sensed something in my head. ¡°N©`?¡± (Setsu) ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± (Ruri) I don¡¯t know what¡­but I detected something. ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s nothing.¡± (Setsu) ¡°? Is that so?¡± (Ruri) After that I searched for a while, but I didn¡¯t managed to find anything. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DAnd so the carriage drove all night, and we finally arrived at the port town on the afternoon the next day. ¡°We have arrived, Setsu-san!¡± (Ruri) ¡°Yeah¡­ what a great smell of the sea.¡± (Setsu) Although I¡¯ve been to the sea a few times in Japan, that was when I¡¯m still a kid. So its been a while since the last time I saw this blue scenery that continues , so it¡¯s very fresh to my eyes. Once we enter the town, there are stores selling various fish, and middle-age men shouting loudly trying to promote their stores. Somehow it kind of feels like the market in Japan? ¡°Although I¡¯ve come to this port town a few times already, I still loved this atmosphere and the smell of the sea.¡± (Ruri) Ruri¡¯s eyes are sparkling, and start paying attention to the shops spreading on the main street. As a merchant, you need to take what other person are selling into account. Although I¡¯m not a merchant, I didn¡¯t hate this atmosphere. ¡°Oops, while it¡¯s fine to admire the town, for now shall we check the schedule of the ship? We could also get lunch while at it.¡± (Ruri) ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right huh¡­ it never hurts to be able to depart early.¡± (Setsu) Once we decided on our destination, we bought a whole roasted fish on skewer for lunch, and then head to the seashore that should have ships leaving while eating. ¡­N? Wait a minute. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DShip? ¡°AH!!¡± (Setsu) ¡°Huh? There¡¯s no ship going there you know? We¡¯re at war with them after all.¡± (Sailor) Guoooooo!! As I though!! ¡°N-no way¡­¡± (Ruri) Ruri dropped down remarkable on the floor.. It¡¯s the same pose as mine from yesterday. (¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThere¡¯s no way the ship would move during war, stupid me!!) First of all, they will attack if a ship from the continent you¡¯re hostile with arrived¡­ it can¡¯t be helped no matter how much of an emergency you have. Not to mention it should be the same on the other side too¡­ At this moment the choice called the ship had completely vanished. ¡°The situation for transportation between continent would remain for now, should just give up and return.¡± (Sailor) ¡°Uuu¡­¡± (Ruri) In the end we need to go back the way we came from. Even the horse that pulled the carriage seemed depressed somehow. No, it seems that Ruri¡¯s depressed state had even affected the horse. ¡°¡­Stop getting that depressed.¡± (Setsu) ¡°That¡¯s impossible you know¡­ and to think that was my chance to prove that I¡¯m an adult.¡± (Ruri) When I looked at her face that was on the verge of crying, it really makes me wanted to do something. Although there is that one method¡­ hmm. ¡°Say, Ruri?¡± (Setsu) ¡°Yes?¡± (Ruri) ¡°There¡¯s this one method, but¡­¡± (Setsu) The atmosphere around Ruri changed when I said that, and start asking me right away. ¡°What kind of method is it!? Please tell me!!¡± (Ruri) ¡°No¡­ will you promise not to tell anyone?¡± (Setsu) ¡°I will absolutely not say anything!!¡± (Ruri) ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DIn that case ¡°Then, follow me for a bit.¡± (Setsu) I pulled Ruri¡¯s hand while her eyes are full of expectations, so I decided to take her to the place where she¡¯ll understood the method. [T.N: Pulling a little girl¡¯s hand while saying you¡¯ll take her where she wanted. Yeah, that doesn¡¯t sound suspicious at all.] ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI guess here is good?¡± (Setsu) We walked along the shore for a while, and after searching for a deserted place, I found a few spots that doesn¡¯t have that many people, and chose a rocky place. Here looks good. [T.N: you¡¯re getting more suspicious, MC] ¡°We have arrived.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Is it here¡­ U-um¡­¡±( Ruri) ¡°N?¡± (Setsu) Even though right now we can cross the continent, Ruri is looking down and looked so stiff. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± (Setsu) ¡°T-that¡­ the hand¡­¡±( Ruri) ¡°N?¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dah, sorry.¡± (Setsu) I¡¯ve been holding on to her hand. It might have been unpleasant for a girl going through puberty. ¡°I lacked consideration there, I¡¯ll be careful in the future.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Eh!? No¡­yes.¡± (ruri) N? Could it be, that she¡¯s embarrassed with holding hand? Hahaha, this girl. ¡°Yeah yeah, there¡¯s nothing to be embarrassed about.¡± (Setsu) ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DWha!? It¡¯s not embarrassing.¡± (Ruri) ¡°I got it already, so just follow me.¡± (Setsu) ¡°You didn¡¯t get it, right!? Setsu-san is a really nasty person!¡± (Ruri) I apologized nonstop. This girl is the type that is really fun to tease, so let¡¯s make fun of her again in the future. I went ahead of Ruri and advanced towards the rocks. There¡¯s a place I¡¯m looking for. ¡°Oh, if it¡¯s here¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± (Setsu) ¡°Is there anything there?¡± (Ruri) ¡°Well, just wait and see¡­ here we go.¡± (Setsu) The place that I¡¯m looking for is a point where the surface of the sea water is really near that you can touch it. There¡¯s a lot of rocks making it moves in unstable form. I crouched down, and touched the surface of the wave with my hand. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DCome forth, ¡´Leviathan¡µ.¡± (Setsu) Although I muttered that, there¡¯s no chance in the surrounding. ¡°¡­Nothing happen you know?¡± (Ruri) Although Ruri said that, it¡¯s just that it¡¯s ¡®still¡¯ hasn¡¯t occurred yet. Although she might have not noticed anything, the wave gradually turning more intense. And a presence began to rise on the surface of the sea. ¡°Did you come?¡± (Setsu) ¡°Wha¡­.what is¡­.this¡­¡± (Ruri) A huge dragon¡¯s head appeared on the surface of the sea. The head is covered in blue scales, sharp fangs in its mouth, and also having long and narrow red eyes that had a shot of dignity showing a dragon¡¯s strength. If you compare the size, just the head alone is the size of a normal house. The size of the body is uncertain. I still haven¡¯t seen how long it really is¡­. but it¡¯s going to be really huge for sure. ¡°Yo, been a long time¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡¯Levia-san¡¯.¡± (Setsu) ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DDidn¡¯t I asked you to stop that since that name seems like you¡¯re making a fool out of me? Setsu¡­ where did you go for 5 years? Didn¡¯t you still have a promise with me? (Levia) ¡°Sorry, there¡¯s various things happening.¡± (Setsu) [T.N: ¥ê¥ô¥¡¥¤¥¢¥µ¥ó= Leviathan. ¥ê¥ô¥¡¥¤¥¢¤µ¤ó= Levia-san. Both spelled and pronounced the same(le-vi-a-san), but the first one used Katakana while the second one use Hiragana for the ¡°san¡± which is the same way you put in behind someone¡¯s name(Setsu-san etc).] The head of the dragon that appeared from the sea speaks with the voice of a young woman. Although the dragon¡¯s face is expressionless, the corner of its mouth rose up a little, somehow leaking some kind of happy atmosphere. ¡°Well I¡¯ll forgive you, considering that I¡¯m the sea god with a heart as big as the ocean.¡± (Levia) ¡°I¡¯ll tear off your scales.¡± (Setsu) ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± (Levia) Her high tone is still the same as ever¡­ I wonder how, for her to still not changed even when I didn¡¯t come for so long, I¡¯m kind of felt relieved somehow. ¡°U-um¡­ what¡¯s going on¡­¡± (Ruri) Oops, I forgot about Ruri. I threatened the dragon to be quiet and asked her to introduce herself. It¡¯s clear that Ruri is still scared from a while ago. ¡°*Cough*¡­I am the god that manages this sea, the sea god Leviathan. It is rare for me to make an appearance in front a human¡¯s child like you. Show some gratitude.¡± (Levia) ¡°Fu¡­.Fueeeee!?¡± (Ruri) [T.N: The words ¡®god¡¯ there is from ¡®Éñ¡¯(kami) which is more inclined for god, but since Japan¡¯s version of then varies, it might also means deity or something else. For the sea god, it¡¯s from ¡°º£Éñ¡± or ¡°kaijin¡±, which can be called sea-god or the emperor of the sea. I¡¯m not sure if I really should use the term god here, where considering this is an isekai novel, the chance of another type of god/goddess making an appearance is kind of high so it might get confusing later on. Just a head¡¯s up] Ruri is surprised with both eyes opened wide. Since the name of the sea god is pretty famous in this world, it¡¯s no wonder that she knew of her. However, the myths around her is just the same with celebrity. It¡¯s not that much of a story once you¡¯ve met the real thing. Since the real myth is right in front of us, it can¡¯t be helped that she got that surprised. ¡°Well as you can see, I called upon an SSS-rank monster. The sea god Leviathan. She got carried away easily, but she¡¯s an interesting person.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Wait a minute!! Who got carried away easily!?¡± (Levia) Does she even know what ¡®carried away¡¯ mean, but should I just ignore her here? It¡¯s time to move on. ¡°S-Setsu-san called that!?¡± (Ruri) ¡°Yeah. This person is the method I¡¯m talking about.¡± (Setsu) ¡°D-d-d-d-d-don¡¯t tell me¡­.¡± (Ruri) ¡°Now then, let¡¯s get on top of her head.¡± (Setsu) I said that while grinning, and thus Ruri released her second cry for today¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D CH 11 ¡°Okay, give me your hand.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Ah, yes.¡± (Ruri) I got on the dragon¡¯s head first, and pulled the still dumbfounded Ruri¡¯s hand and pull her up. ¡°Um, the luggage from the carriage¡­¡± (Ruri) ¡°Ah¡­.¡± (Setsu) Although I just noticed it, we stopped the carriage on the other side of the rocky place. Even for a sea god it¡¯s impossible to put the entire carriage on top, not to mention the horse won¡¯t be calm either. However, the luggage is important. ¡°Wait here a bit.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Eh?¡± (Ruri) I jumped down from the head, and head to the carriage. Although it¡¯s impossible for the horse since my magic bag can only carry the luggage, I was going to collect as much as I can. ¡°Say, Ruri! Although the horse is good, can we leave it here!?¡± (Setsu) Unfortunately, I can¡¯t put living thing in the magic bag. Although it¡¯s alive, for example I can put living thing in the magic bag if I cast petrification on it. Though I don¡¯t understand the standard too well, the one that moves seems to be no good. ¡°I-it¡¯s okay!¡± (Ruri) ¡°Is that so-!¡± (Setsu) Since we¡¯ve been talking loudly since a while ago, the surrounding have started to be aware of us. Although there¡¯s no sign of people yet, because no people should be here, other people will come in time. ¡°What a pain, I¡¯ll just bring them all.¡± (Setsu) I separate the carrier and the horse. I brought close the open mouth of the bag towards the carriage. Although the magic bag is the size of a purse, by making them touch the open mouth, it swallow the whole thing entirely. It swallowed the carriage as if the bag momentarily became gigantic predator swallowing prey, and then it return to the size of a purse again. The horse is leaving. I¡¯ve heard that it was possible for it to live naturally once you set it free since the horse in this world seems to eat anything, and since Ruri who is her owner said it¡¯s alright, it should should be alright. ¡°Alright.¡± (Setsu) I collect the magic bag, and then board on top of Levia-san again in a hurry. ¡°Okay, we¡¯re good now, Levia-san.¡± (Setsu) ¡°And I told you to stop calling me that!! ¡­Then, shall I move?¡± (Levia) ¡°Ou. Ruri, please cling to me for a bit.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Y-yes.¡± (Ruri) Ruri moves her hands to my waist, and then clings to it. Although she¡¯s still young, I felt the softness of her feminine body and got me taken aback for a bit. I calmed down immediately since I¡¯m not a lolicon, after all I prefer a woman that is a bit older and had a bit more ¡®growth¡¯ to them. ¡°Somehow I felt like you just thought of something really rude¡­¡± (Ruri) ¡°Just your imagination.¡± (Setsu) Apparently I¡¯m very easy to read. I need to be careful. ¡°For the destination, is the Devil continent good?¡± (Levia) ¡°Yeah, how long will it take?¡± (Setsu) ¡°Around 4 hours¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI guess.¡± (Levia) By the way, it would take half a day in case of the ship, so it¡¯s pretty fast if you think about it. ¡°Alright, please proceed.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Be sure to hold on properly okay?¡± (Levia) The dragon¡¯s head leaves the rocky area. When the head turned towards the Devil¡¯s continent, it begins to advance slowly at first, and then begin to accelerate in less than a few seconds. We left the rocky place from a while ago in no time at all. ¡°It¡¯s¡­fast¡­¡± (Ruri) ¡°Can you breath?¡± (Setsu) Receiving the momentum of the wind, Ruri gasps for breath and nods. As expected, I lowered a bit, and focus the air around her. It¡¯s not just for ventilation, it can also secure air too. It¡¯s no big deal for someone like me that is good with wind magic. ¡°Eh? The wind¡­¡± (Ruri) ¡°Did it become easy for you?¡± (Setsu) ¡°Th-thank you very much.¡± (Ruri) Seriously, it would be bad if she got weary before we arrived to the other side. Since she could relax now that I¡¯ve intercept the wind, Ruri began questioning me. ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to ask since a while ago¡­. How did Setsu-san became acquainted with the sea god-san?¡± (Ruri) ¡±N? From a while ago.¡± (Setsu) ¡°¡®From a while ago¡¯ my ass!! Who¡¯s the rude one suddenly coming and punch me!?¡± (Levia) ¡°And who¡¯s the crazy one rampaging at the sea disturbing me!?¡± (Setsu) Punching the sea god¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DRuri had a dumbfounded look on her face so I explain it to her clearly. At that time I payed a lot of money to go from the Human Continent to the Devil Continent by ship. The sea becomes rough for some reason, we¡¯re in a crisis of being overturned. What appeared from the sea at that time, is this sea god. ¡°I was already pretty pissed of because of the war on land at that time¡­¡± (Setsu) For the war in this world, basically the one who controlled the sea wins. This is because it is necessary to use the sea if you want to travel to other continents. If you managed to land, the magician could use the large scale magic called ¡´Gate¡µafterward, which could be connected to the ¡´Gate¡µ in your own continent. Then it became possible to move between ¡´Gate¡µ. If the gate is opened once, it take a considerable amount of time to destroy it, so from the perspective of the attacked side, you can¡¯t allow the enemy to land. It can be said that you¡¯ve already win if you can open the gate. In other words, for the early stage of the war, The sea will become the battlefield. So the sea god is being a total nuisance making it troublesome. ¡°At that time I don¡¯t really know the way of the war¡­ but since I think it was an obstruction, I let this guy behave with my fist.¡± (Setsu) ¡°No¡­ even if you say fist¡­¡± (Ruri) ¡°Although I don¡¯t really understand the principle, this guy¡¯s fist is really something else¡­¡± (Levia) Well I have some connection with both the Demon Lord and the Beast King. I know some technique that could ignore your defense. Although this guy is an adult too, she then goes ¡ºI¡¯ll let you pass through if stop the war!¡» to the point that it was embarrassing. Since I¡¯m planning to do just that, I was allowed to passed smoothly when I conveyed it. This dragon girl is really easy. ¡°Well, somehow she let me pass through, and I tamed this fellow with various food, then she started following me.¡± (Setsu) I omitted the part that I stopped the war to Ruri. It¡¯s confusing, and she might not even believe me. The part where the Human country betrayed me¡­ since the reason the war ended had been fairly modified, it will be hard for Ruri to easily accept it as the truth if I just blurt it out suddenly. ¡°Wait, who are you saying I¡¯m trying to follow!?¡± (Levia) Whoops, the sea god give some late tsukkomi. Well, you¡¯re the kind of cold-hearted guy that can be bought with fried fish. ¡°You¡¯re mistaken if you think I¡¯ll just follow you because of some fried fish!! ¡­ But well, since he goes out of his way to give it to me, I guess I don¡¯t mind helping him out a few times when he needs me?¡± (Levia) ¡­I only tried making fried food with the fish that I caught by chance, but this fellow likes it very much, she starts trusting me in no time at all. When I tell her that I want to do some test or some request, she¡¯ll agree to it without any hesitation at all if I gave her fried food. I keep on serving fried food to her while chuckling to myself, until she owes me a huge loan. ¡°Kuh¡­ if I didn¡¯t lose to the temptation at that time and didn¡¯t eat too much, I don¡¯t really need to listen to this in this way¡­¡± (Levia) ¡°What, you didn¡¯t really need to listen to it in particular.¡± (Setsu) ¡°I-it¡¯s impossible for me who is the sea god to have a debt!!¡± (Levia) ¡°Is that so, so your promise with me is not that important to you!?¡± (Setsu) ¡°Huh!? I-it¡¯s not like I really think it was that important anyway!¡± (Levia) While she speaks that with awfully upset tone, the dragon¡¯s head shakes wobbly. What¡¯s with this fellow, you have the tsundere trait? ¡°What¡¯s with you¡­ even though you suddenly call after disappearing for a long time, and you even bring a girl with you¡­ not to mention I just waited like a fool even when the war occur¡­¡± (Levia) ¡­ If you suddenly act like that even I would feel bad¡­ well I do felt sorry for leaving her waiting for 5 years. ¡°For that I could only say that I¡¯m sorry. As an apology you can ask me whatever you want. Only in the range of what I can do though.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Eh!? For real!?¡± (Levia) This time the head shakes joyfully. Please control it soon because Ruri¡¯s head had been shaking since a while ago. ¡°Have you thought about it? You don¡¯t have to rush about it though.¡± (Setsu) ¡°I¡¯ve already thought about it! Anything is good right!?¡± (Levia) ¡°Yeah¡­ if it¡¯s something I can do.¡± (Setsu) Seeing the brain of this dragon, I¡¯m kind of worried about what she would find interesting. But aren¡¯t you a bit happy there? Are you really the sea god(lol)? ¡°You¡¯re amazing Setsu-san¡­ really, who are you?¡± (Ruri) ¡°I¡¯m just a worthless adventurer, it¡¯s just that I have many acquaintance.¡± (Setsu) Although I know a lot of dangerous fellow, knowing that the reaction of Ruri would be great, I kept my silence. That reminds me, although I planned to go to the Demon Lord¡¯s castle, where will Ruri head to? For now lets ask her where she¡¯ll be heading. ¡°Ruri, where will you head to when you arrive at the Devil¡¯s continent?¡± (Setsu) When she heard that, Ruri returns an unexpected answer. ¡°Uhm¡­ Evil Barrow.¡± (Ruri) ¡°Evil Barrow¡­¡± (Setsu) Evil Barrow, in other term is the Demon Lord¡¯s castle. Although it also include the downtown around the castle street, that name is basically what you call the Demon Lord¡¯s castle. ¡°You¡­ are you going to the Demon Lord¡¯s castle?¡± (Setsu) ¡°Yes! The client of this brooch seems to live there.¡± (Ruri) She said that while taking it out of her pocket, a beautiful brooch decorated with black jewel. ¡­I somehow felt like I¡¯m familiar with it. ¡°¡­Can you show it to me for a moment?¡± (Setsu) ¡°Treat it carefully okay?¡± (Ruri) ¡°Yeah.¡± (Setsu) I receive it, and try to check the backside. If it¡¯s the one I knew, there should be something written right there. (You serious¡­) Judging from the conclusion, this is indeed the brooch that I know. Of course I also knew the owner. What surprised me is that Ruri doesn¡¯t know the owner. ¡°¡­you, did you try to send this brooch without knowing who it belongs to?¡± (Setsu) ¡°Eh? Yeah¡­ I don¡¯t know the details because Ojii-chan only told me the address¡­¡± (Ruri) Ojii-chan¡­ tell her properly would you¡­ What¡¯s written on the back side of the brooch, it was a name. ¡´Disaster?Sereen¡µ [T.N: ¡´¥Ç¥¶¥¹¥È¥ë?¥»¥ì©`¥Î¡µ(Dezasutoru Sere-no). Hit me up with something better, but I think this one is correct.] The one that sits on the throne of the Demon Lord¡¯s castle Evil Barrow, it¡¯s the name of the ¡®woman¡¯ that lead all the Devils. ¡°You¡­ this belongs to the Demon Lord Disaster you know?¡± (Setsu) ¡°Eh¡­ Demon Lord?¡± (Ruri) ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DAfter that, Ruri¡¯s third cry resounded throughout the sea. While Setsu and co are moving on the sea, in the Demon Lord¡¯s castle that is their destination, along with Demon Lord Disaster, stood a tall elegant male with refined appearance. The Demon Lord who sits on the throne had a beautiful face that would attract any men. All the meat is in the right place, her foot having moderate flesh, having clear constriction, and the intense chest that is held up with red dress that is about to burst¡­. Her face is frighteningly well balanced, with red hair that flows beautifully had been grown till the waist. The pale skin which is the feature of the Devil brought about a mysterious aspect from her. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DDemon Lord Disaster-sama, have you decided on an answer?¡± (???) The man had a distorted smile as he asked the Demon Lord. ¡°¡­Really, will you grant my wish if I accept your demand as¡­ ¡´Teran Company¡µ¡¯s power and mistress?¡± (Disaster) ¡°I promise¡­ as long as it is within the power of me, ¡´Teran Sneeter¡µ and the firm I lead, I will grant your wish.¡± (Teran) [T.N: ¥Æ¥é¥ó?¥¹¥Ë©`¥¿©`(Teran Suniitaa). Seriously, author can¡¯t pick a more punchable sounding name.] Since that man¡¯s smile is unexpectedly a doubtful one, although Disaster is about to change her thought, she stand firm in case he might really able to grant her wish. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DUnderstood, I accept you demand.¡± (Disaster) ¡°Thank you very much, Disaster-sama¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dno, as you¡¯re going to be my ¡®bride¡¯, so should I call you Dezas now?¡± [T.N: He just use ¥Ç¥¶¥¹(Dezasu) which is short for Disaster. I know, but Disas sounds kind of like some kind of Finland canned fish product, so I¡¯ll use Dezas.] Teran went up to her, with his hand moved to her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll listen to your demand once you became my ¡®wife¡¯, I will also firmly grant your wish.¡± (Teran) Disaster grits her teeth at the man¡¯s indecent smile. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ you don¡¯t mind if I grant your wish after our wedding ceremony right?¡± (Teran) ¡°Yeah¡­ that is fine.¡± (Disaster) ¡°Thank you very much¡­ well then, since we need to prepare for the ceremony, I¡¯ll leave for now. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dand I¡¯ll come pick you up in the morning 4 days later.¡± (Teran) ¡°Understood¡­¡± (Disaster) Teran patted her shoulder a few times before reluctantly part with her. A slim man wearing a jet black robe enter and they passed each other. The robed man glared at Teran as the pass each other, but the glared Teran just shrug his shoulder as he left. ¡°Maou-sama¡­¡± (???) ¡°Brad huh?¡± (Dizaster) The robed man, with long black hair tied at the back and a sharp look is called Brad. Blood colored horn grew on one corner of his head. ¡°¡­Why did you accept the demand of such a man!? Aren¡¯t you already belong to ¡®that man¡¯?¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± (Brad) ¡°All of this is for ¡®that man¡¯¡± (Disaster) She said so with a regrettable expression. Although she would endure it a while ago, she paid attention to her shoulder that Teran touched. She really want to tear it up and throw it away. However she couldn¡¯t do it. This dress, because Disaster¡¯s beloved person said she looks really good in it¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D (Don¡¯t tell me I¡¯m going to hate this dress¡­) Since she couldn¡¯t remove the disgust no matter how much she pays, resignation mixed in Disaster¡¯s face. ¡°¡­I won¡¯t accept it! Absolutely!!¡± (Brad) ¡°Brad¡­¡± (Disaster) Brad heads to the doorway with an awfully angry mood. He put his hand on the door of the throne room, and finally looked back and said. ¡°Even for me¡­ if possible I want to meet him again¡­ however I don¡¯t want you to give your body for that¡­¡± (Brad) His face is warped with a sorrowful expression. He¡¯s someone who understood Disaster¡¯s painful feeling, and is annoyed at himself as he cannot do anything. She was not able to say anything to that Brad. Until he had left the room, she was not able to look up. (There¡¯s no other way¡­ to meet that guy¡­ I got no other choice but to do so to meet Setsu again¡­) Disaster recalled her encounter with a man during the war for territory that awoke her eyes. And the parting with him who was considered to be a threat by the Human country, and then sent back to his original world. For a long time she though he¡¯s still in this world. He didn¡¯t say anything and just disappeared. She couldn¡¯t cry when she heard the story. Thus she started the war again as a retaliation. (I want to see him one more time¡­ so that is why) The man called Setsu didn¡¯t die, it was Teran that told her a while ago that he had been transferred by the Human Country. As he conveyed that, he also give a proposal. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DIf you can be my wife, Setsu who is called everyone¡¯s hero, I will summon him again¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D Demon Lord Disaster believed the story of such a sneaky man. Her desire to cling to the small hope¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dtoo much, she is requesting for Setsu. Even if she had to be the belonging of other man, if she could meet that man who she should no longer be possible to meet¡­ ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DObviously she didn¡¯t know, the man himself didn¡¯t stop wishing for a reunion, and has already returned to this world. And then, he¡¯s on his way to this Devil continent. When Setsu found out about this, although currently the man called Teran had a dirty smile floating on his face, at that time it would easily fall apart. CH 12 ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡±What¡¯s with this guy?¡± (Setsu) I muttered that as I see a huge squid that floats on the surface of the sea in front of us. We have been able to advance smoothly before, and now we¡¯ve already reached a position where we can see the Devil continent. Just when we¡¯re about to arrive, this squid had jumped out of the sea. ¡°That guy is a Kraken, an A class.¡± (Levia) Its a squid-like monster with high sounding name called Kraken which attacks the moment when other creatures entered their territory, and just as its descriptions, we were attacked the moment we enter this sea area too, but¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°It¡¯s an eyesore huh, with that attitude that insist on claiming it¡¯s their sea.¡± (Levia) ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThe moment its body that is the size of a building appeared in front of us, Levia shoots a water bullet from her mouth, opening an air hole in the squid¡¯s body. The Kraken which had a big hole opened at the center of its body struggled with its 10 huge feet for an instant, and then died after a few seconds. It is literally an instakill. ¡°There¡¯s no other sea creatures that can beat you in the sea¡­ although I knew that, instant kill is not what I expected.¡± (Setsu) ¡°I am the sea god you know? This much is natural!¡± (Levia) Her voice sounds so proud that I seem to hear an ¡°ahem¡± from it. Since it¡¯s going to be annoying if she keeps on bragging, let¡¯s just handle it moderately. ¡°Yeah yeah¡­ so, what to do with it?¡± (Setsu) ¡°¡­we can¡¯t eat it?¡± (Levia) ¡°What!? You can eat this!?¡± (Setsu) An attractive remarks came from Levia that seems to be dissatisfied about something, I then unintentionally stare at the Kraken. Squid huh¡­ ¡°¡­I guess I could make Squid Ring?¡± (Setsu) Oooh©` it¡¯s been awhile since my last time in the Devil continent.¡± (Setsu) ¡°I-it¡¯s my first time¡­ ¡° (Ruri) [T.N: Ruri kind of usually ends her sentence with ¡®desu¡¯, which is kind of her way of speaking politely. Should I keep it there, or not?] To avoid the eyes of others, we didn¡¯t head towards the port, and instead got off on a deserted sandy beach. Ruri who had just gotten off was looking around restlessly with a tensed state. I also jumped off from Levia¡¯s head, trying to feel this nostalgic atmosphere. First of all, unlike the Human continent, the amount of magic in the air is huge. The reason why the devil being the specialist in magic is said due to the fact that they grow up in such an environment. ¡°It¡¯s not that fresh for me since I¡¯ve come here plenty of time in my free time.¡± (???) ¡°N?¡± (Setsu) I heard a voice from behind my back, and a girl with long light blue hair stood there when I looked back. She looks perfect that you might even think that she¡¯s a model, she didn¡¯t really have any breast but her beautiful face makes it a trivial matter. Her nose is straight, and she has a pair of huge eyes with red iris. The clothes that she puts on are the one called Jinbei in Japan, light blue in color. The bottom part are shorts with some space, and her white feet extending from it are really attractive. [T.N: Jinbei is the Japanese¡¯s tradition summer clothes. There¡¯s a picture of her below wearing it] ¡°What, it¡¯s just you, Levia.¡± (Setsu) ¡°You think I¡¯ll just quietly go back into the sea after coming this far? Not to mention¡­ I also have a little business I have to do if we go meet the Demon King¡­¡± (Levia) ¡­Although it seems that she has a reason, I don¡¯t really have any particular reason to refuse. As you can see, she has a skill called ¡´Human Form¡µ that she can use. It¡¯s not really all that rare for the monsters in SSS class, or rather it¡¯s a pretty common one. Although her power should still be the same even in this state, it seems that she would only be an S class monster if you consider her characteristics. Still, since there are rarely any S class monster, I can expect much from her war potential. ¡°Are you okay, Ruri?¡± (Setsu) ¡°I-I¡¯m okay¡­ but are you really going to follow me till Evil Barrow?¡± (Ruri) ¡°I have some business there too, so for now I¡¯ll act as your guard.¡± (Setsu) I guess Ruri think I¡¯m going to do something bad by going to meet the Demon king, so she¡¯s been asking me anxiously. Since I¡¯m already planning to meet that fellow, I almost forgot that I am to act as her guard. So there¡¯s no demerit of us going together. ¡°Then I guess it¡¯s going to be the three of us¡­ so what do we do first?¡± (Ruri) As it had took 4 hours, the sky had turned red. Since you must prepare to sleep in the open, I want to cook somewhere the Kraken that I¡¯ve put in my magic bag. There should be a village nearby, but¡­ [T.N: Keep in mind that the devils are at war with the human, and they are three human right now(well, just 1 normal human, 1 OP MC, and a tsundere dragon. But you get my point).] ¡°Then there¡¯s a village that I have a lot of influence nearby here, I mean I landed here to go there.¡± (Levia) ¡°Is that so, then please guide the way.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Leave it to me.¡± (Levia) Levia start walking and leads us. Heading towards our destination, there¡¯s weird forest where distorted trees grow thick. A few minutes after walking in the woods, on the other side of the trees I saw buildings built from black tree. According to Levia, it seems to be made from the trees growing in this forest. Certainly the twisted black tree that I¡¯ve seen in this forest is black in color. Or rather how do you even use that to make houses¡­ [T.N: We human usually use straight log tree for the woods to make houses, not curvy type.] When we came to the neighborhood, I saw high defensive wall made from the tree surrounding the village. Since the magic in the atmosphere is high in the Devil continent, the monster is strong too, so it is used to prevent surprised attack, ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DStop.¡± (???) When we reached a distance where we could see the whole village, a male guarding the gate to the village take a standstill. The man is wrapped in gray armor, his spear seems to be well-maintained. ¡°It¡¯s me. Can you let us through?¡± (Levia) ¡°Ooops¡­ I¡¯m sorry for being rude to Wadatsumi-sama. These people are?¡± (Guard) They¡¯re my friends, can you let these 2 pass though?¡± (Levia) ¡°I won¡¯t be able to refuse if they are a friend of Wadatsumi-sama. Please, do enter.¡± (Guard) ¡°Thanks.¡± (Levia) She¡¯s really acquainted with this place, we¡¯re allowed to enter the village without any precautions in particular. ¡°L-Levia-san is really great huh¡­¡± (Ruri) ¡°¡­Somehow it doesn¡¯t feel that bad when it¡¯s you who called me that way¡­ well, since the village is near the sea it¡¯s pretty easy to sink it if they offend me. (Levia) For sure they wont offend you then¡­ I guess if they did, she could just raised a tsunami to swallow the whole region here? Are you trying to scare Ruri? ¡°Even I won¡¯t really do such a troublesome thing, it¡¯s tiring.¡± (Levia) ¡°I-I¡¯m glad¡­¡± (Ruri) ¡°Just what do you really think I am¡­¡± A dangerous woman who shoots water bullet from your mouth, opening an air hole on anyone your meet? The squid that we¡¯re going to eat later is the proof. ¡°I humbly welcome you, Wadatsumi-sama and her friends.¡± (???) When we enter the village, we met with an elderly person with small horns on the sides of his head. The devil¡¯s skin is pale as usual, at first I thought he look sickly, but seeing how the person in question is very healthy, I lost my worry. ¡°Village Chief, I want to stay overnight here, but is that okay?¡± (Levia) ¡°Of course. I will prepare with our utmost service.¡± (Chief) Ruri kind of looks uncomfortable with the word ¡®service¡¯. That being said, we¡¯re just a friend of Levia, so even I have a wry smile at the moment. ¡°Ah, that right, Village Chief. Can you lend a kitchen to this man? (Levia) ¡°Kitchen, is it? You could use my house if you want, but¡­¡± (Chief) Using it? His eyes that glance from Levia to me seems to say that. Although it kind of unpleasant, let¡¯s just obediently return his glance. ¡°What do you plan on making?¡± (Chief) ¡°Aah¡­ I just want to cook some squid.¡± (Setsu) ¡­Squid? ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dalthough he¡¯s giving me a suspicious looks, he still guides me to his house. ¡°Alright! I¡¯m done frying!!¡± (Setsu) ¡°Y-yes!!¡± (Village Girl) I let the village girl nearby carry the dish that I put on the plate. The deep fried squid cuisine is of course the so called Squid Ring. Eh? Why does the giant squid become ring-shaped that can be carried with a plate? You¡¯re going to be bald if you worry about those little details!! It just happened when I cut and fry it! ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DSo, why do I be the one having to handle all this squid since a while ago¡­? ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI¡¯m sorry¡­ I have to leave the cooking for the party to you.¡± (Chief) ¡°If you¡¯re going to say that then help me, Village Chief!!¡± (Setsu) ¡°But I don¡¯t know how to cook¡­¡± (Chief) ¡°Gaaah©`©`!! Dammit!!¡± (Setsu) At the Village Chief¡¯s house, although I started cooking the Kraken, the Village Chief who had seen it started to make some commotion and began preparing for a party. Somehow, it seems that they have taken some considerable damage from this Kraken, as they can¡¯t go fishing if it appears at the sea. As we have subdued the Kraken which would allowed them to start fishing again, the village decided to hold a party to celebrate it. And then I¡¯m left to be in charge for the cooking of the party. This is because of Revia too. Since she somehow pushed all the dishes to me, somehow it turns into the entire village entrusting it to me. ¡°¡­Even though she¡¯s the one that wanted to eat it! Why am I the one stuck with this pain in the ass job¡­¡± (Setsu) I could have just refused, but it¡¯s kind of hard to refuse it when they have some kind of expectation from me. I¡¯m not that much into cooking when I was in Japan, but I occasionally made various things like this as a hobby. I¡¯m kind of felt glad when my parents said it¡¯s delicious, so it kind of jump out of the range of a hobby. So I¡¯m kind of slightly glad that someone like Levia left me to be in charge of the dish. But I guess I kind of got carried away. Since troublesome things are troublesome, I¡¯m considerably regretting it right now. I¡¯m starting to get irritated at the squid¡¯s leg that keep on coming from my magic bag. I take out one foot at a time since I can¡¯t really cook all of them at once, but still, this is just the second one. I applied bread crumbs to the squid¡¯s foot that have become a mouthful ring-size for some reason, and then throw it into the oil. I then continue cutting the foot again, and then I take out the squid ring that have been deep-fried beautifully. Oil could be seen seeping from the squid¡¯s foot. Since I don¡¯t really know any detailed recipe, I just make it by coating it in breadcrumbs and thrown into the oil. ¡°Setsu, I¡¯m going to get tired of the Squid Ring soon. I want to eat white fish.¡± (Levia) I cut the foot in anger while Levia nonchalantly enters the kitchen. Although she should have known that I¡¯m really busy right now, for her to ask me to make some fried white fish, I grab the deep-fried Squid Ring by hand, and then throw it into Levia¡¯s mouth. ¡°Shut uupp!! Just eat this Squid Ring for now!!¡± (Setsu) ¡°Muga!¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dh-hooooottt!!¡± (Levia) Water©`©`©`©`!! Is what Levia keep on shouting as she goes out. Reflect on that for a while. [POV change to third person] ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DWhile Setsu and co went ashore¡­ The man who got the promise of marriage with the Demon King, Teran Sneater, is currently in a carriage through the castle district. It is not too wide in the carriage, as it seems that at only about 4 people could fit at once. Other than Teran in the carriage, there¡¯s a person wrapped in jet-black robe. With the robe deeply covers the head, it covers the whole body so that the characteristic of the body is not shown. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DIt seems to be going well.¡± (???) The robed person lets out his voice. It could be seen that he is a man from his voice. While Teran frowns at the strange man¡¯s atmosphere, he immediately started to float a big smile as he talks joyfully. ¡°You were right, I don¡¯t think that it would go so well with just using the story of that man called Setsu. However, how will you do it? ¡´Teran Company¡µhave no way to summon that man you know?¡± (Teran) What he said just now is a complete opposite of what he said at the Demon Lord¡¯s castle a while ago. He had confronts Demon Lord Disaster, telling her that he could summon the man called Setsu again. ¡°That part will be left to me. You just enjoy your life with the Demon Lord as much as you can.¡± (Robe Guy) ¡°That¡¯s what I planned on doing¡­. but I don¡¯t like it when you said it like that.¡± (Teran) ¡°¡­ Who was is again the one that makes you able to get the woman who rules this country?¡± (Robe Guy) ¡°¡­ I know that already.¡± (Teran) Teran understood that defying this man would be a mistake. His attitude shows that he could erase him at any time if he wants, and he¡¯s sure that it is not a bluff. ¡°You don¡¯t have to think of any unnecessary things. Just prepare for your wedding. I¡¯ll also participate on that day too. Since I don¡¯t want the Demon King¡¯s subordinate to come and disturb the scene after all.¡± (Robe Guy) ¡°Haah¡­ if only you don¡¯t look at people with that eyes full of hostility¡­ I think you need to fix that so that it won¡¯t be a hindrance.¡± (Teran) ¡°I¡¯ll only protect you up to that day. After that you can go back to business the same as always.¡± (Robe Guy) ¡°Understood.¡± (Teran) ¡°Then it¡¯s good.¡± (Robe Guy) The moment he said that, the robed man disappearance. It was at the instant Teran blinked his eyes, he had disappeared from the moving carriage. [T.N: Sounds like Batman, but more evil] ¡°Fuuh©`©`©`¡­ As I thought, conversing with him really makes me nervous. For Teran who have been talking to hundreds of people for his business, he¡¯s having a cold sweat every time he talks to that man. If he makes any bad remarks, there¡¯s even a possibility that his head would fly. However, for him it really is worth shouldering all that risk. ¡°Well, everything is fine as that is the only way I would be able to obtain that Demon Lord¡¯s pretty face.¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± (Teran) [T.N: Some huge company boss you are, thinking with your lower head. I¡¯m sure your company will prosper if you keep on thinking with that head] The carriage he rides continue to move through the city streets. A shadow is looking down at the carriage from a building. It is the same robed man that was inside it a moments ago. ¡°As expected he¡¯s really easy to use¡­¡± (Robe Guy) While the man mutters that, he lowers his hood more. (¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DAs for ¡®that person¡¯¡­ I¡¯ve heard rumors that he¡¯s already back in this world¡­) People going around town didn¡¯t notice him at all. Indifference¡­ treating him like a ¡®shadow¡¯. [T.N: Author kind of emphasize the word Ó°(Kage) which means shadow. It could be a name for his organization but I¡¯m not sure yet. Just thought it was worth mentioning.] (We exist for the sake of our master¡­ I have to confirm his existence¡­ the hero called Setsu that is similar to our master) The next moment, his figure disappeared the way he disappeared in the carriage. In a place that Setsu doesn¡¯t know, threatening wind has begun to blow hard in this world¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D CH 13 [Third person POV] When the sun was setting and the view on the neighborhood became worse, Brad Allegra, one of the Five Great Demon Generals working under the Demon Lord Disaster, left the Demon King¡¯s castle and was in the forest near the sea. (With this the transfer will be temporarily unusable¡­¡­ It will take two days from here to Evil Barrow, which should be plenty of time, but if I do not hurry¡­¡­) Behind him is a faintly shining magic formation drawn on the ground. If he were to leave that place, the magic formation will eventually lose its shine. This is the transfer magic formation and as its name implies it is capable of transferring people and objects. Just by drawing two magic formations on the ground nearly fulfills the conditions of transfer, however the amount of magic power consumed by magic formation is not common. Even for him who hold the title of one of the five great demon generals, he needed to fill the magic formation with magic power for several days in a row in order to activate the magic formation. (¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DIf it was possible for me to borrow the power of the Sea God Leviathan, I may be able to rescue the Demon Lord) The reason for him to come to the sea was to request aid from the sea god. (If it is her who holds a ¡®special connection¡¯ with the Demon Lord Disaster¡­¡­) It is a fleeting wish, but he has nothing but to depend on this so he observes the situation heavily. The suspicious man called Terran held a mysterious composure¡­¡­ a kind of composure where his aloof attitude didn¡¯t break even in front of the demon king who holds the Demon continent¡¯s most powerful title, just where in the world did he come from?¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D (It is certain that someone is working behind the scenes¡­¡­ our plans to disrupt the ceremony will be hindered by that someone) They, the Five Great Generals, are making a plan to create an uproar at the day of the wedding and rescue Disaster. They thought of this plan to humiliate Terran on the spot, so that he would never come near her again. However, if the someone behind the scenes acting as his guard, it would definitely hinder their movements. The fact that Terran could speak whatever he pleases and be obstinate became proof that there is someone behind him that can fight. For that purpose, he decided to ask for assistance from the Sea God who has a connection with the Demon Lord. Though her strength would drop if the battle is on land, nevertheless she is so powerful they can still entrust her assistance. From now on the negotiations will depends on him for requesting the assistance from the girl whose pride is really high. ¡°¡­¡­.Hm?¡± (Brad) When the smell of the tide became stronger, Brad noticed he had heard noisy voices he shouldn¡¯t be hearing from somewhere. Around this area there is a town¡­¡­ or actually there is only one village, he had moved around this area several times by foot, but there had never been a bustling feeling such as this. He suddenly became anxious and moved his feet towards the direction of those voices. It is just right as he was thinking it is a bit early to met the Sea God. The reason he visited here during the night instead of daytime was in order to not let anyone heard the conversation between him and the Sea God, but as there is still time before the sun sets, he thought about killing time. When he approaches the village, for some reason he can see the guards at the gate carrying a light brown, ring shaped object in their mouths. ¡°Hey, soldiers.¡± (Brad) ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DGuh! Yo-you¡¯re Lord Brad of the Five Great Demon Generals! What brings you to this place!?¡± (Guard) ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, why is the village this lively? As if something like a feast is held¡­¡­¡± (Brad) ¡°That¡¯s right! The Great Sea God has subjugated the Kraken, the natural enemy of us who live by the coast! Tonight we¡¯re having a feast with the Great Sea God¡± (Guard) Brad understood from hearing the soldier¡¯s words. Although the Sea God being in this village was out of his expectations, it saved him the trouble of calling her¡­¡­ However there was one more thing he became interested in. ¡°I understand the commotion then¡­¡­ by the way soldier, what are those light brown rings?¡± (Brad) He had become interested in the plate filled with rings the soldier is holding onto since a while ago. Based on just the smell, it is similar to the one his friend used to make which he called ¡®fried¡¯ food¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°This seems to be called Squid Ring. It seems to be the body of the Kraken covered with flour and deep fried, it is crispy and delicious I tell you¡± (Guard) While he was saying so, the soldier offered him a piece and he threw it into his mouth. After the crispy crunch, the taste of the squid wrapped in a coat spreads in his mouth. Originally Brad doesn¡¯t really put these things called squid in his mouth, but he was surprised it was this soft and it properly passed through his teeth. He spontaneously swallowed the the squid ring before he could finish enjoying the taste. ¡°This is¡­ really good.¡± (Brad) He received a shock ever since he put the thing called fried food in his mouth. However the more he sees it and the more he smells it, the more he receives the impression it is similar to what he ate once before. ¡°It fills me with joy that it is to your liking, sir. This is created by the person who came to this village with the Great Sea God you know.¡± (Guard) ¡°Together with the Sea God..? (Brad) A person who journeys together with the sea god and can create the food that resembles to what he ate once before¡­¡­ the face of one person arose in his mind. When Brad enters the village, many tables were lined up and furthermore, dozens to hundreds of the things called squid rings he ate before are placed on the table. The villagers are drinking alcohol while carrying the squid rings into their mouths, it is really lively here and there. When he advanced while being called sometimes, he finally reached the person he¡¯s looking for. ¡°Sea God Levia¡­¡± (Brad) ¡°Oh? Aren¡¯t you Brad who¡¯s with the Demon Lord?¡± (Levia) Levia puts the squid ring down on a small plate, and then she pick up something else that is of the same color but with a different shape. As for what it is, it is something that Brad is familiar with. ¡°Th-that is¡­¡± (Brad) ¡°Ah, Fried White Fish? I won¡¯t give any to you though?¡± (Levia) How regrettable¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DAlthough he did thought that, that is not the main issue here. ¡°Where is the person who made this!?¡± (Brad) ¡°Eh? He should be at the village chief¡¯s house over there but¡­¡± (Levia) Brad forgot his business with Levia after hearing that and starts running towards the house. When he arrived in front of the village chief¡¯s house, Brad barged into the house without knocking on the door. He head towards the kitchen at full speed while ignoring the surprised village girls, and then flung open the door of the kitchen. ¡°Who¡¯s the one cooking the food here!!?¡± (Brad) ¡°Shut the fuck up!! Just eat the damn squid ring!!¡± (Setsu) The moment he entered inside and ask that, a brown ring jumps into his mouth. ¡°Mguh¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DH-hot!!¡± (Brad) [POV Change to MC] I threw the squid ring that I just finished frying into the intruder again. I¡¯ve already fried the white fish just for that troublesome girl a while ago. I have no room for another selfish request. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DH-hot!!¡± (???) ¡°¡­N?¡± (Setsu) But I¡¯m starting to have doubts as the voice that enter my ears is from a man¡¯s. I thought that Levia had asked someone to deliver the message but was I wrong? Not to mention, did I ever heard this voice before..? ¡°Y-you bastard¡­to do this to me¡­¡± (Brad) I heard a voice from behind me while I was cooking. He sounds exactly like Brad who¡¯s the subordinate of the Demon Lord. I want to turn around and look but I can¡¯t take my eyes off the oil, and I really want him to do this later. ¡°Kuh¡­ I thought for sure you would be Setsu¡­. It seems like I¡¯m just on a fool¡¯s errand.¡± (???) The man spats out my name mixed with anger, so I stopped sending magic power to the magic stove that heated the oil and looked back. ¡°Ah~ it¡¯s Brad after all huh?¡± (Setsu) I¡¯m finally convinced after seeing that face. The splendid red horn growing out of his head seems to be in good health. There was a time when I tried pulling it to see if it would come off, but that horn sure is sturdy. ¡°You bastard¡­ how did you know my name?¡± (Brad) Ah~¡­..I guess he wont recognize me since my appearance had changed¡­. I guess he won¡¯t remember that easily if I didn¡¯t let him learn with his body. ¡°Oh yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± (Setsu) I pushed aside the squid¡¯s tentacles and put my hand into the magic bag, and then took out the object I have in mind. It¡¯s a large sword that exceeds my height that I got from his master. It¡¯s Kuromaru. Since this guy is present when I got this, it should be good for proof. ¡°Th-that sword!¡± (Brad) ¡°Here, it¡¯s the sword that your master give to me.¡± (Setsu) I threw the sword and let him check it. Brad timidly received it and checked the sword from top to bottom for a while and threw it back. ¡°I-it is certainly the genuine ¡´Schwartz¡µ¡­¡± (Brad) ¡°That is not it¡¯s name!! It¡¯s KU?RO?MA?RU!!¡± (Setsu) Don¡¯t call it with such a lame name!! ¡°To call it with that name¡­¡­ so you really are Setsu¡­¡­ ?¡± (Brad) ¡°Long time no see, Brad. Your horn is interesting as usual.¡± (Setsu) ¡°S-Setsu¡­¡­ You came back¡­!¡± (Brad) As soon as he knew it is me he started shedding tears. Why is this guy showing a face like he is completely relieved? ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI see, so Dezas did that¡± (Setsu) ¡°Yes¡­¡­ Ah, could I have another helping of these squid rings?¡± (Brad) ¡°It¡¯s troublesome so go get it yourself¡± (Setsu) When the feast started to calm down, I called Levia and Ruri to the village chief¡¯s house and listened to most of the situation from Brad. Ruri was fast asleep though¡­¡­ ¡°When I had her drink some alcohol she started getting dizzy, when I noticed she was already sleeping you know.¡± (Levia) ¡°So it was your fault¡­¡­¡± (Setsu) Ruri, who seems to be sleeping comfortably, is still a minor, so it must be her first time drinking alcohol for sure. First of all, I dropped my fist onto Levia who made it happen, then I thought about what I have just heard. ¡°Terran Company huh¡­¡± (Setsu) I heard the details about 5 years ago. Although the firm doesn¡¯t particularly stand out at that time¡­ now the president proposed to the Demon Lord huh. ¡°Don¡¯t you go and use me as a pretext to get the Demon Lord¡­¡± (Setsu) I really want to ¡®spit¡¯ on him. It¡¯s troublesome for me if he take what is mine without permission. ¡°Oi Brad! When is the wedding!?¡± (Setsu) ¡°Mugu¡­¡­ ngu¡­¡­ it¡¯s in four days!¡± (Brad) Brad answered with his mouth full with the squid ring. In four days¡­ I can¡¯t move today, so I guess that leaves me three days? ¡°So based on your story, there may be a guard for this guy called Terran?¡± (Setsu) ¡°Yeah¡­ Although I can¡¯t confirm it, there¡¯s probably no doubt about it.¡± (Brad) So there is a guy with a degree of power enough to give the powerless man leeway as an opponent against these guys. Well if it¡¯s only on ¡®that degree¡¯ it won¡¯t be a problem. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThen, I guess I¡¯ll just go and destroy the whole damn wedding ceremony!¡± (Setsu) I¡¯m going to make him regret for trying to put his hands on what is mine. While I wrapped up my thoughts, I grabbed one of the squid rings at the table in front of me and tossed it in my mouth. Although it¡¯s not the case every single time, it is the job of the hero to help the princess after all. CH 14 Author¡¯s Note: Fast forward for a bit. And so with that, don¡¯t worry as you did not missed a chapter. [T.N: Dezas¡¯s POV] ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThe day of the wedding¡­. I, who hold the position of the Demon Lord, am wearing a pure white wedding dress in my room. The wedding ceremony is held normally with us being in a room in the throne room. Only my partner will be called and as it could cause chaos from the abruptness, it is kept secret to the public. A man named Terran had proposed requesting of me, and began to advance the preparation at a terrifying speed after having my reply. My subordinates, the Five Great Demon Generals have been earnestly opposing the marriage, but it was too late to go against my intentions. Just by selling my body I could meet Setsu one more time. Of course it is possible that I will be deceived, but it is worth using my body for this. Moreover Terran may be a nasty man, but as a merchant he won¡¯t lie. Naturally I will have my subordinates examine the vicinity. After consideration, I have decided to offer myself to him. Once married it is taboo to betray your partner in this world. Even if you are a Demon Lord, this taboo does not change¡­¡­ (fufu¡­¡­ Setsu will laugh at me when he sees this appearance of mine¡­¡­) That is what I think when I see myself in the pure white dress. I myself like the colors black and red, and he too give praises to my red dress. (Which reminds me¡­¡­ I wonder if that black brooch had been repaired yet? At the very least I wanted to hold it in my hand¡­¡­) The pitch black brooch I received when he left the Demon continent has even my name carefully engraved on its back. There is no more than one of this present in this world and only I have it . At the very least I wanted to grasp the connection with him until the end of the wedding ceremony. While I recall the brooch, there was a knock on the door of this room. I guess it¡¯s almost the time¡­¡­ ¡°Disaster-sama. It is time.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go now.¡± (Dezas) I got off the bed I was sitting on and went towards the ceremonial hall in the throne room. I do not have the intention to hide or run away, everything is for our benefactor and for the sake of meeting the man I love¡­¡­ Nevertheless, while I still hesitate somewhat, I opened the gates to the throne room and went through¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D [T.N: Third person POV] The bride entered the throne room. Even Terran, who is waiting in front of the throne as the bridegroom, and those participating as his company associates was charmed by her, whose body is covered in a pure white dress. However, the five great demon generals at this place are aware of her usual appearance and her tastes and they did not show a very pleased face. ¡°¡­As expected it really doesn¡¯t suits you, Disaster-sama.¡± While playing with her deep blue hair that is grown until her shoulder, one of the Five Great Demon Generals Lily Laveint (¥ê¥ê©`?¥é¥ô¥§¥ó¥È; ririi ravento) mutters such line. The man who replied to Lily, was a giant who appears to be nearly twice her size making her looked like a child instead. Bulging with muscle without any excess fat, his whole skin was nearly black compared to the pale Lily. ¡°For our Lord it has to be red and black after all, I just cannot understand the hobbies of humans at all.¡± His name is Ides Armicks.(¥¤¥Ç¥¹?¥¢©`¥ß¥¯¥¹; idesu aamikusu) He is one of the Five Great Demon Generals like Lily. The other three are not at this place, two of them are supposed to be keeping watch of the Human Continent. Depending on where the battle takes place, the gate was entrusted to them and so they could not attend. The problem the last person which is Brad, the last time they met was 4 days ago. ¡°What has Brad been doing I wonder¡­¡­? Didn¡¯t he say he was going to call the sea god and make a mess¡­¡­¡± (Lily) ¡°We have no choice but to wait now, I still believe in him, see? Rather than that, let¡¯s keep searching for opportunities.¡± (Ides) While Ides says that to Lily, he paid maximum attention to his surroundings. They are about to ruin the wedding ceremony. It is naturally for the sake of not handing the Demon Lord Disaster to the man named Terran. Even after tightly investigating him they still cannot trust him. Besides, Lily and co. have the same opinion as Brad; they don¡¯t want Dezas to sell herself just to call back Setsu. They think that, even if they were able to call Setsu back, it will only be painful for him. If there is something that will become a problem when interfering with the wedding ceremony, it would be the robed men near the walls of the throne room. The number of people are four, three have light brown robes and one has a pitch black robe. Their faces are hid deeply in the hood, but it feels that the level of the man in pitch black robe is different among the four. ¡°So those guys are the guards¡­¡­ Don¡¯t go out unprepared, you hear Lily?¡± (Ides) ¡°I know that, I¡¯ll move when I see an opportunity, okay?¡± (Lily) Urging each other to be careful, the two blends into the assembly hall. [T.N: Dezas¡¯s POV] Ah, in front of my eyes is Terran with a disgusting smile plastered on his face. He is wearing a suit with the same color as this dress I¡¯m wearing, and that strangely arranged hairstyle really fuels up my disgust. But I have to get used to this, I have to spend my entire life together with this person after all. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DYou¡¯re beautiful, Dezas.¡± (Terran) Because he muttered those sweet words while brushing my cheeks, these goosebumps won¡¯t go away. Strongly stepping on the floor, I fixed my body which is looking like I want to escape from this place. The moment I saw those eyes, I felt like tons of insects crawling all over my body. It¡¯s nothing but unpleasant to stand in front of this man¡­¡­ such feelings are dominating my body. ¡°Without further ado¡­¡­ the kiss of vow¡± The man with the appearance of a priest standing beside me and Terran says this. I glared at the priest for not saying more unnecessary things, but because he was too afraid to stand up I stopped. The one who said that it is appropriate for us demons to end weddings and the like with a kiss was that person, but by no means was it widely practiced. However, I heard that humans have ridiculous obsession about this. I heard from another human there seems to be a ceremony where they end it by exchanging rings. There is no meaning in wondering whether or not the priest or this person is part of such ridiculous obsession. I¡¯ve steels myself and returned Terran¡¯s gaze. When I matched my face to his, his face slowly approaches. [T.N: Eew] (It would¡¯ve been nice if my first time was with Setsu at least¡­¡­) While I have that kind of thought, I resign myself and close my eyes. Even so, I desperately resist my instinct to bend my face and retain the posture to accept him. As I can feel the breathing of this guy I can understand how close he¡¯s getting, it¡¯s already at this point¨D¨D¨D¨Dso I gave up¡­¡­ It was at that moment. ¡°AAHH©`©`©`©`! I can¡¯t take it anymore! We¡¯re doing this Ides!¡± (Lily) ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to calm down!? But I agree that this is as far as my patience will go!¡± (Ides) A voice I know comes out from the seats. My subordinates there, Lily and Ides, appear to be trying to cast magic. [T.N: Third person¡¯s POV] Lily and Ides entered battle stance the moment Disaster¡¯s lips were about to be snatched away. They already don¡¯t care about opportunities anymore, the situation was too difficult to accept. ¡°I¡¯ll go on ahead! Cover me!¡± (Ides) ¡°Leave it to me!¡± (Lily) Ides strengthens his body with magic power and does a leap towards Disaster¡¯s location. ¡°Wh-what is!? P- protect me!¡± (Terran) Surprised from his approach Terran lets go of her hand and ordered the robed men who were on standby in the vicinity. Responding to that order were two of the four robed men, both of them light brown. ¡°Hmph!¡± ¡°You¡¯re in the way! !¡± (Lily) As the robed men leaped before Ides¡¯ eyes, two flame lances were fired from Lily and were approaching them. It was shot in a position where it would hit his companion if he evades, and the robed person¨D¨D¨Ddidn¡¯t evade it. ¡°Magic barrier!?¡± (Lily) Lily let out a shocked voice from the magic formation spread out to protect the two robed men. The so-called magic barrier refers to a shield created from magic power. The magic barrier itself is not unusual, it can be said to be a basic art when a person becomes a magician. What she was surprised about was its strength. Naturally the magic just now is not a considerable magic for Lily of the Five Great Demon Generals. The magic is at the level of being as usable as breathing. For this reason she can fire them at rapid succession, but it¡¯s powerful enough to blow away B class monsters. It was shown that the magic is defended by the magic barrier that¡¯ instantly spread out by the robed men. It can be said at this point that its strength is that of a A class or higher. ¡°How about this!! Hmph!!¡± (Terran) Towards the robed men who defended the flame lance from the sky, Ides attacked with his strong arm. His striking physical body, which is unusual among the demons, broke the magic barrier and struck the robed men to the floor. ¡°Kyaaaaa!?¡± ¡°What, what is the meaning of this!?¡± Terran¡¯s merchant associates, who were petrified from this, started running away at full speed. Without paying attention to the people who were running away desperately, Ides advanced towards Disaster¡¯s position. And over there, a person stands in the way. ¡°So I really have to be your opponent with this experimental body¡­¡­ it can¡¯t be helped.¡± ¡°Move it!¡± (Ides) ¡°Hmph!¡± Among the four robed men, the one wearing the pitch black robe caught Ides¡¯ extraordinary fist. The floor shatters from the impact, but the large fist completely lost its strength after intersecting with the black robe¡¯s arm. ¡°Tch¡­¡­ as one would expect from the Five Great Generals, you have great strength.¡± ¡°Says the one who could stop my blow!¡± (Ides) Ides again lets out a kick with his log like leg. However the black robed man released Ides¡¯ fist and bend his body to avoid the kick. ¡°It seems this battle with the likes of you will be dragging on a bit! !¡± ¡°What!?¡± (Ides) [T.N: Nani!?] As the man shouted, a black something came from the shadow of the robed man underneath Ides and extends towards him. ¡°Uuuun!¡± (Ides) Narrowly avoiding the thing by bending himself by reflex, Ides strongly kicked the floor and added some distance from the black robed man. The thing that grew from that guy¡¯s shadow is¡­¡­ a thorn. ¡°Oh, so you dodged it by reflex¡­¡­ as one would expect from the five great demon generals, this degree of doesn¡¯t work on you, now does it.¡± ¡°You bastard¡­¡­ You possess a ?¡± (Ides) Unique Magic, that is a magic which suddenly came into this world and is inherent to the person. As they are all strong magic, they are strictly safeguarded and researched by the residing country as soon as they are detected. Take one wrong step and that they could rampage and it¡¯s possible they may blow away the whole city. If it became possible for them to handle the magic they would release them under surveillance, but they are never free without effective control. In other words, it appears that this man is someone who can handle his strong unique magic. By the way, Setsu have aptitude in magic of all attributes, but he does not possess Unique Magic. ¡°Lily! Can I ask you for cover!?¡± (Ides) ¡°Sorry¡­¡­ That¡¯s a bit¡­¡­¡± (Lily) As it is a hard fight to do so on his own he requested for cover, however Ides turned his head towards the voice of her in pain. There was the figure of Lily, receiving magic attacks from various attributes by the three brown-robed men surrounding her. Lily is a demon who could not display her full power when it comes to indoor battles. For Lily, whose strong point in battle is basically to blow away all around her by magic with high firepower, she could not fight the same way in the throne room. If she does it poorly, she could potentially cause terrible damage to the Demon Lord¡¯s castle. Conversely, the light brown robed men use this to their advantage and repeatedly releases magic while keeping distance to some extent. This kind of situation is definitely not good for her. ¡°Ugh¡­¡­! What an annoying way of fighting ¡­¡­!¡± (Lily) ¡°Kuh¡­¡­ Lily! I¡¯ll assist you¡± (Ides) ¡°Woah, is it fine to leave me alone?¡± Noticing the bloodthirst coming from behind him, Ides leapt horizontally and left the spot. Instantly large black fist was swung downward at the place he stood before. The floor of the demon lord¡¯s castle shook along with a thunderous roar. ¡° ¡­¡­ As expected, I can¡¯t bring you down with such simple attacks.¡± The black arm returned to the shadow of the black robe. Unique magic that manipulates shadow, he instinctively broke into cold sweat towards that magic that he had not heard of before. (Even I would inevitably received some damage if I took direct hit for that¡­) ¡°Hmm, be that as it may¡­¡­ because this has become this big of an uproar, we have no choice but to take her to our continent in order to continue the ceremony. All of you who have cause the disturbance will not be invited, but let us eventually come and see the complete change of the demon lord.¡± ¡°Complete change¡­¡­ you say? You! What do you bastards plan on doing to Disaster-sama!?¡± (Ides) Ides raged towards the man who spoke those inexcusable words. However the man began to speak without changing his tone as if it doesn¡¯t concern him. ¡°Come now, we won¡¯t lay a hand on her¡­¡­ However, that man named Terran will naturally train her over and over until she becomes his faithful woman, don¡¯t you think? Without being able to disobey him, the figure of her mind and body gradually becoming his thing may be rather interesting, right¡­¡­ kukuku¡± So that¡¯s the reason for the complete change¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DIdes says as if spitting it out. Something like their leader becoming that man¡¯s faithful woman. To them this is nothing but despair. In reality, that man who is frightened beside Disaster would seize a life like that. (We have to at least prevent that!) However, the current Ides is in a deadlock. Disaster, the strongest fighting force, will likely not move. She is to become Terran¡¯s woman and has the objective of calling Setsu back to this world. Currently there is chaos, so she couldn¡¯t decide what to do. Lily could not move either. Even now the three men are attacking her, so she is forced to struggle without moving. (What can I do¡­¡­!) ¡°The battle situation won¡¯t change with you glaring at me hatefully you know? Even so ¡­¡­ you are quite a bit reckless aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Tch!¡± (Ides) Because he paid too much attention around him, Ides didn¡¯t notice him. The fact that the shadow of the black robed man approached directly below him. (He can even do that!?) ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThus he noticed it too late. Away from him, Disaster called Ides¡¯ name. Her hand clad in magic power, perhaps she had decided to fight along with Ides, but that too was too late. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± The shadows of the robed man wriggles, growing countless numbers of thorns. Those thorns with a pointed tip grew about to penetrate Ides¡¯ body¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DDosseeeeeeeeeeeei!¡± (???) [T.N: Just some kind of battle cry] Suddenly a thunderous roar rose with dust, a hole unfolded in the ceilings of the upper floor of the throne room and the blue sky can be seen. The remaining shadow thorns that grew dangerously long returned to its original size as ordinary shadow. Ides, who narrowly escaped from death, quickly took distance from the black robe. However he only moved until that point. While he pushed his way through the debris from the ceiling, he looked at the thing that came out and stopped thinking. Because it appeared to be a person, he stared at it and stopped moving. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DWhat appeared was a man who dressed like an adventurer. He wasn¡¯t really tall, his face has very few features¡­¡­ How to say, he was an unimpressive man. However, what is in his hand is a black large sword that doesn¡¯t suit him. ¡° Cough cough¡­¡­ Shit, did I make a mistake somewhere?¡± (???) That man is brushing off the dust with the hand that isn¡¯t holding the sword. Basically the fact is he is holding the large sword, which is larger than his height with those slender arms. The people in that place is captivated at the unbalanced scene. Among them there are three people, Disaster, Ides and Lily, who noticed one particular thing. They are aware of the name of that large sword he is holding. Disaster, who noticed it earlier than the other two, spoke out the name. ¡°That sword¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D is that ?¡± (Disaster) ¡°Like I said stop calling this guy with that name!! It¡¯s Kuromaru now!!¡± (???) The man shouted and pointed at the sword. That way of speaking, and that naming sense to call the famous sword Schwarz with such a name¡­¡­ At that moment the three people are overflowing with nostalgic feelings. Disaster, who didn¡¯t stop hoping to meet him again, is already shedding tears and is staring at the man. ¡°Are you¡­¡­ Setsu?¡± (Disaster) ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡¯Sup¡­¡­ I¡¯m here to save ya, princess.¡± (Setsu) Even though his appearance changed, the man is smiling like a mischievous child just like in the olden days. There¡¯s no doubt he¡¯s their ¡®hero¡¯, Setsu¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D CH 15 After hearing about Dezas¡¯ marriage, we departed from the village the next day. The deadline is three days including today. Normally it takes two days to move so the grace period is one day. Although we will make it in time during the ceremony, I¡¯m afraid that we may not be sufficiently prepared if we take the battle into consideration. For that purpose the method I took was the transfer magic formation Brad used. If it¡¯s Brad, we need several days worth of magic power in order to activate the magic formation, but if it¡¯s my magic power, only one day¡¯s worth is needed to activate it¡­¡­ like hell it is. I shared magic power with both Levia and Brad, and we¡¯re barely able to activate it. I was clean without any magic power so I¡¯ve decided to spend all day sleeping, but being able to shorten the activation from two days to one is great. Well, the next day we could barely move, but thanks to that we were able to prepare ourselves to some extent. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dand that¡¯s how I got here, any question?¡± (Setsu) ¡°I-I understand the gist of it¡­. But where¡¯s Brad, Levia and that merchant¡¯s daughter that came with you?¡± (Dezas) ¡°If you¡¯re looking for Brad, he¡¯s there.¡± (Setsu) ¡°?¡± (Dezas) When I point at the ceiling, Brad jump down from the hole. ¡°Brad!!¡± (Dezas) ¡°Are you alright, Disaster-sama!?¡± (Brad) Dezas calls out to Brad when she saw him. Brad seems to be relieved that Dezas is safe. Conversely, beside Dezas I see a frightened man in a white suit. Who the hell is he? ¡°You bastard¡­ as I thought you really did return to this world..?¡± (Black Robe) ¡®As I thought¡¯? What, did he actually anticipated my return to this world? I looked suspiciously at the pitch black robed man in front of me. He¡¯s totally a creepy guy. For now I guess this dude will be my opponent? ¡°Then¡­ oi Brad!! I¡¯m leaving those brown guys to you, okay!? You too Ides, go with Brad if you can still move!¡± (Setsu) ¡°Understood!¡± (Brad) ¡°Y-yes¡­¡± (Ides) Although Brad moved at once, Ides seems to still looked puzzled. Even so, because he seems to believe in me, he ran with Brad while still confused. ¡°Then, I guess it¡¯s time to beat your ass? The crime for putting your hands on Dezas is huge you know?¡± (Setsu) ¡°¡­Although I¡¯m not really the one who put my hands on her¡­ whatever, you¡¯re the one that is going to get killed today!! Allow me to crush you right here!¡± (Black Robe) The black robed man bluntly release his bloodlust and took a battle stance. Huh¡­ looks like this will take a while. [T.N: POV change to Ruri] I, Ruri, am currently standing in the throne room of the demon king¡¯s castle. As for why a poor apprentice merchant like me is in this kind of place¡­¡­ ¡°Hey Ruri! Please keep yourself together! I¡¯m here with you, okay?¡± (???) The woman next to me saying these reliable words is Levia-san. She appears to be the sea god from the myths I have heard since I was young. This ridiculous person is one of the reasons I am stuck here. ¡°Even if you say that¡­¡± (Ruri) ¡°Get a hold of yourself! Look! Your work has come.¡± (Levia) ¡°Fue!?¡± (Ruri) As Levia-san said so, I lifted up my face that was facing the ground. Here in front of me were devils running, clad in armor. They might have heard the explosion sounds that Setsu-san had caused earlier. Everyone had a serious face. ¡°You two! Move out of the way!¡± (Knight) While holding a sword and spear, a man wearing an armor that¡¯s somewhat more extravagant than the others said that to us. I wonder if he is someone like a captain? ¡°I haven¡¯t seen your face around here! Are you the ones who caused this uproar?¡± (Knight) ¡°Hmm¡­. I guess I¡¯m indirectly related?¡± (Levia) ¡°Wha¡­. so you¡¯re the one causing the ruckus!!¡± (Knight) ¡°No need to get so worked up. Ruri, can you pass it to them?¡± (Levia) ¡°Ah, yes!¡± (Ruri) That¡¯s right, this is my job. From Setsu-san¡¯s magic bag that he gave me, I pull out a palm-sized object. When I passed it to the knights one by one, they accept it while still remaining vigilant. I guess my harmless look is advantageous at a time like this. ¡°¡­¡­ th-this is?¡± (Knight) ¡°Croquette¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dis what it is called, but I guess you should know of this right?¡± (Levia) When Levia-san said that, the faces of the knights who remained vigilant changed. ¡°This is, where did you get this!?¡± (Knight) ¡°The guy causing an uproar inside said to deliver these to you all. ¡®Eat this and wait for a bit¡¯ is what he said I suppose¡± (Levia) As Levia-san answers the knight captain-ish person¡¯s questions, everyone exchanged glances and made lots of ruckus. ¡°I-it¡¯s Setsu-san¡¯s croquettes!!¡± (Knight1) ¡°Did he come back!?¡± (Knight2) ¡°As I thought it¡¯s good!!¡± (Knight3) ¡°You¡¯re eating it too fast!!¡± (Knight4) As there¡¯s already some of them that already finished eating the croquettes, it seems that we¡¯re able to play our role without any difficulty. Our role is to prevent the knighs who heard the uproar from entering. Setsu-san considered the fact that the enemy¡¯s strength will cause casualties, so he entrusted us with this task, but I didn¡¯t think that this deep-fried potato called a croquette would truly stop everyone. ¡ºI already tamed them with the deliciousness of croquette¡» Is what he said while wearing a nasty smile, but it didn¡¯t seem like a lie. Incidentally, the reason we hurried with the transfer magic formation is so we could make large quantities of croquette, or so it seems. It was very hard to buy the potatoes from the market. But even though there were only troubles for me and I wasn¡¯t the one who made them, I still felt happy when they said it¡¯s delicious. Or rather, is it fine for everyone to believe it is Setsu with just one croquette? I¡¯m concerned about this castle¡¯s security. ¡°What is Setsu-san doing in the throne room? Currently there is a ceremony taking place ¡­¡­¡± (Knight) ¡°He came to get the demon lord back from that shitty man.¡± (Levia) As Levia-san answers the questions of the knights who finished their croquette, the area began to turn noisy once more. From what I hear, everyone opposes the current marriage¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dor more like it seems that they strongly oppose the one who will become her partner. Because of that, there were some people who suggested assisting Setsu-san, but Setsu-san himself told them not to come¡­¡­ so we turned them down. ¡°Just wait here patiently, there¡¯s still some croquettes left.¡± Levia) ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll gladly accept them.¡± (Knight) Once again I distribute the croquettes to everyone. When I put one in my mouth, although I thought of something impolite like it would have taste better when it¡¯s still hot, my hand doesn¡¯t stop moving to eat the delicious potato. It seems that in the world Setsu-san came from, they put this in their lunch box and carry it with them. Let¡¯s ask him to make this for me next time¡­ [T.N: POV changed to MC] I avoided the black thorns approaching in front of my eyes by turning my neck. Then I got closer and swung Kuromaru towards the black robe. ¡°Kuh¡­¡­¡± (Black Robe) That attack I made by swinging the sword widely on purpose, ended up missing from a backstep. ¡°What a sharp attack¡­¡­ I almost spilled blood there.¡± (Black Robe) ¡°¡­oh, eh, okay.¡± (Setsu) ¡®You can¡¯t kill me with just this¡¯¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dis the kind of vibes he¡¯s shooting at me, but is it really a sharp attack? ¡°I shall go seriously as well! !¡± (Black Robe) A pitch black fist appears from the man¡¯s shadow. It¡¯s quite big huh, it seems to be able to squash my body. But I wasn¡¯t particularly in a hurry, so I stared at it while being disappointed that this degree is what he meant with being serious. ¡°Haah!¡± (Setsu) Together with a yell, I stopped the fist from the front with the hand not holding Kuromaru. The momentum resounded with a thud, but there was not even a single damage whatsoever. ¡°With one hand¡­ tch.¡± (Black Robe) ¡°Oopsie daisy!¡± (Setsu) I raised Kuromaru overhead and swung down to the black fist that I stopped. The cut arm vanished and the black robed man retreated from the wind pressure created by the sword swing. ¡°What kind of ridiculous bullshit is this¡­¡­¡± (Black Robe) ¡°Yeah, I get that a lot¡± (Setsu) ¡°Wha!?¡± (Black Robe) I instantly shortened the distance from the retreating man, I drove a front kick into the guy¡¯s stomach while his stance is still broken. ¡°Gahah¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D!¡± (Black Robe) Spitting out saliva and his breath, the man got blown away and rolled away as he hit the ground. As I thought this guy is not that strong. Did he really give a hard fight with that guy Ides? The title of Five Great Generals is going to cry you know? If he¡¯s only this strong, then the other two probably didn¡¯t have to keep the soldiers away. It seems that it didn¡¯t become a scale large enough to get them involved. ¡°Gah¡­¡­ Hah¡­¡­ !¡± (Black Robe) While the guy is still kneeling, A huge lance that exceeds 3 meters grew from him. That seems like it packs quite a punch, so it might be able to injure me. ¡°Eat this¡­kuh!¡± (Black Robe) ¡°Just shoot it already.¡± Setsu) ¡°Haah!!¡± (Black Robe) Together with a yell, the fired lance flew straight towards me. It has enough power to easily open a hole in the demon king¡¯s castle wall. I can¡¯t let him add any more holes here, because I feel guilty for drilling up the ceiling. ¡°Tei¡± (Setsu) I smacked the lance. With just that the lance is struck towards the floor and the tip broke. I take my eyes off the lance that had disintegrated into particles, and showed a smile as a means of provocation to the black robe guy that can¡¯t conceal his jaw dropping even if his face can¡¯t be seen. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t you have anything else above this level?¡± (Setsu) ¡°Guh¡­ what¡¯s with that out of the norm power¡­ to lightly handle the power of that is A-rank¡­¡± (Black Robe) ¡°Don¡¯t you get full of yourself with just A-rank attacks, you pitch black dude. Let me show you my SSS-rank punch.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Kuh¡­¡­!¡± (Black Robe) I lightly kicked the ground and got closer to the black robed man and while I repelled the bullets the man hurled from his shadow with my sword, and appeared in front of him. I grabbed his arm before he kicked the ground to take distance and I held it tightly so he won¡¯t escape. ¡°Don¡¯t you run away, no need to hesitate and receive this punch.¡± (Setsu) ¡°Gah¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± (Black Robe) I let go of my sword and bashed the face of the black robe. He was blown away together with a dull sound and he fell down at the same place when I had him eat my front kick. ¡°You¡¯re really something else huh, how long are you going to conceal your true power?¡± (Setsu) I asked a question to the black robed man who was collapsed and letting out a groan. I am interested in the fact that the strength and aura he holds are in no way proportional to each other. Although I don¡¯t have magic eyes, I¡¯m somehow able to guess the amount of enemy¡¯s magic power from their aura. With this, I see he appeared to be holding SS-rank strength, but when I watch him fight, he is no more than an A or S rank. ¡°Hah¡­¡­ Hah¡­¡­ As expected from the out of standard Hero¡­¡­ so I can¡¯t become your opponent in this current state¡­¡­¡± (Black Robe) ¡°This current state?¡± (Setsu) ¡°Sorry, but I will have myself withdraw from this¡­¡­ I must report about you to my master after all.¡± (Black Robe) ¡°I don¡¯t know who your master is, but do you think I will let you go away so easily?¡± (Setsu) I picked up the sword I let go of and thrusted at that guy¡¯s throat. ¡±Fuh¡­¡­ You bastard cannot rob me of my life¡­¡­ Know that that half-heartedness will become your undoing¡­¡­ kukuku¡± (Black Robe) Saying that, the man disappears leaving behind only the black robe. The black magic particles flutters in the surrounding, and disappeared before long. ¡°Shadow magic¡®s Shadow Clone? ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dhe really got me there.¡± (Setsu) So the weakness from before was because it was a clone¡¯s body, no wonder there was no significant response from him. I brushed off the black particles while remembering the irritation. The next time I meet him, I¡¯ll give that master of his a serious beating. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DSetsu¡± (Brad) ¡°¡­¡­ Oh, so you¡¯re done there too?¡± (Setsu) Brad, Lily and Ides came to me while each of them dragging those brown robed fellow. They didn¡¯t seem to have any significant injury, so it looks like it¡¯s a complete victory. ¡°For now, strip them off of all their possessions and reveal¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± (Setsu) ¡°Setsu!!¡± (???) ¡°Uwaa!!¡± (Setsu) Just as I wanted to say to reveal their true characters, a weight rushed on my back softly. The demon king Disaster, who looked like a bride, embraced me as if to cover my body. Due to reincarnation my body became completely different, my height dropped down so the height difference between me and Dezas is completely reversed. Five years ago I was the taller one. Guh¡­¡­ it became unpleasant. ¡°You¡¯re not hurt anywhere are you?¡± (Setsu) ¡°None! I¡¯m still pure!¡± (Dezas) Yeah, I¡¯m glad, so glad¡­¡­ Don¡¯t say that in public! Can¡¯t you see I can¡¯t respond to that here!? ¡°Well, what to say¡­. Anyway, glad to see you again, Dezas.¡± (Setsu) ¡°¡­Yes!¡­Yes!¡± (Dezas) She tightens her embrace. Looking at her trembling arms, I knew that she had felt quite uneasy. On the outside she might looks mature, but she¡¯s still a girl on the inside. She must¡¯ve felt the danger towards herself. ¡°Still though¡­ white really didn¡¯t suit you.¡± (Setsu) I said that when I see her dress. As I thought red or black suits her more. I really felt uncomfortable seeing her wearing white, so if possible I want her to return to her usual cloth. ¡°I thought you would say that¡­¡­ this is more or less how a bride should look like I guess¡± (Dezas) She said so while putting a wry smile. Well, if I leave out the color, she¡¯ll look unreasonably beautiful now though¡­¡­ ¡°Hah¡­ please wear a red and black wedding dress next time.¡± (Setsu) I think I would really praise her if the dress is that color. ¡°Mu! By chance¡­ is that a proposal!?¡± (Dezas) She amazingly bit on my words and went and pulled my face towards her. It was inevitable that it was painful from having to look at a rather high angle. Stop, stop! While I was enduring the pain, I opened my mouth. ¡°We-well if you really wish for marriage¡­¡± (Setsu) Basically I have no intention of refusing. Although there¡¯s the question of like or not, if I like her I want to answer her feelings. Besides, is there even a reason to refuse a marriage proposal from a beautiful woman that would be unthinkable of in Japan?¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dnope, there¡¯s none. Please understand, just like any boy, even I have a dream of having a harem. ¡­well my mental age already exceeds 30 years though¡­. ¡°R-really!? Ah, no¡­ but¡­¡± (Dezas) For an instant, Dezas showed a smile like a flower blooming, but it instantly changed into a thinking expression. ¡°However, would it really be okay to accept the proposal now, or should I propose to both of you at once¡­.ugh©`©`©`©`!! What should I do!?¡± (Setsu) ¡°By ¡®both¡¯, you mean Roa¡­?¡± (Dezas) Roa Leonail(¥í¥¢?¥ì¥ª¥Í©`¥ë Ro-a Re-o-nee-ru), that¡¯s the name of the daughter of the Beast King, the king of the Beastman Continent. The Devil and the Beastman used to be hostile, but the king and the king¡¯s daughter are friends now. At first the atmosphere is pretty dangerous, but it seems that they got on friendly terms when they have a meeting along with me. They seems to be pretty close now. ¡°Urgh©`©`©`¡­ I-I¡¯ve decided! I won¡¯t propose yet!! I¡¯ll propose to both you and Roa!¡± (Setsu) ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡± (Dezas) Dezas parts with me and tightly grasp her hand. I don¡¯t know how well she¡¯ll be able to take it. ¡°Wait, are you guys all fine with this? Even though your leader is going to marry someone like me¡­¡­¡± (Setsu) ¡°If it¡¯s something Disaster-sama decided¡± (Brad) ¡°That¡¯s right isn¡¯t it~We cannot go against her, right~¡± (Lily) ¡°Fumu, if Disaster-sama made the decision I will not object¡± (Ides) Brad spoke with a firm tone, but his face broke into a smile. In addition, Lily and Ides spoke completely monotone and did not even hide their broad smirk. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThese guys, even though they didn¡¯t accept today¡¯s wedding ceremony to the point of acting violently¡­¡­ ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s better than you guys going against it¡­ ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dso, what should we do with that guy?¡± (Setsu) When I asked that, everyone faced a certain direction. ¡°Hiih¡­¡­¡± (???) At that place there was a human man wearing a white suit. The Five Great Generals certainly didn¡¯t accept that man who is to marry the bride, so he is a pitiful bridegroom. The frightened figure who is holding his legs and is hiding in the shadows of the throne, we couldn¡¯t endure seeing such a shameful figure. ¡°So I was about to become such man¡¯s thing¡­¡­ Now that I think it over, it is frightening.¡± (Dezas) It was cruel to say that, but even if she said that, it can¡¯t be helped since he looks miserable and dirty. ¡°Pl-please save me¡­ just my life¡­¡± (Terran) His teeth was chattering as he was going to beg for his life. Desas and co seems to want to say to entrust me with his punishment, so I sent my gaze at him. I sighed and walked towards the man. Kuromaru is in my hand. ¡°Yo, mister pitiful-bridegroom-deserted-by-his-companion, how are you feeling?¡± (Setsu) ¡°P-please help me¡­ if-if it¡¯s money you want I can pay you¡­¡± (Terran) Shouldn¡¯t he be asking of such thing to Dezas, the lord of the Devil¡­ I grabbed the carefully set hair of his and raised his face. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DIt can¡¯t be helped, I¡¯ll at least save your life.¡± (Setsu) ¡°! You, you really will!?¡± (Terran) ¡°Yeah, however¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± (Setsu) I thrust Kuromaru right beside him and said; ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI¡¯ll have you spit out every information you know.¡± (Setsu) There¡¯s a bit of my bloodlust mixed with that thrust, so this guy nodded many times even when he¡¯s covered in runny nose and tears. CH 16 Chapter 16 Ruri¡¯s dream ¡°Take him away.¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± Terran exited the throne room, taken away by the castle guards. He was extremely tired when he left; I couldn¡¯t sense any vitality on his face. It¡¯s like you dropped down from the peak of happiness to all the way to the base you know, it was kind of understandable. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DIn the end, he didn¡¯t have any decent information. What is that black robe scheming¡­¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡­ I wonder what he planned to do by approaching me.¡± The first info I got out of that guy is that the black robed man and he as a firm are trading partners . Terran firm primarily deals with a wide arrange of goods, ranging from foodstuffs to miscellaneous goods. Because their quality is reliable, there are many from each nation who favour them. But that is how it looks on the outside. Behind the scenes they seem to be dealing with narcotics and distributing them to the big shots, that kind of work. And the one supplying the narcotics is the black robed man. It seems that they are doing magic experiments to produce energy and the narcotics were seemingly created as a byproduct by chance. ¡°An experiment that produces narcotics¡­¡­ I don¡¯t see anything good about this experiment that make people change like this¡­¡­ ¡° I took off the hood of the light brown robes who are lying on the ground. The head is full of cobs, the cheeks here and there are discolored bluish purple, one eye is swollen so much it protrudes halfway. They might have been originally an ordinary human, I guess. Now they¡¯re unrecognizable though¡­¡­ It seems they are the result of the experiments the black robes are doing. Even Terran doesn¡¯t know the full details, but it looks like those guys are attempting to produce biological weapons. I gently put back the hood. I don¡¯t know what kind of people they were before, but I don¡¯t think they want to be seen in this appearance even after they died. ¡°These guys¡­¡­ I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re biological weapons or not, but their strength is real.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we could¡¯ve been able to pull out more information if we captured them alive¡­¡­¡° Ides and Lily, who are beside Desas, said so. It was reasonable that even with their abilities it¡¯s difficult to capture them alive. It may become quite the miracle if those guys are mass production models. ¡°I will be troubled if you tried to capture them and receive injuries instead. None of you have any injuries so let us be glad with that.¡± Desas lets out her voice to the frustrated two. Well, the throne room is pretty much ruined though¡­¡­ Desas is a demon who is considerate towards her friends and subordinates, so she is rather delighted that they don¡¯t have any personal injury I guess. ¡°In any case, we can¡¯t leave these guys lying down like this I guess¡­¡­ Brad, can I leave this to you?¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± As I tell Brad to bury them, he carried the brown robes and left the room. ¡°With this it should be all right¡­¡­Hmm? What¡¯s wrong Setsu?¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ Nah, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Desas spoke to me worried when I was pondering while looking at the brown robes. What I¡¯m bothered with is the organization that created these brown robes. I couldn¡¯t get Terran to spill out the name of the organization or their plan, but I¡¯m worried about the existence who is called the ¡°master¡± by the black robed man who left at that time. And he also said ¡°As I thought¡± when I came to help these guys. They anticipated my return to this world. In addition to that, the ¡°they will summon me, so marry her¡± plan regarding Desas was brought up to Terran by those guys. (It¡¯s inconsistent¡­¡­ but there¡¯s way too little information I guess¡­¡­) ¡°What is wrong, Setsu.¡± As I was thinking again, Levia, who was next to me, looked worriedly into my face. Next to her was Ruri, who was making a similar expression. ¡°It¡¯s really nothing, okay¡­¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡± I still don¡¯t know anything, I can¡¯t let them get any more worried about me than this I guess. I showed them a smile to let them know there¡¯s nothing to worry about. ¡°More importantly Ruri, don¡¯t you have something you have to deliver to Desas?¡± ¡°Ah! That¡¯s right!¡± In order to change the subject, I recalled the talk about Ruri¡¯s original purpose for coming here. Ruri searched in her pockets in panic and upon finding the object, she rushed over to Desas while holding it. ¡°Uhm! This is the item my granddad entrusted me with delivering it!¡± ¡°I see¡­¡­ this is¡­¡­¡± Desas received the presented item. It¡¯s the black brooch I once gave to Desas. ¡°Hm, I see it¡¯s certainly fixed. You have my gratitude, Ruri was it? So, why is it that you came to deliver this? Is the old man¡­¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­ because of illness¡­¡­ he already¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ Is that so, I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. It may be lonely, but I¡¯m fine now.¡± Ruri smiled as she said so. That smile shows loneliness as expected, but it wasn¡¯t gloomy. It looks like she really got back on her feet. ¡°You really saved me though, I felt hopeless when the brooch Setsu gave me broke¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°Eh!?¡± Huh? Didn¡¯t I told Ruri about that? To Ruri, who was facing this way with a surprised expression, I said this. ¡°That¡¯s something I made. I also added the name in the back you see.¡± ¡°Whaaaaat!? What kind of person are you mister Setsu!?¡± What are you asking me after all this? After all, I was summoned from another world ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D hm? Ah, I see! ¡°I haven¡¯t told you who I really am!¡± ¡°Mister Setsu is the great hero who stopped the war five years ago¡­¡­¡± ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t at the level of a great hero though¡± ¡°To us, Setsu is not only the person who saved our lives, he is also our country¡¯s benefactor I tell you!¡± Why is Desas interrupting the conversation with a triumphant look? To these guys I may be that kind of person, but it¡¯s only making me itchy. ¡­¡­ Now that she told me, I even came to feel glad that I did my best in my fight to the point it changed the topography though. ¡°Setsu was amazing¡­¡­ like with that devilish hero, he¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°Desas¡± ¡°h¡­¡­ I see, my apologies¡± I stopped the conversation with Desas who looks like she¡¯s heating up. Ruri doesn¡¯t have to know more than this. It¡¯s a story I don¡¯t really want to remember. ¡°In, in any case! I should give you something as a reward, Ruri!¡± Desas herself changed the somewhat awkward mood. Ruri opened her mouth while still confused from suddenly changing the subject back to work. ¡°No, I can¡¯t accept that! I have already received the reward along with the request after all¡­¡­¡° ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter right? Just take what¡¯s been given to you, okay?¡± ¡°Even you, Mister Setsu!?¡± To be able to receive a reward directly from the honorable demon king, I don¡¯t think she has any reason to refuse it though¡­¡­ ¡°To receive more than the original reward is, you know¡­¡­ as a merchant, I¡­¡­¡± I see, it seems like she thinks she¡¯s not qualified to receive it. Even though she looks like a little kid, her way of thinking is praiseworthy. ¡°Hey, what do you know, you can hold yourself back unlike the brats from before. Just take everything you receive.¡± I compromised with Ruri and patted on her head. Her face became extremely unhappy. What is this, how fun. ¡°Gununu¡­¡­ even though I¡¯m already thirteen¡­¡­¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you even an adult yet?¡± In this world you¡¯re considered an adult when you¡¯re fifteen years old. Alcohol becomes available at that age¡­¡­ whether there¡¯s someone to protect you or not is another story. By the way, marriage is only possible from the age of seventeen. If you marry as soon as you come to age, you won¡¯t be able to work sufficiently and something like a bankruptcy could happen. ¡°Yo-you too, mister Setsu! You¡¯re not that much older than me you know! I don¡¯t want to be treated like a kid by someone like that!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disappoint you lass, but I¡¯m well over thirty if you count my past life¡± ¡°Counting your past life is unfair you know!?¡± Fuhahaha, how about that! This is a little kid grandpa¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D or not, yeah. Impossible. (T.N. He says ¥¸¥¸¥·¥ç¥¿, literally jiji shota, ie grandpa shota) ¡°In my case you¡¯re both children though¡­¡­¡± ¡°Your mental age is at the level of a high school girl so shut up, you!¡± Even though she lived for several hundred years she doesn¡¯t have a shred of impression of an old hag, how did she spend her life to stay like that? It¡¯s not just her voice is it? ¡°I don¡¯t know what this being called high school girl is like¡­¡­ but I feel like I¡¯ve been made a big fool of aren¡¯t I?¡± Tsk, your intuition is sharp, as expected of the demon king. I know I¡¯ve been making a fool of her, but I¡¯ll be troubled if I have to yield myself, so I start changing the subject again. Hey you! Don¡¯t tell me I have to reap what I sow! ¡°Well, leaving aside the whole age thing, isn¡¯t it easier for Ruri to accept it if you decide what to give her?¡± ¡°It feels like the subject was changed¡­¡­ Well, certainly that¡¯s also true¡­¡­ umumu, I thought that properly bestowing her a medal would be fine at a time like this, but¡­¡­ that is not what you want, now do you Ruri? Hey, that¡¯s what a highschool girl would say. Some people in this country would cry if they know what reward you¡¯ve given properly until now, without a doubt. ¡°Isn¡¯t there anything you wish for Ruri?¡± ¡°You mean, what I wish for?¡± Ruri is suddenly asked and looks at me while trembling. Her face seems to want to say ¡°What should I do!?¡± As expected, bluntly refusing here would leave a bad taste, so I decided to give her an acceptable advice. ¡°Try to just say it, everything¡¯s fine as long as it¡¯s not outrageous¡± ¡°Even if you say that¡­¡­¡± ¡°Look, isn¡¯t there anything? Like¡­¡­ a dream or something¡± When I mentioned dreams, Ruri¡¯s shoulders twitched. She may have some dreams. Before I thought about asking her, she opened her mouth herself. ¡°If it¡¯s a dream¡­¡­ then I do have one¡± While saying so, Ruri faced Desas with determination and conveyed her dream. ¡°I¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dwould like to have my own store.¡± Torches were lit inside the pitch black room. Even though those attached on the walls are lit, the room is still dim and the feet are hard to see. A long desk is placed in the middle of the room and sitting around it are several men and women wearing a black robe. Those robes were identical to the man who fought Setsu with shadow magic several tens of minutes ago. ¡° ¡­¡­ My clone body was taken down¡± ¡°Is that so, how was it?¡± ¡°It is just as you said, my master; that man lives¡± ¡°Hahaha! So he does! I knew it!¡± The first black robe who opened its mouth had the same voice as the man who fought with Setsu. The man who was in the demon continent was a clone body manufactured here. And the one conversing with him is the man sitting in the first seat. His voice was neutral so it was difficult to know his gender and with the black robe hiding both his face and physique, it¡¯s increasingly more difficult to know whether he¡¯s a man or a woman. However, it is obvious that this person is the master of the group from that strange aura. ¡°Thank you for going there to confirm it, Kagerou.¡± ¡°It is no problem if it is at the request of my master.¡± The man who handles shadow magic appears to be called Kagerou. Kagerou returned the words of gratitude curtly. He thinks that it is natural to fulfill his master¡¯s requests, so he considers words of gratitude as unnecessary. The master knows of his mood from his loyalty, so he delightfully opened its mouth. ¡°Just by using that demon king¡¯s dilemma as a bait, we skillfully lured him out like that.¡± ¡°There was the possibility of him not coming, but what do you intend to do if that were the case?¡± ¡°If that happens then we will manipulate Terran from the shadows and only recover our objective, which is the demon king.¡± ¡±It is a backup plan that doesn¡¯t create any gaps¡±¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dthe master says with a blank look. ¡°I understand now, as expected from master¡± ¡°Don¡¯t praise me so much, Kagerou¡± As the two people are having a conversation, a knock resounded suddenly. The sound comes from an iron door, which is the only entrance and exit of this room. ¡°Oh, you can come in.¡± ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DMy apologies for my rudeness¡± The one who entered together with the permission of the master is a young girl with blond hair which is shaking by the wind. Wrapped in a high class dress, her facial expression is slightly red, as if she¡¯s a girl whose cheeks are reddened from love. ¡°This is Margaret, first princess of the kingdom of Destinea. I¡¯ve come to report the present condition.¡± ¡°Why Margaret, you are as beautiful as always.¡± ¡°Such, such flattery is, you see¡­¡­¡± Margaret¡¯s cheeks are colored even more and she agonizes. No matter how you look at it, it was the face of a woman who fell in love. That should be expected, since this master is Margaret¡¯s hero, he is a Hero after all. ¡°And so? How are the summoned brave Heroes doing?¡± ¡°They are growing favourably. The and his group are even able to dive into the .¡± ¡°Oh really now¡­¡­¡± This Cavern of sorrow is one of the existing dungeons in this world. Several adventurers have established a rank for each dungeon and this cavern¡¯s difficulty is considered A rank. ¡°Since they were able to capture dungeons as far as B rank, even S rank dungeons should be within their grasp before long don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°That would be nice! If that is the case they may soon become useful to us.¡± The master talked as he got ahold of new toys and started laughing. When the laughter lessened, he said that to Margaret who showed a delightful face from seeing the laughter. ¡°I would like to receive reports from you again okay? Margaret¡± ¡°Please leave it to me¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DSir Touma¡± (¶¬Õæ; kanji is winter and truth) Touma¡­¡­ That is the name of the man who was summoned together with Setsu before and also the name of the man who was buried by Setsu. After Margaret left the room, he called one of the black robes in the room. ¡°Say Shironeko, won¡¯t you head towards the beastmen country for me?¡± (T.N. ¥·¥í¥Í¥³; shironeko) ¡° ¡­¡­ I understand -no desu¡± As the black robed person called Shironeko was told this, she begins to head towards the exit without asking for the reason. It¡¯s as if to say she wants to leave this place immediately. ¡°Wait, wait! I haven¡¯t told you your job yet!?¡± Touma was flustered and stopped her. As a matter of fact, Shironeko has not pledged loyalty towards him so there were various problems with her attitude. ¡°Shironeko! Please pay more respects to Master Touma!¡± There was one person who felt angry from that attitude. The person who shouted with a woman¡¯s voice grabbed Shironeko, who didn¡¯t even look at her, by the collar. ¡°Calm down Luna. Let go of Shironeko.¡±(¥ë©`¥Ê; ruuna) ¡°Master Touma¡­¡­¡± As Luna was told by a quiet voice, she did as she was told while she glared at Shironeko from within her hood. ¡°Shironeko, your job is to attack Setsu when he is in the beastmen country. He went to the demon country, so the next place will be the beastmen country after all. Attack during his sleep if possible, I want him captured alive. In the case he responds to your attack, retreat okay? He is someone you absolutely cannot defeat from the front you see.¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ I understand -no desu.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think about escaping just like that, okay? I don¡¯t particularly care what becomes of your little sister in the beastmen continent you see¡­¡­ ¡° ¡°I¡¯m not planning to run away -no desu. I will do as I am told -no desu.¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ right, that¡¯s a good kid.¡± After being conveyed the contents of her work, Shironeko calmly left the room. Even though he threatened her with her weakness, he saw her off with a good smile. After Shironeko¡¯s presence is completely vanished, Touma gave orders to the other black robes. ¡° ¡­¡­ Kuroinu, keep an eye on Shironeko. You can kill her if she betrays us.¡± (¥¯¥í¥¤¥Ì; kuroinu; yes, these names) ¡°Yes, my liege.¡± The black robed person called Kuroinu left the room as well. Inside the room that decreased in numbers, Touma was pleased with the fact he was able to let the course of events go the way he had planned. ¡°Hahaha¡­¡­ I will surely get my hands on you, isn¡¯t that right?¡­¡­ Setsu. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DMy beloved.¡± CH 17 Chapter 17 Ruri¡¯s dream store A.N. Is that guy gay or something! Was the impression of ten percent of you guys. I¡¯m seriously considering adding the BL-tag. Would it be safe if the guy becomes a trap? Is what I¡¯ve been thinking to myself¡­¡­ ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª When Ruri said she wanted a store, Desas thought for a while and easily approved of it. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D I see, so you wish for a store. If it¡¯s just that then suppose I can arrange it; however, mine authority is only effective within Evil Barrow. A place like the human continent is naturally impossible as well as the castle and outside the castle town. Would that still be fine with you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any objections. Please arrange it under those conditions.¡± ¡°I understand. Also, it¡¯s about the size though¡­¡­¡± ¡°In that case¡­¡­ I would like to have a stall.¡± ¡°Eh¡­¡­?¡± Hearing that, Desas left her mouth open. Even I was surprised, because I just thought for sure that a large shop is what she clearly wanted. Even if what she wanted wasn¡¯t a large shop, stalls were the smallest shops in this world. If you talk about its use, it would be at the extent of restaurants setting up food samples to serve as advertisement for their cuisine. ¡°The truth is that I do want a large store, but¡­¡­ I still lack experience and I¡¯m not an adult yet like Mister Setsu mentioned. That¡¯s why, even if I receive a large store, I think it would be too much for me to manage it.¡± Upon hearing that, Desas and I showed a ¡°So that¡¯s how it is¡± kind of face. If the shop is large, it won¡¯t be just large, but the management of it will be harder for sure. In that respect, a stall should be sufficient for even Ruri to handle. ¡°I have acknowledged the matter of the stall however, what in the world will you be selling? I don¡¯t think you can sell decent articles though¡­¡­¡± ¡°About that¡­¡­ I have a small request to ask of you mister Setsu¡­¡­¡± While Ruri said that, she looked this way. Is she going to sell the merchandises she will request from me? I can¡¯t think of anything in particular though¡­¡­ ¡°Actually¡­¡­ I want to try selling the deep fried food you have made, mister Setsu.¡± ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DAnd so. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DMix the potato and the minced meat and add the bread crumbs to it, then add it to the oil and ta-dah! You got that?¡± ¡°Ye, yes I do! I can somehow understand this!¡± Today I¡¯m in the kitchen of the demon king¡¯s castle together with Ruri. I think Ruri¡¯s idea to sell deep-fried food is quite a great idea. In that case it can sell well in a stall and it¡¯s suitable for after school students to buy and eat them easily. It doesn¡¯t seem like you can earn a large profit, but you will likely be able to get a steady income with this. Well, I¡¯m a novice at commerce so I don¡¯t understand and all, but¡­¡­ I guess it¡¯s a safe bet since the one who can see whether things can sell well or not, the sole merchant¡¯s daughter Ruri said so. ¡°Then, if it becomes kind of this colour, take it out the oil in a flash. Alright, this one¡¯s good. Hey, it¡¯s done! Here, take it!¡± ¡°Yes sir, right away!¡± I put the croquette I took out on a dish and handed it over to the waiter who is waiting for instructions. ¡°Even so, what an amazing dexterity do you have¡­¡­ making a dozens of portions in the blink of an eye¡­¡­¡± ¡°We ain¡¯t done yet I tell ya! Hey Ruri, you come help me out too! We¡¯re not done making them you know!¡± ¡°Ah, okay!¡± I took out the chicken meat which is fried in another pot. This food is the so-called chicken cutlet. Right now the demon lord¡¯s castle is holding a simple party and the cooking duty is once again entrusted to me. When I was just thinking I guess they¡¯re going to ask me in the end, by no means did I expect it to become a mess where I have to make enough for all the members in the demon lord¡¯s castle¡­¡­ Well, I can teach Ruri in making deep-fried food at the same time, so it wasn¡¯t a bad job if it¡¯s done for her sake. ¡°It would be nice if we could have Setsu constantly make them like this¡­¡­¡± ¡°That is impossible for him for the time being.¡± I have to visit the beastmen continent after all and then I plan to go and pick up Yuuhi in the human continent. ¡°Well, once everything¡¯s over I can go out with you for a bit though¡­¡­¡± ¡°You, you really can!?¡± Ruri bit on my words harder than I expected. The oil is going to splatter you know, pay attention. ¡°Let¡¯s make you prosper by that time okay? Else it won¡¯t be worth helping you out after all.¡± ¡°Ah, yes! Of course! Running a shop together with mister Setsu¡­¡­ fufu¡± While Ruri is frying croquettes, she is blushing happily. I¡¯m not so much of a person you should be glad with though¡­¡­ ¡°Oh¡­¡­ this one¡¯s also done. Sorry Ruri, but take this one please¡± ¡°Ah, okay! I will take it!¡± I put the chicken cutlets on the plate properly and handed it over to Ruri. I then moved to the pan with the croquettes, substituting Ruri who left the kitchen. I¡¯m sorry that it gets in the way of her fried food practice, but those bunches who are getting excited right now don¡¯t really want to eat cold food. Well, I wonder if the fried food this time are done well or not. When I was waiting for the croquettes to finish frying, I noticed Desas entering the kitchen. Because it looks strange for the demon lord to come to this kind of place, the cooks whom I asked to be an assistant opened their eyes widely. ¡°Setsu, I¡¯m sorry for entrusting you with the cooking¡­¡­ originally I wanted you to do take it leisurely, but¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, really. Well, it¡¯s troublesome though. Still, you guys eating and saying it¡¯s delicious is ¡­¡­ it honestly makes me happy.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡­ It has been a long time for me as well, so I¡¯ve already eaten one dish of Setsu¡¯s croquette¡± ¡°You¡¯ll become fat, you know¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡­ I¡¯m doing exercises, so I will be all right¡± When I warned her in a straightforward way, she started rubbing her stomach while looking down. It¡¯s amazingly lean. Wouldn¡¯t it be fine if she has a bit more meat on it is what I thought, but I wonder; do only girls understand the reason they dislike the extra meat? ¡°So what is it? I won¡¯t allow you to steal some food you know?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not why I¡¯m here! ¡­¡­ There is something I want to talk about with you, you see¡± Oops, looks like it was a serious conversation. I stopped with the teasing and stopped pouring magic to the fire magic stone in the stove I¡¯m working on. When I confirmed that the fire stopped, I asked the cooks to take care of the cooking for a while. ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ With Setsu returned here, we no longer have any reason to seek vengeance towards the human country. So I will be calling back the group responsible for attacking the human country in person, but¡­¡­¡± ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DIsn¡¯t that what the human country is aiming for, is that what you¡¯re thinking?¡± ¡°Right, you do understand that well.¡± I heard from Eruka that the human country is considering using this war to attack both the demon continent and beastmen continent again. If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t be strange for them to aim for the moment they withdraw. It¡¯s because they will be fighting near their own territory and their opponent is turning their backs on them after all. ¡°Those people, they will see this opportunity to come steal our territory again. If you see it that way, you can understand one side of the current defensive battle.¡± ¡°Really¡­¡­ Your opponent isn¡¯t attacking?¡± ¡°Yes, they¡¯re constantly on the defense. Thanks to that there are no damage done on our side, but we could hardly deal any damage to the other side as well. We¡¯ve continued fighting for a considerable time, but the gate not being open until this very day is the proof of it. I can¡¯t send out reinforcements carelessly, because there is too little movement on the other side. I periodically send off a ship with troops, taking turns with a ship full of expired foodstuff among other things I¡¯m doing.¡±* That they¡¯re not moving is ominous, really. Pulling back the soldiers she mentioned looks like a pain as well. ¡±If it¡¯s about withdrawing them, isn¡¯t there only one choice which is to draw them back while sending reinforcements to protect them?¡± ¡°I also think that method is the only choice¡­¡­ well, in any case we have to inform the beastmen continent of Setsu¡¯s return don¡¯t we? Even if my troops are pulled back, the beastmen troops will remain¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡­ So, shall I go to the beastmen continent right away then?¡± ¡°I would¡¯ve liked it if you to took it more leisurely though¡± Desas says so while making a lonely expression. With just that she loses the most of the majesty of a demon lord. At times like this, the best thing to do is to stroke her head for now. ¡°Ah¡­¡­ You, are you not giving me the same treatment as Ruri?¡± ¡°Right now you¡¯re the same as her you know? Well, you just wait okay? I have to show my face to the other guys, but once the war ends, I¡¯ll take it very slowly.¡± Desas looks unhappy from being treated as a child, but her mood returned after hearing the last part of my words,. ¡° ¡­¡­ That is right, information came in about the heroes who were summoned along with you.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± I don¡¯t really have much interest in that, but I wonder; how much of a prodigy are they becoming? Only their abilities are outrageous after all, those guys. ¡°I¡¯m told that one Hero who does not possess a sacred sword seems to be towering above the rest of the current Heroes.¡° ¡°They didn¡¯t possess the sacred sword?¡± So when it comes to talented people, there are those above Kouma? As far as I can remember, his Excalibur type doesn¡¯t really look strong compared to the sacred swords I¡¯ve checked up until now. However, wielders of a sacred sword get outrageous statuses on its own, it shouldn¡¯t be easy at all for capable people to becomebetter than a wielder of a sacred sword¡­¡­ ¡°This is information procured from an informant in Destinea, but I have heard of a girl who use an orange colored fire magic. I believe her nickname is the ?¡± Setting sun¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DOrange? ¡°Aah¡­¡­ her.¡± ¡°Do you know this person? Nevertheless, hearing that she exceeded a wielder of a sacred sword, we can¡¯t make light of her. We should be thoroughly vigilant of¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°No, she¡¯s fine, because right now she should be receiving coaching from Eruka.¡± ¡°I see, from that ice woman. In other words she is your comrade, is that correct?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s how it is.¡± Be that as it may, Yuuhi¡­¡­ we¡¯ve only been apart for a few days, you know¡­¡­ how much have your abilities increased in this short time, this childhood friend of mine. ¡°Be careful though okay? The heroes summoned with me can become a decent war potential after all. This war can be overturned if you¡¯re being careless, you know.¡± ¡°I shall take your advice to heart. However¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThey won¡¯t be like that person would they?¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ that guy is special.¡± What I¡¯m reminded of is the smile of that gender fraud of a shitty Hero. Even if I know he isn¡¯t in this world anymore, it feels like I¡¯m constantly being watched. That guy¡¯s existence is that deeply ingrained within me as a trauma. No¡­¡­ He did become a companion, but¡­¡­ well, I mean, It¡¯s because he¡¯s a guy who¡¯s dangerous in various ways¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡° ¡­¡­ I understand your pain.¡± ¡°No, stop Desas. A woman like you isn¡¯t supposed to understand that.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s from the same sex, then I too have¡­¡­well¡­¡­¡± ¡°Thanks Desas, you¡¯re someone who understands me¡± That¡¯s right, Desas is also beautiful of course. I bet there are many who approach her calling her elder sister and such. My bad for acting like that. Let me cherish her with my whole life. And then have her cherish me. That way we can support each other. But I wonder why though? I end up feeling like that guy, who I¡¯ve dealt with with my own hands, is still aiming for me¡­¡­ like I feel that his terror hasn¡¯t ended yet¡­¡­ ¡°Hey Setsu? You¡¯re staring you know¡­¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m all right¡­¡­ I¡¯m supposed to be all right¡± If that guy was at least a woman¡­¡­ Would I not be feeling this terrified then, I wonder. ¡°Aaargh! No more! This conversation is over! Anyway, I¡¯m leave this castle the day after tomorrow! End of story!¡± ¡°Wha, wait! Is that not too sudden!?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve made up my mind now so shut up!¡± At any rate I want to forget that smile now. If I can think about something else. ¡°I would have wanted you to take a few more days though¡­¡­¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ well, that might drag on and on forever you see.¡± If it becomes too comfortable for me, I won¡¯t be able to leave until I die. I also want to quickly see the faces of those guys in the beastmen continent. Desas kept a unhappy face for a while, but she eventually consented in the end. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI guess that is also true. If possible¡­¡­ please come back quickly. Won¡¯t I¡­¡­won¡¯t I be lonely¡­¡­¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡­¡± So there¡¯s this person here who¡¯s calling herself lonely while fidgeting embarrassingly. What is this cute creature, even though she¡¯s a demon lord. Thus I¡¯ve decided on my departure schedule. However, the me at the time didn¡¯t know¡­¡­ that the guy who became this much of a trauma to me¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dand I will meet once again. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C A.N. Next chapter, Setsu departs. It¡¯s probably fast, but I will temporarily put the demon continent on hold. Because the next time will be a considerably major story, I will do about this much for the first time. In addition, by no means did Setsu kill Touma because of him experiencing danger to himself. There is a perfectly serious reason for this. Just to be sure. T.N. *I didn¡¯t quite understand the last part of the last sentence, specifically ¤½¤ÎËû¤Ë¤ä¤Ã¤Æ¤¤¤ë¤³¤È¤ÈÑԤ俤é CH 18 18 Depart, Evil Barrow Author¡¯s notes{ Trap is a safe opinion. This time is a bit of Levia¡¯s character breakdown.} ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Ruri¡¯s side Today, mister Setsu will depart from Evil barrow. When I am about to start preparing the stall I received for the very first time in the castle town, mister Setsu comes here expressly to greet me. ¡°Ruri, I¡¯m gonna leave this place today, so yeah.¡± Going to the toilet for a bit¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dis how it felt the way he told me and I unconsciously opened my mouth wide for a moment. During that time he searched his own pockets and threw some kind of string shaped object towards me. I checked the object I received while I¡¯m confused and upon closer inspection, it is a necklace. On the curiously shaped gem, there is a white cord going through it. I inquire about the meaning of the necklace and he said ¡°It¡¯s an accessory I¡¯m giving to people I¡¯m close with in case we separate¡±. Speaking of farewell gifts, is the brooch miss Desas is carrying also the same as this necklace I wonder? That makes me happy and somewhat ecstatic and mister Setsu comes to look at me with unkind eyes. I get angry from that, but this person would end up running away smoothly. I feel like it would be like this if I had a big brother. His attitude towards me too, it¡¯s as if he sees me as his little sister. The truth is, I want him to see me more as a woman though¡­¡­ When I¡¯m being teased and I start getting teary eyed, this person would place his hands on my head. Mister Setsu¡¯s hand is warm and before I notice, he is stroking my head gently. Actually he doesn¡¯t do it very gently at all, but I don¡¯t resist it. ¡°Well, you do your best with your stall okay? Once I return, I¡¯ll help you make it prosper after all¡± While saying those last words, mister Setsu walks out of the town and continued walking towards the gates. There were many things I still want to talk about, but I will trouble him if I restrain him here. I suppress the feeling of reluctance to part with him and watch mister Setsu¡¯s back until he disappears. If I run this store together with him, I wonder how happy I would become. For the sake of this newly made dream of mine, I must make this store prosper and overcome mister Setsu¡¯s standards. I put in my fighting spirit and prepared to open my store. Actually, tomorrow is the opening of the store, but I will boldly open the store today in the afternoon. I brace myself even more and start putting my hands on the ingredients that was meant for tomorrow. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThe lot who got an accessory from me increased by a lot didn¡¯t it¡­¡­¡± While I¡¯m recalling the part with me giving an accessory to Ruri, I mutter a few words. Basically, the accessories I give out contains my divine protection. Although I call it divine protection, it¡¯s something unique that would invalidate attacks from the mind interference series, invalidate a life threatening attack once and it informs me when it falls into a crisis. I also wanted to put in a bit more powers like body strengthening, but the jewels and such used for storing them doesn¡¯t have enough capacity to store that much power. Currently, the ones holding this accessory are the three people who traveled together with me, Yuuhi, Desas and Ruri. There is one more person joining them, but that person is in a place distant from the three big continents, so I¡¯m thinking about introducing her sooner or later. While I¡¯m thinking about that, I arrive at the gates on the outskirts. I receive a check from the soldiers guarding the gate (can¡¯t have criminals and the like leave this place after all) and then I leave the town. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DWell, aren¡¯t you taking your time¡± When I breathe in the outside air, I¡¯m suddenly called out. As I search for the owner of the voice, I find Levia standing at the edge of the street. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s because I went to Ruri¡¯s place. It would¡¯ve been fine if you had come together with me you know.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, okay? I didn¡¯t really want to act as the third wheel between the both of you in your alone time.¡± My and Ruri¡¯s time? It wasn¡¯t a farewell scene where you have to pay that much attention to something like that, you know¡­¡­ ¡°Well, I will be having quite some alone time with just you, so I should give at least this much time to her.¡± While saying that, Levia clings tightly to me when I start walking. Speaking of why Levia is accompanying me in this trip, it¡¯s nothing more than because I asked her to. I¡¯ll be moving by sea and her strength is nothing to scoff at. She already intended to return to the sea, so I had no reason to not go together with her. Nevertheless, she¡¯s quite honest today. Even though she would always make a strange tsundere display¡­¡­ ¡°Which reminds me¡­¡­ you remember our promise?¡± ¡°Hm? The thing about me doing whatever you ask? Have you already decided?¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ It¡¯s because you properly remember these things that you¡¯re so sly ¡­¡­ you lady killer¡­¡­¡± I don¡¯t know if she spoke in a voice so small so I can¡¯t hear it, but I can hear everything with my strengthened hearing, you know? Can you not lump me together with those thickheaded guys? ¡°Err, I have decided. I can ask anything, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, if it¡¯s within my ability.¡± If you request outside of that I¡¯ll tear off your scales, so please take care not to go out of range. ¡°It may be within your ability¡­¡­ There was this wedding dress Desas was wearing wasn¡¯t there?¡± ¡°Yeah¡± It¡¯s that dress that doesn¡¯t suit Desas because it¡¯s pure white. Come to think of it, who should I entrust with making something like the black and red dress? Should I get the usual guy make it? ¡°That¡­¡­ you see? ¡­¡­I was thinking that, you know¡­¡­ I also kind of want to put on that dress¡­¡­¡± With her voice gradually becoming smaller, she unconsciously casted down her eyes at the end. When she becomes honest, she becomes cute doesn¡¯t she. I want to hear something more definite, so I pressed her further. ¡°A sea colored dress you see¡­¡­ and above the sea we could make a place with ice¡­¡­¡± ¡°Oh, like that¡­¡­¡± ¡°And then¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dwait, I can¡¯t say something embarrassing like that, you know!?¡± Tsk, I thought I could enjoy this a bit longer¡­¡­ Well in short¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dyou want to marry me.¡± ¡°Uugh! Don¡¯t just go saying that so straightforwardly!¡± I easily avoid the fist of anger she launches that¡¯s cutting through the wind like a roar towards me. That¡¯s a rather strong punch for a retort. Average people would break in pieces from that. ¡°Don¡¯t dodge it!¡± ¡°No way¡± I catch her fist and and strike her head with a chop. Levia, who got struck, became meek while pressing on the part she was hit at. ¡°Ugh¡«¡«¡«¡­¡­*sigh*, it¡¯s not good, is it? Being honest seems so hard for me.¡± Levia is suddenly drained of her strength, pushing quite some weight onto my shoulders. ¡°Isn¡¯t it unreasonable to think you can become honest immediately¡­¡­ so why again?¡± ¡°I mean, didn¡¯t someone like Desas convey her feelings to you in such an amazingly straightforward way? There are also many others who yearn for you¡­¡­ and it doesn¡¯t seem like something like my feelings would reach you, so¡­¡­¡± While saying so, Levia hides her face again. ¡­¡­ How do I say this. To put it simply, even if you say things like you¡¯re dishonest or you have a hot-cold personality, it only won¡¯t get through if the other party is thickheaded¡­¡­ On the other hand it¡¯s easy to understand for me, who likes to tease people, but¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dyour feelings reached me so don¡¯t worry, okay? If you want to marry me, just say it and I¡¯ll respond to you properly¡± Hey try saying it, try saying it¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dis what I instigate her. Of course, it¡¯s accompanied with a smug face.* Levia, whose face is becoming increasingly red, tries to spin some words while her lips quivers and becoming teary eyed¡­¡­ ¡°Wo, would you¡­¡­ m, marry¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Das if I can say that so easily, you stupid!¡± ¡°Buhuo!? Hey, stop that Water laser!¡± I ran all around while receiving a firetruck water discharge like water magic in my face. Levia, who has become angry, ran wildly without stopping for a while; by the time she stopped, the sun has already gone high in the sky. That¡¯s strange, it was still morning some time ago though©` This was the moment I understood my departure didn¡¯t stop like usual¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Hah!¡± In the center of the training grounds outside Destinea castle, two girls are throwing violent magic at each other. One girl fires stones of ice and the other girl fires flames resembling the setting sun. ¡°Miss Yuuhi! Please pay more attention to your output! Even though it erased stones this size, a flame that large is unneeded!¡± ¡°Ye, yes! Instructor Eruka!¡± This time a somewhat repressed flame meets the stones of ice the other girl fired once again. It comes in contact with two stones and an intense steam is created. However¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D (kuh¡­¡­ This time it is too weak!?) The stones that didn¡¯t melt away broke through the flames and hit Yuuhi¡¯s cranium. Catchi a lump of ice about the size of a baseball, she receives a strong shock to her head and collapsed onto the floor. ¡° ¡­¡­ Shall I leave it at this then. Are you alright, miss Yuuhi?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡­ somehow. Ow ow¡­¡­¡± Yuuhi gets up while pressing on her head. As a result of body strengthening constantly being applied there were no considerable damage, but it appears that the skin was cut. ¡°Uhm¡­¡­ so the output wasn¡¯t good, was it¡­¡­ if I make it a little bit bigger and increase its thickness¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DYuu!¡± Her name being called all of a sudden, Yuuhi interrupts her thoughts and turns her sight towards the direction of the voice. There is the figure of Kouma, running towards her with all his strength. Kouma finally reaches Yuuhi, who is now sitting, and then he supports Yuuhi¡¯s body and applies the restoration magic Heal to the cranium. Incidentally, restoration magic is a light attribute magic, so for Kouma who has the aptitude in light attribute, Heal is one of his field of expertise. ¡°Doing this kind of training during your day off again¡­¡­ That¡¯s why you¡¯re this injured.¡± ¡°Er, yeah¡­¡­?¡± As Kouma heals Yuuhi¡¯s wounds with a serious expression, he lends her his shoulder so she can stand up. Yuuhi doesn¡¯t particularly need his shoulder to stand up, but she didn¡¯t refuse out of consideration and stand up as she was told. ¡°Return to your room like this, you should rest today.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Do you understand me?¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ Yeah.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s fine.¡± The two walks to their respective rooms. While leaving, Kouma looks at Eruka and threw a gaze filled with resentment. Without saying anything, Eruka watches their backs as they walk away. As masochistic as she may be, she didn¡¯t like that kind of gaze. When Yuuhi returned to her room, she was made to lie down on the bed by Kouma. She could already move around like it was nothing and in the first place, the training will still continue as is. She wasn¡¯t planning on continuing since it was stopped by Eruka, but she couldn¡¯t agree the way she was told by Kouma and the way he forcibly took her away. ¡°Your daily training is also considerably harsh, isn¡¯t it? To receive a training that hard in addition to that is¡­¡­¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ Even then I have to do it.¡± ¡°Why?¡± For the sake of being together with Yuki-kun¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dis what she was about to say, but Yuuhi recalled the fact Kouma is on Destinea¡¯s side, so she stopped somehow. It¡¯s because she was strictly told that she is not allowed to talk about to anyone with the exception to people approved by Eruka. ¡° ¡­¡­ At any rate, it¡¯s because I want to become stronger.¡± ¡°Is that, is that so¡­¡­¡± He showed a face that seemingly wants to say ¡°I won¡¯t consent, even if you say that¡±, but Kouma doesn¡¯t quite have the courage to pursue any further than this towards Yuuhi¡¯s seriousness. ¡° ¡­¡­ But you haven¡¯t rested enough at all, let¡¯s go to the town for today¡¯s holiday. Okay?¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ Sorry, but I have to get more training.¡± Being told this clearly, Kouma opens his eyes wide from the shock he received and Yuuhi rises up on the bed without worrying about him. She stands up as is and walks out of the room. She is unsatisfied from the training from some time ago, so she is thinking about earnestly requesting Eruka for additional training. The arm of that girl is grabbed by Kouma from the side. While experiencing unpleasantness from being touched by a man other than Setsu, Yuuhi turns her face towards Kouma. What is on that face is an annoyed expression. And then he turns his face filled with slight resentment towards her. ¡°Yuu, whenever you do your best¡­¡­ it always has something to do with Suzaku Setsu.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Unintentionally being hit by the bull¡¯s eye, Yuuhi is surprised. Certainly in the olden days, when Yuuhi was doing her best, it mainly had something to do with Setsu. When he is absent from school, she takes his priority over herself when taking notes. Afterwards, no matter how many errands she has to do, she does it at a terrifying speed and then goes directly to Setsu¡¯s house. When he collapses at school due to lack of sleep from reading too many novels, she would carry him to the school infirmary by herself. Being told she was someone who always tries her hardest from the start, Yuuhi¡¯s tenacity is mostly gained for Setsu¡¯s sake. ¡°This time also¡­¡­ has something to do with him, am I right? Just what in the world is so good about that gloomy person! Rather than him, I would absolutel¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dy!?¡± Suddenly, a sharp pain runs through Kouma¡¯s arm which was holding Yuuhi¡¯s arm. When he looks at it, the girl is grabbing the wrist of his arm with her free hand. Filled with so much strength that it would seem to make creaking sounds, she dug her fingers into Kouma¡¯s arm. ¡°Don¡¯t speak so badly about Yuki-kun. Don¡¯t speak so cruelly about him¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D even if it¡¯s you, Kouma-kun, I will burn you, you know?¡± ¡°gh!?¡± From her lovely, well-featured appearance, an unimaginable thirst for blood struck Kouma¡¯s body. His strength unintentionally escapes and he is about to fall down, but his arm that was grabbed is pulled up as is and he is forcibly made to stand. There is already this much difference made between Yuuhi and Kouma. It was only a short time since Setsu was gone, but it doesn¡¯t mean Yuuhi¡¯s bundle of talent would not grow when receiving Eruka¡¯s serious guidance. Letting go of the dazed Kouma, Yuuhi decides to leave the room now. ¡°I¡¯ll train to the point that it won¡¯t interfere with tomorrow¡¯s labyrinth training without you worrying, okay? So be relieved?¡± Leaving behind those words, Yuuhi leaves the room and closes the door. There was no concerns about that from Kouma¡¯s point of view, but even now he is standing there, doing nothing. By the time he regains his footing after receiving the entire bloodthirst from the one he loves, dozens of minutes have already passed. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Author¡¯s notes{ Next chapter, the arrival to port city. Now, I wonder what the outcome of Kouma-kun¡¯s love will be! (we already know) And how shall Yuuhi-chan grow (meaningfully) from here on out!?} *T.N. Not sure if a smug face is what he¡¯s making. Googling ¥²¥¹î† gives me images, but¡­. CH 19 Posted on December 21, 2017 by Jun Hello everyone! And here is another chapter of Second summon, translated by yours truly. Sometimes I wonder if I¡¯m not spending a bit too much time on a hobby like this. It¡¯s still fun though so I¡¯m not really complaining. Enjoy your read~ Tl: Jun ED: Jun 19 Guild It¡¯s already been three days since we departed from Evil Barrow. Even though we got lost here and there, we finally reached the port city on the demon continent. ¡°Hmm¡­¡­ It¡¯s the nostalgic aroma of salty water, it really calms me down.¡± As she is the Sea god, Levia becomes more excited the closer we get to the port city. Now she is in top form, walking in front of me. ¡°Is that so¡­¡­ I¡¯m so glad for you¡­¡­¡± ¡­¡­ I am the opposite, my excitement hit rock bottom since yesterday. There¡¯s no indication it¡¯s going to rise back anytime soon. ¡° ¡­¡­ Could you at least fix your mood a bit? There¡¯s nothing you can do about that, right? ¡°Ain¡¯t that exactly why I just can¡¯t get excited¡­¡­¡± This is about yesterday, when I was making a camp and I was casually looking through my magic bag¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThat magic bag of yours really does fit in anything.¡± ¡°Yeah, pretty much.¡± I am beside the open fire, taking the tools I don¡¯t quite know anything about out of the bag and spreading them around. When either of my hands enters the bag, nothing but unknown objects roll out, but occasionally objects filled with memories come out of the bag, making me feel nostalgic. Why do I even have this thing that looks so much like a dog¡¯s bone¡­¡­ ¡°Hm? What is this?¡± ¡°Oh?¡± What Levia picked up is a card as large as a driver¡¯s license. I received it while I was filled with nostalgia. ¡°It¡¯s a guild card from the time I was an adventurer. It¡¯s what you get when you register in the adventurer¡¯s guild.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡­ but there is nothing written on it¡± Just like she said, the guild card I have is blank, not even a single symbol is drawn on it. ¡°It¡¯s for crime prevention. If I don¡¯t fill it with my magic power, it won¡¯t show anything. It can be abused if it¡¯s stolen, so as long as the owner¡¯s magic power isn¡¯t flown into it, it won¡¯t show any information, you see. The adventurer¡¯s guild is an organization for adventurers; they¡¯re in charge of almost anything from odd jobs in town to subjugations of calamity scale monsters. Mainly the registered adventurers have a rank attached to them and they¡¯re offered work depending on that rank. The work received can be one rank higher or at most two ranks lower than your own. If for example you are C rank, then you can receive B rank as well as D and E rank works. And lastly, the adventurer¡¯s guild have a varying quality of service depending on the rank. There are all sorts of convenient things like the reduction to the prices at the arms dealers related to the guild, residence being provided etc. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DIn other words, it¡¯s a trick to prevent adventurers from abusing the service of a higher rank by stealing the guild card of an adventurer with a higher rank than themselves, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how it works. That¡¯s why you do this and¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dhuh?¡± ¡°What is wrong?¡± I¡¯m filling the card with magic power in order to show the contents, but the card does nothing. If it was back then the letters would have shown itself immediately¡­¡­ ¡°So it wasn¡¯t true that that is the guild card is it? Is that a different card or¡­¡­¡± ¡°No, this is the only card item I have¡­¡­ Wait, don¡¯t tell me.¡± In order to see the magic formation I have inserted into the card, I focus my eyes. Basically, the things called magic item have a magic formation created and inserted in them to give an effect. The guild card also have a magic formation inserted within¡­¡­ or it should¡¯ve been the case though. ¡°There really is¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dnothing¡± The magic formation has disappeared. That means it¡¯s just a card without any other effect. When I have understood that, a ¡°now I¡¯ve done it¡± kind of feeling swelled up inside me. ¡° ¡­¡­ It¡¯s expired¡­¡­¡± ¡°Eh?¡± If this guild card, which resembles a Japanese driver¡¯s license, isn¡¯t renewed every four years, it will discard all data at that point. It is a system originally created to draw out S class adventurers and the like who have gained a great deal of profit and have retired and also to push work onto adventurers who have come out to renew their card. The period of time I didn¡¯t renew my card is five years and naturally that means it is the same as passing the deadline and so everything is erased. ¡°My, my¡­¡­ SSS rank is¡­¡­¡± I am drained of my strength and I fall on all fours. My body is crushed by the intense feeling of loss that assailed me. By the complete futility of the time and labour I spent going up to SSS rank that was no less than one year¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThis is the biggest shock I received since I returned to this world. ¡°Can- can¡¯t you just go up again from the bottom!?¡± Even Levia¡¯s encouraging words won¡¯t reach the current me. The night advances as is without her, who had never seen me like this, knowing what to do with the me who isn¡¯t moving on all fours and me unable to recover no matter how much she kept at it¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D Even after entering the port city by foot, my excitement didn¡¯t go up. The voice of the old man trying to force a sale on his fishes with a large voice didn¡¯t enter my ears and the granny¡¯s voice who seems to be bantering with us entered my left ear and left my right ear. ¡°For now we should stop by the guild, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡­¡± Either way I want the guild card. It¡¯ll be my defeat if I give up here. No matter what, I can¡¯t be defeated by something like the guild system. Even if, for example, I have to restart at E rank, I¡¯ll once again ascend to SSS rank¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D*sigh* ¡­¡­ ¡°Ah, isn¡¯t this the place?¡± ¡°hm?¡± I raise up my face from Levia¡¯s voice and I see there is a wooden two storied building. Seeing traces of repairs making it unrefined here and there, but it is indeed the guild building that appears in stories. There are basically adventurer¡¯s guilds everywhere you go, but this is the first time I visited this town¡¯s adventurer¡¯s guild. It¡¯s perfect for a new start¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D*sigh* ¡­¡­ As we go in, the adventurers who are gulping down beer in the guild tavern are staring a hole into us. What, within the many gazes, many of them already captured Levia. It can¡¯t be helped since her appearance would make ten out of ten people look back. I was stuck with begrudging looks for walking alongside a girl of that level. For now I¡¯ll ignore all of these looks and head towards the reception counter. ¡°Welcome to the adventurer¡¯s guild! How can I help you today?¡± At the reception counter there is a ponytailed woman wearing a red and white checkered apron. This apron is a popular work cloth for receptionist women. It seems that it¡¯s fine if it looks a little plain. ¡°I¡¯d like to issue a guild card¡­¡­¡± ¡°Ye-, yes. Certainly sir!¡± The receptionist falters for an instant from my unusually negative aura. Being poked from the flank by Levia, I reluctantly withdraw my aura. ¡°*sigh* ¡­¡­ If I had come here a year earlier¡­¡­¡± ¡°? Uhm, excuse me, but have you passed the renewal deadline?¡± The receptionist picked up the few complaints I muttered. When I said yes while looking down, the receptionist starts saying something unthinkable. ¡°I can reissue the expired cards with one gold coin, you see? That is only if you still possess the expired card though ¡­¡­¡± ¡°What did you say!?¡± I quickly jump at her words. A gold coin is 10000 gold and in converted to japanese yen it is also worth 10000 yen. If reissuing becomes 10000 yen, it¡¯s considered a lot I think, but it¡¯s not that much money in my case. ¡°It¡¯s a skill made about three years ago though¡­¡­ It¡¯s a magic to restore vanished information, would you like me to reissue the card?¡± ¡°Yes, and right away please!¡± ¡°Ce-, certainly sir¡± I take out the white card from my magic bag and almost throw it at her. Although the fruits of my labour is coming back, something like 10000 yen is too cheap for this. Naturally I also handed her one gold coin along with the card. I don¡¯t know who he was, but good job setting this up. ¡°Are, aren¡¯t you glad with this¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Whether it was really in good form or not, it can¡¯t be helped that the two of us are drawing attention. It¡¯s a necessary sacrifice. ¡°Well then, the reissue is¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Deh!? SSS rank!?¡± The information revives and the receptionist¡¯s mind was blown by the displayed rank. There are so few SSS rank adventurers in this world that you can count them with the fingers of both your hands, so this reaction is justified, I guess. Maybe the receptionist¡¯s voice was loud, but she makes a commotion in the surroundings and the adventurers starts making an uproar. This looks troublesome. ¡°Is the reissuing complete?¡± ¡°Ye- yes! Here it is, sir.¡± ¡°Thank ya¡± When I fill the returned guild card with magic power, information is displayed similar to just then. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D Name: Setsu Age: 23 Race: Human race Adventurer¡¯s rank¡­¡­ SSS Accepted orders¡­¡­ ¡°None¡± ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D My age have become strange¡­¡­ It¡¯s probably the information from my old body as it is I guess. When I was sent back to Japan I¡¯m sure that I was 18 years old, so that¡¯s why 5 years later I¡¯m 23 years old. I see, it all comes together. ¡°Alright, my work here is finished. We¡¯re going!¡± ¡°I¡¯m coming I¡¯m coming¡­¡­ You¡¯re really too excited now, you know that? Good grief¡­¡­¡± While Levia is amazed, I leave the guild behind. I also thought about looking at the requests, but it¡¯s bad to take my time looking for an interesting looking request, so I go outside through the guild door just like that. After Setsu and Levia left the guild, a big uproar was made about his rank. ¡°Yo hold it there, that brat is an SSS rank? Ain¡¯t that some kind of mistake?¡± ¡°But you know, you can¡¯t fake a guild card and would you really fake it as an SSS rank on purpose?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true I guess¡­¡­¡± ¡°More importantly, you saw the woman next to him right!? What the hell¡¯s with that face and style!?¡± ¡°That guy her boyfriend? Damn him!¡± Many let out their complains about Setsu, from the violent people reeking of alcohol to the people neatly putting on their equipment. Within the uproar, a single girl was standing in the corner, listening to the conversations. She has an appearance of a typical adventurer, with a fair skin peculiar to demons and black hair that is cut short evenly. She is likely around Ruri¡¯s age and has a pretty face with some remaining childishness. ¡°SSS rank¡­¡­ if it¡¯s such an amazing person then¡­¡­I¡¯m sure of it¡± The young girl stood up and started running after Setsu and Levia. There was not even one person in the guild who took notice of that. CH 21 21 The pupil in the village In the forest that is at the core of the demon continent of all the forests in the continent, a certain village was assaulted by a threat. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨DUgh! Substitute with me!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± ¡°Guryaaaaa!¡± His body clad in armour, the sturdy man moved to the back at the same time the instruction was given. Another soldier squatting there plunged in and stopped the sword of the grotesque figure that was screaming in front of his eyes. The hit that was swung down was heavy and the soldier reflexively bent his knee. Behind the grotesque figure, similarly grotesque looking figures formed a line. Those figures are called ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D B rank monsters known as the guards of the dragon¡¯s cave. Their height appears to be 2 and half meters, their arms extending from the scale-covered body is thick and in that hand, a curved sword is grasped. The shape of their head is no doubt that of a dragon and drool is spilling out between those sharp teeth. The Lizardmen are currently attacking a certain village. However, due to the swift response done from the directions of the A class adventurer who is residing in the village, they were unable to attack from front of the village. This so-called swift response are measures such as narrowing down the entrance for the attack with the use of earth magic. The village is identical to the village Setsu and co visited a few days ago. Its surroundings are covered with a wall. Regardless of whether the residents are excellent or not, there was nothing to criticize about their strength. The entrance for passing through the wall is nothing more than the front gate of the village. In other words, as long as they control the gate, they can protect the village. ¡°Ramell, stay still just like that!¡±(¥é©`¥á¥ë;raameru) ¡°Ugh! Miss Alize!¡± The lizardman¡¯s blow continues its pressure on the youth called Ramell, despite him being on his knees. Standing behind him, woman preparing her rapier called out to him. Just as he was told to, he stopped moving and the rapier wielding woman called Alize, while raising magic power within her, began chanting. ¡°With the savage and wrathful hellfire, burn my adversaries! !¡± The flame lance that was fired from the hand that was stuck out, flew over Ramell, bore through the head of the lizardman and subsequently pierced through the similarly built beings behind it in one hit. ¡°That was great miss Alize!¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy of your praise, but now is not the time! I¡¯m entrusting my back to you!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Alize deals with the lizardmen by using the shining silver rapier she holds. Occasionally she makes use of magic to fires flames, decreasing an amount of invading lizardmen. For certain, she is this village¡¯s sole rank A adventurer and exclusive soldier Alize Ifrille. (¥¢¥ê¥¼?¥¤¥Õ¥ê©`¥ë;arize ifuriiru) The moment she comes out is the moment of despair as far as the lizardmen are concerned. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó ¡°Teya!¡± ¡°Gii!¡± Amelle¡¯s dagger catches the temple of the E rank monster Goblin, ending its life. As a C rank adventurer, her movement is relatively light. Her use of that short sword stands out and watching her movement feels good too. ¡°Your dagger skills are great¡± ¡°*exhales* ¡­¡­ Thanks.¡± I call out to Amelle who took a breath. Two days has passed since we left the town and this girl has surprisingly already opened up to us. Stopping with that unreasonable use of polite speech and talking with general speech is the proof of that. Right now we are advancing inside a dense forest. A one way trip to Amelle¡¯s village takes three days and if we raise our pace we could arrive there in a little over two days. Luckily, the monsters aren¡¯t very strong, so it¡¯s enough with just Amelle. Thus, since we advanced well, the place of destination will soon be in front of our eyes she says. ¡°Just you wait honey liquor, I¡¯ll save you right away¡± ¡°That¡¯s all you¡¯ve been saying the whole time¡­¡­¡± Don¡¯t be so disgusted, Levia okay? Because you too will become addicted to it for sure once you drink it. ¡°The village¡­¡­ it would be nice if they¡¯re safe¡­¡­¡± ¡°It should be fine, with the way they¡¯re defending it.¡± According to Amelle, the village is surrounded with a wall like the last village she visited; one entrance in the front of the village. That entrance is made thin using earth magic, to the point a single lizardman can squeeze through. Their intelligence isn¡¯t a big deal; if there is a hole that even a single one of them can fit in, they won¡¯t break the nearby wall. Conversely, if the village is completely surrounded with a wall, they will destroy it in order to go inside. It seems that the village¡¯s sole former A rank adventurer Alize or something came up with this plan, that¡¯s quite an excellent plan. But that name Alize¡­¡­ where have I heard of that one before¡­¡­ ¡°Say that Alize, what kind of person is she?¡± ¡°Eh? Uhm, she¡¯s a beautiful woman with bright red hair and she¡¯s a rapier user¡­¡­ fire attribute magic is her forte¡­¡­¡± ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DShe somewhat resembles an acquaintance of mine doesn¡¯t she¡­¡­ ¡°And she¡¯s very gentle¡­¡­ and she¡¯s cool, she¡¯s gallant, she¡¯s modest¡­¡­ I admire her very much¡± ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DHm? It doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s my acquaintance after all. The Alize fellow I know of is a ferocious and conceited young girl after all, moreover she doesn¡¯t have the strength of an A rank adventurer either. I hope she¡¯s doing fine. ¡°Oh hey¡­¡­ We can already see it, you two, that¡¯s my village.¡± What we see inside the forest is a wall made of earth. Wherever they are, villages in the demon continent all have a wall with a certain typical shape. We follow Amelle with a naturally high pace and face the front of the village. When we get closer to the front, we could see the figures of the monsters attacking the village. ¡°Squirming disgustingly like ants aren¡¯t they¡­¡­ well, first of all, let¡¯s go and ensure the village¡¯s safety, shall we?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± When I say that, Amelle turned her face to me and showed a ¡°why?¡± face. We probably wanted to go directly to the dragon¡¯s nest, but something like the village being annihilated is possible while I¡¯m fighting there after all. Then I won¡¯t be able to drink honey liquor. I unsheathed Kuromaru from the magic bag, passed by Amelle and threw myself into the lizardmen. ¡°It¡¯s ant extermination time!¡± I went and rapidly cut down the guys who noticed me. those dragon scales are lacking in front of Kuromaru and I cut down several heads off their bodies in one swing. ¡°Gugyao!¡± Conversely, the lizardmen swung down their curved swords without hitting me, ruthlessly cutting down air. Then the next instant I end their lives by cutting through their waist. After such slaughter advanced for a little while, the figures of nearby monsters disappeared. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThis, what is ¡­¡­ ¡° After completely dealing with the nearby lizardmen, a young man in the direction of the village walks while dumbfounded. Behind him is a woman with red wavy hair accompanying him. ¡°Big bro!¡± ¡°Uoh!? Ah. Amelle!?¡± Amelle who finally caught up with me, jumps at the young man. The young man catches the girl while tottering a bit and looks at the girl with a surprised expression. It seems like they¡¯re somehow siblings since she¡¯s using Big bro. If I look closely, they do resemble each other. ¡°Are you the one who took down these lizardmen?¡± ¡°Yeah¡± The red haired woman began talking with me. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DIt really does feel like this woman is my acquaintance. ¡°I see, so you are the adventurer Amelle was looking for. If I look at the fight just now, you appear to have at least the strength of an S rank adventurer.¡± ¡°Yeah, something like that. By the way, are you¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dcrybaby Alize?¡± When I ask that, the woman¡¯s face suddenly became red and she set up the rapier she¡¯s holding. ¡°You, you bastard¡­¡­ where have you heard of that naaaaaaame!¡± ¡°Wait!? Miss Alize!?¡± The dignified atmosphere from some time ago completely changed and Alize¡¯s hair floats from the anger¡­¡­ or actually the shame and she stepped on and unleashed a lunge with everything she had. ¡°Woah there.¡± I pinch that rapier with my left fingers and diverted it beside me. I swept Alize, who thrusted with the same amount of force, away from her feet and she falls on the ground. Then I sit on Alize, who got up on all fours. ¡°You bastard! If you think it will just end with me being exposed to such humiliating experience¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°Since when have you been able to point your sword towards your master? You crybaby.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡­ Again with that name¡­¡­ hm? Master?¡± ¡°I remember back then you would wield a rapier randomly and annoy me. And then when I get angry you would immediately get teary eyed. And when I praise you instead, you would cry in joy¡­¡­ good grief.¡± ¡°N-n-n-n-n-n-no way¡­¡­ Could you possibly be¡­¡­ Master Setsu?¡± I stand up and stuck out and showed her Kuromaru without hesitation. ¡°I¡¯m SSS rank adventurer Setsu. Please treat me well, okay? Miss A rank adventurer Alize.¡± ¡°P- please treat me well¡­¡­ Master.¡± The former pupil of mine, Alize Ifrille, forces a smile as much as she could to me who¡¯s showing a boorish smile, as she calls out the name she used to call me while showing her tears, perhaps from the fear of thinking I¡¯ll never show myself. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó It was when I was traveling to the demon continent with the three of us¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D When we were searching for requests in order to raise funds at a certain adventurer¡¯s guild, an extremely cheeky red haired little girl cut in front of us. Her long hair was gently wavy, the sorry looking armour attached to her was brand new and on the sword handle there¡¯s only a few traces of being held. That obviously novice adventurer looking girl cut in front of us and submitted an S rank request. Well, the reception desk naturally snapped, but in the end she threw a tantrum and shouted ¡°I¡¯m strong so I can do at least this much!¡± From that conceit, the thug like adventurers in this place are about to take their hands out and use force, so I approached the little girl and ¡°If you can win from me, I¡¯ll let you take that S rank request, okay?¡± is what I said. The little girl who heard that stopped her tantrum, turned around and with a delightful looking smile shown on her face she accepted the match. ¡°I won¡¯t lose to a weak guy like you!¡± I felt a little bit angry to the girl who said those provoking words, so I completely beat her up¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI mean, taught her the difference between our strength. My strength at that time was SS rank. Of course I adjusted my strength and punished her to the point she understood she¡¯s being toyed with. I gave her a vicious beating and used restoration magic on her as she was crying from the pain with hardly any voice coming out and threw her outside. The big incident of the day ended like that. On the next day, she once again showed her face in the guild. ¡°I¡¯m begging you! Let me be your pupil! No I mean, please let me be your pupil!¡± We, who was there to report our achievement on our request, were amazed and it unsurprisingly sounded troublesome to me so I refused, but the little girl even so desperately requested it. While screaming something like wanting to become stronger in order to protect her village, she clung onto me. She was really annoying and troublesome, but she got the idea of continuing this troublesome act for as long as she¡¯s not my pupil. ¡°Master Setsu, you should make her your pupil already!¡± ¡°Tha- that¡¯s right!¡± ¡°I also think you should.¡± The three attendants of mine gradually lost their patience and finally came to petition to me in desperation. Well, she even prostrate herself the whole night in front of the hotel room we¡¯re staying in, you know¡­¡­ And so, I got myself a pupil and the little girl accompanied us in our travels for a while. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThat is who is Alize Ifrille. CH 22 22 To The Dragon¡¯s Nest ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DWhat do you think you¡¯re doing to miss Alize!?¡± ¡°Wait Big bro!?¡± Did you get angry at what I¡¯m doing to Alize? Amelle¡¯s big brother pulled out his sword and leaped at me. ¡°No stop, Ramell!¡± ¡°Haaaa!¡± Since I have the leeway to dodge the sword he swings, Iobserve his swordsmanship. His movements are better than I thought. Though it¡¯s a village in the forest, the soldier¡¯s levels seem to be extremely high. ¡­¡­ No, it¡¯s possible you can get this strong from this kind of forest. That¡¯s because the forest is by nature a habitat for monsters. ¡°Please release me, miss Alize! I will protect you!¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I mean¡­¡­ You can¡¯t oppose that person¡­¡­¡± Hey pupil of mine, what do you think I am. And then that Amelle¡¯s brother is saying some pretentious stuff. Yeah, he¡¯s more like a Hero than I am, like really. Well, my bad for letting you say that line, but you¡¯re never gonna hit me by swinging that sword desperately you know. ¡°There.¡± ¡°Ugah!?¡± I wielded my sword and drove a fist into the now defenseless body. Of course I went extremely easy on him, I held back to the point I¡¯ve blown him away to at most a dozen of meters. ¡°Aah¡­¡­ don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you.¡± Seeing Amelle¡¯s brother lying down silent, Alize muttered those words. The little sister Amelle had a stunned expression on her face. From the looks of it, that big brother seems to have fallen in love with Alize, but this may have made him look uncool. I guess I should apologize to him once he gets up. ¡°What are you doing all of a sudden, knocking out villagers¡­¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that Levia, I more or less did a service to the village after all.¡± Levia got here afterwards and I gave her some explanation why this happened. Well, the other party was the one who jumped at me, so at least that shouldn¡¯t be my fault. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for my big bro?¡± ¡°I apologize for the village soldier, master.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that, okay¡± I returned my true feelings to the two who apologized looking apologetic. Well, you¡¯d kill the guy who would treat the person you like that way, even I would kill the guy. Rather than that, there¡¯s something I want to ask. ¡°Rather than that, we¡¯re thinking about going to the dragon¡¯s nest as is, but can we though? Is it already fine to go?¡± ¡°! That¡¯s how it is, the help Amelle called out for was master, wasn¡¯t it?¡± I see, Amelle already told them she called for help. It looks like we can settle this without any strange explanations in that case. ¡°If that¡¯s the case then why don¡¯t you enter the village once? Mister Setsu and miss Levia don¡¯t know the way, right? ¡°Oh, that¡¯s true¡± Now that you mention it, I don¡¯t know the way. ¡°Well then, why don¡¯t we intrude ourselves in your village for once? Well, the lizardmen will advance again if we stay for a while though¡­¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, the lizardmen are¡­¡­ Is it fine if I place a barrier in this village?¡± Even though I say barrier, it¡¯s only placing the monster repelling gem at the camping grounds at the village entrance¡­¡­ Afterwards there was an incident where Amelle was surprised by my monster repelling gem and fell down, but I¡¯ll omit the details. Though even with the highest grade potion Amelle was a bit too surprised. Oops, I forgot what I was about to do. I have to pick up Amelle¡¯s big brother. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó ¡°First off¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dmaster, welcome to the village I¡¯m living in. It is very reassuring that we are receiving your help this time.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be saving this village by today okay? And in exchange for help, mead please.¡± If I can secure the safety of the mead, then it¡¯s all fine for me. As long as they have that, I¡¯ll do some garbage cleaning with the group of lizardmen and the like. ¡­¡­ Well, even if they don¡¯t have the liquor I won¡¯t change my plans though¡­¡­ ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡± ¡°Big bro, it¡¯s not good glaring at Setsu so much, okay?¡± This is Alize¡¯s house guest room and sitting there is Levia and I one side and Amelle and Alize on the opposite side. And the one not sitting in the chair, but tied up with a rope on the ground is Amelle¡¯s big brother Ramell. That Ramell has been glaring at me the whole time just now. The breastplate he has on is dented by me back then, but he himself has no external wounds. Even I have properly healed him at least. ¡°I wanted to offer you our hospitality with the whole village, but unfortunately I¡¯m following the treatment of injured people.¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t mind it, doing that with the whole village is just troublesome.¡± Moreover, to me it¡¯s just lizardmen extermination work. It¡¯ll only bother me if they go out of their way to respect me for that after all. ¡°So, show us the way then, Alize. Let¡¯s finish up the troublesome parts right away.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll arrange the preparations for departure at once.¡± ¡°Uhmm¡­¡­ I want to go too, but can I?¡± Amelle called out to Alize who got up and started her preparations. When Alize heard it, she distorted her face and stopped it. ¡°Even a single lizardman is hard for you isn¡¯t it? You¡¯re a C rank and I¡¯m A rank. It¡¯s too dangerous.¡± ¡°But¡­¡­ I hardly have a chance to go together with such an amazing person and¡­¡­ I too want to become an amazing adventurer, you know!¡± When told like this, Alize unconsciously pondered with a bewildered expression. She probably understands her feelings, since she also wanted to go along with our S class request in the beginning and relentlessly threw a tantrum. ¡°But¡­¡­¡± ¡°Well, the one fighting will be none other than me and I think it should be easy if it¡¯s Levia protecting Amelle, ain¡¯t that right?¡± ¡°That, that¡¯s right! Miss Levia is amazingly strong you know!?¡± ¡°Somehow I¡¯m steadily left behind in this conversation, but I¡¯ll tell you I have more than enough leeway to take care of one person. I¡¯ll pridefully do so.¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ Is that so? In that case, I guess I will approve of you traveling together on the conditions that you won¡¯t do anything rash¡­¡­¡± ¡°I did it!¡± Amelle received permission and began to jump up and down with delight. Is it something to be that happy about I wonder? I was never in the position to go along with someone so I can¡¯t understand. Ugh, that Ramell guy¡¯s face becomes even unhappier now that his little sister is coming along with me. ¡°Wait! I¡¯m also going with you, miss Alize! You don¡¯t know if that man is really going to help us after all!¡± He stood up still bound to show his intention to come along and distrusts me without hesitation. What a real pain in the ass is he. ¡°My master is not like that, so you will be standing guard in the village as usual.¡± ¡°Eeeh!? No why!¡± Alize vetoed him accompanying us and he threw a tantrum just like his little sister¡­¡­ As expected of siblings. Afterwards a terrible argument unfolded between the two and it finally settled just when we were about to get tired from it. ¡°*Sigh* ¡­¡­ In that case then I shall remain in this village as well, is that fine with you?¡± ¡°Eh!? Miss Alize is going to stay behind in the village!?¡± Just when the compromise was taken out, Ramell¡¯s face changed into a smile. If it¡¯s guiding us to the place, then Amelle could do that too and it¡¯s probably a good idea for Alize to stay behind in the village to prepare for the worst case scenario. I can¡¯t say Lizardmen survivors won¡¯t appear. Ramell should be happy just because she won¡¯t be going together with me. He¡¯s already a man in love in my eyes, it¡¯s a bit scary you know. ¡°If Alize says so then it should be fine, shall we go then in that case?¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Leave the guiding to me!¡± ¡°My apologies, I¡¯m unable to do this without taking master¡¯s hand¡­¡­¡± ¡°As long as you can give me some mead, then I don¡¯t have a problem. More importantly¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dafter this I¡¯m gonna have you tell me why you¡¯ve become this weak, okay?¡± ¡°gh¡­¡­ As expected, you have already noticed it.¡± Of course I have, you¡¯re my pupil after all. I mean, in the first place you¡¯re far slower when I compare you with the olden days. You should be holding the strength of an SS rank and what you¡¯re showing is really at the level of an A rank. At first I thought you were pulling my leg, but from the mood I understand it¡¯s serious. ¡°When this matter is settled, I will explain it to you. ¡° ¡­¡­ I see.¡± I couldn¡¯t say more than that. I do have concerns about this, but I don¡¯t have that kind of relationship with her. Let¡¯s ask again if I still remember it. ¡°Then, depart¡± We three finished our preparations and left Alize¡¯s house in high spirits. Just you wait my mead, I¡¯ll save you right away. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó About an hour of walking after departure¡­¡­ we¡¯ve hunted the lizardmen who have turned scarce and as far as we can see right now there aren¡¯t any of those guys here. Then we finally arrived near the dragon¡¯s nest. ¡°Shall we go up from this place? We can see the dragon¡¯s nest there from up high.¡± ¡°Got it¡± Following Amelle¡¯s instructions, we climbed up the large hillside. On the other side of the hill, there are lizardmen swarming like cockroaches. The hole I can see within the group of lizardmen must be the dragon¡¯s nest. I¡¯m sure of it, seeing that those guys are coming out from there. ¡°Uhm¡­¡­ both of you can wait here, okay?¡± ¡°What, you mean you¡¯re not letting me act violently?¡± It¡¯s Levia who seems a bit unsatisfied, but your current role is to be Amelle¡¯s guard, isn¡¯t it? I won¡¯t let you rampage, you know. ¡°You do your work. This time simply doing this alone seems just more efficient. Well, I¡¯ll quickly finish this and come back.¡± ¡°Sure sure, please do it quickly okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, roger that¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± I answered in a rush, ran up to the stupid lizardmen who haven¡¯t noticed me and struck them with Kuromaru¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó ¡°ugh¡­¡­¡± ¡°Is there something wrong, miss Alize?¡± ¡°No¡­¡­ It¡¯s nothing.¡± Ramell, who is standing guard at the entrance, showed concern towards Alize who is similarly standing guard near him. Alize held her own shoulder and stopped her slightly trembling body. The reason her strength dropped from SS rank , the cause is certainly a type of trauma, however¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°It may get chilly, be careful.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, catching colds and such is terrible after all!¡± Alize somehow couldn¡¯t let go of this unpleasant premonition from some time ago and she softly traces the shoulder she held onto. The shoulder has a trace of a strange heat and there is a fresh scar attached to what was once the source of her trauma. (It would be nice if his worries would end this absurd fear¡­¡­.) After Alize gently stroked her shoulder once more, she returned her concentrated on her work as gatekeeper. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThe current her doesn¡¯t expect that the things she received before like her trauma will once again appear from now on. CH 23 23 Dragon Raid ¡°Here we go!¡± ¡°Gugyaa!¡± I cut down the lives of several lizardmen just by properly swinging Kuromaru around. This is the usual work. Well, you¡¯ll have fun if you consider yourself being unparalleled. ¡°Well, this really does get boring even by playing around.¡± Nevertheless, these swarming fellows are making me disgusted and maddening. I already don¡¯t want to see any more scales for a while now. ¡°¡®Kay, how about I quickly go smash up the ringleader!¡± I mow down the lizardmen who continued to group up by releasing a rotational cut. After I did that, I put all my strength into my feet and jumped. At the landing point I mow down those guys again, loaded up my feet and jumped once again. Once more I repeated that and I finally arrived at the front of the cave that was made in a cliff hidden by many trees. The place around the hole is especially dense with those guys. I cut them all down in one go by swinging Kuromaru around two, no three times, but they¡¯re coming out from inside like cockroaches. They really are infinite aren¡¯t they, these lizardmen. (In that case¡­¡­ a one point breakthrough it is) When I dodged and passed through the lizardman¡¯s attacks, which can¡¯t be seen unless it¡¯s in slow motion, I once again put strength into my feet and instead of going up like last time, I leaped forward. Together with the explosive sound of my kicking to the ground, I pushed out and I stuck out Kuromaru in front of me, completely destroying the lizardmen standing in the way. The dragon¡¯s nest is quite huge for the dragon who is living in it. The entrance is suitable for them, but the size is so wide it¡¯s like it¡¯s made for baseball. Normally this hole would look like it would crumble if it¡¯s emptied, but dragon scales are implanted here and there, so the hole is reinforced because of that. There haven¡¯t been any talks about the dragon¡¯s nest crumbling up until now, so the hole should be quite strong. In that case it sounds like I can act somewhat violently but¡­¡­ ¡° ¡­¡­ The hell is this?¡± The interior of the dragon¡¯s nest. I¡¯ve been kicking the ground many times over since then until I became stiff and what I found in this place is a violet sphere. The size is that of my body and I feel a vaguely ominous presence. (That¡¯s an incredible amount of magic power¡­¡­ does this rival that of a magic pool?) There is this phenomenon called magic pool, where the magic power in the air end up gathering. When that happens, the nearby monsters will become stronger and a massive amount of them will gush out, but¡­¡­ It¡¯s obviously something artificial. No matter how I think about it, the outbreak is unnatural and this sphere is too perfect. The magic pool is more unstable and it¡¯s something that would disappear from just a strong wind blow¡­¡­ When you take that in mind, you¡¯d understand the abnormality of this and stabilized thing with a round, well ordered shape. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Doops, I¡¯ll think about that later. ¡°Gugii!¡± ¡°How annoying!¡± The head of the lizardman who was brandishing the curved sword without thinking, flies away. First I should try and do something about that sphere. Will it stay there if I cut it? I raise my sword high overhead and pour magic power in Kuromaru. ¡°Flying Blade¡­¡­ heave ho!¡± As I swing downward with all my strength, a shockwave like object can be seen flying from the blade. Flying blade¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DLike the name implies, it¡¯s a technique that fires off a blade. It¡¯s actually a slash though¡­¡­ If you can use magic power in this world, then firing off a slash by itself is simple and anybody could do it if they raise their magic power and fencing skills to a certain level. Well I¡¯m telling you this first, there are no guys who can do one that can cut open this absurdly high ceiling. The slash advances while gouging out the ground, destroys the obstructing lizardmen and approaches the sphere while occasionally scattering smoke, bisecting it just like that. The purple sphere that is separated in two dispersed in the air and disappeared while scattering about the saved up magic power. ¡­¡­ and, at the same time. ¡° ¡­¡­ Crap, even the nearby lizardmen went up in smokes¡­¡­ what¡¯s happening?¡± I¡¯m completely dumbfounded from the sight in front of me for a while. There were so many lizardmen here and now not even a shadow can be seen from them anymore, what is here is nothing but the traces of the slash I produced that went all the way up to the ceiling. Normally you wouldn¡¯t think this would happen either. It¡¯s unnatural that the monsters who appeared by the influence of a magic pool would disappear because the magic pool disappeared. That¡¯s because the relationship between the spawned monster and the magic pool is severed the moment the monster is spawned. But what about this case? This is the first time I¡¯ve seen this phenomenon where the the created monsters also disappears because of the disappearance of the magic pool, you see? I can only imagine that some trick is involved in this after all¡­¡­ ¡°Well¡­¡­ no use thinking about this here when I¡¯m tired, I guess¡­¡­¡± For the time being I ought to report the things I¡¯ve done, I guess. It¡¯ll be fine if I don¡¯t clean up this nest afterwards, either way the floating magic power will dissolve eventually. I walked a little quickly and returned to where Levia and Armelle is waiting because I felt like I¡¯ve spent some time here. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó ¡°Setsu!¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± I wonder if there is anything left if I collect the raw materials of the lizardmen¡­¡­ when I was thinking of such frugal thoughts while I was walking, Levia and Armelle came running from the other side. Levia feels a bit impatient and Armelle¡¯s face is extremely pale. From seeing that I can understand that not some trivial matter happened. ¡°Did something happen?¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ A dragon you know.¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ what?¡± ¡°Like I said! The owner of this nest, the dragon, has returned! Moreover, it flew towards the direction of the village!¡± ¡­¡­ That thing¡¯s kind of bad news. I was under the impression that the nest being strangely flooded with lizardmen is most likely the act of a person or something¨D¨D¨D¨Dkind of like that right? I didn¡¯t completely stop the destruction of the village, did I? And above all, the mead is in danger. ¡°We¡¯re really not getting any break here! If that¡¯s the case, we have return fast or it will be bad you know!?¡± ¡°Right! We¡¯re going back quickly!¡± Carrying Armelle who is slightly shivering from the fear, I kicked the ground with all my strength and started running. There¡¯s quite some distance, but I should be there quickly if I go all out. (Tch ¡­¡­Too much magic power piled up inside so I didn¡¯t notice the situation outside at all ¡­¡­) If I didn¡¯t destroy that sphere, I would¡¯ve noticed the dragon¡¯s appearance. There¡¯s nothing I can do about it at this point of time, but the timing is the worst. I¡¯m thinking maybe it¡¯s some kind of scheme¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Now¡¯s not the time to think about these things¡­¡­ gh!¡± I strongly kick the ground to the point I¡¯m sinking into it and accelerate even more. Since Alize is there, I want to think it¡¯s going to be fine, but¡­¡­ ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó ¡°The lizardmen are¡­¡­¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ They vanished, didn¡¯t they? I don¡¯t know how he did it, but¡­¡­ as expected of master.¡± ¡° ¡­¡­¡± About the time Setsu¡¯s group left in a hurry from the appearance of the dragon, time passed in the peace that hasn¡¯t been seen in the village for a long time. That is to be expected¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dit¡¯s because the monsters that were around the village up until now completely disappeared. The village is preparing a feast with great joy and both Alize and Ramell felt completely relieved. ¡°Hm? You¡¯re pouting for some reason. The village finally got their peace from all this trouble, right? ¡° ¡­¡­ You won¡¯t understand, miss Alize.¡± As a matter of fact, every time she talks about Setsu, Ramell¡¯s mood becomes worse. This is an inevitable emotion for a man in love. As a matter of fact, what is in Alize is respect towards Setsu and nothing more than that, but men at this point of time will have complicated feelings about that. ¡°? I don¡¯t really understand. Whatever, shall we go in soon? The frightening lizardmen are already gone as well, it seems.¡± ¡°Carelessness is dangerous you know, miss Alize!¡± Alize subtly distorted her face from being warned by a man with a lower rank than hers. Alize talking about going back never meant she was off guard; the reason she said so is because the presence of nearby monsters completely disappeared, but he, the still inexperienced one, couldn¡¯t just take off his carelessness. ¡°But the presence of monsters are already¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°In that case I myself will stand in front of the gate for a while! Miss Alize, please take a break before me!¡± This blockhead! Is what she was about to say in anger, but she somehow controlled herself. She wanted to suggest to wait for Setsu¡¯s group¡¯s return while drinking tea with just the two of them, but Ramell wanted to show his dependable side. He unexpectedly continued the conversation towards the direction he¡¯s facing. He still didn¡¯t know the fact he had this once in a lifetime chance and just completely blew it. ¡°Is that so¡­¡­ I understand.¡± Alize left the place behind while she felt disappointed for not being able to spend time with him and conversely thought earnestly why she felt that way. If I think about it, I feel like I¡¯ve always been spending my time with Ramell is what she thought. Alize wasn¡¯t aware of herself that she was becoming more and more attracted to Ramell. She didn¡¯t even realize that she¡¯s completely in love. Because of her not having such experience, she unconsciously boasts a considerable thick headedness. (Speaking of which, I have to prepare the mead I¡¯m handing over to master¡­¡­) Suddenly recalling that, she interrupted her thinking. While thinking things like how the ones from that house were delicious and such, she started walking inside the village¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dat that time. *Shiver*! (Zoku; onomatopoeia for chill or shiver, or something) ¡°W-!?¡± A chill suddenly ran through her whole body. An unthinkable presence is approaching¡­¡­ is what she immediately understood. When she unintentionally looked over her shoulder, the direction of the dragon¡¯s nest¡­¡­ from there a single shadow was seen flying towards this place. ¡°D¡­¡­ dra¡­¡­¡­¡­ gon¡­¡­¡± Alize unintentionally grasped her shoulder. The fact was her old scar from before felt terribly painful. ¡­¡­ To her, dragons are the cause of her trauma, and now¡­¡­ A symbol of despair. CH 24 Posted on January 25, 2018 - January 25, 2018 by Jun Hello readers! Here¡¯s your weekly dose of Second summon! I¡¯ve tried translating this while holding it back, but failed. Now that I¡¯m editing it I still failed holding it back. *sigh* I feel sad, and so shall you, my dear readers. Enjoy your read~ Tl: Jun ED: Jun 24 Giving up is strictly forbidden She met this despair called the dragon about three years ago. The period of time she was journeying together with her master Setsu had already passed by long ago and she, whose abilities grew remarkably, finally she was trying to increase her rank to S. At the time, the request that provides the S rank promotion test was posted in the guild. The subject is the [subjugation of one flying dragon], a typical request for an S rank test and there is also a fact that adventurers of S rank and above can be called . As a general rule on dragon subjugation is that it is forbidden to take independent actions. Within this world¡¯s species, the dragon is without a doubt one of the species species with the highest abilities. They are said to be impossible to crush solo unless one is an SSS rank adventurer. There is that much difference between SS and SSS rank however, let us put that aside now. Without running away from the custom, she also received the request together with A class adventurers she was on good terms with to some extent. Along the journey the girls imagined their own figures becoming an S rank and loosened their cheeks, but when they arrived at the location of the dragon¡¯s den, they simultaneously trembled in fear. What is in that place is one flying dragon. Appearing to have noticed the girls approaching, it went out of the dragon¡¯s den. When the dragon took a glance towards Alize¡¯s group, it spread its huge wings and soared. The vibrant red scales covering its body is too beautiful, all the creatures wouldn¡¯t be able to take their eyes off of it and every being would seem to unintentionally prostrate themselves before it. What the girls were feeling was an overwhelming sense of powerlessness. Their appearance of them recalling their ideals and enjoying themselves and such up until now was nowhere to be seen, they were just in a daze and looking at this as if it was food. Perhaps Alize¡¯s group like that was reflected as an eyesore to the dragon, but when the dragon suddenly roared, it spread its wings again and approached the girls. In contrast with the dragon who is preparing its claws and is descending, the members at that place was standing there without moving. Alize¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dwas the exception¡­¡­ ¡°U- uooooooh!¡± Shaking her body that was shrinking with fear, Alize drew out the rapier she was wearing. Magic power crawled into the rapier and with a thrust instead of a slash, she fires off a flying blade. The flying blade pushes itself straight through the space and is up until now her best execution of the flying blade. That attack, which would open a hole through the average monster, surely made a direct hit to the dragon¡¯s face. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DHowever, that is all it did. The dragon, whose face received a thrust, didn¡¯t show even the slightest hint of faltering and as it landed on the ground, it mowed down the closest one, Alize, like garbage. Together with a pain that would make one lose consciousness, Alize rolled over the ground. Several trees were mowed down and when she was able to notice, she saw she was nearly 100 meters separated from the dragon. The reason Alize could move must have been because of the upbringing of the un-Hero like Hero. When sparring, he constantly hit her with a sense of intimidation equal to that of a dragon. At first it resulted in an everyday occurrence with her waist giving out and her fainting and such, but if it is repeated she will get used to it as expected and she herself is aware that she had become stronger against that intimidating air. That was largely the reason for being able to move in this place. Although she could move, on her own she is hardly a challenge against the dragon. Being blown off this far and receiving damage should be good proof of that. Her arm is broken and her leg as well. She is already not in the condition to move. While remembering the anger of not having aptitude in healing magic, she strongly resented her hand which is no longer able to hold her rapier. She didn¡¯t know what she was cut with, but her shoulder had a large gash, blood flowed out endlessly. As if hitting that wound with anger, she pushed her hand clad in fire. ¡°Uugh¡­¡­!¡± While groaning, she showed bitter tears on her face. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DIn the corner of her view, she saw one of her friends who went with her being eaten. Although it was burned, she somehow succeeded in stopping the flowing blood. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DNow another one of her friends was crushed by the dragon¡¯s arm. Alize stood up somehow and attempted to go and assist them, but¡­¡­ ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThe female warrior, who was bright and cheerful, was pierced by a giant nail. She couldn¡¯t put any strength in her foot and immediately crumbled down. She couldn¡¯t put any strength in her arms to catch her body and just like that, her body was completely nailed on the ground. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThe cute mage, whose strong point was support magic rather than offensive magic, became a lump of meat under its tail. ¡°Move, move¡± she continued to order her whole body, but her body didn¡¯t show any sign at all of obeying her. That was to be expected, her body instinctively refused to obey. Throwing down the gauntlet to that dragon¡­¡­ acting like she¡¯s dying before its own eyes. Thus, the time had finally come. ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± This day, the ones who had come to this place were six people including Alize. Currently four people have died. And then¡­¡­ the last person, a kind hearted male swordsman who had always been heartily drinking alcohol and laughing, has¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dnow been eaten. In the end, the dragon returned to its den as it is and Alize was the only person who was left behind in that place. Going around inside her head was the face of the last person, the male swordsman, and her tears overflowed. It can be seen that Alize¡¯s eyes were clinging onto something. ¡°Please help me¡± is what those eyes are indicating. That is the source of the girl¡¯s trauma. An overwhelming defeat due to overwhelming power, losing her group of friends. It was discovered afterwards, but the dragon they came across didn¡¯t appear to be the subjugation target. After they left the guild, that information fell into the guild¡¯s lap. The dragon that was supposed to be the subjugation target was killed by a much higher rank dragon and that higher rank dragon ended up settling in that den, or so it seems. In other words, they were expected to fight a much lower rank dragon. It seemed as if the girl was blown away from the beginning, left the dragon¡¯s domain and in the end finished without success. Alize, who was even unaware of that, ended up thinking she was taken for a small fry who was not even worth killing as far as the dragon is concerned. While seeing off the dragon who killed the invaders and returned satisfied, she fainted together with fear and powerlessness. Afterwards, the girl was sheltered by a merchant who had heard the uproar and approached it and her injuries were also healed by restoration magic. With this case, the ineptitude of the guild¡¯s side took form of a small problem and Alize received a large amount of hush money. Alize was told that the S rank promotion test will be put on in the future, but she was no longer in the mental condition to advance to S rank. There is no willpower remaining to face them again within Alize, who experienced the terror that is the dragon. Alize left the town and returned to this village without mentioning this to anyone. Each time she holds the rapier, she relives the scene of that time and without being able to practice sufficiently her strength started weakening, however recently her fears was able to fade gradually. It was because she was encouraged by the man she had met called Ramell. However, this did not mean that the fading fear had vanished¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó ¡°Ah¡­¡­ aah¡­¡­¡± Alize¡¯s leg shook in fear. Flying in the sky above the village, a dragon is looking down on the villager with angry eyes and with the overwhelming sense of intimidation, those villagers¡¯ courage diminished. That dragon is dropping its height little by little and then it landed inside the village. The building caught under that large build was crushed and the villagers trembled with fear. ¡°There are still children in there who can¡¯t move from their illness!¡± Someone shouted. The other villagers panicked from the sudden dragon invasion and ran in every direction. The soldiers who were standby in the village were barely able to remain there, but there were no hints of anyone going to help move those children. I have to escape¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D Alize and the guards were the same. The word escape floated across inside her head. Judging from appearances, the dragon looked like it was at the same level as the one who trampled on the guy and the girls several years ago. Although the color of the scales are different, the style of physique somehow resemble the dragon at that time. The dragon moved its neck, looking around the vicinity as if looking for a prey. And then¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DAlize was in its sight. ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± A spiritless voice came out of the girl. What the scene looks most like is the representation of a frog being stared at by a snake. The dragon found its prey and with its still angry eyes it moved its foot and took a step. ¡°The kids are still living!¡± At that time, someone shouted so and faced the dragon¡­¡­ to be exact, he faced the building that was being crushed beneath the dragon and started running. ¡°Ra, Ramell!¡± The one who started running at full speed without drawing out his sword is the village soldier who has feelings for Alize, Ramell. He was always that kind of man. If someone of the village was in danger, he would come to aid them, disregarding both his abilities and position. If you look at him positively, he is heroic and if you look at him negatively, he is reckless¡­¡­ he is a man you would repeat this over and over. Even so, it was Alize who was somehow able to support him up until now. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dhowever, only this time it is different. The dragon notices him and sent its gaze towards him. With only his movements were stopped. The always brave and reckless him is, with just one¡­¡­ glare. There is that much difference between man and dragon. The overwhelming difference in strength would first crush his spirit. His willpower, before he faced against fear like he has done until now, completely broke. And then in this situation, there are no targets as easy as a human who stopped moving. ¡°Ru¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DRun away!¡± Alize forgot her fear and shouted. However it never reached Ramell who was staring dumbfoundedly at the dragon, so he never ran away. The dragon mowed down once like it was brushing off dust. A sudden gust sprang forth from the swung arm and pushed Alize¡¯s body. The girl who couldn¡¯t open her eyes from the strong wind, covered her face with her arms and then she was finally able to open her half closed eyes. ¡­¡­ Ramell¡¯s figure was not there. As soon as the gust stopped and she finally searched for him in front of her, that fell from the sky. ¡°Ra¡­¡­ Rame¡­¡­ ll¡± She didn¡¯t know how high up he was launched, but there was a considerable time between his figure vanishing and him falling down. Fallen down beside Alize, he had his arms bent in a strange direction and there was a not so small amount of blood spilling from under his armour. Alize couldn¡¯t approach him who did not even twitch. Ramell¡¯s life was already gone. The fact that his magic power couldn¡¯t be felt anymore is good proof of that. Alize was afraid to take off his armour and to ascertain it. With this, the girl once again had a friend killed by a dragon. However, what arose was different from that time. ¡° ¡­¡­¡­¡­ How dare you.¡± Alize drew her rapier and took one step forward. ¡°How dare you¡­¡­ do this to Rameeellll!¡± With her face dyed with firy, Alize started running with a raging spirit. What was there was no fear, but pure anger. It¡¯s because Ramell¡¯s existence within her was so large it blew away her fears. She was that attracted to him. ¡°Aaaaaaah!¡± Against the overwhelming unreasonableness, Alize fires random flames with chantless magic, which she is weak at. Unsure what to think of the attack which absolutely didn¡¯t take any consideration in magic power distribution and the like, the dragon commences its flight while catching the attacks throughout its body. ¡°Don¡¯t you run awaay!¡± Towards the floating giant body, the girl kicked the ground, jumped and plunged her rapier into that face. However¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Damn!¡± In the moment the rapier struck the scales, it broke at the center. It was Alize who lost her weapon, but as a result of moving out of anger, she left it to her instincts and grasped the floating tip of her rapier and thrusted it into the dragon¡¯s eye. ¡°Gugyaaaaaaa!¡± For the first time the dragon¡¯s shriek was heard. Rather than being pleased about crushing one of its eyes, Alize started plunging the remaining part of her rapier in the other eye. ¡°Gaa!¡± ¡°Tch!¡± However, the dragon defended against it by shaking its head. Thrown out into the sky, when Alize rearranged her body position in the sky and landed, she simultaneously ¡°Uoooooh!¡± kicked the ground once again and jumped before the dragon¡¯s eyes. When she held the rapier as to thrust into the other eye again, it ended in a failure with the dragon swinging it¡¯s arm this time. The girl who got assaulted by the large arm, flew horizontally like that and finally stopped after penetrating several houses. ¡°Gah¡­¡­ haah¡­¡­ haah¡­¡­¡± Inside the house where the citizens already ended up taking refuge in, Alize breathed out blood. ¡°How dare you not dying, me¡± she says as showed a bitter smile. (I know I am no match for it¡­¡­ hah, it¡¯s frustrating, isn¡¯t it) The difference in fighting power was clear, she knew she could not win. Even so, before she noticed she moved at the instant her special someone was hurt. It can¡¯t be helped that she held fear when her friends were done in, but this time it was different. (So I was¡­¡­ this drawn to that man) It seems that the girl¡¯s heart was stolen by Ramell to the point it painted over her fears. Therefore¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dshe was filled with frustration. Towards herself, who could not even take down her loved one¡¯s enemy. ¡°So I can¡­¡­ still move¡± Fortunately, the girl¡¯s body was not broken. She could barely move her body, but several of her ribs were probably broken¡­¡­ ¡°If I can move then¡­¡­!¡± She whipped her aching body and started running. This degree of injury was an everyday occurrence during the time Alize was with Setsu¡¯s group. Jumping out of the house, she ran towards the still floating dragon. The dragon turns one of it¡¯s eyes dyed in anger, but Alize disregarded it and continued to run. The dragon fluttered its wings, attempting to blow away the girl with the occurring wind. However, the girl did not stop. She frantically moved her feet strengthened with magic and approached towards the front of it. Feeling more and more irritated from that, the dragon it filled its mouth with magic power. Their race¡¯s characteristic weapon, it is the appearance of . Some breathes out fire and there are various individuals who can fire devastating beams, but it¡¯s said that a superior dragon has the power to partially destroy a city. Thus this dragon is that kind. ¡°Hah¡­¡­ Breath is¡­¡­ as intense as one would expect¡± Energy is accumulating into its mouth, which can even be seen at a distance. The dragon¡¯s magic power is comparable to several times that of the girl¡¯s. I won¡¯t make it in time, I will be struck before I approach it. Alize had such convictions. Once she completely believed that, she herself stopped running. It was an attitude of resignation. ¡°But¡­¡­ Just the village¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI will protect¡± What made her become strong was for the sake of this village. It was for the sake of protecting this village. It was for the sake of giving the village that is threatened by the strength of the monsters in the vicinity, a peace of mind. Perhaps when the breath is fired, not only the girl, but also this village may vanish. ¡°Only thaaaat!¡± Alize circulates her remaining magic power in her whole body. The dragon¡¯s breath is aiming at her. In that case, if she could stop the whole breath¡­¡­ (Well, that would be impossible I guess) She knows how much is her remaining amount of magic power¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThat¡¯s what she thought. As a matter of fact, it was as she said. However, if she could be a shield even a little bit, a part of the village may possibly remain. She already overcome her fears and the dragon is no longer something to be afraid of. (If I have to say my regrets¡­¡­ it would be not being able to give the mead to master, I guess) ¤³¤ó¤Ê•r¤ËºÎ¤ò¿¼¤¨¤Æ¤¤¤ë¤ó¤À¤È¡¢¥¢¥ê¥¼¤Ï¥¯¥¹¤ê¤ÈЦ¤¦¡£ ¡°What am I thinking at this time¡± Alize unintentionally smiled. ¡°Forgive me master, for being a weak pupil.¡± ¡°Yeah you really are, you idiot pupil¡± ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Deh?¡± ¡°Goaaaaaa!¡± Simultaneously when Alize let out a stupid like voice, a torrent of energy was fired from the dragon¡¯s mouth. ¡°Have you forgotten the adventurer¡¯s rules of my school? I should have told you those, shouldn¡¯t I? Giving up is strictly forbidden¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dis what it is!¡± The main current of energy, the beam suddenly altered its course to right overhead. What vanished into the skies, extinguished just like that as the energy coming from the dragon¡¯s mouth was running out. ¡°Aw man, I¡¯m a bit too often late in making my entry these days¡­¡­¡± ¡°Ma, master!¡± Standing there was Setsu, the man farthest from being a Hero in this world, and now the one closest to it. CH 25 25 Those wings, a nuisance Holy shit, that was close. Looks like I was barely on time¡­¡­ I look at Alize behind me and brushed off her shoulder. The village suffered no damage, what with me sending the dragon breath flying into the sky. ¡°Ma, master¡­¡­¡± ¡°My bad eh, for being late in dealing with it¡± Seeing that I went to the dragon¡¯s nest, it was my mistake for not considering the risk of its owner returning. I heard of a similar story where some adventurers challenged a nest with no dragon inside, subjugated the lizardmen inside it and took the treasures out. And the moment they left the nest, they unexpectedly stood face to face with the dragon who just went out by chance. Why do these inconvenient events happen with pinpoint precision I wonder¡­¡­ ¡°No¡­¡­ That can¡¯t be helped, but¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Plea- please let her down soon.¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ Ah¡± ¡°Funyaa¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± I remember I was carrying Amelle on my back. She¡¯s pretty exhausted and her eyes are going round¡­¡­ I guess she won¡¯t become useful at all like this. Well, I¡¯ll apologize for running with all my strength, but the village will vanish if I was even a little slower, so please forgive me. ¡°I guess I should treat her to a meal¡­¡­ Just a sec Alize, hold Amelle for me please.¡± ¡°I, I understand¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dieh!¡± ¡°W-! Hey!¡± Alize¡¯s body crumbles down the moment she received Amelle. Looking at it closely, her body is tattered. It guess she¡¯s already at the point she could barely stand up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡­ for being a little late in catching her¡­¡­¡± ¡°This guy¡¯s a high rank species even among the dragons. You can¡¯t do anything about that, it¡¯s fine¡± I cast the healing restoration magic . With this magic that perfectly heals every wound as it name implies, the external wounds on Alize¡¯s body vanished completely. ¡°It should be fine with this.¡± ¡°Tha- thank you very much¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind it¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DSo, I¡¯m gonna kill this thing a little¡± ¡°Eh?¡± I run towards the dragon who was charging his breath again. Us having a leisure conversation is good and all, but that breath is already charged up thanks to that. ¡°Don¡¯t you go pointing what¡¯s coming out of your mouth this way!¡± ¡°Gugyaa!?¡± The moment the dragon fires its breath, I jump up and kick its jaw up. The lump of magic power spilling from the dragon¡¯s mouth once again disappear into the sky, causing an explosion. A heat wave comes sweeping down on us, but I won¡¯t be blown away with this amount and also, the village is safe since the explosion happened quite high up in the sky. I land in accordance to gravity and I then jump once again. At the same time I unsheath Kuromaru from my magic bag. ¡°Those wings are a hindrance, huuh!?¡± I cut a wing of the dragon who was still flinching from the kick in the jaw. The hard scales were utterly useless and the large build of the dragon falls to the ground at the same time a single huge wing fell. ¡°Grrrr¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yo, how does it feel to fall down to the same height as a human being? Oh, mister proud dragon.¡± I land while I shake the dragon¡¯s blood off Kuromaru. ¡°Well, if it¡¯s up to me, dragons and the all are just lizards with wings grown on them, right? ¡°Ga¡­¡­ Gaaaaaa©`©`©`©`©`!¡± Oops, did he get angry? Because dragons are highly intelligent, they can even understand our language. Somehow he¡¯s feeling angry. Well, it¡¯s obvious though when they¡¯re being called a lizard. The dragon who couldn¡¯t fly anymore goes to strike me with its proud, strong arm. I intentionally don¡¯t dodge it and try catching the blow with Kuromaru. A heavy weight is transmitted to my whole body, but that¡¯s all it does. ¡°I knew it¡­¡­ So you¡¯re just an ordinary lizard ain¡¯t ya!?¡± With Kuromaru, I force back the arm I caught with all my strength. With the sudden resistance, the dragon has his arm repelled and its body rises against his will, exposing his defenseless stomach. ¡°You¡¯re full of openings, you know.¡± °³¤Ï¡´ïw„‡¡µ¤ò·Å¤Ä¡£½ñ¶È¤Ï¶´¿ß¤Î•r¤è¤ê¤â�Фá¤Ë¡£ µØÃ椹¤é¤âÇФêÁѤ­¤Ê¤¬¤éßM¤àïw¤Ö”ؓĤϡ¢Ìå„ݤò±À¤·¤Æ¤¤¤ë¸o¤ò�I¶Ï¤·¡¢áá·½¤ËÏû¤¨¤Æ¤¤¤Ã¤¿¡£´å¤ÎéT¤ä¤é·À±Ú¤ä¤é¤Þ¤È¤á¤Æ´µ¤­ïw¤Ð¤·¤Á¤Þ¤Ã¤¿¤±¤É¡¢´åÏûœç¤è¤ê¤Ï¥Þ¥·¤È¤¤¤¦¤³¤È¤Ç¼{µÃ¤·¤Æ¤â¤é¤ª¤¦¡£ I then release a . This time it¡¯s stronger than the one in the cave. While cutting up even the ground, the slash flies forward and bisects the dragon whose posture was broken, and vanishes into the back. I accidentally blew away both the village gate and the wall in one go, but let¡¯s get them understand that it¡¯s better than the village getting annihilated. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DYou ended that too quickly¡­¡­¡± ¡°What, did you just get here?¡± Levia comes walking beside the bloodied corpse of the bisected dragon. ¡°That Flying Blade passed right beside me when I was running with everything I had, I was surprised you know. ¡°Aah, that was my bad¡± If she gets hit by that while she¡¯s not in the sea she¡¯d probably die, won¡¯t she? No well, if it¡¯s her, I think she could defend it though¡­¡­ ¡°So, you¡¯ve already solved the problem right?¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess. Hey Alize! It¡¯s over now!¡± ¡°As, as expected of master¡­¡­¡± Says Alize with an amazed voice, seeing the dragon split in two. In one of her arms, there is a fainted Amelle and her other hand is connected with the hand of a small boy. ¡°That kid is?¡± ¡°There are broken houses over there, you see? This child lives in that house.¡± According to Alize, she helped the kid out back then when I was fighting. But her face became gloomy midway her story. ¡°? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ The one who told me this child was alive was Ramell¡­¡­ However, Ramell is¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°I see.¡± I turned towards the collapsed soldier who is somewhat separated from my sight. I can notice it from the armour, but that¡¯s definitely Ramell. But there¡¯s no presence of magic power, his life had ended. ¡°He tried to save this child¡­¡­ and got seen by the dragon.¡± Saying that, Alize¡¯s appearance was gloomy. I thought from the bottom of my heart that I¡¯m glad Amelle fainted. A relative¡¯s horrible way of death is not something you want to see. Ramell was always brave ¡­¡­ and even this time when nobody could move, he was the only one who went towards the dragon¡­¡­ And then¡­¡­¡± Tears gathered in Alize¡¯s eyes. ¡°Say Alize, you liked Ramell didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­Yes.¡± The moment she confessed, tears flowed through her cheeks. It was at a pretty early stage when I noticed Alize¡¯s feelings. Her making a lively face when talking with Ramell is proof of that and Ramell himself likes Alize to the point of flaring up even against me. ¡­¡­ It¡¯s an awfully bad aftertaste, excessively bad. ¡° ¡­¡­ Say, what if Ramell is still alive¡­¡­ would you marry with that guy?¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ What are you saying? That kind of fable¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°Never mind that, just try and answer me okay?¡± When I say that with a somewhat strong voice, Alize jumped up and trembled. And then, after showing a bit of hesitation, she began talking with a reluctant look. ¡°I would like to¡­¡­ marry him. It¡¯s impossible to do it immediately, but¡­¡­ I would have liked to be in a relationship with him.¡± ¡°So you like him that much, right?¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ Yes.¡± ¡­¡­ fuh, there¡¯s no choice then if it¡¯s like that. ¡°Is that so, then wait just a little. Because I¡¯m going to be waking up Ramell now.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°If I use this fella I¡¯ll have a shot at it.¡± While saying that, I take out a test tube like thing with some liquid out of my magic bag. ¡°A handmade resurrection medicine, it¡¯s quite effective you know?¡± ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó Telling them I need a place to use the medicine, I went to the forest outside the village while carrying Ramell. It was quiet within the forest where the lizardmen have disappeared and I hear nothing but the rustling of leaves with the exception of the occasional the bird¡¯s voice I¡¯m hearing. Nobody was following behind me. It¡¯s because I also told them there are several considerably important steps when using this medicine and I don¡¯t want those to be known. After taking enough distance from the village, I lay down Ramell on the spot. And then then medicine I was holding I would¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Djokingly throw it away. ¡° ¡­¡­ Like there¡¯s such a convenient medicine.¡± When mentioned the resurrection medicine and showed an appropriate potion, Alize ended up being deceived and made a glad looking face. I can¡¯t say I felt guilty when I saw that. Levia had some thoughts about my appearance, but it looks like she noticed the lie. ¡°Well, reviving him¡­¡­ is a fact, but¡­¡­ I don¡¯t really want to use it though.¡± Despite grumbling to myself, I place both of my hands in front of my body. ¡°Wake up¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± CH 26 26 Gluttony ¡°Now, let¡¯s¡­¡­ see here¡± I look at the body of Ramell, who is lying on the ground, with not even a single wound. His bent arm has returned to normal and there are no torn flesh, as if nothing ever happened. ¡°His armour is really in the way¡± I undo his worn armour and I place my hand on his chest. ¡°It would be nice¡­¡­ if you come back¡± To be honest, this method doesn¡¯t have any proof that shows you¡¯ve done it properly. I made no blunder up until now, but I¡¯ve only done this several times. There is also the worst case scenario. ¡­¡­ well even so, I don¡¯t really want to see my pupil¡¯s sad face though¡­¡­ ¡°I¡¯m also giving my all, so you go all out too¡­¡­¡± I put together my hand palms above Ramell¡¯s chest and got on my knees. While tasting the feeling of becoming a protagonist of a medical drama, I commence a cardiac massage like that¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DRamell!¡± Alize came running at full speed after I got back some time later while carrying Ramell on my back. She shows a really worn out expression, so she must¡¯ve been very anxious. ¡°Master¡­¡­ is Ramell¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡­ he¡¯s fine for now, his heart started beating.¡± Ramell¡¯s heart is by no means beating loudly. Alize also took a breath of relief from the fact he is breathing quietly. Thank you very much¡­¡­. Master.¡± ¡°What are you talking about, he¡¯s my pupil¡¯s lover. I would do at least this much for you.¡± ¡°Wait, he is not my lover yet!¡± Wow, not yet¡­¡­ huh. I smirked, Alize¡¯s face went deep red as she snatched Ramell and she then separated herself from me while holding him like a knight carrying his princess. What¡¯s up with that, I was just teasing you a little. ¡°Heeey, let him sleep more okay. He got quite weak after all!¡± Regrettably I couldn¡¯t return his lost blood and physical strength. I don¡¯t think he will be in a dangerous condition, but Ramell is looking pale, even now. ¡°I¡­¡­ I understand that! Uhm¡­¡­ So master¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dgenerally, how much does that medicine back then cost?¡± Is it very expensive¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dis what Alize came to ask. Uhm¡­¡­ Honestly it would be fine if I just tell them what I did, but that would ruin the mood now wouldn¡¯t it¡­¡­ Moreover, I¡¯ll also be troubled if they think I could revive anything and everything. ¡°It¡¯s homemade, so the cost ain¡¯t a big deal. Well, there¡¯s only one of those though.¡± ¡°Then all the more I have to!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Its a medicine that¡¯s better not to exist if that¡¯s true. I, its manufacturer himself, was bothered with treating someone with it, you know. If you think about it, reviving the dead is generally taboo isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°That is¡­¡­ certainly true, but¡± ¡°That¡¯s why this will be the last time. I won¡¯t be making that medicine anymore and I won¡¯t be playing with life like this anymore. That¡¯s why this time I will make it like [Ramell didn¡¯t die and got his wounds healed with recovery magic. That¡¯s why there¡¯s no compensation].¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ I understand.¡± With a slightly unconvinced expression, Alize left. The lot who escaped from the village started to return and if you don¡¯t look at the broken gate and the gouged ground, you could even say they¡¯re starting to return to the original form of the village, right? ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DYou used that didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Levia¡­¡­¡± Levia comes walking. I can even see a somewhat angry like expression. ¡°How¡¯s Amelle?¡± ¡°She is with the villagers.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­¡­¡± ¡°And so, you used that, didn¡¯t you?¡± Her voice changed a little into an assaulting one. ¡° ¡­¡­ Yeah. How did you know?¡± ¡°Your magic power is somehow nearly gone, so I immediately knew. It had happened before as well.¡± ¡­¡­She got me there. Ain¡¯t I exposed? ¡°Once awake it won¡¯t stop eating until it is full¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D sacred sword, ¡­¡­ You hoped you could completely feed him with almost all of Ramell¡¯s wounds, but I understand it will not get a full stomach with just that amount. What did you sacrifice today?¡± ¡°What I fed him wasn¡¯t that big of a deal, you know¡­¡­ my magic power was enough.¡± ¡°That is a lie. I can see right through you, you know? That¡¯s right. I recalled I¡¯m terrible at poker faces. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D sacred sword , it¡¯s the power that woke up within me when I was summoned to this world as a Hero. It¡¯s different than for example the from Kouma, one of my classmates who got summoned together with me back then. It¡¯s sinister and no matter how I say it, it¡¯s a sword that looks like it¡¯s used by someone like the demon lord. While there is naturally a differnce in appearance, the difference between and is the very large difference in its ability. The former is an ability which raises your physical and magic power as well as largely strengthening the light attribute. The latter doesn¡¯t strengthen your physical ability, attribute or increase magic power, but instead it possesses some sort of strong ability. My ¡¯s ability is as it¡¯s meaning implies, [eat anything]. It can even eat space if I take a sweep at it and it can also eat the physical strength of your opponent depending on the amount they have. This time I let it eat Ramell¡¯s wounds, restoring his body and by giving his heart stimulus again, he could be revived. But this method comes with quite severe conditions. First off, lost limbs won¡¯t return. And then blood and physical strength won¡¯t either. That¡¯s why this time we were quite barely on time. Ramell¡¯s bleeding was quite bad after all. No matter how much his body returns to its perfect state, there¡¯s no saving him if there¡¯s no blood. There was a big chance that even Ramell wouldn¡¯t make it in time. And then¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dthe most important thing. requires also a large compensation as a result of having a powerful ability. In ¡¯s case, the sword will eat the area around it if I don¡¯t let it eat its fill, completely depleting the place of its features. I don¡¯t think there will be anything left around me if I leave it to eat something for even a few minutes. I thought that this time it would annihilate the village and all unless I give him something else for it to eat. In order to fill ¡¯s stomach completely, the things that were eaten¡­¡­ those were most of my magic power as well as my memory up until my first summon. In other words, the memory I had of my previous existence living in Japan. Because of that, I can¡¯t recall the events before the time I was summoned to this world for the first time. Even the faces of my family and my friends in those days won¡¯t come to mind. ¡°Memories¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI see, and you are fine with that right?¡± ¡°Yeah, the me from that time is already a dead existence after all.¡± It¡¯s strange that I was holding memories of my old life in the first place. To be exact, I was reborn the moment I was sent back from Eclair, but personally I think that the moment we were summoned here it would be similar to dying. Besides, the memories of those times are already not needed anymore. Lonely things may be lonely, but it¡¯s a true fact that there will be no problems even if those are lost. ¡°If it were to eat my magic power as well¡­¡­ wouldn¡¯t you be able to settle this without doing that?¡± ¡°Aah¡­¡­ probably, yeah.¡± ¡°Would you just rely on those around you a bit more¡­¡­ You¡¯re taking on too many burdens yourself. Saying because you¡¯re strong¡­¡­ There is no need for you to take on so many of them is there?¡± ¡°But¡­¡­¡± ¡°Moreover, I too am not weak, so excuse me for only being carried by you.¡± While saying so, Levia put her hands on my chest and let her magic power flow in me. My decreased power was being filled by Levia¡¯s and it turned to what it was to some extent. ¡­¡­ Somehow, I¡¯m completely taken aback by Levia. When I was thinking why I want to [protect] such a strong woman¡­¡­ Protecting them because they¡¯re important is natural, but she¡¯s¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dthey¡¯re not only existences to be protected by me. They¡¯re strong, stronger than I think. ¡°Hah¡­¡­ Oh, well¡­¡­ aren¡¯t you reassuring.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true, you know? Whatever you say, I am the sea god after all!¡± Separating her hands from my chest, her smiling face can be seen expremely sparkling. Well, being cared about and being protected once in a while probably ain¡¯t a bad thing either, I guess¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D *T.N. I translated it as Irregular type, but the kanji combination could also mean grotesque/suspicious-looking etc. Not sure if I picked the best translation, but I think it¡¯s fine enough for now? CH 27 Posted on February 15, 2018 - February 15, 2018 by Jun Hello readers! Another weekly dose of Second summon! With this I have 8 translated chapters left! Yes, I totally used my free time to do things other than translating, so yeah. This means there¡¯s only 8 weeks left until I have to rush in translating more chapters¡­ Either way, enjoy your read~ Tl: Jun ED: Jun 27 Who is the mastermind? ¡°Are you really¡­¡­ going already?¡± ¡°I still want to stay at the village though¡­¡­¡± ¡°My bad, we also have a purpose in our trip, so yeah¡± After staying for a little while, Levia and I are now standing at the broken village gate. We¡¯re planning to leave this village. If I¡¯m asked why we¡¯re suddenly leaving, it¡¯s because I want to quickly meet up with the people in the beastmen continent. When we told them that, the villagers all gave us their thanks and handed over several barrels filled with a large quantity of honey liquor. All of them are now in my magic bag. The only ones who are seeing us off are Alize and Amelle. Ramell still hasn¡¯t regained his consciousness and the villagers are busy repairing broken buildings and the like. ¡°Is that how it is¡­¡­ I¡¯m glad I met you, mister Setsu and miss Levia. The other adventurers all gave up when they heard the story, so¡­¡­ if you haven¡¯t gone to that guild, it would¡¯ve been the end of this village. That¡¯s why I¡¯m glad we¡¯ve met.¡± ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThat so.¡± It¡¯s because you won¡¯t meet an adventurer who can take on hundreds of Lizardmen¡­¡­ Me meeting Amelle is a miracle. The story is far too good to be true, but I thought that there¡¯s plenty of that if it¡¯s this fantasy world. Well, I can¡¯t deny that impression of it being a little too good to be true¡­¡­ ¡°Master¡­¡­ I¡¯m really thankful for what you¡¯ve done for Ramell.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡­ don¡¯t worry about that, okay? Besides, he¡¯s my pupil¡¯s lover, so helping him is natural, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Lo-, Lover!? No¡­¡­ We¡¯re not yet¡­¡­¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡­ Not, yet, huh?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± Upon noticing that she dug herself a grave, Alize hung down her head with a bright red face. We laughed, seeing that. I wonder if it was as a reaction to the tension up until now, but especially Amelle laughed with a loud voice. ¡°I expected nothing less of Setsu¡¯s pupil¡­¡­ how interesting¡­¡­ fufu¡± ¡°Haha-! ¡­¡­ hey wait, what do you mean by that Levia?¡± ¡°Hahahah¡­¡­ This cracks me up¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yo-, you¡¯re laughing too much Amelle!¡± This time Alize¡¯s face becomes even more red from the bashfulness of becoming a laughing stock. More like, I did say something impolite without hesitation, didn¡¯t I? ¡°My bad, my bad. I guess we teased you too much¡± ¡°You can say that again¡­¡­ Really.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s that¡­¡­ Convey your feelings seriously, okay? This time it went well, but¡­¡­ we don¡¯t know about next time something happens, okay?¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ Okay.¡± My question must have made Alize recall the time she saw Ramell collapsed. Having your important person collapse will pierce your heart after all. Moreover, lots of regret will remain. If possible, I want Alize to become even stronger with this time¡¯s incident as source of encouragement for the sake of not letting that happen. ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡­ considering retaking the S rank test. I¡¯ll be more diligent¡­¡­ In order to protect the village the next time.¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ Is that so.¡± I¡¯ve listened to her past. And also the trauma from the S rank test. But her eyes are holding a strong will. In that case I can feel relieved. ¡°Hahaha¡­¡­ Not good! My stomach is hurting¡­¡­ugh!¡± ¡°How long are you really going to keep laughing, you!¡± Speaking of Amelle who is next to her, she kept laughing for some time now. If you keep laughing like that you¡¯re going to have abdominal muscle pain you know? Are you okay? ¡°What a cheerful girl¡­¡­ Well then, time to go.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Splendidly ignoring the exchange between Amelle and Alize, we walk outside the village. Feeling responsible for the ground that is gouged miserably, I¡¯ve gone under the broken gate while making the ground flat with some light earth magic for the time being. ¡°Ah! Aren¡¯t master and Levia ;eaving already!?¡± ¡°Come again, you two! Ah¡­¡­ Not good, I still can¡¯t stop laughing¡­¡­ nfu, fufufufu.¡± ¡°Would you seriously stop it now! I¡¯m sorry master! Please come again anytime!¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡­ Okay. See ya¡± We waved our hands and spoke our words of farewell. Actually, for how long are you going to laugh, this Amelle girl¡­¡­ However, this time there¡¯s still quite a few questions remaining¡­¡­ In the end, what is that mysterious magic pool? Moreover, even the blunt story about the dragon suddenly appearing is [too well done to be true]¡­¡­ ¡°You¡¯re making a long face you know? Even though we received the liquor you had your eyes on with great pains¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡­ I guess. There¡¯s something I¡¯m thinking about a little.¡± ¡°?¡± ¡°No, well, I felt for a bit like today¡¯s story is too good to be true you know¡­¡­¡± Especially that dragon appearing nearby. When I think about it now, that dragon really appeared suddenly. If I¡¯m told it¡¯s flying speed is exceedingly fast, then that¡¯s one thing, but the fact that I didn¡¯t sense it until I barged into the nest is, if anything, strange. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThat dragon¡¯s appearance is, it¡¯s as if it was summoned. ¡° ¡­¡­ Summon?¡± Inside me a single suspicion emerged. ¡°Say Levia¡± ¡°What is it now?¡± ¡°The time when the dragon appeared, Amelle¡¯s started looking unwell right?¡± ¡°Yes, and?¡± ¡°That look, when did it start?¡± Levia turns her doubtful gaze towards me when I asked about it. She had a face like ¡°what is he saying¡±¡­¡­ ¡°Anything you know is fine, so when was it?¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ I wasn¡¯t looking at her the whole time, so it¡¯s vague, but¡­¡­ the moment the figure of the dragon appeared from beyond the mountain she had a terrible color on her face. When I saw that I also noticed the dragon.¡± Wait, from beyond the mountains you say? The mountains I saw around that time weren¡¯t that large. I mean, there¡¯s none at a range significant for me. And then the time my perception wasn¡¯t effective was only the time from when I destroyed the magic pool until I got outside. In other words, with just a short time the dragon flew over us and headed towards the village. ¡­¡­ It¡¯s impossible. I have confidence in sensing presences. No matter how you put it, I¡¯ll notice a higher dragon species getting near me even if I don¡¯t want to. If that¡¯s the case, (Then I should consider the dragon as a summoned being¡­¡­) For the dragon to be summoned¡­¡­ If it¡¯s performed at the time I couldn¡¯t sense its presence, then it would mean that the summoner must know my existence and furthermore, it must be someone who could grasp the timing of the ineffectiveness of my perception. In other words¡­¡­ even that magic pool is related to this¡­¡­ Or at the very least to the extent that someone would roughly know when it breaks. The moment Amelle looked pale was before the moment the figure of the dragon could be seen. And then, Levia noticed it even later¡­¡­ Amelle¡¯s rank falls short to Levia. Even if it exceeded in my presence sensing¡­¡­ it¡¯s full of strange points. In other words¡­¡­ one would need quite a lot of magic power to summon that kind of dragon. If one loses a large quantity of magic power in one go and loses their physical strength, then I can understand the timing of Amelle starting to look unwell. If she¡¯s the main culprit of everything, then most of it would come together consistently. ¡° ¡­¡­ Levia, we¡¯re going back to the village for a bit.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± I made a U-turn with my heel and returned to the village. I have a bad feeling about this. Taken aback, Levia became confused and ran after me, but her legs stopped when she was on the verge of catching up to me. My feet also¡­¡­ stopped. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DWhat is that.¡± ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DAhahaha, not good! Again, my laugh is¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t it about time for you to really¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± In order to assist them in the repairs, both Amelle and Alize had gone towards the village buildings. However, Amelle couldn¡¯t stop laughing since some time ago. It was vaguely a mocking like laugh, but Alize felt angry. ¡°Sorry, sorry I said! I can¡¯t help it can I!¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI mean I already expected you won¡¯t become anything like lovers with big bro.¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ huh?¡± ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DInvoke ¡± Suddenly, Alize¡¯s field of vision was completely dyed white. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó ¡°This is¡­¡­ Summoning magic?¡± I muttered while looking at the light dome wrapping around the village. I vaguely recognize the magic formation written with geometrical characters surrounding the village and from within my memories I spoke the name of the magic. ¡° ¡­¡­ Wasn¡¯t it a magic that moves the living beings that are inside the sphere enclosed by the magic formation to another location?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve also heard of that magic¡­¡­ but¡­¡­ to cast it on the whole village is¡­¡­¡± If I¡¯m not mistaken, Area Summon can transfer as many living things as they want as long as you¡¯re inside the magic formation. (By the way, the magic theories of sending and summoning is roughly the same, so as a result, summoning magic includes transfer.) But the problem is its range. The wider it is, the more magic power is taken from the user. Ordinary summoners can at most create a range of about two tatami mats. (a surface of about 3.65 m2 or 1.91 by 1.91 m) And what¡¯s with this? This user has enough magic power to wrap up one village. And what¡¯s more, this guy has quite the skill. ¡° ¡­¡­ Once the light fades out, we¡¯ll investigate the village.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡­I guess¡± ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DNobody will be there either way though¡­¡­ I stopp right when I was on the verge of saying that. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó Standing above the steep cliff where one can overlook the village, was the young girl who was supposed to be in that village, Amelle. However, her appearance was not the figure of a demon, but of a human. She pleasantly watched the deserted village and showed a smile that was similar to the smile towards Alize some time ago. Next to her quietly appeared a somewhat small figure. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DYou¡¯ve done a good job didn¡¯t you, Melua¡± (¥á¥ë¥¢©` ; meruaa) ¡°Ah! Master Touma! ¡­¡­ Oh, it¡¯s a thought body¡± The Hero who was once summoned to this world, Touma was there. However, that was a projection and only his thoughts existed in this place. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not being able to praise you personally. But that was a really magnificent work you¡¯ve done for me.¡± ¡°Oh please¡­¡­ this is natural if it is for Master Touma.¡± Formerly Amelle, Melua conversed with him with a face full of smiles. As if she was a maiden in love¡­¡­ ¡°But you were able to pull off an Area Summon after summoning a dragon, weren¡¯t you? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be completely out of magic power?¡± ¡°Ehehe¡­¡­ That¡¯s because I had an unexpected present, you know.¡± Upon saying so, the girl took out a test tube looking thing from her pocket. What was inside was air. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is¡­¡­ the highest grade potion, its effect is large restoration to physical strength and magic power. This is something Setsu had given you right?¡± ¡°I really didn¡¯t think I would be given salt by the enemy. Thanks to that I was able to execute our plans earlier, so it¡¯s fine right? If I would proceed normally, the execution of our plans would be tomorrow onwards after all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right isn¡¯t it? You¡¯ve properly sent all the villagers to the royal castle¡¯s basement, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yeah! I¡¯m talented with summoning magic you know!¡± Melua talked about her magic boastfully. What Setsu had realized was correct; the one who summoned the dragon was her, and that magic pool was her original magic, . ¡°I know, your magic is splendid!¡± ¡°Ehehe¡­¡­¡± ¡°And so¡­¡­ were there any useful looking human resources?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see. Miss Alize can be used. It looks like she didn¡¯t do much activities as an adventurer recently, but I think her abilities can become S rank if she redoes her training. Big br¡­¡­ Mister Ramell is decently strong I guess? The rest is not bad I think. I think they can be sent off as .¡± ¡°Yeah, that is plenty. Especially there being an S rank is great, it looks like we¡¯ll be having some good war potential.¡± Touma, who made quite a dangerous remark, gazes at the village which is ruled by the silence spreading from below the cliff. To be more exact¡­¡­ he was staring wholeheartedly at the figure of a single man investigating the village. ¡° ¡­¡­ Setsu, I will be bringing you back soon. I will slaughter all the demons and beastmen who had snatched you away from me¡­¡­ and then I will take you back. That¡¯s why, wait for me a little more, okay? I will absolutely come meet you¡­¡­!¡± When he judged that he spoke the words resembling his determination, Touma¡¯s thought body already disappeared. And then the Melua beside him was already no longer there. Nobody had noticed anybody had been at that place¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D CH 28 28 To The Beastmen continent ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DBeastmen continent¡­¡­ It is a continent where mainly beastmen live in, races that are like a unity of humans and animals. These beastmen possess beastlike ferociousness and instinct. Their physical strength are high compared to humans and demons, but in exchange the amount of magic power within them is not so much. Instead of saying in exchange, it is a handicap equivalent to being unable to use the convenience called magic, or having difficulty in using them. In order to compensate for such handicap, the beastmen possess skills that is characteristic to their race. In the case of felines, they can acquire skills which would strengthen their body¡¯s flexibility, leg strength, nails etc. As for the canines, they can acquire skills which could strengthen their olfaction, leg strength and special vocal chords. They use those skills freely and compete with the other races. There are doesn¡¯t exist any races anymore that would look down on them for not being able to use magic. Currently one beastman had just put their foot in the continent of such beastmen. The body was concealed by a black robe and the head covered by a hood until only the shape of the mouth could be faintly seen. Judging from the shape of the mouth, the gender is likely female. Because her body was small, one would get the impression that she was young. The moment she started walking in the port town of the beastmen continent , she took off her hood. What is attached to her head was a pin and mere white cat ears, and the girl¡¯s hair itself was completely white. Her face still looked childish and she appeared to be the same age as Ruri, who was with Setsu for a while. She could be called a junior high school student by Japanese standards. An old man selling the fishes he had fished in a store called out to that girl. ¡°Ooh! If it ain¡¯t Shironeko! Come take some of what I just fished today!¡± ¡°I will take it -desu¡± The black robe wearing girl called Shironeko was given fresh fish who were jumping around even now. ¡°Oh! If this isn¡¯t Shironeko! Come take some of our vegetables, okay!¡± ¡°I will take it -desu¡± This time the middle-aged greengrocer lady threw in several types of vegetables. The girl took everything in her hand. ¡°Woah there! If it ain¡¯t Shironeko! Take some of our meat, will ya!¡± ¡°I will¡­¡­ not take it -desu¡± ¡°It ain¡¯t good to be picky ya know!¡± ¡°I, I understand -desu¡± On the stacked bags in her arms was put a bag of fresh meat by the butcher¡¯s assistant. Shironeko made an unpleasant face, but endured it one way or another and once again started walking. When the girl walked in the city, people would greet her. That is because Shironeko was currently the strongest in this city. A beastman¡¯s instinct is to be fond of someone stronger than themselves. For that reason the residents of the city respected her and loved her. Despite being respected, their interaction felt like she was being treated as a child, but perhaps her appearance was to blame for that. Shironeko held a large quantity of bags and went towards a tiny house on the outskirts of the city. ¡°I¡¯m home -desu¡± When she nimbly used her foot to open the door to the tiny house, she carefully went in so as not to drop the bags. The room inside is spacious enough for at most two people to live in and there are absolutely no unnecessary furniture. This is the house of the one who is popular in the city, Shironeko. ¡°Mineko, I¡¯ve just returned home -no desu¡± Shironeko called out to the girl on the bed in this cramped house. ¡°Welcome home, big sis¡± Lying on the bed, a young girl with long black hair called Mineko responded to her voice and lifted up her body. Judging from appearance, she would look older than Shironeko. Her long black hair was disordered and jumped up here and there, but she boasted an exquisite innocence and her well featured face felt adultlike. And then, the black cat ears growing on her head looked lovely. However, no matter how one perceives them, they won¡¯t realize from Shironeko¡¯s appearance that she is the older sister. ¡°You don¡¯t have get up -desu¡± ¡°I feel good today so I will be fine you know¡± Mineko who said so had a cheerful appearance, but her body appeared weakly. As a matter of course, she is currently being afflicted by an illness. There was an illness that gradually weakened the body, its origin was unknown. Even the city doctors had given up hope and couldn¡¯t grasp the hope of curing her for about several years. ¡°First of all, today you will take the medicine too -no desu. Yesterday¡¯s medicine was gone, so today we received new medicine -no desu.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for having you do this every time¡­¡­ big sis¡± ¡°You¡¯re my little sister, so you can act spoiled -no desu. Mineko, I will absolutely find a way to cure you -no desu.¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ okay¡± Mineko smiled. Shironeko may be a slightly unsociable girl, but this time she showed a seemingly sad smile on her face. Shironeko took out a bottle with black beads from the pocket of the robe she was wearing. She opened it and dropped one bead on her hand. It¡¯s as large as a tablet in Japan. ¡°Swallow this -no desu¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡­¡± Together with water created by a simple water magic, the black bead went inside Mineko. ¡° ¡­¡­ I will absolutely return you to your energetic body -no desu. Not medicine that only delays the symptoms, I will find proper medicine -no desu¡± ¡°Big sis¡­¡­ Please don¡¯t do anything unreasonable okay?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t -no desu. I am¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dstrong -desu¡± Shironeko stared at Mineko with strong eyes. At that time, Shironeko¡¯s ears responded to something with a twitch. ¡° ¡­¡­ some work has come in -no desu. Mineko, I will be away from home for a little while, so lie down in bed -no desu¡± ¡°Okay, big sis¡± She softly stroke Mineko¡¯s head once and left the house. Walking to the port town once again, Shironeko glared straight towards the direction of the sea. In order to save her beloved family, her younger sister, she will turn her fangs to one man today¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó ¡°You can see it now¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dthe beastmen continent¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡­ Yeah¡± Lying down on the Levia¡¯s head who is advancing on the sea, I feel nostalgia upon seeing the beastmen continent in front of me and unintentionally leaked out a stupid voice. ¡°Uhhee, how nostalgic¡± (T.N. Any stupid sounding english word I could use for uhhee?) ¡°I¡¯m no good at appearing like beasts though¡­¡­¡± ¡°Endure it okay, endure¡­¡­ Your cat ears are dog ears you know?¡± ¡°What does that matter¡­¡­¡± It looks like this girl doesn¡¯t understand the merit of animal ears. Even though it would have increase your cuteness by 20% if even you put it on, how wasteful. ¡°At any rate, are we going to directly look for the lion king when we arrive at the beastmen continent?¡± ¡°Yeah, we have to end this troublesome war and make it easier to spend time in this world. ¡­¡­ and track down Alize.¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ You¡¯re right.¡± I was able to confirm the fact that everyone in Alize¡¯s village was dropped somewhere because of Area Summon. After that we frantically investigated the village, but I couldn¡¯t even find a single person. We investigated the surroundings of the village just a little, but they¡¯re not there either. I understood they were kidnapped. The problem is, to where. ¡° ¡­¡­ Wouldn¡¯t it be nice if they¡¯re in the beastmen continent¡­¡­¡± I murmured softly and grasped my fist tightly. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DWe¡¯re here¡± I put my feet on the deserted coast that¡¯s separated from the port town. Levia also changed herself into a human form before she stands out. ¡°It¡¯s been five days or something since we left that place! Either way, I so want to lie down on a bed since a long time. We couldn¡¯t do anything but sleep outside these days after all.¡± ¡°That would be fine, I like soft beds, you know.¡± ¡°Then, how about we try and stay at an extravagant place for once!¡± As I walk in high spirits, Levia walks together behind me. The air at the beastmen continent is different from both the human continent and the demon continent. It feels like it smells a little of animals, but if you get used to it it will calm you down rather than become troublesome. We started going forward while we breathe in the air of this place since a long time, but we stopped after taking three steps. ¡°Nyaa¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Nyaa¡± ¡°Nyaa¡± ¡°Nyaa¡± ¡°Nyaa¡± ¡°Nyaa¡± ¡°Nyaa¡± ¡°Nyaa¡± Lining up before us are a cat, a cat, a cat, a cat, a cat ¡­¡­ (one of them is spelled nuko, not sure if intentional or a reference to a certain manga) There were all sorts of cats ranging from small to large, but every one of them is looking at us. Why are we welcomed by cats right after we get here¡­¡­ ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D *T.N. As you can see, Shironeko always adds in -desu/-no desu in her sentence, but I can¡¯t find any replacement to make it more characteristic to her, so I left it as is. If you have any suggestions, feel free to post it. **I used felines/canines for cat and dog tribe. It¡¯s my own twist to it. Good or not good? I thought it was nicer than just going with cat or dog tribe/race etc. Makes it more grand and something more for the people of the race itself to be proud of. CH 29 29 That¡¯s how it is, you stupid cat ¡°How, how cute¡­¡­¡± Levia beside me murmurs so while watching the various cats lining up. Sure, what¡¯s cute is cute, but I¡¯ve never seen this scene up until now at least. While feeling a little uneasy about this, I carefully observe the cats. Then cats were lined up with even spaces between them and the type of cats are varied. Within them are also children and their eyes are all facing our way. (Those eyes¡­¡­ they¡¯re a little strange) The cats lined up with even spaces and staring is strange, but I can see the eyes of those guys are somewhat modified. ¡°Ain¡¯t this¡­¡­ visual link?¡± Visual link¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Done of the Subordination magic. It¡¯s a magic where you yourself can see what the creature that has a master/servant relationship with you is seeing; it¡¯s the basis of subordination magic. Incidentally, the race who are extremely good with Subordination magic are the beastmen. Beastmen can easily communicate with creatures the same as themselves, like the canines and dogs. There is a limit to how many links you can make using subordination magic, but for now I¡¯ll leave that out¡­¡­ (This number of subordination magic¡­¡­ if these are all connected to one person, then this guy could be a considerable master¡­¡­? If the person is a beastman, then that means they have more magic power than average in spite of being beastmen.) Beings with lots of magic power while being beastmen are scarce but there are several numbers of them. Naturally, those people are always influential people. The problem is, why are they acting like they are standing watch for disembarking people like this though¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Setsu, something is here.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Levia called out to me who was being watched. Exactly as she said, a girl walked out from the front. From seeing cat ears on her head she seems to be a feline and those ears and hair are white. Although her body is smallish, I don¡¯t know for sure because of the body wrapping around her body. Hm? Black robe¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Levia, get ready for a fight¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°That robe, it looks like the same as the guy who was in the demon lord¡¯s castle using shadow magic.¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ I see¡± When I confirmed Levia being alert, I concentrated so that I won¡¯t avert my line of sight from the cat eared girl. ¡° ¡­¡­ I wish you would stop no desu¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ hah?¡± When I carefully watched her, the girl walked to about 20 metre distance and talked. ¡°If I¡¯m stared at so much I will feel embarrassed no desu, that¡¯s why I wish you would stop no desu.¡± ¡°Oh, okay¡­¡­¡± What is with this girl¡­¡­Her face went slightly red and she averted her eyes from me, as if she¡¯s really feeling embarrassed. It¡¯s as if she didn¡¯t have any signs of attacking, so I instruct Levia to loosen her alertness. Of course I won¡¯t have her release it completely. ¡° ¡­¡­ You, are you surely mister Setsu desu?¡± The girl still seems to be a bit embarrassed, but she really looked at my face properly and asked a question. ¡° ¡­¡­ How do you know my name?¡± ¡°I have received word from the Beast King no desu. The Beast King and his entourage are currently preparing for your welcome party, so he wishes for at least one day time.¡± ¡°The beast king did?¡± I tried to match my gaze in order to make sure it was authentic, but the girl didn¡¯t try to, from embarrassment again. ( ¡­¡­ Is this some kind of scheme? There are many points to doubt on, but¡­¡­) Why would the beast king be aware of the time I would land here? Besides, why wouldn¡¯t he send a proper soldier, it doesn¡¯t look like there will be any end to it if I raise up all my doubts. But¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡° ¡­¡­ Either way our departure will be tomorrow, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s pretty much it¡­¡­ ¡° In the end, it became a talk about us not going to the beast king immediately and resting in a hotel for a day. ¡°If I receive your acknowledgement, I will look after your belongings in accordance to the Beast King¡¯s instructions no desu. I can also introduce you to a good inn no desu.¡° ¡°Ah, that is an attractive proposal.¡± ¡°Hey hold on there¡­¡­¡± Levia responds to the good inn part. That definitely got me interested, but hey, what are you going to do if it was a trap¡­¡­ ¡°You won¡¯t be able to sleep comfortably while you¡¯re concerning yourselves with traps and whatnot, right? Try thinking about it seriously.¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ that¡¯s also true.¡± I persuade her in a low voice so as to not let the girl hear it and Levia then understood. Even though I want to rest in a bed after so long, I¡¯ll lose my interest if I won¡¯t be able to rest because I have to stay vigilant. ¡°My bad, eh. I¡¯ll be going to the inn of an acquaintance of mine, so I won¡¯t be needing a guide, yeah¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ Is that so, I understand no desu¡± As expected, that¡¯s a lie. I don¡¯t know such an inn. I¡¯m a little worried about today, but it seems like she accepted for now. ¡°So is it fine if we go to that guy¡¯s place tomorrow during the day?¡± ¡°That guy¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah, the beast king you know, the beast king.¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ That¡¯s right, we would like you to come tomorrow during the day desu¡± The girl says so with a dumbfounded look. What gives? I only called the beast king that guy and you¡¯ll be this surprised about it?¡± Well then, I must be going desu, we will be waiting for you tomorrow desu.¡± ¡°¡®kay¡± As the dumbfounded expression ended, the girl gave her farewell and took the cats with her. Levia beside me showed a regretful face, but let¡¯s not mind that. ¡°We¡¯re going too Levia, we have to go to the inn quickly.¡± ¡°*sigh* ¡­¡­ I guess.¡± From now on, cats and dogs will come out as many as you like, that¡¯s why don¡¯t worry about it, okay¡­¡­ ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó ¡° ¡­¡­¡° At a place separated from the beach, Shironeko stared fixedly at the target, Setsu and one other girl. (As expected¡­¡­ introducing them to an inn by an unfamiliar person and having them follow her recklessly is impossible desu¡­¡­) In the case that they do tell her to introduce them to a hotel and accompany her without being on guard, she would have intended to accommodate them in the chosen hotel and attack them in their sleep. The plan was naturally a failure and Shironeko immediately came up with the next action. (He is someone powerful enough to be able to call the beast king with ¡°that guy¡± ¡­¡­ I can¡¯t be careless desu ) There are no beastmen who does not know of the abilities of that beast king. And there are also no beastmen who would not follow that beast king. That is because beastmen are attracted to strong people after all. And the battlemaniacs among them would continue challenging the beast king in a fight. That is because fighting strong people is also something they look forward to. Shironeko too sprouted a considerable desire to want to try fighting with Setsu, but she had to throw away that desire for the sake of protecting her important person. ¡°Even if I have to attack you in your sleep¡­¡­ I must defeat you no desu¡± The girl averts her eyes from her own slightly wavering heart and moves her legs to the direction of the town Setsu and Levia is heading towards¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó The inn at the heart of the port town in the beastmen continent, ¡°Lion¡¯s beloved bower¡±¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D This is the inn we will be staying in for today. The price is reasonably priced, but the interior is quite beautiful and the served lunch was at a level I can¡¯t complain about. ¡°*exhale* ¡­¡­ For now, how about we go to our room.¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ I guess we could.¡± We leave the inn¡¯s dining room. The interior is pretty, the food is also good ¡­¡­ the problem would only be the stares around us. (Well, I guess it¡¯s because they¡¯re in the middle of war now) I¡¯m starting to forget about it somewhat, but right now the beastmen are in the middle of a greatly admired war with the human continent. For that reason the beastmen¡¯s public opinion on humans are harsh no matter where you go out to. (Even just by taking up a hotel you can profit from this¡­¡­ this way) Did they plan to harass us in a petty way? From large proportion of available rooms we were passed on the cheapest and the smallest room, but it shouldn¡¯t be enough to bother us. If I can sleep on the bed then I¡¯m fine with this.¡± Without hesitation, Levia dived into the bed. There are two of them in this room so in short, a double room. We didn¡¯t act like we¡¯ll be taking two rooms because we¡¯re man and woman. It¡¯s wasteful above all. ¡°Shall we take a short break for now¡­¡­¡± Since I didn¡¯t particularly have any bags I carry, I soon jumped on the other side of the bed. Aah, it¡¯s so soft¡­¡­ this is irresistible. In spite of the sun still high in the sky, my consciousness fell into deep slumber ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó ¡° ¡­¡­ It¡¯s here desu¡± Late at night. It¡¯s the period of time where the lights go out and the drunkards are strutting about in the city. Shironeko is standing in front of the ¡°Lion¡¯s beloved bower.¡± When she went in through the elegant door, a canine man who is the innkeeper here beckoned the girl. ¡° ¡­¡­ Where is that couple desu? ¡°They¡¯re in the corner most room on the second floor. Here, it¡¯s the key.¡± Shironeko received the key to the room and thanked the man. The girl already proposed cooperation to every person in this city. She also knew they were in that inn, because the people in the city had told her. ¡°I don¡¯t think attacking them in their sleep is really a good way to do this though¡­¡­¡± ¡°I know no desu. But¡­¡­ No matter what I have to defeat him no desu.¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ Yeah, it¡¯s for your little sister after all.¡± Beastmen like fighting, therefore they like it fair and square. But before fighting, they love family more than anything. For instance, even if they have to use cowardly tactics, they will use them as much as they have to if it is for the sake of their family. ¡°I¡¯ll have the lots living in the neighbourhood take refuge. We confirmed that those guys started lying on the bed in their room. And eh¡­¡­ please try not to break too much, okay?¡± ¡°I will handle it carefully¡­¡­desu¡± Because they were so cautious some time ago, she thought they may be vigilant eight or nine out of ten cases even now, that is what is in Shironeko¡¯s mind. Perhaps¡­¡­ it would become a fierce battle. ¡° ¡­¡­ I¡¯ll be on my way desu¡± The girl carefully ascended the staircase so as to not make any noise. (¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DIt¡¯s here desu) While walking through the second floor hallway and using her nature so the wooden floor wouldn¡¯t make strange noises, she finally arrived in front of the intended room. (If I can end this with one blow¡­¡­ would be fine though) While embracing such fleeting hopes, she tried thrusting the key into the doorknob. However¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D (Huh¡­¡­ it doesn¡¯t fit) The key didn¡¯t go into the doorknob. It seems the shape was somehow incorrect. (That innkeeper¡­¡­ made a mistake desu? Kuh¡­¡­ In that case) Shironeko took some distance from the door and prepares herself. (I will barge in and assault them in one go¡­¡­ It¡¯s alright, I memorized that man¡¯s scent desu ¡­¡­) She put strength into her legs. She lowered her waist and crossing her arms horizontally in front of her face. Then she used a lot of magic power for a beastman and spread it throughout her whole body. Due to that, even her sharp nails extended noticeably and was furthermore increased in sharpness. She thought about confirming Setsu¡¯s scent at this place just in case, but there were the scent of various things everywhere, so she couldn¡¯t catch his smell. Even while experiencing a light anxiety, Shironeko immediately shook off that anxiety. She will understand all the same when she goes in. As long as she could distinguish the bed the instant he notices her, it will be fine. ¡°I will end it¡­¡­ in an instant desu ¡­¡­ ngh!¡± Shironeko kicked with so much strength it broke the wooden floor and approached the door instantly. When she swung her prepared arms just before the collision, the door became small pieces of fragments, made noise and fell down. Shironeko jumped to above the bed with her nail still holding that sharpness. (Which bed desu ¡­¡­ ugh!? ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DWait, where?) Shironeko jumped up and noticed it. In the two beds in this room, the beings that were supposed to be in them¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dwere not there. (It can¡¯t be¡­¡­ a trap¡­¡­?) With the enemy she stabbed with her nail not there, she arrived at that possibility. ¡°If it¡¯s like that¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°That¡¯s how it is, you stupid cat!¡± ¡°Oh no!¡± Right before she got her feet on the floor, Shironeko was assaulted by a dropkick from right beside the place she prepared to land at. The girl instantly crossed her arms in front of her body and after she received an unexpected impact, she flew through the windows and towards the street. ¡°I was careless ¡­¡­ desu!¡± Shironeko, who dropped to the ground along with the window glass, rotated once midair and landed on her four legs like a cat jumping from a tall place. A dull pain shot through the moment her hands stuck to the ground, but thanks to her being strengthened by magic power, the pain didn¡¯t prolong so much. ¡°I really didn¡¯t think the citizens would even cooperate with you, you know? Though it makes it easier to go on a rampage though. And so¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI¡¯m gonna have you throw up everything about the black robes okay?¡± ¡°!?¡± Setsu jumped out from the window and unsheathed his black large sword from his magic bag. CH 30 Tl: Jun ED: Jun 30 Say that earlier ¡°Why ¡­¡­ were you able to do a surprise attack on me desu¡± The white haired feline had her hands and feet on the ground and asked me who got down on the ground. Looking at her magic power flowing through her nails, this must be her fighting style. ¡°It was a petty trick you know, and you got successfully caught in it.¡± When we arrived at the inn, we went to take a nap on the bed just like that and as preparation for the night, we used the light attribute magic . This magic uses the refraction of the light and possesses the effect of disturbing a person¡¯s perception. ¡°It didn¡¯t fit in the keyhole right? That wasn¡¯t the inn¡¯s mistake, but simply you only mistaking the room.¡± The room this girl went in was the one before our room. With making the recognition of the hallway vague, it can make the optical illusion that the hallway ends over there. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DBe that as it may. I never thought the people from the inn would cooperate with this girl. But I can understand that now. (She¡¯s¡­¡­ quite strong) If I have to speak with ranks, she should be in a spot between SS and SSS rank¡­¡­ she will be defeated by the perfect Levia, but she¡¯s at the level where she can win right now. I¡¯ll tell you now, but there aren¡¯t so many people this strong you know. That¡¯s why the beastmen cooperates with her. Because they love people stronger than themselves. By the way, beastmen are creatures where the number one in every race takes up command. Because of this simple thought, the strongest in the continent becomes king and everyone living there respects and follows him or her. They¡¯re much easier to understand than demons and humans, who think about troublesome things and care about inheritance and lineage. ¡°I was trapped¡­¡­ desu¡± ¡°Looks like you understand. And so¡­¡­ this is sudden, but how about you let me hear the purpose of you black robed people okay?¡± ¡° ¡­¡­¡± ¡°Oh? Cat got your tongue?¡± Without saying anything, the white haired feline sharpened her senses quietly. She¡¯s obviously ready for battle. ¡°Shu!¡± ¡°Hah! At least answer the question!¡± Flipping the earth with four legs, the white haired feline leaped towards me with a figure close to diving. At the same time I parry her swung arm with Kuromaru and swing it sideways. ¡°Ugh¡± Unable to stand firm in mid air due to jumping, the feline girl used her nails as a shield, but she was pushed away by the power from the attack from the side. Thrusting her nails into the ground and reducing the force, the girl rearranged her posture while frowning from the pain given by the impact that broke through her. ¡°Haa!¡± ¡°Oh, you can still stand.¡± With a facial expression mixed with half desperation, the white haired feline once again kicked the ground and leaped. I observe her movements well while I sometimes stop and sometimes dodge the striking nail attacks she unleashes. ¡°I tell you, those impatient attacks won¡¯t hit!¡± ¡°ugh¡­¡­¡± Because of her excessively large movements, her distinctive characteristic, which was her speed, had lost its meaning. The muscles meant for speed were completely useless. ¡°It¡¯s too pointless, you catgirl!¡± I easily go through the nail dance, leaped to her bosom and at the same time I thrusted the grip of Kuromaru towards the defenseless body. ¡°Gah¡­¡­¡± And the instant she stopped moving, which was my aim, I seized the collar of the white haired feline¡¯s robe. And then¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Oraa! I throw her right behind me. The white haired feline who was thrown into the air suddenly couldn¡¯t move smoothly and struggled while floating in mid air. The next moment after I threw her, I grab Kuromaru and pour a small amount of magic power into it. Raising it overhead, I¡¯ve decided on my aim and lightly swung down. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dngh!¡± It¡¯s a flying slash whose scope is the same as the one I unleashed in the dragon¡¯s nest, but it goes towards the white feline while gouging the street in front of the inn. ¡°Tch¡­¡­¡± The girl who couldn¡¯t try to dodge in mid air wrapped her arms around her body and twisted her body. And then the moment it collided¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Haa!¡± When just the twisted part of her body revolved in the air and her extended nails touched my , the sound of clashing then played especially from her nails. But the girl¡¯s body deflected the slash from its route and the , not budging even when hit by the nails, pushed on as it is. When it looked like the innermost house of the street is going to be destroyed in an instant, a suddenly appearing water wall interrupted its course in order to protect the house. The collided with the water wall and the water shook like it has the elasticity of of a gum, reducing the force of the slashing attack completely and dispersing it. When the duty of the water wall ended, which is to protect against my slash, its form crumbled, became a pool and disappeared. ¡°Yeah, my bad Levia.¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ at full power¡­¡­ugh! Stopping your is difficult, so don¡¯t use it so much, you understand!?¡± ¡°I got it, I got it¡­¡­¡± I meekly apologize to Levia who was standing on the house that was going to come in contact with my . I had her prevent damage to the houses and the like from the fight right now, but it looks like it¡¯s a bit of a heavy burden for Levia who isn¡¯t submerged in water. ¡°Not coming with the two of you¡­¡­ are you underestimating me desu¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± The white haired feline girl who escaped from the scowled at me as she gets battle ready on all fours. Or rather, I¡¯m getting pretty tired of calling her a white haired feline. ¡°I¡¯m not underestimating you or anything though? I just suck at teamplay.¡± It¡¯s because it¡¯s hard to move freely when someone joins me in a fight, at least in my case. If it¡¯s that trap of a gay hero bastard, then he may be able to stick with me, but it¡¯s possible that the other people would get dragged into my attacks and collapse first. ¡° ¡­¡­¡± ¡°Oh and hey, I want to hear your name, so please tell me¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ Why desu?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t glare at me like that, it¡¯s not like I wanted to get along with you. I simply wanted to know, that¡¯s all; my battle opponent¡¯s name¡± Upon hearing that, the white haired feline opened her mouth after thinking for a bit. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DShironeko desu¡± ¡°Huh, ain¡¯t that a nice name.¡± It¡¯s a secret that I didn¡¯t think so. ¡°I¡¯m Setsu, I¡¯m probably the strongest man in this world.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for it desu¡­¡­¡± ¡°Aw, don¡¯t say that¡­¡­ It¡¯s the name of the guy who¡¯s going to make you submit to me after this you know?¡± ¡°Be silent¡­¡­ desu!¡± ¡°gh¡­¡­ seriously?¡± The moment I¡¯m told to shut up, a transformation was called to Shironeko¡¯s body. The cells on her whole body shines and at the same time, the shape transformed from a humanoid to an animal. Her form changed to pointy ears, slit eyes and a long shaking tail. Around the time the light settled, the figure of the lovely girl wasn¡¯t there. What is there is one cat¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dpossessing a beautiful white fur and even more sharply strengthened nails on its hand, it was a figure that feels mystical rather than lovable. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DIt¡¯s just that she¡¯s unreasonably big. ¡° ¡­¡­¡­ haah!?¡± Wait wait wait wait! What does this mean!? ¡°It¡¯s ¡­¡­desu¡± ¡°I know that!¡± ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DA skill only beastmen can handle and a skill where one changes into a figure where her or she can reveals its full strength on the table. Basically any beastmen who stacked up training can use it and the level of that ability scares other races. When using it, their physical ability raises to several stages and it greatly amplifies their magic power depending on the person. And¡­¡­ not surprisingly, that figure is that of an animal. A canine would transform into a dog and a feline into a cat. Following this story, Shironeko undergoing isn¡¯t something to be surprised about. The problem is¡­¡­ her size. ¡°Why are you this huge¡­¡­? Shouldn¡¯t beastmen using be transforming into an average sized animal? In other words, a canine were supposed to become a size who can be kept in Japan as a pet and the same goes for felines. Nevertheless, the power within them are higher than their humanoid counterpart with a large difference so you can¡¯t be careless, but¡­¡­ ¡°When I trained myself it became like this desu¡± ¡°Seriously!?¡± Could it be that their sizes become this large just from having power!? Now that I think about it, I¡¯ve never seen the animalization of the beast king and the bunches around him, have I¡­¡­ I got separated as I made a promise to fight with the beast king too¡­¡­ ¡°The idle talk ends desu!¡± ¡°W-! Oops¡­¡­ ¡° I dodged the arm that¡¯s like a log unleashed to mow me down by jumping a little high. When I look at Shironeko as I jumped up, I saw an unpleasant thing. ¡°Ugeh¡­¡­ a , really?¡± ¡°Gaah!¡± I push Kuromaru in front of me to hide my body. When doing so, an invisible impact that was like a collision of a huge iron ball ran through and I, including Kuromaru, was blown way back. If I remember correctly, is a bombardment of voice pressed together that is used by beastmen. It can even be called a roar. It¡¯s a skill where they amass air in their strengthened lungs, pressed together by the vocal chords and fired in a straight line together with a loud roar. ¡°This bastard¡­¡­ gh¡± I use wind magic in midair. I use magic that makes scaffolding and forcibly kick the air. After cutting down the force I was blown away with and landing on the roof of one of the houses, I started running at the same time. ¡°You little¡­¡­ If you shoot something like that , won¡¯t the neighbourhood be in big trouble!?¡± ¡°I already had the neighbourhood residents evacuate desu! There are no people in the surroundings desu!¡± ¡°Wha¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± You¡¯ve got to be kidding me¡­¡­ These things¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dsay that earlier!¡± ¡°Guh!?¡± I jump towards Shironeko from the roof. When I try to strike overhead with all my strength with Kuromaru, it was then defended by the sharply strengthened nails on her foreleg. ¡°Out of my way!¡± After getting my sword defended against, I quickly reversed my cut and with all my strength, I throw up the nails from below. Then I landed in front of the defenseless Shironeko and released Kuromaru from my right hand. ¡°Kuh¡­¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think we could have fought to our heart¡¯s content from the beginning if I knew that!?¡± I swung my released right hand and with an open palm I strike Shironeko¡¯s face. It¡¯s the so-called face slap. Receiving a strong impact from her side, the girl was blown away horizontally and her face sunk into a nearby house¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D CH 31 Posted on March 15, 2018 - March 15, 2018 by Jun Hello readers! Another weekly dose of Second summon! I wish I don¡¯t have to work, then I¡¯d have more time doing other stuff. And more translations too. Wouldn¡¯t that be nice? Either way, enjoy your read~ Tl: Jun ED: Jun 31 I won¡¯t leave her alone ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DIs it over?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Levia jumped down from the top of the roof and landed beside me. Shironeko, with her head sunk into a house, couldn¡¯t move. ¡°There¡¯s no sign of moving though¡­¡­¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ How about I pull her up and check for now?¡± I walk closely towards the large Shironeko, grab the hair on her head and brace myself. Together with what¡¯s small resistance for me, her head came out with a pop and when I release her head a dull sound was made upon landing on the ground. When doing so, her body shined and returned to her original humanoid form. ¡°She¡­¡­ fainted, didn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°I, I don¡¯t remember hitting her with that much strength though¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re always bad at moderation¡­¡­ it¡¯s high time you are more aware of yourself about this¡­¡­¡± I¡¯m completely shocked¡­¡­ even though it¡¯s like this, I put in a lot of effort in this you know? ¡°But I give up, I wasn¡¯t able to hear the things about those black robes¡­¡­¡± I touched the black robe of Shironeko who¡¯s lying face up. As I expected, it¡¯s the same robe as that shadow bastard no matter how I look at it. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s involved with those guys. ¡°I¡¯ll temporarily strip off all of her possessions¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DOuch!?¡± I unintentionally leak out my voice from suddenly getting hit on my head with something. Is it maybe this stone that fell down nearby? ¡°Setsu¡­¡­ we¡¯re surrounded you know¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I look around us and got surprised. Male and female beastmen of all ages are standing in order to surround us. It seems like they¡¯re the people who live here¡­¡­ ¡°What¡¯s up with you?¡± I ask the brat who¡¯s probably the guy who threw the stone. The brat glared at us with full of anger on his face. ¡°How dare you do this to Shironeko!¡± ¡°Ah? The one who started was this girl you know?¡± I object to the brat who said something extremely unreasonable. ¡°A guy who charged into us with the intent to kill is someone I can¡¯t leave alone as one would expect, now can I?¡± ¡°Shut yer mouth! Just die obediently!¡± Hey, would you listen to me old man¡­¡­ I glared at the old man who was spreading the shouts behind the brat. ¡°Why are you showing this attitude¡­¡­ this man won from this child didn¡¯t he? Wasn¡¯t it the beastmen who has respect for strong people I wonder?¡± ¡°I do have respect for this man! But it¡¯s a different story this time!¡± A cat eared old lady answered Levia¡¯s question. What is this ¡°it¡¯s a different story¡±. ¡°If you¡¯re not defeated then Shironeko will, you know! ¡­¡­ Shironeko¡¯s¡­¡­ little sister will¡­¡­¡± Little sister? I thought about the problem from the old man¡¯s words, who for some reason began to cry in frustration. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DMy bad eh, won¡¯t ya please let me take it from here?¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡­¡± The one who pushed his way through the crowd and showed his figure was a single man. ¡°You¡¯re the owner of the inn aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yeah. Everyone, please break up this fight¡­¡­ We can¡¯t win from this guy at any rate can we?¡± When he said that, the residents bowed with frustrated faces and left this place one by one. Every one of them made a facial expression as if they abandoned hope, but¡­¡­ ¡°Are you going to explain this?¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re going back to the inn for a little while.¡± Saying that, the innkeeper carried the collapsed Shironeko and walked towards the inn. Levia and I looked at each other¡¯s face and then decided to follow the guy for now. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó ¡°Hum¡­¡­ I knew it, my liege¡¯s beloved man is out of standard isn¡¯t he¡­¡­¡± A person was watching Setsu following the innkeeper on the roof of a house not far from there. With a high pitch voice, the person wears a black robe and has put on a hood, but one can understand the person is a woman from her characteristic curves. ¡°Nevertheless, if she¡¯s even done in easily this way, we wouldn¡¯t be able to dispose of her after all.¡± While Kuroinu¡¯s gaze is aimed at Shironeko who was being carried away on his shoulder, she gave a harsh judgment. As a matter of fact, it wasn¡¯t that she was given the order to dispose of her should she be defeated. But from her perspective, who entered the group with high loyalty towards Touma, she considers others as useless if they¡¯re defeated and that is plenty of reason for her. And so, the woman called Kuroinu is a woman who thinks that people who are useless to him should stop existing. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡­ I may as well dispose of her along with her bothersome younger sister. As punishment for being useless¡­¡­¡± Saying those last words, Kuroinu vanished into the city of night with light movements¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DYounger sister?¡± ¡°Aye, Shironeko¡¯s got a younger sister¡± We gathered in a room in the inn we were staying in. We and the innkeeper are sitting in a chair and Shironeko is lying on the bed in the room. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her?¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ She¡¯s taken as a hostage, her younger sister Mineko that is.¡± ¡°By who?¡± ¡°The black robe wearing lots. Those guys are often seen in this city and each one of them have a strange mood hanging around them, ya see.¡± I knew it¡­¡­ so it¡¯s those black robed bunch. ¡°It¡¯s not that the hostage is even kidnapped.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Mineko got a sickness, where her body gradually loses strength and it sounded like there is no hope for her to get cured from it. There seems to be medicine that could slow down its advance, but¡­¡­¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ I see, so the ones who have them are the black robed guys right?¡± ¡°You got that right. And the orders they left her seems to be to attack you.¡± Wait, so that means that Shironeko attacked me without meaning to attack me. Really, intentionally aiming for me. I knew it, the black robe leader is¡­¡­ I don¡¯t even want to think about that¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°? You¡¯re looking pale, Setsu.¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ Yeah, I only accidentally remembered the face of the guy I don¡¯t want to remember for a bit.¡± ¡°Are you fine with going on with the conversation?¡± I shook my head to brush off bad thoughts. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s decided that that guy is alive, it¡¯s fine if I don¡¯t mind it while there¡¯s no proof. ¡°Yeah, please go on¡± ¡°Got it. And then, we wanted to cooperate with her. Shironeko is nearly the strongest in this region after all, everyone would bite if they could be of use to her.¡± ¡°And so you evacuated didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Aye, everyone was worried about her and hid themselves in the end.¡± I see, so that¡¯s why they completely surrounded us in no time. ¡°Even I sold you out to Shironeko and I think that¡¯s the worst thing to do as an innkeeper. Sorry about that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s already fine though¡­¡­ even so, I have the feeling there were an awfully lot of guys who would carry Shironeko¡¯s shoulders though¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s because it has to do with her younger sister Mineko¡­¡­ Shironeko and Mineko being a an outstanding pair is their feature. The tag team of those two managed to add a wound on the great Beast king.¡± Hey, that¡¯s pretty amazing. Putting a wound on the beast king would become proof of their ability being at least SSS rank in this world. This world¡¯s kings, with the exception of the human country Destinea, are both out of standards. Those two people probably won¡¯t be defeated even if one hire several SSS rank adventurers. And one SSS rank won¡¯t even be able to leave a single wound on them. If I say this much, you should be able to easily understand the strength of the two. Well, I don¡¯t intend to lose if the two kings come at me, but¡­¡­ I would at least get hurt. ¡°If they can become the strongest together, then we won¡¯t have a choice but to respect both of them, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡­ I guess.¡± ¡°At any rate, Shironeko won¡¯t be free unless we stop what¡¯s threatening her¡­¡­ If her illness is suddenly healed someday, it¡¯ll be a different story, but ¡­¡­¡± ¡° ¡­¡­¡± I silently stand up and walk up to Shironeko. The girl who is making a regular sleeper¡¯s breathing is like the embodiment of childishness who hasn¡¯t matured yet. I quietly carry her in my arms. The princess carry one. Nevertheless, she¡¯s light and yet how is she so strong? My travel companions Eruka and Tia, the demon lord Desas and Alize the pupil. Does every one of them hold that kind of power? Hm? Levia? Her real form holds a mass that suits her strength, so she doesn¡¯t count. ¡°Say, where is her house?¡± ¡°It¡¯s, it¡¯s on the outskirts, but¡­¡­ are you gonna carry Shironeko there?¡± ¡°Yeah. I was able to get a bit interested in this after all. Levia, we¡¯re going.¡± The sky is starting to turn slightly grey. It looks like we talked a lot, the night is about to end I guess. Fortunately we took plenty a nap so we don¡¯t feel sleepy. ¡°Really¡­¡­¡± ¡°If we start walking now, we¡¯ll arrive there around the time that little sister gets up won¡¯t we?¡± In any case, she won¡¯t be getting up, so it¡¯s not necessary to hurry. But¡­¡­ there were some things I want to think about. I want to walk a bit to sort these thoughts out too. ¡°Well then innkeeper, we¡¯re going. You haven¡¯t taken the money when you sold your guest right?¡± ¡°Heh¡­¡­ I guess¡± Tch, so he got away with that¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D is what his face is saying while he averted his eyes. I think his business spirit is quite the thing you know? While me and Levia showed bitter smiles, we left behind the inn. My arms got tired so I quit the princess carry, carry her on my back and then walk through the silent neighborhood. ¡°Why are we going to this child¡¯s house?¡± Walking beside me, Levia came to ask while peeping at Shironeko¡¯s sleeping face. ¡° ¡­¡­ If it was up to me, then I¡¯m thinking I may be able to save that younger sister.¡± ¡°*sigh* ¡­¡­ So it¡¯s like that.¡± She breathed an amazed sigh to my answer. That¡¯s not surprising, I¡¯m again planning to do what I was told not to do a few days ago, after all. ¡°I won¡¯t stop you anymore okay¡­¡­ since it looks like it¡¯s useless¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, my bad. But¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Disn¡¯t it fine if I protect at least a single family? Abandoning a family suffering in front of my eyes is¡­¡­ something I can¡¯t do¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D CH 32 32 I have no choice but to do it ¡°Huh¡­¡­ I am¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡®Sup, so you¡¯re up now¡± ¡°!?¡± Within the morning air, Shironeko, who was jolting on my back, woke up. Surveying her surroundings with half opened eyes, she stiffened after my response which opened her lovely eyes wide open to her limit when she understood she is being carried on my back. ¡°Why¡­¡­ are you? What happened to the fight¡­¡­¡± ¡°The outcome is your loss. Then after you fainted, I got to hear your circumstances to an extent. I¡¯m told you have a younger sister, right?¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ Are you really planning to lay your hands on my sister desu!? Only that is©`©`©`©`©`©`¡± ¡°Even I won¡¯t do that so would you just calm down?¡± Levia who is walking beside me was holding down Shironeko who¡¯s acting violently. I squeeze my arms that are holding her legs and fixed it more firmly. Shironeko, who is held down with a strong force, seems to understand she¡¯s really no match and gradually lost strength in her body. ¡°What are you going to do¡­¡­ to us desu¡­¡­?¡± ¡°I ain¡¯t gonna do nothing okay? Or is it like that? Do you wish for it somehow?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it desu! But I aimed for your life no desu ¡­¡­¡± ¡°Aah, so it¡¯s about that.¡± When I boldly called aiming for my life as ¡°that¡±, Shironeko got startled and opened her eyes wide. Her facial expression then became noticeably sad afterwards. ¡°So you mean my attacks¡­¡­ were not worth being feared of desu ¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Hm? Aah. Well, something like that I guess.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡± Hey¡­¡­ it isn¡¯t something to be sad about, is it¡­¡­ though I think it¡¯s also my bad for saying that plainly. The person who made her like that couldn¡¯t offer words of encouragement to Shironeko who released a gloomy aura more and more, but Levia followed me up instead with an amazed expression . ¡° ¡­¡­ This man is out of standard in various ways, so don¡¯t mind it okay?¡± ¡°That¡­¡­ I¡¯m aware of desu ¡­¡­¡± I¡¯m aware of¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DHearing those words I mutter ¡°So I really am¡± while sighing. ¡°Shironeko, we¡¯re not going to fight anymore as long as you don¡¯t do anything. If you do, then I¡¯ll go along with you until you¡¯re satisfied but¡­¡­ it¡¯s troublesome so it¡¯ll help me if you don¡¯t. ¡°Okay¡­¡­¡± ¡°And so¡­¡­ Well, our lives were aimed for more or less. I¡¯m pretty much whatever, but Levia could¡¯ve been injured. When thinking about that kind of risk, I can¡¯t release you as is. I think that if I say something a little threatening then she¡¯ll become a little afraid, but I can see a strong will in her eyes. As if saying her strength is unrivaled and she won¡¯t lose with her feelings. ¡°I won¡¯t do anything to you, but that only has physical meaning. I won¡¯t use violence, but¡­¡­ I want you to answer my questions obediently. I won¡¯t do more than that, you understand?¡± Shironeko nodded, urging me to continue. ¡°All right¡­¡­ then I¡¯ll be frank. I want to ask about the boss who¡¯s threatening you two. What is¡­¡­ that guy¡¯s name?¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ That person¡­¡­ is called Tohma by his companions desu. I didn¡¯t have a close relationship with those people, so I don¡¯t know it precisely desu though¡­¡­¡± I unintentionally dropped my shoulders in disappointment towards the name that flew out of the girl¡¯s mouth. Towards me who blatantly lost all my excitement, both of them turned their line of sight that¡¯s saying ¡°what¡¯s wrong¡±. ¡°What is the matter with you suddenly?¡± ¡°Nothing¡­¡­ it¡¯s just that I felt down from being hit by the worst possible expectation, is all¡± Tia, Eruka¡­¡­ What you said was true you know. Grein, that guy¡¯s alive you see, moreover he made a strange organization and is aiming for me. What should I do? You guys, think I can go along with you from hereon? The face of the three companions of mine who are currently lively in the country Destinea emerged in my mind. It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s only now, but I feel like wanting to be by their side. ¡°I¡¯m already nearly despairing, but ¡­¡­ I¡¯ll ask just in case. That guy¡¯s appearance is?¡± ¡°He¡¯s also wearing the same black robe like us so¡­¡­ I haven¡¯t even seen his face desu. But he has a small build and is extremely thin, as if he is like a girl desu. Ah, his voice is also high-ish¡­¡­¡± Yeah, that¡¯s settled. I was hoping I¡¯m probably mistaking him for the wrong person, but that hope broke down too easily. No¡­¡­ I mean, to think he really is alive¡­¡­ I even dealt him the finishing blow with these hands. Even now I don¡¯t know if I actually felt it. Basically, wielders acquires immortality as they raise their abilities. Even if you got yourself a fatal wound, you resurrect at the moment before the torch of light vanishes and the concept of lifespan and existence of illness become irrelevant. When the Hero in games die they revive don¡¯t they? It¡¯s kind of like that. But, there is a way to kill those monstrous Heroes. That is a fellow sacred sword wielder, in other word fighting them with a fellow Hero¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D A can destroy another and in doing so, the owner loses their immortality. If I have to change my way of saying it, it¡¯s like depriving them from their Hero qualifications. In other words it means that they cannot retry like a Hero in a game can after a Game Over. I don¡¯t quite understand the theory behind it, but either way it seems that the holds quite some power in this world. Especially¡­¡­ the point that it makes the person¡¯s death irrelevant is¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D But this talk¡­¡­ including even the talk about Touma has one clear contradiction. Touma and I prepared our respective and fought. And then when I killed that guy, I was sure Touma¡¯s was broken by my . I remember it, the feeling of stabbing that guy¡¯s heart is¡­¡­ the feeling of snatching away a life is¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DSetsu, are you alright?¡± I came back to reality from the vortex of thoughts with Levia¡¯s uneasy voice. While I lightly contemplate on worrying her, I¡¯ll think about the present time and push away all my useless thoughts into the corner of my mind. I¡¯ll put off thinking about how that guy revived and finish what¡¯s in front of me for now. ¡°Yeah¡­¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡­ Ah, isn¡¯t Shironeko¡¯s house that one I wonder?¡± Levia returned to her usual mood and in the direction she pointed at is a single isolated house built. The house that is in a place a little outside of the city is surrounded with many trees and I can¡¯t deny the minute lonely impression it has. ¡°It¡¯s that desu, over there my sister is also¡­¡­¡± ¡°*exhales* ¡­¡­ So we finally arrived.¡± When the morning glow passed and the sky started to become blue, us three arrived at Shironeko¡¯s house. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó Facing the door to Shironeko¡¯s house, I knock on the wooden door. There was no response. ¡°I think my sister is sleeping desu. It is almost time for her to wake up desu.¡± ¡°That so. Well, it¡¯ll be fine if we just enter right?¡± ¡°Yes desu.¡± As she got off my back, Shironeko unlocked the door and when the door opened, the three of us entered the house. It¡¯s a house that didn¡¯t really give off a novel impression, but the interior is beautifully ordered and although it¡¯s small, it¡¯s not enough to think it is cramped. When we looked around in the house restlessly, something was moving at a high speed by the bed inside. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Mine¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°Get away from big sis, you human!¡± Something was moving at high speed, interrupting Shironeko when she wanted to say something¡­¡­ No, she¡¯s a feline girl with fluttering black hair, but she leaped towards me with her sharpened nails overhead. ¡°Woah there¡­¡­¡± I instantly stopped my thinking from the abruptness, but my body, which reacted instantly, grabbed the arm that was swung down, I moved my feet and successfully held her down on the floor. Having a light body weight, I could easily steal her body¡¯s freedom. ¡°Kuh¡­¡­¡± ¡°Mineko, calm down desu, these people aren¡¯t bad people desu¡± She talked as if to persuade this girl I held down and her resistance weakened. ¡° ¡­¡­ If you says so, sis¡­¡­¡± ¡°This girl is your younger sister?¡± ¡°Yes desu, my younger sister Mineko desu¡± No, no matter how you look at it, Shironeko would be more of a younger sister, but¡­¡­ is it bad if I retort to that? When I unintentionally looked at Levia, she silently shook her head. I see, so it seems it¡¯s bad for women. ¡°Yeah, my bad. Holding you down like that¡­¡­ Here you go¡± I confirm there was completely no resistance and then move away from Mineko. Having lost her restraint, she stood up while sweeping away the dust on her clothes. ¡°I¡¯m Setsu and this one here is Levia.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Mineko. Sis Shironeko¡¯s younger sister¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D*cough*! *cough*!¡± ¡°!?¡± In the middle of our self introduction, Mineko suddenly held her chest like she¡¯s in pain and she completely crumbled down from her knee. That¡¯s right, they did say she had an illness that weakens her body¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Mineko! It¡¯s all because you acted violently desu! Rest in the bed quickly desu!¡± ¡°I¡¯m, I¡¯m sorry *cough* ¡­¡­ Sis¡­¡­ *cough cough* ¡­¡­¡± Shironeko gave Mineko her shoulder and let her lie down on the bed inside. When the painful and violently coughing girl was made to drink water, the painful expression gradually faded. ¡° ¡­¡­ Is this progressing faster than we expected¡­¡­?¡± ¡°I guess¡­¡­ to become like this from that amount of exercise¡­¡­¡± Seeing Mineko lying down, we say that. Shironeko is frantically nursing the girl who still has a little painful expression. Even you see something like this, even I, someone who finds things troublesome, would as expected¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°I have no choice but to do it, huh¡­¡­¡± CH 33 33 Surprise attack ¡°I¡¯m sorry desu ¡­¡­ Mineko doesn¡¯t really trust humans¡­¡­¡± Shironeko was nursing the girl, but she explained Mineko¡¯s behavior back then. I told her not to mind it and observed Mineko¡¯s condition. Despite the fact her coughing stopped, her breathing is rough and she looked pale. ¡° ¡­¡­ Say, what if I told you I may be able to cure her illness¡­¡­ what will you do?¡± ¡°-!?¡± When I asked that, Shironeko turned her head with an earth-shattering look and grabbed me. ¡°You can do that desu!? I beg of you desu! Please help Mineko desu!¡± The face she was making when she grabbed my clothes and petitioned was different from the warrior¡¯s face of the brave beastman who fought me back then. Right now it¡¯s the face of a pure girl who is thinking of her family¡­¡­ I¡¯ve seen a similar face just once before. [Please Yuki-kun! Help me!] ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DYeah, I¡¯ll help you out¡­¡­¡± The childhood friend who once relied on me and requested my help and the current Shironeko are overlapping closely. I stroke her head in order to give her a peace of mind and then I stand beside Mineko. I glide my hand on her beautiful skin that¡¯s without even a single pimple, searching for the origin of the illness that is destroying her body. ¡°Oh light, expose the wicked existences¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡± By having that aria, I unleash the magic that will examine the target¡¯s health. It¡¯s better to recite the aria if you have the extra time for it. It¡¯s because you can expect more results from it than without an aria. ( ¡­¡­ Hm?) The light is sinking into the bloodstream and the flow of magic power inside the body and it attempts to finally reach at the origin of the disease, but it couldn¡¯t find anything. More like¡­¡­ an entire body of black mist like thing exists as if corroding the whole body and I completely couldn¡¯t see the fundamental root of it. (This feeling is¡­¡­ tch, are you serious) That illness that¡¯s destroying Mineko isn¡¯t something simple. A more threatening black repulsive thing¡­¡­ that Touma guy¡¯s¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°Wai, wait a minute desu! Does that mean¡­¡­¡± ¡°? What is that, this you¡¯re saying.¡± ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Da unique magic that carries improper effects and is used by Touma as a Hero. Just by touching the target, the user would be able to give the other person a he/she creates. The type of can be anything, varied from movement restricting curses to something that eats the person¡¯s body like an illness. Because using it cost a lot of magic power due to its utility, using it consecutively being impossible is a relief, but with that demerit included, there is an excessive benefit from it. If a curse is attached to you, there will be almost no way to undo it anymore. It may somehow be fine if you gather dozens of light magic specialists and have all of them continue casting purification magic, but¡­¡­ ¡°That bastard¡­¡­ Ain¡¯t he both the one who handed over the medicine and the source of this illness¡­¡­ Shironeko, please show me Mineko¡¯s medicine for a bit.¡± ¡°It¡¯s, it¡¯s this desu ¡­¡­¡± In the small bottle she handed to me are many black beads. When I took them out and smelled it, it has the same smell as the Sei©–gan that helped me out during my time in Japan. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DGeh, you fucking kidding me, ain¡¯t this totally Seiro©–!¡± I threw the bottle in my hand outside. It flew out from the empty window and at the same time when the bottle disappears, the sound of glass breaking can be heard. ¡°Hol¡­¡­ Is that fine!? Isn¡¯t that Mineko¡¯s medicine¡­¡­¡± ¡°That thing¡¯s a medicine that¡¯s only effective on illness! It has zero effect on a !¡± The curse is dangerous, particularly only Touma¡¯s curses are absolutely bad to get. Right after you receive it, your body that got stuck with it will be violated as he pleases. Even Levia who was pointing her reproachful eyes to me went silent after hearing phrase . It doesn¡¯t look like she understood well, but she understood the dangers when I got this upset with just that. ¡°That can¡¯t be¡­¡­ what did I accompany that person for up until now desu ¡­¡­?¡± ¡° ¡­¡­¡± There was nothing I could say to Shironeko. She took actions she thought was right, but she understood there was no meaning even if she didn¡¯t become an enemy. The medicine she went all the way to receive it was unnecessary. It¡¯s because Mineko can¡¯t be saved with the medicine she received¡­¡­ Shironeko, who clearly understood that, held Mineko¡¯s hand who is lying in bed. Without looking at the girl who looks like she¡¯s about to let out tears of regret, I faced Mineko once again. ¡°You can¡­¡­ cure her¡­¡­desu?¡± With tears showing in her eyes, Shironeko turns her eyes towards me as if she¡¯s relying on me. I once again stroke her head and smiled at her so she could have a peace of mind. ¡°Yeah, leave that to me¡± Separating my hands from her head, I held my hands out towards empty space. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± Suddenly, a space in the air cracked. From the empty hole in the empty space, a sinister magic power blew out, filling the room. ¡°Uugh¡­¡­¡± Affected by the magic power, Levia and Shironeko¡¯s body crumbled on the spot. It means the magic power gushing out is too strong of a stimulus for the two. If it was outside, the magic power would spread and shouldn¡¯t result to this, but unfortunately the inside is easily filled with magic power. The sinister magic power gushing out in large quantity filled the room and the face of the two of them became pale. If I don¡¯t finish this swiftly then these guys will be in danger. ¡°Hey, come on out¡± Suddenly, a sword grip appeared from the hole in the air. When I grip it and pul it out, the saved up magic power inside was dragged out along with the sword I¡¯m pulling and it took form as the blade portion of the bladeless sword. The hoarded magic power held its form and becomes a slightly curved blade. Black magic power is coiling around it and covered the whole sword. What is here is not wickedness, but simple , wanting to indulge itself in exhausting simply everything, it¡¯s the appetite of the sacred sword . The person who haven¡¯t gotten used to the frank desire recognizes the craving as irregular and will completely reject it unconsciously. The current Levia and Shironeko is exactly like that, their body is unconsciously showing signs of separating themselves from the sword. If possible I want them to get used to the magic power from this lump of cravings, but even Levia who has seen it several times now is affected like this, so I¡¯ll put off all of that for now. ¡°Now it¡¯s¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dtime to eat¡± I stabbed Mineko¡¯s body very deeply with . There was not even a single sensation of going through flesh, my sword simply penetrated the girl¡¯s body. Shironeko opened her eyes wide and looked at me, but I kept eating the curse. When Mineko¡¯s curse is fading, ¡¯s stomach swelled. The mouth went around until every corner in her body and ate until the curse runs out completely. ¡­¡­ Official name being is, I seem to have repeated a lot of times, but with its meaning as it is, eats everything. From inorganic substances to organic matter, from gas to liquid, magic power or mental strength¡­¡­ to life itself¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D (It really doesn¡¯t look like I¡¯ll come to like this) I thoroughly think so, looking at my sacred sword or demon sword crunching the strong curse as if it was nothing. It¡¯s too unreasonable. You can call this thing that eats up anything that comes in front of its eyes, a lump of unreasonableness. This thing that eats without concerns of it being righteous or evil. Do I, who is more or less summoned as a Hero, have the right to use it I wonder¡­¡­? ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DWell, I¡¯ll use it though. Not using a useful item is being stupid, like pearls thrown before swine. Eat shit to being Hero-like. So I¡¯m aware of the inhumanities. [¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DYou have unreasonable power that can carry out your will, what are you doing by not using it? You should wield it more freely.] ¡° ¡­¡­ To think I actually recalled the words of the guy who placed the curse himself here¡­¡­¡± The face of the crossdressing bastard, who similarly has an unreasonable power like me, emerged in my mind. In order to blow away that guy who shows a smile that¡¯s inedible even for , I ate up the entire curse at the very end, from the top of the head to the tip of the toes, without leaving a single trace of it¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó ¡°Wow¡­¡­ My body is light¡­¡­¡± ¡°Is your condition fine?¡± ¡°It¡¯s extremely fine. I feel full of strength all over my body!¡± It¡¯s several minutes since then. With the curse completely eaten up, the phenomenon of Mineko¡¯s body being weakened stopped. Her decreased physical strength was regained to an extent by making her drink some recovery potion, now she¡¯s recovered enough that she doesn¡¯t feel pain from getting up and walking around. ¡°I¡¯m glad for you desu ¡­¡­ Mineko ¡­¡­ I am really ¡­¡­ Uuu¡± ¡°Oh really! Don¡¯t cry so much big sis!¡± The now lively Mineko stroked Shironeko¡¯s head who is sobbing with joy and began cuddling her. Still, no matter how I look at it, I can only see them as older and younger sister in reverse, is it really not good if I retort to that at any cost?¡± ¡°Thank you for your hard work¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡­¡± Levia lined up beside me and gave me words of appreciation. She nonchalantly took my hand and half of her magic power she parted with was added to mine. Warm magic power flowed into me, my slightly fatigued appearance flew somewhere far away by that comfort. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThis time, ¡¯s stomach is somehow filled up to its sixth portions after it finished feeding on the curse. With that guy¡¯s curse being that strong, I guess it meant it was firmly rooted. It helped me a lot that the remaining portion could be supplemented with half of my magic power, but I may have to set up a countermeasure to the curse next time. For ¡­¡­ , beside the compensation for not stopping until it has a full stomach, there is a loss of effectiveness when it becomes full. It¡¯s natural. No matter what you say, it¡¯s stomach is full after all¡­¡­ furthermore, you can¡¯t stuff it in. When you think about it from that weakness, it means that it can eat at most two curses of this scale. It can become hungry again in a just a few minutes, but if, for example, the situation is in the middle of combat, you won¡¯t have that extra time. If there¡¯s a method to allow us to avoid the curse somehow or another, it¡¯¡¯ll be settled¡­¡­ well, it won¡¯t go that smoothly. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DWell, we can now think about the troublesome part I guess¡­¡­ . How about that, Shironeko. With this there¡¯s no need for you to associate with that bastard Touma, you won¡¯t attack us anymore right?¡± ¡°Yes desu ¡­¡­ *sniff*(gusu) ¡­¡­ Thank you very much desu ¡­¡­¡± ¡°There there¡± Mineko said while she strokes Shironeko¡¯s back, who was giving us her thanks while crying away. With this they will spend their time peacefully again I guess. It¡¯ll be nice if they won¡¯t be used by strange groups again though¡­¡­ In any case, we¡¯ll be going back to beast king¡¯s place. I¡¯m a bit tired, so shall we go on a trip tomorrow¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DTroubling isn¡¯t it, getting this into this mood as if saying the issue is settled like this¡­¡­¡± ¡°Ugh-! Big sis, watch out!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± In the corner of my sight¡­¡­ in just an instant, a shape of something flying was reflected. There were several of this something which had a black luster. Those things rushed on towards Shironeko and Mineko by this form of perfected surprise attack. It was fatally unexpected that even Levia and I couldn¡¯t instantly react. Even so, I reflexively swung my arm and knocked down several of these things. When it clashed onto the ground, the sound it carried was a metallic clank. I turned my consciousness towards the remaining of those things that didn¡¯t hit me rather than the sound. Shironeko was in a blind spot and Mineko was in a place I could barely see. Mineko pushed away Shironeko. The things that went towards the girls, at the same time Shironeko collapsed onto the floor¡­¡­ ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dran very deeply into Mineko¡¯s chest. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dugh! Outside!¡± I shout without thinking. I was trembling considerably from being unexpectedly hit by a complete surprise that was made possible from the distraction. I jump out from the window from where those black something flew into. I moved to prevent the second wave, but fortunately there was no second wave. The time was still far from noon, on the ground that was illuminated by the sun that still hasn¡¯t reached the peak, that person was there. ¡°Hey¡­¡­ So it was you, the one who threw those dangerous things¡± ¡°That is true though? Ah, I wasn¡¯t able to kill Shironeko¡­¡­ even though I meant to take care of the useless¡­¡­¡± A black robed woman answered. Her hair that looked like it¡¯s black piled on top of black was tied to the back and on her head there were dog ears. Her mouth was concealed by a black cloth, so her face can¡¯t be seen. ¡°You are our master¡¯s beloved person¡­¡­ as for me, I hate you so much I may go mad from jealousy, but¡­¡­ By my master¡¯s order, I plan to constrain you and take you away.¡± ¡°Who is gonna get caught, you pitch black bitch. That guy you call master, I¡¯m gonna smash his woman looking face ¡¯till it¡¯s warped, so look forward to that¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ I shall take back my words, allow me take you back after I punish you until you don¡¯t know that idea of yours anymore.¡± The woman took off her robe and showed the whole picture. A footwear similar to fishnet stockings from black clothes, the cloth concealing her mouth appeared to be tied on the back of her head with the remaining cloth floating to her back. Isn¡¯t that the well known japanese¡­¡­ thingamajig? ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D Kuroinu ¡­¡­ here I go.¡± Introduced in Japan, the type of people whose forte is assassination and espionage¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dthe ninja. T.N. The medicine called Seirogan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seirogan CH 34 34 Maritime ¡°Gafuh¡­¡­¡± (act of coughing blood) ¡°Mineko!¡± Blood started flowing from Mineko¡¯s mouth, staining red the shape of her mouth. Sticking on the girl¡¯s chest were kunais, weapons frequently used by one that is called a ninja. The caltrop shaped blade is pierced halfway in and the clothes on her chest was dyed red. Throwing up blood from the mouth means that there should likely be a large internal wound. (Not good¡­¡­! I can¡¯t do anything with a wound this deep¡­¡­! Seeing the pierced kunai, Levia resented her lack of power in recovery magic. The girl who could only heal bruises and gashes at most, is currently only able to gaze at Mineko. ¡° ¡­¡­ Only Setsu can¡­¡­!¡± There is nothing Levia could do for Mineko; however, Setsu could do it with recovery magic in any way he liked. Even if it was impossible to use , he should be able to heal this wound. Leaving behind Shironeko, who completely changed from shedding tears of happiness to that of sorrow, Levia jumped out from the window. To save Mineko, there was no choice but to have the black clothed woman and Levia fight and Setsu to go into the girl¡¯s treatment. ¡°Setsu! Step aside!¡± At the same time Levia¡¯s feet were planted onto the ground, she fired off her magic. An enormous water cannon that could swallow a person of a small build was heading towards Setsu and the black clothed person.¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó ¡°Hah!¡± ¡°Woah¡± With one grand swing with Kuromaru, I knock down all the kunais and throwing stars that came flying from every angle. ¡°Aren¡¯t you an extremely violent man¡­¡­gh!¡± ¡°Says the woman who has a more fitting character for that!¡± Since a while ago this woman¡¯s attacks are exactly at the freaking places I have a hard time handling them. She also goes cutting in my thoughts by attacking me, so it¡¯s hard to move about. (Shall I just ignore them instead and just mow her down?) I don¡¯t particularly get much damage at the places I¡¯m hit, but¡­¡­ as expected I won¡¯t just forgive her if she accidentally hits my eyeballs and such. I wonder if my opponent knew, she¡¯s been aiming at my face once out of many. She really has a disgusting way of fighting. Persistent and disgusting. ¡°Tch¡­¡­ So I have to prepare for damage and¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DSetsu! Step aside!¡± I reflexively leap to the side. While a water spray was spreading from my back after jumping, a gigantic water bullet was flying. ¡°Wha¡­¡­ kuh¡­¡­!¡± (enjutsu?atsuheki) The water bullet that is heading straight towards Kuroinu hit the wall of flames that appeared right in front of the woman¡¯s eyes and scattered about water vapours around the area. Because of the water vapours drifting like smoke, I couldn¡¯t see Kuroinu. In exchange, the one who is now beside me is Levia, who is most likely the one who shot the water bullet just now. ¡°Doing something so dangerous¡­¡­ what are you going to do if it hits me, huh?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t die from it even if I hit you, right? More importantly, I¡¯m substituting you, okay? I¡¯ll have you go treat Mineko, since I¡¯ll be taking care of the puppy over there.¡± I look over my shoulder and look inside Shironeko¡¯s house. I can tell there¡¯s signs of bleeding even from this distance and I¡¯m sure that¡¯s what made Levia jump out with a serious look. ¡° ¡­¡­ I guess. Leave Mineko to me, so I¡¯ll leave the dog to you, okay? It looks like she can use magic and some weird technique though¡­¡­¡± The flame wall from before was different from the flame magic in the way the magic power is poured when using it. That it¡¯s not a normal magic I¡¯m sure of but¡­¡­ well, I can¡¯t think of anything other than ninjutsu skills that ninja¡¯s use, but does this world have ninjutsu though? ¡°I understand that, you know. You go over to Mineko¡¯s side quickly, since I¡¯ll quickly take down the puppy.¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ Don¡¯t be careless okay? The you right now is¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°Who do you think you¡¯re talking to? I am the Sea god aren¡¯t I? Just because the dog can use a little strange technique doesn¡¯t mean I will be defeated. Can you quickly go now?¡± ¡°*sigh* ¡­¡­ I got it, okay.¡± I turn around with my heel at that place and headed back to the house. I don¡¯t think Levia will be defeated, but it will be a hard fight I guess. In order to cure Mineko¡¯s wounds quickly and go to Levia¡¯s aid, I jump into Shironeko¡¯s house from the window. ¡°Hey Shironeko! Move your hands aside!¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ Eh?¡± Holding Mineko in her arms, Shironeko grabbed her body because she was trying to stop her blood somehow. ¡°Gofuh¡­¡­¡± ¡°Mineko!¡± At that moment, an even larger amount of blood spew out of her mouth and dirtied our clothes. I put my hand on the wound that was overflowing with blood and begin my treatment. ¡° !¡± A strong light dwelled within the hand I held down and it filled Mineko¡¯s body. The wound is more serious than I had thought. Her heart is safe, but one of her lungs was damaged very badly. (To make matters worse, did she actually add ¡­¡­ugh! This is going to take a while¡­¡­) The ability called Regeneration Obstruction is, as its name implies, an ability which slows recovery of the inflicted wound. It can work with a sword clad in magic power and it¡¯s even an assassin¡¯s indispensable skill. Although originally, would heal you instantly as long as you¡¯re not dead, these wounds are merely gradually closing at several hundred times the normal speed, too slow compared to the usual several thousand times the speed. ¡°This must make that pup¡­¡­ SS rank I guess¡± Attaching this level of to these weapons is evidence of her considerable ability. If that¡¯s how it is, then the current Levia is going to have a hard time, what with her current abilities being S rank. ¡°Setsu! Will Mineko be fine desu!?¡± ¡° ¡­¡­¡± I guess sending this girl to help Levia now won¡¯t be useful¡­¡­ ¡°I won¡¯t let her die as long as I can do this, you know¡­¡­ So shut up and just watch.¡± Either way, if I can quickly heal Mineko then I will go back her up. It really takes several minutes until these wounds finish recovering but¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D (Go all out until then, okay ¡­¡­ Levia) ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó (¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dor something like that¡­¡­ is what he must be thinking I suppose) Levia was predicting Setsu¡¯s current thoughts while repelling the kunais flying from the other side of the steam with her palms clad in water. ¡° ¡­¡­ You. I can assume you are the sea god Leviathan from the nobleness of this magic power however¡­¡­ Why are you in such a place? And why are you lending a hand to that man? Shouldn¡¯t the sea god be meant to be in the sea?¡± ¡°Look, I have a debt to pay to that man. Moreover, it is pitiful seeing the sisters separated like that. And lastly, it¡¯s not like I would particularly be in the sea you see¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dwhere I am is the sea is what I mean.¡± The steam cleared up and Levia launcheed water bullets from her hand towards Kuroinu whose figure was revealed. Kuroinu ran while throwing kunais and approached the girl while repelling the bullet sized water bullet with those kunais. ¡°Frontal attacks and such will not hit me!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Kuroinu shortened the distance in an instant and slashed at Levia¡¯s throat who had her eyes opened wide. She thought blood spraying out will decide the outcome, but what gushed out of her throat was a transparent liquid. ¡°Body substitution!?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same with Setsu¡­¡­ you can¡¯t simply decide the outcome directly from the front!!¡± ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DUgh!¡± As Levia¡¯s body made of water repelled the attack, the real body right behind it unleashed a palm heel on Kuroinu¡¯s abdomen. ¡°Gah¡­¡­¡± ¡°And another¡± ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡­ underestimate me!¡± The other hand was set out, but that was defended with crossed arms. However, (Wha-, it¡¯s heavy¡­¡­!) Levia¡¯s palm heel had considerably more power than Kuroinu imagined. The girl couldn¡¯t kill off the impact and was thrown greatly back as her body was bent. (To think the Sea God would have this much power on the ground¡­¡­) Kuroinu received an even more shocking reality at the same time. If one would name a dreadful part of the Sea God, then it would be the attack with an overwhelming mass using the infinitely existing water of the sea. Furthermore, if the Sea God is submerged in the ocean water or some kind of principle, her might would increase. One ought to be vigilant from attacks with water as well as the attacks with her tail unleashed from the body of the dragon that attained superhuman strength. But that is a talk for when she is submerged in ocean water. With this ground currently not containing any ocean water, the Sea God was not supposed to have this much strength. ¡°Why are you¡­¡­ hm?¡± Kuroinu bent her body, put her hands on the ground and with a backflip, she prepared her stance as she lands. At that time she slightly grasped an uncomfortable feeling; she felt something from her feet on the ground that is clearly different from until some time ago. ¡°This is¡­¡­ it¡¯s muddy!?¡± ¡°Oh my, you actually noticed haven¡¯t you?¡± Ñ¥¤¬ÌåÖØ¤ÇµØÃæ¤Ë¤á¤êÞz¤ß¡¢¤½¤ÎϤ«¤é¥¸¥å¥¯¥¸¥å¥¯¤È²èÉ«¤¯�á¤Ã¤¿Ë®¤¬�B¤ß³ö¤·¤Æ¤¤¤ë¡£ ¤½¤·¤ÆÈ®×å¤Ç¤¢¤Ã¤¿¤¬¤¿¤á¤Ë¥¯¥í¥¤¥Ì¤Î±Ç¤ò´Ì¼¤¤·¤¿¤Î¤Ï¡¢¤½¤ÎË®¤«¤éÏã¤Ã¤Æ¤¯¤ë³±¤Î„ö¤¤????¡­¡­ Her feet sunk into the ground from her body weight and a light brown muddy water seeped out from below. And what stimulated Kuroinu¡¯s canine nose was a fragrant odour of salt water from that water. ¡°See, if there¡¯s no seawater here, then I can just make it and spread it around. I wonder, why hadn¡¯t I notice this kind of method up until now?¡± That is absurd¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D Kuroinu regretted that she had made a mistake in measuring the ability of the existence that is called a god. The mud was already spread all around and the seeping water is rapidly increasing in volume. ¡°With this, it should be fine even if it is restored a little, isn¡¯t that right?¡± Saying that, Levia¡¯s figure changed. Scales emerged on her arm and and from her shoulders, the scaled arm transformed into irregular shaped dragon arm. A certain power can be felt from those large blue arm that had slightly disrupted the balance of the slender woman. ¡°Waiting for Setsu¡¯s assistance is unnecessary. In the name of the Sea god, I will take you down right here.¡± Kuroinu trembled in an instant from the intensity of the sea god, who spoke that sentence in the form of a girl. CH 35 35 Sea God VS Black Dog ¡°Hah!¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡­¡± Kuroinu avoided the arm swung by the Seagod by leaping back. However¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D (This, this is nonsense¡­¡­£¡) Having her balance broken because of the wind generated by that gigantic arm, Kuroinu fell down shamefully, dirtying her body with the muddy soil. No, it is already difficult to call that muddy. The clear ocean water has already filled up to the knee, to the point it felt like walking is tough. ¡°Look at you! Trying to challenge I, the Sea god Levia at that level is laughable!¡± ¡°Tch¡­¡­Don¡¯t underestimate me! !¡± Kuroinu stood up, put her hands in the water and poured magic power into it. Upon doing so, the water around Levia rose up and in an instant the prison completely enclosed her. ¡°Special magic power is kneaded in my . Opposing it with magic won¡¯t be that simple you see.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡­¡± ¡°And then¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D!¡± A lightning spear materialized crackling and charged in Kuroinu¡¯s hand. As she kicked the bottom ground within the rising water level and leaped up, she threw that spear towards Levia. ¡°I have heard that ocean water conducts electric shocks easily! With this it¡¯s over even for you, Sea god!¡± ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m being underestimated aren¡¯t I.¡± Not even showing any concerns over the approaching spear, Levia took a swing with the arm which didn¡¯t change into a strange shape. In doing so, the water prison broke its shape without even the slightest resistance and started enveloping the girl¡¯s surroundings in a vortex. ¡°Ocean water is like a part of me. I don¡¯t even need to use something like magic in order to manipulate it.¡± Coiling like a vortex, the ocean water moved and spread itself to catch the spear. The spear assaulting from the opposite side lost its power to that thick layer of water and became static inside the water. ¡°Wha-¡­¡­but if there is even a little water, then the electric current should¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I just tell you that the ocean water moves the way I want?¡± Levia¡¯s surrounding was¡­¡­filled with dried ground. As if giving the impression of being fenced, the water couldn¡¯t penetrate that parched land. ¡°If you take away the water that¡¯s muddied from the ocean water, it would dry, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡± ¡°Look, this time you are the one in danger aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Hah!?¡± Kuroinu had realized. The fact that the spear was emitting electricity even at that present time. And¡­¡­ the fact the current will also be flowing in the ocean water under her feet. ¡°This is bad¡­¡­! !¡± An enormous furiously blazing sphere was dropped onto the ocean water from Kuroinu¡¯s hand. The water vapor wrapped up the woman together with the sound of evaporating water. Her field of vision was blocked, but when she relied on intuition and stretched out her legs, her feet would touch the ground and she would be able to successfully leap in mid-air once again. ¡°Ooh¡­¡­You dried the ground with fire didn¡¯t you? You handled that well, despite digging your grave with your own technique.¡± ¡±What are you making that calm looking face for!?¡± Despite losing her cool, Kuroinu concentrated and threw a kunai. Not long ago she lost her cool due to Levia¡¯s strength being beyond her imagination and ended up releasing single attacks like she was being strangled, but Kuroinu originally possessed some composure due to her occupation that is called a ninja and had gradually been regaining her pace. ¡°Hmph¡± As she knocked away the approaching kunai by manipulating the water, Levia turned her gaze towards Kuroinu. However, the woman had already vanished from midair. ¡°W-!?¡± She reflexively knocked away several kunais that suddenly came swooping down beside her with her arm that had returned to her original form. Subsequently, a kunai flew from a different direction and Levia twisted her body to dodge it. Again from another direction and then again from another direction came Kunais flying towards her. However, Kuroinu¡¯s figure was nowhere to be seen and she could only hear the slight sound of kicking the water. ¡°Tch! Quite the shrewd one aren¡¯t you!¡± Levia dodged in the beginning, but she grew impatient from the exchange of kunais that didn¡¯t show any indication of ending at all, mowing down all of them at once with her dragon arm. ¡°How careless of you!¡± ¡°Ugh-!¡± Kuroinu leaped into the opening that was created from the stiffness caused by the instant after she finished swinging her arm. Levia was surprised by the girl who was thrusting her kunai towards her defenseless body, further delaying her response. However, was that, as expected, an aspect of the Sea god? Before she could think she moved by instinct, keeping her still human arm in front of her body in order to defend against it. If there were any lacking aspects in this response, then it would be the one where her dragon arm still hadn¡¯t sprung back¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Guh¡­¡­¡± Deeply stuck into the place closer to her wrist than her elbow, the kunai moved forward without stopping, reaching Levia¡¯s flank. If it weren¡¯t for the guarding with her arm, how many of her internal organs would it have damaged? In that respect, it could be said that her guard was useful just for the fact she was able to stop no more than its tip. ¡°So you could even defend against this¡­¡­however!¡± ¡°Gih¡­¡­¡± Kuroinu twisted the stabbed kunai with all her strength. Each time blood gushed out of her arm and an even larger amount of red liquid was streaming from the flank under that arm. If she had her dragon form, then she would have been able to let this degree of injury end with a mere bruise. However, that is different when in a human form. Nearly losing her consciousness due to the intense pain emitted by her arm and flank, Levia strenuously gritted her teeth and endured it. ¡°Not admitting defeat are you¡­¡­ngh! In that case, I¡¯ll go even dee¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you get¡­¡­ carried away!¡± ¡°Ugh-!¡± Enduring the pain, Levia swung down her dragon arm. Unable to bear it, Kuroinu released the kunai from her hand and took evasive action, but because of the force of the downswing that was unleashed from a sense of desperation, she was greatly blown away to the back. ¡°Now you¡¯ve done it, you mutt¡­¡­ugh¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying quite a lot of rude things aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°The one who is rude is you though¡­¡­I am a god you know?¡± Levia pulled out the pierced kunai while bearing the pain and tossed it aside. And then she manipulates the ocean water at her feet, applying it to her wounds. Upon doing so, bubbles spurted out of her wounds and those openings started to gradually shrunk. ¡°¡­¡­Aren¡¯t you being troublesome, adding regeneration obstruction there.¡± The girl who boasted absolute strength in the ocean could cure the injuries she received on her body just by submerging herself in ocean water. Although that does not reach , her self healing ability rivaled those of the undead type monsters. Even if she possessed such miraculous self healing ability, it could not overcome the regeneration obstruction. Seeing her own body whose best effort was only to stop the blood at best, Levia breathed a sigh. ¡°At any rate, you are quite fast aren¡¯t you? I could barely follow you with my eyes.¡± ¡°I am surprised you were able to follow me you know. High speed movement is my specialty you see.¡± Said Kuroinu as she stood on top of water. It appeared that her shoes had some sort of secret, but Levia didn¡¯t seem to have realized that. ¡°So you can also do that?¡± ¡°An ability to adapt that is worthy of a ninja is necessary, so yes.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know well this thing you call a ninja, but¡­¡­for now it is my turn isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°W-! What!?¡± From the surface of the sea Kuroinu was standing on, water that was wriggling like tentacles coiled around her ankles. Even if she tried to separate from that location, the water coiled around her didn¡¯t move as if it became like glue. ¡°Violent dogs will be tied on a leash¡­¡­And then here, drink this.¡± Levia calmly put up her dragon arm to the sky. Upon doing so, the water on the ground started to gather just above Kuroinu, producing a gigantic water sphere. ¡°This is¡­¡­I am in trouble.¡± Kuroinu showed a face of resignation to the ruthless size of that water sphere. The water restraining her legs showed absolutely no signs of loosening and there was no time left to take evasive actions anymore if it were to loosen¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± CH 36 36 An interesting story A specially large water sphere had struck onto the restrained Kuroinu. The sphere that raised a large splash together with a thunderous roar, became ripples and rocked the surface of the muddy water. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DYou¡¯ve put up with that rather well, didn¡¯t you.¡± ¡°*heave*¡­¡­*pant*¡­¡­¡± Kuroinu, who was supposed to be in the center of it, was safe. She was considerably blown away from the place she had been standing some time ago, but she had no large injuries upon receiving the impact that could have crushed the human body without remorse. Levia herself had put quite an amount of power into her skill, so she couldn¡¯t hide her surprise about the fact she did not take her down. (Ugh¡­¡­£¡I put my in effect at the last moment, so it went well ¡­¡­That ended up taking away all my stamina¡­¡­£© Just before Kuroinu collided with the water sphere, she narrowly invoked an . The skills she specializes in, like and are so to speak magic for the purpose of opposing magic. For instance, in contrast to the magic that shoots out a spear of fire, has a skill called which would first produce the fire, alters it into the shape of a spear and then shoots it out. What is important here is that in contrast to magic where two processes are required, which is producing a spear of fire and shooting said spear, requires three processes; producing the fire, shaping it to a spear and then shooting it out. Looking at this, would not look superior. However, has a strong advantage which is large enough to make it free from the handicap in that process. That strong point is the fact that when the is operated¡­¡­in other words just when is shot, she does not have to use the fire she herself have produced. If there is fire in your surroundings, it would be possible for her to manipulate that and produce a spear out of it. And so, the magic shot by your opponent is no exception to that. Such as manipulating her opponent¡¯s flames and firing it back, letting the produced water sphere burst above her head, fighting back their lightning by letting them self-destruct; it¡¯s an ability that demonstrates immense power against magic. This time, Kuroinu used and succeeded in slightly shifting the water sphere¡¯s falling point. Although Levia¡¯s skill was magic, it was an attack using the sea water ruled by her and as a result, she was unable to manipulate it perfectly and avoiding a direct hit was the best she could do. After Kuroinu let her body accumulate damage from receiving the impact of the water rivaling that of an explosion despite it not being a direct hit, she somehow managed to stand up, gasping. Her knees were shaking, but her eyes hadn¡¯t lost her vigor. However, it was still a fact that there was no way in avoiding her current state. (Kuh¡­¡­At this rate I won¡¯t be able to receive the satisfaction in dealing with Shironeko, to say nothing of capturing that man alive in accordance to my liege¡¯s commands¡­¡­) ¡°I am a little peeved that you weren¡¯t killed, but¡­¡­ it looks like it is already over.¡± Turning towards Kuroinu who didn¡¯t move after standing up, Levia stuck out her hand. A fine grain of water can be seen in the palm of that hand and she planned to shoot that to her heart. ¡°I am sorry to tell you this, but I won¡¯t be doing something like not robbing someone of their life like Setsu does. So properly¡­¡­die okay? Drops of water rushed out, focusing on a single point. Kuroinu slowly looked at those drops flying at high speed, like it was in slow motion. (I have been defeated haven¡¯t I¡­¡­I can truly not move my body) It was already too late for as well. Without trying anything, she looked at the water bullets being sucked up into her chest. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DHey hey hey, don¡¯t you get done in, you dog girl.¡± ¡°Wha-¡­¡­¡± Kuroinu raised her voice in surprise. When she thought she had heard someone suddenly calling out to her, the water bullets approaching until in front of her eyes were knocked down to the surface of the sea. Before they noticed, the owner of the voice had stood between the two, carrying a two meter long spear in his flank. ¡°You¡­¡­why?¡± ¡°Heh, been a little while, oh great Sea god.¡± Levia was surprised. That man called out to her like he knew her. Which wasn¡¯t surprising since, although he wasn¡¯t well known to Levia, he was a man who was at the very least an acquaintance to her. ¡°I see¡­¡­we were deceived, weren¡¯t we.¡± ¡°Oh, please don¡¯t call it something disgraceful like being deceived. I told ya the story out of kindness, ya know? You were able to save the two cat sisters thanks to that, am I right? And besides, I¡¯ve only let ya stay in the inn after all.¡± The owner of the inn¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dthat man who had offered information to Setsu and Levia, was now standing in her way. Due to him showing a bold smile, it made his uncanniness look better. ¡°So, does that mean you also came here aiming for Shironeko and her sister¡¯s life? Depending on your answer, I shall submerge you as well, do you understand?¡± ¡°Ooh, scary! If the Sea god says it, then it won¡¯t just become wordplay, huh¡­¡­Well, don¡¯t worry about that, my objective ain¡¯t those cats.¡± ¡°What then?¡± ¡°Ya should have become aware of it a little right? ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DIt¡¯s you, Sea god Levia.¡± Upon hearing her own name Levia increased her wariness and glared at the man in silence. ¡°Ya seems to have seriously guessed it, seeing that ya ain¡¯t surprised¡­¡­Well, kind of obvious if ya understand yer own value.¡± ¡°¡­¡­How much do you know?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t have the obligations to tell ya but¡­¡­I know as far as how to use yourexistences.¡± Said the man, still showing a bold smile. Levia glared at him and bit on her molars from seeing the bad situation. ¡°Well then¡­¡­let¡¯s have ya come with us if ya don¡¯t wanna get any painful experience¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThat¡¯s an interesting conversation you¡¯re having. Let me in on it, will you?¡± ¡°!?¡± The instant the man stepped forward to take Levia with him, a large splash of water rose up along with a black flash. The man who instantly leapt away with a backstep succeeded in avoiding a direct hit of that something, but he took the splash of water with his whole body and his field of vision was blocked. ¡°Oh Cra¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°Take this!¡± A black ray that cut off the soaring sprays of water cut up the man¡¯s body in surprise and made the splash red. He distorted his face in pain, but he took distance with another big backstep before the follow-up came. ¡°Tch¡­¡­already done with her treatment?¡± ¡°Yeah, thanks to you¡± Who stood there when all of the splashes fell down, was Setsu who was supposed to have gone to treat Mineko just some time ago. Blood was streaming from the stomach of the guy who was the innkeeper. I planned to cut at it a little deeper, but his physical ability was better than I expected. He did get some damage, but he looks far from being incapable of fighting I guess. ¡°So you really were allies to those black robes, I couldn¡¯t help thinking it was suspicious you know.¡± ¡°What was that? You want to say you were on guard since the beginning?¡± ¡°Yeah. Because your lines were simply suspicious.¡± ¡ºAt any rate, Shironeko won¡¯t be able to taste freedom as long as she¡¯s threatened by her¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡» ¡°The time we were listening to your story, we should¡¯ve been talking about this unknown black robe and despite that you pointed out her gender to me. Of course you probably have checked her gender under some circumstances, but it was reason enough to be suspicious of you.¡± To put it simply, it¡¯s like that ¡ºinformation only the offender can know¡» thing from detective dramas and stories. Talking too much so as to not make them turn doubtful eyes on you and unintentionally¡­ ¡°To think he killed him by striking his head¡­¡­¡± ¡­ending up digging his grave with something like that, something like that I think. ¡°Hah haa¡­¡­so it¡¯s like that. That was my bad¡­¡­I should¡¯ve been a little more careful with my talk. But what about it? Even if ya got cautious, ya let me get near ya didn¡¯t ya?¡± ¡°It¡¯s got nothing to do with that. Either way I¡¯m smashing you here. Whatever happened, the result will be the same, you know.¡± I swing Kuromaru two to three times and set it up in suspension with one hand. I confirm that Kuroinu who got her stamina shaved off can¡¯t move anymore and point the tip of my sword towards the man. ¡°Well then¡­¡­come here¡± This instance, in this instance I thrust the large sword Kuromaru and the man releases an attack, putting his weight on the spear¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D CH 37 37 Crisis ¡°Guh¡­¡­¡± The man¡¯s spear rebounded along with his arm. The fact that it was repelled by my blow and didn¡¯t separate from his hand was unexpected, but it doesn¡¯t change the fact that there¡¯s an opening. I send him flying with a kick in his defenseless abdomen and he rolled on the sea whose water level has fallen due to Levia stopping the fight. ¡°Wh- what nonsensical superhuman strength¡­¡­¡± ¡°I get that often. Actually, do you even have time to rest?¡± In no time I fire a towards the man who stood up gasping. ¡°Wha-¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DGuooooo!?¡± The man held his spear horizontally to receive that blade where I held back my strength moderately, but he couldn¡¯t stop the attack and was forced to fall back with the soil stuck on his feet and all. That spear of his is pretty good. There doesn¡¯t seem like there were any weapons that could catch my flying blade right from the front. And the man is also quite a powerful guy. If levia fights him like that, then she¡¯ll probably be defeated along with the mutt. ¡°Ain¡¯t doing half bad, you. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Haah¡­¡­haah¡­¡­tch, it¡¯s Saiga¡± (¥µ¥¤¥¬;saiga) ¡°Hmm¡­¡­I¡¯m¡­¡­Well, you already know me even if I don¡¯t tell you.¡± Shironeko also knew of me, so I guess all of these guys know me too. They¡¯re the subordinates of that shitty hero after all. ¡°So, what¡¯re you gonna do now Saiga? It¡¯s not like I won¡¯t overlook this if you take that black dog with you and pull back though.¡± But of course I¡¯ll have them leave behind information and just punish them a little so they won¡¯t easily attack us after this. ¡°If you allow me to say¡­¡­gh!¡± ¡°Leave it, Kuroinu! It¡¯s different if the two of us are in top form, but we¡¯re gonna fall together in this situation¡­¡­¡± Looks like the situation is clear on Saiga¡¯s side. As for Kuroinu¡¯s side¡­¡­yeah. Those eyes are those who have completely pledged her allegiance towards that guy. Now that I think about it, I remember there were many of those guys like her at the time I was in Destinea. Especially that princess had it the worst. These kinds of people would use any tricks up their sleeve to accomplish their commands. (It¡¯s going to look troublesome in the distant future I guess¡­¡­I was thinking about sending them back beaten the hell out of, including a declaration of war towards Touma, but¡­¡­how about I just beat the hell out of them and imprison them?) Such disturbing thoughts crosses my mind. But letting those guys loose who would probably do anything if ordered, even suicide bombing is, well¡­¡­ ¡°Saiga!? We haven¡¯t accomplished our orders yet, you understand!? Withdrawing despite that is¡­¡­¡± ¡°Are ya stupid!? Ain¡¯t we just talking about pulling back once!?¡± ¡°We will be keeping our liege waiting in that case! I have to erase those useless sisters here now¡­¡­¡± Useless sisters means¡­¡­Shironeko and her sister I guess. It means Kuroinu¡¯s target isn¡¯t me but those two, but personally I feel she could postpone the useless sisters thing. I bet decent information wasn¡¯t given to the woman who was only threatened with her sister as hostage either way, so there¡¯s little risk that information will be passed on to us. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re going for it then I¡¯ll be your opponent though¡­¡­what¡¯s it gonna be?¡± I thrust Kuromaru and show a sharp look towards the two. Kuroinu shivered once and stepped back and I hear a gasping sound from Saiga. It seems like they ended up getting quite the cold feet. ¡°Wa- wait¡­¡­I¡¯m pulling back. Let me pull back. We ain¡¯t fighting you no more.¡± ¡°What, is that so? In that case, answer me some questions a bit. I am overlooking this after all, you see.¡± I say it while stressing the overlooking part. I¡¯m gonna let them feel some humiliation as much as possible. ¡°-!¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you, lay it off, girl! Wha- what is it you wanna hear?¡± Saiga held down Kuroinu who lost her cool and was about to spring at me. Aren¡¯t you glad you stopped her? I was really planning to take one of her arms if she really sprung at me. ¡°First off, I want to know your aims. What is Touma aiming for?¡± ¡°That, that person¡¯s aim is to erase the demons and beastmen from this world.¡± ¡­¡­Huh? The hell is that about? I just got told something so outrageous I now regret asking it quite lightly, you know that? ¡°Wha- what is he doing that for?¡± ¡°That person told me it was for your sake¡­¡­annihilating the races who have seduced you Setsu and living together with you in a world with no nuisances left or something like that¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­That rotten yandere bastard¡­¡­¡± For that reason he¡¯s going to bump off two of the three large races? He¡¯s going off somewhere like always¡­¡­ (What to do¡­¡­Now that it comes to this, I¡¯m getting worried about Desastre and the others in the demon continent. If I do this badly, then the bunch of black robes could go and attack them while I¡¯m here in the beastmen continent¡­¡­that¡¯s why our side will face danger if I let them go. Is there no choice but to believe in the strength of Desastre and the others and hope they will get through this?) By no means is there any proof that they will attack immediately, but sooner or later the problem will stand in our way I guess. I have to contact Eruka¡¯s group somehow and ask them for some cooperation in¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°¡­¡­Keh! Don¡¯t ya go showing us an opening! !¡± ¡°W-! What!?¡± The moment I turned away my attention with my thoughts, Saiga took out a shining stone from his bosom and crushed it. The moment it broke, lights hit the two of them and their bodies flashed. is, like its name implies, a stone with transfer magic entrapped within. If you break it, you can warp to a place you have in mind which is similar to the transfer magic. ¡°Tch! So you were carrying that kind of thing¡± ¡°Hah! What a slack! Finally, let me tell ya something good! While you guys were carelessly paying attention towards us like this, the gangs on the human continent are already starting to attack the demon continent!¡± ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DWha!?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about time for their attack to start! We¡¯re going to their place, see ya!¡± ¡°Wait!¡­¡­Tch¡± The smugly smiling Saiga disappeared along with the light and the figure of Kuroinu behind him was also gone. All that was remaining on the ground where the water is completely pulled away were those footprints of theirs. What I¡¯ve done is get taken by surprise and letting them go in the end and such. I think hard about what that guy had said at the end. (Right now¡­¡­wait, that¡¯s a bit too fast you know? Is what he said true¡­¡­? If it is then that¡¯s bad¡­¡­I¡¯m not sure I can be in time on foot. It¡¯ll take more than half a day if I get on Levia and I¡¯m sure things will get in our way before we get on land. Even if I scatter about those hindrances, it¡¯ll also take time to get to Evil Barrow from there¡­¡­) It¡¯s hopeless if I only look at the situation. The chances are big that I won¡¯t make it in time even if Desastre and the others fight bravely. Shall I borrow the transfer magic circle from the beast king? No, I¡¯ll be completely spent on magic power if I do that. ¡°What to do¡­¡­Seriously, what should I do¡­¡­¡± I keep puzzling it over in my head which is unlike me. Fuck¡­¡­So I really have no choice other than the transfer magic circle. I guess the problem with magic power will work out somehow if I just drink a potion. ¡°Levia! Let¡¯s go until the beast king for a bit and¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dwait, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Even though I called out to her, Levia was looking towards the distant ocean without saying anything. She¡¯s been silent since a while ago, could it be because she¡¯s been staring at the sea the whole time? ¡°Hey Levia¡­¡­¡± ¡°Sorry Setsu. I don¡¯t think I can go with you to the beast king¡¯s place.¡± Levia muttered so without looking this way. ¡°I¡¯m¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dthinking about going off on my own for a while.¡± CH 38 38 At that time A few days before Setsu and Levia landed on the beastmen continent, the classmates who remained in the human country Destinea had gone to a dungeon called . Dungeons are towers, forests or caverns that can be divided by strata or depths. When it was created and by who has not yet been explained to this day and the origins of the treasures generated within the dungeons too haven¡¯t been explained. If one were to speak about what is known is that monsters of specific ranges of strength appear inside each dungeon and in the deepest part lies in wait the strongest monster of the dungeon. The fact that their strength is settled within a fixed range is fairly important and thanks to that, one could determine the difficulty level of the dungeons. This is A rank difficulty level. Considering that the highest difficulty level is SSS, an A rank dungeon, which is one step away from S rank that¡¯s designated as inhuman, could not be captured without the corresponding ability. ¡°Oh hot boiling lava! Burn away my foes and melt their lives! !¡± ¡°Gugyaa!¡± The red, boiling hot ball Endou fired hit a wolf-type monster and ended its life by burning its body away. ¡°Great as always, Endou!¡± ¡°Got them all in one hit ¡®till now didn¡¯t you!¡± ¡°Ha, ha, ha! It¡¯ll be like this if I deal with em!¡± While raising a slow laughter, Endou once again fired a magma ball and ended the life of another monster. While Endou¡¯s followers A and B were getting excited once more, a male student was glaring as he fell on his bottom after being burned by the heat of the magma ball when he approached to kill that monster. ¡°You okay, Nemoto¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Ah hot hot¡­¡­It¡¯s you Ueda. My bad, but can¡¯t you apply some Heal on me?¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡­Oh healing light ¡± The male student called Ueda applied Heal on the place where his arm was burned. Fortunately it wasn¡¯t burned that severe, so as a result it could be healed even by Ueda whose healing was not quite his strong point. ¡°Are okay? Nemoto-kun¡± ¡°Oh Kanzaki. Somehow, yeah, thanks to Ueda.¡± Near those two, the girl named Kanzaki held out her hand and Nemoto grabbed the hand to stand up. ¡°I¡¯m glad. Even so, Endou and his gang are getting more and more carried away aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Yeah, they are¡­¡­damn, if I was stronger than them¡­¡­¡± The one with the highest ability was Endou if one were to exclude Kouma, the current and his party. He had completed several original magic that was evolved from existing magic and each of them were powerful. Although it will not go as far as unique magic, those were considerably useful in anti-personnel and anti-monster fights. ¡°We¡¯re going you all! Don¡¯t drag us down, you hear!¡± Endou who was in a good mood from being flattered by his entourage, commanded his classmates in this place. Even when everyone glared at him disgustingly from the bottom of their hearts, it wouldn¡¯t reach him as he advances while laughing loudly. ¡°Tch¡­¡­He¡¯s annoying, really.¡± ¡°Well, this time we could do it with ease thanks to him, so let¡¯s bear it just for a little while, okay?¡± ¡°That may be true if you put it that way, but¡­¡­*sigh*¡± While Nemoto was being pacified by Kanzaki, Ueda, while sighing, followed behind Endou. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó ¡°!¡± (Gansaiken) On another place, at the labyrinth boasting the difficulty level of S rank, the , Kouma¡¯s group was moving forward. The attack from Jirou, whose natural muscles expanded furthermore due to harsh training, pulverized the body of the Rock Golem. ¡°Hold on! Don¡¯t go litter the whole place too much with shards, okay!?¡± While dodging the fragments of the Rock golem scattering in its surroundings with magnificent agility, Mizuki shook her prideful twin tails with her dagger hand and quickly approached the magician type monster Skull Magician that was standing further in. ¡°Teya!¡± ¡°Ugiiiiih!¡± Mizuki¡¯s dagger seized the base of the skull magician¡¯s throat just before it could brandish its prided wand and unleash a magic. Being a monster with only a dirty robe put on over its bonemade body, the Skull magician¡¯s neck bone which connected the head with its body was pulverized and so it was annihilated without doing anything. ¡°Me bad, me bad. But did we finish them all with this?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t relax yet, watch your surroundings!¡± Jirou and Mizuki had relaxed after taking down the enemies, but they once again took on a vigilant posture after Grein¡¯s reprimand as their attendant. Kouma who had already slain two Skull magicians behind them was already cautious to his surroundings without being told. ¡°Yuu, you didn¡¯t get any injuries?¡± ¡°Eh? Ah¡­¡­Yup.¡± Yuuhi had been behind Kouma the whole time in the form of being protected by him. The battle had already ended before she could do anything herself and so she honestly felt bored. Rather, the fact is that she had already captured this labyrinth solo in the first place. They had been continuing to advance for a few hours after entering the labyrinth, but what Yuuhi had been doing was medical treatment for the three who were going through blunders as well as searching for enemies. Kouma had been fighting throughout these several hours to protect her and had stubbornly not allowed Yuuhi to do battle. The longer it went on, the more stress she accumulated. And yet if it was me, I could go through this with just a single hit on each of these dungeon monsters and without any injuries too¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dshe thought. ¡°? Yuu, are you okay?¡± ¡°Ah, sorry! It¡¯s nothing.¡± Yuuhi reproved herself for letting it show on her face and once again followed them as they started moving forward. (*sigh*¡­¡­Could this not end any faster I wonder) (¡­¡­Well, this must be extremely boring for her) While seeing the girl stifling a yawn, Grein showed a bitter smile. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó ¡°Everyone, well done returning here safely!¡± The throne room of a certain castle in Destinea, the classmates who have gathered there after returning from the labyrinth are standing straight and listening to the princess. (This is also going to be boring I guess¡­¡­) Unable to be charmed by the girl, Yuuhi ended up feeling bored from the princess¡¯ long story. She desperately stifled her yawn and when she received a sharp look from Eruka standing behind the princess, Yuuhi properly stretched her back. She recalled the thing about avoiding eye contact with the king and princess, who are prejudiced against Setsu, as much as possible. She put on a sense of reflection and lightly returned a nod. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DEruka, they were able to capture the Cavern of Sorrow today, is that correct?¡± ¡°Yes Your Highness, here is the proof.¡± The conversation spontaneously headed towards today¡¯s accomplishments and Eruka who had entered the dungeon as their attendant displayed the tusk of the , the monster in the deepest level of the dungeon, as proof of completely capturing the dungeon. ¡°This is splendid, everyone. Well then, how about Sir Kouma¡¯s party? ¡°Yes Your Highness. The capture of the dungeon has been complete.¡± What Grein displayed was the scale of the Emperor Dragon. This too was the so-called item drop of the monster in the highest floor of the . ¡°Wonderfull! With this everyone is A rank and above and Kouma¡¯s group is S rank and above in ability!¡± Princess Margaret raised a shout of joy, but as a matter of fact, A rank difficulty level is something an A rank adventurer could capture solo, so it does not mean that they, who have challenged them in a group, have all reached A rank in ability. Naturally, this is the same for Kouma¡¯s group. The princess had inadequate understanding in that area. ¡°¡­¡­Margaret, it is about time, is it not?¡± ¡°! That is so, isn¡¯t it Father¡­¡­The fact of the matter is that I have gathered all of your tired self here today.¡± Being urged by the king sitting on the throne, the princess talked while looking around all of the classmates¡¯ faces. ¡°The demon army¡¯s soldiers attacking here in the human continent have begun pulling back in order to procure supplies. Thanks to the soldiers who have staked their lives to defend against their landing, the damage on our side were few and simultaneously they have secured the time to train you. I believe it is about time we ought to start our counterattack soon.¡± Counterattack¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DEveryone in that place gulped their breath to that word. ¡°You should already be aware when I tell you this much, should you not¡­¡­? We hereby declare we will be raising the signal fire for our counter attack to the enemies of our soldiers, the soldiers who have died a noble death. And finally to the demons and beastmen who have thus far acted violently as they pleased! Departure will be tomorrow at dawn! Until then, please arrange your personal equipment and prepare for battle! That is all!¡± ¡°Da- dawn¡­¡­?¡± Somebody muttered. The sudden declaration of counterattack from the princess. The war that had approached before their eyes without giving them time to accept had caused unrest to not so few of them. (¡­¡­Could this be a chance to escape?¡± Except for only one person, Yuuhi. CH 39 39 Night before departure Being abruptly informed of the departure for war tomorrow morning, each of the classmates were in different states. Some becoming flustered and pale, some already calmly considering what they ought to prepare, some showing excitement as they imagine the battlefield they will approach¡­¡­Each of them spent the last night before departure as they pleased. ¡°Yuu, can I talk with you for a bit?¡± ¡°Hm? Kouma-kun?¡± In front of Yuuhi¡¯s private room stood Kouma. After having already decided to consult Eruka and Grein on devising the means of escaping at the time of war and also finishing her preparations without taking up time at all, Yuuhi now passed by Kouma towards her room. ¡°What¡¯s up? Done with preparations?¡± ¡°Yeah, preparations are already fine. I felt like wanting to talk with you a little before I go to bed, Yuu.¡± Hearing that, Yuuhi grimaced at an angle where he couldn¡¯t see her face. As a matter of fact, she wanted to quickly go to bed and prepare for tomorrow, but she felt ill-humored from being unable to do so because of Kouma. For the time being she had him sit in the chair in her room and then she also sat in another chair she had put for herself. ¡°Hmm¡­¡­well, okay then, what shall we talk about?¡± ¡°How about tomorrow¡¯s matters or something?¡± Yuuhi was having problems with that choice for a conversation between a man and a woman in the evening, even as a joke. But she didn¡¯t have any particular reason to want to deepen her relationship with Kouma, so she obediently joined that conversation. ¡°Tomorrow¡­¡­we are going to kill people, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Demons and beastmen differ in appearance, but what¡¯s inside possesses a proper intention. According to the conversation, Kouma appeared to be hesitating in the act of killing. (Huh, so it¡¯s that kind of conversation) Yuuhi was struck by an indescribable feeling of disappointment upon listening to that conversation. It must be a tedious conversation from the perspective of the girl who was indifferent to fighting demons and beastmen from the beginning. The point that differs between Kouma who doesn¡¯t want to kill and Yuuhi who is indifferent to killing is that Yuuhi would make her move even against, for example, her classmates if it is for the sake of her important person. She who had received training from Eruka for the sake of being to Setsu¡¯s side had no wavering emotions on killing. ¡°Hesitating is bad you know, Kouma-kun. You have no choice but to fight if you don¡¯t want your important things taken away, you know? Kouma-kun, you¡¯re like the leader of the class so yeah. If you hesitate, then everyone will end up unable to move. That¡¯s why, do your best okay?¡± Yuuhi intended to cheer up Kouma in her own way. She is gradually growing apart from her classmates, but if Kouma, Jirou and/or Mizuki get injured then she would feel anger in her own way. ¡°¡­¡­You¡¯ve really changed since coming to this world, didn¡¯t you Yuu? How do I put this¡­¡­you¡¯ve become strong.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Changes in one¡¯s own mental state is not quite something one is able to notice themselves. Becoming thoroughly tempered by Eruka and having aggressively come in contact with parts of this world that by no means could be called beautiful, she had grown resolute and strong before she had noticed. Kouma was reminded of that and Yuuhi became happy on the inside. Thinking that she¡¯s getting closer to Setsu, her cheeks became just a little softer. As a matter of fact, if she were to compare her mental level with Setsu, who had become unable to perform an act of robbing a person of their life, then she had already overtaken him, but Yuuhi wasn¡¯t perceptive enough to even realize that. ¡°Even though I said you¡¯ve become strong, Yuu¡­¡­I don¡¯t want you to do anything dangerous. If possible, I¡¯d like you not to depart to war either¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­That¡¯s impossible, you know that.¡± Kouma¡¯s wish would never come out. It would likely be possible to use some flexibility if one is at least not in Kouma¡¯s party, but Yuuhi, an important fighting power of the humans, would never be allowed not to go. ¡°I know. That¡¯s why I will protect you Yuu, even by exchanging this life of mine. That¡¯s why, please don¡¯t leave my side when we¡¯re at the demon continent.¡± ¡°Eh¡­¡­ah, ¡®kay¡± The eyes of Kouma, who had said those lines as he grabbed Yuuhi¡¯s shoulder and looked straightforwardly in her face, was filled with a feverish gaze. If an ordinary girl was here, then she is almost likely to become his victim of love. Regretfully, Yuuhi¡¯s heart didn¡¯t move even the slightest however¡­¡­ ¡°Okay then¡­¡­It¡¯s about time for me to go. Let¡¯s do our best¡­¡­in the fight from tomorrow on.¡± ¡°¡®Kay, good night¡­¡­¡± After Kouma left her room, Yuuhi did not move for a while, worrying about something at that place. (Don¡¯t leave¡­¡­he said. This is bad, I won¡¯t be able to easily separate that way¡­¡­) Her plan, which was to leave the war for a while with a proper reason, was rained down a little with Kouma¡¯s words just then. If she were to be near him, then she would be unable to prepare the condition for her to separate from her classmates. Even if she were to rely on Eruka and Grein, the two could not be on the battlefield. They were able to live in the castle now because there was a condition for them to not participate in the war so as to not let them ally with the other races. Eruka and the others had told her they would ignore those condition and come running when the necessity arises, but as long as the matter of the supposedly dead Hero hasn¡¯t cleared up, they could not afford to separate themselves from the castle. That is to say she could not afford to acquire their assistance for something of this level. (Well, I can still play that by ear, right?) ¡°Have no choice but to take things as they are,¡± Yuuhi said and so she crammed all her problems into the corner of her mind in one go and went to her bed. She wasn¡¯t so tired from capturing an S rank dungeon, but she was told by Eruka to go to bed earlier than usual, so she closed her eyes and slowly submerged in the ocean of sleep. The next morning, they were seen off by many people and departed Destinea with an army of 5000. What awaited them was something they were unable to imagine while they were living an ordinary high school life, a battlefield named hell¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D What follows this is a machine translated text using google translate. If you wish to see the actually translated chapter, go to Scarletmadness.org or Novelupdates.com. All other websites have copied us without our permission. Thank you.39 Eve before departure CH 40 40 Departure of each ¡°¡­ ¡­ Revil¡¯s fellow ¡­¡± I walk on the road to the city where the beast kid lives. We can see that the weeds are facing out to the edge in places where only the ground that was just maintained had been kept, and it has not been maintained for a while. I wonder if this neighborhood is the suitability of the Beastite. By the way, the road of the continent of human being was paved properly. ¡°I think I should discuss a bit even if I go, I wish you.¡± ¡°Well, even if we are asked ¡­¡± ¡°I do not know¡± Minnows and silk cats walking about behind me have a bitter smile. Why are they with me and how I broke up with Reiaia, it goes back to yesterday¡¯s scene ¡ª¡ª ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó I think I will act differently for a while ¡ª¡ª I asked Revere what I said. ¡°I will return to the demonic continent right now, because I can get drawn if I alone, I can reach it in less than half a day ¡­¡± ¡°You may not have dropped me separately? They are not weak strongly, you never lose in half a day. If I were ¡­ ¡­.¡± ¡°Even you are not perfect, as long as you hear the story, the hero and the brave and black robes are on the side of the human, you do not know what to do with Setsu.¡± Certainly ¡­¡­ If the purpose of Fuyu ¡®s fellow really destroys demons and beastmen, they will be on the side of humans. In that case, you have to oppose the strong black lobe and the winter seeds. Winter and I ¡­ ¡­ there is no difference in ability. What I was stronger was that I was able to confirm when I killed him last time, my magical power also got in the way and I got a pretty injured without having to go to tattered. If I was a bit worse at that time, winning or losing might have been reversed in a blink of an eye. Speaking of oblivion, I just ran away to the enemy just now. I have not had sufficient grounds to say back to Revere ¡°You should go on with me.¡± ¡°Certainly ¡­ ¡­ If my classmates and black robes summoned together, I could not stop stopping even if I was alone¡± I guess it¡¯s time to earn points. It will be visible immediately that it will be defeated immediately. ¡°But then, everywhere you went ¡ª¡ª¡° ¡°I know I do not depend on you as much as I am ¡­ so ¡­ ¡­ would you ask me a little?¡± I could only do a nod in the word of Revere who talks about self-destruction. ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m asking you ¡­¡­ I want Sets to send reinforcements from this beastman continent.¡± ¡°Are you a reinforcement?¡± ¡°Yes, there is nothing you can do that would be your desire?¡± The king Beauty will move if you ask for it. Even though he can not move himself he should be able to lend the fullest strength. ¡°But how about doing that? Even if there are black robes and braves, if we combine the power of the two continents ¡­¡± ¡°¡ª¡ª I want to annihilate that black robe ¡­ and the toma of that parent is also¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­.¡± Something similar to hatred was burning in the eyes of Revere. As this happens, you probably will not be able to talk. ¡°Do not tell me the circumstances¡± ¡°Now it¡¯s not ¡­ I do not want to talk about myself, so do not ask me if you can,¡± ¡°¡­ Aiyo¡± Is not it to be able to ask that far ¡­ ¡­ That¡¯s right. It seems to me that there are a lot of women, things that I do not want to hear like that. There is no choice because there is even a man, yes. ¡°I understand what you want to say, your hopes ¡­¡­ I told you to ask me to do so, I will move accordingly, but be sure to defend the continental demons firmly for you to go first.¡± You do not have to be fancy that you are losing when you arrive. ¡°I understand ¡­ ¡­ If you want another saying bear ¡­ I hope as soon as possible¡± To Levia saying with a bitter smile, I burst out laughing in spite of myself. It can not be helped, I must finish early and go to help. ¡°Fu ¡­¡­ I understand ¡­ well then ¡­¡± ¡°Yes, beyond¡± ¡°Oh, over there¡± Me and Revia return their heels to a slight extent with their greetings. I can not do this. The time is still in the morning, let¡¯s go to the beast king today and tomorrow. It takes three to four days to borrow a magical team of metastasis to the Maori Continent ¡­ Please endure Levia, DESISTOL. ¡°Setsu ¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you¡± I was about to depart and I was stopped by a silky cat asked. ¡°I want to thank you,¡± ¡°Wow, I am too!¡± Mineko also speaks so that it will compete with the silk cat who said it was a thank you. It is a story that jumps soon if it is not such a situation ¡­¡­ ¡°Now it is okay, and again next time ¡ª¡ª¡° ¡°If so, I will keep up with Setsu.¡± ¡°¡­ What is ¡­?¡± ¡°Wow, me too!¡± ¡°¡­¡­Huh?¡± ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó And so, I acted differently from Levia, are these two cats girls? Two persons? I am heading to the beast king with him. Siloked eels and mineko were to be with me as a fighting force. It is said that they will participate in the war on the continent as a thank you. According to what I heard they are preeminent combinations and it seems that they are quite a powerful person. It is a perfect place to be a friend. ¡°Beast King? ¡­. Hisashi Nana Real¡± It was the first time in five years, even when it was a designer, but it would be unavoidable to feel such a feeling. It¡¯s been a long time since I met ROA ¡­ Well, did that little energetic child grow up? In case Which is stronger between Setsu and the Beast King? ¡° ¡°Ah, it was decided by me like that,¡± ¡°Is it decided ¡­ ?.¡± I fought a lot of times in response to his hopes of fighting, but I never lost. However, the number of injured times is much more than the others. I did not lose, but something like that happened often with one arm bloody. ¡°Well beast king is also quite strong, if you can do it I would like to borrow himself ¡­ ¡­¡± Even if the battle situation is pushed if the demon king and the beast king come together, it will be able to return at once. The king ¡®s strength was not Date. ¡°Wait a minute ¡­¡± It has arrived so soon as I had walked a little over a day so far. The town where the trees split up, the town which was made on the vast expanse of the flat land revealed its appearance before us. ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó There was a shadow swimming at the speed of the sea between the beastman continent and the demonic continent. (¡­ ¡­ I can not tell you, I can not say it ¡­ ¡­) Revere mutters with a face like crushing bitterness. ¡°It¡¯s an important piece for me and the designer ¡­ ¡­ to achieve the purpose of the black robes ¡­¡± 40 Departure from each ¡°¡­¡­That bitch Levia¡­¡­¡± I¡¯m walking on the highway to the town the beast king is living in. The surface of the ground was only maintained evenly and I can see from the weeds showing its face here and there at the edges, that it hasn¡¯t been maintained for a while. Not sure, but this area fits the beastmen race. Now that I think about it, the roads on the human continent is properly paved I guess. ¡°Even if she was going, I think she should¡¯ve discussed it with me a little more. Right, you girls?¡± ¡°E- even if you ask me¡­¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know desu¡± Mineko and Shironeko who were walking behind me showed a forced smile. As for why they are with me and how I parted with Levia, we will have to go back to the scene from yesterday¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó I¡¯m thinking about going off on my own for a while¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D I asked Levia why when she said that. ¡°I¡¯m immediately going back to the demon continent. It¡¯s because I can dive when I¡¯m on my own and so I can also arrive there in less than half a day¡­¡­¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just pick me up? Those guys ain¡¯t weak and they shouldn¡¯t lose in half a day. If I¡¯m there¡­¡­¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t perfect either. As far as I can hear from the conversation, that Hero called Touma and the black robes are supporting the side of the humans, isn¡¯t that right? If it is like that then even you won¡¯t know how it will end up, would you Setsu?¡± She¡¯s got a point¡­¡­If that bastard Touma¡¯s aim really is destroying the demons and beastmen then those guys should be allies of the humans. If it¡¯s like that then I¡¯ll end up having to fight both Touma and the relatively strong black robes. Touma and I¡­¡­don¡¯t have that much difference in strength. I was able to confirm the fact I¡¯m stronger at the time I killed that guy last time, but at that time I was flat out of magic power and though I wasn¡¯t completely in tatters, I did bear quite some injuries. If at that time I was careless, even a little, then the outcome would probably reverse instantly. Speaking of carelessness, I just let our enemy just now escape. The current me didn¡¯t have enough grounds to respond with ¡°It¡¯s better if I go along.¡± ¡°You got a point¡­¡­If my summoned classmates and the black robed bunches join hands, then¡­¡­they probably won¡¯t be stopped even if only I¡¯m there.¡± All I¡¯m able to do is buy some time I guess. In that case I can see defeat firsthand. ¡°But if that¡¯s the case then even if you go there it wouldn¡¯t even ma¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°I know that. The fact I won¡¯t be as reliable as you even if I go¡­¡­ That¡¯s why ¡­¡­won¡¯t you let me request of you a little?¡± I couldn¡¯t do anything but just agreeing to the words of Levia who was saying it masochistic-like. ¡°Sure¡­¡­¡± ¡°Thanks. The request is¡­¡­ I want you to send in reinforcements from this beastmen continent, Setsu.¡± ¡°It¡¯s reinforcements?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s not something you cannot do, right? Given your popularity. I guess the beast king will surely move for me if I ask. Like, he should lend me the maximum of their military strength even if that guy doesn¡¯t move himself. ¡°But do we have to go that far? If we combine the two major powers, then no matter how many black robes and Heroes there are¡­¡­¡± ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DYou know I, I want those black robes annihilated¡­¡­And that boss person called Touma as well.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Something similar to hatred was burning in Levia¡¯s eyes. If it¡¯s like this then she probably won¡¯t be open to discussion I guess. ¡°You¡¯re not going to tell me those circumstances of yours, are you?¡± ¡°Right now is¡­¡­it¡¯s not something I myself want to talk about. That¡¯s why don¡¯t ask me about it if you can.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Roger that.¡± So it¡¯s not something I should press questions about that much, huh¡­¡­That should be the case right? Women have many of them right? Things they don¡¯t want to be asked about. Even men have those so there¡¯s nothing to do about it right, yeah. ¡°Well, I understand what you want to say. You also told me that you¡¯re relying on me¡­¡­ and your wish too so I¡¯ll move that way. But now that you¡¯re going ahead, protect the demon continent properly, you hear?¡± Because it won¡¯t be a joke if the war is lost already the moment I arrive. ¡°I know¡­¡­Also if you would let me say another selfish thing to you¡­¡­As soon as possible please, okay?¡± I unintentionally burst into laughter at Levia who said that with something like a bitter smile. Can¡¯t be helped then; I have to get through with it faster than usual and go help them. ¡°Fuh¡­¡­I got it then. Okay then¡­¡­¡± ¡°Right, see you over there.¡± ¡°Yeah, see you.¡± Levia and I returned each other¡¯s greetings in a hurry. I can¡¯t waste time here. We¡¯re still in the morning, so let¡¯s go to the beast king¡¯s place today and tomorrow. Borrowing the transfer magic circle to the demon continent is going to take three to four days¡­¡­Endure it please, Levia and Desastre. ¡°Setsu¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hm? What¡¯s up, Shironeko?¡± Right when I was about to depart immediately, I stop when I was called out by Shironeko. ¡°I, would like to thank you desu¡± ¡°Me- Me too!¡± Shironeko gave me her thanks and Mineko also put up a voice in order to rival her. If it weren¡¯t for this situation, it would be an attractive topic right away, but¡­¡­ ¡°I¡¯m fine right now, thanking me at another time would be¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°In that case I will follow you desu.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Huh?¡± ¡°Me- me too!¡± ¡°¡­¡­Eh?¡± ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó And that¡¯s how Levia and I are going off on our own, I take along these two kittens? Two people? And head towards the beast king¡¯s place. It¡¯s decided that Shironeko and Mineko will be joining me as fighting power. It seems that they¡¯re going to participate in the war on the demon country as thanks. As far as I¡¯ve heard, the two are an outstanding combination and they appear to be quite the powerful people somehow. They¡¯re beings you would have no objections to in becoming your allies. ¡°The beast king huh¡­¡­it¡¯s been a long time, like really.¡± It¡¯s been five years already. It was the same at that time with Desastre, but you just can¡¯t help getting these feelings can you? ¡°Setsu, who is stronger desu? You or the beast king?¡± ¡°Ah? That¡¯s always been me you know?¡± ¡°So it¡¯s always desu¡­¡­¡± I¡¯ve responded to that battle loving guy¡¯s wishes and competed as many times he likes, but I¡¯ve never lost to him. The times I bore injuries was far more often than with the others though. I never lost, but I¡¯ve often gotten something like one of my arms stained with blood. ¡°Well, the beast king is quite strong. Strong enough to want that guy¡¯s own strength if possible though¡­¡­¡± If both the demon king and beast king are present, then we should be able to turn the tide in one go even if the progress of war is pushed to one side. The king¡¯s strength isn¡¯t just for show. ¡°Oh¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dit¡¯s in sight now.¡± We advanced by foot for a little over a day and had reached the place very quickly. Ahead where the trees part, , a town built on the vastly stretched plains, revealed itself in front of our eyes. *(¥ì¥°¥À¥à: regudamu) ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó In the waters between the beastmen continent and demon continent was a shadow swimming at a great speed. (¡­¡­I couldn¡¯t say it, there is no way I can tell him¡­¡­) Levia grumbled with a sour face as if she swallowed a bitter bug. ¡°That Desastre and I are¡­¡­important pieces for the sake of achieving the black robes¡¯ goal¡­¡­¡± CH 41 41 World tree castle ¡°It¡¯s not a big reason, I came to greet a little beast the king.¡± ¡°I have not seen her recently ¡­¡± ¡°Well, you are a friend of mine, you seem to be human ¡­ ¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like a friend and coworker¡± ¡°What?¡± It is a gate of a castle town which must always pass in order to enter the Kingdom Reggie Dam. Unlike human beings and demons spreading beyond that, the landscape of the castle tower, which is made entirely of wood, made me feel nostalgic as well as a strong nature smell. ¡°¡­ ¡­ That soldier, I was surprised to see his eyes rounded?¡± I asked cats and sisters who passed through with almost face pass, in a disgusted voice. There were plenty of tsukkomi as far as I could, but for the time being I heard the story. ¡°What we were able to do with our husband was quite shocking, was not it?¡± ¡°Our sisters were always like two isolated people.It¡¯s amazing to decide if it brings their husband suddenly.¡± ¡°No no, wait for you¡± Why am I supposed to be their master? Rumors have been heard that beast people are limited to certain tribes, but there are some guys who have their own like that in that way. Rather, he asked me to talk about such habits for the first time as he was asked to become a master for Roa, the daughter of the beast. Anything, a pet who beat himself (in this case any tribe) is a pet ¡­ ¡­ It seems that happiness is felt by having him keep it. However, no matter how much I have a relationship with Elka, I have never had the impulse of wanting to keep it, and I refused politely so that I do not feel such a crumpled lust in the future. I endured being cribed for a while ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Setsu beat me, it is natural to be my husband.¡± ¡°Please do not allow me ¡­ ¡­.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry ¡­. But if you tell me like this, it will be Mr. Setsu¡¯s identification!¡± ¡°What? ¡­ If you ask me¡± Certainly, although it is said that these two people who are famous in the beastman area are in this area, my appearance will be noticeable in this town where there are few people coming and going due to war. It seems that it is not because there are not any people who are fighting quarrels with difficulty as they are talking about Minneco. However, by spreading the story as the two masters like this, I will prove that they are stronger than these two. ¡°If that is the case ¡­ well, I was convinced¡± ¡°Thank you. Please be patient with that position for awhile ¡­ ¡­ My older sister seems to want to be my husband in the future ¡­¡± ¡°It is inconvenient to let go of such a strong master, I can boast to my friends.¡± A silvery cat who comes with her arms while saying that. I felt the sweet smell of the female exciting male from her body in close contact, ignoring for the time being. Or what, are they having a habit of bragging their husband? Ordinarily, my husband boasts a pet ¡­¡­ ¡°¡­ Well, I will talk about that later ¡­ From then on ¡­ as usual.¡± While adequately attaching the silk cat, I look up at the big tree boasting a huge enormous size such as an urban building that rises in the front. ¡ª¡ª It is the huge, the longest living tree in this world, the world¡¯s huge building which is responsible for the castle of this kingdom legum. In the trees, passages and rooms are growing like the ants¡¯ nest, and the knight who preserves the kingdom, the doctor of the hands, the relatives of the beast king, and even those who like it, are gathered together in that tree living. In order to make that much space, it should be scraping quite a lot. But the world tree never shakes one time. Perhaps it is hard work to slash this even in me and winter. By the way, unlike the world trees of various fantasy games, it seems that it is just a tree from the top to the bottom. There is no effect to make leaves bring the dead back to life, and that drop will not completely recover the strength of the companion. In case It does not have magical power in particular, it is really just a tree. It¡¯s as if there is no romance. ¡°World trees in fantasy should have a fairly important role ¡­¡­¡± ¡°I do not really understand fantasy, but there is no important role for the world tree¡± ¡°It is the residence of the beast kings, though,¡± ¡°There was it, after all the world trees are important¡± ¡­¡­ No, it is not. ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó ¡°¡ª¡ª Wow, a nostalgic smell came¡± Room on the top floor of World Tree Castle. There is a place between the kings, a throne is placed. In case ¡°Dad, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Hey, are you a girl so you do not have a dad, are you?¡± ¡°Sounds good¡± A man with a strong body sitting on the throne. It roughly extends the golden hair, and its eyes are so sharp that they can only take away their lives by glancing at their eyes. However, contrary to such a rugged appearance, he took care to gently taste my girl for a girl who is lying with meat with lying down in front of him. The girl is as blond as the man, and it stretches to the bottom of the shoulder. I have been left untouched but there is no discomfort. The body is slightly tanned, the breasts are discreet, and the other parts are cuffed and there seems to be no unnecessary fat. Somewhat similar in appearance to a man, it seems that there is no harm in being told that you are parent and child. No, indeed they are parent and child. ¡°Roa ¡­ not at all ¡­¡­ It will be a daughter of a beast king, what will you do with that kind of ¡­ ¡­ please make it some more my girl¡± ¡°Dad said so, Beastie is the position, so please talk with a slightly dignified tone¡± ¡°Ug ¡­ ¡­¡± Beewith King Regulus ¡­ ¡­ As a king of beasts, he is the owner of absolute power and choked words with a brilliant counter of his daughter Roar. ¡°From such a thing, you asked me what I did?¡± ¡°Than such a thing ¡­ oh well, does not Loa feel this smell?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± It was Lore that I tried to make her nose tickle after being told, but I never felt anything in particular. ¡°Well, I do not know¡± ¡°Yeah, it seems that special training is not enough yet. Go for the tiniest floor for the time being, there is a nostalgic guy¡± ¡°A nostalgic man ¡­ ¡­ I understood, I will go over it for a moment¡± While looking at the regulus with a stupid line of sight, Loa puts the meat of the meat on the floor on the floor and walks out to leave the room. Just before leaving the room, Roar suddenly looked back towards Regulus. ¡°Do not take meat!¡± ¡°I do not need it! Go quickly!¡± ¡°If you do!¡± That said, Roa left this time next time. Among the quiet kings, Regulus sank into the throne deeply. ¡°¡­ ¡­ No way it¡¯s alive, Setsu ¡­¡± ¡ª¡ª I thought that I could fight you again, I was getting excited ¡­¡­ The kingdom laughs. To express the excitement of reunion with the enemy enemy, the rival soon. The beast king makes a high laugh. To close friends who I thought would not be able to meet anymore, to rejoice me again ¡ª¡ª ¡°Miss Shironeko and Miss Mineko, what important matters do you have in the royal castle today?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any important reasons desu. I¡¯ve come to greet the great king for a moment desu.¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t shown our faces recently either, so¡­¡­¡± ¡°I see, and your friend over there? He seems to be human judging from his appearance, but¡­¡­¡± ¡°He is someone like a friend and master desu¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The castle town gates one always have to pass through in order to enter the royal capital Regdam. The scenery of the castle town that is built with trees on the whole, different from the human race or demons and stretching to the beyond, lets me feel nostalgia together with a strong smell of nature. ¡°¡­¡­That soldier, is it fine for him to be surprised with round eyes?¡± I ask a question with an amazed voice to the cat sisters who passed through the gate with almost free admission due to their fame. There were all sorts of things I could retort to, but for now I¡¯ll listen to their story. ¡°The fact that we got a master must¡¯ve been quite devastating, right?¡± ¡°Us sisters have always been alone with the two of us desu. If we were to suddenly bring a master then they would be bound to be surprised.¡± ¡°Nono, just hold on a bit, you two.¡± Why have I become their master? It¡¯s actually limited to specific races among the beastmen, but I¡¯ve heard rumors about guys who even have masters that way. Rather than that, I¡¯ve been earnestly requested by the daughter of the beast king Roa to be her master and thereupon I¡¯ve heard the story of that sort of behavior. They say that becoming a pet to the one you¡¯ve been beaten by (in this case, any races are fine)¡­¡­ having them own you so to speak, would make you feel happy or so it seems. But no matter how much I have associated with the total M Eruka, I never had the urge to own her as one would¡¯ve expected. Also, I still didn¡¯t seem to have experienced that sort of twisted craving from then on, so I¡¯ve politely declined. I¡¯ve endured the begging for a while though¡­¡­ ¡°Setsu has beaten me desu. Becoming my master is natural desu.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t approved of it, you know¡­¡­¡± ¡°Excuse me, mister Setsu¡­¡­But putting it another way, won¡¯t we become your identification!?¡± ¡°Hm? ¡­¡­Now that you mention it.¡± They¡¯re right. No matter how famous these two may seem to be around the beastmen, my figure must be standing out quite a bit in this town where there are practically no visiting humans due to being in the middle of war. It doesn¡¯t seem like there aren¡¯t any of those guys who would put some blame on you and pick a fight either according to Mineko. But, by doing this and spreading the story of me being the master of the two, it will become proof that I am stronger than these two. ¡°If it¡¯s like that, then¡­¡­well, I¡¯ll accept it.¡± ¡°Thank you very much. Please endure that position for a while, okay? ¡­¡­It looks like big sis wants you to be her master from now on though¡­¡­¡± ¡°Letting go of a master this strong is wasteful desu. I can boast with my friends desu.¡± While saying so, Shironeko linked her arms with me. I sense a fragrant odor of a female that will stimulate males from the body of this girl who¡¯s glued to me, but I ignore it for now . More like, what, do these guys have the habit of boasting about their masters? Normally, the master is supposed to the one boasting about their pet¡­¡­ ¡°¡­¡­Well, let¡¯s talk about that afterwards, okay? More importantly¡­¡­It¡¯s huge as always¡± With Shironeko properly attached to me, I look up at the front of the huge tree that¡®s standing towering over the surroundings, boasting a gigantic size that a multi-storey city building won¡¯t come close to. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D Being the largest and longest living tree in this world, it is the world¡¯s largest building that is shouldering the castle of the royal capital Regdam. In the tree, passages and rooms are spread like an ant colony and the knights protecting the castle, personal doctors, the beast king¡¯s relatives and also the bunch of people he¡¯s pleased with are all living inside the tree together. They should have shaved quite a bit of the inside in order to make that much space. But the world tree hasn¡¯t even become unstable, not even for a moment. Cutting this down would probably be next to impossible even for me and Touma. By the way, it¡¯s different from the world trees in various fantasy games; it looks like a tree from top to bottom. The foliage doesn¡¯t have the effects of reviving dead people and you can¡¯t fully recover your allies¡¯ physical strength with its sap either. It doesn¡¯t possess any particular magic either, it¡¯s pretty much a normal tree. As if there¡¯s no romance. ¡°World trees in fantasies are supposed to have quite an important role though¡­¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really know this thing you call fantasy desu. But there aren¡¯t any important roles for the world tree.¡± ¡°There¡¯s the residence of the beast king and his entourage though.¡± ¡°Yes it does desu. The world tree is important after all desu.¡± ¡­¡­No, that¡¯s not what I mean. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DWould you look at that, some nostalgic scent have come over.¡± The room on the highest floor of the world tree castle. It is the throne room and a throne was put in it. ¡°Daddy, what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Hey! You¡¯re a girl, so it¡¯s not daddy alright?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter riight?¡± A man with a strong build sat on the throne. His golden hair spread roughly and those eyes of his are so sharp he would seem to be able to take one¡¯s life with just a glare. However, contrary to such boorish appearance, he gave a warning to the girl who was gnawing on bony chops while sprawling in front of his eyes in order to gently rebuke his children. The girl has similar golden hair like the man, extending until below her shoulders. It was left unkempt, but she had no discomfort. Her body was minutely tanned, her busts were moderate and the other proportions were closely constricted; not even a single bit of excessive fat could be seen. Her face took after the man in some way and there doesn¡¯t seem to be any harm even if they were called parent and child as one would expect. No¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dthe two are actually parent and child. Roa Gold Source: Twitter ¡°Roa, really¡­¡­you¡¯re also the daughter of the beast king, what are you trying to do by acting like that¡­¡­please act a little more like my daughter, okay?¡± ¡°You too daddy. You have the position of the beast king, so that¡¯s why you should talk in a little more majestic tone, okay?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡± Beast king Regulus¡­¡­He, the acting king of the beastmen and owner of absolute power, was at a loss for words from his daughter Roa¡¯s splendid counter. ¡°More importantly, you heard me saying what¡¯s up, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°More importantly¡­¡­well, whatever. Roa, you can¡¯t smell it? This scent.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Roa twitched her nose after being told, but there wasn¡¯t anything particular she could smell. ¡°Hm~ I wonder if I just can¡¯t tell.¡± ¡°Okay, it sounds like you still lack special training I see. Go check on the lower floor for now. The guy you¡¯ve missed is here, you know.¡± ¡°A guy I¡¯ve missed?¡­¡­Okay, I¡¯ll be going there for a bit.¡± Even though she looked at Regulus doubtfully, Roa put the half eaten meat on the plate on the floor and started walking out the room. Just before leaving the room, Roa swiftly looked back towards Regulus. ¡°Don¡¯t steal my meat, okay!?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need it! Just hurry up and go!¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s fine!¡± Upon saying so, Roa finally left the room this time. In the now silent throne room, Regulus sank very deeply on the throne. ¡°¡­¡­Never thought you would be alive, Setsu¡­¡­¡± ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThinking about the fact I can fight you again made me excited, you know¡­¡­ The beast king laughed. In order to express his excitement. The excitement of having another meeting of a formidable opponent, his rival under his nose. The beast king laughed loudly. In order to digest the joy of being able to see him once again. The close friend he thought he could never meet anymore¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D CH 42 42 The goddess¡¯s daughter I grabbed that fist, paid my feet and hid it on the floor of the tree. ¡°Setsu!?¡± ¡°All right, it sounds like our greetings¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± I tried to raise my body to stand up, I interfere with taking a mount. I reached for the frustrating lower neck. Sawa, wrinkle ¡°Foot!¡± Like gently stroking with sasa. Unlike tickling hands, I try to touch with peace of mind using the palm. Then Roa¡¯s facial expression gradually collapses, gradually the power of the whole body comes out, it turns into a melted look. ¡°Fuuaaah ~ ~ ~ No ¡­ ¡­ this handsome guilty ~ ~¡± ¡°Long time no see, Pechapai Sonko. ¡°Setsuu ~~~~ Yaahya¡± Like patting the cat. It seems that this behavior that I did doing dozens of times apparently remember the body even after five years passed. I fought further, and the body was all but enough I could not get up already. I feel so comfortable ¡­ this ¡­ ¡°My sister, are you watching?¡± Roa, the daughter of that beast king is being picked up ¡­ ¡­. ¡± ¡°Nadedenad ¡­ ¡­ Enviable ¡­ ¡­.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it!¡± Sister please make sure! What are you comicing, these guys are ¡­. The thing that I recently understood is that it is a ponkonu and the mineko serves as a tsukkomi. It is something unexpectedly balanced. And that¡¯s not the case. ¡°Fuwaa ~ ~ ~ more ¡­¡± I do not manage to manage this thing soon ¡ª¡ª ¡°Where have you been walking hitherto Setsu !!¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s a bit of a human nation¡± ¡°I know that but ¡­ !. I was worried hearing that I was forcibly returned to the former world ¡­ Do not stroke it ¡­ ___ ___ ___ 0 ___ ___ 0 ¡°You are as fresh as you always¡± A little noisy mouth, I can not talk by stroking. Because I was not true, I guess it would not be overestreted to me? ¡°Because I came home in this way, forgive me, I owe it I will return the borrowed properly¡± ¡°Oh, okay, now I do not crouch now ¡­¡± Oops, I forgot to stop my hand. I will withdraw my hand just before my waist is pulled out. It took a couple of minutes until Roar got up earlier. Now I am on my way to the room where the beast kingdom is, and it will be tough if I sit in the middle of this corridor. ¡°Fuu ¡­ ¡­ So, what did you do with the blue-necked cow and the minneck? It seems she came with Setsu ¡­.¡± ¡°There are various things ¡­ ¡­.¡± ¡°Setsu became the master, so we are with you¡± ¡°Say! It will not be my master, will you say I can be a master of the netowen?¡± Shiraneko ma ¡­¡­ Unnecessary things. Do not tell the explanation quite a bit, should I explain it to this guy? ¡°You have not become different, just this guy is talking about it¡± ¡°If I do, I will!¡± ¡°Did you hear the story? I do not want to recruit pets¡± To be able to discipline is all I can do with that ice de §® woman. At best nothing other ¡­ ¡­ No, as expected after all. ¡°For the time being, after this story is back !!¡± There is nothing you can do not go talking to the beast king and go tell me! ¡± ¡°Muu ¡­ OK.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Well, it is a nice cat that can be disciplined. The tribe is a lion, it is a cat family, so there is not much difference. And I¡¯ve trained up to here. Because there was a place treated as a nuisance because there was a rampant lion in the front ¡­ ¡­ now we are greeted with smiles to the people of the castle and are returning greetings with a smile. It is something, I am very pleased with that change. Well the language is mixed with rough and soft, and it is occasionally amusing. It will be a charm. By the way, what kind of relationship is Setsu and Roa? I heard that Setsu was a brave five years ago, but I can not read about it ¡­ ¡± ¡°Is it a relationship between me and Setsu?¡± I was talking about my story. It is useless to be concerned about Lore¡¯s relationship with me who is a former hero. ¡°That¡¯s right ¡­ Setsu was very strong from that time, when I came to the beastman continent with three people accompanied by humans, it was also during the war that¡± human beings! Sets were also attacked at such a time that it was extremely aggressive. ¡± They have dozens of people, like soldiers. Well of course ¡­ ¡­. ¡°It was destroyed by Setsu in a blink of an eye in a blink of an eye, and I was a trumpet at that time ¡­ ¡­ did the two of you know that I was a messenger?¡± ¡°The alias of the rampage lion is reaching us as well¡± ¡°Wow ¡­ ¡­ that you are saying on your own, but it¡¯s embarrassing, that¡¯s it.¡± That guy at the time was also the daughter of the beast king and was famous not only for beastmen but also for other continents. By the way, it was said that the silk cats and minnes began to become famous after I was sent back. ¡°Oh well, so I heard that there is a strong guy and challenged the battle, the result was a crushing defeat,¡± There is a remember that it was a blow at the cross counter where I was coming. It was not different from other small fish soldiers, it corresponded, at that time. ¡°It was the first time I lost to anything other than my dad ¡­. I fell in love with Setsu who defeated myself, so I began to cling and walk, though I wanted him to be my husband, if possible.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s going to do that troublesome thing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s stingy, as usual¡± What I have been told is that I do not want to make a pet. Even though my husband is my husband, I wonder if he is the master of my husband. ¡°Do they both stick together for the same reason?¡± ¡°I lost to Setsu, so I want you to be my master.¡± ¡°Because I have not fought directly, but Setsu is a benefactor of life, I think that this body will be used for Setsu.¡± ¡°Setsu, it¡¯s motemate.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Loa sticks my side with my elbow. I do not feel bad by being told so far, but I do not understand their ideas after all. From a human being, I do not think I¡¯ll follow a guy who has defeated me. The difference in values ??by tribe is still big. ¡°I arrived while I was talking about that¡± As Roar¡¯s leg stops, we also stop walking. In front of the door is a double door. It¡¯s nostalgic here as well. ¡°I will join my dad ¡ª¡ª¡± aaaa We even succeeded in gaining free admission for the entrance to the world tree with Shironeko and Mineko¡¯s faces. If they don¡¯t do a check besides physical appearance so far, then I feel like they would end up allowing easy trespassing with something like a disguising magic, but there is their useful sense of smell. It means they could instantly judge if it¡¯s the real one or not with that outstanding sense of smell of theirs. ¡°Place got a good atmosphere like always.¡± ¡°Even humans understand desu?¡± ¡°Humans like places surrounded by trees like this too, surprisingly.¡± This castle which is made by gouging out the tree itself has wooden walls, floors and ceiling of course. I can say I like baths made out of wood more than those made out of stone and so I think the scent and feel of this sort of tree is nice. ¡°Oh, more importantly, is the beast king still upstairs like always?¡± ¡°Yes, at the top floor desu.¡± It¡¯s not like I really have much time either, I can¡¯t take my time. Shall I show my face right away then? ¡°Okay then, shall we¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°Aaaaaah!¡± ¡°¨D¨Dgo?¡± Suddenly a shout reverberated inside the castle, interrupting my words. Everyone unintentionally looked towards the owner of said voice. What is there is a blonde girl with a healthy skin color. Needless to point out, she¡¯s the daughter of the beast king Regulus Gold, Roa Gold. ¡°Yo- You! This scent¡­¡­!¡± ¡°W-!?¡± I knew it, so she found out even when my appearance has changed¡­¡­ The next moment, Roa kicked the floor and instantly appeared in front of me. And then I perceive the shape of a fist approaching me from the corner of my sight. ¡°You¡¯re still¡­¡­Naive!¡± ¡°!?¡± I seize that fist, sweep her legs and hold her down on the floor. ¡°Mister Setsu!?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s kind of like our greeting.¡± ¡°Dang it!¡± When she was about to raise her body in order to stand up, I interfere on that by taking on a mounting position. And then I reached the nape of the startled Roa with my hand. Touch, touch. ¡°Funya!¡± I stroke it as gentle and rustlingly. I¡¯m aiming to use my palm to give a peaceful touch, different from tickling with your hands. Upon doing so, Roa¡¯s expression rapidly crumbled, her strength gradually left her body and her expression changed into a charmed one. ¡°Funyaa¡«¡«¡«don¡¯t¡­¡­This hand technique is, I knew it¡«¡«¡± ¡°Long time no see, you washboard kitty. Here here!¡± ¡°It¡¯s Setsu¡«¡«¡«¡«nyaaaa¡± It¡¯s like I¡¯m stroking a cat. I¡¯ve done this dozens of times, but for some reason her body still seems to remember it even after five years have gone by. I play with it even more and that body of hers ended up becoming so languid she couldn¡¯t stand up anymore already. Does it feel that good, what I¡¯m doing¡­¡­ ¡°Sis, did you see that? That daughter of the Great Beast King, Roa was led around by the nose¡­¡­¡± ¡°Stroke, stroke¡­¡­I¡¯m jealous desu¡­¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not where you should be looking at, you know!? Sis, get a hold of yourself please!¡± What are they doing a comedy skit for, these girls¡­¡­ What I¡¯ve come to know these days is that Mineko has the role of the straight man with Shironeko being the useless one. It¡¯s unexpectedly balanced. Wait, this is not the time for that. ¡°Funyaa¡«¡«¡«moore¡­¡­¡± I have to work it out with this girl too before long¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Where have you been loitering around all this time, Setsu!¡± ¡°My bad, my bad. Got lots of things happening in the human country for a while, you know.¡± ¡°I know that though! ¡­¡­We heard you were forced to return to your former world so we were worried, that¡¯s why¡­¡­wait, don¡¯t stroke me! Stop i-¡­¡­fuwaa¡«¡«¡«¡­¡­¡± ¡°Interesting like always aren¡¯t ya.¡± I stop the loud mouth from talking with a little stroking. It wasn¡¯t even my intention, so can¡¯t you overlook it for me? ¡°And that¡¯s how I returned here, so please forgive me. I¡¯ll properly return your worries, okay?¡± ¡°Nyaa¡­¡­O- okay, I get it, so stop your stroking noow¡­¡­¡± Oops, I forgot to stop my hand. I withdraw my hand just before she¡¯s unable to stand anymore. It took Roa a few minutes to stand up earlier. Now we¡¯re on the way towards the room the beast king is in, it¡¯ll be difficult if she sits down in the middle of this hallway. ¡°Fuuh¡­¡­And so, what¡¯s wrong with you, Shironeko and Mineko? It looks like you¡¯re here with Setsu, but¡­¡­¡± ¡°Various things happened¡­¡­¡± ¡°Setsu became our master desu. That is why we are together desu.¡± ¡°Huh!? Setsu! Are you saying you can become Shironeko¡¯s master even though you won¡¯t become my master!?¡± Shironeko, you bitch¡­¡­stop saying unnecessary things. Explaining it is quite troublesome, but I have to explain it to her. ¡°I didn¡¯t actually become one you know. They just declared it on their own.¡± ¡°Then me too!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me? I¡¯m not even taking applications for something like pets.¡± Things like disciplining and all, I already have my hands full with just that total M ice woman. Go to other people for that as much as you can¡­¡­No, don¡¯t go to anyone for that after all. ¡°For now, let¡¯s leave the conversation for later, okay! For later! I have something I have to talk about with the beast king right away!¡± ¡°Mmu¡­¡­Okay.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Hum, she¡¯s a good, disciplined cat. Her race is leo, but well, they shouldn¡¯t be that much different since they¡¯re related to cats. And the one who disciplined her this far is me. It¡¯s because she was treated as a trouble maker due to her being a wild lioness tomboy¡­¡­Now she has become someone who is greeted with a smile by the people in the castle and who can return their greetings with a smile. How should I put this, I¡¯m also very happy of this change of hers. Well, her wording is a mixed with fierceness and gentleness and sometimes it becomes funny. That¡¯s a fun aspect of hers I guess. ¡°Speaking of which miss Roa, what sort of relationship do you and mister Setsu have? I have heard of the story that he was the Hero of five years ago, but I couldn¡¯t read about that part at all, so¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hm? Relationship between me and Setsu?¡± Oh right, I did talk about myself on our journey here. I guess you can¡¯t help but get curious about the relationship of me, the former Hero, and Roa. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡­Setsu was, you know, amazingly strong since that time. The time he took along his three companions and went to the beastmen continent, we were also at war and it was an extreme time where it was pretty much like ¡ºIt¡¯s humans! Kill them!¡», so Setsu and the others were also attacked.¡± They went at me with dozens of people you know, those soldier looking guys. Well, of course¡­¡­ ¡°Setsu ended up annihilating those in the blink of an eye. And then I who was a naughty kid at that time had¡­¡­wait, did you two know I was a naughty kid?¡± ¡°Your nickname wild lioness even reached us desu.¡± ¡°Uwah¡­¡­It¡¯s one thing to say it yourself, but this is embarrassing.¡± It¡¯s because this girl at that time was famous even in the other continents from having the position of daughter of the beast king, to say nothing of the beastmen continent. On a sidenote, Shironeko and Mineko seemed to have started to make a name of themselves after I was sent back. ¡°Well, whatever. And so I heard there was a strong guy and I challenged him to a fight. The result was a crushing defeat though.¡± If I¡®m not wrong, I have memories of it being a single blow from a cross counter when she was about to spring at me. I ended up treating her the same way as the other small fry soldiers at that time, didn¡¯t I? ¡°Now that I think about it, that was the first time I lost to anyone besides daddy¡­¡­And so I was charmed by Setsu who had beat me and decided to walk arm in arm with him. I would¡¯ve wanted him to be my master if that was possible though.¡± ¡°Who¡¯d go do that sort of bothersome thing?¡± ¡°So stingy aren¡¯t you? Like always.¡± That being said, I don¡¯t feel like getting a pet. Though even if master means master, I¡¯ll think about it if it¡¯s a husband type of master ¡°Didn¡¯t you two accompany him for the same reasons?¡± ¡°I lost against Setsu desu. That¡¯s why I want him to become my master desu¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t personally fought mister Setsu¡­¡­But still, he is my lifesaver so I¡¯m thinking about using this body of mine for his sake.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what they said, Setsu. Popular aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Roa went elbowing my side. It didn¡¯t feel bad being told this much, but I still don¡¯t understand their thinking. Humans wouldn¡¯t even think about following the guy they lost against after all. The difference in sense of value between the races really is large. ¡°We already arrived while we were talking about that¡± Roa stopped her feet and at the same time we also stopped walking. In front of us is a wooden double door. This also takes me back. ¡°Daddy, I¡¯m coming in¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°Miss Roa!¡± ¡°Ahn?¡± A man¡¯s voice called out from behind us in order to stop Roa who has put her hands on the door. ¡°What, it¡¯s just you Ruga.¡± I look over my shoulder and who was there was a young canine man. He¡¯s got a burly figure and a handsome face. I guess the beastwomen won¡¯t leave this guy alone. He¡¯s someone of considerable ability, with his conduct and the pressure I feel. ¡°What do you want with me? I¡¯d like to ask you to make it as brief as possible.¡± ¡°What do you want with me, you say¡­¡­you, are you planning on letting a human meet the beast king!? We are at war, you know that!?¡± Oh I get it, this guy¡¯s quite the stubborn guy. Because I¡¯ve been with these three, we haven¡¯t been dragged into unnecessary trouble up until now, but from the eyes of a guy who have some ability and is at a level to talk back to Roa, interfering with my being here is natural I guess. A troublesome guy appeared after coming here¡­¡­ ¡°Even Shironeko and Mineko are together with a human, what is the meaning of this!? I¡¯ll have you explain this to me!¡± ¡°Before that, who are yo¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°Sis, this person is the wolfblade(roujin) Ruga you know.¡± (¥ë©`¥¬; ruuga) ¡°Aah¡­¡­Now that you mention it there was such a person desu¡± ¡°Forgetting about me is¡­¡­I can see your memories are quite bad.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± ¡°Si-Sis, restrain yourself¡± Uoh! Shironeko¡¯s looks became dreadful when he made fun of what¡¯s inside her head. I should remember this¡­¡­wait, more importantly. ¡°Old man (roujin), right? First of all I just have some business with the beast king, so I¡¯m not thinking of doing anything in particular¡­¡­¡± (ÀÏÈË: roujin: old man) ¡°You bastard¡­¡­You just insult me didn¡¯t you¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Wolfblade (roujin)¡­¡­old man (roujin)¡­¡­Ah, that was certainly my verbal slip¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dwait, isn¡¯t the nuance the same!? You can¡¯t condemn me for this can you!? It depends on how you catch it right!? ¡°Do you want me to erase you, human¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°Stop it, you stupid.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Why are you protecting a human, miss Roa?¡± Roa stood in between me and Ruga. A clear hostility was released from Roa¡¯s eyes to that guy. ¡°You¡¯ve got it backwards, I stopped you in order to protect you. This human is my future owner¡­¡­no, wait I mean. The human who will become my master. Even if you say you have enough strength to become daddy¡¯s right hand man, you won¡¯t be able to beat this guy.¡± Hey, what¡¯s up with that ¡°owner¡± part? While you¡¯ve been saying master and have been mixing in a different meaning to it up until now, your desire to be owned is completely showing you know. Quit that please. Ah, more importantly¡­¡­Beastking¡¯s right hand huh¡­¡­I thought he was like a powerful person from the streets. ¡°¡­¡­What did you say? Wait a second please, miss Roa. Your master¡­¡­No, husband is supposed to be me isn¡¯t it?¡± Ah? What¡¯s this guy saying? ¡°As I have spoken with His Majesty the beast king, I have triumphed in a duel with you and I should have the rights to be wed to you.¡± ¡°Tha- that¡¯s, well, my physical condition was a little¡­¡­¡± ¡°That excuse does not apply between beastmen!¡± ¡°¡­¡­Tch, would you just shut yer hole! Who would want to marry a nagging son of a bitch like you, ya dumbass! Next, dare say something funny in front of Setsu! I tell ya, he¡¯s gonna tear ya a new one, just see!¡± While saying ¡°we¡¯re going,¡± Roa grabbed my hand and opened the door to the throne room. Ruga was taken aback from the sudden return of her tone from the olden days and being disparaged, he stood stiff and unmoving. The four of us took our opportunity to finally reach our destination, the throne room. CH 43 ¡°What is it you¡¯re saying¡­¡­that that weakling of a human is better than me who will become your husband¡­¡­?¡± Ruga stood unmoving in front of the throne room. He loves Roa. That well ordered appearance of hers, her thin but strong muscles. If he was to be frank then he would have wanted a little more chest on her, but if one looked at that style of hers which attained a magnificent balance, such problems wouldn¡¯t matter at all. Her hips were somewhat of a size that can easily deliver and that too was to his liking. And above all¡­¡­that strength of hers. A girl who was like the embodiment of his likings, that is Roa Gold. However, he had learned from that woman a little while ago that there is a male she considered likeable. If he was a beastman stronger than himself, then he could accept it for now without giving up. But, the male was a human. An existence who should be inferior to them, the beastmen. Just by having that next to the woman he loves was unforgivable. Something like being wedded to that was absurd. ¡°I won¡¯t allow this, human¡­¡­I shall make you realize I am more worthy for her¡­¡­!¡± At the time the flames of jealousy spread in his eyes, the black fire tattoo engraved in that bare shoulder was seen releasing a faint light. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó The throne room is as spacious as always, I really missed this. But before I reflect upon my nostalgia, I got curious in the words from Ruga back then. ¡°Hey you¡­¡­what that guy just said¡­¡­¡± ¡°Ah! It¡¯s not like I became that guy¡¯s woman okay!? Re- relax!¡± That¡¯s not¡­¡­Well, I¡¯m also curious about that though¡­¡­ What I¡¯m most curious is about is the part Roa lost in a duel and¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Ugh! Mister Setsu, the front!¡± ¡°Wh-!?¡± Thanks to Mineko¡¯s words, I have noticed the fast approaching lust for blood. I already reflexively caught the fist I would call a lump of enormous power just as it literally approached in front of my eyes. A weight that made a thud assaulted my whole body and the floor dented from the pressure. The world tree shook from the shock caused the moment I caught the fist and screams on the lower floors could be heard. ¡°Hah¡­¡­! Ain¡¯t this a little extreme¡­¡­for the first greeting in five years? Right? You lion bastard¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Ku¡­¡­hahahahahahahahahaha! It is you Setsu! Even if your appearance has changed, it¡¯s really you! I¡¯m happy¡­¡­I¡¯m really happy you know that¡­¡­!¡± The blonde man steadily put in strength in his fist. This guy is the continent¡¯s ruling beast king, Regulus Gold. That power, the physical ability exceeds the demon king Desastre and that body is even tougher than the top quality armor that humans can create. ¡°That¡¯s some beastly strength you got there, damn it.¡± ¡°In that case, don¡¯t you think you also got strength to spare there¡­¡­!?¡± ¡°I¡­¡­guess!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± I loosen my strength once and bend my knees slightly. And then this time I correct my strength in one go and also using the spring of my knees to force back Regulus. ¡°Uoh¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°Here, it¡¯s payback.¡± I throw a fist towards him while he is staggering. He seems to have barely put up his guard and stopped my fist with his palms, but that wasn¡¯t some punch you could hold down that way. The impact broke through the back of his hand towards his body and it blew those stockily muscled body towards the throne behind him. Destroying the ornaments around the throne and all the dust, the world tree castle shook once again. ¡°Fuuh¡­¡­I still won¡¯t lose, from you at least.¡± ¡°Aah, geez¡­¡­As ever the same aren¡¯t you, daddy and Setsu.¡± ¡°Shoock desu.¡± ¡°Sis, that isn¡¯t something you should be saying, you know¡­¡­¡± ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó ¡°Kuhahahahahahaha! I ended up losing again! Looks like your arms hasn¡¯t grown dull Setsu!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t pick up a way of training just to grow dull so easily after all. More importantly¡­¡­Been a long time, Regulus.¡± ¡°Long time no see, Setsu. Have you been well?¡± ¡°I ended up having my appearance changed, but well, I¡¯ve been so-so.¡± ¡°Well I¡¯m glad about that!¡± Said the beast king on his throne and laughed again. This guy is¡­¡­well, he looks well, so I guess I don¡¯t have to ask him. So, I see that you¡¯ve come to greet us, but¡­¡­you seem to have some other business as well. I mean, you even took along such strong companions with you.¡± That reminds me, Regulus should know about Shironeko and Mineko. After all, the two of them had gotten this guy injured. ¡°Pretty much. My bad, but if I were to be frank, then the greetings was just an extra. Coming here to borrow some of your strength is my real intention.¡± ¡°Strength? You are?¡± ¡°Yeah. You know that the demon continent is on the offensive against the human country right now, right?¡± ¡°I learned of that this morning.¡± ¡°Really. And so, not just the human continent¡¯s Heroes or something, that son of a bitch Touma is probably acting as the human¡¯s armed forces too.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Touma?¡± Listening to those words of mine, Roa shuddered and Regulus¡¯s eyes became even more serious. ¡°So he¡¯s alive, that guy¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure about the circumstances there, but for the time being I¡¯m pretty sure that some outrageous fighting power is on the other side. It¡¯s frustrating, but the confidence in handling that many of them well is something I don¡¯t have.¡± ¡°And there¡¯s where we come into play, right?¡± ¡°Yeah¡± I explain that I¡¯d like a large military force if possible, but I add that I don¡¯t need half-baked strength since they will become a burden instead. The enemy military strength is competent. Guys with no actual strength will lose their lives in front of my eyes if I bunch them up. If that¡¯s the case then it¡¯s better not having them from the beginning. ¡°¡­¡­I would¡¯ve liked to go there, but hearing that explanation, we¡¯ll be in a situation where those guys would come to the beastmen continent some day. If Touma is really there, then it would be easy for him to change their focus to our place. It¡¯s impossible for me to leave this place.¡± ¡°I figured as much¡­¡­¡± Any country would be in a dangerous situation if the king goes absent. Besides, the king is the strongest among the beastmen and demons, unlike the human one. If that strength goes absent, then it¡¯ll turn into a big once in a lifetime chance in the eyes of enemy nations. ¡°I will go with you. You don¡¯t have any complains with my strength, right?¡± ¡°Yeah Roa, I¡¯d like you to come¡­¡­I mean, come with us.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Roa happily smiled broadly. Are you that glad that you¡¯ve been ordered? It¡¯s the same with Eruka, but it¡¯s hard to understand those feelings. ¡°Mineko and I are expected to go desu.¡± ¡°Is that so? What, don¡¯t have quite the fighting power here?¡± ¡°I think the amount of people is a little on the low side.¡± I¡¯m sure we have enough strength. But at the very least I want one more with strength close to SSS rank¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DYour majesty, the beast king! I cannot permit that! I¡¯d like you to reconsider!¡± Suddenly the door to the throne room was thrown open. Who entered is that old man¡­¡­I mean, wolf blade man named Ruga. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I let myself eavesdrop your conversation! Listening to such present situation, your majesty can absolutely not give permission to decrease the beastmen continent¡¯s military strength!¡± ¡°Ruga¡­¡­¡± Regulus made an indescribable expression towards Ruga who suddenly came in and shouted around. ¡°We may have certainly formed an alliance with the demon continent now, but we had been originally mutual enemies! We should have no need to use a part of our military strength for their sake! Not to mention it¡¯s inexcusable to have our biggest fighting power go!¡± ¡­¡­Well, he¡¯s kind of right. What happens with the demons has nothing to with them in the eyes of those who think the most of the beastmen. Furthermore, if they help them and fall into crisis themselves, then that would be horrible to look at as well. The opinion of these guys are relatively quite honest. ¡°Once again, I¡¯d like you to reconsider! Your majesty!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡­Ruga¡¯s view is certainly right. I would have done so if it was just an ordinary human¡¯s request, but it¡¯s different if it is a request from Setsu of all people you see¡­¡­¡± ¡°Wha-!?¡± Looks like Ruga was shocked by Regulus¡¯s indecisive attitude. He probably must¡¯ve thought he would immediately accept his opinion. To think he wouldn¡¯t accept his beastman view and accept the request of the human me¡­¡­ or something like that. ¡°Is your majesty weighing the human¡¯s request to my opinion¡­¡­? This dainty human without a fragment of dignity!?¡± ¡°Look here, you asshole¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°That¡¯s right and I¡¯ll add that I¡¯m thinking more about listening to Setsu¡¯s request.¡± ¡°What¡­¡­did you say¡­¡­?¡± Interrupting Roa¡¯s angry voice, Regulus spoke the words that bore his heart. Yeeaah¡­¡­I have a hunch that this is going to become something troublesome somehow. ¡°You didn¡¯t hear me? I want to listen to this human¡¯s request. More so than your opinion you see?¡± ¡°Wh-¡­¡­Why would you!? You, with the position of beast king!¡± ¡°You see, a beast king is what the strongest becomes. I didn¡¯t particularly become the strongest in order to rule over the continent. I just wanted to fight strong people, that¡¯s why I have become strong. Then I was arbitrarily made beast king and now I¡¯m sitting on such an impressive chair. Well, I am able to have this good life after receiving this position. I do love the beastmen continent enough that I will protect it my own way though. But, if you ask me which is more important: the beastmen continent or this old human friend of mine, then my choice is just a little tilted towards Setsu.¡± ¡°Wha¡­¡­Then your capacity as a king is¡­¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, I don¡¯t have the capacity to be a king. You think you can endure having the likes of a king who would pick his friend over his country? And so, if you have any complaints about it, then I shall hand over this chair anytime. Only¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dif you can win from me that is.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Ruga stiffened and choked when Regulus glared at him. That guy would also say something cruel. A guy who could win from you, that very person itself would be an irregular of this world. If Regulus is a special being in terms of strength, then someone like Ruga would be similar to an ordinary person. An ordinary person cannot win from special. As long as you don¡¯t desire power even at the cost of your life that is¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D Well, if you let me say it, then I think that this guy is just not ruling as a tyrant is better than nothing. There¡¯s basically nothing but guys who would do as they please when it comes to those who become king just through strength or connections after all. ¡°*sigh*¡­¡­But your opinion is also correct, Ruga. That¡¯s why I¡¯m troubled you know¡­¡­hmm, let¡¯s see there¡­¡­Ah, then Setsu, try a duel with Ruga a bit.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The one who responded wasn¡¯t me, but that Ruga fellow. I¡­¡­vaguely expected that, to tell you the truth. ¡°And I will listen to what the victor says. Don¡¯t you think this is quite the beastman-like method of deciding things?¡± ¡°Me, against this human¡­¡­?¡± Shit, what a troublesome thing you brought up, you lion bastard. Can¡¯t I just beat him up and end it in this place? Ah, lion bastard¡¯s eyes are saying no, annoying. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DFine then.¡± You¡¯re really fine with that? ¡°I shouldn¡¯t lose to the likes of such human. I shall show you a flawless victory¡± ¡°Good. How about you Setsu?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m fine with anything. I¡¯d rather do this than arguing with words.¡± Talking nonsense here is a waste of time and it¡¯s easy if I can make them agree by sheer strength. I¡¯m not really enthusiastic about it though¡­¡­ ¡°¡­¡­Miss Roa.¡± ¡°¡­¡­What?¡± Ruga, one of the people concerning this duel, turned towards Roa. Roa put herself slightly on guard towards that serious expression of his. ¡°If I win from that human over there, will you make me your husband?¡± Hm? ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­Okay. If you win, then I will accept my loss in your duel against me before and obediently tie myself to you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Thank you, miss Roa.¡± What are you saying, Roa? Why are you looking at me after you finished speaking? Actually, Ruga you too bastard; the hell you doing, inserting your personal feelings in a fight with your country¡¯s resources on the line? At the time he expressed such personal feelings, I¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Hey Regulus, we¡¯re starting this quickly got it where¡¯s the place we¡¯re doing this right now got it I¡¯mma send this fuck flying¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dwait, what are you laughing at!?¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡­kukukuh¡­¡­I got it I got it, let¡¯s do this right away.¡± Tch, what an irritating way of laughing. But I don¡¯t care about it if we can start right now. I¡¯ll beat you up right away. I¡¯m not letting this son of a bitch take Roa, she¡¯s my¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D CH 44 The city Regdam of the beastmen country. And what is at the center of it is a facility that was prepared as a place where those who like fights could regularly test their strength. According to my knowledge, that resembles something that is called a Colosseum. ¡ºGet ¡®em! Ruga!¡» ¡ºTear the likes of that human to pieces!¡» And a large number of disparagement was sent towards me who is standing right in the center of that colosseum. ¡°Hey wait a minute¡­¡­That lion bastard¡­¡­hasn¡¯t it become overly serious?¡± A large number of beastmen filled up the audience seats and they are waiting impatiently for the fight between me and Ruga to start. We planned to quietly bring it to an end in private at first, but Regulus went and prattled, ¡ºWe might as well invite citizens as spectators and enjoy ourselves!¡» Or something like that. What should I say¡­¡­It¡¯s kind of awkward. ¡°Hmph, got cold feet, human? After all, you¡¯re an inferior creature.¡± ¡°Aah, yeah¡­¡­I guess.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Tch¡± I, who had been intently polishing my ignoring skills up until now, didn¡¯t move a budge when I was being stirred up like that. Or maybe I should say it became troublesome thanks to me losing quite a bit of my motivation. At first I considered seriously smashing him, but I wonder if it¡¯s better to just let me finish it with a single blow before long if it becomes so much like an away match. If I do at least that much, then even the audience should become quiet. ¡°Alright already¡­¡­let¡¯s hurry up with this.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll paint your face with tears¡­¡­!¡± Something¡¯s being eager, but I ignore it, ignore it all the way. We are facing each other in the center of the colosseum, mutually standing ready. Well, I have both of my bare hands dangling down though¡­¡­ ¡°You bastard¡­¡­ are you underestimating me?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯ll kill you¡± Oops, that made him unnecessarily angry. (Well, it¡¯d be fine if he¡¯s not just all talk though¡­¡­) ¡°Are the both of you ready for this!?¡± Inside the colosseum, the voice of the culprit of all this echoed. The audience seats was wrapped up in silence for a moment by that voice and Ruga¡¯s expression quickly changed from anger to that of a keen warrior. ¡°Well then, shall we soon start this huge man to man fight where my beloved daughter, Roa Gold is at stake!?¡± Cheers of joy echoed around together with those words. Uh huh¡­¡­shut up. But making those guys shut up is also fun I guess. ¡°Are the both of you good to go? Well then¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dbegin!¡± ¡°Sh-!¡± ¡°!¡± A man, probably the one being the referee, showed the starting sign between us. And then, almost simultaneously, Ruga¡¯s sharp nail on his arm approached me. ¡°Whoa¡­¡­now now, aren¡¯t you fast.¡± ¡°What¡­¡­is¡­¡­?¡± But still, his speed isn¡¯t such a big deal. It¡¯s easy enough to grab and stop that arm. ¡°Is this all you got?¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡­There¡¯s no way that¡¯s all¡­¡­!¡± I sense he was going to pull his arm, so when I let my hand go of it, Ruga kicked the ground and took some distance from me. He¡¯s faster than I thought, maybe I can enjoy this a little. ¡°Change of plans, I¡¯m gonna play with you just a little bit.¡± ¡°You¡­¡­Why youuuuuu!¡± I did notice that I sounded awfully like a baddie, but it doesn¡¯t change much from what I¡¯m going to do, so I relished the feeling of the villain¡¯s role to my heart¡¯s content. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DIt went different from what I had imagined, but it¡¯s fine this way.¡± While overlooking the two opening the fight at the center of the colosseum, Roa began to converse with Shironeko and Mineko sitting beside her. ¡°What do you mean with it went different from what you had imagined¡­¡­?¡± ¡°At first¡­¡­I actually thought about instigating Setsu by becoming the betting target. I already knew that he cherishes me in the end, so then I thought maybe he will put his all into this. We kind of made him lose his strength because of daddy making it such a big deal¡­¡­But Ruga is stronger than he thought, so it looks like he feels like wanting to fight him a bit¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dor rather play with him.¡± ¡°A schemer desu¡± ¡°Tahaha¡­¡­I only got the result alright I¡¯m telling you¡± Being praised for going to the wrong direction, Roa showed a forced smile. From her perspective, having it go according to her own expectations was the most ideal as a matter of course. ¡°Nevertheless¡­¡­uhm¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s pitiful desu¡± ¡°Hey Sis, you¡¯re too frank about this¡­¡­¡± ¡°Well¡­¡­of course it¡¯s like that¡± The opinions of the three were in agreement. All of them were regarding to the act at the center of the colosseum, which couldn¡¯t be described as a fight. The cheers had already ceased and the spectators were looking quietly. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DDone already?¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡­haa¡­¡­¡± Not even three minutes should have passed since then. Right now, Ruga has his knees on the ground. ¡°Ri- ridiculous¡­¡­This is impossible¡­¡­¡± ¡°At least look at reality I tell you.¡± The guy was certainly faster than I thought. He even has the power, I can even accept it a little if I¡¯m told that he¡¯s Regulus¡¯s right hand man. But that guy, he¡¯s not reaching him with even a single finger. Specifically, he would get instantly killed, there¡¯s that kind of difference between them. ¡­¡­That¡¯s why there¡¯s something I can¡¯t describe. ¡°Hey Roa! Did you really lose against this kind of guy!?¡± I ask Roa who is sitting in the audience. She was surprised from suddenly being called and turned away her face like she was embarrassed. ¡°Uhm¡­¡­That time¡­¡­ was female¡¯s day, you know¡­¡­I was a little sluggish, so¨D¨D¨D¨Dhey, don¡¯t make me say so much!¡± Female¡¯s day? Female, you mean a woman¡¯s thing right¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DAh, I see. It¡¯s that thing us men don¡¯t understand. ¡°You¡­¡­Were you really glad about winning against a woman who was in bad shape¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Shut up¡­¡­! Silence!¡± ¡°Woah¡± So you refuse to listen¡­¡­ The nail he swung had been cutting up the empty air without hitting me even once. A vein was showing on his face and he knows the fact he is losing very much to me. ¡°Adventurer¡¯s guide, always stay calm¡­¡­wait, you¡¯re not even an adventurer, so I guess it¡¯s meaningless.¡± ¡°Uoooooo! !¡± Ruga raised his arm overhead. What was released after that were four beams. It¡¯s a skill that uses the same school as and it is difficult to parry the bigger the number of beams made by one swing. ¡°Your ability in that aspect is pretty low though.¡± ¡°Wha-¡­¡­¡± I mow down all four in one go with my right arm and that made Ruga lose his angry expression and have a surprised expression pasted on his face instead. It¡¯s different when you focus your attack on one point, but if he neglects power by giving preference to hitting me, then he won¡¯t be able to put even a single injury on my body in the first place. It doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m going to directly receive it just because that¡¯s so though. ¡°What if you undergo soon? Your specialty should come from there right?¡± ¡°Gh! ¡­¡­I don¡¯t care even if you regret it, you know!?¡± It¡¯s kind of standard that characters who say that would get done in right away though¡­¡­ Ruga who went on all fours was wrapped up in light and was transforming that physique of his. (¡­¡­That wasn¡¯t surprising¡­¡­right?) ¡°Grrrr¡­¡­¡± Not sure if I should say just as I thought, but¡­¡­Ruga¡¯s is a wolf. That physique of his is a size smaller than even Shironeko¡¯s . If I remember correctly, it¡¯s about having strength only giving you and the difference in strength being shown in that physique as well. So if you think about it straightforwardly, it means that this guy is weaker than Shironeko though¡­¡­ ¡°¡­¡­Die¡± The black wolf leaps at a speed several levels faster than before. Although I said he¡¯s a size smaller, its size is at the level of being able to push my body down with just one leg from the looks of it. ¡°You got quite the nerve saying dangerous words there.¡± I dodge under Ruga who was approaching before my eyes and go below his abdomen. And then I lift him up as is. ¡°What!?¡± ¡°How lightweight¡­¡­heave¡­¡­hoooo!¡± When I throw him from my shoulders, Ruga struck his back hard on the ground several times and stopped as he got slapped onto the walls of the colosseum. ¡°Gah¡­¡­Hah¡­¡­How did he¡­¡­with one attack¡­¡­¡± ¡°How about it? Ready to accept your loss?¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡­¡± Even this guy should be able to understand it, the fact he can¡¯t win from me. You¡¯ll understand if you look at his mortifying-like expression. Even though he himself has been going all out, his opponent didn¡¯t even take out his weapon. How much of his pride must that have broken off of him. Well, I¡¯ve been aiming for that though. ¡°Let¡¯s end this, give it up.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ruga lowered his eyes and hung his head. I guess we finally have decided the match with this¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D CH 45 45 Pandemic I don¡¯t want to admit it. Midway I understood my strength does not work against this man. However, having a beastman be defeated by a human is unbecoming. For this reason it is impossible for me to admit defeat. I have hung onto that with desperation. I am completely out of both magic power and stamina. But the man doesn¡¯t have even a single one of his breath disturbed. I realize the difference in strength. Even so I cannot accept this. Miss Roa¡­¡­That the man suitable to be her husband would be him is something I will not accept. That is my woman¡­¡­she¡¯s mine¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡ºHum¡­¡­It looks like you¡¯ve gathered quite a lot of love and hate haven¡¯t you?¡» Who could this be¡­¡­? Even though there shouldn¡¯t be any person who would call out to I who is hanging my head down¡­¡­beastmen are cruel towards the defeated. There should be no one who would call out, especially to me who have been overwhelmed by a human. But this voice is¡­¡­it is like I can hear it directly from inside my head for some reason¡­¡­ ¡ºI don¡¯t even want to know the beastmen¡¯s habits, but you want that girl don¡¯t you? Then, is it fine to give up in this place?¡» It¡¯s not fine¡­¡­but a frontal attack against him is¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡ºReally now¡­¡­for what reason did you think I have implanted that ?¡» Tattoo? What are you talking about? ¡ºAh, that¡¯s right¡­¡­Sorry, sorry. I¡¯ve made it invisible so it¡¯s not like you can see it I guess. Well, it looks like Setsu has seen it through¡­¡­¡» What have you bastard been talking about until now¡­¡­? Who the hell are you? ¡ºHm? Me? Uhm, let¡¯s see there¡­¡­A passing shaman or something along that line I guess? Do you want that girl at any cost?¡» I do want her¡­¡­however¡­¡­ ¡ºYou want her even if you would put your life on the line?¡» ¡­¡­If it gets me the girl¡­¡­Then this life, I shall hand over as much of it as you want. ¡ºIt¡¯ll be enough as long as you have that resolve, I will grant you the strength¡» ¡­¡­Why are you doing something like that? ¡ºYou know I, I also have something I want at any cost. Life, fortune, dreams, partners, whatever I must sacrifice, I want that. And I will get that by you winning from that man. Well, it means this is an agreement of interests. I will provide as much strength as you like if it is for the sake of you winning it. That is why¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dmake sure you win, okay? No matter what you have to sacrifice for it¡­¡­¡» ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó ¡°What is it now?¡± Ruga is acting strange for some reason. I take a step back as a precaution and suddenly the tattoo on that guy¡¯s shoulder wriggled. ¡°Gah¡­¡­Aaaaaaaaaah!¡± ¡°!?¡± The wriggling tattoo spread throughout Ruga¡¯s whole body while releasing some ominous miasma. A black pattern surrounds his whole body and then that guy¡¯s muscles began swelling, slowly changing even that physique of his. (This magic power¡­¡­so it was that bastard Touma after all¡­¡­gh!) The miasma that is overflowing from Ruga is without a doubt the same thing as Touma¡¯s cursed magic power. Where the heck did this guy come in contact with that guy¡­¡­ No¡­¡­There¡¯s no use in even thinking about that, is there? That guy¡¯s a phantom; you won¡¯t know where and what he is involved with. It shouldn¡¯t be a mysterious thing at all even if he has connections with a beastman all the way here. I mean, he¡¯s at least involved with Shironeko. At any rate, he really has the nerve to get involved with that racist guy¡­¡­ Does that mean he¡¯s driven that much into a corner? ¡°GaaaaaaAaaah!¡± ¡°Oops¡­¡­Ain¡¯t got the time to think about unnecessary stuff I guess¡± The tattoo that was spread on the whole body faded bit by bit into that guy¡¯s body. On the other hand, that body ended up dyeing black as it melted into him. Right now, the former parts of Ruga has become more difficult to find. His upper body has become misshapen from the expanding muscles and it has become unbalanced with his unexpanded lower body. Both his arms are put on the ground to regain balance. His image is close to a gorilla, but¡­¡­it was better when he was a dog¡­¡­ ¡°¡­¡­But I guess it¡¯s tough¡± ¡°Gaah! Gaaaah!¡± Sorrowful tone of voice was also mixed in Ruga¡¯s shout and before long, blood began overflowing from his mouth, probably from his throat being torn. Even so, his screams won¡¯t stop. What a painful thing to look at, this scene¡­¡­ ¡°Tch¡­¡­I have to do something about¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dwait whoa!?¡± ¡°NUGAaah!¡± He¡¯s fast, you can¡¯t compare him to just a while ago. He closed the distance the instant I turned my mind away and came striking with his stout arms. It¡¯s good I took up a defensive posture by having my arms crossed, but he¡¯s more powerful than I expected so he struck me on the colosseum walls with just that brute strength of his. ¡°Koho-¡­¡­hey, that hurts a bit¡± ¡ºOooh! That¡¯s the waay!¡» ¡ºAttack, attack!¡» ¡°GAaaah!¡± The spectators are an easy-going bunch. They can¡¯t see Ruga¡¯s changes as anything but becoming stronger. ¡°Setsu! Isn¡¯t that Touma¡¯s!?¡± ¡°I know! Roa! You don¡¯t have to come down, got it!¡± ¡°Eh!? A- alright¡­¡­¡± I stop Roa who was about to jump out. I might get her injured after all at this rate¡­¡­ Considering that punch just now, the current Ruga should have the power and speed rivaling that of the beast king. Nine out of ten, that should be caused by the power up from that tattoo. And if that¡¯s something Touma gave him¡­¡­ then it shouldn¡¯t end with just a power up. I think I said it before, but he won¡¯t reach the beast king or demon king¡¯s level if he doesn¡¯t wish for power and expend his life. They hold talent to stand on the top and on top of that they are powerful people who have repeatedly worked hard enough shave off their lives. In other words, that talent¡­¡­or rather the lack thereof keeping Ruga from reaching them means¡­¡­ ¡°That guy¡­¡­he¡¯s burning away his fucking life¡­¡­!¡± ¡°GAaaaah! The guy¡¯s muscles tore at the end of its swelling and blood began gushing out here and there. But the torn parts were immediately regenerated and then a different part got torn, which were also regenerated immediately. It repeats the astounding cell division and it seems to be increasing his strength in a second by instantly performing destruction and regeneration. I¡¯m neither good nor bad at physical education, but it should be identical to the theory of muscles becoming stronger. Doing that in such speed, his body can¡¯t survive it. ¡°GIRR¡­¡­KIRR¡­¡­ERRRYTHING!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t start saying disturbing things, you!¡± I unsheathe Kuromaru from my magic bag and start running towards Ruga who transformed into a grotesque thing. ¡°GIRR!¡± I slouch and parry the arm that was swung in order to mow me down and then I went to towards his chest. ¡°That¡¯s dangerous ya know!¡± ¡°Gyaa!¡± I try to swing up with Kuromaru and cut Ruga¡¯s arm off. This should break his balance and make him unable to move¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Wha¡­¡­! Instantly regenerating it.¡± ¡°GAaah!¡± That plan of mine was an utter failure; his arm suddenly grew from the opening and hit my right side as is. ¡°Tch!¡± Even I can¡¯t let myself get sent flying the second time. I toss away Kuromaru, hold the big arm twice the size of my own body with both my hands and stand firm by putting strength in my feet. ¡°Zeyah! ¡°Ga-¡± I sweep away his arm and once again I slip into his body to kick his body flying. There¡¯s also a wall nearby, so Ruga¡¯s body sunk deeply into the colosseum wall. But¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°¡­¡­No damage¡­¡­huh?¡± ¡°GIiiiiiiiih! No, maybe it was a little effective, just that he immediately regenerates. Even so, I had planned in putting in quite some strength into it. ¡°DIE¡­¡­EVRRYTHING¡­¡­DIEEEeeeeee!¡± ¡°W-! Crap!¡± Ruga raised a warcry. At the same time, a jet black wave was released from that guy¡¯s body and spread in its surroundings. The state of the audience who were covered in that quickly became strange. ¡ºWhat is¡­¡­this¡­¡­¡» ¡ºMy body feels heavy¡­¡­¡» ¡ºIt¡¯s, it¡¯s painful¡­¡­¡» ¡°Isn¡¯t this !?¡± ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D One of the fiendish skills Touma uses. It¡¯s a skill where the one who had a curse planted on becomes a source of infection and would spread the curse around them. Since the guy isn¡¯t planting the curse personally, it would need quite some time until the curse is complete, but even so it will cause the audience to have poor health where they won¡¯t be able to move. I can pop off this level of curse with my own strength, but if the guys in the surroundings are all basked in it for a long time, then it¡¯ll become a serious incident. ¡°It¡¯ll be bad if I don¡¯t crush him right away¡­¡­!¡± But ¡­¡­Killing Ruga with my own hands is¡­¡­ I know it¡¯s not the time to be fixated on things, but¡­¡­even so¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Mister Setsu!¡± ¡°!? Mineko!?¡± Mineko was dashing to the stadium. Why can that girl move normally? ¡°Sis, Lord beast king and miss Roa suddenly collapsed and¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Tch, so those guys are no good either¡­¡­ Why can you move?¡± Mineko, who jumped next to me only looks a little unwell, but it didn¡¯t look like there¡¯s any strangeness in her body movement. Even though she¡¯s come this close to it, why though? ¡°Well¡­¡­I do feel a little sluggish, but it¡¯s dozen times better than the time I was violated by the curse.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Oh that¡¯s how it is.¡± Antibody against the curse¡­¡­By continuing to be ravished by a powerful curse for a long time, Mineko¡¯s body has probably become quite strong against cursed magic. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if her body has made antibodies, since there are many of them that work similarly to pathogens, especially those that give negative influence to one¡¯s constitution like this. This is¡­¡­a blessing in disguise. ¡°Mineko¡­¡­lend me a bit of your strength.¡± ¡°Eh? Ah, okay!¡± ¡°GAaaaah!¡± We face Ruga who is still raising his warcry and spreading the curse. I¡¯m going violently¡­¡­for just a little longer, okay? CH 46 There are only two ways to stop the one who had ended up becoming the source of : either the person who invoked the magic cancels it himself or you make the body suspend its biological activity. But this guy must probably have two curses invoked. One of them reinforces his physical strength and makes him rampage. This must be the tattoo that¡¯s on the guy¡¯s shoulder. The other one is this . It¡¯s an extremely troublesome thing if it¡¯s like this. His regeneration ability is too high so killing him won¡¯t happen with ordinary methods and using only half my strength would end up with our side getting done in instead. If it¡¯s me then with one blow¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dno¡­¡­ ¡°Tch¡­¡­! Mineko! I¡¯ll stop that guy¡¯s movement! That¡¯s why¡­¡­smash that guy¡¯s head please.¡± ¡°Eh!? O- okay, I understand!¡± Mineko accepted my unreasonable demand even though she was surprised. No matter how much his regenerative powers are, you can¡¯t expect him to live if he loses his head. The source of the curse must likely be in there. Actually, the first person Touma made to rampage came to a stop with his head in very small pieces. If it¡¯s like that, then¡­¡­it should be enough with Mineko. ¡°We¡¯re going!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°GAAaaaaahh!¡± I bring down my body and rush forward towards Ruga. When I¡¯m about to approach in front of his eye, that strong arm of his was pushed out towards me. ¡°Ya got the nerve!¡± I see all of his arm that he couldn¡¯t skillfully use from being too close and lop it off from the visible elbow part. Cut off and made flying, the arm danced in the sky and dropped on the ground, but that arm of his immediately started regenerating. But I won¡¯t let that happen so easily. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dgh!¡± A genuine sword skill that takes careful aiming, which is unusual for me. I swing all the way down from a slant, cutting off Ruga¡¯s arm and thigh. ¡°Ugh! Take this!¡± Next, I swing up the swung down sword by using my knees to spring up. Ruga who was cut in a V sign lost both his feet and arms and as a result of losing his support, he collapsed face down. ¡°Do it!¡± ¡°Yes! !¡± (ÖØ½Å: jyuu ashi) The time from collapsing until he¡¯s completely regenerated. Mineko matched her timing on that and drove an axe kick towards his head. is a technique that¡¯s said to charge magic power and drive it all into one¡¯s leg. It¡¯s an elementary technique that can usually be used if the one has magic power. Even so if it¡¯s Mineko¡¯s strength, the ability to smash Ruga¡¯s head should¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°!? Ugh¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hey! What happened!?¡± ¤«¤«¤È¤òßµ¤­Þz¤ó¤À¥ß¥Í¥³¤Î¬¿àÍ´¤ËȾ¤Þ¤ë¡£ Äæ¤Ë¥ë©`¥¬¤ÏŸo‚û¤Ç¡¢Í´¤ß¤Ë�ž¤¨¤ëÉù¤¹¤é³ö¤µ¤Ê¤¤¡£ Mineko, who had her heels driven into his head had her face dyed in pain. On the other hand, Ruga was unhurt and didn¡¯t even let out a voice of being writhing in pain. ¡¸¥¦¥¬¡­¡­¥¢¥¡¥¡¥¡¥¡!!¡¹ ¡¸!!¡¹ ¡¸¤¢¤Ö¤Í¤§!!¡¹ ¡°Ugah¡­¡­AAaaaaah!¡± ¡°!!¡± ¡°Look out!¡± Ruga had all his four limbs regenerated and stood up. And in doing so, his arm was swung and it grabbed Mineko. While I lop off his arm with Kuromaru again, I took her and separated from that place. ¡°Did he get your leg?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡­That body is too tough¡­¡­¡± I put down Mineko I have been carrying and apply recovery magic on said leg. The injured leg was immediately healed, but to think he was able to endure this girls¡¯ , what freaking strength does he have¡­¡­. We had been attacked by monsters on the way here too and I¡¯ve also seen Mineko¡¯s way of fighting. The in this occasion was supposed to have the ability to pulverize an S rank monster effortlessly. To be able to endure that, this guy is probably genuinely rivaling the beast king. ¡°You have anything better than ?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡­But a buildup becomes necessary for smashing that head. Also if we don¡¯t stop his movement, then doing it reliably is a little¡­¡­¡± A buildup and restraints huh¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Din that case. ¡°I can use that magic then¡­¡­I haven¡¯t really used it much so I¡¯m worried about it, but.¡± I didn¡¯t want to fight using magic in the first place after all, me. ¡°GAaaah!¡± Ruga probably wasn¡¯t pleased with our exchange, he raged even more, skillfully used his big arms and started running this way. It¡¯ll be fine if I can match his timing though¡­¡­¡£ ¡°Oh Earth, Origins of Mother Life, capture those resenting us¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D!¡± ¡°GAh!?¡± Because it was magic I¡¯m not used to, I had it invoked with a complete aria. The timing was fortunately just right; the dirt hand grown from the earth twisted around the guy¡¯s foot and hands that extended more and more and entangled his movement. Ruga who had the freedom of his body stolen struggled, but he couldn¡¯t successfully shake loose the dirt arms due to those pointlessly developed arms of his. The earth arms which gradually coiled around his arms maximized its strength in response to my magic power. ¡°Ga¡­¡­AAah¡­¡­¡± Having them strongly biting into his body, Ruga who had perfectly rendered unable to move about, brought up a groan after putting up his last resistances, perhaps painfully. ¡°He¡¯s completely restricted¡­¡­! Mineko!¡± ¡°Yes! ¡­¡­!¡± Mineko took up a crouching start behind me and her legs transformed into the appearance of cat legs. Must be a type of . A technique that changes only a part of one¡¯s body to an animal through precise control in power. Mineko¡¯s animalisation is, of course, a cat. And so those cat legs ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Hah!¡± look tough enough to jump up five times her own height. ¡°Gyah¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± Taking a long jump, Mineko jumped up to in front of the eyes of Ruga who is rendered unable to move and drove that knee of hers into the guy¡¯s face. The head which had all of her strength transmitted to without spare, bursted open along with a sounds of something being smashed. While flesh and blood scattered, a single headless figure was complete there. CH 47 ¡°Fuuh¡­¡­It¡¯s over huh?¡± ¡°It looks¡­¡­like it.¡± Ruga who lost his head didn¡¯t move. As a result of smashing the source of , damage shouldn¡¯t be spreading any more than this. Everyone should be able to move before long. It¡¯s better to purify them with light magic just to be sure, but I should go tell that to Regulus later. ¡°To think Mr Ruga would turn out this way¡­¡­did something happen?¡± ¡°This guy¡­¡­was used. By that inhuman son of a bitch¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡ºHey wait, isn¡¯t inhuman a little cruel though?¡» ¡°!?¡± Unintentionally. That¡¯s right, reflexively. I move Mineko behind me and cover her. I can¡¯t let this guy get near her. I can¡¯t let the owner of this voice get near her. ¡ºIs that kid that important? Is she¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DSetsu¡» ¡°¡­¡­Long time no see, you shitty bastard.¡± He stood there before I became aware of it. He stood there on top of Ruga¡¯s corpse. In ashen hair, red eyes and skin that¡¯s as white as it is creepy. He has skin color that¡¯s different from the demons; I feel nothing but discomfort from that skin of his. He¡¯s wearing the same clothes as the black robed bunches, but he had taken off his hood so you can clearly see that face of his. It hasn¡¯t changed from five years ago¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DA face where you may end up believing if he¡¯s called a young lady. It definitely confirmed that this guy¡¯s the person himself and it was a hard fact that I can¡¯t do anything about disproving it. Touma¡¯s concept art. ¡°Why the hell are you here¡­¡­! Toumaa!¡± ¡ºOh now, would you not shout so much? Isn¡¯t this our reunion after several years?¡» This man, Kamishiro Touma, his appearance unchanged since five years ago, is now standing here. ¡º¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThough I say that, my body isn¡¯t actually here. The feeling that you want to hold me in your arms as soon as you could has been greatly conveyed to me, Setsu¡­¡­but I¡¯m sorry okay? Our real reunion will be a little more in the future. Do your best and bear with it until then, okay?¡» ¡°Stop messing around, you fuck!¡± I take a swing with Kuromaru without thinking. Even though I¡¯m certainly supposed to be able to bisect him, that blade slipped through that guy¡¯s body withouteven a single response. ¡ºThat¡¯s why I¡¯m telling you, this isn¡¯t an object. I only used the coordinates of this corpse and sent my thought body here.¡» ¡°Tch¡­¡­You really have the nerve making fun of people¡± ¡ºIt¡¯s one of my expressions of love to you, you see¡» Always having the nerve to say things that would make the hairs on your body stand on end. While showing the usual vague smile, this guy threw a genuinely passionate gaze towards me with not even a single hesitation. Even that hasn¡¯t changed after five years. ¡°This voice¡­¡­! It¡¯s the same as the person who put the curse on me¡­¡­!¡± ¡ºWell well, long time no see, Mineko. You sisters both really have the nerve to double-cross me. Even though I took the troubles of thinking about taking you both in as a comrade despite being a beastman.¡» ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡­¡­! You have been tormenting me and my big sister!¡± ¡ºYou didn¡¯t fix those very defiant looks of yours, so there¡¯s no helping it, is there? Even I didn¡¯t really want to do something violent, you see? Besides, I told you I would release you from that if you continued cooperating with me, didn¡¯t I?¡» That¡¯s a lie. I saw Touma had looking diagonally upwards for an instant. It¡¯s this guy¡¯s habit whenever he makes up a lie. I know that, especially because I had a fight with him to the death¡­¡­It¡¯s the only part of this guy that¡¯s easy to understand. ¡ºWell, whatever. I¡¯ll just dispose of you if you¡¯re telling me you will side with Setsu. Only I can be near Setsu. I¡¯m sorry Setsu¡­¡­I¡¯ll soon erase that female cat and then be by your side, okay?¡» ¡°Gh!?¡± ¡°You talk too much, who¡¯s going to allow that?¡± I hold Mineko who was behind me tightly like I¡¯m embracing her. This girl, Shironeko, Roa too, anybody else, I can¡¯t let any of them be erased. They¡¯re undeniably already my important people. ¡°Mi- mister Setsu¡­¡­¡± ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­How envious¡­¡­envious, yup, I¡¯m envious of you, Mineko. Say, why though? Setsu. Why would you not hold me tightly? Couldn¡¯t you treat me more preciously I wonder? I can do so much more for you than that sort of woman you know? If you wish for it, I will look after all of your daily life. If you wish for it, I will even look after your nights! Is that still not good? Is my body not good after all? Things like gender is irrelevant I tell you! If there¡¯s love between us then it doesn¡¯t matter at all! Hey, listen Setsu. Come to my side. I will make you happy. The demons and beastmen who have deceived you. I¡¯ll destroy them all for you, so let¡¯s live together with the two of us, with just the two of us, okay? At a quiet place where nobody will come¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡» ¡°That part¡¯s what¡¯s not good, you yandere bastard.¡± I interrupt Touma¡¯s words and thrust at him with one hand. My body refuse to listen to anymore of this. ¡°If you lay your hands on my companions anymore than this, then I will kill you with these hands of mine. I¡¯ve already killed you once, killing you twice wouldn¡¯t change much I bet.¡± I don¡¯t know how he revived himself, but if I had failed to kill him, then I have to properly kill him once more. Once, I had taken responsibility of the life of the person called Kamishiro Touma. Taking responsibility of his life until the end should be my duty. ¡°It took all of my effort until now just to take responsibility of your life, but it¡¯s a different story if you¡¯re alive. Once more¡­¡­I¡¯m going to set things straight and take responsibility of your life once more.¡± ¡º¡­¡­You really won¡¯t understand me the ordinary way, do you? Fine, If you wish for it¡­¡­then shall we go for it? Right now I¡¯m in the demon continent. As you have already known, we¡¯re in the highly acclaimed war. If you¡¯re coming, then it¡¯s better to come quickly, you know? My subordinates will also be participating in person after all.¡» His subordinates must likely be those black robes. I¡¯m aware of the abilities of those guys. For that reason I don¡¯t want to pay attention to this guy and quickly go. ¡°I get it already. I¡¯ll be going lickety split, so stay put and wait.¡± ¡ºfufufu¡­¡­¡¯kay, I¡¯ll be waiting. This time I will for sure¡­¡­win you over to my side¡» Leaving behind those words, Touma¡¯s figure became dim. That guy was showing a bold smile until his figure was completely erased. Acting like he could afford to like always¡­¡­annoying bastard. ¡°Mi-mister Setsu¡­¡­Uhm¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hm? Ah, my bad.¡± ¡°It¡¯s, it¡¯s fine¡­¡­¡± Come to think of it, I forgot I was holding Mineko tightly. After separating, her face was flushed red and she flap-flap fanned her face with her hand. That appearance of hers was a little charming and for some reason it felt like my anger resided and I was able to calm myself down. ¡°Thanks, Mineko. I was able to stay calm for a bit thanks to you.¡± ¡°Me, me too¡­¡­I was a little happy¡­¡­desu.¡± Humm¡­¡­the appearance of her looking down with her face red is stimulating me quite a bit. I knew it, I really can¡¯t let them get erased by Touma. This girl too or anyone for that matter, I can¡¯t let those guy do that to them. ¡°Are you two okay!?¡± ¡°Are you okay desu?¡± ¡°Roa, Shironeko¡­¡­I see you¡¯re all fine¡± The two who have descended from the audience seats, though they look a little unwell, have already become able to move normally. ¡°I¡¯m mostly fine now. But still, that just now¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s the bastard Touma.¡± ¡°I knew it¡­¡­¡± Roa¡¯s facial expression turned vicious. This girl is also one who knows about that guy¡¯s terror. Her body trembling a bit can¡¯t be helped I guess. ¡°That is¡­¡­the same voice of the human who ordered me desu. ¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡­That¡¯s how it looks like, big sis.¡± These two must also have things to think about. They¡¯ve been completely coerced and used after all, from the looks of it. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThis has become quite the incident.¡± ¡°Regulus¡­¡­Are you fine too?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been able to move since quite a while ago so I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ve also heard the whole conversation.¡± He seems to be walking with composure, is that a situation where I say ¡°as expected of him¡±? Just to be sure, I apply light magic on everyone and completely purify that curse. ¡°What to say about Ruga¡­¡­if I only hadn¡¯t propose this sort of fight¡­¡­¡± ¡°No¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dit should happen either way. ¡° It won¡¯t be easy to escape from Touma, seeing that he¡¯s got a curse planted on him. Sooner or later he¡¯ll be made to rampage without any prior notice and thus he would have his appearance changed and be made of use. As far as that guy is concerned, he must have been the perfect chess piece the moment he fell in love with Roa. He would even use love, that¡¯s the cruel part of that guy. ¡°Let me do his burial. And you all will¡­¡­¡± ¡°Go to the demon continent. ASAP.¡± I will go and stop them. And then quickly put an end to this war. ¡°Okay. If that¡¯s the case, then let¡¯s prepare the transfer magic circle. It shouldn¡¯t take so much time, but I¡¯d like you to wait for a bit.¡± ¡°Got it. ¡± If I can transfer, then I expect it¡¯ll be much faster than crossing the ocean. If it¡¯s like this then I feel that I can go there before the black robed bunches begin to act violently. Still, there¡¯s a lot to worry about. Yuuhi, who¡¯s supposed to have been made to participate in the war, Levia who went a step earlier towards the war and Desastre who was first to be aimed at. I¡¯m begging you, I want you all to be safe. (They¡­¡­ will be going already I guess) There¡¯s people who are relieving that anxiety of mine a little. If my expectation is¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dif my hope is right, then those guys should already be heading towards the demon country for me. ¡°I¡¯m counting on you¡­¡­you three.¡± CH 48 A few hours before the fight started between Setsu and the wolfblade Ruga in the beastmen continent. Inside the castle of the human continent¡¯s kingdom of Destinea, the research institute of Tia Amarette aka the magic scholar. Within were figures of three people. One was the owner of this chamber, Tia Amarette. The other Elka Versoe. And the last was Glain Armony The three were standing on a large magic circle¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Da transfer magic circle to be accurate. ¡°He has finally come out of this formal castle hasn¡¯t he¡­¡­¡± ¡°I am able to perfectly percept Touma¡¯s magic power. This castle had served its purpose with this.¡± ¡°You are relentless aren¡¯t you two? I am getting quite attached to this place however.¡± Thus, with the existence called Touma appearing on the front stage at last, their objective, the confirmation of Touma¡¯s existence has come to an end. Since it had come to this, they had no need to collect information using this castle as a base. In other words¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dit meant they have become able to move freely. ¡°If master Setsu is here then I can feel attached to any place, you know?¡± ¡°In other words, if there¡¯s no attachment because he¡¯s not here, then¡­¡­¡± ¡°That is how it will be.¡± It was Elka who declared so with a firm expression, but as a result of the contents of her words having substance, Glain turned exasperated and let out a sigh. ¡°If Setsu is here then anywhere is fun. That¡¯s why, let us quickly go to Setsu¡¯s side.¡± ¡°Tia, you are also nearly always like this¡­¡­But I suppose I am of the same opinion on that point.¡± The transfer magic circle began to shine. It is on standby for invocation and it was a signal that it could immediately fly. ¡°For now we participate in the war, arrange the extermination targets for the human soldiers, discover a gap and recover miss Yuuhi. Don¡¯t forget, okay?¡± ¡°I know. It would be nice if master Setsu is there¡­¡­¡± ¡°No problem. Even if Setsu couldn¡¯t come yet, I will go with the resolve to end it before he does.¡± Glain forced a smile towards the reliability of the women¡¯s camp. It couldn¡¯t be helped that he ended up wondering why despite being a man, he doesn¡¯t have any dignity like this and that the women were strong. ¡°Now then¡­¡­Mister Setsu must be depending on us as well, so¡­¡­shall we go?¡± Now, three strong people went towards the battlefield. It was not that Setsu could use telepathy with them. And yet, they had a long and close relationship and they are connected to him strong enough to understand what they desire from each other. The military strength that can shake the world were all present in the demon continent. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó ¡°Fuuh¡­¡­Setsu really hasn¡¯t changed.¡± ¡°Have you finished making your appearance, oh lord of mine.¡± ¡°Yup, thanks for waiting, Kagerou. Everyone.¡± Above the enormous cliff where large drops of rain were falling, were standing in a line seven men and women wearing black robes. At the heart of them was Touma. He had the same appearance as the thought body Setsu had seen some time ago. ¡°The beastman really was useless as expected¡­¡­To embarrass master Touma¡­¡­¡± ¡°Now now, calm down Luna. I don¡¯t mind it after all¡± ¡°But!¡± ¡°You¡¯re all useful to me, aren¡¯t you?¡± He asked and all of the black robes nodded deeply. There were even people among them who showed a smile from being relied on. They love Touma that strongly and have pledged their allegiance to him, to the point that they would die if they were told to die. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡­Now, shall we go then¡­¡­people who have been rejected by the world.¡± Now, in accordance with Touma¡¯s command, the six reapers were released in the battlefield below the cliff. While displaying the fight for supremacy between the human and demon soldiers, the death agony of the demon soldiers began to reverberate. Just about this time, the battlefield in which its balance had been maintained, finally began to show an inclination. ¡°Now! Trample them down for me please! My adorable toys!¡± The laughter of the maddened Hero, reverberated through the battlefield. On this day, rain was falling¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó ¡°So, so strong! Somebody stop her! Stop this girl!¡± Why¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dam I here? ¡°You bastard! That skin and horn should be of a demon! Why are you attacking us!?¡± ¡°This brethren murderer is gyaa¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± Why¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Ddid I stab one of the same race? ¡°We can¡¯t stop her! Surround her and kill¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°Private first class!¡± I pierce the crown of the noisy man. I burn down those soldiers in my surroundings with magic, draw out the rapier continuously and stop his breathing. ¡°I- it¡¯s a redhaired woman! A redhaired woman holding a Rapier! She has a scar on her shoulder! Bring her down with maximum priority! Don¡¯t let her go right after her Majesty!¡± ¡°I, I can¡¯t stop her! Gyaa!¡± What¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Din the world am I doing? My consciousness is blurry. Whatever I was thinking about since a while ago, I can¡¯t bring it together. Where is this place? For whose and what sake am I fighting? Why does my arm continue to thrust out my rapier? Another person died. Stop. Help me. Stop. STOP, STOP, STOP, STOP. STOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOP¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D! Someone please¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DSTOP ME¡± A redhaired demon woman suddenly started breaking into the battlefield. Smeared with the blood of the same race, the girl whose whole body was completely dyed red loitered alone on the battlefield. What was in her vicinity were corpses, corpses, corpses¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D Loitering around with no expression, with a vacant expression, the girl shed red tears. The blood on her body ran down from the rain and those tears vanished before long. Or perhaps¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dwhat was flowing from those eyes of hers may not have been tears. It¡¯s because she was changed so she could not harbor those emotions anymore. Even so, she cried and screamed. From her heart¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dfrom a deep, dark and confined place somewhere. ¡°She¡¯s here! It¡¯s that woman!¡± ¡°Brethren murderer bitch! Die here!¡± ¡°What¡¯s that guy beside her!?¡± Preys have turned up once again. Her body moved naturally. For the sake of those, to kill them. Besides her were soldiers standing unnoticed. Those bodies were twice the size of hers, soldiers who were wearing unrefined armor and numerous magic circles. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DIt¡¯s the name of the arms of war to be handed down in the world afterwards. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DLET¡¯S GO, RAMELL¡± The girl muttered. As if in agreement to that, the magic soldiers began moving. Around the time the black robed reapers appeared, a different threat began moving at the corner of the battlefield¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D CH 49 ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Roa¡­¡­¡± One of the rooms of the world tree castle. We who have plans to go to the demon continent have been taking a rest for a while here until the arrangements of the transfer magic circle is prepared. I think I¡¯ve said it before that large amounts of magic power is necessary for a transfer magic circle. Hence there¡¯s the disadvantage that it¡¯s useless at times of emergency. Even if you leave it fully charged to remove the disadvantage, it¡¯s not something you would accumulate in case it¡¯s used by accident or abused. The counter-measure they took against that is by replenishing it with a certain amount of magic power and so they can finish it with a quick charge at the time of use. Even if beastmen don¡¯t have much magic power which is typical to their race, it shouldn¡¯t take more than a few hours after the battle with Ruga, so it should be completed soon¡­¡­ ¡°I¡¯m also worried about Desas really¡­¡­Whatever you say, she¡¯s the demon king so yeah, won¡¯t she be targeted more likely? ¡°You have a point I guess¡­¡­¡± I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll be attacked so easily if it¡¯s her, but depending on the movements of the black robed bunches, there is a possibility that she will instantly come to danger. I won¡¯t be able to deal with it if I still haven¡¯t started moving though. ¡°Well¡­¡­the five demon generals are also there and she herself is very strong. It should be fine for the next while. ¡° ¡°I think so, but you know¡­¡­¡± ¡°Besides, I¡¯ll notice it if there¡¯s danger approaching her life.¡± ¡°Aah, so you¡¯ve given her that kind of thing too.¡± Roa said and she stroked the black choker worn on her neck. The choker and brooch I¡¯ve given to Roa and Desas has an original magic inserted that I created from scratch. It reacts to the danger of the owner¡¯s life and will in turn signal me. Basically the kind of accessory I¡¯ve given has this embedded to it and the fact that it isn¡¯t responding at the moment means that everyone can be said to be safe. On a side note, the people I¡¯ve given those are Yuuhi, the three companions, Desastre, Ruri, Levia, Regulus, Roa¡­¡­there are more people, but they have no reason to go somewhere like a battleground, so the ones I ought to be worrying about are the lots I named. Ruri is a merchant so she won¡¯t be fighting, but that doesn¡¯t mean that she won¡¯t be in danger, seeing that she¡¯s living in Evil Barrow and the enemies will be marching there. I¡¯m worried about the others, but I¡¯m worried about Yuuhi the most. That girl¡¯s kind hearted, so she may show sympathy towards her enemies even on the battlefield and may see something painful. If Elka and the others are going towards the demon continent like I expect them to and protect her, then I can have quite a bit of peace of mind though¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Merchant! Water please!¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± Ruri, the very young merchant was frantically carrying the requested baggage, even while mud is stuck on her clothes that has become wet from the rain. The girl wasn¡¯t fighting just like Setsu expected, but in this way she had been serving the demon army as the supply squad. Ruri, an acquaintance to the demon king Desastre, was entrusted with the supply role by the demon king herself while being human and thus she had been running around the battleground. She had favorably managed the stand with the deep fried food Setsu passed down to her and with the reason that the soldiers ¡°are able to eat Setsu¡¯s cooking,¡± they made it their favorite store and they¡¯ve gotten on good terms with her. She also has decent skills as a merchant and with the soldier¡¯s trust in her, her ability in taking action and her tact, Ruri being elected as the supply squad leader was, in a meaning, inevitable. At first she came across other supply squad members who were dissatisfied with being pointed at by a human much younger than themselves, but due to her tact, accurate instructions and how hectic the battleground had been, they could no longer feel things like dissatisfaction¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dor perhaps, they don¡¯t even have the leisure to feel it. ¡°Squad leader! The medical squad is requesting clean clothes and tools for first aid treatment because there are too many casualties!¡± ¡°So it means they don¡¯t have enough recovery magic anymore then¡­¡­if so then those are inside the tray of the carriage. As for clean clothes, clothes are put in a bag so it doesn¡¯t get wet by the rain. You could get others lend a hand, so please take some magic recovery potions to the medical squad. It¡¯s just in case, but I think it¡¯s better than nothing, so. ¡± ¡°I understand!¡± After receiving her instructions, the young agile figured member dashed to the supply area. Ruri too ferried across the water casket she was holding to the knight who had come requesting it. ¡°Thank ye! Wait, it¡¯s heavy!? Missy, you¡¯ve been carrying this!?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a trick on how to carry this, you know! You¡¯ll master it even if you dislike doing business on your own.¡± ¡°Really¡­¡­ain¡¯t that amazing. Oh right, thank you!¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome!¡± The girl ran once again. Behind the battleground, a lone merchant was supporting the battling soldiers. ¡°Ur¡­¡­eugh¡± ¡°Mitsuki, are you okay? The human side¡¯s stronghold, built on the demon continent. It has become a place for medical treatment of injured soldiers and a rest area for those who were forced to retreat temporarily. Among them were also the figures of the Heroes and each of them were looking unwell. ¡°So-Sorr¡­¡­in front of people¡­¡­I¡­¡­ueh.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be unreasonable I tell ya¡­¡­just throw up everything now.¡± Having seen the many deceased in front of her eyes, Mitsuki had various emotions mixing in since a while ago. She was unable stop feeling nauseous and could not separate herself from the bucket of filth. Nestling close to the girl who earnestly continued to throw up was Jirou who was similarly summoned as a Hero. He too may have come to see various things on the battlefield, but he was comparatively in a better state of mind. The mind of he who had been involved in combat sports like boxing and judo was quite tough compared to those of the same generation. ¡°Hey! Pull yerself together!¡± ¡°Sorry Endou¡­¡­¡± ¡°I, I don¡¯t feel so good¡­¡­¡± Endou and those followers of his were quite defeated as well. It was Endou who was rebuking the followers, but he himself looked unwell. ¡°*sigh* ¡­¡­shit¡­¡­why are we looking like this¡­¡­¡± ¡°Endou-kun and the others, are you all right? I¡¯m here with water. ¡± ¡°Hanabashira-san!¡± When he noticed that the person who had come pouring water was Yuuhi, Endou immediately stretched himself. ¡°Want some?¡± ¡°Ye, yes please!¡± Endou took in his hand the cup Yuuhi was holding and drank it like he was greedy. Just by receiving water from the opposite sex he yearned for and being treated kindly by her, he recovered his cheerful expression. Yuuhi who didn¡¯t notice Endou¡¯s health turning back felt relieved that he was at least looking well. ¡°Let me know if there¡¯s anything, okay?¡± Not being led to fight thanks to Kouma, Yuuhi had been working in the stronghold as the one in charge of odd jobs. Endou looked reluctant to part with her, but because she still have things to do, she immediately left the place with the rest of the water. ¡°Yuu¡­¡­Aren¡¯t you going to rest?¡± ¡°Kouma-kun¡­¡­¡± When she was about to carry water to the others, Kouma hindered her. He was looking at Yuuhi like he was somewhat upset, but fatigue is showing on that face. Kouma himself took down a considerable amount of people and so his mind was somewhat enduring it. ¡°But I hardly fought, you know? That¡¯s why I have to do this¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°Even so, you should rest! These chores aren¡¯t something you should do Yuuhi!¡± Because Kouma unintentionally let out a loud voice, everyone there looked his way. ¡°I will be protecting you. That¡¯s why you can hide yourself behind me on the battlefield, and you don¡¯t have to do these things either.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The girls were bashful and the boys admired Kouma who said something a game character would say. Yuuhi too couldn¡¯t say anything. Being deeply moved¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dwas not the reason. Great delight¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dwas not why she couldn¡¯t either. It was because she helplessly became ¡°disgusted¡± with him. (These times¡­¡­Yuki-kun would actually praise me) Yuuhi have had numerous friends since long ago and due to that she had been involved with various people. In that process, she had often helped people and had become idolized by even more people. Whenever Yuuhi gives a hand to someone or saves someone, Setsu would praise her. What he had there was an upfront respect for her. Naturally there were also praises from those around her. The girl called Hanabashira Yuuhi is a kind-hearted girl they say¡­¡­ However, her heart, as a matter of fact, wasn¡¯t particularly kind. She is simply just kind within bounds of common sense. She is kind so she would help people¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dis not how it is. Setsu had praised me when I saved someone¡­¡­In the end, the girl called Hanabashira Yuuhi helps people and would work for people in order to have the man called Setsu praise her. To praise is namely the part where he acknowledges her. Because he loves Yuuhi, Setsu would acknowledge and support her actions. Because he loves Yuuhi, Kouma would try to protect her without acknowledging those actions. There lies a difference that can¡¯t possibly be shortened. Yuuhi is anything but a weak woman. The strength that seems to want to protect rather than be protected, that is what she possess. Kouma who had become beyond overprotective is nothing more than a hindrance to Yuuhi. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Where are you going!?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to breath in some fresh air¡­¡­I¡¯d like to be alone.¡± ¡°Oh, okay¡­¡­ Being put in an unexpected conspicuous bind and losing her mood to perform her chores, Yuuhi passed by Kouma and headed outside. Jirou who had seen the whole scene called out to the surprised looking Kouma. ¡°¡­¡­Aren¡¯t ya a lil¡¯ overprotective? Kouma.¡± ¡°I¡­¡­don¡¯t want Yuu to face any dangers¡± ¡°I understand that feeling of yours, but¡­¡­She¡¯s also strong, you know that? She ain¡¯t be getting done in so easily I tell ya.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be sure of that, can you!?¡± An angry voice once again resounded in the stronghold. Finally, Jirou stood up and struck his fist towards the face of Kouma who didn¡¯t think much about his surroundings. ¡°Gah¡­¡­¡± ¡°Open your eyes¡­¡­Look¡± A small scream was raised from their surroundings. Kouma rolled on the floor, became dumbfounded and couldn¡¯t move, with an appearance saying he didn¡¯t understand why he was hit. Jirou grabbed his collar and raised him to connect their gazes. ¡°I understand your feeling of being worried about the girl you like and not wanting to expose her to danger! But you know, is Yuu being safe good enough for you!? How about the others!? There are already people hurt, you know!? It¡¯s frustrating, but the strongest among us is you! Everyone is relying on you! Thinking of constantly worrying about Yuu and neglecting others!? I¡¯m not gonna let ya!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡± ¡°Can Yuu not even fight¡­¡­we should have included her and protected the others who are bad at fighting, don¡¯t you think¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kouma began to feel embarrassed and turned his face away from Jirou. ¡°¡­¡­Sorry Jirou. I probably wasn¡¯t calm for a bit.¡± ¡°¡­¡­No probs. My bad for hitting ya.¡± Jirou stepped back from above Kouma and stuck out his hand. Kouma took that hand to stand up and lowered his head to the surrounding classmates who had been looking worriedly. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve made you anxious.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that.¡± When Jirou also apologized after Kouma, each of the classmates return to their rest, feeling relieved. Especially Mitsuki who is close to the two; she noticed the stiff atmosphere during that time and now she stroke down her chest in relief. ¡°I¡¯ll go see Yuu.¡± ¡°Heyhey wait, going now would be awkward don¡¯t ya think?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go for ya. And then apologize to her okay?¡± ¡°I got it¡­¡­I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± He actually knew the awkward part? Kouma decided to leave it to Jirou. He sat on the chair and waited for the two to return. However¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dhowever long he waited, the two didn¡¯t come back. ¡°*sigh*¡­¡­¡± A little moments before. Having slipped out of the stronghold, Yuuhi covered herself in a raincoat so as to not get wet from the rain and walked outside. The air that smells of gunpowder and rain is somewhat intense, but it appeared to be very much better than the air submerging the inside of the stronghold. (Kouma-kun¡­¡­Is kind of getting a little in the way.) She understands his feeling of worrying over her, but that was overdoing it in every way. Yuuhi, who wanted to quickly try and meet a demon who knows Setsu and visit the other side, couldn¡¯t stand it with Kouma¡¯s existence being a hindrance. ¡°I wish I could just up and leave like this¡­¡­¡± She muttered as she kicked the stones under her feet and immediately abandoned the thought. There were too many people surrounding the stronghold. Her leaving on her own will absolutely be seen like this. Yuuhi and the others were forbidden to take independent actions, so if their figures are seen leaving on their own then they may be brought back. ¡°*sigh*¡­¡­I guess I should go back now¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°La-lady Hero!¡± The moment she felt calm and tried going back inside the stronghold, she was stopped by the voice of a knight running from the other side. He looked like he was excessively impatient, it made her feel it wasn¡¯t just a trivial matter. ¡°What is wrong?¡± ¡°That, that is¡­¡­the five demon generals have appeared and¡­¡­right now I am going to request support from the Heroes.¡± ¡°!¡± The five demon generals, that name was also told to Yuuhi. Ability of at the very least SS rank and above, they are five subordinates under direct control of the demon king. Strong people where troops of ordinary soldiers will never be enough for has finally revealed their figures on the battlefield. ¡°I alone have confirmed it, however¡­¡­our current situation is that our forces are annihilated and¡­¡­¡± ¡°And which way is it?¡± ¡°It is that way¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dpya-!¡± Suddenly, Yuuhi took hold of the soldier¡¯s neck and the soldier lost his consciousness. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± After supporting the unconscious soldier and leaving him on the ground, she shook her arm that was coiled with crackling electricity to erase that electricity. To Yuuhi who can use magic of various attributes, this much was a child¡¯s play. Since it looked like the soldier suddenly collapsed, the nearby soldiers who were keeping watch rushed towards them. ¡°What happened to him!?¡± ¡°It looks like he somehow accumulated fatigue, please carry him.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± When Yuuhi saw off the two soldiers carrying him, Yuuhi started running in the direction where the five demon generals appeared. (The five demon generals¡­¡­I¡¯m sure those people would¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D) The look-out had thinned out and as a result, Yuuhi vanished into the forest without being called to stop by anyone. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThat girl¡­¡­where does she think she¡¯s going?¡± Except one. Jirou who went out shortly after her, discovered her retreating figure and similarly entered the forest. CH 50 You are reading a translation of scarletmadness.org. Please read this chapter on the original site if you wish to show support to us. ¡°!¡± ¡°Gyaa!¡± The black spears unleashed by the black robe wearing man, Kagerou pierced through the demon soldiers. The soldiers had surrounded him, but he escaped before they could begin their offensive with a magic that let him go into shadows. ¡°Do- do something about him!¡± ¡°He, he¡¯s too strong!¡± ¡°Uwaah! Kagerou surveyed his surroundings uninterestedly after mowing down the soldiers with a gigantic fist. ¡°Even though we released our main forces, are the demons still thinking of holding back?¡± He could not find any satisfaction in his mind with the groups he could kill in his spare time. He was about to swing his shadow fist again, but at that time¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°!¡± ¡°W-!¡± Kagerou reflexively jumped to the side. The place he had been standing at all this time was pierced by a flame lance and in no time another flame lance flew towards the place he escaped towards. ¡°Twin magic!?¡± He separated that place by rolling in panic and soon the lance pierced the ground beside him. Perhaps he was grazed; the edges of his robe was burnt but there was no damage. ¡°Fuh, a tough looking person has shown up!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have time to rest, you know!¡± ¡°Tch!¡± Realizing the bloodlust behind him, Kagerou leaped forward. ¡°!¡± Together with a thunderous roar, the ground shook. Kagerou who had his feet on the ground was distracted by the shaking and had gotten himself in a difficult situation where he had to cancel his previous magic ¡°I knew ordinary methods won¡¯t do.¡± ¡°It will be better than it being unsatisfying.¡± ¡°You bastards¡­¡­so you have finally appeared.¡± Who showed their figures were a petite girl and a man of large build. Those two were close aides of the demon king who have previously confronted Kagerou¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°One of the five demon generals, Lily Lavent. We meet again.¡± ¡°One of the five demon generals, Ides Armicks ¡­¡­Here I go, black robe.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not black robe, my name is Kagerou. ¡­¡­Two demon generals, no shortage in opponents there!¡± Kagerou took off his black robe and revealed his appearance. He possessed black hair and on that well ordered face was a large scar. ¡°Heh!? Isn¡¯t he quite the hot guy!?¡± Lily kneaded her magic power and Ides readied his fists. Kagerou took out and readied the sword concealed behind his back. The powerful tops, prided by both their armies, collided here at that time. ¡°Hmph!¡± A magic fired by Brad, one of the five demon generals, burned a human soldier. ¡°You can¡¯t take me down with mere toys!¡± ¡°Gi¡­¡­ih¡­¡­¡± He jumped over a blow from the magic soldiers approaching from behind and landed on that shoulder. He plunged the red knife in his hand into the base of the magic soldier¡¯s throat where the armor is thin and that soldier fell on its knees after convulsing. (So appearance-wise it¡¯s a puppet, but the fact blood comes out means it¡¯s a living thing?) When he pulled the knife out, blood spurted from the base of its throat. The magic soldiers who rushed on as soon as they had come to the battlefield, had the strength of several ordinary soldiers. They were no significant foes to Brad of the five demon generals, however they must have become quite the amazement on its own way, thanks to them being in numbers. ¡°So first I should take down the puppets.¡± Brad cut up his palm and the blood overflowing from there emerged and floated on top of his hand. ¡°¡± The suspended blood divided itself and was fired towards the magic soldiers as if they were bullets. The spheres of blood that had hit penetrated the armor and pulverized the head which is the control tower of the body. The magic soldiers whose functioning ceased crumbled down and the human soldiers who had seen that regretted underestimating the existence of the five demon generals. ¡°The magic soldiers were easily¡­¡­ugh!¡± ¡°Te- temporary withdrawal!¡± ¡°You think I¡¯ll let you get away?¡± When Brad readied his red knife, the blood flowing out of his palm coiled around that knife. ¡°¡± The gathered blood was stretched thinly by his magic power, transforming the knife blade to unimaginable length. He swung that thin and long firm blade with all his strength and the human soldiers were easily bisected. And then¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dafter sucking up the blood of those soldiers and stretching even more, the knife reaped the other soldiers¡¯ lives by the roots. ¡°Did I get them all¡­¡­No¡± Brad turned around. There was a raincoat wearing young girl whose looks were not often seen. (¡­¡­She¡¯s strong) Brad judged with a glance. That she had a level of strength similar to his. He had a premonition that he wouldn¡¯t lose, but even he would bear seriously injuries. ¡°You bastard¡­¡­who are you?¡± Brad asked and the young girl began approaching him. There was no hostility in her approach and while some wariness was remaining, Brad allowed her to approach him. ¡°I am Hanabashira Yuuhi. I don¡¯t have any intentions to fight, okay? I only want to talk a little.¡± ¡°Hum¡­¡­¡± There were no signs of her lying. With this occasion, Brad judged she was one of the summoned Heroes of another world. The fact that it was an unusual name in this world, the fact she had unusual looks and the fact that she looked still green despite possessing mighty strength. There should be no doubt that she is a Hero. ¡°It depends on what you will talk about. With that I¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°Setsu¡­¡­Do you know of a boy with that name?¡± ¡°Gh!¡­¡­Fine then, we change our locations for a while.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± This time, Yuuhi made a fist pump in her mind. She had heard it from Eruka that the five demon generals knew about Setsu, but it was a gamble whether they would accept a conversation with her just by revealing that name. Yuuhi seems to have broken through the first hurdle, so she felt relieved. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°Yuu!¡± The instant Yuuhi was about to walk away with Brad, a voice she knew of called out to her from the back. There was Jirou standing with a look of shock. ¡°An acquaintance of yours?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yuu! Why are you together with a person like that!?¡± Jirou walked up to them. Yuuhi, who had a troubled look for an instant, instantaneously erased that look and¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Noope, don¡¯t know him.¡± ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dreleased an orange blaze towards Jirou. ¡°Ugh! Aaaaagh!¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡­¡± With his body covered in flames, Jirou struggled and rolled over on the spot. The blaze weakened by the rain and the wet ground, but Yuuhi¡¯s flames weren¡¯t so weak as to vanish from that. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Yuuhi immediately turned her eyes from Jirou, turned her back and walked away. ¡°Isn¡¯t he your comrade? Is this fine?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know that sort of person, you know. And even if I do¡­¡­he¡¯s just a nuisance right now.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Brad was surprised. He immediately understood that this man and she were friends. What was surprising was that he couldn¡¯t sense any sort of intentions in Yuuhi¡¯s eyes. ¡°¡­¡­Hmph, such an eerie woman.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so rude to mee¡­¡­¡± The two walked, heading towards the demon¡¯s military camp. Hanabashira Yuuhi¡¯s treachery was conveyed by Jirou; he was rescued by soldiers who happened to pass by him and although he had received light burns on his whole body, he received medical treatment and had hung onto his life. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dis our current status!¡± ¡°I understand, you may stand down.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± Sitting on the throne of the demon castle, Desastre let the soldier who had come to report the progress of battle stand down and deeply pondered with her arms crossed. It became a very wonderful scene where her large breasts were highlighted by her crossed arms, but fortunately only two women including her were in that room, so there were none who could desire this. ¡°Strong demons serving as soldiers, puppet soldiers that could not even be taken down with three soldiers and then the black robed men¡­¡­is it. So although they still have not entered Evil Barrow, coming this far will be a matter of time.¡± ¡°The situation isn¡¯t good, is it?¡± ¡°*sigh*¡­¡­It is as you have said, Levia.¡± Standing next to Desastre, whose hardships didn¡¯t die out due to her position as king, Levia produced water and gave some to her. ¡°My gratitude for your troubles¡­¡­¡± ¡°A king¡¯s position is also terrible.¡± ¡°Fufu¡­¡­well, it does not look like my worries are petering out.¡± Desastre laughed in a self-deprecating sense. The wars in this world was strongly like Japan¡¯s Warring States period; the army who defeats the king becomes the victor. Desastre whose life was targeted by all soldiers will wear away her mind, no matter how much she is a king of demons. ¡°The awareness of my responsibility that it will be our defeat if I am defeated, while taking considerations about the safety of my comrades; am I truly someone who would be defeated with just that?¡± Desastre cursed at her own inexperience. ¡°The number of those black robes don¡¯t match with the number of fighting power who could oppose those people¡­¡­If all five demon generals are at least present¡­¡­Uugh! What are those two doing!? It¡¯s not like they have lost their lives I suppose¡­¡­¡± The beastmen-demons allied forces had headed towards the human continent a long while ago in order to attack them. Among them were the remaining two of the five demon generals. However they have come to understand from the fact the humans were attacking the demon continent like this that the allied forces were annihilated in an instant. She should have accumulated a considerable fighting power and kept it in check so that the human army could not come out of their continent, but she didn¡¯t believe from the beginning that they would be crushed so swiftly. However that seems to be the truth; proof is that none of the remaining soldiers have returned. Those two didn¡¯t appear to be safe either. ¡°But the fact they didn¡¯t return means they¡¯re dead aren¡¯t they, I wonder?¡± ¡°No¡­¡­they will be the last to die. They err¡­¡­they have their moments when they act a little selfish, but I am certain of their abilities. I am almost certain that they have escaped unhurt.¡± There may have been circumstances where they could not return¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dcontinued Desastre, but if that is the case then they should somehow get in touch with us, Levia thought instead. It would be a different story if their circumstances didn¡¯t even allow for that¡­¡­ ¡°If only they are here we could turn it around¡­¡­kuh, I suppose they should be hiding, considering the inevitable.¡± ¡°How should I say this¡­¡­quite the unique people are they.¡± ¡°They are also troublemakers you see¡­¡­the ¡®I¡¯m begging you, I only wish you not to bring poor results¡¯ sort of people.¡± Levia once again handed over some water in silence to the crestfallen Desastre who hung her head. ¡°If we endure it a bit longer, then Setsu and his party should come. Once that happens we will turn the tide of battle upside down.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡­¡± With the name Setsu, vitality returned to Desastre¡¯s eyes. To the current Desastre, no, the entirety of the demons, Setsu was their hope. In actuality, if only he arrives, then they could call this battle their victory. That is why we hold out for now. It won¡¯t even be a laughing matter if we end up defeated at the time he comes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s how it is. Not to mention if we were to lose¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± Desastre stopped speaking. It¡¯s because she noticed Levia exposing her anger, clenching her teeth enough to make sound next to her. ¡°I will not let them¡­¡­the black robed group do as they like. I will absolutely slaughter them all.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Desastre too felt the same. If the girls were defeated¡­¡­then they would be utilised by them. They absolutely had to avoid that from happening. The reason why was¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°We can not let them cause it¡­¡­! Something like the that is¡­¡­!¡± ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dbecause this world, would come to an end. ¡°Setsu, preparation of the transfer magic circle is done.¡± ¡°Great. Thanks Regulus.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I won¡¯t accept the fact that a country we are bound by alliance are in a crisis either. After this I will also dispatch soldiers from here as reinforcements, though it will be by boat.¡± ¡°Really. Then I¡¯ll rely on them on the cleaning up, because I¡¯m going to end it before those guys are there.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that quite the thing to say.¡± While having a frivolous talk with Regulus, I wake up the cat sisters who were thoroughly sleeping like a log. Roa who had been relaxing her body in a corner also noticed us and came this way fit for battle. ¡°Listen, we¡¯re going! You sleepy heads!¡± ¡°Eh¡­¡­ah! Yes, yes Sir!¡± I¡¯m still sleepy desu¡­¡­¡± I produce a water ball and throw it at Shironeko who looks still half asleep unlike Mineko who immediately began preparing her appearance. ¡°You awake?¡± ¡°Perfectly desu¡± Shironeko scowled at me with half open eyes, but the one who is in the wrong is the shameless you. While she who got wet by water is drying her clothes in her spare time, we head towards the transfer magic circle. ¡°You all, you¡¯re ready this?¡± ¡°Yeah¡± ¡°I¡¯m going out now, daddy.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do anything excessive, you hear me?¡± ¡°I know, I know.¡± Each of us are properly checking our equipments. The outfit of the cat sisters didn¡¯t change from the usual. They were adventurer-like clothes that resembles mine. Roa is wearing an outfit with little cloth area as if to make the most of her ability to move. Some time ago she wore and randomly invited me in this equipment, so I made her faint in agony with a poke in the forehead. Sure it¡¯s sexy but still cute, but it¡¯s somehow different being shown suggestively. I knew it, it¡¯s the shyness you know, shyness. In contrast to the equipment of the three, I¡¯m carrying Kuromaru on my back and it indeed has the feeling of a heavy equipment. I feel anxious about it since it looks like the tip would scrape the ground with my height, even if I carry it diagonally. ¡°¡­¡­How about you put that in your magic bag?¡± ¡°Roa, you don¡¯t get it do you? This way will feel more like a battle don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Is that, is that so?¡± Shironeko and Mineko, don¡¯t look at me with questioning looks. Carrying a large sword on his back is a man¡¯s romance you know? ¡­¡­In any case, with this the preparations of all of us are in good order. ¡°Alright¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DNow, let¡¯s go you girls.¡± The transfer light wrapped us up who are standing on the magic circle in the middle of the room. With this, we plunged into a battlefield large enough to remain in history. Here¡­¡­in this war, I myself will decide to tear off the shackles called my creed. CH 51 You are reading a translation of scarletmadness.org. Please read this chapter on the original site if you wish to show support to us. The war of humanity and the allied forces suddenly intensified. The situation where the allied forces attacked and the human army defended crumbled instantly; as if they were saving up so much power, the humans advanced to the demon continent in one breath. The result: the warp device for sending in soldiers, was installed and in the twinkling of an eye and the demon army turned to defense. With the situation where the beastmen could not participate, their function as allied forces were roughly ceased and the demons were starting to be pushed little by little towards their capital city Evil Barrow. It is due to lack of fighting power¡­¡­due to having no fighting power who could oppose the group of black robes who are lead by the former Hero Touma accompanying the human side. However this time, the fighting power who could oppose the human¡¯s military strength was arriving at the demon continent. Alize Ifrille had been wandering about on the battlefield with a group of magic soldiers. Whenever she discovers demons she would slaughter them without argument and she walks with that body dyed in spurts of blood. However, such girl too was surrounded by soldiers this time, trying to greet the time of reckoning. ¡°Alright! You¡¯re mine!¡± While the arriving soldiers becomes the rust on Alize¡¯s rapier, one soldier who evaded that cut her arm off from the elbow. When losing one¡¯s arm, one would have their balance destroyed. It is much better than having her arm taken including her shoulders, but Alize was certainly unsteady. ¡°Go! Attack now!¡± ¡°This is the end for this traitorous demon! Drop dead!¡± The soldiers cut towards Alize with a furious expression. Besides her were dozens of demons in the battlefield who were considered traitors. They were cut down at an early stage and what was left was only Alize Ifrille. However, that last one was strong, too strong. It may have been a short time, but she was that Setsu¡¯s pupil after all¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°The, the puppet soldiers are going that way!¡± The instant the soldiers¡¯ swords was about to capture Alize, they were mowed down by a large arm along with their swords. One damaged magic soldier stood in the way in order to protect her. ¡°Ra¡­¡­me¡­¡­¡­¡­l¡± ¡°Hey! What are the lots restraining the puppet soldiers doing!?¡± ¡°Not good! They¡¯re completely destroyed! Those guys are coming!¡± The troops who were suppressing the surrounding magic soldiers in order to take down Alize were destroyed. Weapons amounting to fifty bodies came surging with the force of surging waves. Due to the overwhelming power where three soldiers could not even compete with one of them, the formation reversed immediately. ¡°Rame¡­¡­l¡± ¡°GI¡­¡­GIGI¡­¡­¡± The magic soldier called Ramel by Alize carried up the injured girl and took refuge in the back in order to slip into the other magic soldiers. The demon soldiers who were about to chase after them fluttered about in the air by the arms of the front row magic soldiers. ¡°Damn it! With this number¡­¡­¡± The colors of despair floated on the soldiers who not only could not take down the traitor who became a threat, but also fell into a crisis in an instant. The demon soldiers in this location counted 50 and the number of magic soldiers were also close to 50. The fact the magic soldiers whose military strength is thrice that of a soldier are the same number means essentially that it¡¯s a difference of 50 against 150. In this situation that would stand for a so-called checkmate. ¡°At the very least¡­¡­We sacrifice ourselves and hurt them¡­¡­¡± However, the demon soldiers changed. Their determination to offer those lives of theirs to the demon king was by no means weak. Burning with fighting spirit, the soldiers held their sword and charged at the magic soldiers while raising a warcry. Between such soldiers, a gust of wind was set out with the speed impossible to see. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± The demon soldiers doubted their eyes. The magic soldiers which were that much of a threat did not move even a twitch. No¡­¡­they could not move. Their bodies were wrapped in a lump of ice and even their strong arm which mowed down many soldiers stopped, unable to do anything. The demon soldiers who were prepared to die unintentionally dropped their sword by the spectacle in front of their eyes. ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m a little anxious putting them down in ice. Glain, I¡¯ll leave the rest to you please.¡± The woman who stood between the soldiers and the magic soldiers that are put down in ice, called out to the blonde man in the back. ¡°Elka¡¯s way of handling people is also rough¡­¡­¡± ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D The blonde man released , a technique to fire a slashing attack, from an Iai stance. The slashing attack which was supposed to be swung lightly, instantly bisected the 50 nearby ice statues and broke them. ¡°Both of you are breaking them too quick. You couldn¡¯t secure even one.¡± ¡°Oh my, I¡¯m sorry Tia.¡± ¡°I want to capture several bodies for research, so cooperate with me, okay?¡± ¡°Y-¡­¡­you all are¡­¡­¡± The man and woman who instantly killed the magic soldiers. And then the young girl who tied the magic soldiers with magic chains and mounting their shoulder. The soldiers recognized them. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DHero Setsu¡¯s elite guards, Elka Versoe, Glain Armony and Tia Amarette, have come now in order to assist the demon king Desastre.¡± Elka, the woman whose blue hair shook, showed a very reassuring smile towards the soldiers. ¡°Jirou! What happened!?¡± ¡°Move! I am treating him!¡± ¡°Sawada¡­¡­!¡± What was carried into the stronghold the Heroes were taking a rest at was Jirou¡¯s body which was bearing a full body burn. Kouma and Mitsuki rushed over at full speed, but the girl whose forte was restoration magic dropped to her knees in order to remove them. ¡°Oh sacred light, heal the resenting impurities! !¡± A warm light poured out from her hand, the hand of the girl called Sawada, and it wrapped up Jirou¡¯s body. Jirou who could not let out a single voice had finally started to speak feebly by the . ¡°Uh¡­¡­Ah¡­¡­¡± ¡°Are you okay Jirou!? Sawada!¡± ¡°I know!¡± Another . With several Heals piled up afterwards, Jirou¡¯s burns disappeared and he finally had come to regain consciousness. ¡°Ugh¡­¡­This place is¡­¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the stronghold! Jirou! ¡°The stronghold¡­¡­?¡± ¡°What in the world happened to you¡­¡­Jirou.¡± Jirou raised his body and viewed his surroundings, confirming his situation. His half-awake consciousness gradually began to recover and around the time it cleared up he remembered what happened to his body. No¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dhe unintentionally remembered. ¡°I¡­¡­went after Yuu and¡­¡­an enemy demon was together with her so¡­¡­ I thought about hel¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°Yuu did¡­¡­? What did you say Yuu has done?¡± ¡°Tha-, that¡¯s right¡­¡­Yuu has¡­¡­Yuu has! Yuu has betrayed us!¡± Jirou¡¯s voice resounded in the stronghold. The surroundings were baffled by his flustered state which was different from his usual. ¡°What are you saying Jirou¡­¡­Are you still not completely conscious?¡± ¡°I was burned by her! Yuu went together with the demon bastard!¡± ¡°Would you cut it¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± Kouma reflexively grabbed Jirou by the collar. He stretched the burned tattered clothes and and glared at those eyes of his. And he unintentionally made him shorten his words. ¡°She has betrayed! Us!¡± There were no lies showing in his eyes. There were no traces of him being manipulated by anything. He was flustered, but that did not mean that his head had gone strange. Kouma didn¡¯t know, but Jirou¡¯s eyes seemed to show that he was betrayed by someone he trusted. He became unable to say anything, so the classmates at that place were making noise. The popular girl called Yuuhi who talks to anyone in class without any discrimination, has a bright smile and a kind personality. It was impossible for them to believe that she would do something like betraying them. However¡­¡­Jirou didn¡¯t seem to be lying, even in their eyes. ¡°Is it really true¡­¡­that Yuu betrayed us?¡± ¡°Yeah! That¡¯s why I was attacked!¡± ¡°How about the likelihood that she was manipulated by a nearby demon?¡± ¡°That¡¯s! ¡­¡­I, I don¡¯t know.¡± Kouma questioned Jirou in order to remonstrate him. He too began to feel doubt and anxiety, but that is because it was not definite. If Yuuhi was manipulated or threatened¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°¡­¡­Let¡¯s go find out. We will find Yuu and ask her. Depending on the situation we may have to defeat her and preach, but¡­¡­if she is being manipulated¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dthen we¡¯ll definitely save her.¡± Mitsuki stood up holding her weapon similarly to Kouma who also stood up and took his sword. As if getting hooked by that, the classmates also stood up one after another. Everyone wanted Yuuhi to come back. ¡°Where did Yuu go?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯ll also go. I can lead the way and I also want to make sure.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Got it. But you¡¯re recovering, please don¡¯t do anything unreasonable.¡± Though staggering a little, Jirou also stood up and put on a new raincoat for battlefield use. ¡°Judging from the direction they were heading, we will probably catch up with them quickly if we cut across the battlefield.¡± ¡°In that case I¡¯ll cut open the path with my sacred sword. Everyone, let¡¯s gather up and go for a one point breakthrough!¡± After rushing out of the stronghold, they started hurrying with Kouma and Jirou in the lead. Ignoring the resting voices of the soldiers who have defended the stronghold, they vanished in the direction of the battlefield. Without knowing that it had the worst possible future from then on¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D CH 52 You are reading a translation of scarletmadness.org. Please read this chapter on the original site if you wish to show support to us. ¡°Hm?¡± Brad who was advancing in order to avoid the battlefield stopped walking. Yuuhi who was walking behind him also stopped by that. ¡°This magic power¡­¡­an extremely reliable group seems to have come for us.¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s miss Elka and the others.¡± On the other end of their gazes, Elka and her group had been fighting in that direction, though they were too far and hadn¡¯t yet entered their field of vision. Brad who did not consider that Yuuhi knew them was surprised to being responded to the contents he tended to mutter in soliloquy. ¡°You are acquaintances to Elka Versoe and her group?¡± ¡°Yup, the one who trained me was miss Elka after all.¡± Hearing that, Brad understood Yuuhi¡¯s behavior. Elka, Glain and Tia were the gang of three who once visited the demon continent together with Setsu. Never mind the five demon generals at the time, even the demon king Desastre was surprised to the extraordinary fighting power of the three humans. (It was strength I could understand considering the fact they¡¯ve been spending time together with that monster(Setsu), but¡­¡­if this woman is raised by such group then I can comprehend her attitude and strength I suppose.) ¡°? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s noth¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dgh!¡± ¡°What? You¡¯ve been sinking into silence and making a grim since a while ago¡­¡­¡± Even while being looked at with a quizzical look, Brad was unable to restore his stiffened expression. ¡°Yo- you! Can you not see this hideous magic power!?¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s in the direction of Elka¡¯s group!¡± Yuuhi guessed it wasn¡¯t a trivial matter, seeing him disturbed who she had a cool impression of and she concentrated her sense towards said direction. ¡°¡­¡­Not good, my sensing ability is too lacking so I don¡¯t get it.¡± ¡°Someone possessing hideous magic power is heading towards them!¡± From the start, Yuuhi had specialized training in fighting power and thus she was taught the minimum detection skills. The minimum means the degree to not get suddenly stabbed in a dungeon or a free for all fight, it¡¯s not a high level skill where they could grasp the location of a being separated from her by several kilometers. And conversely if one were to ask why Brad knew, then it is because the horn grown on his head is executing its role of a high performance magic power sensor. The reason he is in the position of the five demon generals is because of his magic power, martial arts, search ability and his diverse support skills rather than his combat skills. ¡°Hideous magic power?¡± ¡°It gives off this impression as if the magic powers of several races are mixed together¡­¡­if I have to give an example, it¡¯s close to a chimaera created from parts of every animal.¡± ¡°Chimaera¡­¡­¡± It¡¯s a name close to irrelevant to Yuuhi who didn¡¯t really have much to do with amusements called manga or anime during the time she had been living in Japan. She thought she had seen such name once when she borrowed a fantasy novel in Setsu¡¯s room, but she didn¡¯t remember the details. ¡°It¡¯s suspicious¡­¡­I can¡¯t let them do as they please.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s miss Elka¡¯s group then isn¡¯t it fine?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not worried about them, but¡­¡­If I don¡¯t ascertain it, then it may put lady Desastre in danger.¡± ¡°Eh!? You¡¯re actually going!?¡± Yuuhi stopped Brad in a panic who unexpectedly walked towards that direction. She ought to have been thinking about currying favors to the demon army in order to not become enemies with Setsu, but if she were to be left behind by him then she would end up in a situation where both armies would turn into her enemies. In order to prevent that from happening, it was necessary for her to have Brad lead her to the demon headquarters. ¡°I didn¡¯t say I will leave you behind did I? However I somehow feel ill at ease taking you, who still hasn¡¯t established any of our trust, with me to fight.¡± ¡°¡­¡­you still don¡¯t trust me do you?¡± ¡°These so-called humans are quite the crafters after all. Your actions until now could likely be part of your tactics to destroy all of the demons from the inside.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I frankly don¡¯t want a joint struggle. If you want some level of trust from me, then¡­¡­right, there is a little something I¡¯d like you to do for me.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Brad turned around and pointed towards the direction they were coming from right now. As usual Yuuhi¡¯s detection ability wasn¡¯t high, so she didn¡¯t know anything just by being shown that direction. ¡°It appears they are your former comrades you see? You have brought along an extremely troublesome group of people with you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ugh geez¡­¡­They¡¯ve already found Jirou-kun¡± Her expectations that they will be a little later in discovering her because the place she left was quite separated from the stronghold was entirely overturned. ¡°They are quite far away, but unlike us who are proceeding discreetly in order to not get unnecessarily inquired about, the group seems to be directly cutting through the battlefield. They will immediately catch up with us, you see?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I get it, so you¡¯re telling me to confine them, right?¡± ¡°No, not confine. Render them unable to fight.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I am not telling you to kill them. Either way it appears you didn¡¯t kill the man a while ago either; even you have compassion have you not?¡± It¡¯s fine not to kill them¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dis what she was told, but his nuance told her to knock them about until they¡¯re half killed. She should have resistance in killing her former companions as one would have expected, so Yuuhi would refuse if she, for argument¡¯s sake, was told to kill them. Even if he won¡¯t end up trusting her, then she will think about a different way at that time. Her mind was not a scene of carnage yet. The chains called compassion was restricting Yuuhi. While she depended on it, she thought adversely to that at the same time. (I¡¯m embarrassing myself feeling hesitant to this¡­¡­I won¡¯t be able to catch up to Yuki-kun like this) Yuuhi felt angry towards herself. Towards herself who could not reach the target Elka presented, not even a single step. Towards herself who felt hesitation. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DOkay. I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I see. I¡¯ll call the soldiers here on the way. Allow me to hear your way of fighting from them.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I am counting on you.¡± Brad turned his back towards Yuuhi and started running. Already her gaze were pointed towards her past comrades, the chains of her heart. ¡°Okay then¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI¡¯ll go and lightly burn ¡®em.¡± Yuuhi lightly muttered so, but those eyes of hers were very serious and for some reason housed Setsu¡¯s face. The war intensified and sooner or later even this place should be wrapped up in violent flames of war. The war was finally approaching the final scene. ¡°Haa¡­¡­haa¡­¡­damn it!¡± ¡°Huh? Is that all?¡± ¡°Quite dissatisfying. Being a let down is also his strong point with this.¡± That man, Kagerou was on his knees breathing roughly. There were no large injuries on his body, but there were countless tiny wounds and in contrast with that, the two of the five great demon generals did not make even a single rough breathing. ¡°How could¡­¡­not a clone, but the real me be overwhelmed¡­¡­!? You bastards never had this kind of strength before!¡± ¡°You know that¡¯s¡­¡­because even we weren¡¯t real at that time, you see.¡± Upon saying so, Ides and Lily showed a fist and a staff respectively. On the gloves put on Ides¡¯s fists, a complex magic circle rose on the surface and on Lily¡¯s staff was inserted a magic power reinforcement magic stone which was strong because of its simplicity. ¡°I see¡­¡­so those are the weapons of you bastards then.¡± ¡°That time was also the wedding ceremony and so we didn¡¯t have it with us so you wouldn¡¯t get wary of us.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I had gone all out, my is also overjoyed.¡± The demon king Desastre personally created and granted them, the five great demon generals, weapons specialized to make the most each of their special abilities. For Brad a red knife, . For Lily a white staff, . For Ides a glove incorporated with protrusions and magic circles, . (¥á?¥ê¥±¥ó¥µ¥Ã¥¯; me rikensakku: according to wikipedia, merikensakku is a different word for a brass knuckle or knuckleduster, they either wanted to go with american sack or ¡®Murican sack) Each and every one of them were national treasure class articles and one which ingredients Desastre personally had gone and gathered. Those who wear this and fight were literally on a different rank compared to their barehanded counterpart. ¡°Now then, we too do not have the free time, it¡¯s about time we settle this.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Ides unleashed his fists aimed at Kagerou. An invisible shock ran through the air as if befitting the expression of ¡°rupturing the atmosphere¡±. Kagerou jumped. And at the same time, Lily released magic from her staff. ¡°!¡± Countless magic circles manifested instantly and from those even more was released in turbulent force. is not a weak magic. In addition to that, was originally an application magic that is appended to basic magic like . Her magic which is the combination of those two was something even the king would be amazed at. ¡°Damn! !¡± Kagerou who just dodged Ides¡¯ attack, gave up on dodging the lances and grew a pitch black wall from his own shadow. Appearing to be a rather strong wall, the struck immediately dispersed. However to his regret¡­¡­it was a large quantity. ¡°Take this and this! There¡¯s more of where that came from!¡± So the tyranny of numbers is this. The rain of lances struck the wall without an end. And as for the wall, its surface was gradually shaved off and before long it opened a hole. ¡°Tch!¡± Finally one flame lance penetrated the wall. Seeing the lance stop in front of his eyes and sensing the collapse of his wall, Kagerou ran off towards the back. Somehow finishing the exchange of magic, he thought about getting out of her range. However¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Turning your back away and running off¡­¡­If you¡¯re a man then meet your enemy directly!¡± ¡°W-!?¡± Ides who went around and cut him in, thrusted his fist towards Kagerou. Although he instantly twisted his body and avoided a direct hit, his body was easily blown away just from being touched a little. ¡°Welcoome¡± ¡°Oh shi¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± Being blown off, Kagerou once again entered the range of the flame lances. Due to the damage from getting hit and his posture being broken, he could not get out of the way. The made a direct hit and a thunderous roar resounded. Lily grasped a positive response. ¡°Gah¡­¡­haa¡­¡­haa¡­¡­I see¡­¡­to think they have gone this far.¡± Kagerou put both of his arms on the ground and looked down on his body full of burns. The damage was great and intense pain ate into his body. ¡°Now then¡­¡­You must hate suffering any more than this. We will end this soon.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡­haa¡­¡­You¡¯re right. I have to¡­¡­end this soon.¡± The damage on him was great, even standing up was difficult¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dhowever, there was still confidence in victory in his eyes. The two reflexively stood ready to that expression of his. They who were convinced in their victory altered their thinking and turned vigilant to the max against Kagerou. ¡°What are you saying? Are you giving up?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡­I give up. Killing you bastards like this that is¡­¡­Honestly I didn¡¯t think I would have this hard fight so far, but¡­¡­that I would have to use this.¡± Said Kagerou and he pulled out the sword on his back. And then Ides and Lily became surprised. The were supposed to have the advantage. Despite that¡­¡­Seeing that jet-black sword blade, their instinct feared it ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± This moment, the vision of victory inside them crumbled completely. CH 53 53 Monster Tamer Melua You are reading a translation of scarletmadness.org. Please read this chapter on the original site if you wish to show support to us. ¡°Uwaa¡­¡­How awful. Breaking the dolls I took the trouble to make into pieces.¡± Elka and co who defeated the horde of magic soldiers, pointed their swords at the person in black robe coming out riding on the shoulders of a differently colored magic soldier. That, whose presence was like many different kinds of magic power being mixed together, looked at the wreckages of arms scattered about nearby and let out a insincere like voice. ¡°Nearly all of the manipulated demons are also defeated, so I have to replenish them again you know.¡± ¡°I do not know your circumstances, but¡­¡­if you are the very person who have created these weapons then I have something I would like to ask in anticipation.¡± ¡°Hm? Like what?¡± ¡°What happened to that female demon?¡± Said Elka as she pointed at the being near that. A demon woman who had lost an arm and had her once lovely red hair stained with mud. The three knew her. They moved together for a short while and they had taken care of her in many things, so they could not forget her. ¡°This? This is, you know, what I discovered at the time I was hiding in some demon village. She was strong so I wanted her and kind of made her into my little doll.¡± She said while taking off her hood, and upon doing so her still childish and innocent human girl¡¯s face was revealed. Dense bloodlust of the three assaulted such innocent girl. That bloodlust was so dense and frightening, the demon soldiers behind them reflexively fell on their backs. ¡°Aha! Don¡¯t make a scary face so much, okay! Hm? Could it be that you were acquaintances with this girl? With this Alize Ifrille-chan.¡± ¡°¡­¡­She was a friend you see.¡± ¡°That¡¯s how it is! I¡¯m so~rry! But you know in that case then, if you become my puppets¡­¡­you can become her friends again you know?¡± ¡°Wh!¡± The black robe girl stretched out her hand. Upon doing so, the vacant eyed Alize started moving. She readied her rapier in her one armed state and ran on the muddy ground. Running through without getting stuck in the mud, she jumped and thrusted a hit towards Glain with her weight put on it. ¡°Such thrust won¡¯t get through me.¡± He caught that with the hand wearing a silver gauntlet. He then threw Alize whose movement was stopped in mid air towards the girl. ¡°Waaoh¡­¡­Even though this girl is quite strong even among my puppets¡­¡­As one would expect from the people who possesses strength close to a king while having a human body.¡± Alize who was treated gently and thrown away adjusted her body in mid-air and landed next to the girl. And then, at the moment she was about to run off again, the girl commanded her with her hand. ¡°Stop there, Alize-chan. Facing them recklessly would kill you, you know.¡± In accordance to her words, Alize stood still with her rapier set up. The girl nodded in satisfaction and pulled out a knife from her pocket. ¡°If one is not good then two and if even that is not good then steamroll them with numbers I¡¯d say!¡± With that knife the girl, without any hesitation, cut her own wrist. ¡°W-!? Are you planning on committing suicide?¡± Elka¡¯s group were surprised, but the girl stared at the gushing blood dropping on the floor with a grin. The blood extended because of the muddy ground and falling rain and before long it created a reddish brown ground far and wide. ¡°The rainy day spreads the blood for me so it saves me the trouble. It didn¡¯t really take much to be completed.¡± When the girl placed her hand on the wound, that wound vanished without a trace, as if the blood gushing out until then had all been an illusion. Seeing that, Tia noticed. ¡°¡­¡­What gushed out on the ground right now wasn¡¯t blood¡­¡­it¡¯s magic power.¡± ¡°Coorrect! This knife is a little special you know, it lets magic power gush out from the part it cuts. Well just like blood vessels, the volume that comes out seems to change depending on the place of your body though.¡± The blood¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dor rather magic power that was spread on the ground gradually faded into black and before long it was dyed pitch black. From that which was dense and deepened enough to be sucked in, numerous sinister magic power could be felt. Numerous¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dpresences of enormous monsters that is. ¡°This, is bad¡± ¡°It¡¯s too late!¡± Tia noticed the threat of this first, but it was already late. The girl called out to the ground. ¡°Come out, come out! Everyone!¡± The ground shook. While hearing the flustered voices of the demon soldiers behind her, Elka instantly released a towards the girl. She understood the threat of this from Tia¡¯s words. Its strength was not at the level of Glain¡¯s, but an extremely well placed slash was approaching the girl. ¡°This arm¡­¡­¡± Glain dropped down a little and lined up with Elka. An enormous arm gradually exposed its full picture and revealed its hideous looking figure. What appeared from the black soil was a red gorilla that appeared to be 15 meters tall. And then¡­¡­there were several monsters beside it. ¡°The S rank monster Death Kong, the similarly ranked Death Snake, Death Lizard and in addition to those an SS rank flying dragon¡­¡­and it¡¯s a fire dragon type to boot. It¡¯s amazing that I would collect all three of the Series, right?¡± What crawled out of the ground were nothing but enormous and dangerous monsters. The flying dragon in particular is even stronger than the dragon Setsu took down in Alize¡¯s village before. ¡°You know, I was acting like a monster tamer and at one point I had become a little famous as , but¡­¡­You don¡¯t know? I guess you don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­An SS rank criminal who sold atrocious monsters in the black market for a bargain and held shows of human slaves being brutally killed by monsters.¡± ¡°Huuh? You do know me!¡± ¡°I have gone to the black market in order to study magic, so I have seen you several times. Enough to finally recall after seeing that black ground. If I¡¯m not mistaken, that is ¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct! I keep the monsters I have caught and tamed in my body. Though I say that, it feels more like I created a different dimension inside my body and isolated them there.¡± Plenty of such people exists. For instance concealing weapons inside one¡¯s body so one can assassinate their foe, it can also be said to be an indispensable skills for when caught as a spy. To be accurate it is another dimension produced with magic rather than inside the body, or in other words a type of . But if there is someone sensitive to presences, then they would somehow perceive the presence of weapons inside the opponent¡¯s body so they would be easily seen through. No struggle would be able to separate that presence from the inside of the body, at this moment it can be thought of as a type of defective magic. The method to connect to another dimension is where you have to expressly create a with blood or magic, which is also a reason it is called defective. Incidentally, the reason why Melua wasn¡¯t suspected by Setsu at the time she was close to him was because she left the monsters inside her other dimension in a different location. ¡°I see¡­¡­That was the cause of the mixed uncanny presences, isn¡¯t it?¡± Muttered Elka, as she looked at the monsters, each raising a war cry filled with power. The soldiers withdrawn to the back were completely terrified by the monsters whose precise strength was revealed in ranks. There were no intentions on making them fight from the start, but seeing the state of the soldiers who couldn¡¯t even run away, Glain calmly breathed a sigh. Even Glain and his group could stand against groups of S rank and higher while protecting a large number of people. ¡°Tia! Guard the soldiers in the back! The ones in front of us are for me and Elka!¡± ¡°Eeh¡­¡­I also want to go forward.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll even treat you a cake, so please!¡± ¡°I shall obey.¡± ¡°Tia, you¡¯re a rear guard in the first place aren¡¯t you¡­¡­¡± Tia who voiced her dissatisfaction in not being able to fight in the frontlines became submissive through confectioneries and so Glain and Elka started running towards the monsters. ¡°There is no later for you guys! Go!¡± ¡ºGOAAaaaah!¡» The two went at the enormous rushing monsters without flinching. Tia jumped off from the bound magic soldier she was on and took up a natural stance to block the way in front of the soldiers. ¡°Glain, the Death Kong in front of you if you please! I¡¯ll go for the Death Snake!¡± ¡°Understood!¡± When they confirmed each of their preys, Elka kicked the ground and revolved over the Death Snake. ¡°Get sewed on the ground! !¡± Above the trajectory of her fluttering about in mid air appeared a magic circle with the diameter size that carefully matched her. When the gorgeously dancing Elka landed behind the snake and thrusted her sword to the ground, gigantic blocks of ice revealed its figure from the magic circle. The tips of the blocks of ice were pointed sharply and the vigorously protruding tips pierced the Death Snake, sewing it to the ground in an instant. ¡ºKishaaaah!?¡» Having numerous large holes opened on its body, the Death Snake raised its voice and writhed. When Elka slightly twisted the thrust sword, the lumps of ice also moved the same way, tormenting the snake even more. Several seconds later, the Death Snake easily died. ¡°Don¡¯t think S rank level monsters¡­¡­can stop us.¡± Pulling the sword from the ground, she thrusted it towards Melua who was looking at her in surprise. ¡°!¡± ¡ºAaaah!¡» The released by Glain put in a cut on Death Kong¡¯s body. ¡°As expected of a Death Kong, so this level doesn¡¯t work.¡± ¡ºAAah!¡» ¡°Woah¡± The enraged Death Kong swung his strong arm. Glain dodged it and released a when he had the opportunity¡­¡­However, its skin was as tough as he expected and he could not inflict a fatal wound with a lightly released ¡°This is not the time to hold back I suppose¡­¡­¡± While dodging the arm that was swung recklessly in rage, Glain clad his sword with magic power and put strength in his arm. ¡°!¡± Glain swung his sword just once¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dis what it looked like. The next moment, countless sword cuts ran through Death Kong¡¯s body and made a red flower bloom in the air. Seemingly already died, the Death Kong lied on the ground face down without raising even a single shriek. ¡°My sword is called a you see¡­¡­you couldn¡¯t see it could you?¡± Sheathing his sword, Glain muttered while looking at the fallen Death Kong. CH 54 You are reading a translation of scarletmadness.org. Please read this chapter on the original site if you wish to show support to us. ¡°Both of you, you defeated them too quickly¡± ¡°Lady Tia¡­¡­¡± ¡°Everyone, step further back, you will get dragged into it.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡­yes, ma¡¯am.¡± The death lizard who had begun charging some time ago was pinned down by a protection magic circle created with just one of Tia¡¯s hands. Above her was also the flying dragon, amassing enormous magic power within its mouth. A sign of Breath. With her current situation where she is protecting the other soldiers, she didn¡¯t have the courage to catch that as expected and so she made the soldiers fall back. The soldiers who could not do anything showed regret in their expressions. ¡ºGrrr¡­¡­¡» It appeared that the flying dragon in the sky had gathered its Breath. Its head curved back greatly, it set itself up to spit it out. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be covered with whatever will be vomited out of your mouth¡­¡­¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D Power of rejection, become a wall to bend the current, stop the flow and repel all¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡ºGaaaaaah!¡» At the same time its Breath was released, a protection magic circle was unfolded by Tia¡¯s high speed chanting. These magic called protection magic are roughly equal of importance to body reinforcement magic in this world. It also has the meaning of performance, but it also has the significance because it influences the other¡¯s way of life. Basically, people study attribute magic first, then afterwards select either reinforcement magic or protection magic. People who have chosen reinforcement magic generally take the road of magic swordsman who makes use of their body. Elka is an example of that. Conversely, the people who choose protection magic generally takes the road of a complete long range type of mage who ceaselessly throw magic on the spot. Without any sort of body reinforcement, they would produce walls with magic circles and defend against opponent¡¯s attacks. Tia is no doubt this type of person. Rarely moving herself, she would burn, beat and stab their foes on the spot. She would defend against an attack from their opponent and shoot once again. That is Tia¡¯s fighting style. Incidentally, because Glain did not really have any aptitude towards magic, he was a through and through swordsman who had only learned body reinforcement magic due to his control in magic power. Never could he show anything like ice, he could not even deploy a magic circle. ¡°I¡¯m returning it, all of it.¡± The flying dragon¡¯s flame ball that hit splendidly rebounded together with a high-pitched noise and directly hit the dragon. Being a fire dragon type, it would never receive flame damage, however it appeared to be no more than a little surprised. ¡°¡­¡­I have grasped the strength of all of you. It¡¯s about time I end this as well.¡± Looking at the Death Lizard who still could not approach without ramming the magic circle and the flying dragon who once again began gathering its breath, Tia softly sighs and began her chant. That is with her mouth and with a single empty hand. ¡°Thunderous heaven, deeply overlapping thunder clouds, like the wrath of god who trembles all, attend to the one who will be pierced to extinction by thy unchanging, ruthless eyes ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡±(T.N. I¡¯m not sure about this one: À×øQÞZ¤¯Ìì¡¢ºñ¤¯ÖؤʤëÀ×ë…¡¢È«¤Æ¤òÕð¤ï¤»¤ëÉñ¤ÎÅ­¤ê¤Î¤´¤È¤¯¡¢„Ó¤«¤ÌÐÄ¡¢Àä¿á¤ÊÎÒ¤ÎÑÛ¡¢½ñØž¤«¤ìËÀ¤Ë½~¤¨¤ëÕߤò¿´È¡¤ë) ¡ºA flash of wind, a flash enough breath to cut bodies, an invisible flash, a sonic flash, life severing blade consolidated to that flash, my wish is but one, cut my adversary¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡» Tia¡¯s mouth spun words and her one hand lit with a magic light filled out a magic circle in the air. Written Aria¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DA high class technique high ranking mages utilizes at times when one could not speak the words. As a result of filling out a magic circle in the air instead of speaking it out, its speed until invocation is naturally overwhelmingly low. In Tia¡¯s case however, she would still have time left even if she slows down her chant and let it complete together with the movement of her hand. In this world there doesn¡¯t exist any beings who surpasses her chanting speed, be it that Setsu or Touma. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡º¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡» Thereafter was without a doubt an instant. Lightning came down from the thunderclouds that appeared suddenly, piercing through the flying dragon. An unseen blade of wind released from the magic circle bisected the Death Lizard. These events happened in mere moments¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D The monsters which were considered to be calamities in this world fell by the hands of a single girl. ¡°Parallel chanting¡­¡­¡± Muttered one of the soldiers. Parallel chanting is as the name implies, a technique to chant separate magic simultaneously with mouth and hand. It is an impossible skill if one is incapable of written aria in the first place, usable only by a handful of people. Setsu naturally could not use it either, but Tia goes even further, being a master of three line parallel chanting. This time, she completed two SS rank magic while maintaining protection magic, though it was not chanting it. It was a skill that allowed her to attain top class power in controlling magic as well as it capitalized on her magic eye that can see magic power. ¡°And I¡¯m done¡± With a concluding face, Tia dusted off her hands with claps. ¡°Wha-¡­¡­My toys are¡­¡­a- annihilated?¡± ¡°You know by looking don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Elka, it¡¯s not good if you don¡¯t let her at least escape reality.¡± ¡°That was rude of me.¡± Already¡­¡­were the only ones protecting Melua the magic soldier she was sitting on, Alize Ifrille and another magic soldier standing beside Alize. There were still monsters inside her, but even S rank were no match for them, so summoning any more than this had no meaning. If she had a monster that strong, then she would have let it fight a long time ago. ¡°What are you all¡­¡­Are you really human?¡± ¡°Indeed we are. Ordinary humans who could be together with the monstrous person we long for.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get it¡­¡­What? Are you saying you¡¯ve become that strong through your own effort¡­¡­? Are you saying you worked hard and became like that¡­¡­? Even without remodelling or drugs¡­¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get it¡­¡­I don¡¯t get it at all!¡± Shouted Melua. She cut her wrist and once again created a black hole with blood. The monsters that crawled out rushed on Elka¡¯s group in unison. However¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°It¡¯s useless.¡± In the order they approached them, they became encased in ice, cut down and torn and sliced by the wind. ¡°G- Go!¡± Melua jumped off the magic soldier and brought out an order to attack them. At that time the monsters were already annihilated and only corpses rolled on the ground. ¡°A vain struggle is it¡­¡­¡± Glain¡¯s sword ran and with a single sweep he made short work of the magic soldier. The weapon which was bisected from its shoulder without being able to do anything became unable to move anymore on top of the monster corpses. ¡°This isn¡¯t supposed to¡­¡­I still¡­¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know your circumstances, but¡­¡­I will have you defeated here.¡± Glain closed his distance to Melua and swung down his sword. Just before his sword cut her in two, Alize thrusted herself in between them. ¡°Alize-!¡± Unintentionally, Glain stopped his sword. He received a flashback on the days he spent with her and Setsu and hesitated. ¡°Kuh¡­¡­Back off!¡± Pulling back his sword, Glain drove a kick into her. However, the decisive time has already been given to his opponent. The last magic soldier who furthermore had thrusted itself before Alize had received the kick with its body as if covering for her. The armor transmitted the feeling of dense flesh to him. ¡°I knew it¡­¡­its inside was a person¡­¡­¡± The feeling at the time Glain cut a magic soldier wasn¡¯t that of cutting an inorganic substance, but no doubt that of cutting a person. He couldn¡¯t hold that confidence¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dno, he didn¡¯t wanted to hold that confidence, but this made him change. And so, the truth rose even more with the fact he made skin contact and experienced the feeling of flesh. These must be the bodies of demons¡­¡­likely being made to fight for the human side like Alize and were imprisoned inside such dolls. The magic soldiers he had seen until now had identical sizes, but Glain predicted ordinary demons were inside and perhaps there may be children in there. Anger welled up. However, those thinking time was fatal. ¡°Glain!¡± ¡°Gh!¡± Alize readied her rapier. Glain recalled her rapier was quite polished. He noticed Elka¡¯s voice, but his defense won¡¯t reach in time. ¡°Yes!¡± Melua raised her voice. She unintentionally clutched her fist, that was how perfect the timing of Alize¡¯s thrust was. His chest was pierced by the rapier¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dthe moment that was thought, Glain¡¯s body fell on the ground. ¡°Elka!¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t get careless! ¡­¡­gh¡± Elka thrusted away Glain by a hair¡¯s breadth and defended against the piercing sword. Instead the rapier¡¯s point grazed her shoulder, flesh was gouged out and blood came out. ¡°Forgive me! How about your wound!?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a scratch, so I¡¯m fine. More importantly¡­¡­¡± ¡°Aha-¡­¡­Ahahahahahahahahahaha! Ahahahahahaha!¡± Melua was laughing. A laugh that was like it was letting one feel fear, like she went mad. Alize who missed the decisive moment and the magic soldier who could not move except for twitching¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DEven though it should have been hopeless no matter how one thinks, she didn¡¯t stop laughing. Laughing, as if she was convinced of her victory. ¡°Is there anything strange?¡± ¡°Aah, I laughed and laughed¡­¡­Nono, I think I even saw a chance of victory with this. If I could wish for it, I would have wanted to put it a little more deeper though¡­¡­¡± ¡°What in the world are you¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D !¡± ¡°W-!? Unique magic!?¡± Glain immediately put himself on guard. It is because he noticed the magic Melua had used was a unique magic. Unique magic are valuable magic in this world that isn¡¯t possessed by anyone but one person, and there are terribly powerful ones as well. For that reason he was being cautious, but nothing happened with Melua pushing out one of her hands. Then, is it a bluff¡­¡­Glain thought and he ended up feeling let down. To put in other words¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dhe lost focus. ¡°Glain! Beside you!¡± ¡°Gh!?¡± Tia who was behind him called out. The next moment, Glain¡¯s armor was crushed and a single cut entered that body of his. And then bright red blood gushed out¡­¡­ Without knowing what happened, Glain saw Elka swinging her sword at him. ¡°Now! It¡¯s time for the end of the play!¡± Together with Melua¡¯s voice, Elka once again held her sword overhead¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dand swung down on Glain who was on his knees. CH 55 You are reading a translation of scarletmadness.org. Please read this chapter on the original site if you wish to show support to us. Author¡¯s note: She didn¡¯t become a total M. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Around the time Elka¡¯s group started their battle, at another place¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DYuu¡± ¡°You¡¯ve finally arrived here, everyone.¡± The place Yuuhi was in which seemed to be a somewhat cleared plaza, finally Kouma¡¯s group and classmates have arrived there. The field of vision was poor by the rain, but they mutually took off the hood of the raincoat and confirmed their faces. ¡°Why¡­¡­are you on that side?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple, you know Kouma-kun. I am siding with the demons.¡± ¡°Why¡­¡­? Why are you siding with them! Yuu!¡± Shouted Jirou, unable to bear it. He wished that it was a lie, he wished that she was brainwashed. However her gaze was straight as an arrow. Her strong eyes filled with definitive conviction let them understand whether it was true or false that she was sane. That was hopelessly¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dsad. ¡°Yuu¡­¡­You got a reason for this don¡¯t you? Talk to us¡­¡­You¡¯ve always gotten along with us¡­¡­with the four of us and the class, didn¡¯t you¡­¡­¡± ¡°Reason? Ah, that would be¡­¡­¡± Yuuhi once again thought about the reason for her to be hostile towards them. However she thought and thought, but all what appeared was Setsu¡¯s face. If he sides with the demons, then she would also go to the same place. If he sides with the humans, then she would also fight together with those currently in front of her. If he sides with the beastmen, then she would not be in this place, but in the beastmen continent. If he doesn¡¯t side with anyone, then she would be next to him who would be walking freely. In other words, her reason was because she wanted to be near Setsu who was her everything and everyone. But, saying that in front of so many people is, as expected, something she was reluctant to do so. ¡°¡­¡­Well, I¡¯ll tell you if you can win from me.¡± Yuuhi stopped talking any more than this and then orange flames spouted out from her whole body. That was the combat ready Hanabashira Yuuhi nobody knew. The raincoat she was wearing immediately dried and burned out and the special combat uniform produced for Yuuhi revealed its figure. A short pants and clothes that were based around the color white and a chest protector attached to it; the classmates has never even once seen that appearance of hers. With heat resistance that can withstand even her powerful flames and yet being mobile, those clothes which would not easily let an attack through would show its appearance when Yuuhi has decided the opponents she must take down. ¡°Do we really¡­¡­have to fight?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t fight¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dyou will just die, you know.¡± A ball of fire appeared above Yuuhi¡¯s head. That which was shining in orange gradually became gigantic and before long it released a sun like presence. In an instant the words were stolen from Kouma¡¯s group. ¡°Yuu¡­¡­¡± ¡°Gh! Kouma! We¡¯re doing this!¡± ¡°Ye- yeah¡­¡­Got it.¡± Being hit by Yuuhi¡¯s clear intent to kill, each of Kouma¡¯s group reluctantly took their weapons in their hand. Although Kouma was hesitating until the end, he perhaps hardened his resolve at the end and looked straight towards Yuuhi. ¡°Come¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± He drew out a golden shining sword from the empty air. It released a sacred light, seemingly wanting to say ¡°This is a sacred sword.¡± Yuuhi looked at everyone standing ready and smiled meaningfully. ¡°That is good¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI¡¯ll also show my full strength. She said as the last part of her voice was drowned out by a mysterious voice. ¡°Aaaaah! I ain¡¯t making iiiiit!¡± Someone was falling from the air while shouting with a loud voice. That person landed a little in the center between Yuuhi and Kouma. ¡°Ow ow¡­¡­I knew I would get numb from that height.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yo-, you¡¯re¡­¡­¡± Everyone here knew him. They didn¡¯t instantly notice it because his hair was cut and his appearance changed from the time they were in Japan, but it was certainly the man they also knew. Being summoned, having no abilities, expelled in a few days and rumored to have died by the roadside, one of the classmates¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DYuki-kun!¡± ¡°Ooh, it¡¯s Yuuhi. Long time no see.¡± Suzaki Setsu, had landed on this continent. ¡°This is bad¡± I¡¯m currently in the clouds. Even though I was supposed to have transferred from the beastmen continent, why am I in such a place? And also what happened to Shironeko, Mineko and Roa? I, who¡¯s in the middle of a glorified fall, was thinking of nothing but those sort of things. Apparently the cause is that the guy who invoked the transfer magic circle kind of made a mistake with the transfer coordinates. I was in a hurry, so a certain level of mistake can¡¯t be helped. But how is it that I got transferred higher than the clouds? If I fall down like this then I think I can put my feet on the continent right below, but¡­¡­Is this really the demon continent? Mmhhh¡­¡­I can¡¯t really see with the rain¡­¡­ ¡°Geh¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± While I was doing all that, I already got close to the ground. If I¡¯m this close then I won¡¯t be on time in casting floating magic and even if I do it¡¯ll be a crash course to the ground without me being able to drop enough of my speed on time. ¡°Aaaaah! I ain¡¯t making iiiiit!¡± I twist my body out of necessity and forcibly landed on my two legs. My knees went numb, but nothing else anywhere. But someone would have died if it wasn¡¯t me you know¡­¡­ ¡°Owow¡­¡­I knew I would get numb from that height.¡± It feels strange that I would only get numb from falling down from that height even if I say so myself. ¡°¡­¡­Yo-, you¡¯re¡­¡­¡± Oops, I¡¯m surrounded I guess. Or actually, they¡¯re all my classmates on a closer look. Them being here means this is the acclaimed battlefield on the demon continent. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DYuki-kun!¡± Which means, this girl is also naturally here. ¡°Ooh, it¡¯s Yuuhi. Long time no see.¡± I look over my shoulder and at that place was my always familiar childhood friend Hanabashira Yuuhi. Because the quality of her magic power became unbelievable, I couldn¡¯t immediately notice her. Extremely difficult training must have been¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Yuki-kuuuuuuuun!¡± ¡°Bufuoh!?¡± Letting out a stupid voice, I staggered forward. Yuuhi suddenly jumped at me, so I didn¡¯t try to avoid her. ¡°Ye- yeah¡­¡­What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Yuki-kun!¡± ¡°Yeah¡± ¡°Yuki-kun!¡± ¡°Ye- yeah!¡± ¡°Yuki-kun Yuki-kun Yuki-kun Yuki-kun Yuki-kun Yuki-kun Yuki-kun Yuki-kun Yuki-kun!¡± ¡°Uoh!?¡± Yuuhi rubbed her face on my chest, sniffed me and ran her fingers through my body. The itchiness and her head scraping on me is a little uncomfortable. ¡°Yuuhi, separate a little from¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°I don¡¯t wanna!¡± ¡°That¡¯s quick!?¡± Yuuhi¡¯s frolicking didn¡¯t stop. Even my face was rubbed by her cheeks while she was at it, it¡¯s about to turn into a situation we can¡¯t shown to the public. Uoh¡­¡­don¡¯t rustle my hair¡­¡­also don¡¯t squeeze my chest, give me a break already. ¡°Kuh¡­¡­Yuuhi! Stop!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DEh?¡± Yuuhi¡¯s movement suddenly stopped. Yuuhi, who didn¡¯t want to stop that much, began doing nothing and kept still at a terrifying level. ¡­¡­ ¡°¡­¡­Sit¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Oops, you¡¯ll get dirty like this¡­¡­Stand up¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°¡­¡­turn around¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Attention¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Turn right¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Another turn¡± ¡°Okay¡± ¡°Somersault¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°BURN¡° ¡°Ugh¡­¡­The hell is thiis!?¡± (T.N. I think this was a reference to some comedy show called ¤Ð©`¤ó) ¡°Kazing¡± ¡°I¡¯ve become healthy!¡° ¡°Your hand¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Your second one¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Say woof.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°Beg¡± ¡°No way¡­¡­what are you trying to make me do in front of everyone, Yuki-kun¡­¡­? But if it¡¯s an order¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°What!? What are you talking about!?¡± I don¡¯t want you to react to a strange part. This was a solid performance. Or rather why is only the part you talked back on so typical¡­¡­how old are you¡­¡­ Nevertheless¡­¡­This is that right? A dog. Hanabashira Yuuhi, has become a dog. ¡°¡­¡­Elkaa¡­¡­!¡± I came to see that girl¡¯s face as she says¡ºI have trained her as your faithful dog. Please feel free to use her as you see fit¡» with a triumphant look. Elka isn¡¯t an M except towards me after all¡­¡­It looks like she¡¯s been doing as she pleased quite a bit. ¡°Yuuhi, how were you trained by Elka?¡± ¡°If I¡¯m ordered by Yuki-kun, then I would show absolute obedi¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°Alright already, I get it.¡± Elka, I shall praise you for not polishing Yuuhi into the miss pervert like you. But Yuuhi wasn¡¯t this kind of girl. Yuuhi was a japanese who could say no. What are you doing, breaking that into something else¡­¡­ ¡°? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Aah¡­¡­dog ears are growing on Yuuhi¡¯s head¡­¡­I can actually see a tail¡­¡­ I guess she¡¯ll be in for a punishment, that extreme woman. CH 56 You are reading a translation of scarletmadness.org. Please read this chapter on the original site if you wish to show support to us. ¡°So Yuuhi, explain the situation.¡± In order to get to the main question about now, I gave Yuuhi the order. I somehow came to enjoy giving out orders. ¡°Okay! Uhm, let¡¯s see¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± Uhuh uhuh. To sum it up, when Yuuhi tried to side with the demons in order to not antagonize me, these classmates chased after her she said. ¡°Ah! Come to think of it, miss Elka and the others have come too.¡± ¡°Aah, they really did come for me.¡± I expected no less from the three, they did what I wished for. ¡°It looks like they¡¯re fighting over there right now. But an enemy who held strange magic just now went to the teacher¡¯s group and¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°They should be fine. They¡¯re absolutely not losing this.¡± They¡¯re a gang of three who can fight equally against demon king Desastre and beast king Regulus. Whatever their opponents, they won¡¯t lose. Above all, they¡¯ve always been fighting together with me, their win is already set in stone. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DOh really¡­¡­Yup, if you believe in them, then I believe in them too, Yuki-kun.¡± ¡°So I¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dcan send those guys flying right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Hey hey, you Gloomy Yuki.¡± The one who pushed away the still absent minded Kouma and also Jirou and Mitsuki while he was at it and appeared with a vein popping in the head was Endou. Looks like he¡¯s unable to stomach me like always. ¡°Long time no see Endou. Nothing¡¯s better than to see you well.¡± ¡°Shut up you gloomy bastard¡­¡­£¡Get your ass away from Yuuhi-san!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like¡­¡­I¡¯m the one getting close to her though¡­¡­¡± Yuuhi should be clinging on my arm, no matter how you look at it. Wait, stop smelling me. ¡°¡­¡­gh! Shut up! You¡¯re manipulating Yuuhi-san aren¡¯t you!? Such gentle Yuuhi-san couldn¡¯t have betrayed us! That¡¯s right Kouma! It¡¯s all that guy¡¯s fault! That must be it!¡± ¡°¡­¡­Suzaki did?¡± Kouma was listening to Endou¡¯s words. I don¡¯t mind him having a wrong guess from my point of view, but from these people¡¯s point of view it would be natural for me, who suddenly appeared at a hostile situation, to look suspicious if you think about the fact I was driven out of the castle and then returned like this. Endou¡¯s opinion is completely caught in his personal feelings though. ¡°But you, you¡¯ve seen me being invited by Yuuhi on a date, didn¡¯t you.¡± ¡°Eh?¡­¡­No way¡­¡­¡± ¡°Tha, that you see! You must have manipulated her into doing that right!? To make what I saw into a good thing! I¡¯m sure as hell about that!¡± Doesn¡¯t even have good ears¡­¡­Well, I knew that though. Well it can¡¯t be helped after hearing it, it¡¯s something I knew from the beginning. Also Yuuhi, it ain¡¯t the time to be blushing. ¡°Now that you mention it¡­¡­the time in Japan¡­¡­Yuu was getting along well with Suzaki-kun, I thought it was strange.¡± ¡°Being together with a weird guy like Suzaki, even I have a problems with it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Refusing my invitation and going out with Suzaki was also because she was manipulated, wasn¡¯t it¡­¡­¡± Thus were Mitsuki, Jirou and Kouma¡¯s comments. They actually mentioned our time in Japan, looks like you¡¯ve been greatly talked about aren¡¯t you, me. I also have the problem with the fact I can¡¯t deny it though. ¡°Right!? That guy manipulated everything! I can¡¯t think of anything but that!¡± Endou shouted and the other classmates gradually began to show wariness towards me. Seems I¡¯m really hated, even though I haven¡¯t done a single fucking bad thing¡­¡­should I have been a little more attentive to fashion? In that case I wouldn¡¯t have been called gloomy I guess. This is what you call being too late, I guess. ¡°Gloomy Yuki! Free Yuuhi-san immediately!¡± ¡°¡­¡­is, what they said though?¡± ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DEveryone¡± Yuuhi went in front of me as if protecting me. Oh woah¡­¡­she¡¯s angry. ¡°Be silent for a bit¡± ¡ºWh-!?¡» All of a sudden, orange flames gushed out of Yuuhi¡¯s body again. A flame which swelled up large in the twinkling of an eye, rushed on towards Kouma and the others like a tidal wave. The thickness of the flames didn¡¯t amount to much, but they were suddenly attacked from that sphere and with immediate effect. It¡¯ll certainly eat up everyone like this, but Kouma, holding the sacred sword leaped forward even though he¡¯s drenched and gave instructions. ¡°Everyone, get together in one spot behind me!¡± The group who could respond to that instruction carried the group who couldn¡¯t respond and promptly gathered behind Kouma. ¡°Cut open¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D!¡± Kouma swung his sacred sword and a slash thrusted out while scattering light particles, cutting open the flame wave. By doing so, they went right between the flames that divided in two and successfully avoided it. That attack, though it had a showy effect, is a type of . A hacking like attack lacking any sharpness from lack of skill¡­¡­This won¡¯t hold a candle to slashes like Glain¡¯s captivating ones. ¡°Yuu! What are you doing!?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk badly about Yuki-kun any more than this¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DNext time I will really kill you.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡± Kouma choked up his breathing. The bloodlust Yuuhi released caused that. I¡¯m surprised. She who lost her nerve from my bloodlust before I departed is now releasing bloodlust herself. It¡¯s an unthinkable intensity and unthinkable development. Let¡¯s praise Elka later after all, I¡¯ve decided to refrain from doing the unreasonably gentle punishment and with all my might, slap her ass. But before that. ¡°Yuuhi, switch with me for a bit.¡± ¡°Eh!?¡± I move Yuuhi out of the way. I don¡¯t really think much towards these guys. It¡¯s because whatever was done to me was no skin off their nose. But now I¡¯m just a little pissed off. It¡¯s the first time feeling hatred towards these guys. These guys aren¡¯t looking at Yuuhi. If they¡¯re really Yuuhi¡¯s friends then they should¡¯ve been able to at least understand that she hasn¡¯t been manipulated. They see being friends with Yuuhi and being companions with Yuuhi as nothing but a type of status. I can¡¯t help but get pissed off at that. And more than anything else¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DI can¡¯t stomach the fact Kouma asked Yuuhi out on a date. ¡°You all, come play with me for a bit.¡± I¡¯ll give them a punch. And while I¡¯m at it, I¡¯ll return Endou and his gang what they¡¯ve done to me until now. ¡°You piece of¡­¡­! Are you telling us that just because you have that big ass sword you can win from us?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re my opponents then it¡¯ll be more difficult to lose you know.¡± ¡°Wha-!? ¡­¡­What the hell are you getting carried away for! Aah!?¡± Endou got easily provoked. As ever the pipsqueak, but in contrast to that Kouma is calm. He¡¯s no fun. ¡°¡­¡­Suzaki, if you free Yuu and apologize now you will be forgiven.¡± ¡°Says the fake Hero. The one who¡¯s saying sorry and apologizing should be you.¡± ¡°Have you become a rash lunatic¡­!?¡± Each of them finally took up their arms. The hostility of 30 people struck me. The one who couldn¡¯t agree to it is only Yuuhi. ¡°Wh-, why aren¡¯t you letting me do this for you!?¡± ¡°Because I want to to do it, okay?¡± ¡°But Brad said he¡¯s leaving it to me!¡± ¡°That guy¡¯s request is nothing. You¡¯re not going to disobey my order are you?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡± Being stabbed by her weak point, Yuuhi said nothing. But I didn¡¯t overlook it. That there¡¯s only tiny bit or relief mixed in that expression of hers. ¡°¡­¡­You don¡¯t have to fight those guys, okay?¡± ¡°Bu- but¡± ¡°No buts. I¡­¡­ don¡¯t want you to forget that compassion of yours.¡± ¡°Eh¡­¡­?¡± I stroke Yuuhi¡¯s head who is looking blankly. To make my words easy to convey, even if a little. ¡°A Yuuhi who fights without mercy ain¡¯t something I wanna see. If you¡¯re always smiling energetically nearby, then that¡¯s fine. Push all the painful things towards me. Whatever it is, it¡¯ll be fine if it¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± I separate my hand from her head and thrust Kuromaru at Kouma and co. Attacking your comrades who you have laughed together with can¡¯t possibly be not tough. You aren¡¯t supposed to be able to do so with a decent mind, to say nothing of killing them. The ones who can are only people who have become mass murderers. Only people who have come to be unable to feel anything towards a person¡¯s death. I don¡¯t want Yuuhi become such a person. I shall fight in that case. I, who can fight without killing them, no matter the opponent¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D I, who pour my all into not taking away a life¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°But, but even so¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t agree with that either, then¡­¡­¡± I¡¯ll present a new option to Yuuhi who still seemed to want to say something. That¡¯s about what I can do now. ¡°Play with that one over there for a bit please.¡± ¡°Over there¡­¡­?¡± Right behind us was a single figure of a person wearing a black robe. Spreading serious magic power, Yuuhi immediately noticed her enemy. ¡°You are Setsu I presume. I have finally found you.¡± The black robe who approached us took off their hood and a well-featured face of a woman appeared under it. It¡¯s a human girl, her stature¡¯s on the high side and her long purple hair dangled until near her waist. ¡°What brought a beauty like you here? An invitation to play?¡± ¡°Of course, in order to kill you who resents Master Touma.¡± ¡°Oh really now¡­¡­¡± My satire was answered seriously¡­¡­Wouldn¡¯t it have been better to make it more grandiose? ¡°My name is Luna. There is no particular need to remember it; after all, you will die here either way.¡± Luna or something displayed her hands. This is an odd magic flow, something I didn¡¯t expect is coming¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DOh, before I put myself on guard. ¡°Let¡¯s change locations for a bit¡± ¡°gh!?¡± Yuuhi approached before Luna¡¯s eyes. The next moment, her flames bursted open. An explosion attack mixed with wind and fire after high speed movement with wind magic huh? She¡¯s become really strong too. Nevertheless, she obeyed really honestly didn¡¯t she¡­¡­I thought she was going to complain a bit more. ¡°Who are you¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Yuki-kun¡¯s lov¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dchi- childhood friend!¡± ¡°Huh!?¡± Luna was pressed by Yuuhi¡¯s explosion and separated from this place. Yuuhi¡¯s amazing to release this big explosion, but Luna who was avoiding it at the last moment also has good agility. As expected of the black robes, ordinary methods won¡¯t work on them I guess. ¡­¡­I dare not touch Yuuhi¡¯s statement. ¡°Now then¡­¡­How about we start as well?¡± CH 57 You are reading a translation of scarletmadness.org. Please read this chapter on the original site if you wish to show support to us. ¡°You¡­¡­ You know who that person was and you¡¯re trying to make Yuu her opponent¡­¡­!?¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Kouma looked at me like he¡¯s looking at an unbelievable person. ¡°You idiot! Miss Luna is a leader of the human army you know!? Fighting such a person, Yuuhi-san can¡¯t possibly win can she!? ¡°Humm¡­¡­¡± Is that so. So the black robes were entrusted with their leadership huh. Of course they would. No matter how strong one is, they won¡¯t be trusted if the others don¡¯t know their identity. But the fact Elka and the others didn¡¯t tell me anything means¡­¡­ that the state has done something I guess. ¡°Get out of my way Suzaki! If we don¡¯t stop Yuu now she¡¯ll end up dying!¡± ¡°Nah, it should be fine. If it¡¯s the current her then she can win even against that girl.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ What are you saying?¡± ¡°More importantly, you¡¯re going to worry a little more about yourself won¡¯t you?¡± If they don¡¯t become more serious, then instant killing would be too bland. Well, I am in a hurry though. Should be the same for Kouma and the others. ¡°Let¡¯s start right away, you¡¯re in a hurry right?¡± ¡°Why you¡­¡­ Despite being a Gloomy Yuki, you¡¯re being conceited! !¡± While a vein popped up, Endou leaped out and shot a large clump of lava. Was that the completed form of the magic that was used before? It¡¯s a technique close to a unique magic that uses Endou¡¯s distinctive magic power. But it¡¯s slow. Slow enough for me to have enough time to go around the classmate¡¯s back. ¡°Did it work!?¡± ¡°No it didn¡¯t!¡± Together with an explosion near the ground, the puddle of water vaporized. Endou saw that vapor and said something stupid so I told him where I was. ¡°Wh-! Behind us!?¡± ¡°What!?¡± Mitsuki realized it first and showed a response, but that too was slow. If their opponent was someone who had the intent to kill, then half of them would have died this instant. ¡°Ranged group get back! The close quarter group are the vanguards!¡± Jirou¡¯s instructions scattered around. Doesn¡¯t seem like they¡¯re conceited enough to challenge me one by one. ¡°Come at me¡± ¡°Uooooooh!¡± A male student whose name I don¡¯t particularly remember came leaping at me with a sword. Continuing that, the bunch who went towards left and right started their attack from both sides. Your coordination is fine and all, but what do you think you¡¯re doing by leaping all at once, you guys. ¡°Take this here!¡± I swing once with Kuromaru. The lightly swung Kuromaru mowed down the leaping guys in one fell swoop. ¡°Don¡¯t go all at once! Remember the things you acquired in the dungeon exploration!¡± Shouted Kouma after seeing the guys groaning on the ground after being mowed down. Hearing that, the vanguards immediately stopped their movement and each of them started moving separately. No, he saw it was falling apart and took proper command. In proof of that, they perfectly shifted their timing and started their attack. ¡°Take this!¡± ¡°Woah there¡­¡­¡± ¡°Sei!¡± ¡°Here here¡± ¡°Yaah!¡± ¡°Try and hit me~¡± I dodge, warp and repel the pushed out fist, swung sword and thrown knife. Although I was surrounded by ten people, nobody could touch me. If it¡¯s like this then I rather prefer monsters. ¡°Why can¡¯t I hit him!?¡± ¡°Who knows? Aren¡¯t you guys just slow?¡± ¡°Why you!¡± Even if you get worked up, things that can¡¯t hit just can¡¯t hit. Oops, now that we separated, the rearguards are chanting magic. Shall I make them sleep before I¡¯m attacked? ¡°Here, ¡± ¡°Gah¡± The electricity that was released from the soles of my feet burned the classmates. It was fortunate that a pool of water was made thanks to the heavy rain. Thanks to that the electricity flowed well even with a small amount of magic power. ¡°Magic! Go!¡± ¡°!¡± ¡°!¡± ¡°!¡± ¡°!¡± ¡°!¡± Together with Jirou¡¯s voice, magic was fired at the same time. Quite a lot of them, I should go around again and¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Gh!¡± ¡°Think I¡¯ll let you¡­¡­ run¡­¡­?¡± The nameless classmate who shouldn¡¯t be able to move by the electricity grabbed my foot. What looks is he giving me¡­¡­ persistence and fighting spirit¡­¡­ and what else? Something mysterious was inside this guy. No, it¡¯s not just him, it¡¯s everyone. What in the world did they do to them¡­¡­? ¡°Wait, it¡¯s not the time for that I guess¡± I forcibly swing away the hand that caught my foot and clear away the magic that approached right before me with Kuromaru. I intended to dodge that but I wasn¡¯t on time for that I guess¡­ ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DSpeaking of which. Why do these guys go this far for Yuuhi¡¯s sake? The fact that Yuuhi clearly has her awareness should¡¯ve been obvious to whoever was looking at her. And yet they¡¯re fighting with the reason that she¡¯s manipulated by me, but isn¡¯t it strange that not even one person was suspicious of Yuuhi? That and they¡¯re trusting Endou too much. (No¡­ that¡¯s not it. Everyone is placing too much trust in Yuuhi.) She¡¯s certainly loved by many of them. I¡¯ve always been near Yuuhi after I reincarnated, but I¡¯ve never seen anyone who hated her. I heard people who we¡¯ve never met at all were friendly to her. It was abnormal to be frank, to be loved even by unknown people. Is there something¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dabout her¡­¡­? ¡°Well, whatever. Putting it off for later.¡± It¡¯s a topic where there¡¯s no point in thinking about it. I¡¯d like to check that after we finish this up, but right now let¡¯s play with the guys in front of me. ¡°Outta the way! I¡¯ll do it! !¡± ¡°You got no technique do you.¡± I brush away Endou¡¯s Magma Ball he unleashed the second time. Seeing his own magic burst and scatter in mid-air and then falling on the ground to create water vapor, Endou stiffened. ¡°It¡¯s a lie¡­ right¡­¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Everyone, take refuge¡± Having seen that, Kouma gave instructions while he came out. The others who valiantly came out were two: Jirou and Mitsuki. And incidentally Endou who was at the front and didn¡¯t move. If it were the other people, then they probably won¡¯t be able to perform an attack as good as the Magma Ball back then. If so, then I agree with Kouma who judged that they¡¯ll be useless in this fight. The classmates who looked like they want to say something were reluctant, but maybe they understood their own strength since they stepped back. ¡°Ah, if you¡¯re going back then take these guys with you.¡± I grab several of my classmates who are collapsed behind me and throw them. From a sideglance, Jirou caught all of surprised people, killed their momentum and let then on the ground. All with one hand, huh. Not bad eh. ¡°Hold it you, even if it was a joke, they¡¯re still classmates you know. Couldn¡¯t you treat them a little more careful?¡± ¡°In that case, then don¡¯t gang up on me and torment me with all of you please. I¡¯m just one person you know?¡± ¡°My bad, I don¡¯t have any sympathy for the guy who put his hand on Yuu.¡± ¡°Really, well I don¡¯t need any of it though.¡± While we were talking about those things, the people escaped in the direction opposite of me. They seem to be on guard against me, but I¡¯m not going to chase them really. Bye bye, peeps whose names I don¡¯t know. ¡°Nevertheless Kouma, letting all of them escape was a good decision. If Endou¡¯s Magma Ball doesn¡¯t get through, then they can¡¯t can¡¯t become opponents if they¡¯re not us.¡± ¡°I wonder if I¡¯ve done something unforgivable to everyone.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no helping it! It¡¯s easier to move this way, you know!¡± What¡¯s remaining are three of the four life-havers and one dunce, huh¡­¡­ That works. ¡°It¡¯s pitiful for the guys who were declared as useless isn¡¯t it-¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s better than dying.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true though.¡± Me killing anyone¡¯s not gonna happen¡­¡­ No, there¡¯s a once in a thousand chance; if there¡¯s that many, then they may get engulfed and at least one may get into an accidental death. The amount of people dropped now, so I won¡¯t have to get troubled with that part. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DHere we come, Suzaki¡± ¡°Sure¡± Kouma and Mitsuki¡¯s figure disappeared. They¡¯re quick¡­ I can see Glain¡¯s style. I stopped the Excalibur of Kouma who appeared beside me with Kuromaru and then I stop the attack from Mitsuki¡¯s dagger from the other side by grabbing her arm. They¡¯re fast was what I said, but that¡¯s in a within bounds of common sense kind of meaning. They¡¯re still sluggish from my perspective. These two looks surprised, but it appears these weren¡¯t their winning bet. With the perfect chance where both my hands are occupied, Jirou appeared in front of me. ¡°Eat this! !¡± The magic power filled fist hits my stomach. The foot he stepped with rocked the ground, creating a small crater. The attack with high firepower from good coordination was pretty good¡­¡­ but. ¡°You should have gotten Glain to give you a bit more proper training.¡± ¡°Wha- ¡­¡­ are you kidding me¡± I didn¡¯t even twitch. As I expected he didn¡¯t seem to think it did no damage, so Jirou reflexively pulled back his fist. Before they separate, first I fling away Mitsuki I caught and then hit Jirou hard with my free hand. Mitsuki who I flung away from me scowled at me while she got up and Jirou was lying down on the pool of water, groaning unmoving. ¡°Ji- Jirou! Suzaki¡­¡­ !¡± ¡°Where did you get such strength is it?¡± ¡°!?¡± It¡¯s because you look like you want to ask that. Even I would be curious about it if our positions are reversed. ¡°Weell, not gonna tell ya though!¡± ¡°Damn!¡± I forced back Kouma with Kuromaru. Originally, Kuromaru is at a level where it would be instantly cut into pieces by a sacred sword, let alone holding down the sacred sword. But Kouma¡¯s sacred sword is still hardly awakened. It¡¯s just a stick that discharges power. Excalibur, which would continue to shed light, will for the first time acquire its sharpness by condensing the light in its blade. And thus us Heroes would arrive at a higher place. If I were to say what I want to say then¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dit means it¡¯s not worth talking about it to the inexperienced Kouma. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DWhy are you supporting the demon army?¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Kouma asked me as he took distance and readied himself. ¡°We were supposed to be requested to help the humans and take up arms¡­.. And yet, why are you on that side? Why are you trying to take Yuu along with you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Hmm, that¡¯s right.¡± The reason is that the human me got along well with those guys, but¡­¡­ I don¡¯t think that¡¯s all. Simply said, letting Touma do whatever he likes pisses me off and I have to kill him once more. And above all I hate the human country. And if I were to add another one, one reason that¡¯s limited to this place¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°The big reason is that I have people important to me among both the demons and the beastmen. If the humans are going to try hurting them, then supporting them is natural right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Also personally, I can¡¯t stomach the fact you asked Yuuhi out on a date.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ You mean¡­¡­ that¡¯s the reason for taking her along with you?¡± ¡°Yeah¡± Think I¡¯m going to leave Yuuhi alone in a place with a guy who would try to put his hands on her? Is what I¡¯m saying. Well¡­¡­ I do know Yuuhi refused the invitation from a guy with ulterior motives. Also that she¡¯s not as weak as she looks. That¡¯s why I also know that there was never a time when she went out together with a man except with me, just because she was asked out. Even so¡­¡­ I doubt this guy will stop asking her out, because he loves her. Even I you know, have that healthy desire to monopolize. ¡°I like Hanabashira Yuuhi. I love her very, very much. I won¡¯t hand her over to you, I¡¯ll defeat you here. That¡¯s all. ¡°¡­¡­ Thank you for the easiest to understand reason. In that case I cannot lose either.¡± There¡¯s no compromise in this. That being the case, we can only fight. I set up my Kuromaru and Kouma readied his incomplete Excalibur. There¡¯s no signal. Even so we kicked the ground at the same time. Our swords then clashed and sparks fell¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D CH 58 ¡°Guwa!?¡± Kouma was blown away and rolled over on the ground. Eventually he stopped and daringly threw away the raincoat he wore that probably became troublesome and stood up with his sacred sword thrust on the ground. ¡°Kuh¡­¡­Why is there such strength¡­¡­¡± ¡°How does it feel? Being defeated by the guy you¡¯ve been ridiculing with incompetent and gloomy and all that.¡± I close the distance in one go and swung down Kuromaru with the feeling of giving an additional attack to a weakened enemy. Kouma somehow defended it with his sword, but he couldn¡¯t bear the weight and went on his knees. ¡°Guh¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Must feel frustrating don¡¯t you¡­¡­Hey, try say it! That it¡¯s frustrating!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you under¡­¡­estimate me!¡± ¡°Woah there¡± Kouma parried Kuromaru by tilting his sacred sword and thrusted the sword towards me while still on his knees. It¡¯s a good attack, but I catch that with my palm. With the sacred sword unable to go through even my palm, Kouma looked shocked. ¡°How can that¡­¡­¡± ¡°Too bad eh.¡± ¡°Gah¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± I strike the shoulder of Kouma who stopped his movement with the back of Kuromaru¡¯s blade. I¡¯ve adjusted myself, but it felt like his collarbone broke. (This guy really is inexperienced¡­¡­) I thought, watching Kouma who crumbled down. Neither I nor Touma would even take damage from this level of attack. Because there¡¯s one of the abilities of a wielder, the . (Â}„‡¤Îæz; lit. armor of the sacred sword) This is an ability that by far exceeds which reinforces the body by flowing magic power throughout our whole body. First, weapons won¡¯t penetrate. One is able to stop killing weapons like swords and bows and the like with their skin. I don¡¯t quite understand the principles of it myself, but well, please think of it as our skin becoming hard when magic power flows through. Although it doesn¡¯t perfectly protect you from blows, magic or attacks that can inflict damage to the inside, one can obtain a defence where one won¡¯t object even if you call it invincible. In proportion to that, the magic power consumption becomes nasty if you invoke it continuously, so I normally don¡¯t use it and invoke it depending on the necessary timing. For example, Kouma¡¯s thrust just now. That was me invoking on my palms and receiving the blow. And on the other hand, Kouma receiving damage could say it¡¯s because his isn¡¯t complete. Even if I say my blow was weak, it doesn¡¯t serve its purpose if his bones break at that level. ¡°Guh¡­¡­haah¡­¡­haah¡± ¡°You¡¯re also too slow to heal.¡± Another ability of a wielder of the , that is . (Â}„‡¤Î¼Ó×o¥½©`¥É¥¹¥ê©`¥ë: lit. divine protection of the sacred sword; soodo suriiru) (TN. can¡¯t find the proper western word for this, anybody got a clue?) This ability is most straightforwardly, an ultra-regeneration of injuries. The ability lets you instantly recover from all external wounds, damage to your body, restrictions due to magic, or things that bring about bad effects. What¡¯s different from recovery magic is the point where even if, for example, you die, then you can revive instantly. It¡¯s just that it consumes magic power. I¡¯m not sure about it, but apparently you can die if you drive out an illness without magic power, wielder or not. A former wielder seems to have died that way, but that¡¯s a story I heard through hearsay so I don¡¯t know it well. Well¡­¡­In the famous RPG that starts with Dragon, the Hero can revive right? I¡¯m saying such system is also in this world. There are abilities besides those but¡­¡­well, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary with this guy as my opponent and he doesn¡¯t look like he can use it yet. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re already healed right? Get up.¡± ¡°¡­¡­gh!¡± Holding his shoulder, Kouma stood up. He readied his sacred sword, but its light is dimmer than before and he¡¯s backing away. He¡¯s frightened, clearly. There¡¯s no fighting spirit in his eyes and when I take a step forward he takes a step back. I guess he doesn¡¯t know what he can do. He never expected his sword not to pierce his opponent. He never expected his body to get injured. His body is being controlled by his fears from his first intense pain. This guy has already become useless. ¡°Boring¡± I swing Kuromaru, aiming for Kouma¡¯s head. In order to rob him of his consciousness, this time it¡¯s even weaker than the last one. Kouma didn¡¯t move¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dbut, ¡°Uooooh!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t let you do that to Kouma!¡± Jirou and Mitsuki stopped that blow. In that opening, Endou who was supposed to be on his knees until now moved and carried Kouma back under his arms. ¡°¡­¡­Get out of the way.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t! I can¡¯t let you beat Kouma here!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! He¡¯s an important friend of ours!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Their eyes are serious¡­¡­Wow, these guys are annoying. ¡°Both of you¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s frustrating, but you¡¯re the strongest among us. There¡¯s also the matter in the future and we can¡¯t just lose you alright?¡± ¡°Endou¡­¡­¡± What are they saying, these people. The villainish part is how I usually act, but being shown such friendship drama in front of my eyes gives me the creeps. ¡°Get up quickly! We¡¯re gonna knock down that creepy guy!¡± ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DYeah!¡± Kouma¡¯s sword released a strong light. That which was more dazzling and brighter than before gradually breathed light in that sword. And then¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dthe sacred sword , that had locked up all its power inside its edge, was complete. ¡°Excalibur¡­¡­I see, you weren¡¯t in your complete form until now¡­¡­but if it¡¯s now then!¡± ¡°Here we go!¡± It really turned into something troublesome¡­¡­ Being surrounded by friends like a protagonist in a story, Kouma awakened into the real deal. There¡¯s a great difference between that and his incomplete power until just a while ago and his magic power is incomparable too. ¡­¡­It¡¯s a pure white blade unlike mine, but I¡¯m a little jealous of it. ¡°I guess it¡¯ll be bad if I don¡¯t go a little more seriously¡± ¡°Kuh!¡± ¡°Uwa!?¡± Sweeping away the two holding back my sword in front of me, I tried to leap at Kouma and¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Too slow!¡± ¡°Uoh!?¡± I reflexively curve my body. The sword tip grazed before my eyes. Appearing in front of me in an instant, Kouma swung his sword at a speed that can¡¯t be compared with that from a while ago. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten pretty fast haven¡¯t ya!¡± ¡°Thanks to you, my body is light!¡± I also go just a little more seriously and devote myself in evasion. There are as many chances for counter attacks as I like, but with Kuromaru I doubt I¡¯ll be able to cause any damage to the current Kouma¡­¡­ I know that his is fairly complete. The sharpness of his sword is also several times¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D Shall I also draw out my sacred sword? No¡­¡­I would end up killing him if I do it untactfully and I also don¡¯t know how many would get mixed up and eaten. ¡°Tch!¡± ¡°gh!¡± I parry the sword and thrust my fist into Kouma¡¯s abdomen. A dull sensation transmitted into my hand in spite of having my fist reinforced with magic power. Kouma opened his eyes wide from being counterattacked and bearing damage albeit extremely small, and flew back in surprise. The other three rushed towards him. ¡°Are you alright Kouma!?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡­but still, even though I¡¯ve attacked this much, to think not even one attack connected is¡­¡­¡± ¡°What could he be¡­¡­¡± Some composure could be seen in the faces of the four. Kouma is an equal match to me¡­¡­is what he must be thinking. He has the nerve to think, that he can win, against me. ¡°I have some plan¡­¡­the three of you, please lend me your ears¡± They gathered together and began their discussion. Well, usually I would do a surprise attack, but let¡¯s wait this time, like a common villain. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DGot it right!? Good, let¡¯s go!¡± Kouma, Mitsuki and Jirou rushed out. Kouma is naturally the fastest, but Mitsuki was also fast. Behind them is Jirou and behind him is Endou. And among them¡­¡­I¡¯ll shut down Kouma first I guess. ¡°!¡± ¡°Wha-¡­¡­tch!¡± The instant I try to swing Kuromaru, a large dark red lance came flying towards me. It¡¯s on the fast side, but not much of a big deal. When I brush it away with one hand, a large part of it fell on a pool of water and steam rose from it. (Oh crap¡­¡­so this was their aim) ¡°I, you know! I detest you! You gloomy Yuki!¡± From the other side of the steam that¡¯s rapidly reducing my sight, Endou called out. Yeah, I know even if you don¡¯t tell me, I don¡¯t like you either. ¡°Always making a blank face! And you ain¡¯t never going against whatever we tell you to do¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± What, you wanted me to go against you? ¡°And that attitude as soon as you¡¯ve come to this world! It¡¯s sickening you know!¡± I sweep away the magma lances like crazy. Steam rises each time I do so, my vision is already pure white. ¡°Huff¡­¡­huff¡­¡­The likes of you!¡± It¡¯s a stupid bastard¡­¡­firing continuously and causing himself to have short of breath. ¡°You think I¡¯ll let the likes of you have Yuuhi-san!?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Is that so!?¡± A lance of unthinkable size appeared as it pierced through the steam. Did he muster the last of his power? I can¡¯t hear that annoying voice of his anymore. I grab that lance with one hand and crush its tip. My right hand is a little hot¡­¡­it pierced my in the end huh. Well¡­¡­it was a great shot. ¡°Now where was I¡­¡­¡± The last lance fell on the ground and steam rose together with the sound of evaporating water. That time, I hear a swoosh-like cut sound on my right. When I put Kuromaru in that direction, clang! I hear the metallic sound twice. It must be a knife, guessing from the lightness of the sound, it¡¯s probably Mitsuki¡¯s attack. I hear sounds of footsteps from the direction the knife flew out. At the same time, something is shining at the inside the opposite side of the water vapour. Considering the location, it¡¯s Kouma and Mitsuki¡­¡­If it¡¯s like that then Jirou is the finisher just like last time then. So Kouma pretended to be the one who decides the outcome, but it¡¯s surprisingly Jirou¡­¡­I¡¯d think they would know his attacks won¡¯t reach me, but¡­¡­ When the light and footsteps approached until they¡¯re nearby, a knife and fist comes from left and right and¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dfist? ¡°Take this!¡± I noticed after stopping the knife and fist. The owner of the knife was, not surprisingly, Mitsuki. However, what was releasing light wasn¡¯t Kouma¡¯s sacred sword, but Jirou¡¯s only light magic. Which means the one coming from the front is¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°With this¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dit¡¯s settled then!¡± The man who is capable of injuring me¡­¡­Kouma. The tip of the sacred sword that protruded, was sucked into my defenceless body ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dis what didn¡¯t happen. ¡°¡­¡­Eh?¡± I have grabbed and stopped the edge of Excalibur. The point of his sword won¡¯t even reach me. Furthermore, Jirou and Mitsuki have collapsed left and right of me. ¡°You guys really thought you could defeat me with such cheap tactics¡­¡­? It was obvious, you idiots.¡± It means that it¡¯s obvious they would decide the fight with Kouma. In the end, Jirou¡¯s attack can¡¯t get through me after all. Next, Jirou using light magic was too foolish. As long as magic power is used, it will get caught by my magic detection no matter how inferior it is. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t worry about being dodged and thrusted my fist into Mitsuki and Jirou¡¯s abdomen and made them faint. And then caught Kouma¡¯s blade¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DIn order to show off the difference in strength. ¡°It¡¯s kind of over-optimistic trying to win with a power that you awakened in this place, you know that? This place isn¡¯t that convenient you know.¡± Difference in power is difference in power, how much you suddenly become stronger, it¡¯s not something that just covers it. A great difference is created between me and Kouma, in strength, skill and also experience. He may have awakened his sacred sword in the eleventh hour, but it didn¡¯t cover that difference. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Cat got your tongue?¡± I ask a question towards Kouma who sunk into silence. I thought he¡¯s surprised, but it seems different somehow. Kouma looks at me¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dor more accurately behind me and thinly smiled. ¡°We¡¯re counting on you¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DEndou!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± ¡°What!?¡± What came out behind me¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dfrom the steam was Endou who I thought couldn¡¯t move anymore back then. Perhaps he must¡¯ve pretended to have fainted and went around behind me. Even so¡­¡­why hadn¡¯t I felt his magic power? ¡°Go to hell! !¡± ¡°Tch!¡± Together with the sound of something breaking, a gigantic boiling magma hammer hits me at super point blank range. Kouma already stored away his sacred sword in another dimension and carried away Mitsuki and Jirou. I stop the lump of magma with both hands. It¡¯s a lump of outrageous magic power and to makes matters worse, ¡¯s magic resistance isn¡¯t perfect. My hands is getting a little hot. ¡°All of our magic powers are put in Endou¡¯s magic! Don¡¯t think you can stop it!¡± So that¡¯s how it is. The reason I didn¡¯t notice Endou getting closer is because his magic power ran dry. The sound I heard of something breaking before this lump was released back then¡­¡­Should probably be the sound of a magic stone being crushed. I¡¯ve heard there were magic stones that stores magic. If that¡¯s the case then it could contain everyone¡¯s magic power and Endou can fire magic even in a zero magic power state. It¡¯s a good strategy¡­¡­is probably not the time to say¡­¡­! ¡°Gooooooo!¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡­¡± This isn¡¯t good¡­¡­I¡¯m being crush¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Huff¡­¡­huff¡­¡­serves you right.¡± ¡°Are you okay, Endou¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, my magic power¡¯s only spent after all¡­¡­I can get up right away.¡± Kouma lent his shoulder to Endou who collapsed and escaped from inside the steam. He left him at the place Jirou and Mitsuki was resting and once again confirmed the location hewas in from the outside. He couldn¡¯t see well from the steam, but he was certain he was inside. Endou felt a definitive response and Kouma too had confirmed where he was about to be crushed by the lump of lava. ¡°Did he¡­¡­really die?¡± ¡°Heh¡­¡­he got what he¡¯s coming for.¡± Kouma thought he shouldn¡¯t talk like that to a man who was their classmate, even as a joke, but he himself fought with the intent to kill and noticed it was like a pot calling the kettle black. It was the man who brainwashed Yuuhi, dying is natural¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dhaving such conclusion, Kouma justified his own deeds and was made to agree. ¡°More importantly you, is it fine not to go to Yuuhi-san? She probably became sane again.¡± ¡°¡­¡­What are you going to do. Endou, even you like¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, okay! ¡­¡­I¡¯m fine with it. You¡¯re suitable for Yuuhi-san¡­¡­That¡¯s why I¡¯m fine with it already. Go already, once I can move again I¡¯ll also go.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Got it.¡± Kouma who could still move cleared away the aftertaste of victory and began walking towards the direction Yuuhi had gone. It was¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dthat moment. ¡°¡°gh!?¡±¡± The two instantly turned pale. Shoulders were heavy. By the terrible pressure, Kouma went on his knees and Endou twitched and became unable to move. ¡°Aah¡­¡­my bad. I¡¯ve been underestimating you a little, you guys.¡± Perhaps to them, it was the voice they least wanted to hear in the world right now. From inside the steam that was still enveloping, he appeared¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D CH 59 You are reading a translation of scarletmadness.org. Please read this chapter on the original site if you wish to show support to us. Heroes are really outrageous beings. That¡¯s because whatever they do, they¡¯ll get this strong in no more than about a single month. When you try and be in their presence, you¡¯ll understand the feelings of the nearby people who look at me or Touma. So out of standard aren¡¯t they¡­¡­like really. That¡¯s what I think when I look down on my uninjured body even though I was swallowed by lava. Only the clothes on my upper body became useless. This won¡¯t do, I¡¯m almost half-naked. Even Heroes would get embarrassed all the same though. Damn it¡­¡­what shall I do with those two? The man called Endou Ryuuji is, in any case, an ordinary human being. Getting ordinary grades in elementary school and middle school, and test results were always average. An ordinary boy who never earned anything but third place in a foot race during sports day. His dislike towards himself changed and he took effort and entered high school in a somewhat higher ranking. That was where he met by chance¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dthe girl called Hanabashira Yuuhi. She was just like the sun. The sun floating in the sky who would come in contact with even the crowds of weed like himself with the usual cheerful attitude. He fell in love at first sight. He tried starting to approach and talk to her, but what gathered around Yuuhi were flowers, different than the weeds. Kouma, who was renowned as the coolest boy in his school year, the petite and cute Mitsuki, who was very popular by the boys and Jirou, who brought people together with excitement and his trustworthiness¡­¡­. What is more, the smart student council president whose glasses suits him, a handsome youth who entered as a junior and was a model, a boy of the same school year with plenty of sexual experience and even boys of other schools harbored love towards her. Endou gave up halfway¡­¡­saying the ordinary him can not win against them. And the finishing blow was the figures of her and Kouma walking on the road that¡¯s illuminated by the setting sun. They were too matching, his heart broke. He gave up on her and a few days later¡­¡­he witnessed Yuuhi talking with a single male student, also by coincidence. Who was there was neither Kouma nor the other flowers¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DSuzaki Setsu, the ¡°bottommost in social standing¡± in terms of position. A boy who was like withered weed, the weed among weeds. Seeing that, Endou felt anger. The boy who was called gloomy, eerie and even unpleasant, treated the words of the girl who was an existence like the sun to them as he saw fit. Endou noticed the first feelings inside of him¡­¡­his urge to kill. From then on he turned Suzaki Setsu into his enemy. Instigating him with ¡°Gloomy Yuki¡± and kicking him around as a gofer. There were also times he struck his stomach or stepped on his head as he was crouching. And he, who was laughing doing that¡­¡­currently has his head stepped on by that boy. ¡°Gah¡­¡­hah¡­¡­¡± ¡°Come to think of it, I had this done to me a lot right? By you.¡± It was one blow. Just when he thought he appeared from inside the steam, Endou received an impact on his stomach and fell down. The intense feeling of oppression and intense pain rendered him unable to move and made him crouch. With him gasping, his face was pressed to the ground and some mud entered his mouth. ¡°I ain¡¯t bearing any special grudges against you. Whatever was done to me neither hurt nor itched after all.¡± Setsu¡¯s stepping power wasn¡¯t high. However, Endou couldn¡¯t stand up. ¡°Reason why I¡¯m stepping on you like this is because I got curious about how you felt when you stepped on me. Hey Endou, it surprisingly doesn¡¯t feel bad, this¡­¡­the looking down part is better than anything else. Did you have that kind of feelings too?¡± ¡°Guh¡­¡­gih¡­¡­¡± Even though Endou was disordered and agonizing in pain, his face went red from anger. He put in the strength to stand up, but he was stepped on stronger than before and he sunk further in the soil. ¡°How amazing, you¡­¡­Despite having neither magic power nor physical strength and your body is hurting. Do you hate me that much?¡± Setsu tormented Endou by grinding with his foot. Even if he was screwed even more into the ground and mud entered his mouth, Endou didn¡¯t stop glaring at him. ¡°I understand you, I hate you too you know. That¡¯s why I¡¯m stepping on your head like this. Let¡¯s see, what should I do now¡­¡­break your arm? Cut off your legs? Even if I gouge out your eyes, it¡¯ll be fine if I go for one. If it¡¯s just that then I can still do it without problems, right me?¡± Setsu thrusted Kuromaru before Endou¡¯s eyes. This moment, Endou harbored ¡°fear¡± towards him for the first time. He¡¯s conscious about what he picked a fight with. This man is a monster, I shouldn¡¯t have come in contact with him. Regret swelled up¡­¡­he currently thought from the bottom of his heart¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dthat he was too foolish. ¡°So¡­¡­where should I start?¡± The next moment, Endou¡¯s consciousness was spontaneously lost. ¡°¡­¡­aw, that sucks¡± He fainted just by me pointing a smile towards him for a bit. I should¡¯ve done it over for a bit, but let¡¯s be satisfied with just making him regret it. ¡°Uh¡­¡­ah¡­¡­¡± ¡°So, what are you gonna do?¡± I call out to Kouma who had his sacred sword ready and isn¡¯t moving. Even though you could say I was defenseless when I was stepping on Endou, this guy didn¡¯t move even a single step. My impression is that his spirit is already broken. Like I thought, he¡¯s going to get cold feet if their greatest attack was stopped without injuries. Well, I don¡¯t care about this guy¡¯s condition, I have something I want to ask of him. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re not coming at me then that¡¯s fine, just listen like that. Answer me honestly to the things I¡¯m about to ask you.¡± ¡°Wh, why should I¡­¡­¡± ¡°If you¡¯re not answering then it can¡¯t be helped, I¡¯ll kill this guy.¡± To threaten him, I thrust Kuromaru to Endou¡¯s neck. The fact that I won¡¯t kill is something Kouma doesn¡¯t know. It should be enough of a threat in that case. ¡°St-, stop!¡± ¡°Then answer them, honestly of course.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I understand¡± Alright, this is good. ¡°Okay then, first question, those black robe lots, if I remember rightly you said they were leaders or something right? Tell me all of their names and abilities.¡± ¡°Why should I¡­¡­¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s necessary. Just tell me.¡± ¡°O, okay.¡± Before he talked back with something, I press Kuromaru strongly against Endou, urging on ahead. If I try to summarize the explanation that came from Kouma¡¯s mouth, there are eight black robes. Names are Kagerou, Luna, Bildos, Kuroinu, Saiga, Melua, Lume, Gaia. Each of them has unique magic, but they weren¡¯t revealed or so it seems. It¡¯s probably, but¡­¡­ the one who uses or something seems to be Kagerou. I¡¯ve already met Saiga and Kuroinu didn¡¯t I? In front of Shironeko¡¯s house. Now that I think about it, I couldn¡¯t confirm their unique magic. Next is Melua huh¡­¡­if my expectations are right, then she must be that one¡­¡­ ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DNow, the next question, it¡¯s the location of the black robes.¡± ¡°I, I don¡¯t know¡­¡­Even though I say those people are leaders, I haven¡¯t gotten any commands. They have the authorities, but¡­¡­ All of them should be running about freely on the battlefield. Ah, but one is protecting the king of the human continent. Another one¡­¡­One of them is also marching onto Evil Barrow alone on a horse.¡± ¡°On a horse¡­¡­Evil Barrow? He¡¯ll get done in before he reaches the demon king¡¯s castle, like that.¡± ¡°That person appears to have an ability that makes sure he won¡¯t¡­¡­I don¡¯t know it in details though.¡± What is this, he¡¯s useless. His target should be Desastre, but¡­¡­how rash, picking a fight with that woman is like going to his death. Which leaves me¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dif I knock down the six black robes in this place, then it¡¯ll settle this battlefield. No, if that guy¡¯s also here¡­¡­ ¡°Next, do you know of a guy who looks like a little girl?¡± ¡°Wh, who is that¡­¡­? ¡°Hmm¡­¡­I¡¯ll ask differently. You haven¡¯t seen any other black robed guys?¡± ¡°I, I¡¯m 100% sure there are only eight leaders! I don¡¯t know anyone else, okay!?¡± He¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dain¡¯t lying I guess. That guy didn¡¯t come? No, he can¡¯t possibly not come. He should appear somewhere¡­¡­probably when the battle¡¯s about to end. ¡°Well, whatever¡­¡­¡± ¡°Are we done¡­¡­? Release Endou please¡± ¡°Yeah, then I¡¯ll give you my last question.¡± The thing I wanted to ask the most was still left. Something more important than the information of the enemies I¡¯ll be making. ¡°You, you invited Yuuhi to a date. Is that true?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Answer me.¡± ¡°Ye, yeah¡­¡­It¡¯s true¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dgah.¡± In the middle of Kouma¡¯s answer, my fist caught his cheeks. I ended up hitting him unintentionally¡­¡­Uhee. Uwa, he ended up fainting. ¡°Well, whatever I guess.¡± I carry the fainted Endou and Kouma by gripping their nape. I carry Mitsuki and Jirou while I¡¯m at it and put all of them at the base of a large tree inside the forest. Leaving them alone while exposed in rain looks bad to me too after all. I tie them¡­¡­no I don¡¯t have to tie them up. They can¡¯t do anything either way. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A.N. Setsu-kun is an S. (Suddenly) CH 60 You are reading a translation of Jun from scarletmadness.org. Please read this chapter on the original site or on patreon(translatorjun) if you wish to show support to us. You may not read the actual translation if you don¡¯t. ¡°Now, what to do.¡± The fight with Kouma¡¯s group is over, so I¡¯m thinking about what to do next. My current objective is to crush the black robed bunches, but I ought to go to Yuuhi for now I guess. I spent a little too much time in this and that girl should be fine, but I can¡¯t make light of unique magic users. Shall I just wait and see for now? ¡°H-!?¡± The moment I took a step towards Yuuhi and the other, I perceive a hint of something flying with great force from behind me and leap to the sides. Upon doing so, the place I had been standing until now was struck by something. Judging from appearances, it looks human shaped, but¡­¡­isn¡¯t this the same thing as the raincoats Kouma and the others were wearing? His hair is black and short and from his good physique, it should be a young man. ¡­¡­This appearance, he might be a classmate. Why I don¡¯t have proof of that is because this guy¡¯s face doesn¡¯t have trace of its original shape. It¡¯s smashed¡­¡­must be struck many times over. He¡¯s not breathing like one would expect. ¡°Hmph¡­¡­Just when I was going around to kill fools who were escaping from the battlefield, I come across an interesting guy.¡± A voice called out to me when I was checking the corpse. What is behind me is a young man. I have never seen his face and I shouldn¡¯t have seen that appearance of his either, but only that voice I do know. ¡°Are you Kagerou?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know who you heard that from, but¡­¡­that¡¯s correct, Setsu.¡± ¡°Properly wear a black robe please, I got confused for a sec, you¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dknow!¡± I kick the ground hurriedly during my words and approach Kagerou. And then I strike with Kuromaru in a surprise attack sense. However¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°I¡¯m different from before you though¡­¡­I¡¯m being underestimated.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ugh, really now. Kagerou stopped Kuromaru with a black sword. I thought about settling it with this attack, but it doesn¡¯t seem like I can do that so easily. Now that I think about it¡­¡­I do recall this guy at the wedding ceremony being a clone body. ¡°Gh! Or rather, are you disguising that black sword or something as Kuromaru!? I¡¯m gonna wreck that thing!¡± ¡°Try it if you can! With that swords that¡¯s only big!¡± ¡°Oraah!¡± I took some distance and swing Kuromaru through centrifugal force. Kagerou proceeded to parry that with the one handed black sword. I¡¯ve put quite some power into it, but it splendidly diverted. Tch¡­¡­You mean I really can¡¯t go with ordinary methods if I go against these guys? ¡°¡­¡­You¡¯re a man I can¡¯t get along with.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± ¡°Why do you bastard, despite having this much strength, care about other people?¡± ¡°Huh? You¡¯re saying things I don¡¯t quite understand.¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking why you are protecting the weak!¡± Kagerou used the momentum of my sword curving and struck back with his sword. When I lightly kick the ground to avoid it with a backstep, Kagerou shortened the distance, not allowing me to escape. The swords once again got together, turning into a fierce competition. ¡°The weak you say¡­¡­What are you talking about.¡± ¡°Since a while ago you bastard have been pointing your consciousness behind you. There¡¯s something¡­¡­someone which would be bad if it¡¯s found by me, isn¡¯t there?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Now let¡¯s see here.¡± Strangely perceptive, this guy. I¡¯m sure I laid down Kouma and the others behind me. It¡¯s about this guy who¡¯s killing the fleeing classmates, he may just kill them while he¡¯s at it. I already squeezed out the information, so they already served their purpose, but¡­¡­ ¡°Well, if I lose these, then my important girl will be sad. My bad for ya, but you¡¯re gonna let me take on ya while protecting them.¡± Even if I say it like I¡¯m giving a clear explanation, Yuuhi would feel sad if Kouma and the others die. There¡¯s no need for me to purposely make her sad. Besides, a handicap of this level is like nothing. ¡°Important girl¡­¡­so it¡¯s for the sake of your comrade.¡± ¡°Hah! For the sake of comrades, you¡¯re making me laugh! I move for my sake. I don¡¯t want to see her sad face, that¡¯s why I¡¯m protecting them.¡± In order to not see that, I have to protect the lots behind me. If that¡¯s the case then it¡¯s a cheap price, I¡¯ll protect them anytime. An idea that¡¯s far away from something like a knight in shining armor, or a Hero. Those things are more suitable to guys like Kouma who thinks of their companions, are honest and shining. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t have to be a Hero or a knight in shining armor. I don¡¯t even want to be a great hero who saves everyone. It¡¯s just, I¡¯ll only protect the guys whom I¡¯ll be troubled with if I don¡¯t have them around. ¡°And so, I can¡¯t get along with you punk. That¡¯s why I¡¯ll beat you. That fine right? Being self-centered.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­¡­Only that part¡­¡­isn¡¯t something I don¡¯t understand!¡± Our opinions met and then diverged. His and my sword once again noisily collided within the rain¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D Together with the sounds of explosions, two women covered ground. One who continued raising explosions and one who continued dodging them, the two never stopped those movements until they were at a nearly deserted location. ¡°How obstinate, you¡­¡­and I even have to deal with that man.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t just allow that you know? I have to crush poisonous insects who aim for Yuki-kun.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a poisonous insect you say¡­¡­!?¡± The seething anger from being disparaged boosted Luna¡¯s magic power tremendously. While calmly looking at that scene, Yuuhi turned on the calm flames on her hand. I am an exterminator! One who kills that damned insect¡­¡­a messenger of justice, do you understand!? In the name of master Touma, I will crush you as well as that damned insect altogether!¡± ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯ve decided. I will seriously kill you.¡± The battle between the woman who released violent anger and the woman who calmly burned the hellfire of wrath had begun. ¡°This presence¡­¡­!¡± Desastre reflexively rose from the throne. That face of hers was not like the serious look until now; it was covered in joy. ¡°You¡¯re finally here Setsu. I can see it even from this range.¡± ¡°Yes, moreover his former companions and even Roa¡­¡­¡± ¡°Roa?¡± ¡°She is an important friend of mine. She is very strong you see.¡± ¡°Really¡­¡­That¡¯s reassuring.¡± The face of the two who were inside the demon castle turned very bright. With just them being here for them, the situation of the war was already in the process of changing. It was certain that the demon¡¯s side was approaching victory without end. Perhaps because they believed that¡­¡­the two were unable to notice someone quickly approaching. Suddenly, a hole was made on the floor of the throne room. Fragments of the broken floor scattered about inside the room and dust flew. ¡°W-!? An enemy attack!?¡± ¡°Uhehe¡­¡­lucky! Quite lucky aren¡¯t I, discovering the two of you altogether!¡± What appeared from the hole was a young, green haired girl. By no means did it mean she was not tall, however that innocent facial expression looked very young. Furthermore, a tattoo is put under her eye, which brought about even more of a mismatch. Ominous¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dthat is how she was if one were to express it in a single word. Finally, the black robe put on her body made clear that she was an enemy. ¡°I think you understand, buut¡­¡­I¡¯m going to have you let me bind your bodies, so there!¡± ¡°Hmph¡­¡­quite pretentious are you not, despite having a human body. Just try it if you ca¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DLevia?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Levia was looking at the young girl with a surprised look. And simultaneously she clenched her fist so hard, blood would seem to permeate out of anger. ¡°Why¡­¡­are you on that side¡­¡­Earth god.¡± ¡°Wha!?¡± ¡°Eeh? It¡¯s my choice which side I take right? Right¡­¡­? Miss Sea god and miss Sky god.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡­so this one is the earth god.¡± Having been called the sky god, Desastre spoke that name with a look like she chewed on a bitter bug. ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m the earth god Gaia. So, nice to meet you, my big sisters.¡± Said the young girl who called herself Gaia, while showing a lovely smile. CH 61 You are reading a translation of Jun from scarletmadness.org. Please read this chapter on the original site or on patreon(translatorjun) if you wish to show support to us. You may not read the actual translation if you don¡¯t. There were once two gods who made this world. One is the god of creation. She created all things from nothing and developed the world. The other is the god of destruction. She destroyed things that becomes an obstruction to the development and similarly developed the world. The world becoming its ¡°Complete form¡± was a matter of time¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dhowever, The god of creation went mad. Precisely at that time, she began massacring the ¡°people¡± born in the world. When the ¡°people¡± fell down to half their numbers in the twinkling of an eye, the god of destruction finally began stopping that massacre. The battle between fellow gods began. The battle turned violent, but they constantly competed over strength. There the god of destruction hit upon the idea of borrowing the strength of the ¡°people¡±. At the end of the long and violent battle, the god of destruction, borrowing the powers of the ¡°people,¡± had finally succeeded in sealing the god of creation. And then, worried for the seal to be lifted, the god of destruction prepared three keys to the seal. Two of them dwelled inside the ¡°people¡± and another one dwelled inside a ¡°monster¡± which has no concept of lifespan. They were called respectively the ¡°Earth god¡±, Sky god¡± and the ¡°Sea god,¡± and each of them possess great strength in order to not lose the key. The earth god and sky god are, in accordance to the lifespan of the ¡°people¡±, taken over, generation upon generation. The sea god has continuously watched over that. And like that, they continued to protect the seal to the god of creation. As long as they weren¡¯t endangered that is. Until the earth god Gaia turned against the sea god Levia and sky god Desastre¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Really, you all are¡­¡­planning on reviving the god of creation aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! You know all of the ¡°people¡± of this world! We¡¯re gonna get everyone killed!¡± Contrary to her words, Gaia smiled innocently. Levia turned lightly cold to that facial expression of hers. (If I properly found this child and managed to speak with her¡­¡­no, never mind this talk. It¡¯s a little late for regrets.) Levia has the duty to worry over the other keys. For hundreds of years she continued that duty and this time was her first blunder. It was impossible for her to not feel regret. Even so, Levia renewed herself. It is because the younger sister beside her was looking strongly¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°¡­¡­we can not afford to commit a blunder for our generation, now can we.¡± Desastre took a step forward. Levia also tried to match up with her, but Desastre held her back. ¡°I shall go from here.¡± ¡°Hey wait! You don¡¯t have to do this on your own! Not to mention you are the king, don¡¯t you know that!?¡± ¡°I will not be bested¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡­¡­hnng! You know what, fine. Just do whatever you like!¡± Levia looked at Desastre¡¯s face warped in ferocity and snapped. She can¡¯t be stopped at this point, and going as far as exterminating her enemy is¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Fufu¡­¡­be relieved. There is not in a million chance of a defeat for I, the demon king¡± Desastre¡¯s hair changed from the lovely red to a beautiful golden color. Matching with the rise of her magic power inside her, her body began sending out crackling electricity. ¡°humph¡­¡­are you maybe underestimating me? The one who ends up dying is yourself though, poor you!¡± ¡°Says the likes of a human. The likes of you don¡¯t have any such privileges to put up a mask in front of I. ¡°¡± ¡°Gyaaah!?¡± The flame bullet let loose by the black haired woman, Kuroinu, shot down the demon soldiers. Upon taking a glance at that, the girl flipped her robe and directed herself to the battlefield. Incidentally, unlike the time at the beastmen continent, she had the shape of a human. It was the same with Melua, but all the people in black robes were basically, with the exception of Shironeko, human beings. Running parallel besides such woman was a single man¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Saiga, what has happened with your post?¡± ¡°I caught up with ya. There were only a few soldiers so it was done instantly.¡± The man who mowed down the oncoming soldiers with his spear, Saiga so answered. ¡°Even so, it won¡¯t do to be apart from your post would it?¡± ¡°Well it¡¯s fine ain¡¯t it!? You¡¯re happy to see me right? ¡°That is¡­¡­well, I suppose that is true.¡± ¡°Eh!?¡± Saiga reflexively leaked out his voice. What he said as a jest ended up being affirmed and now he was quite shaken. ¡°If you are here then I can leave my back to you after all, Billdos or Luna would be even better, but¡­¡­It would help having even you on this occasion.¡± ¡°¡­¡­What, so that¡¯s what you meant.¡± ¡°? What about it?¡± ¡°Never mind!¡± He faced away and swung his spear to vent his anger. Saiga was also a man. The woman he likes was here. What the woman said raised him and then pulled him down. ¡°*sigh*¡­¡­Ah, right you know, once we defeat the demon king, let¡¯s go have some meal together.¡± ¡°Excuse me? ¡­¡­I don¡¯t think there will be any place to do so once that revives.¡± ¡°Before its revival I mean! We should have at least some time don¡¯t ya think?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡­if you¡¯re fine during that time.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Saiga this time wielded his spear gleefully. Each fallen demon soldiers were pitiful. Seeing such Saiga, Kuroinu anxiously let out a sigh. (That¡¯s why I feel anxious with him¡­¡­particularly the part where his emotion shakes easily) ¡°Keep coming, ya demon insects!¡± Spreading his voice, Saiga instigated the demons. A lone demon soldier who felt anger towards that did a suicide attack and was thoroughly sent flying. The soldier who was about to be thrown to a tree like that was caught by someone. Saiga and Kuroinu knew of these people. The soldier who was caught peered into the face of the young girl who caught him. ¡°You¡­¡­all are¡­¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m letting you down desu.¡± The young girl let down the soldier and ordered him off to the back. ¡°Aren¡¯t we lucky, right big sister.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad desu. To meet you first.¡± What was there were two girls: a black and white one. They transferred together with Setsu, the sisters who has won fame on the beastmen continent¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Shironeko¡­¡­Mineko¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Good afternoon desu. Kuroinu, Saiga.¡± Towards the cat sisters in front of them, Kuroinu showed a look of hatred and Saiga a forced smile. Excitement ran through the soldiers who have heard their names. The unluckiest sisters who had put a wound on the beast king. There were scant people who did not know them, even among the demons. ¡°The cats who plastered mud on our honored liege¡­¡­meeting you here is convenient! I will erase you, skin and all!¡± ¡°Shut the hell up desu, fake dog woman. Hey Mineko, say something desu.¡± ¡°Eeh¡­¡­Why are you bringing it to me¡­¡­ Mineko, who never thought she had a right to speak was bewildered. However, she seemed to have something she wanted to say, so she immediately put on a serious expression. ¡°Well¡­¡­Even I have saved up some pent-up anger after being thoroughly used, so¡­¡­don¡¯t expect that you can just simply die.¡± ¡°You damned prattling cats!¡± ¡°Here I go desu¡± ¡°Good grief¡­¡­you women are scary!¡± ¡°Stop him! Whatever it takes!¡± ¡°You think we can lose!?¡± The soldiers swarmed a single well built man. Although that man was wearing a black robe and was a skinhead¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dhe had lipstick on him for some reason. ¡°Oh my¡­¡­it was a good attack, you all¡­¡­buut, it¡¯s a little lacking, isn¡¯t it!?¡± ¡°Wha, what is!?¡± Swords struck him and spears hit him. But his body was neither cut nor pierced. ¡°Moore¡­¡­Bring more things that lets me feel! ¡°Gya¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± The man took a single swing of his fist¡­¡­that alone bid the lower body of the soldiers goodbye to their upper body. Seeing that, the other soldiers stumbled a step or two from that bizarre spectacle. ¡°Come at me more! Like you¡¯re letting I, Billdos tremble from the heart of my body! Your biggest attack, give it to mee!¡± Towards Billdos showed a look of ecstacy, the soldiers completely lost their fighting spirit. Their instinct was telling them not to come close to this. ¡°What¡¯s wroong!? Here! Here!¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡­temporary withdraw¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DaaaaAaAAAAAAH! I¡¯m gonna die!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Right between the soldiers and Billdos, someone fell down. They seem to have splendidly landed on their feet, but they painfully stroke their feet. ¡°Owow¡­¡­I, I didn¡¯t die! It was a close call! I was in danger!¡± ¡°Yo-, you are¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hm? Aah, I¡¯m glad. I arrived at the battlefield for now.¡± Said the blonde young lady as she felt relieved seeing the nearby demon soldiers. Ro- Roa Gold¡­¡­daughter of the beast king¡­¡­¡± She was someone who originally wasn¡¯t supposed to be here. The soldiers were naturally surprised, but at the same time felt relief. The mood in this place had already become hers. Hmm~ You¡¯re the beastmen princess aren¡¯t you. I don¡¯t know why you are here, but what bad luck~ If you were the beast king then I would¡¯ve wanted to fight, but¡­¡­I¡¯m not interested in women.¡± Billdos looked surprised in the beginning, but lost interest the moment he understood it was Roa. ¡°But I am gentle, soo¡­¡­if you scurry back home to the beastmen continent right away then I won¡¯t do anything. Now, women are an eyesore! Go immediately!¡± ¡°Ah? Who are you? How gross.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I take it back, I¡¯ll kill you.¡± A vein rose on Billdos¡¯ face. And then he approached Roa while cracking his knuckles. ¡°What, you¡¯re an enemy? That¡¯ll be just right! Just when I wanted to act violently with all my strength!¡± Roa also prepared her hands. Again on a battlefield different from everyone, each of them were about to start their battles¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D CH 62 You are reading a translation of Jun from scarletmadness.org. Please read this chapter on the original site or on patreon(translatorjun) if you wish to show support to us. You may not read the actual translation if you don¡¯t. ¡°I won¡¯t let you! !¡± The earth between the kneeling Glain and Elka who was about to swing down her sword suddenly bursted open. It was a small explosion, however it was done plenty unexpected; Elka stopped her swing and jumped back. ¡°Tch, I thought it was settled though.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t go so easily.¡± Tia rushed over to Glain. In order to apply recovery magic on the wounds of he who was groaning, she applied force on his wounds with her hands. ¡°Sorry, because recovery magic isn¡¯t really my forte¡­¡­¡± ¡°Uugh¡­¡­¡± She could handle an unthinkable amount of magic, however she has only one thing she wasn¡¯t skilled at, which was the recovery magic. It was a problem of not having aptitude in the first place, but even so she could control elementary level magic and so she would raise the amount of healing with large amounts of magic power. Even so, elementary level is elementary level. It was limited to regenerating the surface of Glain¡¯s quite deep wounds to prevent blood from flowing out, without going as far as letting it recover completely. ¡°You can¡¯t move for a while, so.¡± ¡°Tia¡­¡­going against three people on your own is¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, I will use that when push comes to shove.¡± ¡°¡­¡­At least don¡¯t do the unreasonable¡­¡­¡± Letting Glain sit in that place, Tia stood in front of the three with an unusually serious expression. ¡°Hm~? Feeling like doing it on your own? I don¡¯t care even if you die you know?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Chatty person.¡± ¡°Tch¡­¡­even though you¡¯re just a brat, you¡¯re getting on my nerves!¡± Chewing down the ¡°You¡¯re one too don¡¯t you think¡± retort in a gulp, Tia invoked the power residing in those irises, her magic eyes. Those eyes, which are capable of seeing the streams of the magic power that¡¯s invisible to the naked eye as well as its form, could clearly capture the ¡°something¡± put on Elka. ¡°Threads¡­¡­threads are going inside her body¡­¡­¡± ¡°Gh¡­¡­So you were a possessor of the magic eye¡­¡­¡± From the wounds that was made on Elka¡¯s shoulder, invisible threads were entering that body. Those threads were occupying her right half and a part reached her brain. And then the other side of the thread was connected to Melua¡¯s fingertips. Threads similarly entered Alize¡¯s body, but unlike Elka, it was laid out on her whole body. A considerable amount of threads entered her brain as well. ¡° is¡­¡­a body control magic.¡± ¡°¡­¡­That¡¯s right. My unique magic can directly control a person¡¯s body. It¡¯s a magic where, as long as I can make a wound on them, I can take over their nerves just by letting a thread invade there and make them move the way I wish.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not good if there¡¯s no wound?¡± ¡°Even though you understand that. That¡¯s how it is. I have to create a wound and put a thread in there on top of it.¡± Put a thread in it¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DTia put that into consideration. If that thread could move like tentacles, then Glain sitting in the back will end up being controlled. However there was no indication to that. She could guess from that that she could not scatter threads. If that is the case (Alize¡¯s rapier¡­¡­as I suspected, threads are coiling around it) The trick must be when that rapier penetrates the body, the thread will enter from there. Naturally those threads too were connected to the girl¡¯s fingertips. ¡°Well I guess you found out about that part too. If I coil the thread around the sword like this, I can put in the thread the moment she makes a wound, isn¡¯t that right? Well if I could make the wound a little larger, then I could¡¯ve let it go in even deeper though¡­¡­I thought I was a genius when I came up with this, you know!¡± ¡°Certainly¡­¡­a genius in cunningness.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t praise me¡­¡­And then, if I do this it¡¯ll be even better.¡± Melua touched Elka¡¯s sword. The threads swiftly coiled around the sword and in the blink of an eye, a sword that is, in a sense, painted with poison was complete. ¡°Okay then, can you fight against these two while protecting that person I wonder?¡± Melua showed a savage smile and tilted her head. Beside her were two allies who readied the swords which touching them would spell the end. Because they¡¯re not even conscious that the threads were entering their brain, persuasion was impossible. Behind her was the injured Glain. It was a situation close to being cornered. At least, Tia had yet to come up with a plan to overcome this situation. Let alone thinking of a plan, she was just absentmindedly looking at just a single point. ¡°What? Are you actually escaping from reality? Well, don¡¯t sweat it, I¡¯ll make you just like these two in a minute!¡± The two held aloft their swords and leapt towards Tia. Tia did not move. Only a single expression spilled out. ¡°Been a while¡± ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DYes, it has been a while.¡± ¡°W-!? Behind me!?¡± Melua looked back from the voice that came from behind her. However it was no use. Because a red knife had already pierced the center of the girl¡¯s chest. ¡°Surprise attack, as expected of you¡± ¡°She was full of openings, so I did it unconsciously you see.¡± ¡°Gough¡­¡­no way¡­¡­since when¡­¡­¡± Blood flowed from Melua¡¯s mouth. The two who were controlled stopped their movements on the spot and crumbled down. The owner of the red knife, Brad pulled out the knife from her body. Blood flowed over from the wound and Melua fell forward. ¡°I noticed Brad coming from behind, so¡­¡­in order to make sure you don¡¯t perceive his presence the whole time, I continuously emitted weak magic power. You looked like you were immersed in puppet control, you were splendidly mislead.¡± ¡°Gough¡­¡­no, no way¡­¡­¡± Brad swept away the blood on the knife. Seeing that, Tia bore a question. ¡°? Not going to put in the finishing blow?¡± ¡°No¡­¡­this woman can no longer be saved. Her magic viscera is also destroyed. Now there is only death awaiting her.¡± Magic viscera¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dan essential bodily function for refining magic power. It is said that a human has one in their chest, the demons have them throughout their body and the beastmen has it assimilated to their heart and it is said that the reason that magic were a demon¡¯s forte was because they have many of those magic viscera. There seems to be some differences between people, but Melua¡¯s magic viscera seemed to be in the typical chest. If that were to be destroyed, then one will become unable to refine their magic power successfully and they won¡¯t be able to use magic as long as they don¡¯t let it get treated by somebody. Having her magic viscera destroyed in this situation, it won¡¯t even be an exaggeration to say she was already dead. ¡°There is no need for me to deliver the final blow. If you have some resentment, then how about you take a stab?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m fine. More importantly, we have to cure the bodies of the two.¡± Tia approached Elka and Alize and checked their conditions. Brad too went near the two after glancing at Melua. ¡°Gah¡­¡­gough¡­¡­You think I can die¡­¡­¡± However, he reflexively stopped his feet by the suffering voice. Tia also responded and looked at Melua. She who was lying in the center of the puddle of blood tried getting up while gasping. Blood poured out from her chest each time she put strength into it, her body was heading close to death. She had reasons to not be defeated. For the sake of Touma, who was her leader. For the sake of being at his side until the end, as his game piece. She would do anything if it was Touma¡¯s command. She infiltrated the brainwashed village and continued to show a forced smile she did not want to show. For the village, she even pretended to be an adventurer. She even lowered her head to that man she couldn¡¯t resist to kill, to Setsu. Because he told her to do it like that, because everything was the leader¡¯s command. Even now that was how it was. Because he told her to kill, Melua can not lose. She has to take everyone¡¯s life, even by sacrificing herself. ¡°-haha¡­¡­I¡¯ll kill¡­¡­everyone¡­¡­gh! Gahah¡­¡­Li- limit¡­¡­!¡± The voice full of madness resounded in the vicinity. ¡°Hey hey, is that all!? Oh mister Kagerou!¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡­ He should¡¯ve known that it is going to end up like this. By the time Kagerou noticed, I had already come out in the offensive and cornered him. This guy even has the nerve to challenge me with this level of strength. Is what I think as I look at the guy who¡¯s been blown away each time he struck Kuromaru. ¡°Hey¡­¡­How about you give up by now? Go back and call Touma here, fighting with you anymore than this will only get troublesome.¡± ¡°Fuh¡­¡­hahaha! That¡¯s right, I¡¯ll give up. Fighting like this against a formidable enemy like you is sheer stupidity! Let me go against you with all my strength!¡± What¡¯s that? Suddenly breaking into a laugh¡­¡­what¡¯s he scheming? Setting up his black sword, Kagerou shut his eye and started kneading his magic power. What in the world is he going to do¡­¡­I even feel like wanting to watch it for a bit¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°I shall give you darkness as well¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D!¡± ¡°¡­¡­Huh!?¡± Wait wait wait wait wait!? He can use !? That was unexpected¡­¡­! I firmly set up Kuromaru and take a vigilant posture. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dthe ultimate weapon approved only by humans, it destroys one¡¯s own limits. By grandly opening up the magic power circuit that is spread from the magic viscera to the whole body several times, one will come to be able to control large amount of magic power in one go. Upon using it, the outrageous magics that you generally can¡¯t use become temporarily usable. Of course, the burden on your body won¡¯t be the usual because of the magic circuit being forcibly opened, but in part the acquired strength is tremendous¡­¡­it¡¯s originally supposed to be a technique you can finally obtain after continuing a blood sweating effort for several years though¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dwho is he really? ¡°This is the second time I¡¯ve had this form ¡­¡­Originally this form isn¡¯t supposed to look like this, but to fight you, I¡¯m prepared to even shave off my life!¡± Magic power blew out of Kagerou¡¯s body, covering the guy. The magic power that began to gradually hold a dark form became a jet black armor and it was completed. ¡° ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DShall we go for our second round then, you monster.¡± * (Ó°òTÊ¿‡â¤Îæz; armor of the shadow knight¡¯s order) CH 63 You are reading a translation of Jun from scarletmadness.org. Please read this chapter on the original site or on patreon(translatorjun) if you wish to show support to us. You may not read the actual translation if you don¡¯t. A sound of something being dragged out could be heard. Tia who reacted to that sound, saw blood gushing out from Elka and Alize¡¯s body. ¡°Gh! Elka! Alize!¡± Tia unusually raised her voice. She tried rushing over, but motion was where she was weakest at. She could not possibly be in time to hold the collapsed two in her arms, but Brad moved in her stead and stopped the two by holding then in his arms. ¡°Brad! What of the two!?¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking now!¡± Brad was an all-purpose demon who mastered support magic. Although he could not be called a specialist, his analytical magic would easily clarify the conditions of the two. ¡°Their muscles are in pieces¡­ their insides have some damage. It¡¯s a relief that their hearts are safe, but¡­ha! This is¡­¡± Brad gulped while aiming the analyzing light towards the body of the two. A portion of the brains, both of them were damaged there. It was not that severe for Elka, but he understood that it was noticeably damaged for Alize. (If it¡¯s like this¡­) Even in this world, the brain was an essential organ of a person¡¯s body. If one is injured there then not only will their bodily functions not answer, even their magic power refining will not respond. Elka aside, Alize¡¯s damaged state were so that even if she were to recover with recovery magic, after-effects may remain. At the time Brad so judged, Tia looked at their bodies. Melua¡¯s threads that was projected in her magic eye some time ago could not be seen. ¡°They were pulled out¡­? If you do something like that, then.¡± ¡°Haha¡­Ahahahahaha! Serves you fucking right!¡± Melua raised a loud laughter. She was standing firmly on her two legs, discharging dense magic power. The wounds on her chest was closed and if one were to exclude the blood on the mouth and clothes, nobody would think Melua had been injured. ¡°You¡­I¡¯m supposed to have destroyed your magic viscera.¡± Brad asked while applying high recovery magic on the two. People whose magic viscera was destroyed should have become unable to refine magic power well. Despite that, magic power was flowing through Melua¡¯s body. Brad could not understand. He already averted his eyes from the fact she possessed two or more magic viscera¡¯s. ¡°Ehehe¡­¡­I, or rather all of us have our bodies toyed around with. We¡¯ve been injected with dozens of drugs and in my case the heart, lungs and magic viscera have each increased by one. Isn¡¯t that awesome? I¡¯m already a monster right?¡± She was smiled. It was a mad smile, but for some reason she smiled sorrowfully and then painfully. ¡°Even this unique magic you know. They tried out some research result on us and I¡¯ve gotten my hands on it because I survived that. Really, it¡¯s because I thought about dying. Ah, but Kagerou was natural I think? Well, whatever.¡± Melua explained while manipulating the marionette threads with her hand. Towards the sublime background released from her mouth, Brad and Tia shook considerably. ¡°I don¡¯t want to think what would¡¯ve happened to me if I didn¡¯t get to meet master Touma.¡± Melua placed both hands on the ground. The overflowing magic power ran through the earth, completing one magic circle. ¡°!¡± The ground shook. Tia reflexively made her body quiver. By the magic power of the gigantic monster that appeared from that magic circle. ¡°I didn¡¯t keep this fellow inside me, you know! As a last resort I would use a summon magic like this! I had to rely on master Touma to control it through! The monster called Chimaera consisted of a lion¡¯s head, goat¡¯s body and a snake with venomous fangs as a tail. Beside those were wings and also tusks growing on the abdomen; appearance wise it was a living creature who could not be called anything but a monster. Those forelegs were seemingly large enough to easily crush Brad and the others and just by touching they could be rendered incapacitated. ¡°But if I use like this, I can also control this kid.¡± Melua jumped up. She landed on the head of the chimaera with both hands. ¡° !¡± ¡ºGuooooooo! ¡» The chimaera let out a painful warcry. Threads began to overflow from Melua¡¯s fingertips and slipped into the chimaera¡¯s head. Simultaneously, threads began to link itself to her body. Those threads continued to increase in quantity and finally the chimaera¡¯s head and her lower half became united, in a literal meaning. ¡°I¡¯ve connected my brains with this kid¡¯s nerves. If I do this, then I can operate this kid like my own hands and feet.¡± ¡°Gh! Avoid it!¡± ¡°Ah-¡± The Chimaera¡¯s arm was swung. That which was approaching at an astounding speed unbefitting to its size was certainly able to catch Tia. However, Brad held her and the injured two in his arms and leaped. They were quicker out of the way than the arm was swung, but it was impossible to avoid the wind pressure. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± They were thrown to the muddy ground. The three were safe because of Brad not letting go of the hands that carried them, but he himself was hit strongly in his back, choking in his breath. ¡°Hahahahaha! Unsightly and clumsy! Look¡­¡­You¡¯ll die if you don¡¯t dodge you know?¡± Flames could be seen inside the chimaera¡¯s mouth. Brad gasped and clicked his tongue. Those flames should have the power beyond SS rank looking at the density of the magic power. Even he won¡¯t be able to easily defend against that. ¡°¡­I will do it.¡± However, at this moment Tia was in this place. Tia stood up and began her chant. ¡°I have no other way to cancel it¡­except with this. Oh brave stream of water, blessings and calamities, source of all that is mother Water. Oh piercing, striking and crushing waters of calamity, lend us your strength now and strike our foes¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D!¡± Above Tia¡¯s head an enormous magic circle was formed. Simultaneously with the chimaera¡¯s flames being fired, a raging stream of water appeared from that magic circle. Upon colliding, the two magic counterbalanced each other in mid-air, raising the sound of an explosion. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± ¡°Did it pretty good didn¡¯t you!¡­We can shoot as many times we want you know!¡± ¡ºGuoooooo£¡¡» ¡°¡­¡± The next flame had already accumulated inside the chimaera¡¯s mouth. Seeing that, Tia made a sour look as if she ate a bitter bug. There¡¯s too little time to fire water while chanting that much in rapid succession as expected and she won¡¯t be able to be in time even if she were to possess the magic power for it. Even so she has no other choice but to do it. It¡¯s instant death if her side gets hit even once. If Tia blunders, then all four would wind up dead. ¡°Now! How long will you be able to endure I won¡­der¡­h¡­huh¡­?¡± ¡°? ¡­What?¡± The moment she tried shooting the flame, Melua¡¯s movement abruptly came to a stop. From her state where she stuck out her arm, that movement of her gradually became sluggish. As if her body was solidifying¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dhmph, it finally showed effect.¡± That time, Brad mumbled. Standing up with a disgusted look, he lined up beside Tia and looked up at the chimaera. ¡°W- why¡­is my body¡­slow¡­¡± ¡°You can hardly move anymore isn¡¯t that right? I became anxious when you fused with this giant thing, but I¡¯m most glad it worked. ¡°? What in the world are you talking about?¡± Among them, the one who understood everything was naturally only Brad. Neither Melua whose body¡¯s freedom suddenly ceased to be effective, nor his ally Tia; they could not understand anything of this situation. ¡°When I did a surprise attack on you bastard in the beginning, I stabbed you with this red knife.¡± What he took out was a red knife. It was a dark red, shining and frighteningly beautiful knife that sucks blood. ¡°This is . On the surface there is a special poison that seeps out with my magic power. I had it enter your body during that surprise attack.¡± A liquid dripped drop by drop from the knife. That was a red liquid, but it was thinner than blood and lighter in color. ¡°This is a poison that hardens blood like stone. With a small quantity it is only effective enough to dull a foe¡¯s movement, but if I stab you deeply like back then and stab you in the center of your body on top of it, then it is easy to do something like transforming the blood in your whole body into stone.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ah¡­¡± Melua could no longer understand his words. The chimaera which the girl was controlling completely stopped its movements and crumbled down from being unable to support its body. ¡°It¡¯s regrettable, but you¡¯ve already reached your limits. You can¡­ no longer hear anything, I suppose.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Melua could no longer speak. However, her eyes that she could still move a little caught the figure of a single magic soldier at the end of her vision. Because the exterior was tattered, a single man was trying to crawl. The man¡¯s name was Ramell. It was the man who was convinced he was the brother of the currently dying Melua, no, Amelle. It was supposed to be memories that was inserted by magic, but even at this point of time, Ramell was pointing a look of a family towards Melua. ¡°Ame¡­lle.¡± He himself was tattered. The damage from being kicked by Glain back then must have been great. Even while blood is flowing from his mouth, Ramell called her, his sister¡¯s name. Why is that person looking at me with those eyes I wonder. Even though I deceived him, even though I did something terrible. Even though I even did something unreasonable to his beloved miss Alize. Why is he looking at me with such gentle eyes I wonder. Your little sister is an illusion and our family was make-believe. Despite that, why? Come to think of it¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D The everyday life I spent with those people¡­ wasn¡¯t bad I guess. Aah, it would¡¯ve been nice if I really was his little sister. If I was then I bet I wouldn¡¯t have needed such strength. More¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dlike a normal girl¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Good bye, monster tamer¡± On top of the crumbled down chimaera, was a figure of a young girl extending her hand like she was wishing for something. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- A.N. Any Melua fans out there? CH 64 You are reading a translation of Jun from scarletmadness.org. Please read this chapter on the original site or on patreon(translatorjun) if you wish to show support to us. You may not read the actual translation if you don¡¯t. This guy¡¯s freaking annoying.¡± I grumble as I watch the unhurt Kagerou even when he received a hit from Kuromaru. ¡°I told you it doesn¡¯t work didn¡¯t I?¡± He only swung his sword in return. I catch that with a single hand and beat his stomach with my freed hand. But it felt dull. From what I understand, this black armor absorbs all energy and turn them to 0. Why my attack wasn¡¯t being effective was because it turned its kinetic energy to 0, but even attacks laden with magic or magic power were no good. It seems it also absorbs magic power, but you could simply say it¡¯s some material that fully absorbs powerful impact. ¡°It¡¯s useless!¡± ¡°Woah¡± Once again I turn my body away from the swung sword. You know what, I give up. I don¡¯t have a plan to break through my current situation. Doing no damage even though I put quite a bit of my strength into hitting him means it¡¯s not even worth considering if it¡¯s not an attack that¡¯s near my full strength I guess. If you ask me if I would crush him if I put out my full strength, then I can only answer with probably, but¡­¡­if I attack Kagerou with my full strength, then he¡¯ll die. That¡¯s bad. Right now I won¡¯t be defeated, but I won¡¯t win either. My plans of instantly defeating him and come to other people¡¯s assistance collapsed. ¡°fuh¡­¡­as expected of the man recognized by my liege, different from those insects!¡± ¡°Ah?¡± ¡°If I remember correctly¡­¡­they¡¯re called the five great demon generals?¡± Kagerou¡¯s expression is that of ridicule. You don¡¯t mean this guy¡­¡­ ¡°You¡­¡­what the hell did you do?¡± ¡°Even if you ask me what, I¡¯ve only killed them is all I can say. There should be a corpse of a giant and of a tiny girl lining up on the dirty ground, you know?¡± ¡° ¡­¡­¡± The five great demon generals were defeated? Physically it should be Ides and Lily. Those two were strong. But I can understand. If this guy fought wearing this armor then they could not hope to win. They actually don¡¯t have any source of damage from the fact I couldn¡¯t deal any damage to him. In other words, his words are real¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°It¡¯s not something to be sad about, you bastard will soon suffer the same fate!¡± ¡°¡­¡­Shut the fuck up.¡± I dodge the sword and kick Kagerou¡¯s chest to make him step back. ¡°Hmph! This much is¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dwhat?¡± The guy noticed. That he himself was kicked and was made to take distance. That he himself received impact. ¡°¡­¡­muttering this and that, just shut up. You, what have you fucking done?¡± ¡°Wh,what¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°What have you done I said! Aah!?¡± Before he could say something, I hit Kagerou¡¯s face hard. He who fell on his ass finally understood I guess. That his armor couldn¡¯t absorb my attacks. ¡°Eat this!¡± ¡°Guaah!?¡± I strike him with Kuromaru. Kuromaru who tried to catch that couldn¡¯t kill off the impact and was blown off greatly to the back. Damn it. Making me feel my anger boiling. It¡¯s not enough, this level of attack. More, with enough strength to break him¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Ha, haha! Now we¡¯re talking!¡± I quietly raise Kuromaru overhead towards Kagerou who rose up. It¡¯s still not enough to X this guy. My magic power crawled onto Kuromaru. Before long that increased to a thickness where white could be seen and it made the ground vibrate from the magic power¡¯s excitement. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Djust die.¡± ¡°Gh! !¡± His face instantly becoming pale, Kagerou wore a new dark aura over his body. ¡°These two layers are difficult to do as expected, but¡­¡­with this, I will no longer receive you bastard¡¯s attack ag¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± Yeah, shut up. I want to silence him right now, no, I¡¯m going to silence him right now. The magic power I¡¯ve poured into Kuromaru is already reaching its limit. An instant¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dthe sound in the surrounding stopped. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D. One straight line ran the earth. ¡°I¡¯m glad, you¡¯re alive.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡­haa¡­¡­¡± Kagerou was standing. He may be bearing a deep gash from shoulder to toe and he may have spit a large puddle of blood, but he is still standing. ¡°You shifted the tip with your sword and protected your head, huh?¡± At his feet, the cut edge of his one handed sword was dropped. Judging from the cutting sensation it should¡¯ve been quality goods at the level of Kuromaru. And so the shadow armor, to think it prevented a bisection. I think the cause was that my head cooled down before I had completely swung down and ended up putting some leeway in it, but I really didn¡¯t think it could stop this much damage. This guy is strong, no doubt. This guy¡¯s probably the strongest among the black robes. ¡°Even with my ¡­¡­I can¡¯t reach you, is that what you¡¯re saying¡­¡­¡± The cut armor broke and fell. At the same time, Kagerou fell on his knees. His knees on the ground, he looked up in the sky. ¡°Kill me.¡± It was a voice that gave up everything. ¡°If I could get rid of you here then¡­¡­ it would have be fine though.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too greedy, you idiot.¡± If you want to kill me, bring along 50 Kagerous. I don¡¯t feel like losing though. ¡°Well, you probably know this, but I don¡¯t kill.¡± Even I didn¡¯t think blood would rush into my head this much just then. To think¡­¡­that I would go as far as thinking about killing him. There¡¯s still anger, not so much right now though. For now I want to quickly head to the two. It¡¯s about those two, they may still be breathing. Worst case¡­¡­they¡¯ll be saved by me. ¡°I¡¯m in a hurry, but I¡¯m the one being troubled if you die like this. I¡¯mma treat you so stay still.¡± Even so, I¡¯ll be troubled even if Kagerou dies. If it¡¯s this level of injury then I shall do it quickly. It doesn¡¯t look like this guy¡¯s putting a resistance either so it should be fine if I heal him and tie him up. ¡°¡­¡­You, why won¡¯t you take someone¡¯s life?¡± ¡°Ah?¡± When I was applying recovery magic while thinking of the future, Kagerou¡¯s voice put me back to reality. ¡°I¡¯ve heard from my liege that you don¡¯t take a person¡¯s life. From the beginning when you came to this world all the way until now¡­¡­if that is so, then why won¡¯t you kill someone?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡­¡­now that he mentioned it, what was the reason again? It¡¯s true that I thought I don¡¯t want to take responsibility of a person¡¯s life anymore at the time I killed Touma. But, I haven¡¯t killed a person before that either. In this cruel world, I stubbornly refused giving and taking life. How heinous of a guy he is, I won¡¯t kill him. How much I couldn¡¯t stomach the guy, I haven¡¯t killed any. Why¡­¡­if I¡¯m asked, why though? If my previous life in Japan was the cause, then I won¡¯t be able to recall it anymore. But suppose that was the case, then I think I would¡¯ve talked about it with somebody. Something like this happened, that¡¯s why I won¡¯t take away life¡­¡­or something. I don¡¯t have any such memories. I feel that this reason¡­¡­the reason I don¡¯t kill people is carved in a much deeper place¡­¡­a place deeper than my heart or memories. Well¡­¡­ I guess it¡¯s not something I can recall at this place now. ¡°Even I don¡¯t know it myself.¡± I say while binding the treated Kagerou with a rope knead of magic power. And while I¡¯m at it I take out a magic stone out of the magic bag and put it into the rope that has become a roll wrapping around him. This is a magic sealing stone, he shouldn¡¯t be able to use any magic for a while. ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you glad I was your opponent? If it were someone else you would¡¯ve died.¡± ¡°¡­¡­There is no merit in living for me who has been defeated.¡± Kagerou hid his face. ¡°We are people that are created. As weapons to destroy various tribes, as tools of war¡­¡­ If we¡¯re defeated then we lose whatever value we had.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± What¡¯s with this guy, it suddenly got so heavy. These sort of stories are basically what I don¡¯t want to hear. It¡¯s useless and I¡¯ll be left unable to say anything. It¡¯s because I won¡¯t be able to sympathise no matter how much he kept at it. It¡¯s because this monster(me) can¡¯t feel any sympathy towards anybody. ¡°¡­¡­I don¡¯t know your situation, but¡­¡­ Well, living is better than ending up dying I think.¡± Death is accompanied with horror you can¡¯t do anything about. I have already died once so I get that. The time I was lured into a trap and was forcibly sent back to Japan, I felt my own body dissolving inside the main current of an enormous magic power. Eventually everything completely dissolved and my consciousness vanished. That time was scary in any case. I, who became the strongest and had no scary things, harbored terror. Excuse me if I¡¯m going to taste that again. ¡°For now, we¡¯ll start with you apologizing to the demons and having them forgive you. If it¡¯s just a bit then I can plead with you so there. And then I¡¯d say go out and eat some meal. A full stomach is the root of happiness you know?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Kagerou said nothing. He must have various things to think about. ¡°Oops¡­¡­ I have to find them soon and heal them¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­ They¡¯re dead you know.¡± ¡°Who cares. They¡¯re alive, those guys.¡± My intuition is saying so. Those guys are tougher than humans and the like. ¡°Tell me the place where they fell right away. You don¡¯t have any rights to veto any¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¡± ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DThis isn¡¯t good, you know Kagerou? You have to fight until you die.¡± ¡°¡°!?¡±¡± I responded to the voice I heard right behind me¡­¡­ And reflexively, swung Kuromaru. It was a single, unadjusted swing. That guy grinned broadly. ¡°Look¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DYour liege¡¯s in a pinch you know.¡± But, who I killed was¡­¡­ ¡°¡­¡­ Thanks Kagerou. Thanks to you I was saved and I was able to make Setsu take away ¡°a person¡¯s¡± life.¡± Sprays of blood scattered around. Kagerou crumbled down while looking at his own chest. I, completely cut his heart and lungs and he who lost his life¡­¡­ slowly¡­¡­ began losing body temperature. ¡°Now Setsu¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dshow it to me?¡± Touma looked at me and laughed. Without looking at Kagerou who moved himself and acted as a wall, he looked at me. Kagerou is dead. I killed him. Touma use him as a wall, no that¡¯s not it. My blade, my blade murdered him. I killed him¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dwith these hands of mine. I took a life, with these hands, I, I, I¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Ah¡­¡­ Aah¡­¡­ AAAaaaaaaAAAAAaaaaaah!¡± CH 65 You are reading a translation of Jun from scarletmadness.org. Please read this chapter on the original site or on patreon(translatorjun) if you wish to show support to us. You may not read the actual translation if you don¡¯t. ¡ºSetsu(¹�), there¡¯s something I have to tell you¡» In the pure white space was a still very young boy and a pretty woman who looked like his mother. I am floating and overlooking the two from above. Where could this place be? My head strangely hurts when I look at them. It¡¯s as if I¡¯m forcibly digging up my memories¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DIs that so. this is¡­¡­ Memories of the time when I was neither Setsu(¥»¥Ä) nor Setsu(Ñ©). (TL: Ñ© setsu is how he went by in current life¡¯s Japan; ¥»¥Ä is how he is called by everyone in the world he¡¯s currently in and currently he¡¯s called ¹� which you could also speak out as setsu) It¡¯s my previous life that I fed to Gluttony. ¡ºEven though I say that, I bet you¡¯ll end up forgetting it even if I tell you now I guess¡­¡­ That¡¯s right, I¡¯ll carve it into your soul. ¡» Mother put her hand on the chest of the very young me and talked. ¡º¡­¡­You are my son. And I think you will bump into a lot of suffering because of that. You should have the options at the necessary hour and there will come a time where you will rob someone of their life. But you should do what you yourself want to do. ¡» Mother¡¯s voice penetrated. It has the feeling of having each of the parts that made me confirm it. ¡ºBeat up the fellows you want to beat up and protect the fellows you want to protect. You¡¯re going to become strong enough to be able to do that¡» Said mother with a smile that is bad enough that it feels good. ¡ºBut, you have to keep a promise with me¡» She shortly put the other hand on my head while saying so. While slowly patting the head of the very young me¡¯s head, mother continued. ¡ºYou have to, rob one ¡°person¡± of their life, only a single one before you die. You won¡¯t become ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D if you don¡¯t. ¡» Noise ran for an instant and there was a small part I couldn¡¯t catch. Isn¡¯t that part like the most important part¡­? ¡ºNot killing is wrong and killing too much is wrong too. If you don¡¯t kill, then your soul will disappear along with your death. On the other hand, if you kill too much then you¡¯ll be degraded to a regular criminal and then I¡¯ll have to perform the last rites to your death. You don¡¯t want that do you? ¡» The very young me didn¡¯t understand what this was about. Of course he didn¡¯t, the current me doesn¡¯t understand it either. ¡°Well, you broke your promise and ended up killing two people though~¡± ¡°-!?¡± When I noticed, my consciousness went into the young me. The woman¡¯s way of talking stopped being like that of a past. This girl, she¡¯s talking to the current me. Not to the young me, but the me who now has ended up killing two ¡°people¡±¡­¡­ ¡°You who end up robbing two people of their lives has to be shown the way to your death by my hands. And why I have to do this is¡­¡­ You don¡¯t know do you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Of course I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to know, you will be dying here in any case.¡± The woman¡¯s thin arm extended towards my throat. Her hand was a little cold. The body of this young me doesn¡¯t have the strength to brush off that hand. Even if that¡¯s the case, I can¡¯t struggle and escape. If she¡­¡­ If this person says it¡¯s the end, then it¡¯s already the end of me. ¡°¡­¡­Don¡¯t make it very painful please, mother. I hate pain even at this age.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­¡­Despite not remembering it at all¡­¡­ you did well calling me something like mother.¡± ¡°Even if I lost my memory, I¡¯ll still immediately know you¡¯re my mother. Even if I lost my memories, the fact that I was born from your womb, the words you¡¯ve given me, your teachings too, all of them is carved onto my soul. You carved it in there didn¡¯t you?¡± Souls and stuff, it¡¯s vague whether they¡¯re honest or not. Even so, I remember it, in spite of losing my memories of my previous life. I remember that this person is my mother. At a place much deeper than my heart, much deeper than my memories. ¡°Why did I forget about it¡­¡­ that the cause of me not killing people was my mother.¡± ¡°¡­¡­The time I talked to you about this was that time with that body of yours after all. It isn¡¯t unreasonable to not remember. Even so, your soul should have remembered about it.¡± I look at my mother¡¯s hand touching my chest. I see¡­¡­ She can carved it on me that way. ¡°¡­¡­I¡­¡­have violated your orders I guess. Then so it really¡­ is inevitable for me to be erased¡­¡± Honestly, I still can¡¯t comprehend the size of the matter. Why only I can¡¯t kill two people, I couldn¡¯t accept it because I could not catch the important part. But, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to oppose her. Even if I go against mother, I probably won¡¯t be able to win. This person is not standing in the same place as us. ¡°If you¡¯re doing it, then do it in one go please¡­ You can do that right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­-haha! You¡¯re really my kid.¡± Mother separated her hand from me, sat cross-legged and laughed as she struck her knees. She¡¯s terribly mannish and yet like a parent. ¡°I can erase you anytime, so~. Let¡¯s reminisce for a bit. I can¡¯t recover your lost memories, but I¡¯ll talk about what kind of life I¡­ no, our family lived.¡± ¡° ¡­¡­ Yeah, please.¡± If my life ends either way, then I¡¯d want to hear about myself in the end. About the time I was a ¡°person¡±. Yeah¡­¡­ it doesn¡¯t matter anymore What happens afterwards, what happens to those people¡­¡­ none of it¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Dmatters anymore. ¡°!¡± From Saiga¡¯s pushed out spear, a thrust of magic appeared. Shironeko twisted her body and intersected with that. Then she got in his bosom. (Wha-¡­¡­ I knew she¡¯s fast) The nail that was swung towards Saiga¡¯s defenseless body, Saiga defended it by forcibly bringing back his spear. Both of them were repelled together with high pitched sound and each of them took distance. ¡°Fushuu¡­¡­ ¡° Having slowly taken a short breath she had held in, Shironeko slowly sharpened her senses. Because Saiga understood that Shironeko was slightly the stronger one, he could not carelessly leap upon her. She was grateful for that and though it was little by little, she was able to turn her consciousness towards Mineko. (Well, I don¡¯t even need to worry about her desu¡­¡­) At the corner of her sight, the figure of Mineko kicking away Kuroinu¡¯s stomach was projected. ¡°Gahah¡­¡­ ¡° ¡°Haah!¡± When Kuroinu flinched from having received a powerful dropkick in her stomach, she perceived a high kick following up on that. The surprising part of Mineko was the part where she throws a follow-up with only the twisting of her body and her physical strength in spite of floating due to having done a dropkick. And unlike Kuroinu who rolled unsightly on the ground, Mineko landed firmly on the ground. ¡°Don¡¯t get carried away¡­ You lowly cats! !¡± ¡°You say, but aren¡¯t you a dog¡­¡­ ¡± Kuroinu got up and shot out an enormous flame sphere. That which came flying straight towards her, Mineko watched it calmly and immediately saw through it. ¡°!¡± The roundhouse kick filled with magic power caught the flame sphere. Receiving the impact from right beside it, the flame sphere flew away to the side without hitting her. ¡°¡­¡­ It didn¡¯t break¡­¡­ I guess I need more training¡­¡­¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Kuroinu was impatient within her mind. It was because although she had a trump card, there was a chance that it would be overcome as is because she was being pressured in this situation. While that may be true, she would certainly be defeated if she end up using her trump card and she couldn¡¯t bring her down even for an instant. At the very least it was out of the question if she couldn¡¯t stop her movement. (It is annoying, but¡­¡­ I will call Saiga for cooperation and¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D) ¡°Uooooh!?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ What are you doing?¡± Suddenly, Saiga fell down beside her. From the fact he was out of breath and there were small wounds on his body, she could see he was attacked quite well. ¡°Tch¡­¡­ Scratches all over my body, dammit¡­¡­¡± ¡°Miserable aren¡¯t you¡± ¡°Right back atcha, aren¡¯t ya pretty flustered there?¡± ¡°Gh!¡­¡­ Shut up, you.¡± A little after Saiga fell down, Shironeko landed beside Mineko. Naturally, she was uninjured unlike him. ¡°Why did you come flying, big sis¡­¡­¡± ¡°It was an airbattle desu. That aside, that boy called Saiga or something, he¡¯s quite good desu.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Looks like it.¡± When the elder sister finished the fight with minor injuries, Saiga¡¯s ability was acknowledged. And of course Shironeko also acknowledged the strength of Kuroinu who fought with Mineko and still hadn¡¯t collapsed. ¡°¡­¡­ A drawn out battle might be bad desu.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°These people, they¡¯re absolutely hiding something desu. I want to at least¡­¡­ take down Kuroinu desu.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Okay.¡± The glint in the eyes of the two sharply glared at Kuroinu. ¡°We¡¯re doing that desu¡± ¡°Yes¡± Bloodthirst of the two calmly preparing catgirls had enough intensity to make ordinary men faint. Enough to make Kuroinu and Saiga reflexively take a step back¡­¡­ ¡°Operation, Nyan nyan hide and seek¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Ddesu¡± CH 66 ¡°It will be bad if this goes on like this¡­ Saiga, I¡¯m going to use that.¡± ¡°You¡­ But doesn¡¯t that use up almost all of the magic power you have? Not to mention it takes time until you can cast it¡­¡± ¡°You are here for that reason. Guard me until I cast it, I ask of you. At the very least¡­ I will kill one person.¡± ¡°Tch¡­ I get it alright!?¡± Saiga leapt before Kuroinu. Kuroinu quietly put her hands together and closed her eyes. (As long as this spell of Kuroinu settles it, victory will be close¡­ Problem is whether I can suppress those two or not though¡­ Well, not much to do other than make it work out I guess.) He swung his spear once and resolved himself. Unlike his lackadaisical thinking, that conduct of his was brimming with fighting spirit. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DHere we go desu.¡± Shironeko and Mineko jumped out. Shironeko¡¯s nail approached Saiga who readied his spear in front of him. ¡°Take this!¡± Having caught those nails, he released a thrust like that towards Mineko who tried to slip through from the sides. Being interrupted suddenly, Mineko did avoid the trouble, but she lost momentum and so she took distance once. Shironeko whose nails were defended, pulled back her hand and unleashed her nails once again. ¡°Heh¡­ my eyes have gotten used to it now!¡± ¡°Is¡­ that¡­ so desu!?¡± The nails and spear collided, raising high-pitched sound. While Saiga was bluffing, he took a glimpse towards his back. There was Kuroinu, still showing no signs of moving. ¡°Still not done, Kuroinu¡­!?) A boisterous dance of surging waves of nails. Already had it become difficult to defend against uninjured and so several cuts were put on him. Even so, he could not take distance. It is because he could not bear it if his defenceless ally were to be robbed of her life in that opening. However, that had no relation from the cat sisters¡¯ perspective. ¡°!¡± (TL I really need a better name for this.) ¡°Damn¡­ it!¡± He caught the dropkick of Mineko who had slipped through the nails and had jumped for a surprise attack. Unable to break off that impact, he was blown away several meters. ¡°Ow, that¡­ hurts¡­¡± Saiga stood up while wobbling and once again readied his spear. There was still some distance to Kuroinu, I should be able to endure if it¡¯s for a little longer. A scene that was seemingly laughing towards the current him, spread before his eyes. ¡°Hah¡­ You¡¯ve gotta be kidding me.¡± There was something flying about at high speed before his eyes. Because the sound of kicking the ground resounded all over the place, he did not know their locations accurately. Saiga at least knew Shironeko and Mineko was flying about because those sounds simultaneously resounded at two places, but to his regrets he could not grasp their figures. And then¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Gah!¡± A body blow from one of them grazed his body. With just that, Saiga was taken aback and stumbled a step or two. ¡°What is this strength¡­¡± ¡°, don¡¯t think it can be repelled desu!¡± Applying to their legs, kicking the air with outstanding leg strength and jumping about like a superball was the true identity of this technique. The flying about in the first place would have instantly blown ordinary men into smithereens if they were to think about coming in contact with their body. Saiga who endured one attack could say as expected, but¡­ ¡°Ugh!¡± Surging waves of body blows assailed Saiga. Human masses hit his shoulder, feet and stomach at great speed. He already dropped his spear and could do nothing but protect his head with his arms. However, Saiga endured and continued to endure it. ¡°gh! Saiga! I¡¯m doing it! Please pull back!¡± ¡°Hah¡­ Finally¡­ Huh. ¡± The good news came in. Saiga reflexively showed a relieved expression. He mustered the last of his strength and leaped towards Kuroinu. ¡°Ah!¡± Mineko who stopped her bounces leaked out her voice for letting him escape. One of ¡¯s weak points was that it would backfire when it could not do a targeted attack. This technique, while excelling in power, range and ability to restrict, was difficult to aim due to high speed movement. Constantly knowing only roughly each other¡¯s location, Shironeko and Mineko could not stop running into each other at the time they devised this technique for the first time. Becoming in sync, it finally took a complete shape, but its weakness was too much to erase as expected. However, they had overlooked something ¡°I¡¯m counting on ya¡­ hit ¡®em hard!¡± ¡°Even if you don¡¯t tell me¡­!¡± Kuroinu stuck out her hands in front of her. Mineko felt a premonition that was unpleasant enough to make her hair stand on end. However she wasn¡¯t at a distance where she could put a stop to it anymore. (We won I guess¡­) Even while gasping, Saiga was convinced of their victory. And after he let go of his strength like that, he noticed. (Huh¡­now that I think about it¡­where did that Shironeko girl go off to?) ¡°It is the end,