GrM - vol4 p2

14.    First Impression of the Hole of Surprises

The Wonder Hole.

Who had named it the Wonder Hole? When had it become the Wonder Hole? The Wonder Hole.

Imagine for a moment that there was a super giant mole on the Quickwind Plains. Now, this super giant mole, being a mole like any other, would of course dig tunnels. This was a super giant mole, so the tunnels it dug would be giant, too.

Imagine that this super giant mole started digging a giant tunnel around

1.5 kilometers to the north of Lonesome Field Outpost. The tunnel entrance wasn’t vertical. It was diagonal.

The super giant mole had started digging a really long time ago, so the slope was covered in thick grass. How far the super giant mole’s giant tunnel went, how it spread out, no one knew for certain. That labyrinthine tunnel was so ridiculously huge that some people thought it might go on forever.

Now, this was the Wonder Hole. Also called the Hole of Surprises, or the Hole of Mysteries.

According to one theory, the deepest point of the Wonder Hole was connected to another world. They said that that was why the Wonder Hole was inhabited by bizarre and dreadful creatures seen nowhere else, and a unique ecology had formed inside it.

Furthermore, there were a number of beasts, monsters, and races that, having been defeated in the factional struggles of Grimgar, had fled into the Wonder Hole. It seemed that each of these groups had undergone their own independent growth and development.

The Wonder Hole was, of course, not a giant tunnel dug by a super giant mole. That was merely an analogy. Then how was it formed, you ask? The most persuasive theory was that a number of limestone caves, lava caves, geological fractures and ravines had been connected through a series of natural phenomena and the actions of various living creatures.

The Wonder Hole was a place of many mysteries. For many long years, people had been working to map it in its entirety, but that had yet to be accomplished. The Wonder Hole was just too vast.

In some places, it was too dangerous even for experienced explorers and well-trained volunteer soldiers. However, there was no shortage of people who went into the Wonder Hole.

The explorers were driven by the lust for adventure, walking forward again today in search of lands yet unseen. And as for the volunteer soldiers, it was well worth taking the risk.

“We’re here...” Ranta gulped. “We’re really here. It’s the Wonder Hole.” Ranta was acting calm, by his standards. Well, that was to be expected,

because this area near the entrance was kind of, well, calm and quiet.

Honestly, Haruhiro had been expecting there to be more fierce and dangerous-looking creatures waiting for them, so it was a bit of a letdown.

The Wonder Hole was easily a hundred meters across, so he did feel like,

Wow, that sure is huge, but there were chickens, of all things, on that slope.

No, they weren’t chickens. They were too fat for that. They were big and plump. At a glance, they looked bigger than a person, so these weren’t just mutated chickens. Probably, they were an entirely different creature that just happened to resemble them.

Those pseudo-chickens were sitting down or walking around all over the place.

“What is this...?” Haruhiro let his honest opinion slip out.

“It’s kinda...” Kuzaku narrowed his eyes. “...pastoral and idyllic, huh.” “The chickens’re cute, huh,” Yume said, smiling—no, smirking.

Shihoru shivered. “...But, they’re a little scary.”

“Yeah,” Merry nodded. “They’re big, but still weirdly realistic.”

It was strange for her to say they were weirdly realistic, since they were living and breathing right there in front of them, and were, therefore, without a doubt, real. Still, Haruhiro sort of got what Merry wanted to say. If you took a fly or mosquito, blew it up to ten times its normal size, and you could

see all the little details of it clearly, it’d be pretty grotesque. It didn’t feel any better seeing that done with chickens instead. Probably, that was what she was getting at.

“Well, that’s just how the Won-Ho is,” Ranta said, acting like an insufferable know-it-all. “It’s the sort of thing where it’s pretty easy up by the entrance, and it gradually gets more hardcore from there. Like that’s the design? We haven’t even gone inside yet, so this is about what you’d expect.”

“Fine, but what’s this ‘Won-Ho’ supposed to be...?” Haruhiro asked. “Huhh?! Parupiro, you moron, it’s short for Wonder Hole, duh! You

ought to be able to figure out that much. Use some common sense.”

“I’m not sure a guy as far from normal as you should be talking to me about common sense...”

“Are you an idiot?” Ranta shot back. “How many people in this world do you think have as much common sense as me? Not one, man, not one. I am the King of Common Sense.”

“Man, do you even know what common sense means?” Haruhiro asked. “Yeah, I do,” Ranta said. “The opposite of nonsense, right?”

“Oh, I give up...”

“Yeah, I bet you do! Talking to you is a waste of time anyway! Okay, let’s do this!” Ranta put on his helmet, then raced forward.

Haruhiro blinked. “...Huh? What? Man, whaa—”

“...Uwah,” Kuzaku put on his close helm and lowered its visor. “Seriously?”

“Huh...?” Yume brought her index finger to her lips, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

“...Unbelievable,” Shihoru groaned, but she still got ready to fight. Merry shouted after him, “Stop it, you idiot!”

She was too late.

“Hahhhhhhhhhh...! Leap Out!” Ranta bellowed.

Ranta charged fiercely towards one of the giant pseudo-chickens that was sitting on the ground.

The sharp blade of Ranta’s longsword caught the giant pseudo-chicken— or so he thought.

“Gyueh!” The pseudo-chicken leapt up at the last possible moment, flapping its wings.

“Bwah...?!” Ranta’s swing missed, and he looked up at the pseudo-

chicken.

Yes. Looked up at it.

“—What, you can fly?!” he shouted. “Wugyagyagyagyagyaaa!”

The pseudo-chicken was probably beating its wings in desperation. It was currently at an altitude of about three meters. But maybe that was the limit for it. The pseudo-chicken was moving backwards in midair as it descended.

“Gwahaha! You’re making this more fun than I thought it’d be!” Ranta bellowed.

Ranta closed in on the pseudo-chicken before it could land, taking a swing at it. The pseudo-chicken didn’t have arms, so it went after him with its legs instead.

A kick. It was a kick. “Gyugyagyugyagyua!” the chicken called.

“Whoa! Whoops! There!” Ranta’s longsword hit the pseudo-chicken’s leg. They collided. Blood flew. However, he hadn’t cut it off. It looked like the pseudo-chicken had pretty tough legs.

“Not bad!” Ranta called. “Gyueee!”

The pseudo-chicken jumped off the ground, launching another kick at Ranta. This was different from its last midair kick. This was a strong kick with real force behind it.

“Gwuh...?!” Ranta intercepted it with his longsword, but it was pushed back. He was sent flying.

“I’m kind of supposed to be the tank!” Kuzaku called, interposing himself between the pseudo-chicken and Ranta.

“Gyugyagyagyagyah! Gyagyagyagyagyah!”

The pseudo-chicken jumped into the air and kicked. It kicked with its right leg. It kicked with its left leg. It spun its legs around, kicking again and again in rapid succession.

“Oh! Ohh! Wow! Whoa!” Kuzaku was blocking it all with his shield somehow, but he was totally being forced to back away. The pseudo-chicken might force its way past his defense and knock him over at any moment.

“Okay, Kuzaku, you’re in charge of letting it whale on you!” Ranta shouted.

Ranta had let Kuzaku take his place. Now was he trying to circle around

to the pseudo-chicken’s side, or its back, if he was lucky? “Haru?!” Merry looked over to Haruhiro.

Yeah, I know, Haruhiro thought. Orders, right? You’re looking for orders. I have to give them. Dammit. Screw you, Ranta. This is because you had to go and start this. I mean, what do we get out of killing some giant pseudo- chicken? Sure, we could probably eat the meat, but butchering it would be a lot of work. No, no, now’s not the time to be thinking about that.

Haruhiro quickly scanned the area around them. The other pseudo- chickens were keeping their distance and watching.

They sure are cold, these pseudo-chickens, he thought. But for now, it looks like they won’t be swarming us. Not yet, at least. We’ve gotta stay on our toes.

“Kuzaku, you stay there and hold out!” he called. “Ranta, Yume and I will surround it! Merry, look after Shihoru! Conserve magic!”

Haruhiro drew his dagger and sap and rushed forward. Ranta was already trying to get behind the pseudo-chicken.

“—No matter what, I’m gonna be the one to decide this!” Ranta hollered. “O Darkness, O Lord of Vice! Dread Aura!”

Ranta activated his dark magic, and something like a blackish purple haze enveloped him. Dread Aura. It was a spell that gave the dread knight who used it a general power boost.

Use that from the beginning! Haruhiro shouted at him mentally. “Urkh...” Kuzaku grunted with exertion.

Kuzaku’s hanging in there, Haruhiro thought. But it’s sloppy, the way he moves. Is he too tall, so it’s throwing off his balance? His shield and sword are both too far out from his body, and they’re not in sync; it’s a mess. He’s got too many gaps. Is he gonna be okay as tank like that?

Regardless, while he’d been managing to hold out somehow, Ranta had gotten right behind the pseudo-chicken and taken a swing at it. “Hatred!”

“Gyueeh!”

The giant pseudo-chicken took to the air once more, dodging Ranta’s slash. Once again, it was about three meters up, but that was high enough that Ranta’s swings just barely couldn’t reach it.

“Fwoosh!” Yume called, quickly loosing an arrow. Despite being a hunter, Yume wasn’t good at archery. But she hit. It struck the flying pseudo- chicken in the breast.

“Yay!” Yume cheered, but the pseudo-chicken didn’t even flinch. It looked like it was pretty meaty, so one or two arrows might not hurt it much.

“Hit it in the face, okay? The face!” Ranta bellowed, chasing after the descending pseudo-chicken, swinging his sword around as he did.

Kuzaku followed after him with heavy steps.

When the pseudo-chicken landed, this time it started running. “Gyueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!”

“I-It’s running?!” Haruhiro was dumbfounded. At the same time, he thought, This isn’t going to work. We can’t catch it. I mean, it’s fast. That thing’s super fast.

“Hey, wait, you...!” Ranta hollered.

Ranta was trying to chase after it, but it was getting further and further away from him. Kuzaku just stood there, while Yume was nocking an arrow.

“Jess, yeen, sark, fram, dart...!”

Shihoru cast a spell. It was one she had newly learned. It wasn’t Darsh Magic. It was a Falz Magic spell, Lightning.

There was a flash of light. Then a roaring sound, like the sound of tearing paper, only magnified tens or hundreds of times.

It was lightning. Lightning came down. Right at the feet of the fleeing pseudo-chicken.

In other words, she missed.

“Meow...!” Without missing a beat, Yume let her arrow fly. It didn’t even graze it.

“Dammiiiiiiiiit, aaaaahhhhhh.. !” Ranta yelled.

Ranta’s still running, Haruhiro thought. It’d be stupid to go to the trouble of stopping him.

“. I mean, when you get down to it, this was all his fault for suddenly

starting a fight in the first place,” Haruhiro added aloud.

“Whoa. ” Kuzaku looked down at the ground, shaking his head. “I broke

into a cold sweat there. I’ve never fought anything like that before. ”

“I don’t think that’s your only problem here. ” Haruhiro muttered, despite

himself.

Kuzaku raised his visor and looked in Haruhiro’s direction. “Huh?” “Nah—” Haruhiro said.

I’ve got something to say to him. I feel like I really ought to say it. But, as infuriatingly stupid as it is, I can’t just leave Ranta alone.

“Hey! Ranta! Get back here already! Don’t waste your time!” Haruhiro shouted.

“You’re so annoying! Shut up, Parapillion!” Ranta hollered.

All he’d gotten in return was some verbal abuse, but it still seemed that even Ranta had realized how stupid he was being. Or maybe he was just tired. That seemed more likely. Either way, Ranta finally stopped.

“...I’m sorry,” Shihoru said, shrinking into herself. “...I couldn’t hit it with my spell. I know this is just making excuses, but I’m not used to Falz Magic yet...”

“Grr,” Yume said with a grimace. “That arrow hit, but it didn’t end up doin’ anything.”

Merry had an incredibly dark look on her face, as if the world had just ended for her. She was depressed and at a loss for what to do. “...I couldn’t cast it... Protection...”

Merry’s got a complex about Protection, Haruhiro thought. This’s bad. “Nah, it’s not your fault, Merry—” he hastened to reassure her, but the source of all this trouble had turned around and was on his way back, cursing

all the way.

“I almost had it, but someone went and stopped me! You just had to go and make a nuisance of yourself!” Ranta yelled.

“Man...” Haruhiro muttered.

The words “making a nuisance of yourself” are a better description of what you were doing, he thought indignantly. They were made to describe what you were doing. Your very existence is a nuisance. Give me a break. Quit screwing around all the time. Seriously, you do this every time. I wish you’d just die already. I wouldn’t mind—hell, I’d be thrilled.

Haruhiro wanted to unload all of those feelings on him, but Ranta probably wouldn’t change even if he did. If Haruhiro said anything, Ranta would argue back, it’d turn into a fight, and that would only be exhausting for him. Still, he had to warn him against one thing.

“No more messing with the pseudo-chickens,” Haruhiro ordered. “Actually, you’re banned from charging in without permission.”

“Don’t get cheeky with me,” Ranta said. “Who do you think you are, pal?”

“It’s banned.”

“I asked, who do you think you are? Answer me.”

“It’s banned.”

“Can you do anything other than repeat yourself?” Ranta demanded. “Are you a parrot? Are you a parrot, huh? Yeah, you’re a parrot. Fine then, from now on, your name is Parrot, got it? You’d better get used to it.”

Haruhiro did his best to ignore Ranta and resist the urge to punch him.

Haruhiro’s ability to let things go must have gone up a level or two. “...I’m amazed that you can put up with him,” Kuzaku said with clear

dismay.

“It’s because he’s always like this...” Shihoru explained with a wry laugh.

Yume stuck out her bottom lip, making a pouty face. “Still, when he’s doin’ stuff to make you mad, he makes you real mad.”

“Um! Everyone, gather around.” Merry raised her hand. “I’ll cast Protection on us. This time, I have to make sure it doesn’t run out...”

Haruhiro and most of the others gathered around Merry at once, but Ranta was dragging his feet.

“Oh, fine, if I have to,” Ranta muttered. “Honestly. You’re absolutely hopeless. Seriously. Seriously.”

It really made Haruhiro want to shout Come on, just get over here already, but he thought better of it.

“Ah,” he added, realizing something. “Hm?” Ranta turned around. “...Oh?”

There was a rumbling sound. It was incredibly intense. Something was running towards him. It was a giant pseudo-chicken. Since it had an arrow in its breast and a bloody leg, it must have been the one from before.

The pseudo-chicken leapt into the air. “Gyueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!” “Ohhhhhh?!” Ranta yelled.

It let loose.

The giant pseudo-chicken landed a flying kick on Ranta’s chest. “Gwah?!” Ranta yelped.

It was a clean hit. Ranta was bowled over. Haruhiro couldn’t help but think, Serves you right.

“O Light, may Lumiaris’s divine protection be upon you... Protection!” When Merry cast the spell, a hexagram of light appeared on Haruhiro and the others’ left hands.

“Didn’t it run away?!” Haruhiro readied his dagger and sap. “We’ll have to do this! Kuzaku!”

“Yeah!” Kuzaku put his shield in front of him and charged at the pseudo- chicken.

Yume nocked an arrow. “Is Yume better off usin’ her machete?!”

He couldn’t shout, I don’t know! I don’t know anything about that! at her, like he really felt, so Haruhiro tried saying, “Your bow is fine!” But was it really? He didn’t know.

Shihoru launched another spell, but missed again. Ranta wasn’t getting up. He was just lifting his head and glancing over in Merry’s direction, as if to say, Heal me, please. Be nice to me. That ass.

Yume’s arrow didn’t hit it, either.

As for Kuzaku, it was all he could manage just to block the pseudo- chicken’s kicks with his shield.

The pseudo-chicken jumped, flew around, and they couldn’t catch it. This was going nowhere.

15.    Bitter

—The task set before me is clear, Haruhiro thought.

First, something had to be done about Ranta running wild. Whenever that ass went and did whatever he felt like, without exception, it ended incredibly badly. As the party leader, Haruhiro had to do something about it. If he couldn’t, it would mean he was failing to accomplish his duty. He needed to put a collar on that mad dog Ranta, and train him to do as he was told. It was going to be an extremely difficult mission, but he would have to do it.

And then there was Kuzaku.

“Well, truth be told, I’ve never done the tank thing before,” Kuzaku had told Haruhiro. “In my last party, we had two warriors. They were kind of tank-y. I was more of a support role. You know, like, I’d stay back. I’m not used to being on the front line, you could say. Honestly, it’s pretty scary.”

Of course it was scary. There was no helping that. But if he didn’t stand there as an immovable tank, it would make it hard for those in back to do their jobs.

For the time being, Haruhiro had decided to have Kuzaku focus on one job. Paladins had a skill, Block, which was used to stop enemy attacks.

Kuzaku was to focus on using that.

Block was for more than just receiving enemy blows with his shield. By pulling back or pushing forward at the right time, he could throw his opponent off balance, delay their next attack, or set up a counterattack combo.

According to Kuzaku, because he hadn’t been a tank in his last party, he hadn’t even carried a shield. He’d only learned Block recently, so he didn’t have the composure to consciously make use of it in a real battle just yet.

That was going to be a problem, so they’d need to beat the skill into him.

To Haruhiro’s mind, Block was the most basic of basics for a paladin, a skill that could become a central pillar of their strategy. For the moment, Kuzaku didn’t need to think about attacking at all. He wanted him to focus entirely on Block.

“Urkh...! Kuh! Muh...!” Kuzaku was desperately blocking the club with his shield. The one swinging the club was a squat, big-nosed, round-eyed human—no. A human-like creature.

They all seemed to have clubs, and they were all male, so Haruhiro decided to call them clubmen for now. Yes, clubmen. There was more than one clubman. In addition to Clubman A, the one Kuzaku was fighting, there were multiple others.

“Argh! Quit darting around!” Ranta hollered.

Ranta was trying to carve up Clubman B with his sword, but he couldn’t pull it off. The clubmen were tiny, and pretty darn fast, too.

“They’re strong, too!” Haruhiro called.

Haruhiro Swatted Clubman C’s club, Swatted it, and Swatted it again.

That club, is it made of wood? he wondered. Or is it some other material?

It’s hard and heavy.

The clubmen were maybe 120 centimeters tall at most. Even with their bodies that size, they were swinging around clubs that had to be a meter long as if they were nothing, so they were really strong.

They wore nothing but these shabby outfits that were like short, one-piece dresses, tied shut at their waists. No shoes. They didn’t seem to have a human-level intellect, but they’d been crafty enough to catch the party by surprise.

After Haruhiro and the others had somehow managed to kill that pseudo- chicken, they’d headed inside the Wonder Hole. They’d progressed through a huge cave that was like a one-way tunnel for some time, and then, suddenly, these guys had leapt out of a side tunnel. They had waited for Haruhiro and the party to pass, then attacked from behind.

“Sorry! Usin’ the bow may not be an option! They’re too tiny!” Yume called, putting her bow away and trying to draw her machete.

“Get on with it, you moron!” Ranta shouted. “Shut up, stupid Ranta!” she yelled back. “What’d you say?!”

“Jess, yeen, sark, fram, dart...!” Shihoru chanted, triggering her Lightning

spell. Her target was Clubman A, the one that was wailing on Kuzaku. Down came the lightning.

“Gyah!” the clubman screamed.

It hit. But, no, that didn’t mean she scored a direct hit on Clubman A. Its club. The lightning struck Clubman A’s club.

Clubman A immediately reacted by letting go of its club and jumping backwards.

“Punishment!” Kuzaku quickly stepped in, swinging his longsword down diagonally. The path of his sword resembled Moguzo’s signature finishing move, the Thanks Slash, AKA Rage Blow. Because he pulled his shield in to cover half his body as he executed the slash, it left him with less of an opening, but it probably had less power. Also, perhaps because he was focusing on defending, he was somewhat slow to use the skill.

Maybe because of that, Clubman A was able to leap back, avoiding Kuzaku’s Punishment. He rolled, then picked up his club. Getting up, he started attacking Kuzaku again.

“Dammit!” Kuzaku sounded frustrated, but he didn’t let his temper get the better of him.

“Don’t rush things! Just keep going like you were!” Haruhiro called out to him, still going Swat, Swat, Swat. He had gotten so used to Swatting that he could Swat while focusing on something else now.

Still, I can’t let myself get carried away. It’s dangerous when I start thinking I’ve gotten used to it, he mentally cautioned himself, then riled up the mad dog. “Ranta! What’re you doing?! You’re letting that loser give you a hard time! Are you all talk?!”

“Snap!” Ranta lost it. He wouldn’t have had it any other way. “Take that, and that, and that, and that, and thaaaaat!”

He attacked. He used Leap Out to move up, leaping forward from an angle to pressure Clubman B. Clubman B tried to knock Ranta’s longsword away with his club, but he couldn’t react fast enough.

“Ooghyah,” the clubman cried. “Gyah. Gyahih!”

Ranta cackled, shouting, “Die, die, die, die, die, dieeeee...!” It looked like he was going to push past Clubman B’s defense.

Yume went to help Kuzaku, machete in hand. Shihoru might still have been considering what to do. Merry checked her right wrist.

It’s good she’s checking that Protection hasn’t worn off, but it feels like

she’s doing it too often, Haruhiro thought. I should probably talk to her about that later.

“It’s about time I do something, too!” Haruhiro shouted.

Because he’d been Swatting so long, he’d gotten a read on Clubman C’s attacks. Haruhiro knew that when he went for a combo, he repeated a pattern of right, right, left, right, right, left. Once he went right, right, left, it seemed like Haruhiro could do something in the gap between that attack and the next.

Okay, Haruhiro thought. I’ll do it.

Clubman C swung his club in from the right, and Haruhiro used Swat. Again from the right. Swat. Now, left. Swat. Next is right. Now. “Shatter!” Haruhiro lurched forward, planting a kick on Clubman C’s

knee. He hadn’t kicked hard enough to actually break the clubman’s knee, but there was no need to. Clubman C stopped for a moment. That was enough.

“I’ll finish this!” Haruhiro added. Assault.

Haruhiro used the dagger in his right hand and the club in his left to stab and beat the hell out Clubman C. If Clubman C took a desperate swing at him with its club, Haruhiro probably wouldn’t be able to dodge. He’d be taken out.

If I take a heavy blow like that, I’m not going to be able to shrug it off, Haruhiro thought. If it hits me in the wrong spot, it could be lethal. It’s terrifying. I’m so scared, my hair’s standing on end. I have to overcome this fear. Even if I go down, I’ll make sure he does, too. I’ll take him with me.

Clubman C fell on his backside, tossed aside his club, tried to cover his head, but couldn’t protect it, eventually got on all-fours but was still being cut and bludgeoned. Finally, looking down over the motionless Clubman C, Haruhiro tried to take a deep breath.

He couldn’t. Sighing was out of the question, too. Even breathing was hard. He was sweating badly. It was getting in his eyes, and it stung. When he turned his head to look around, drops of sweat splashed around.

“I... I can only use this... on weaker enemies, huh...” he gasped.

It was too dangerous. That, and it was incredibly exhausting to use.

Maybe he could use it as a last resort when he was backed into a corner, or when he had no other choice, but it wasn’t going to work as a trump card. Only when he was stronger than his opponent could Assault decide the

outcome of a battle. It probably couldn’t turn around a losing battle.

“I-I guess... it just means... the world’s not that easy, huh...” Haruhiro panted.

Ranta shouted “Chop!” and, while he didn’t quite knock Clubman B’s head clean off, he broke its neck halfway. Kuzaku and Yume were overwhelming Clubman A. It was just a matter of time before they won, too.

Okay, somehow we’ve managed to—or not. This world, it really doesn’t take it easy on us.

“Merry! Shihoru! Behind us!” Haruhiro shouted. “Something’s coming!” “Huh...?!” As soon as Merry turned around, she swung her short staff

sideways. The furry little creatures, shorter than the clubmen, that had been closing in on Merry and Shihoru scattered, but they looked like they might attack again.

What are those things? Haruhiro thought. Monkeys? No. They’re built more like humans than monkeys, and they don’t have tails. Even their faces are covered in hair. Still, I’m hesitant to call them human. They’re abnormally hairy, so “hairy monkeys” sounds about right.

“Three of them!” Haruhiro called. “Ranta! New enemies! One each for me, you, and Merry!”

“Sure thing!” Ranta shouted. “Okay!” Merry called.

“Kuzaku, Yume, hurry up and finish!” Haruhiro shouted as he charged towards Hairy Monkey A.

My body feels so heavy, he thought. Assault’s no good. It tires me out twice as much in battle as it did in training. It’s useless like this. Even though I paid Barbara-sensei 1 gold and 20 silver to teach it to me.

Regardless, he was closing in on Hairy Monkey A. Hairy Monkey A swung both of its arms at him, so he went Swat, Swat. Swat.

It has claws, huh, Haruhiro thought. They have long, sharp, hard claws. The clubmen had more power, but these hairy monkeys win when it comes to speed. Actually—isn’t this thing ridiculously fast? It’s really springy. Even without a run up, it slaps its hands on the ground and can leap two, three meters into the air.

“They’ve got some serious jumping power! Watch out!” Haruhiro called. “No, you watch out!” Ranta hollered.

Ranta used Exhaust and Leap Out to jump around, so his fight with Hairy

Monkey B was a nonsensical mess as they both bounced around all over the place.

Merry inhaled sharply in anger. She was trying to hit Hairy Monkey C with her short staff, but it just wasn’t working out for her.

“Ohm, rel, ect, nemun, darsh...!” Shihoru chanted as she drew elemental sigils with her staff. A shadow elemental flew out, fixing itself to the ground. It was positioned right in between Merry and Hairy Monkey C.

Shadow Bond.

That’s our Shihoru, Haruhiro thought. Nice work.

“Akyah...?!” Hairy Monkey C stepped on the elemental. Its foot was now stuck. It couldn’t move.

“Smash!” Merry spun her short staff around, whacking Hairy Monkey C hard in the head.

That’s gotta hurt, thought Haruhiro.

Merry followed it up with a continued attack. “Hahh! Yah! Take that!” “Agyahguhgyah!” the hairy monkey screamed.

Merry can do pretty much whatever she wants to it now, Haruhiro thought. These hairy monkeys’ main weapons are their speed and those claws, so if we can just make them stop, they aren’t scary at all.

“But, how do we make them stop?!” Haruhiro shouted aloud.

While using Swat on Hairy Monkey A’s claws, Haruhiro thought about it. Am I being too passive? With that thought in mind, he tried attacking with his sap after a Swat. Hairy Monkey A made an exaggerated leap backwards and ran off. How cautious.

“Got him!” Yume shouted.

Looks like Kuzaku and Yume took out Clubman A, Haruhiro noted. It’s six-on-three. Merry’s about to finish Hairy Monkey C, so soon it’ll be six-on- two. We can do this. No. Maybe not...?

“Zoowah?!” Ranta shouted.

Suddenly, Ranta started using Exhaust repeatedly.

Again? Haruhiro thought in shock.

Were they reinforcements, or not? Either way, it was more new enemies.

It looked like they were coming out of a hole to the side.

Another different type of creature. Black. They looked like emaciated children with jet black skin. Their eyes were incredible. Sparkling. Like gems. In their hands they held see-through knives.

As for whether they were enemy reinforcements—it didn’t look like it.

Those gem kids ganged up on Hairy Monkey B, the one Ranta had been fighting, knocked it down, stabbed the hell out of it, then carried on with that momentum to attack Ranta. It looked like the gem kids and the hairy monkeys didn’t get along. Still, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” didn’t seem to apply here, because the gem kids seemed hostile to humans, too.

When Hairy Monkey A which Haruhiro had been fighting spotted the gem kids, it took off somewhere else. Thanks to that, Haruhiro was freed up, but... wasn’t this kind of bad? No, not kind of, wasn’t it really bad?

“H-H-H-Heyyyy! H-H-Help! Guys! Hurry up and come help me already, you morons!” Ranta shouted.

If nothing else, the number of gem kids chasing after Ranta was bad news. Haruhiro counted them on his fingers. “One, two, three...”

Eight. No, nine. No, no, there are ten.

“They’ve got us outnumbered!” Haruhiro shouted.

For a moment, he seriously considered sacrificing Ranta to save the rest of them.

Guess I can’t do that though, he thought. Well, of course not. But what do I do?

Haruhiro shouted, “Ranta! We’re turning back! Towards the entrance!

We’ll cut down on the number of enemies somehow and run away! Shihoru...!”

“Right!” Shihoru immediately cast a spell. “Jess, yeen, sark, kart, fram, dart...!”

It was... not Lightning. The chant was similar, but it was a different spell.

A flash of light. Rumbling. Lightning fell. No, a bundle of lightning might have been a better way to describe it. Right in the middle of the gem kids that were chasing Ranta—was sadly not what happened. Still, three of the gem kids were struck by lightning and blown away. That made the remaining gem kids who weren’t struck falter a little, and the gap between them and Ranta widened.

“Wahahah! Nice, Shihoruuuu!” Ranta hollered. “Give ’em another one!

Let ’em have it!”

“Sorry.” Shihoru staggered, clinging to her staff. “...I-I don’t have the magical power. Until I meditate, I can’t do any more...”

“What’d you say?!” Ranta screamed.

“Meow!” Yume let an arrow fly. But it didn’t hit a gem kid—it grazed Ranta’s head instead.

“—Gwuh?!” Ranta shouted. “Th-That’s dangerous, Yume! You...!” “Meow,” Yume complained. “It’s not easy when you’re all movin’.” “Ranta-kun! Over here!” Kuzaku lifted his longsword, waving to him.

While Ranta was still adjusting his course and had the gem kids in tow, Kuzaku had predicted the route he was trying to take.

Ranta cackled. “You’re surprisingly useful, tank! Here I goooooooooo...!” “—Gahh!” Kuzaku hid himself behind his shield and slammed into the

gem kids. Two or three of them were knocked flying and fell to the ground, but Kuzaku had put a little too much energy into it and he tripped.

When Ranta saw that... “Screech!” Ranta pulled to a sudden stop and turned back. “Take that, and that, and that! Get massacred by me, you pissants! Dieeeee...!”

Because Ranta suddenly turned around and went on the offensive, the gem kids seemed bewildered.

No, but still... Haruhiro thought.

“That’s reckless!” he yelled. “Just think about the number of enemies!”

Even as Haruhiro was saying that, he got behind one of the gem kids and hit him with a Backstab. The gem kids were closer to humans than the clubmen or hairy monkeys, so it was easier to imagine where their vital points were. Well, he wouldn’t know if they were actually vital points or not until he tried, so that’s what he did.

To be precise, he went for the kidney and liver. If he was stabbed through the kidney and liver, the gem kid would be wracked with unbearable pain.

From there, there would be a blood spurt. On top of that, if it damaged the diaphragm, the gem kid would have major breathing difficulties. Even if he didn’t die immediately, the symptoms of shock would set in, he would be unable to move, and he’d eventually breathe his last.

He’s gone. The gem kid collapsed and Haruhiro began taking aim at his next target.

All of a sudden, Ranta turned heel and took off running again. “You dumbass! Like we can do this, you stupid, idiotic, moron!”

Two or three gem kids went after Ranta, the rest came at Haruhiro. “—Huh?! Seriously?!” Haruhiro shouted.

With a cry, Kuzaku leapt to his feet, knocking back one of the gem kids’

knives with his shield. Haruhiro was grateful for that, but the ones Kuzaku had knocked flying before were getting up, and at least one of the gem kids Shihoru had scattered with her magic was trying to return to the front line, too.

“Contact Shot, meow!” Yume rushed in, firing an arrow into a gem kid’s face at point blank range. It was much harder to fire at an enemy while getting up close to them, or having them get up close to you. Yume pulled it off, but the arrow just went in the gem kid’s mouth and shot through his left cheek. She couldn’t neutralize them like that. Yume gave up on firing a second arrow, tossed her bow, and pulled out her machete.

“This is bad...” Haruhiro muttered as he Swatted, Swatted, and Swatted again. He wasn’t up against one gem kid, but two. If it was just one, he might have been able to keep track of the situation around him, but that wasn’t going to be possible with two.

Either way, things are a mess, he thought. I’m not in control of the battlefield. I don’t think I can do it, either.

He wanted to scream, Help us, please! Of course, no one was going to help them. He knew that. They had to do something about it themselves. They had to carve a path out of here. If they couldn’t, they’d die. They’d become ash and bones, and soon enough no one would even remember them.

It wasn’t just Haruhiro and his group. Manato and Moguzo, who’d passed on before them, and Choco and her group, Kuzaku’s former comrades... there would be no one to remember them, either.

“—This isn’t funny!” Haruhiro screamed.

16.    Crossroads

It really wasn’t funny.

Haruhiro and the others had narrowly managed to flee back to Lonesome Field Outpost with their lives, and they bought cheap tents from the merchant selling them in the back streets.

It went without saying that they’d bought separate tents for the guys and the girls. Ranta had spouted some nonsense about how they should buy a single big tent and all sleep together in one happy pile, but nobody had agreed.

After that, they’d gotten something to eat and the girls had headed off to the bathhouse. The guys were put off by the higher-than-expected cost of entry, and they made the logical decision to wait and see if they stank the next day, and if so, bathe then. Then they went to lie down early in their tent next to the outpost.

As might have been expected, three guys were a tight fit in one tent. For starters, while Haruhiro and Ranta were compact, by guy standards, Kuzaku was too tall. To engage in a bit of hyperbole, he took up the space of two people. Three guys who hadn’t bathed, packed into a tight space together until morning. This was no laughing matter.

Maybe it wasn’t too late to go bathe now. That, or buy a different tent.

But, would that greedy tent merchant let them return this one?

Why didn’t I buy a bigger one to begin with? Haruhiro wondered. I had the money, but being poor’s made me naturally frugal. I can’t help but cheap out.

Ranta’s already snoring, but is it okay to sleep? Aren’t there things we should be doing? Like reflecting on today?

Technically, they had talked during dinner about how they couldn’t go on

like this, but everyone had been exhausted, and it hadn’t been an atmosphere where they could really debate anything. Haruhiro, to be honest, was thoroughly exhausted, like he’d done enough for today, and he wanted to leave it until tomorrow.

But it’s not okay, he thought. Not okay at all.

“...Kuzaku, you awake?” he asked. “Yeah. Sorta.”

“How was it?” Haruhiro asked. “How was what?”

“Now that you’ve tried it,” Haruhiro said. “...It was tough,” Kuzaku said.

“Do you know why it was tough?” Haruhiro asked. “Oh. Hmm. It just sort of was.”

“That’s no good...” Haruhiro mumbled.

Kuzaku wasn’t the only one who was no good. Haruhiro was, too. He wanted to put all the blame on Kuzaku and Ranta, even though it wasn’t their fault. There weren’t just one or two problems—there were a whole host of them. Those problems interacted in complex ways, leading things in a worse direction.

“I’m no good, I know.” Kuzaku tried to roll over, but stopped, probably because it was too tight in the tent. “But, in a way, weird as it is to say this, it was fun, I guess.”

“Huh?” Haruhiro asked.

“I may not seem it, but I’m taking this seriously, you know,” Kuzaku said. “I probably wasn’t before. I dunno. It makes it feel worth it? Maybe that’s it.”

“...I see,” Haruhiro said.

“Here’s hoping I won’t die,” said Kuzaku. “That none of us will, ever again.”

“Yeah,” Haruhiro agreed.

“It’s kind of on me to prevent it, huh?” Kuzaku asked.

“That’s what makes it so tough,” Haruhiro said. “Being the tank, I mean.” “Being the leader, too, I’ll bet.”

Haruhiro didn’t respond.

Kuzaku’s probably not a bad guy. I don’t really know yet, though, he thought. He’s been blessed with a good physique, and he has a decent amount of physical strength. But he’s not able to maneuver well. He doesn’t

have Moguzo’s finesse, or his attention to detail. He doesn’t seem that tenacious, either. He lacks a strong core, you could say. He’s shaky and unreliable.

—This is no good. It’s really no good. I can’t help but compare him to Moguzo. Kuzaku’s not Moguzo.

“You should do this,” or “You should do that”—like, “You’re opening yourself too wide,” or maybe “You need to lower your hips more”—there were plenty of things like that Haruhiro could have told him. But how applicable would the things be that Haruhiro, a thief, mentioned? Kuzaku must have been thinking things through himself, and it was best to leave the fine details to him to figure out. If someone started lecturing him on how to move as a thief, Haruhiro would probably think, What the hell do you know, anyway? He hadn’t known Kuzaku long, so he couldn’t predict his reactions. He didn’t know what it was okay to say and what would just make things worse. He was still getting a feel for that.

What a pain. I’m starting to feel sleepy, he thought, and soon his consciousness had sunk into the darkness.

When he awoke, maybe not mentally, but physically, he felt better. It looked like everyone just left their tents out, so Haruhiro and company did the same. So long as they didn’t leave their belongings behind, too, nobody was going to bother stealing a cheap tent. They got breakfast in the back streets of the outpost, and now it was time for another fine day in the Wonder Hole.

With a little research the day before, he’d found out that the pseudo- chickens were creatures called melruks. The clubmen were duergar. The hairy monkeys were bogies. The gem kids were spriggans.

These three races that inhabited the area just inside the Wonder Hole were known as the three demi-humans. The three demi-humans were all mutually hostile, and they would kill each other on sight, but their greatest enemy was humans.

However, they wouldn’t touch humans that looked strong. In other words, the three demi-humans had judged Haruhiro’s group to be weak.

Of the three demi-humans, spriggans, or rather their gem-like eyes, sold for a good price. Sometimes, they were hunted to near extinction for them. That said, very few volunteer soldiers could be bothered to focus on the three

demi-humans.

The demi-humans hunted melruks in groups, or captured other demi- humans and ate their meat, somehow managing to survive on that. They were, without a doubt, the weakest creatures in the Wonder Hole. If they were able to keep the party from advancing, this whole endeavor was going to be a nonstarter.

Put another way, the area inhabited by the three demi-humans was like the first barrier to any volunteer soldier looking to make their fortune in the Wonder Hole.

“But...!” Haruhiro added aloud.

While Swatting Duergar A’s club, Haruhiro checked what his comrades were doing. Kuzaku was focused on blocking Duergar B’s club with his shield, while Ranta was running circles around Duergar C. Yume was trading blows with Duergar D using her machete, and even Merry was fighting a Duergar E. It was a fight they could just barely handle. Like the day before, the three demi-humans had taken Haruhiro and his group for weaklings again today, and they’d gotten into a situation like this in no time. Breaking past the first barrier wouldn’t be easy.

“Ranta, just kill that one already!” Haruhiro shouted. “Someone needs to protect Shihoru!”

“Shove off!” Ranta hollered. “I know that! You don’t have to tell me, pal!

Here it comes! My super move! Invincible Exploding Slashhhhhh...!”

When Ranta stopped and started swinging away at Duergar C, the duergar quickly leapt backward to put some distance between them.

That duergar’s much calmer than Ranta, Haruhiro thought. Actually, it’s just that Ranta’s way too stupid.

Kuzaku was focused entirely on defense, so he wouldn’t be throwing Duergar B off balance any time soon.

Even if he can’t beat them, it’d be easier if he could do like Moguzo and take on not just one, but two or more by himself sometimes, Haruhiro thought regretfully. How did Moguzo do that, again...?

Merry and Duergar E were evenly matched. Yume was struggling a little against Duergar D.

Is it just me, or is Duergar D kind of bigger than the other duergar?

Haruhiro wondered.

He wasn’t imagining it. That one was clearly a full size larger than the

rest. It was that much stronger as a result. If he had noticed from the beginning, he could have had Kuzaku or Ranta handle Duergar D. This had been a mistake on Haruhiro’s part.

It looks like Shihoru’s looking for an opening to use her magic, but, right now, if enemy reinforcements, or bogies or spriggans, turn up, we’re in serious trouble, Haruhiro thought. It’s up to me. I have to do it.

Moguzo, the one they had been fully reliant on for both offense and defense, was gone now. Ranta sometimes showed bursts of strength, but he wasn’t stable. They couldn’t rely on him. Shihoru was trying to acquire some firepower, but she wasn’t used to it yet, and it was only once a mage’s safety was secured that they could dominate enemies with their powerful magic.

Just being a leader wasn’t enough. Haruhiro had to become a genuine asset in combat, too.

Haruhiro used Swat on Duergar A’s club, then immediately stepped in and stomped on the duergar’s knee. Shatter.

“Gugyah!” the duergar howled.

For an instant, Duergar A stopped, and in that time Haruhiro slipped past him. With a backhand grip on the dagger in his right hand, he jabbed it into Duergar A’s neck, following that up with a whack to the back of the head with his sap.

Haruhiro rushed over to Shihoru. “Shihoru! I’ll protect you, so cast a spell!”

“Right!” Shihoru responded eagerly, immediately beginning to chant a spell. “Ohm, rel, ect, nemun, darsh...!”

A shadow elemental flew forth. It attached itself to the ground right behind Duergar D.

“Diagonal Cross!” Yume attacked, causing Duergar D to take a step back.

Its right foot landed on the shadow elemental. Shihoru’s targeting for stuff like this was exquisite. Duergar D couldn’t move.

Knowing it was now or never, Yume pressed the attack, but Duergar D fended her off with his club. He was a stubborn one.

“Jess, yeen, sark, fram, dart...!” That’s when Shihoru slammed a Lightning spell into him.

Shihoru had some trouble with the accuracy of her Falz Magic at the moment, but she didn’t miss a stationary opponent. Duergar D took a clean hit from the lightning, his entire body jolting and convulsing. If his right foot

hadn’t been glued to the shadow elemental, the shock might have sent him flying. It didn’t look like it had killed him, but he’d probably lost consciousness.

“Ooh-hah! Take that!” Yume cut Duergar D up with her machete. Duergar D’s done, Haruhiro thought. Now there are three left. “—is something I’m not thinking, okay?!” he added aloud.

That was what he had to tell himself, because here they were. They were coming. The hairy monkeys known as bogies. Out of a nearby tunnel.

A thought occurred to Haruhiro. It’s the same order as yesterday. That means the spriggans’ll be next, huh? At least, we should be prepared for them. We can sell spriggan eyes. They’re good money.

Using that thought to motivate himself, first he would have to deal with the remaining three duergar and three—no, four bogies.

Uwah, Haruhiro thought in dismay. That’s seven people in total. That’s more than we’ve got. Maybe we ought to run...?

“Ha! Anger! How do you like that, huh?!” Ranta ran Duergar C through and killed him.

“Jess, yeen, sark, kart, fram, dart...!” Shihoru chanted.

Shihoru’s magic burst forth. Not Lightning, but the higher-grade version of it, Thunderstorm. Her target was the bogies.

There was a pretty incredible thunderclap, and two of the bogies were blown away. It looked like it was close to a direct hit, so those two probably wouldn’t be getting up. Kuzaku was taking Duergar B and Merry was taking Duergar E, while the new enemies were Bogie A and Bogie B. If it was four in total, they could take them out.

No, that wasn’t the issue. Could they finish them off quickly? That was the key thing.

“Yume! Switch with Merry!” Haruhiro shouted. “Meeeow!” Yume cried.

“Ranta, we’re taking out the bogies!” Haruhiro shouted. “Gwahahaha! I can do that myself, man!”

“Yeah, I wish!” Haruhiro shot back. “Merry, watch Shihoru! Shihoru, meditate if you can!”

“Okay!” Merry called.

“R-Roger...!” Shihoru added.

Yume quickly swapped out with Merry, while Merry put herself in a

position to guard Shihoru. Ranta charged headlong towards Bogie A. Haruhiro’s opponent was Bogie B.

He had his uncertainties. He was so scared, he couldn’t help himself. He couldn’t dwell on it, he knew that, but the thought always came to mind, If only Moguzo were here.

But, when Manato had been there at first, when Merry had joined, and when Moguzo had been with them, the things that Haruhiro and the others had built during those times hadn’t all been reduced to nothing. The teamwork between Haruhiro, Ranta, Yume, Shihoru, Merry, while it may not have been complete, had reached a level where they could communicate everything they needed to with eye contact and maybe a few words. Their individual strength had also risen considerably.

If they got overconfident, they would fail, but they needed to have self- confidence. To believe in themselves. Just enough not to be timid. That would be difficult, but they had to do it.

We can do it, Haruhiro thought.

These duergar and bogies, lacking any real equipment, were no match for Haruhiro and the others. The one thing they had to watch out for was their numbers. They had to divvy them up well, and swiftly go about reducing them.

We ought to be able to do this, Haruhiro thought. “It’s a race, Ranta!” he called.

“You’re on!” Ranta shouted.

What they were racing for went without saying: to see who could kill their bogie the fastest.

“Leap Out!” Ranta zoomed off on a diagonal, instantly landing in front of Bogie A. Then he swung his longsword like a scythe. The top half of Bogie A’s head was lopped off. “Mwahaha! I win, Parupiroooo! Be my slave from today on!”

“I never agreed to those terms!” Haruhiro deliberately chose not to attack Bogie B, instead going on the defensive and using Swat on its claws as it attacked.

Ranta circled around behind Bogie B. “Chestooo...!”

His longsword carved into Bogie B, the back of his head this time. Bogie B was mowed down.

“Gwah ha ha!” Ranta laughed. “Damn, I’m stroooong! I’m the strongest!

Parupiro’s weak! Peh!”

Haruhiro was pissed off enough he couldn’t restrain himself from clicking his tongue in displeasure. Still, it was just as planned. So long as he took the necessary precautions and used him well, Ranta was an asset.

“Haru...!” Merry cried.

“I know!” he shouted back.

When he looked over, there were spriggans popping out of another tunnel.

This was within expectations. The problem was the number of them. “Five... six, huh?” Haruhiro yelped in alarm. “Shihoru?!”

“I can go once more!” she cried.

“Okay! I’ll leave the timing to you!” he shouted. “Right!”

“Ranta, don’t run out yet!” Haruhiro added. “You’ll get your turn soon!” “Sure thing!” Ranta hollered. “After all, I’m the star player on this team!” Haruhiro peeked over at Kuzaku and Yume. As Yume shouted “Chaaa...!”

and cut down Duergar E, Kuzaku was still using the Block skill with his shield to defend against Duergar B’s attacks.

No, I know I said to focus entirely on doing that, but isn’t he still taking way too long...? Haruhiro thought.

“Jess, yeen, sark, kart, fram, dart...!”

Shihoru cast Thunderstorm. The moment that bundle of lightning came down, the spriggans scattered. Even though they did, one of them failed to evade it and was blasted away.

“...Sorry!” Shihoru called.

“Don’t worry about it!” Haruhiro called back,

While consoling Shihoru, Haruhiro thought, Five. Five of them, huh.

Damn. If Kuzaku had hurried up and killed Duergar B faster, we’d be able to support this number. Do we run? It’s a hard call. I don’t have time to be indecisive, though. The spriggans are almost on top of us.

“Everyone, defend Shihoru to the death!” Haruhiro called. “I’ll take them down one by one!”

Is it okay? he wondered. Saying something like that? Isn’t this plan kind of bad? I dunno. But I can’t take it back now. I don’t have the time.

“A man looks coolest when he’s defending a woman!” Haruhiro added. “Ranta! Show us how manly you are!”

“Damn straight I’ll do it, you moron! Leave it to me!” Ranta hollered.

Ranta, Merry, and Yume each readied their weapons and surrounded Shihoru.

The spriggans surged towards them. Ranta and the others focused on a defensive fight, not breaking formation even when it turned into a melee. Just one of them, Haruhiro, dashed out from inside the spriggans’ weak encirclement.

Changing direction, he targeted the spriggans from behind. That guy. The one attacking Merry.

Rather than Backstab, Haruhiro chose the more guaranteed kill of Spider. He grappled the spriggan from behind, stabbed it through the kidney, then slit its throat from ear to ear.

When one was dead, the other spriggans swarmed towards Haruhiro. “—Oh, crap!” Haruhiro shouted.

“Nice decoy work, Piropiroooo!” Ranta took that opportunity to take a slash at one spriggan’s back.

Too shallow. It wasn’t a fatal blow, but now the spriggans couldn’t focus entirely on Haruhiro.

Two spriggans closed in on Haruhiro, A and B, while Spriggan C went for Ranta and Spriggan D went for Yume. Thanks to that, things were slightly easier on Haruhiro, but it was still two-on-one. This was going to be tough.

“I’ve got this!” Merry cried, and with a sharp jab of her short staff, she kept Spriggan B in check. Spriggan B spun to avoid the short staff and turned to face Merry. Merry had successfully pulled Spriggan B away from Haruhiro. Now Haruhiro could focus solely on Spriggan A.

Haruhiro couldn’t carry out his plan of killing them one by one, but there were four one-on-one matches now. It might not be the best outcome, but it was one of the better ones. Shihoru was likely exhausted from using her magic power, but even if they didn’t rely on her spells, each time one of them took down a spriggan, things would swing further in their favor.

While using Swat on Spriggan A’s knife, Haruhiro couldn’t help but think, It really is Kuzaku. I can’t blame him, I guess. He only just joined the party. He hasn’t been a volunteer soldier for that long, either.

Haruhiro and the others had been pretty awful themselves when they’d started out. They might not be anything special now, but they’d been much worse before.

When I think back to how we were back then, I can’t make fun of Kuzaku,

Haruhiro thought. No, I wasn’t making fun of him. For now, I’ll just have to have him do the best he can.

But, still, I dunno that it’s okay for him to have been evenly matched with Duergar B for so long. I mean, we’re in a battle with time here.

“—Ah! They’re here, huh!” Haruhiro shouted.

That was a close one.

Haruhiro nearly failed to Swat Spriggan A’s knife. He was panicking. Of course he was.

More spriggans had just come out from yet another tunnel. He wasn’t sure how many. Somewhere between three and five, maybe. Shihoru probably couldn’t use Thunderstorm again.

This is not good, he thought.

“Or rather, it’s impossible!” he shouted. We have no choice but to run. “Everyone...!”

“Ohhhhhhhhhh...! Hatred...!” Ranta cut down Spriggan C, then charged at the new spriggans.

“Huh?! Man, what are you—Urkh...!”

Haruhiro nearly failed his Swat again. He was losing his mind badly enough as it was. He wished Ranta wouldn’t make things worse.

“Ranta?!” he shouted.

“Tough it out, Haruhiro!” Ranta acted like he was going to charge into the new spriggans, but then he used Exhaust to zoom backwards and run away.

The spriggans chased after Ranta. “If we back down here, it’ll be the same thing over and over! I’ll buy you time! We’re gonna murder all of these guys!”

“That’s not...!” Haruhiro burst out.

Pride, willpower, guts, all of those things are important, yes, Haruhiro thought, gritting his teeth as he used Swat on Spriggan A’s dagger again and again. But, no matter how we strain ourselves, we’re not going to be able to do things we can’t do.

“Ohm, rel, ect, nemun, darsh...!”

Shihoru’s shadow elemental flew forth, attaching itself to the ground and stopping one of the new spriggans in his tracks. However, it wasn’t nearly enough to make a difference.

Ranta was using Exhaust to its fullest, somehow dragging the spriggans

around after him, but he’d run out of steam eventually. Now that it had come to this, it would be hard to retreat without abandoning Ranta. They’d have to accept the situation for what it was and go all-out.

“Wa ha ha!”

Haruhiro heard someone laugh. That voice wasn’t one of his comrades.

Who was it...?

He looked and saw a volunteer soldier in tough-looking equipment walking along at a leisurely pace. He might have been fifteen meters from Haruhiro and the others, not far at all. Despite that, why did those people look so calm?

Because they actually are calm, I guess, he thought. “Ohh. Look at them go at it,” one soldier said pityingly. “Wa ha ha,” the next laughed. “Good luck.”

“When you’re at the level that those guys’ll attack you, it’s tough,” the first one agreed.

“Well, it’s a stage everyone goes through, you know?” a third one pointed out.

“Nah, when we first came, they never attacked us, remember?” said the first one.

“Yeah, yeah,” the second agreed. “They didn’t.”

“Now that you mention it, you’re right!” the third one cried.

In fact, the spriggans didn’t even turn an eye towards that party.

Four men, and two women. Their composition is two warriors and a paladin, a mage, a priest, and a thief, Haruhiro thought.

Even at a glance, it was plain to see. From the quality of their equipment and their overall demeanor, they were nothing like Haruhiro and his group. Without a doubt, that party was stronger than Haruhiro’s.

If they could get that good, the three demi-human groups wouldn’t try to lay a hand on them. They could walk right through here.

“You could help us out, y’know!” Yume complained loudly.

You can say that again, thought Haruhiro. Haruhiro and his party were fighting a hard battle and were in serious trouble. The other party should have seen that, so it wouldn’t have killed them to help out a little. If Haruhiro had been in their shoes, he’d have at least called out, Are you okay? Should we help? As a fellow human being, he’d want to do at least that much.

I mean, isn’t that what you ought to do? he thought. But, these guys,

what’s wrong with them? They’ve wandered off while having a pleasant chat. Are they sane? Are they even human? They didn’t look particularly cruel and evil. Well, maybe they looked relatively normal, but they’re actually a band of inhuman monsters...?

It’s a rough world.

You can only trust your comrades. Don’t count on anyone else. Because you can’t. We’ll have to get out of this by ourselves. In order to survive, our only option is to carve out our own path.

“I’ll do it!” he called.

He needed to cool his head. He understood that, but he couldn’t help but get a little hot under the collar.

Haruhiro hit Spriggan A’s knife with a hard Swat, then flipped a switch.

No, there wasn’t an actual switch anywhere to flip, it meant that he consciously changed the mode he was in, like flipping a switch.

“Assault!”

He attacked like crazy with his dagger and sap. However, he stopped after the fourth sequential strike. Spriggan A looked at him with a, Huh...? look on his face.

Now. Haruhiro dashed past Spriggan A, whacking him in the back of the head with his sap as he passed. He then jammed his dagger into the staggering spriggan’s neck.

“Merry!” Haruhiro shouted from his diaphragm, causing Spriggan B, the one Merry was fighting, to look his way.

Merry swiftly swept Spriggan B’s legs out from under him with her short staff. Spriggan B fell. On his back.

Haruhiro leapt on Spriggan B’s back as he tried to rise. He took a cut to his arm, or somewhere near there, but that was no big deal. Haruhiro jammed his dagger under Spriggan B’s jaw. He then slashed his throat wide open.

Spider. Spriggan B died.

“Haru! Your injury!” Merry cried.

“It can wait!” he called back. “First...!”

I’m on a roll. I’m scared that I might get carried away, but it would be a shame to cool down and lose the momentum I’ve got going. Maybe I should go as far as I can, to almost the limit, without going over? I feel like I might be able to grasp something. Like I might be able to take the next step up.

“Punishment!” Kuzaku finally got around to slamming his longsword into

Duergar B’s brainpan.

Good. Good, good, good! Haruhiro traded glances with Yume. Yume seemed to get what he wanted.

With a grunt, Yume cried, “Comboooo...!”

Yume unleashed a somewhat forced combo using Brush Clearer and Diagonal Cross, causing Spriggan D to back down a bit. However, she hadn’t been taking advantage of an opening, so Yume ended up throwing herself off balance a bit. It was dangerous, but that was fine.

It’s been a while, thought Haruhiro.

He saw that line. That faint line of light.

Rather than him tracing the line, it was more like his body followed it on its own. The dagger didn’t so much stab in as slide into place. Haruhiro landed a Backstab on Spriggan D, snuffing his life out in a single stroke.

We’re in top shape, he thought. We can do this. Things’re going our way.

“Yume, and you, too, Kuzaku! We’re going! We’ll get Ranta—”

Whoa. Haruhiro felt dizzy, the strength draining out of his legs. We can do this? How? How is this being able to do it? Going our way? Oh, something’s heading our way all right. More enemies.

Duergar from the left tunnel. Bogies from the right.

The three types of demi-humans don’t get along. We should make them fight each other. That idea occurred to him, but he couldn’t think of a specific way to do it. No matter how I look at it, running’s the only option here. But , then, what do I do about Ranta? I dunno. Honestly, I can’t decide.

“Merry, Shihoru! Run for it!” he yelled. “Yume, you too! Kuzaku...!” Haruhiro looked to Kuzaku. Kuzaku was raising the visor on his helmet.

Kuzaku’s shoulders were heaving with each breath, but he met Haruhiro’s gaze and nodded.

Yeah, at times like this, this is how it goes, Haruhiro thought. This is how it always goes, doesn’t it? Not because we want to show off—it just happens this way naturally.

He didn’t hear Yume, Shihoru or Merry’s responses. Haruhiro rushed towards the bogies, and Kuzaku charged at the duergar.

Ohh, Haruhiro wanted to moan. I’m so scared, I want to cry. The numbers, they’re seriously bad news. How many bogies are there? I can’t get a quick count. What the hell? Seriously, what the hell? I’m gonna die. This is it. I am so going to die. If I charge straight in like this, they’ll mince me in an

instant. This is no good. I need to buy even a little time. I know.

He was scared, so scared that his every hair was standing on end, but he drew them in, further and further. In another step, probably, the bogies would spring on him.

That was where he made a sudden turn. He couldn’t do a full one-eighty, but he banked about a hundred degrees or so to the left.

Haruhiro ran. With everything he had. The bogies were biting at his heels and raising an ungodly racket. He wasn’t going to be able to lose them. For another second or two, he had to run around—

“Meow...!”

Yume. Why was Yume in front of Haruhiro?

The arrow she fired whizzed past Haruhiro’s face, and may or may not have hit a bogie. He couldn’t check without looking back, and if he looked back he was sure they’d catch up to him, so he couldn’t check.

“Yume, why?!” he shouted.

“Did you think we could run away?!” Yume let off another arrow, then took off running alongside Haruhiro. There were tears streaming down her face. “Runnin’ away and leavin’ you guys behind! There’s no way we coulda done that!”

Well, no, maybe not, Haruhiro thought. But—wait, it’s not just Yume?

Yeah. They’re here.

Over by Kuzaku, who was surrounded by duergar and taking a beating, were Merry and Shihoru. Kuzaku was desperately protecting himself with his longsword and shield, still just barely managing to stay on his feet. As for Ranta, who was still being chased around by the spriggans, there was no telling how much longer he’d last.

We’ll be wiped out, Haruhiro thought. We can struggle all we want, but we’ll get wiped out. All of us are going to die here.

Sorry, Moguzo. I know it’s like, what am I apologizing for, right? Just, sorry. We shouldn’t be following after you so soon. Dammit. Dammit!

Dammit...!

“No!” Haruhiro screamed.

What good will shouting that do? What will it change?

“I don’t want to die!”

There was nothing he could do. Nothing any of them could do. No one in the group, least of all Haruhiro himself, had the power.

So, whether they wanted to or not, they were going to die here. They would die, leaving nothing behind. If no one was kind enough to burn them, they’d turn into zombies. When their flesh rotted and fell from their bones, they’d become skeletons. This was the worst.

“Augh!” Yume shouted.

One of the bogies had slashed Yume’s leg with its claws. Yume fell behind. She was going down.

This is the place, Haruhiro thought.

He had to flip his switch. He knew it was futile. But dying without doing anything, that would just be awkward. At the very least, he’d give it everything he had. Haruhiro changed to a new mode.

“Assault!”

I don’t care if I die. I mean, I’m gonna, anyway. The bogies. How many are there? Eight? Nine? More than ten? Who gives a damn?

Haruhiro closed in on the bogies that were about to pounce on Yume. He cut them with his dagger. Whacked them with his sap. He cut and whacked and cut and stabbed and whacked and cut and whacked and stabbed any that he could get his hands on.

For a moment, the bogies were intimidated by Haruhiro, but they quickly launched a counterattack. The bogies’ claws dug into Haruhiro. In no time, Haruhiro was a mess of injuries. He didn’t care—Haruhiro attacked with abandon. If he stopped, it was over. He refused to stop before he was dead.

Yume kept firing arrows at point blank range. With each arrow she fired, Yume screamed.

Suddenly, his field of vision was cut in half. It looked like they had gotten one of his eyes. He couldn’t swing his sap anymore. His left arm stopped moving.

It was hard to breathe—actually, he couldn’t breathe properly.

Yume took a knee. She was swinging an arrow around blindly. One bogie circled around behind her.

I’m not letting you take her! Haruhiro tried to take a swing at that bogie.

Right after he did, he felt impacts all over his body, and the next thing he knew, he was lying on the ground. Yume was on top of him. Was she trying to cover him?

Stop that, he tried to say. He had no voice. —This is it, huh.

Was this as far as he went? The bogies’ claws tore into Yume’s flesh, and

she let out a scream.

Stop it, Haruhiro thought. She’s just a girl, damn it.

But his body wouldn’t move. It broke his heart. He had already resigned himself. But, at the very least...

Haruhiro worked up the last of his strength and hugged Yume close.

Haru-kun, she called his name.

He turned her over, facing her downwards. At least, he tried. “Ha—”

What? Haruhiro thought numbly. What happened? The bogies, they’ve stopped attacking.

They couldn’t possibly attack now. That was because...

All at once, there was a splatter of blood from the bogies. All of them, at once. That was impossible. But, in Haruhiro’s eyes, it appeared instantaneous.

The bogies doubled over and collapsed. They fell on Haruhiro and Yume, too. When they fell on top of Haruhiro, of course it hurt. But, more than that, he was utterly amazed.

What is this? he thought. What’s happening? I don’t get it.

Yume mumbled something next to his ear. Yume’s face was right next to Haruhiro’s face. Actually, they were touching.

“Are you okay?” he heard a man’s voice say.

A man? Haruhiro thought. Who? And, wait, does this mean...

“...We’re... saved...?” he croaked. “Meow...?” Yume asked tentatively. “Just wait,” the voice said.

Haruhiro finally saw the man. You’re kidding me, he thought. He couldn’t believe it.

The man moved aside the bogie corpses, first helping Yume, then Haruhiro up.

It seemed it wasn’t a joke or a dream. Haruhiro couldn’t believe it, but he was going to have to.

The man still looked young and he wore a cool suit of black armor that fit him tightly, but which looked light to wear. There was orange light leaking out from inside it here and there. The asymmetrical skirt-like piece he wore to protect his lower half was cool, too. The long blade he wore over his back was cool, and so was the shorter blade on his hip. His face was cool, too. He

wasn’t particularly beautiful, but the way his almond eyes were full of composure, intensity, and sorrow was cool. Anyway, he was cool, or rather, insanely cool. Way too insanely cool.

This man was the strongest volunteer soldier. The most famous volunteer soldier.

“...Soma-san?” Haruhiro asked, without having meant to. The answer was obvious.

“Hm?” Soma blinked. “Do you know me?”

“...No, of course I know you... but—wait, what about everyone else?!” Haruhiro suddenly cried, looking around hurriedly. It was already over.

The duergar that had been clobbering Kuzaku had been wiped out by a beautiful young elf woman with silver hair, eyes like sapphires, and skin as white as the snow, as well as a man with awfully long arms who wore a mask and strange armor that covered his entire body.

Ranta had seemingly been saved by the swarthy man with his hair in dreadlocks who had sanpaku eyes. The paladin Kemuri.

Kemuri-san! Haruhiro wanted to call out to him. Just once, Kemuri had treated him to a drink in Sherry’s Tavern, ostensibly to celebrate the party’s victory over Death Spots. He wasn’t a talkative man, but he was ridiculously well-built, and while his bad eyes made him look scary, he was definitely a good guy.

If he recalled correctly, the elf was Lilia.

The long-armed man who wore a mask was, from what Haruhiro had heard, not human.

Standing a little distance away from the rest, with the face and physique of a child, was the muddy-eyed necromancer Pingo. Haruhiro didn’t really know what a necromancer was, but they apparently created golems, or something like that. But, what did that mean, creating them? Haruhiro had no clue.

Regardless, Haruhiro’s comrades were safe. From the looks of things, Ranta, Kuzaku, Merry, and Shihoru weren’t hurt as badly as Haruhiro or Yume.

Thank goodness.

“Shima, treat them,” Soma called.

The gorgeous and sexy older girl walked over. “Oh, me. Oh, my. This is pretty bad. It’s a good thing you’re still alive.”

“...Uh, right, sorry...” Haruhiro mumbled.

“What are you apologizing for? You silly thing.”

When Shima giggled, Haruhiro’s mind went blank and he couldn’t think of anything. In the time that he’d been taken out of commission by the abnormal degree of adult sexiness she exuded, she finished healing him. It wasn’t like a priest’s magic. He didn’t really know what kind of magic it was.

Yume got Shima to heal her, too. Apparently Merry had already used her light magic on Ranta and Kuzaku. Merry and Shihoru were lightly injured.

Merry quickly healed Shihoru and was in turn quickly healed by Shima. “Thanks!” Ranta bowed down and performed a kowtow in front of

Soma’s group. “Seriously! Seriously! You saved our hides! We got our hides saved! We nearly died there! We nearly got wiped out there! Thanks! Hey!

Haruhiro! Yume! Shihoru! Merry! And you, too, Kuzaku! All of you! Bow your heads! Hurry up! Are you all stupid?! You have no common sense at all, huh? You pack of morons! You wanna die?! Huhh?!”

“Don’t sweat it,” Soma said simply, and Ranta jumped back up on his feet at the speed of light.

“I know, right?! Getting kowtowed to for something so minor, it’s just off-putting, right?! Come on, Haruhiro! It’s just like I said, right?! Don’t make me kowtow like that, you dolt!”

“...You did that all on your own.”

“Like I would ever do that! Me! You think I’d kowtow for anyone if you weren’t forcing me to?! Honestly, this guy’s a real piece of work! I apologize, seriously! He’s got those sleepy eyes and he’s a malicious villain! He tries to knock me down every chance he gets!”

“You’re a natural piece of trash, you know that, man,” said Haruhiro. “You never change...”

“What a funny boy,” Shima said with a giggle.

“Swoooon,” Ranta put a hand to his heart and fell to the ground. “...Dammit. That one totally got me... I’m in love...”

“...How embarrassing,” Shihoru said, shrinking into herself.

“If only he’d just disappear.” Yume arched her eyebrows, looking sad if anything.

“Um,” Merry bowed her head. “—Thank you. This all happened because I wasn’t doing my job as healer properly...”

Kuzaku sat on the ground, hugging one knee, an awkward expression on

his face.

“No.” Kemuri twisted his thick lips into a slight frown. “There was nothing you could have done there, I’m sure. It wasn’t an issue with your healer.”

“...Uhuhuhuh,” the necromancer Pingo uttered a creepy laugh. “The moment they attacked you, it stopped being worth talking about... Uheheh...”

Beside Pingo, the golem emitted a low groan of agreement.

“I agree.” Lilia’s voice was incredibly cold. “If you’re trying to press onward with a level of skill that lets the three demi-humans look down on you, I’m sure you must not want to live very much.”

The much-too-beautiful elf’s look of contempt, paired with her cutting tone of voice, really hit home.

At this point, honestly, all I can say is that I’m sorry, Haruhiro thought.

Or rather, if I could, I wish I could just fade away without saying anything. “They’re right,” Soma nodded. “You have to value your lives.” “...Right,” Haruhiro said. “Sorry. We won’t do it again...”

“That’s not good, either.” “...Huh?”

“If all you do with them is hold them dear, your lives have no value,” said Soma. “Life is something that’s meant to be used.”

“Life is meant to be used,” Haruhiro repeated slowly.

“You yourselves decide how yours are to be used,” Soma continued. “That’s what it means to live.”

“Here he goes again,” Shima said with a bewitching smile. “Try not to take the things Soma says too seriously. He’s sure to forget them by tomorrow, then start saying something else entirely different.”

“Really?” Soma asked Shima with a serious look on his face.

“Yes,” Shima said flat out. “That’s the kind of man you’ve always been.” Soma lowered his eyes, sighing slightly. “I see...”

Soma is looking kind of depressed? Haruhiro traded glances with Ranta and the rest. Somehow, this Soma... he’s kind of different from what we expected... don’t you think?

He glanced to the bogie corpses. Most of the bogies had died from a single stroke. With just one stroke, they had been slashed to death. Soma had made a clean sweep of around ten bogies in an instant, all by himself. He was the most powerful volunteer soldier, someone who could do the impossible

like that with ease. He was strong, just incredibly strong, and probably wise, too, and cool, a person so far out of Haruhiro and the others’ reach that he might as well have been above the clouds, and there was no way to get closer to him. That was the image they’d had... but not anymore.

“If you’re so inexperienced that the three demi-humans would pick a fight with you,” Lilia said, pointing deeper into the Wonder Hole, “you can just race past this section. If you go four hundred meters, and enter the nest of the muryans, the three demi-humans won’t chase you any further. If you’re foolish enough to explore the Wonder Hole without knowing even that much, I advise you to turn back now and live out the rest of your days in quiet self- reflection.”

Every word the elf spoke hurt. However, she wasn’t just criticizing Haruhiro and the party, she was also giving them advice.

I don’t know whether to think she’s scary, or kind, Haruhiro thought. “Hey, wait, you guys.” Kemuri took a quick look at Haruhiro and

company’s faces. “You’re them, right? The ones who took down Death Spots.”

“Yeah, yeah! That’s right!” Ranta looked ready to do a happy dance. “You remembered, huh! It’s an honor! Seriously, seriously! I’m the man who took down Death Spots!”

“All of you did, you mean,” Kemuri corrected.

At the correction, Ranta got down and prostrated himself. “—Y-Yes!

That’s very true! It wasn’t me, it was all of us! Sorry!”

“One of you’s missing,” said Kemuri. “Monroe, was it? What happened to him?”

“His name was Moguzo,” Haruhiro said in a strong tone, then looked downwards. “...He died. We let him die, you could say. At Deadhead Watching Keep...”

“In Blue Snake Force, huh,” Kemuri said, slapping his forehead. “Well, for a tank, it’s better to die than to let your comrades die.”

“Is it?” Shima asked.

Kemuri shrugged his shoulders a little. “I’d think so.” “Hmm,” Shima said. “That’s pretty cool.”

“...They’re a bunch of idiots,” Pingo muttered. “Tanks are nothing but idiots... Uheheh...”

Soma furrowed his brow. “Are tanks idiots? I’m a tank. That would make

me one, too.”

“I can’t disagree,” Lilia said, coldly as ever.

“It happens often,” Shima said with a sad smile. “And you can’t cry each and every time it does. But, deep in your heart as you may try to bury them, those lukewarm tears will seep out. Always and forever.”

Haruhiro wasn’t confident that he understood Shima’s poetic words.

However, he would surely never forget them. Not Manato, or Moguzo. Merry probably couldn’t forget her comrades, either, and it must have been the same for Kuzaku.

Why, when it meant having feelings like these, did they continue being volunteer soldiers? To make a living? That was part of it. Stubborn pride? That was probably part of it, too. An addiction to the thrill of risking their lives? He couldn’t entirely deny it, but that was definitely not all there was to it.

It was to never forget.

Manato, and Moguzo, they had lived as volunteer soldiers, had used their lives for that, used them up, and died.

He didn’t want to reject the lives his comrades, his friends, had lived. He didn’t want to think they were worthless. He wanted to carve them into his memory.

Truthfully, he wanted to see what lay at the end of this path, the one Manato and Moguzo should have trodden.

“...I’m not sure we need to bury them,” Haruhiro said. Shima nodded slightly, gesturing for him to continue.

Haruhiro wasn’t entirely sure what he wanted to say, what he was trying to say. Still, he couldn’t remain silent.

“This may seem like clinging to the past, but rather than bury them, wouldn’t it be fine for us to hold them tight?” he asked.

“You know what...” Soma suddenly crouched down in front of Haruhiro.

They were staring into one another’s eyes, and it made him feel a little restless.

“Will you come join my place?” Soma asked. “...Come again?”

Join? His place? What does he mean, his place? Haruhiro thought. His house? Go to Soma’s house? That’s not it, huh. That’s probably not it.

“Erm... By your place, you mean...”

“The Day Breakers.”

“Ohh,” Haruhiro said. “I get it now. Of course that’s it. Hahaha... Wait, whaaaaaaaaaaaaa?!”

Ranta and the others probably shouted out loud or jumped up in reaction to that bombshell, too. But Haruhiro was so floored that he didn’t hear or see any of his comrades’ reactions.

“Wha—Huh...?! Wh... B-but... It’s so sudden... No—I don’t know what to say, huh...? A-Are you pulling my leg...?”

“Pulling your leg?” Soma didn’t bat an eye—he looked down at Haruhiro’s leg. “That’s an awfully sudden thing to ask.”

No, you’re the one who’s sudden! Haruhiro thought.

While Haruhiro was in a daze and couldn’t deliver that witty retort, Lilia shook her head and sighed. “...Soma. What are you saying all of a sudden?”

“Did I word it poorly?” Soma asked. “I’m trying to invite them to join the Day Breakers.”

“I understood that much,” said Lilia. “Are you mocking me?” “Why would I mock you, Lilia? I respect you.”

“Th-That’s...” Lilia’s cheeks, normally white as the fresh fallen snow, turned slightly pink. “...I can feel that. Or rather, that’s not what I was trying to say.”

“Can’t I?” Soma looked to Lilia, Shima, Kemuri, Pingo, and the golem in turn. Then, he hung his head and lowered his eyes. “I can’t, huh...?”

He’s depressed... right? Completely, Haruhiro thought. No matter how I look at him.

“I don’t know that you can’t.” Lilia bit her lip. “...It’s not so much that you can’t. That’s not it, I was just trying to say...”

“We don’t have many receivers left, you know,” Shima said looking slightly exasperated as she gave Lilia a little help. “You do understand that, right?”

Soma furrowed his brow slightly, tilting his head to the side. “What’s wrong with that?”

“What, you ask?” Shima answered.

“If we run out, we just have to find more,” said Soma. “Don’t get so hung up on them.”

“...That’s—Well, yes, you’re right,” she admitted.

“You’re an idiot.” Pingo leaned back against the golem, looking up into

the sky. “You’re an idiot. An idiot beyond all saving. But I knew that. Uheheheh...”

Kemuri gave a short “Ha,” then slapped Soma on the shoulder. “What you’re saying isn’t wrong. You’re able to do it. Do what you like, Soma.”

Soma placed his hand on top of Kemuri’s. “Thanks, Kemuri.” “...No.” Kemuri looked a little shy. “You don’t need to thank me...”

“Now, then,” Soma said, turning back once more and looking straight into Haruhiro’s eyes with his perfectly clear ones. “Our goal is to invade Undead DC in the former Kingdom of Ishmal. We’re currently in the process of searching for the route, but I don’t expect to be able to accomplish that goal right away. It will take time. We’ll need power, too. The power of even one more person helps. I don’t mind if you’re inexperienced. Everyone starts that way. You just need to build up more power. If you will fear not death, face death, and seek life when faced with death, I welcome you.”

This is a fork in the road, Haruhiro thought. It’s a turning point in our lives.

Still, could this be any more sudden? I want time to think it over. I want to decide once I’ve had sufficient time to discuss it with my comrades. But, probably, I don’t have that kind of time. We met Soma here. It was a miracle that Soma saved us. I shouldn’t assume I’ll ever have a chance like this again.

Whether they made use of this opportunity or let it go to waste, that was up to Haruhiro and his comrades. No, not quite.

It was up to Haruhiro.

Is that okay? Won’t they hold it against me later? I mean, this is more than we deserve. Won’t I regret it later? This is no time to be indecisive.

Haruhiro stood up.

“Please, let us in. Let us join the Day Breakers.”

Merry, or Shihoru, or Yume, or perhaps all three of them, gasped. Ranta shouted “Hi-yah!” and started pumping his arm, while Kuzaku let out a “Huh...?”

—I went and did it. I arbitrarily made the decision on my own.

“I’ll be glad to have you,” Soma said, rising with a slight smile, then waved to Pingo. “Give me a receiver.”

Pingo pulled a black, flat stone-like object from somewhere and passed it to Soma. Soma, in turn, passed it to Haruhiro.

“That is a relic called a receiver,” Soma said. “You know what relics are, yeah?”

“...No,” Haruhiro admitted. “I don’t know.”

“Well, you see, here’s what relics are.” Shima began to explain. “It’s an overarching name for anything that can’t be made with modern technology, and was clearly made in the past. They’re usually weapons or armor, or handy items. What you have there is of the handy items variety. Hold it up to your ear.”

“Oh, okay.”

When Haruhiro pressed the receiver to his ear, Soma held a different stone

—it was shaped the same as the receiver, but the color was different, it was pure white instead—up to his mouth.

“This is Soma.” “This is Soma.”

“Whuh? It kinda vibrated... I heard you twice—Huh?! What is this...?” “The one Soma is holding is a sender.” Shima held a different receiver up

to her own ear. “The receiver is a relic that his voice can reach no matter how far apart you are. Well, there are channels, and a bunch of other stuff involved, too, though. When the receiver receives a voice from the sender, it vibrates while emitting sound and, also, light.”

Shima pointed to the lower end of her receiver. When Soma pressed on the sender with his thumb, the section Shima was pointing to flashed green.

“We’ve made some new comrades.” “We’ve made some new comrades.” “I’ll introduce them.”

When Soma finished speaking, he pointed the sender towards Haruhiro.

Say something, was that it?

“Uh... um... er...” Haruhiro cleared his throat. “—I am Haruhiro... the one being introduced. Nice to meet you. Is that good enough?”

“Yeah.” Soma brought the sender back to his mouth. “Six people, including Haruhiro, have joined us. That is all. May we meet again.”

“Take good care of it... Uheheheh...” Pingo laid a shockingly dark glare on Haruhiro. “There’s only one receiver left. Also... If you think you might die, destroy the receiver. Before you die... be absolutely certain you do. You also never know when Soma may contact you for the most trivial of things... like just now. Keep it on you at all times. Don’t miss what he says, you trash.”

“Y-Yes, sir!” Haruhiro stammered.

“Well, for now, just survive,” Kemuri said, as if it was tiresome. “Yes.” When Shima crossed her arms, it accentuating her voluptuous

bosom, which was kind of dangerous. “That would be for the best.”

“I’m not expecting anything,” Lilia said, cold to the end. “Do try your best not to completely waste that receiver. As things stand, you six are worth far less than a single receiver.”

“If you go through the domain of the three demi-humans into the muryans’ nest, there are ustrels lurking there.” Soma gestured in that direction with his chin. “Once you’re able to defeat an ustrel, the area you can operate in should expand considerably.”

“...An ustrel,” Haruhiro said. “May we meet again.”

Soma left them with just those words, then was gone like the wind.

Kemuri, Shima, Lilia, Pingo, the golem, all they did was wave, without so much as a word of parting, and the next thing he knew they were out of sight.

Was it all a dream...? A daydream? No, it wasn’t. That wasn’t what happened. Haruhiro was holding the receiver firmly in his hand.

At a glance, it was just a flat, black stone that fit in the palm of his hand, but it had ridges and slits on it, and it didn’t feel quite like stone or metal.

Anyway, it was a mysterious item, whatever it was.

Haruhiro looked at his comrades. All of them, even Ranta, were dazed. “Ha ha...”

For the moment, Haruhiro decided to play it off with a laugh. Not that he could.

Haruhiro scratched his head. “Looks like we joined the Day Breakers.”

17.    Run

Haruhiro had had a certain encounter.

Thinking it a chance he couldn’t afford to miss, he had grasped it without hesitation.

The chance to change had come. It was no longer time to walk. Now was the time to run.

“Ghh! Urkh! Ahh!”

Kuzaku was desperately holding off a muryan’s attack with his shield.

If you were to describe muryans with one word, they were ants. In terms of size, they were larger than humans. They were grape-colored, with bodies that were more solidly built than those of ants, and they had small heads.

Depending on the type, some had one pair of arms in addition to their three pairs of legs. There were a lot of differences, yes, but they were similar to ants. Giant ants that had built nests all over the Wonder Hole, where they bred.

“Hah! Hah! Take that!” Ranta hollered.

Ranta was locking blades with another muryan. The one Kuzaku was facing was a type of muryan commonly called a samurai. They were a vicious variety that used their dexterous hands to hold weapons which they used to brutally attack hostile creatures. Meanwhile, Ranta was fighting one that primarily fought to protect against external threats to the nest, a soldier with two blade-like arms.

In addition to that, Haruhiro and Yume were each fighting a muryan soldier, and Merry was in the back, guarding Shihoru.

“Jess, yeen, sark, fram, dart...!” Shihoru cast Lightning. A bolt of lightning fell on Soldier C, the one Yume was fighting with.

It wasn’t clear why, but Falz Magic seemed to work well against muryans.

Soldier C leapt away with a jolt, its body shaking before it collapsed. Yume put away her machete, readied her bow, and nocked an arrow. With a shout, she loosed the arrow, keeping a new enemy, Soldier D, in check as it came out of the nest. Haruhiro wasn’t good at handling the non-humanoid muryans. He focused on using Swat to defend himself while keeping track of the battle situation.

“Kuzaku, Ranta! Incoming!” Haruhiro called.

“Just telling us isn’t going to help!” Kuzaku yelled back.

It looked like Kuzaku was at his limit just blocking the samurai’s black katana-like weapons with his shield. That katana wasn’t metal. It looked to be something like porcelain, but it was hard and had destructive power. The samurai had a natural affinity for dual-wielding, so it was hard to blame Kuzaku for struggling against its two-weapon style.

“Zwoosh! Ha! Avoid!” Ranta fell back using Exhaust to draw in Soldier A, then took a stab at it.

Soldier A took a sword through the face, and yet wasn’t dead. All the same, with its face, including its eyes, smashed, that was no minor injury. With heavy grunts and repeated shouts, Ranta went to town on it, slashing it over and over. Soon enough, Soldier A stopped moving.

“Yume, help Kuzaku!” Haruhiro ordered while defending with Swat. “Aye, sir!” Yume called, and went to support Kuzaku.

Ranta took a swing at the newly arrived Soldier D. Shihoru cast Lightning again. The muryan trying to follow behind Soldier D, Soldier E, was struck by lightning.

Another soldier came, and Merry moved up. “Haru, switch!” she called.

“I’m counting on you!” he shouted back. He left Soldier B to Merry, moving forward himself.

Yume drew her machete, trying to attack the samurai from the side. Even so, the samurai faced down both Kuzaku and Yume, not willing to give an inch. It really was a formidable opponent, but, in all honesty, Haruhiro wished Kuzaku had taken it down, not just kept it busy.

I want him to show that he’s at least trying, Haruhiro thought. The way things are, he’s not a proper tank. Is he okay with that?

But enough moaning, he added to himself. It can wait.

Haruhiro stopped Soldier F’s advance with a Swat. You’re not going any

further.

“Leap Out!” Ranta called, and jumped forward on the diagonal. However, he did more than just slip past Soldier D. As he passed by, he lopped Soldier D’s head off. “—Wahahaha! I’m amazing!”

“Ranta, next!” Haruhiro shouted. “I know already, okay?!”

Soldier G’s coming in, noted Haruhiro.

Ranta closed in swiftly with Leap Out, bashing his longsword against Soldier G repeatedly.

He’s getting carried away. It’s fine for now, but—the problem’s what comes next. If more of them come out...

Whenever Haruhiro started thinking that, they always did. And sure enough...

Of course they came, he thought in frustration. Here’s Soldier H.

“Jess, yeen, sark, fram, dart...!” Perhaps getting a little impatient, Shihoru let loose Lightning on the samurai. Unlike with a soldier, samurais couldn’t be immobilized with one shot of Lightning. Still, the samurai fell back one step, or a few dozen centimeters.

Kuzaku bellowed a war cry, and Yume shouted, “Meow, meow, meow!” as they both whaled on the samurai.

“You moron!” Ranta shouted.

I know how he feels. It’s Kuzaku, thought Haruhiro.

Yume could see that the samurai hadn’t recovered from the shock, so she was focusing her attacks on the head. Compared to that, Kuzaku was just being sloppy. He was just swinging his longsword wildly, most of his strikes getting deflected by the samurai’s katana.

What should I do with Soldier H? Haruhiro thought. Have Kuzaku or Yume take it? But I probably shouldn’t leave Yume alone against the samurai. Should I have Kuzaku buy time while Yume heads and deals with Soldier H? Agh, what do I do? I have to do something. I believe that we can. No, I can’t just believe. I have to think, make decisions, then execute them.

Today, again, they had raced past the domains of the three demi-humans and walked around the area known as the muryan nest. They had killed countless muryans. The muryans didn’t attack indiscriminately like the three demi-humans would, but the samurai were highly aggressive. If a samurai initiated combat, soldiers would gather around, and even individual soldiers

would attack if they got too close. Soldiers would try to call in other nearby soldiers.

If they brought back the samurai’s black katana-like weapons, they were worth good money. Haruhiro didn’t know the details, but apparently by melting them together with other metals, they could be used to create a high- quality alloy. With some individual soldiers, parts of their exoskeletons were a greenish-gold color, and those parts could be sold. There were apparently queens, which laid eggs, and stallions, which bred with the queens, further in, but they had never encountered any. The countless small workers that built the nest were both harmless and worthless, so they could be ignored outright.

Their party wasn’t quite making money hand over fist, but they never came back in the red. If they were going to try to build their strength slowly but surely with experience, the muryan nest wasn’t a bad place to hunt. There was no shortage of prey, and while the samurai were formidable, there weren’t that many of them. If they remained cautious, they were infinitely easier to handle than the seemingly endless hordes of demi-humans.

Also, just as the demi-humans made no attempt to enter the muryan nest, the muryans seemed to be avoiding the demi-humans’ territory. If things went badly, Haruhiro and his party could pull back into demi-human territory, and the muryans would generally back off. The space between demi-human territory and the muryan nest could be used as a sort of safe zone.

“I mean, come on,” Ranta snarled. “Do something about it! You know what I’m talking about, right?! Well?!”

After the sun had gone down and they’d returned to the back streets of the Lonesome Field Outpost to get dinner and drinks at one of the food stalls, Ranta snapped.

“Why’re you sitting there with that dumb look on your face like this has nothing to do with you?!” he bellowed. “Are you stupid?! I’m talking to you, pal! Y! O! U!”

“...Huh?” Kuzaku, who had been looking the other direction and taking little sips from his drink, slowly turned to look at Ranta. “Y’mean me?”

“Yeah, you!” Ranta bellowed. “Who else could I possibly mean, you moron? Yeah, I thought so, nobody! Well?!”

“Y’think?” Kuzaku asked.

“I do think! It’s you! You’re the problem!”

“Not so loud,” Merry told them in a hushed voice.

“That’s right,” Yume said, rubbing her own shoulders. “Ranta’s voice, it’s annoyin’. It gets on your nerves, y’know. Havin’ to hear it, that’s a bother for everyone around us.”

“Not just everyone around us,” Shihoru said with a sigh. “It’s a bother for me, too.”

“Shihoruuuuu. Rurururuuuuu,” Ranta called. “I’m gonna grope you!” “...Jess, yeen, sark...”

“Whoa, hold up, wh-what are you drawing elemental sigils and chanting for?!”

“For self-defense,” said Shihoru. “I think it’s justified. Jess, yeen, sark, fram...”

“Whoa, wait, I get it, I get it already, okay? I’ll keep my voice down. It’s not like I’m doing it because I want to pick a fight with the guy, you know?”

Haruhiro scratched his head. “Then talk like a normal person to begin with.”

“Heh.” Ranta flicked his nose with his thumb. “Like I was saying. You need to do something about this, Kuzaku. Yes, it goes without saying, I’m talking to you.”

Kuzaku was looking off in the opposite direction again. “Something about what?”

“No, before that, I don’t like your attitude,” Ranta said angrily. “What’re you acting all sulky for?”

“I’m not really sulking, man.”

“No, you absolutely, totally are,” Ranta said. “Do you think you’ve got the right to sulk or something? Huh?”

“I know I’m not doing a great job,” Kuzaku said.

“Yeah, and what good does just knowing that do?” Ranta demanded. “Are you sulking because you can’t do your job right?”

“I may not look it...” Kuzaku hung his head, holding his chin. “...but it’s really got me down.”

“Yeah, well, you don’t have any right to feel down about it, pal,” Ranta snapped. “Are you a moron? You must be a moron.”

“Quit calling me a moron,” Kuzaku said.

“Ohh? Is that backtalk I’m hearing?” Ranta sang. “Some uppity backtalk? Are you sane? Are you a stupid moron? You must be a stupid moron, huh? I

knew it. I so knew you were.”

“Listen, buddy...” Kuzaku said angrily.

“Whoa there,” said Ranta. “You just glared at me? This uppity guy went and glared, at me? Listen, pal, save that for when you’ve done what you’re supposed to, okay? You’re supposed to be a tank, damn it. You’re our tank, but you’re a crappy tank that can’t even fill the role, you scrub.”

“I already said!” Kuzaku shouted. “I know I’m not doing my job!”

“If you know that, what’re you sulking for?!” Ranta yelled back. “What?!

Is this it?! I’m just a wittle toddler, and I can’t do what you need me to, but I’m twying weeeeally hard, so be weeeeally nice to me for it, huh?!”

“I never said that,” Kuzaku sulked.

“Yeah, you didn’t say it! You implied it with your attitude!” “You ass!” Kuzaku tried to grab Ranta.

Well, “tried” being the operative word there, because Ranta struck the underside of Kuzaku’s chin with his palm as he did. Kuzaku reeled backwards and fell over. Just before he fell, he managed to get his hands on the ground, so he ended up on all fours.

“...Dammit... You ass...”

“Is that the only insult you’ve got, you pissant?” Ranta sneered. “Hey, Ranta...” Haruhiro began.

“You stay quiet, Haruhiro! I’m gonna tell this fool what he needs to hear, because you’re too damn weak to do it!” Ranta crouched down next to Kuzaku, jabbing his index finger against Kuzaku’s forehead. “Listen up, you crappy tank! We don’t give a damn if you’re trying hard or not! Results are what matters! Fruitless effort is always worth crap! A stinking pile of crap!

How many days do you think we’ve been fighting the muryans for now, you dolt?! Six days! Six! That’s six whole days! It makes no difference to us whether a tank who starts whining when he has to handle one muryan comes or not! Actually, if anything, we’re better off without a guy like that! If you’re supposed to be our tank, man up and at least take two of them! Do it like you’re ready to die! If you can’t, then just die! You got all that, you crappy tank?!”

Kuzaku looked downwards, making no attempt to push away Ranta’s finger.

If he had wanted to, Haruhiro could have been able to stop Ranta. He could have interrupted, not letting him finish.

Not just Haruhiro. Yume and Shihoru, who were always critical of Ranta, or even Merry, could have said something.

They didn’t.

Telling him that they were better off without him, that he should go die, that he was a crappy tank... Haruhiro wouldn’t have gone that far. Still, I am dissatisfied with Kuzaku. Even setting aside the issue of ability, despite being blessed with above average height, Kuzaku is surprisingly small as a tank.

It’s not that he’s goofing off, or that he’s holding back. I think Kuzaku’s been trying his best. But that’s all he’s doing.

I mean, fair enough, I told him to focus on using Block, but if he has been doing that seriously, shouldn’t he be able to do a little more? Kuzaku only plays the role he’s been given, just defending himself against the attacks of the enemies I assign him. It might be that that’s all he could manage, but he barely looks around at all. Not at the enemy, or at his comrades. He’s just there. Like a somewhat well-made obstacle. Honestly, it doesn’t really feel like he’s fighting with us.

Even so, Kuzaku had joined the party after Haruhiro and the others. He was at a different level of experience. There had to be difficulties that only he was experiencing.

That’s why I thought I had to overlook it. I figured if I was patient with him, eventually he’d improve, Haruhiro thought. I haven’t known Kuzaku that long, so I held back. It must have been the same for Yume and the others.

Regardless of all that, Haruhiro hadn’t said what he should have. He’d let Ranta do it.

That night, Kuzaku said, “I’m going to go cool my head” or something like that, and left the cramped tent right away. Not long after that, Ranta was snoring away.

Haruhiro couldn’t sleep, so he stepped outside.

While walking through the tent encampment along the outside of the moat, he noticed figures in the middle of a grove of trees. Haruhiro hid behind one of the tents. There might have been no need for him to, but it was force of habit.

The red moon hung in the sky.

Kuzaku was seated, leaning with his back against a tree. Merry stood beside him.

It’s an awkward distance between them, thought Haruhiro. She was beside him, yes, but there was enough space for a person to fit between them. When he saw that, Haruhiro found himself relieved.

Maybe I’m jealous, he thought. But, really, do I have any reason to be jealous? Merry is one of my comrades, no more, no less. She’s beautiful, and if I had to say whether I like her or dislike her, I like her, and, well, this’d never happen, but if Merry asked me to go out with her, I’m sure I’d happily say yes. No, maybe not. I’m not so sure romance between party members is a great idea, so I might struggle with the question. But, really, I don’t think I could refuse. Not that it’s even possible that would ever happen. Yeah, it really is impossible, isn’t it?

Thinking about that started to feel so empty and pointless.

The two of them hadn’t noticed Haruhiro. I should get out of here now, not eavesdrop on them like a creep, he thought. Besides, their voices were too quiet for him to make out what they were saying.

What happened between Kuzaku and Merry? he wondered. What’s their relationship? Have they been secretly meeting like this all along? Right now, it just looks like they’re talking with a kind of awkward distance between them. But something could start between them. What do I mean by “something”? Well, that, I guess. Yeah. That’d be it.

Not that it’d be a bad thing, you know, he told himself. He hadn’t meant to make Kuzaku feel like an outsider, but Kuzaku might have been feeling that way. If he became closer with Merry, it might alleviate that somewhat.

Still, though, what’re they talking about? he thought. I wonder. Not that wondering does me any good, huh.

Haruhiro let out a short sigh, then turned around and went back.

Am I going to be able to sleep tonight...?

18.    A Methodology for Arriving at Their Goal

Haruhiro didn’t know what had happened, and didn’t want to know, but Kuzaku had changed.

“Ha!” Kuzaku shouted.

While using Block to defend against a samurai’s black katana, he swung out with his right arm and took a slash at Soldier A. There was no sign of the timid paladin from before, who had shrunk into himself like a turtle, entirely occupied with defense.

“Ha! Urkh!”

Because he was opening his body up more, he gave the enemy a lot of opportunities to attack. Unable to fully Block the samurai’s black katana, sometimes he’d take a hard whack to his helmet. Other times, he’d be hit by a riposte from Soldier A, and it would look like he was going to fall back.

Despite that, Kuzaku held in there, keeping the samurai in front of him as he continuously attacked Soldier A.

Neither the samurai nor Soldier A could ignore Kuzaku. It was hard to say it was impressive work—he was putting himself at a lot of risk—but Kuzaku was taking on two of them at the same time.

“Wahahaha! See, you can do it if you put your mind to it!” Ranta hollered.

Ranta, well, he was the same as ever.

Ranta attacked hard, using Leap Out and Exhaust to toy with his opponents. After taking down Soldier B with Avoid, he immediately moved on to Soldier C. “Keep it up! It makes it easier for me to put on a show!”

“Jess, yeen, sark, kart, fram, dart!” Shihoru let loose with the higher level version of Lightning, Thunderstorm, making short work of three new soldiers

as they came out of the nest. Two more soldiers leapt out from behind them, but if Shihoru hadn’t taken out the first three, there would have been five reinforcements.

“Nice one, Shihoru!” Haruhiro called.

Haruhiro used Swat on Soldier D’s blade-like right arm with his sap, using his dagger to Swat its left arm, too. When he was up against muryans, there was no hope of using Arrest or Shatter, but while he’d been having trouble sleeping last night, he had spent some time thinking about it.

How about this? Haruhiro got in as close to the muryan as he could. It tried to bite him, but he had expected that. Without haste or loss of composure, he slammed his sap into the onrushing muryan’s face and then stabbed his dagger under its jaw. From there, he twisted its head right off.

The samurai were pretty well built, with thick arm and leg joints and necks, but the soldiers weren’t so much. Actually, they were pretty flimsy.

“Mrrrow!” Yume lopped off one of Soldier E’s arms with her machete, quickly turning her blade around to pierce the top of its head. While it was unsteady on its feet, she unleashed a relentless combo attack on it. Utterly relentless. She didn’t so much cut Soldier E’s head off as pulp it.

Haruhiro signaled Yume with his eyes, then went for Soldier F. Yume went for Soldier G. Merry was checking her left wrist. Protection hadn’t worn off yet.

“Ah! Ngh! Hah!” Kuzaku yelled.

Kuzaku was tenacious, still keeping both the samurai and Soldier A busy.

Ranta was overwhelming Soldier C, and it looked like he’d take it down soon. Haruhiro used Swat on Soldier F’s arm.

I’ll put this guy down quick, too, he thought. “Huh?!”

Kuzaku let out a strange cry, so, for an moment, Haruhiro wondered if their tank had made some blunder, but he was wrong.

It’s the samurai, Haruhiro realized. The samurai’s fleeing.

“Wai—What’s that going on?!” While continuing to Block against Soldier A’s arm, Kuzaku looked to Haruhiro.

Hey, man, I have no idea what’s going on either, Haruhiro thought. The samurai were unusually belligerent muryans, and once they identified an enemy, they would fight tenaciously to the death. Yet, now, one was running away. They had never seen that happen before. Haruhiro didn’t have any

more idea what was up than Kuzaku.

What happened next didn’t make any more sense to him.

Had the samurai given some kind of signal? It didn’t seem like it, but the soldiers all began pulling back.

“The hell?! I’m not letting you get away!” Ranta shouted, chasing after Soldier C to get one last strike in.

Yeah, something’s weird here, Haruhiro thought. “Hold up, Ranta!” he shouted. “Don’t go!” “Huh?!” Ranta yelled.

“This is wrong. Something’s up.” “What do you mean ‘something’?!”

“If I knew, I’d tell you,” said Haruhiro. “I don’t know, but it’s definitely dangerous.”

This isn’t a hunch, he thought. Muryan ecology is close to that of the ants they resemble, and the entire hive acts like one living creature. You could say muryans don’t seem to have a sense of individuality—their role always comes before any other consideration. They’ll gladly sacrifice themselves if that’s their role. More than that, muryans may not even be equipped with an ability to put themselves first, or a sense of self-preservation to begin with.

And yet, one of those muryans ran away.

That samurai probably wasn’t thinking anything when it did it. Muryans aren’t sentient like that. Most likely this was a case where they always run without hesitation, getting out of the situation. It’s something programmed into the muryans.

Why would it run? Because it ran away. To retreat. But from what?

Haruhiro glanced to all of the tunnels around them. That included the hole that the samurai and soldiers had fled into.

In this area called the muryan nest, unlike the domain of the three demi- humans, the tunnel was only around ten meters across, and only half that tall. It was full of twists and turns, so they couldn’t see far ahead. The hole was just wide enough that two muryans could pass each other. Humans could go in.

“Let’s hide,” Haruhiro said quickly.

Everyone could sense something was out of the ordinary. Not even Ranta argued. Haruhiro and the others took shelter in the muryans’ hole.

“What do you think it is?” Shihoru asked in a whisper.

Haruhiro shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“Hrmm...” Yume let out a low groan next to Haruhiro. “Shut up, all of you!” Ranta shouted.

“You’re the only one being noisy,” Kuzaku complained.

“Ohh? Kuuuuzakuuuu,” said Ranta. “You’re getting pretty cheeky with me, aren’tcha? Even though you’re a talentless tank.”

“Isn’t that kinda irrelevant? In this situation.” “It is,” Merry agreed.

Haruhiro and the others stood in a line with their backs pressed up against the wall of the muryan hole. In order of closeness to the entrance, the line went Haruhiro, Yume, Shihoru, Ranta, Merry, Kuzaku.

Merry’s next to Kuzaku, Haruhiro thought. Yeah, but so what? Isn’t that, if anything, irrelevant? Yeah. It’s totally irrelevant. Haruhiro took a deep breath.

“Everyone, stay put,” he said. “I’ll go check it out.”

“You gonna be okay?” Yume asked. “If you’re gonna be out there by yourself, isn’t that dangerous, Haru-kun?”

“I’m better off alone,” said Haruhiro. “I’m a thief, remember. This is kinda my thing.”

It was dark in the muryans’ hole. Haruhiro was careful not to make noise with his footsteps as he cautiously headed back towards the entrance. He kept his posture low, poking his face out to look around.

Unlike the domain of the three demi-humans, which was more like a canyon than a cave because it was open to the sky, the muryan nest had a roof. However, it wasn’t completely covered. There were a lot of gaps in it, allowing light to shine through, so it was fairly bright.

Looks like there’s nothing here. So far, he thought. It’s quiet. Too quiet.

It was so incredibly quiet that even when it entered his vision, he didn’t immediately notice. At first, he just felt something was a little off.

Like, Huh? Is there... something there?

Like, Huh? What’s that?

Like, There is something there... isn’t there?

No, don’t question it, Haruhiro told himself. There is. There definitely is. That thing—it’s black. No, not black—blackish. And it’s wearing something like a raincoat.

Like a person?

Probably. He has a head, arms, and legs. He’s walking. Walking this way from deeper inside. I’m sure about that, but I don’t hear footsteps. He’s silent.

He’s carrying something long. Is that a spear, maybe? But, judging from the tip, I wouldn’t call it a spear. Instead of a spear, the tip is more like a sword, or a thick knife, something like a cleaver. It’s like a naginata. But, more than that...

He’s huge. That guy. He’s got to be over two meters tall. I doubt he’s three meters, but he might be two and a half.

His head’s weirdly small, and he’s got broad shoulders. That body shape couldn’t be more of an inverted triangle if it tried. He’s leaning forward, using his naginata like a crutch to walk. It looks like his naginata is touching the ground, but there’s no sound.

That thing’s dangerous. He’s dangerous, and the way he doesn’t feel dangerous only makes him more so. It feels like he could sneak up behind you, and then take you out. That’s pretty dangerous.

—Ustrel.

That name suddenly popped into his mind. Soma had mentioned them. “If you go through the domain of the three demi-humans into the

muryans’ nest, there are ustrels lurking there,” he had said. He’d also said, “Once you’re able to defeat an ustrel, the area you can operate in should expand considerably.”

Ustrels. It was probably deliberate that Soma hadn’t told him any more about them. Haruhiro and the others were volunteer soldiers. Maybe not good ones, but they were volunteer soldiers nonetheless.

When they had first been brought to the Volunteer Soldier Corps office, Bri-chan had told them, “Use your own individual skills and judgment to gather intel and strike the enemy. That’s the volunteer soldier way.”

Soma had acknowledged Haruhiro and his group as volunteer soldiers and let them become his comrades. That was why Haruhiro and the rest would need to learn for themselves.

An ustrel, he thought. This guy. This guy is an ustrel. We’ve got to take this guy out.

In silence, utter silence, the ustrel was steadily drawing nearer.

Should I turn back and get my comrades right now? Haruhiro wondered.

But if I move now, I feel like he’ll notice me. There’s still some distance between us, so I should be fine, but I’m scared.

At some point, without realizing he was doing it, Haruhiro had covered his nose and mouth to keep the sound of his breath from escaping.

I’m being way too wary, he told himself. Calm down. I need to maintain my composure. But I really can’t move.

While I’m wasting time like this, the ustrel’s closing in. He’s faster than I thought, or rather, faster than he looked. Fifteen meters? Ten? That’s how close he’s gotten.

He hasn’t noticed me... right? Haruhiro dropped to one knee, lowering himself further, then stuck his face out just a little. There’s light shining down from above, but not much. He can’t see me... or shouldn’t be able to. The ustrel is walking at a set pace. He hasn’t started walking faster or anything, so he hasn’t noticed me... I think.

I want to pull my face back in. I can’t move. This is no good. I’ve failed. I should have gone back right away. I was better off hiding in that hole. This is bad. He’s close. Damn, he’s close. He’s getting really close. Five meters?

Four? Three? Ohhh.

He stopped.

The ustrel made an about right turn, silent as ever. He was going away.

No, but I can’t be sure yet, Haruhiro thought. It’s too soon to be relieved.

A little longer. Once he’s a bit further away. Is now good? I can’t say for sure.

Ultimately, once the ustrel’s figure dissolved into the darkness and he could no longer see it, Haruhiro joined back up with his comrades.

“There was an ustrel,” he said.

“Did it look dangerous?” Ranta asked.

Normally, Ranta probably would have charged out before asking that question. Maybe he was maturing a little.

Haruhiro nodded. “Yes, very. He was big, blackish, and carried a naginata.”

“Soma was saying once we can take that guy out, the area we can operate in should expand, yeah?” Ranta said.

“Yeah.”

“In that case, there’s not just one ustrel, there are multiple ones,” Ranta said. “They’re wandering around the muryan nest and deeper in, and we can never know where we’ll encounter one.”

“On top of that...” Shihoru took a deep breath, then exhaled. “...it’s not just us humans. Other creatures are afraid of the ustrels, too.”

“What now?” Yume’s voice sounded stiffer than usual.

Ranta suddenly started chanting. “O Darkness, O Lord of Vice, Demon Call.”

In front of Ranta, something like a blackish purple cloud appeared. The clouds whirled into a vortex, taking shape. It was like a headless torso, with two holes for eyes on its chest and a slit-like mouth beneath. It was a dread knight’s familiar, a demon. It was Zodiac-kun.

“Kehe... Kehehehehe... I came because you called... Kehe... Can I go now?” Zodiac-kun asked.

“Of course you can’t! Whoops—” Ranta covered his own mouth. “Zodiac-kun. No screwing around today. We’re in for a big battle where we’ll have to sink or swim.”

“...Ehehehe... I see... At last... your time’s come to die, Ranta... Ehehe...” “D-Don’t jinx me like that! Geez!” Ranta snapped. “I-It’s creepy, okay?”

“We’re doing this?” Kuzaku was clearly hesitant.

“I’m fine either way.” Merry sounded tense. When she checked her left wrist, the light of the hexagram had dimmed. It flickered and was about to go out. Merry made the sign of the hexagram.

“O Light, may Lumiaris’s divine protection be upon you... Protection.” In an instant, the light returned to the party’s hexagrams.

Merry took a short breath. “It doesn’t change what I have to do.” “It may be gone already,” Haruhiro said, closing his eyes.

Are we prepared for this? he thought. I don’t know. I mean, I don’t know anything about the enemy at all. But it’s strange. For some reason, I just can’t see turning tail and running as an option.

“We’ll wait and see for now,” Haruhiro said. “If that guy comes back, we attack. But we’ll pull him into the safe zone. We’re just feeling him out. If things go south, we’ll run. We may end up running pretty fast, but I’m the one who’ll make the decision on that. You absolutely have to follow it.

Understood?”

Ranta clicked his tongue. “There you go, acting all self-important. Oh, fine. I get it.”

“Kehehehe...” Zodiac-kun cackled. “Acting so meek, Ranta... You’re gonna die... Kehehehehehe... That’s a death flag...”

“G-Got it,” Yume said, nodding so vigorously that it was noticeable even in the darkness.

“I’ll focus on attacking it with magic...” Shihoru said. “Merry, protect me.”

“Sure,” Merry nodded. “Leave it to me.”

“We’re doing this, then.” Kuzaku lowered his helmet’s visor. “Wonder if I can defend against it.”

“Just do it,” Haruhiro said. “You’re a tank, aren’t you?”

Haruhiro regretted the words as soon as he said them. He thought he might have worded that poorly. But Kuzaku laughed.

“Yeah. Sure am. Not much of one, but I’m a tank, so I’ll do it.”

“He’s incredibly hard to notice, so be careful,” Haruhiro warned them.

Haruhiro took the lead, and they returned to the entrance hole. He poked his face out. He was in for a shock.

—That’s close!

He almost shouted out loud despite himself, but he managed to keep it in.

It was there. The ustrel.

Haruhiro was confused now, so he couldn’t trust his ability to eyeball the distance, but the ustrel looked like it was maybe closer than ten meters, but further than five meters away.

Not walking. Just standing there.

Suddenly, Ranta poked his head out next to Haruhiro’s. “—Whoa!” “You idiot,” Haruhiro muttered.

“I’m going up front!” Kuzaku jumped out. The ustrel was already in motion.

He was amazing—amazing—just totally amazing. He wasn’t just fast, he was crazy fast. Kuzaku used Block, but it was useless. With a cry of surprise, Kuzaku and his shield were knocked flying.

Ranta got out “O Darkness...!” before he realized he didn’t have time to finish his chant, and used his longsword instead. Not to attack, but to defend.

The ustrel’s naginata. Here it came. Ranta somehow managed to stop it with his longsword. But, of course, he was sent flying. “—Gwah!”

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! This is bad! What do we do? Haruhiro thought frantically. This is crazy! Even if I say to run, Kuzaku and Ranta can’t, and the ustrel’s already heading this way. Swat? It’s not gonna work. The naginata. Here comes a thrust.

Haruhiro let out a strange shriek as he leapt aside and rolled. He didn’t really follow what happened, but he apparently dodged. The ustrel slid the naginata in the palm of his hand, quickly readjusting his grip on it before swinging it down.

Towards Haruhiro, of course. He was dead. So dead.

He wanted to shout out in defiance, but he couldn’t make a sound. Haruhiro crawled, trying to get away from it. The naginata scraped the ground.

Daaaamn, he moaned silently. I-I-I-I’m gonna die. I’m seriously gonna die. What is this? What?

With a cry, Yume loosed an arrow from inside the hole. She hit. It stabbed into the right-hand side of the ustrel’s chest. The ustrel turned wordlessly, soundlessly towards Yume. Merry and Shihoru were behind her, too.

No, this is no good, thought Haruhiro. He’d been saved himself, but this was bad.

“Zwooosh!” Ranta let out a strange cry and leapt to his feet before

charging the ustrel. He wasn’t just acting recklessly out of desperation. It was probably to draw the ustrel’s attention. But the ustrel didn’t even turn around, thrusting the pommel of his naginata into Ranta’s chest.

Ranta gasped and nearly collapsed, but Zodiac-kun supported him. “Y-You idiot... Ehehe...” Zodiac-kun cackled.

“Dammiiiiit!” Kuzaku clanged on his shield with the flat of his sword a number of times. The ustrel ignored him completely.

Kuzaku put his shield up in front of him and charged into the ustrel. The ustrel didn’t seemed to care. He made it look like he was going to attack Yume and the other girls, then suddenly turned around. His naginata flashed. Kuzaku couldn’t fully block it.

Actually, the naginata extended further than expected, striking Kuzaku not in the shield, but the left arm. The naginata bit into his arm.

Was it cut off? Or broken? Either way, Kuzaku dropped his shield and fell to the ground, rolling around in pain.

“Gwahhhhhhhhhhhh!”

“Eeeek!” Yume shrieked, backing away without nocking an arrow. Merry and Shihoru did the same. If they kept going, the hole was behind them.

They’d end up going into the muryans’ hole. The hole? Haruhiro and the others barely even had to duck to go into it, but what about the ustrel? The ustrel was around two and a half meters tall. It wasn’t impossible that he could. However, it was smaller than the tunnels the three demi-humans used. If it came to it, it might serve as a place to take refuge.

The muryans’ hole seems kind of iffy as an option, Haruhiro thought. Well, what then? What should I do? First—First, I have to let Yume and the others get away. That. That’s my highest priority.

What could he do towards that end? What could Haruhiro do? Was this his only option?

He put away his sap. He didn’t shout like Ranta and Kuzaku. He raced straight towards the ustrel. His legs were unsteady. It felt strange. His field of vision was narrowing.

The ustrel didn’t turn to face him. Yume and the other girls were already in the muryans’ hole.

When Haruhiro tried to leap on him, as expected, the ustrel went for him with the pommel of his naginata.

He’d seen this move before. He could dodge it, albeit barely. The ustrel’s

movements were sharper than anticipated, and Haruhiro was moving sluggishly. Even so, Haruhiro managed to cling to the ustrel’s back.

“Yume!” he shouted. “Get away! While you still can!” “Meowhuh?!” Yume shrieked.

While Yume stood there rigid and unmoving, Merry urged her, “Hurry!” “Mmm!” Yume cried.

“Ah!” Shihoru added.

Shihoru led the way, dashing out from the muryans’ hole. The ustrel went to swing his naginata.

I won’t let you, thought Haruhiro. With a backhand stab of his dagger, he hit the ustrel in the side of the head. It bounced off.

It’s hard, this feeling. A helmet? The hood of that raincoat-like garment came back, revealing the ustrel’s head. Is that... a helmet? I dunno. It’s like a metal skull.

“Uwahh! Ahh! Ahhhh!” Haruhiro repeatedly slammed his dagger into the ustrel’s metallic skull. It wasn’t clear if it was hurting the ustrel, but he didn’t seem to like it. The ustrel twisted around, trying to throw Haruhiro off of his back, and elbowed him. The ustrel was unbelievably strong. The pain, or rather the impact of the blows, was incredible.

Shihoru, Merry, and Yume passed in front of the ustrel. “Suuuuuuuu...”

What was that sound? The ustrel? His voice? His breathing? It wasn’t clear, but the ustrel reached out with his left hand. It looked like the ustrel planned to grab Haruhiro by the head. At worst, he might be able to crush it.

Well, Yume and the girls are already gone, so it might be time to call it quits. Haruhiro jumped off of the ustrel’s back. The ustrel instantly made a turn to the right, and—

It’s coming. The naginata.

“Eep!” Haruhiro threw himself to the ground. It was all he could do. “Anger!” If Ranta hadn’t taken a reckless stab at the ustrel, Haruhiro

would surely have been cut in two by the next attack. But the ustrel used his left arm to knock Ranta’s longsword aside.

“Wha—” While Ranta was off-balance, the ustrel took a swing at him using only his right arm.

Ahh. This is no good, Haruhiro thought. He’s dead. Ranta’s gonna get killed.

“Gehe!” It was Zodiac-kun. Without a moment to spare, Zodiac-kun shoved Ranta out of harm’s way.

Zodiac-kun took the blow for Ranta, being cleaved in two by the ustrel’s naginata.

“...Uh... Uhe... Ranta... Die...” Zodiac-kun muttered as he disappeared. “After you went and saved me!” Ranta took a swing at the ustrel. “Don’t

say that! You, I can summon you again anytime, got it? Rahhhhh!”

“Don’t get reckless, Ranta!” Haruhiro rose to his feet. “We’re pulling him back to the safe zone!”

“Exhaust!” When Ranta leapt back at an incredible speed, the ustrel... did not follow.

Instead of Haruhiro or even Yume and the other girls, the ustrel turned towards Kuzaku, who still wasn’t back on his feet.

“Wai...!” Haruhiro rushed forward, but it didn’t look like he’d make it, and even if he did, he wasn’t sure he could save him.

“Jess, yeen, sark, fram, dart!”

Lightning. Shihoru’s magic. A bolt of electricity fell on the ustrel. His body convulsed and a trail of steam, or smoke, or something rose from it, but had the spell been effective? At the very least, it didn’t seem to have caused any major damage.

The ustrel smoothly turned to face Shihoru and the other girls.

Not good, thought Haruhiro. He was going to target them now. But, thanks to that, Kuzaku had survived.

“Ranta! Draw him to you somehow!” Haruhiro called. “Sure thing!” Ranta shouted.

“Get up, Kuzaku!” Haruhiro rushed to the paladin’s side. Kuzaku’s left arm was totally out of commission. It was a painful sight to behold. It was cut, broken, and more or less pulped.

Kuzaku, for his part, did his best to tough it out. He got to his feet on his own strength, nodding to Haruhiro. “...I’m fine. I can do this. Sorry. Would you pick up my shield for me? If you can.”

“Your shield?” Haruhiro asked.

“Once I get my arm healed up, I’ll need to use it again. I mean, I’m pretty useless without it.”

“If things get bad, I’m ditching it, okay?” Haruhiro asked.

He picked up Kuzaku’s shield. Was Kuzaku going to be able to keep up

with them? It was going to be hard for him, no doubt, but he’d have to.

Yume and the girls were running away. The ustrel gave chase. Ranta was doing what he could to divert the ustrel’s attention, but it wasn’t going very well. The ustrel didn’t even look back, easily parrying Ranta’s longsword using the pommel of his naginata and then his left arm.

“Dammiiiiit!” Ranta yelled. “What is this guy?!” “An ustrel, duh?!” Haruhiro shouted.

Shouting meaningless nonsense as he moved his legs, Haruhiro started to think. He thought about what to think about. What should he think about?

Would Yume and the others be able to escape like that? He didn’t know.

But probably not. Eventually, they’d be caught. Before that happened, Haruhiro and the guys needed to stop the ustrel. Could they stop him?

“Yume! Merry! Shihoru!” he called. “When you’re through the safe zone, get into the three demi-humans’ tunnels!”

There was no response. The three of them were running with everything they had.

Kuzaku was falling behind. Of course he was.

The ustrel occasionally swung his naginata. Yume, who was bringing up the rear, shrieked every time he did. That naginata looked like it might reach Yume at any moment.

The ceiling opened up and it got brighter. They were already at the safe zone.

They called it a safe zone, but there wasn’t anything that clearly defined the limits of it. They were almost in the three demi-humans’ domain. The main tunnel was straight, and there were side tunnels off to each side.

Suddenly, the ustrel accelerated and took a stab with his naginata. “Ungh!” Yume leapt away diagonally, but the ustrel’s naginata grazed her

side and carved into it.

“Yumeeee! Leap Out!” Ranta made a crazy jump, leaping onto the ustrel’s back. The ustrel turned around, slashing at him diagonally as he did.

Ranta slammed against the ground as if he were a ball or something, his helmet coming off from the impact. The ustrel immediately raised his sword. “Iggzo...!”

It looked like he was trying to shout Exhaust, but couldn’t quite manage it. Ranta sprang backwards in a frog-like pose, narrowly avoiding the naginata.

Merry rushed into a side tunnel, practically carrying Yume with her.

Shihoru followed.

Good, thought Haruhiro. Nicely done, Ranta. Okay...!

It would be hard to go down the same tunnel as Merry and the girls. Haruhiro took Kuzaku with him and headed for a different tunnel on the opposite side.

“Ranta, you come, too!” he called.

“Yeah, sure, I’m coming! It’ll be easy! As if, dammit!”

Ranta repeatedly fired off his Exhaust, somehow managing to run around and avoid the ustrel’s naginata. Haruhiro wanted to help, but that was a trick only Ranta could pull off. Even if he went out there, he’d probably just get in the way. The best he’d manage was to get killed while buying time so that Ranta could get away. That’d be pointless.

“You can do it, man! Actually, if you can’t do it, who could?!” Haruhiro shouted.

“You dolt!” screamed Ranta. “There you go, telling me I can do it!

Everyone knows that already, so don’t say it! Leap Out!”

Ranta didn’t back away, instead he leapt past the ustrel’s side. The ustrel made an immediate right turn, swinging after him. Ranta, however, had already jumped again.

“Leap! Leap! Leapow! Lea! Lea! Lea! Leap Out!”

He leapt, and leapt, and leapt like crazy, and ran away. Haruhiro didn’t know whether to be impressed, or what.

Haruhiro and Kuzaku headed into the tunnel. All of the three demi- humans’ tunnels were a little over a meter high, and maybe seventy centimeters across. If it was low enough that even Haruhiro had to duck to get inside, the ustrel would have an even harder time.

The tunnel went for about fifty meters. There didn’t seem to be any duergar, or bogies, or spriggans. Had they detected the ustrel and taken shelter deep inside? Had Ranta managed to get away?

Kuzaku wasn’t just breathing heavily—he was also moaning, “Ow...Ow...Ow...” His left arm had to hurt. Haruhiro would have liked to join back up with the girls and get him healed, but their tunnel was on the opposite side of the main passage. He couldn’t tell if it wasn’t connected to this one.

“Kuzaku, wait here,” he said.

“...’kay.”

“I’ll be right back.”

Haruhiro left the shield behind, heading back to peek into the main passage.

The ustrel was there.

He was standing there in silence, as if he had been there for decades, right in the middle of the main passage.

What about Ranta? Haruhiro didn’t see a corpse, so had he gotten into a side tunnel somehow?

He knew which tunnel Yume and the girls had gone down. He remembered it. It was pretty much straight across from him. The ustrel was standing in his way, right in the middle of the two.

For now, it looked like the ustrel wouldn’t come into the three demi- humans’ tunnels. However, the ustrel had no intention of letting Haruhiro and the others get away, either. He was planning to kill them when they came out of the tunnels.

Was it best to try and wait him out? If they just stayed put in the tunnels, maybe the ustrel would give up. They could also try waiting for other volunteer soldiers to pass through. They might be able to ignore the three demi-humans, but surely they couldn’t ignore an ustrel.

But, today, there had already been a good number of volunteer soldiers who had passed Haruhiro and his group on their way deeper into the Wonder Hole. While there might be volunteer soldiers returning, there probably wouldn’t be any more coming in. Volunteer soldiers generally returned in the evening or later. It was still noon. That was a long time away. It hurt that he had no way to communicate with Yume, Shihoru, Merry, or Ranta, too.

Even if Haruhiro came to a decision here, it wouldn’t reach his comrades.

And then there was Kuzaku to consider.

Haruhiro turned back to where Kuzaku was. Kuzaku’s breathing was still ragged. Actually, it probably wasn’t that he was out of breath. It must have been an injury of some sort.

“Kuzaku, do you think you can run one more time?” Haruhiro asked. “Yeah... after all... I might die... if I don’t...”

“You okay?” Haruhiro asked.

“Sure.” Kuzaku nodded, taking a deep breath. “I’m good. I can run.” “Okay, come with me.” Heading back to just before the main passageway,

Haruhiro indicated the tunnel Yume and the girls ought to be in. “It’s far, but do you see the one? Merry’ll be in that tunnel. Run there as fast as your legs will take you.”

“...What about you?” Kuzaku panted.

“Me, I’m bait. I’ll lure the ustrel to me first. You take off running once I do.”

“Isn’t that dangerous?” Kuzaku asked.

“It’s dangerous, yeah,” said Haruhiro. “It’s also our only option. If you don’t get treated soon, you won’t be going anywhere.”

“...Sure won’t,” Kuzaku agreed.

“I’ll leave your shield here,” said Haruhiro. “I’m going.” “Huh? Already?” Kuzaku asked.

“When something needs to be done, it’s best to get it done quickly,” Haruhiro explained.

I mean, the more I wait, the more scared I’m gonna get, anyway. Haruhiro slapped his chest. He debated whether to leave his dagger and sap or not. If I go unarmed, maybe it’ll be too obvious. But I can run faster barehanded.

Don’t agonize over it. Let’s go.

Haruhiro slid smoothly and silently out of the tunnel. The ustrel hadn’t noticed him yet. The ustrel was facing the entrance to the Wonder Hole.

Haruhiro used Sneaking to creep along the wall in the direction of the entrance. He figured he’d enter the ustrel’s line of sight soon enough.

When will he notice me? Haruhiro thought, and the question was soon answered. Here he comes.

The ustrel turned in his direction, and began to run without making a noise.

He’s coming. He really is fast. Haruhiro dashed. He felt like his entire body was being pulled backwards. Was it terror? Pressure? He ran at top speed along the wall, and it wasn’t long before the ustrel was right behind him.

What about Kuzaku? There he is. Going slow. This is no time for dawdling. I can’t run the way I want to. He still hasn’t made it to the tunnel he’s headed for. Still not? Hang in there. Just a little further. You’re almost there. He’s in.

Once he saw Kuzaku had made it, Haruhiro rolled into a nearby tunnel. “—Whoa!”

The ustrel stabbed his naginata into the tunnel after Haruhiro. Haruhiro panicked and crawled. He crawled forward. The ustrel bent over more than ninety degrees, peering into the tunnel.

He’s not gonna come in... is he? Haruhiro tried stopping. The ustrel didn’t move. It didn’t plan to enter the tunnel. But now, I’m trapped inside, aren’t I?

“Hey,” a voice called from deeper in the tunnel. “Heeey. “Heeeeeey! Is someone there? Heeeeeeeeeey!”

“...Ranta?” Haruhiro called.

Ranta appeared. “Oh, it’s just Haruhiro. You alone?”

“Yeah, I am,” said Haruhiro. “How did you even get this far?”

“I came in another entrance, and after wandering around randomly, I came out here.”

“Randomly... I’m pretty sure if we run into any of the three demi-humans like this, we’re done for, though...” Haruhiro said.

Haruhiro and Ranta were both crouched lower than a half-sitting position.

If they hadn’t been, their heads would have hit the ceiling. They couldn’t fight like this.

“You stupid moron,” said Ranta. “We can’t worry about every little thing right now. —And, hold on, the ustrel’s right there!”

“Yeah, it is,” Haruhiro agreed. “It won’t come in, though. We’ve got to join up with Yume and the others somehow. I managed to get just Kuzaku over to them.”

“The other side, huh...” Ranta bit his lip. “I’ve got an idea.”

Haruhiro wasn’t keen on following any plan Ranta came up with, but there weren’t any alternatives. Well, maybe there were, but he couldn’t think of them.

Haruhiro went deeper into the tunnel after Ranta. The ustrel was already out of sight. From there, he and Ranta split up. Haruhiro was left on standby. He probably waited for around five minutes.

“Heyyyyyy!” he heard Ranta shout off in the distance.

It was a simple plan. Ranta would go out the tunnel he’d come in through, then draw the ustrel to him. While he did, Haruhiro would go to the other side. Basically, Ranta had volunteered to be a decoy.

Haruhiro rushed back. The ustrel was gone. It looked like Ranta had lured it away. When Haruhiro burst out of the tunnel, he saw Ranta being chased around by the ustrel. Rather than trying to lose him, Ranta was letting the

ustrel almost catch him, then using Exhaust to put some distance between them.

Nice work, Ranta, Haruhiro thought. But, of course, I don’t have time to stand around admiring it.

He raced full tilt towards a tunnel on the opposite side. It was a long way to the tunnel Yume and the others were supposed to be in, so he might not be able to make it there. For now, he was happy to take any tunnel he could get in.

“—Huh?! The hell’s with you?!” Ranta shouted.

Had something happened? Haruhiro looked over as he ran, and saw the ustrel had come to a stop. Ranta stopped running, waving his arms and trying to provoke it.

“What’s wrong?!” Ranta bellowed. “Come at me! You scared?!” “Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...”

What was that sound? A voice? Breathing? He’d heard it before, too. But this time it was much louder.

Ranta must have noticed something was strange, too. He tried to run.

Before he could, the ustrel stepped forward, reaching out with his right arm.

It actually extended. His right arm—no, his left arm—no, both arms— grew to about twice their usual length. Then, using his extended right arm, he swung down its naginata.

“Urkh!” Ranta hollered.

Had that right arm been its usual length, Ranta probably could have dodged. Because it was longer now, he couldn’t quite manage it. The ustrel’s naginata chopped Ranta’s left arm off.

“Ran—!” Haruhiro screamed. He made a snap decision, almost reflexively. “Everyone, get out here! We’re saving Ranta!”

Do we stand a chance? Haruhiro wondered. Or don’t we? I dunno. But I’m confident we can do it—I think.

The ustrel’s arms. They had gotten longer. They were long now, incredibly long. Far too long.

If he didn’t let that scare him, Haruhiro was sure he could get in close. Haruhiro passed by Ranta, who was bleeding as he fell back.

The ustrel. He was insanely intimidating and coming this way. The naginata. It was a sideways swipe.

Yeah, this might kill me, thought Haruhiro. But he couldn’t back down

now.

In came the naginata. At the same time, Haruhiro jumped. Forward. He rolled. Was he dead? No, it didn’t look like it. In fact, he was alive. It looked like he’d passed under the naginata as the ustrel swung it.

Haruhiro kept going and tackled the ustrel’s legs. The ustrel’s legs were incredibly short compared to his height, and thin, too. While swinging his naginata up high with his right arm, the ustrel tried to kick Haruhiro. But that was nowhere near as scary as the naginata, as Haruhiro could see it coming. He avoided the ustrel’s right leg, clinging to the left one. By applying severe torque to the ustrel’s knee, Haruhiro quickly scooped his leg out from under him.

The ustrel was flipped over. He struck his back on the ground, but he immediately tried to hit Haruhiro with his left arm. The ustrel had fallen, and this was clearly an opportunity, one he might never get again, but Haruhiro backed off without any hesitation or regret. If he’d hesitated for even a moment, the ustrel would have landed a powerful blow on him with his left arm.

The ustrel used his two long arms to support himself, getting up silently.

Merry and Yume are heading towards Ranta, Haruhiro noted. Where’s Kuzaku? There he is. Is he planning to go get his shield? Shihoru’s with Kuzaku. It looks like both Yume and Kuzaku are fully healed.

“Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...”

There it was again. That sound. What was it this time? His arms—the ustrel’s arms, they were shrinking. Getting shorter. In no time at all, they were back to their original length.

His arms don’t just stretch. Can he both stretch and compress them?

Haruhiro wondered. It was so much easier to fight him in long arms mode.

Haruhiro clicked his tongue in disappointment, sidestepping to the left. He moved in a circle. With the ustrel in the center, he quickly moved around him clockwise.

If the ustrel took a step forward, he could probably reach Haruhiro with his naginata. That was why Haruhiro moved further and further to the left before he could. The ustrel would spin in place, and the moment he had Haruhiro in front of him, he was sure to take a swing with his naginata.

This tension. If he let his guard down for even a moment, or tripped on a bump or hole, he’d be cut down. When he thought about dying, he could feel

his legs started to quake.

Hurry, Haruhiro thought. Hurry. Hurry. Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry.

Somebody.

“Ohm, rel, ect, nemun, darsh!”

Shihoru. It was magic. Shadow Bond. A shadow elemental flew out, fixing itself to the ground at the ustrel’s feet. The ustrel stepped on it. It sucked his foot in. But it seemed like he might tear free at any moment. Shihoru didn’t hesitate to cast her next spell. “Jess, yeen, sark, fram,

dart!”

It hit. Lightning. The ustrel was struck by a bolt of electricity.

His body convulsed—but that was all. The ustrel tore his foot free, turning towards Shihoru. Shihoru was backing away, looking like she might fall on her behind, when Kuzaku jumped out in front of her.

“I’ll...!” Kuzaku shouted.

In an instant, the ustrel closed in on Kuzaku. The naginata flashed. There was a clang as Kuzaku used Block. Kuzaku braced himself against it. He didn’t just manage to hold his ground. He stepped in, stabbing out with his longsword. The ustrel shifted his body to the side to avoid it, then used his naginata again.

Kuzaku used Block. He was nearly lifted into the air, but managed to force himself down. Not backing down, he moved forward and made a sharp swing with his longsword. The ustrel showed off that shifting dodge again, then the naginata. Kuzaku used Block, then his longsword. The ustrel shifted to dodge then used his naginata. Kuzaku used Block and then struck back.

“Wahaha!” Kuzaku laughed. “This is crazy! Scary! Whoa! What is this?! Damn! What the hell?! Wahaha! No way! Wahahaha! Death?! Gwehehehe!”

Is this guy right in the head? Haruhiro worried. He really isn’t sounding like it, but he’s desperately struggling with terror, with the pressure, and just managing to hold out on the brink.

Haruhiro, of course, wanted to support Kuzaku. But he couldn’t get in close. Technically, he was behind the ustrel, but he couldn’t get in close enough to use his dagger or sap. If he threw himself at the ustrel with reckless abandon, he might be able to manage it, but he couldn’t take that risk just yet. The ustrel’s back felt so distant.

Merry was trying to get started on healing Ranta. His arm had been severed and he was bleeding profusely. It was a critical wound, so Merry

would probably use Sacrament. Ranta would soon be able to return to the front line. Yume was trying to come over his way, but Haruhiro called out to her, “It’s fine! Yume, stay there!” and got her to stop. He wanted Yume to be ready if the worst should happen. If the ustrel turned his attention to Merry and Ranta while she was healing him, Yume needed to put herself on the line to stop that.

Shihoru was always behind Kuzaku, looking for opportunities to use her magic.

Haruhiro wished the ustrel would switch back to long arms mode again. But while long arms mode made things easier for Haruhiro, it might not be the same for Kuzaku. The ustrel used his left arm to block Kuzaku’s sword.

Are his arms hard? Or are they armored? Haruhiro wondered. Yume’s arrow stabbed into the ustrel’s chest. How did it feel when I was clinging to him from behind? I don’t think he was all hard and rigid. Is it just his arms that are hard? Maybe it really is armor, then.

At the very least, the ustrel must be wearing armor on his left arm. The ustrel’s offensive power was just as scary as the keeper of Deadhead Watching Keep, Zoran Zesh’s, had been. However, Zoran Zesh had also protected himself by wearing tough armor and a helmet. The ustrel had nowhere near that much defensive power.

“Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...”

There it was. That sound. The ustrel’s arms stretched. Kuzaku got scared and tried to back away.

“Charge in!” Haruhiro yelled at him while rushing in himself. What had Kuzaku done? He didn’t know. He clung to the ustrel, stabbing his dagger into the ustrel’s back. “There!”

The blade went through. But it was shallow, and—

Suddenly the ustrel jumped. It was a vertical jump. He lifted into the air, then landed. The shock of the landing was incredible. Haruhiro couldn’t hold on.

“Wha...!” Haruhiro shouted.

He was thrown off. He fell. Haruhiro braced himself for the landing.

Oh, crap, Haruhiro realized. It’s the ustrel.

The ustrel didn’t use the naginata. He stomped on Haruhiro. On his belly, his chest—that area in general.

Haruhiro coughed and sputtered in pain.

“Heyyyyyyyyyy, youuuuuuuuu...!” a voice bellowed.

Ranta. It was Ranta wreathed in his Dread Aura. He flew in, tackling the ustrel and jamming his longsword into him. The ustrel immediately knocked Ranta away, but there was a tear in the ustrel’s blackish clothing on his side.

Haruhiro desperately tried to crawl away. From his mouth, his eyes, and his nose, he was dripping vomit, tears, snot, and who-only-knew-what other kind of fluids, but he crawled away.

“Haru?!” It was Merry’s voice.

Haruhiro yelled out, “Ahm fahn!” but he was anything but, and thought that, no, he didn’t look fine at all. Well, it showed he still had the composure to be able to think that, at least. Wiping his face off with one arm, he stood up.

Kuzaku was standing in front of the ustrel, while Ranta was on the ustrel’s right hand side. Neither of them were managing to get in close. But somehow, they were managing to either avoid the ustrel’s naginata and left arm, or to Block them. Were they getting used to it? In long arms mode, the ustrel had long reach, and every one of his attacks was heavy, but he couldn’t maneuver quickly. That seemed like it was probably part of the reason.

“If this is how it’s gonna be...!” Yume readied her bow and let loose an arrow.

It looked like it was going to hit. It did. The left shoulder. Then she followed it up with another right after. This time, in the back.

The ustrel looked displeased.

“Jess, yeen, sark, fram, dart!” Shihoru slammed what was now her most powerful Falz Magic spell, Thunderstorm, into him. There was an earsplitting rumble, or rather an explosion. It was usually an area of effect spell, but the ustrel was big enough that multiple bolts of lightning struck it. Even the mighty ustrel didn’t get off with just a few convulsions after that. He spasmed wildly, before becoming still. He didn’t move. He had stopped moving.

“Now?!” Haruhiro shouted and charged.

Is this okay? he asked himself as he did. Is it a bad idea? I don’t know, but it’s too late to think about it now.

Kuzaku, Ranta, Yume, and even Merry, they were all rushing towards the ustrel. They had probably all sprung into motion before Haruhiro had shouted the command. Everyone planned to settle this here. They wanted to finish

this.

But that’s not acting based on the situation—it’s more of a wish, isn’t it?

Haruhiro felt a chill.

This wasn’t simply intuition. He had something to back it up. On the ustrel’s face, that metallic skull, the part that was probably the mouthpiece of his helmet, slid upwards with a creak and opened.

“Wait! Hold on! Get away from it for now!” Haruhiro screamed. Haruhiro started to fall back, and the ustrel began clicking its tongue. Chik, chik, chik, chik, chik, chik, chik, chik, chik, chik, chik, chik, chik,

chik, chik, chik, chik.

I think that’s probably him clicking his tongue, Haruhiro thought. I’ve never heard anything click its tongue so ominously before.

Deep inside the metallic skull mask, the ustrel was gritting his yellowed teeth and clicking his tongue. He started frothing at the mouth.

“—Uh?!” Ranta shouted, suddenly flying through the air.

That was fast! Huh? A flying kick—it got him?! Haruhiro thought. Then the ustrel swung around his naginata using both hands, knocking Kuzaku’s shield flying.

“Bwuh?!” Kuzaku yelped. “Aiee?!” Yume shrieked.

Yume got kicked like Ranta. For some reason, the ustrel stopped still after that. It clicked its tongue, its shoulders and back heaving up and down.

Haruhiro, honestly, was bewildered. Merry just stood there, too. Shihoru was the only one who didn’t.

“Ohm, rel, e—”

Shihoru tried to use her magic, but before she could finish the chant, the ustrel began to move again.

The ustrel leapt up, kicking Shihoru and sending her flying. Without even managing to utter a sound, Shihoru sailed through the air like an inanimate object. Like a soft piece of trash.

“Shi—” Haruhiro stopped, speechless.

Why can I see that faint line of light now? What’s going on? Why is my body moving on its own? What the hell? This is bullshit.

When Haruhiro started running to trace the line, the ustrel turned to face him.

It’s the legs, he thought. The legs. If we watch his legs, we’ll know when

he’s going to start moving.

The ustrel raised his knee high, kicked hard off the ground, and leapt. The ustrel came flying. Haruhiro could see him. The ustrel stuck his right foot out.

Haruhiro moved his body to the left, dodging the ustrel’s right foot. He didn’t just avoid the attack, he brought his sap down diagonally on the ustrel’s right knee. Haruhiro rolled of his own will, and when he got back up, he could no longer see the line.

The ustrel turned to face him. It wasn’t a smooth motion. The ustrel was clearly trying to cover his right leg. That meant he’d done some damage.

But—dammit, Haruhiro thought. I could see the line, but this is all I did? I couldn’t take it down. Though, that said, I did find a lead. The legs. It’s the legs. Watch the legs. Again. Here he comes.

The ustrel raised his left knee high, vigorously kicking off of the ground. Given he used his left leg for the jump, it seemed unlikely that the sap attack had had much effect.

The ustrel came flying. Haruhiro couldn’t see the line, and it was all he could do just to dodge it, but he could dodge it. Haruhiro leapt aside to the left, avoiding the ustrel’s flying kick.

This is where it gets scary! he thought. He was right. As soon as the ustrel landed, he swung his naginata with both hands. If Haruhiro got hit, that would be the end, but if he could predict it—Haruhiro slid under the naginata, getting away.

“Merry, how’s Shihoru?!” he called. There was no response.

Haruhiro felt dizzy. This had to be a joke. No way. His brain seethed.

I’ll kill him. This guy is dead, absolutely dead. But the fact of the matter was, Haruhiro was closer to being killed than killing the ustrel. The ustrel came flying. Haruhiro was watching the ustrel’s legs, so he knew the timing. The course, too. He could evade it. But only barely. That was the best he could manage.

The naginata swing after a flying kick wasn’t so scary. There was a clear reason for that. The ustrel would kick off of the ground with his left foot, try to kick Haruhiro with his right, and then land on that same right foot.

However, with his right knee injured, there was a slight delay before he could move on to his next action.

My opponent isn’t a monster, Haruhiro thought. Well, the guy’s like a monster, but one that can be hurt. Swords and arrows can stab into him. He’s not invincible. It’s just that defeating him’ll be hard. That’s a problem, yes. A major problem. Ahh. Shihoru. Shihoru. Shihoru. I don’t have time to be thinking about Shihoru. I’ve gotta focus on the ustrel.

“Grahhhhh!” Kuzaku rose to his feet. “Dammiiiiiiiit!”

“Watch his legs, Kuzaku!” Haruhiro shouted as he dodged a flying kick. “If you watch his legs, you can tell when he’ll be coming!”

“I live again!” Ranta hopped back up. “I’ll see right through your attacks!”

Chik, chik, chik, chik, chik, chik, chik, chik, chik, chik, chik, chik, chik, chik, chik, chik, chik.

As soon as it turned into a three-on-one fight, the ustrel gave up on using his flying kick, and the sound of his tongue clicking echoed loudly through the area. His arms contracted.

He’s disabled his long arms mode, but what does he plan to do now?

Haruhiro wondered. Whatever it is...

“Don’t get distracted!” he shouted. “So long as we don’t take our eyes off his legs—”

Haruhiro gulped. He’s coming. Here he comes.

This time, the ustrel didn’t jump. The ustrel dashed. With his posture incredibly low, the point of his naginata in front of him, charging.

I’m gonna get run over, realized Haruhiro. I won’t let you run me over.

Twisting his body, he evaded the naginata by the breadth of a hair. But he couldn’t fully dodge. The ustrel’s body hit him somewhere, and while he wasn’t trampled, Haruhiro was sent flying.

“Urgh!” “Whoa!” “Gah!”

After him, Ranta and Kuzaku were knocked flying, too. Haruhiro struck his back and shoulders on the landing, but it was no big deal. The ustrel had raced around, tracing a warped circle as he mowed down the three of them, and now he stopped, his entire body heaving up and down—was he resting?

Haruhiro sat up, looking over towards Yume. Yume was trying to nock an arrow.

Then there was Merry. Merry was—sitting next to the collapsed Shihoru, performing a cardiac massage or something, maybe.

“There it is!” she gasped. “The heart! O Light, may Lumiaris’s divine

protection be upon you! Sacrament!”

Sacrament? She was using the miracle of light, Sacrament?

Shihoru! Had her heart stopped? Merry had resuscitated her from that state. Then used Sacrament. The spell that, so long as the target was still alive, would heal them instantly. She had already used it once on Ranta, so this was her second time. Her last Sacrament.

Yume shouted “Mrrow!” and loosed an arrow, which stabbed into the ustrel’s chest.

The ustrel slowly turned towards Yume, making that ominous chik, chik, chik, chik tongue clicking noise as he did.

Ranta and Kuzaku both got to their feet, shouting to psyche themselves up. And then...

“I-It’s okay! I’m fine now! S-S-Sorry!” Shihoru was up, too.

“Don’t apologize!” Haruhiro felt like he might cry—or rather, he was already shedding tears. But he didn’t have time to wipe them away.

Haruhiro opened his eyes wide, staring at the ustrel. I’ll watch you. I’ll see through you.

The ustrel raised his left knee.

“It’s a flying kick!” Haruhiro shouted. “Yume!”

“Meow!” Yume curled into a ball like a pit rat and rolled around, making sharp turns to avoid the ustrel’s flying kick. The ustrel landed, then lowered his posture. Had he recovered from the damage to his right leg?

“Next, it’s a charge!” Haruhiro yelled. “Watch out!”

Even as he said it, Haruhiro wanted to shoot back at himself, Yeah, and how are we supposed to watch out?

The ustrel started running. His targets were—Merry and Shihoru. Not good. Shihoru had just finished healing. What if something happened to her again? But he couldn’t stop the ustrel. Not Haruhiro.

“This...!” Kuzaku jumped in the way. Standing in front of Merry and Shihoru, he was ready for a head on collision with the ustrel if need be. Of course, that was risky. Incredibly risky. Too risky, but...

“This is why I’m a tank!”

He was right. As he was running, Haruhiro had silently screamed, Go! at him. He hadn’t needed to say it, because Kuzaku had done it anyway. He’d blocked the ustrel’s charge with his shield.

Then something terrifying happened. It crumpled. His shield did. Kuzaku

pushed on, as if he didn’t care.

The ustrel kept charging, too. The tip of his naginata which had pierced the shield slid up Kuzaku’s left arm and pierced through his shoulder.

Kuzaku twisted his longsword into the ustrel’s flank. Kuzaku in his helmet and the ustrel with his metallic skull butted heads.

Kuzaku didn’t come out the loser of that clash. He stood strong. Kuzaku tried to pull his longsword free. But it wouldn’t come out.

The ustrel grabbed Kuzaku’s helmet with his left hand, swinging back his naginata with his right.

Not that I’ll let him finish, thought Haruhiro.

Haruhiro hadn’t just been sitting there, gnawing on his fingers in nervous anticipation as he watched. He’d been running. And now, he was here. Right next to the ustrel.

Haruhiro said nothing. He just silently grabbed onto the ustrel, wrapping himself around the ustrel’s right arm from behind. He had put his sap away, but his dagger was in hand. With a backhand grip, he stabbed the dagger into the ustrel’s right shoulder. He stabbed and twisted, twisted and tore.

There was a harsh screeching sound. It wasn’t a scream. No, it was the gnashing of teeth. The ustrel foamed at the mouth, grinding his teeth way too violently and flailing his right arm around. He was trying to shake Haruhiro off.

As if I’m going to let go!

Haruhiro had been thrown by a vertical jump last time, but with Kuzaku’s longsword sticking out of his flank, the ustrel probably couldn’t do that.

Kuzaku let out a war cry, slamming his body into the ustrel and shaking his longsword in all directions. Unable to bear it any longer, the ustrel took his hand off Kuzaku’s helmet for a moment and punched him. His left fist clanged into Kuzaku’s helmet repeatedly.

Kuzaku let out strange grunts—“Fugh! Gwah! Nuh!”—and it sounded like he was in a lot of pain, but he was enduring it. However, at this rate, he might not last long.

That’s your cue, isn’t it? Haruhiro thought. Right, dread knight?

“Leap out! Followed by—Hatred!”

Ranta came at the ustrel from the left, slamming his longsword down on top of the metallic skull helmet—no.

“That’s what you think I’ll do!” Ranta bellowed. “Instead, it’s Tyrant’s

Drive!”

Yeah, no, there’s no skill like that, Haruhiro thought. Did you just make it up on the spot? Well, either way, it’s not much of a skill.

When Ranta’s sword was already swinging downwards on the diagonal, he pulled it back in closer to his hands, then swung it again almost horizontally. It wasn’t the top of the ustrel’s helmet he was targeting—it was the mouth. What was more, Ranta didn’t use the blade of his sword—he used the flat of the blade to whack the ustrel’s gnashing teeth hard.

Grash!

That wasn’t a voice, it was the longsword bouncing off of the ustrel’s teeth. Anyway, his teeth were unbroken. Just how tough were those things? Still, the ustrel reeled backwards.

Perhaps thinking, This is my chance, Kuzaku pulled his longsword out of the ustrel’s side. He must have been hoping to stab it in a few more times.

Haruhiro panicked. “You...! Are you stu—!” The ustrel immediately jumped.

How can you jump that high? That doesn’t even make sense! Haruhiro wanted to protest. That was how incredible of a jump it was. Haruhiro’s body swung upwards.

Man, the impact when we land is going to bad, he thought. He tried to prepare himself for it, but it was even worse than he imagined.

It didn’t feel like he’d fallen off, so much as that he was being thrown upwards. His brain shook inside his skull, and he was left disoriented. Even in that state, Haruhiro didn’t let himself get shaken off. However, he might not be able to manage that any longer.

The ustrel began flailing around erratically. On top of that, he was running around all over.

It’s no good. I can’t do this anymore, Haruhiro thought as he was finally thrown into the air.

Will I die? he wondered for a moment. No, no, no, no. I won’t let myself die.

It was times like this that the countless times he had experienced being thrown by Barbara-sensei came in handy. Haruhiro braced himself for the landing. As he was getting up from it, the ustrel nearly charged into him and sent him flying again, but he somehow avoided it.

Haruhiro shouted “Get away! Get away!” as he ran. He hurt all over, but

for now he needed to put some distance between the ustrel and him.

Eventually, the ustrel stopped moving.

There was the sound of labored breathing. The ustrel was leaning on his naginata, his shoulders heaving with each breath.

I guess even the mighty ustrel gets tired, thought Haruhiro. No. That’s not

all.

The ustrel’s blackish garment was cut and torn, revealing the brown skin

and the wounds beneath it. A viscous liquid that looked like spoiled oil poured out of those wounds. Was that the ustrel’s blood? When he looked down, Haruhiro saw that his dagger and his entire body were covered in that liquid.

It wasn’t just exhaustion. Haruhiro and the party’s attacks were actually having an effect.

Our formation is broken, Haruhiro thought. Technically we’re surrounding the ustrel, but that’s only a coincidence. Merry and Shihoru are the only ones who’ve stuck together, where the rest of us have split up.

So... do we run?

The moment that option crossed his mind, the ustrel raised his left knee.

Haruhiro shouted, “It’s a flying kick! Ranta!”

Instead of replying, Ranta used Leap Out to dodge the incoming ustrel.

The moment the ustrel lands, he’ll face to the right, and raise his left knee

—or not, Haruhiro thought. Will he lower his posture and charge, then? No. He’s not moving.

The ustrel was wheezing, his breaths heavy and labored.

Could it be that he’s pretty winded? Haruhiro wondered. Should we all rush him? It’s a hard call. I feel like the ustrel could show off hidden reserves of strength. We don’t have Sacrament anymore, either.

In the mere two to three seconds that Haruhiro hesitated, the ustrel steadied his breathing once more.

He was charging in. Towards Haruhiro. Haruhiro let out an “Oh...”

This time, the naginata that was usually thrust outwards during charges was instead wound back.

Is he going for a swing? Haruhiro thought frantically. It could be a jab with the pommel, too. What should I do? Hard to decide. I’ll have to go. Go where?

I’m going. Haruhiro was headed for the ustrel. The naginata. It’s coming.

Right before that, or at precisely the same time, he slid. Into a sliding kick. The ground was basically bare rock, so he couldn’t slide very well. Despite that, he managed to jump as far as the ustrel’s feet.

Haruhiro managed to catch the ustrel’s left and right shins, or rather he collided with them. As for what happened when he did, he wasn’t able to find out immediately.

The next thing he knew, Haruhiro was rolling across the ground.

Both my feet, or my legs as a whole, they hurt so bad I’d think they were broken—or not? Well, they don’t hurt, but more importantly, they won’t move. I can’t make them move. What is this? I can barely feel them. Where’s the ustrel? He’s there. Of course he’s there. He’s fallen over.

Ranta and Kuzaku were rushing over, trying to get in a shot on him while they could. But the ustrel was trying to get up. Which would it be? Who was faster?

It was the ustrel. Using his naginata as a crutch, the ustrel stood up. Ranta and Kuzaku each got in one slash on him, but the ustrel didn’t go down. Not only that, he swung his naginata around savagely. Ranta and Kuzaku were forced to back down.

Yume shouted “Take this!” and put an arrow in the ustrel’s left shoulder, but it didn’t even faze him. Meanwhile, Haruhiro couldn’t move.

What’s going on? This is—

As he started to wonder, Merry and Shihoru raced over. Without giving him the chance to object, the two of them dragged Haruhiro away.

I’m grateful and all, but I’m not an object, okay? Haruhiro thought. Guess I can’t blame them.

“M-Merry, h-how’s your magic...?” he asked, halfway to passing out. “I can use Cure a few more times!” Merry responded immediately.

Maybe we should run away, after all, Haruhiro thought. But how...?

“O Light, may Lumiaris’s divine protection be upon you... Cure!”

When Merry treated him with magic, feeling soon returned to Haruhiro’s legs. Thanks to that, the pain came back, too. It was intense enough he couldn’t shrug it off, so it might have been a pretty serious wound, but Merry would treat it for him—or she should.

She’s going to heal it... right? Even as Haruhiro endured the pain, Kuzaku was knocked flying by the ustrel’s charge, and Ranta dodged it, getting in a

shallow hit as the ustrel passed by. The ustrel stopped some distance from them, wheezing as it took a break.

Yume cried “Meow!” and shot at the ustrel again.

Was Kuzaku okay? He got up on his own. The ustrel was definitely getting weaker.

“We can beat him.” Haruhiro nodded.

That’s right. We can do it. But we can’t get carried away. We can’t afford to be optimistic. We need to avoid accidents. Instead of trying to take him in one go, we need to steadily wear him down, harshly and mercilessly.

The ustrel began to move. Kuzaku cried out as he was knocked away, while Ranta dodged like before, getting in another blow, if only a light one. The ustrel stopped right after that, and, as he was wheezing, Yume shouted “Mrrrow!” and shot off an arrow at him.

It sadly missed, but Ranta and Yume each knew what they ought to be doing.

Yeah, that’s the way! Haruhiro mentally cheered them on.

The light vanished from the hand Merry was holding up towards Haruhiro. His treatment was finished.

Okay. I’ve gotta do this, so I will. I’m so gonna do this, Haruhiro told himself, leaping to his feet.

“We’re taking him down!” Haruhiro shouted. “Focus on evading, but strike back when you think you can! Ranta, Yume, keep it up! Kuzaku, quit getting hit so much! Watch how he moves closely! You need to figure it out already! The enemy’s getting pretty weak!”

“Gwah!” Kuzaku yelped.

Only moments after he’d finished saying something about it, Kuzaku failed to avoid the ustrel’s charge and was sent flying again.

Ranta used Leap Out to jump past the ustrel diagonally, getting a cut in on him with a satisfied shout. The ustrel kept charging forward, then came to a sudden stop.

Yume went “Mrrrow!” and fired an arrow, this one piercing the ustrel’s back.

Kuzaku was trying to rise to his feet, but he was having a hard time of it. “Merry, help Kuzaku!” Haruhiro called. “Shihoru, stay by Merry’s side!” “Okay!” Merry called.

“Right!” Shihoru added.

Haruhiro ran with all his strength, deliberately choosing to stop in front of the ustrel. He took a deep breath. The ustrel lifted his left knee up high.

A flying kick, huh? Come at me.

He came.

Compared to how things had been at first, the ustrel’s speed had dropped considerably. He wasn’t scary at all. Haruhiro maintained his composure, dodging the ustrel’s flying kick. When he turned around, the ustrel took a swing at him with his naginata.

I can see that, too, Haruhiro thought. It’s slow. So slow. Maybe I can get in close? No, I won’t push my luck.

While Haruhiro easily dodged and swayed around the naginata, Ranta shouted “Take this!” and took a swing at the ustrel. The ustrel blocked it with his left arm, but it was a weak hit. Ranta held his ground without being knocked away.

“Sparkle!” Ranta shouted, and if his eyes had had a sparkling function, they no doubt would have sparkled magnificently. Of course, they had no such function. “Hell Devil Execution!”

Again, there’s no such skill, Haruhiro thought.

All Ranta did was use his natural stamina to swing his longsword around erratically. That was all. There was no way that would work against the ustrel. When the ustrel had had more energy, he would have knocked Ranta’s sword away, and that would have been the end of it. But now, things were different.

The ustrel used his left arm and naginata, which he was choking up his grip on, to block Ranta’s longsword. He blocked, and he blocked. He was stuck on the defensive. Ranta was pushing the ustrel backwards. He was pushing him into a corner.

There’s no point in telling Ranta not to get cocky now, Haruhiro thought. I mean, he’s Ranta, after all. In that case, I’ll do something before Ranta runs out of steam!

Haruhiro quickly got behind the ustrel. When he was staring at an enemy’s back like this, it was strangely calming. The ustrel had a broad back. With a few arrows sticking out of it. Three, to be precise.

There, maybe, Haruhiro thought as he chose a target. Ustrel or not, he was still a humanoid creature, so even if Haruhiro couldn’t see the line, he more or less could tell where to hit.

If something looks like a vital point, I’ll trust that it is, Haruhiro thought. If I’m wrong, well, I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Backstab. I can do it.

Closing in smoothly, he thrust a dagger into the spot he’d chosen. It didn’t feel like a bad hit, and the ustrel’s entire body trembled for a moment, so maybe it had—no. Haruhiro jumped away from the ustrel at once.

“Ohgoagogogogoahgoahohgaohgaohgogagagagagogoggooohgogoohgogo “Wha...?!” Ranta yelled.

The sword Ranta had used to block the ustrel’s naginata was flung off somewhere. The way the ustrel moved had suddenly changed. If it were to be described with not one word, but two, it was violent and erratic. On top of that, it had stopped gnashing its teeth and started howling.

“Uwahhhhhhhhhh?!” Ranta shouted. “Haruhiro, man, what’d you do?!” The ustrel chased after the now-barehanded Ranta while howling madly.

Ranta used a mixture of Leap Out and Exhaust to run away. He kept running, occasionally taking a scratch from the ustrel’s naginata. Somehow or another, he was managing to escape with his life for the moment.

It had been the Backstab. No doubt about it. This had been the effect of that Backstab. Someone had once said that a wounded animal was the most dangerous, And the ustrel was backed into a corner. He was working up his last reserves of strength, trying to kill his enemies. In other words, Haruhiro and the party. If he couldn’t do that, the ustrel was finished.

This was where the battle would be decided.

“He’s just delaying the inevitable!” Haruhiro shouted. “We’ll outlast him!

Hang in there, and grind him down!”

“Mrrrow!” Yume fired off an arrow into the ustrel’s butt.

Ranta screamed. He was probably trying to get over to his longsword, but he just couldn’t make it there. “H-H-H-Help me, you moron!”

“Oh, yeah, I’ve got this!” Kuzaku was back on his feet after Merry used Cure on him.

Well, that’s good and all, but he’s sounding weirdly high-strung there,

Haruhiro thought. Is he okay?

Okay or not, Kuzaku plowed into the ustrel’s side. When the ustrel swung his naginata at him, Kuzaku swung his longsword at it with two hands, stopping it with a loud clang, then pushing it back.

Kuzaku bellowed, “Aw, yeahhhhhh!”

“Ogoagoahhhh!” the ustrel howled, slamming his naginata into Kuzaku.

He hit him with it again and again.

Kuzaku was unyielding, he howled back, “Gahhh! Gwahhh! Zahhh!” as he knocked away the naginata with his longsword. For now, he was managing to deflect it, but if he missed even once, it would be over.

Honestly, I’m too scared to watch, Haruhiro thought. But if I call out to him carelessly, I could do more harm than good. Right now, Kuzaku’s concentration is insane. I don’t want to break that.

Ranta picked up his own longsword. “We meet again, my Excalibur!”

What’re you calling Excalibur? Haruhiro thought as he moved around to get behind the ustrel.

Yume was nocking an arrow, but with Kuzaku and the ustrel locked in fierce combat, she couldn’t line up a shot.

Haruhiro and Merry’s eyes met. Merry immediately held up two fingers.

Two Cure spells left, that meant. Shihoru took a step forward.

“Jess, yeen, sark, fram, dart!” she chanted, drawing elemental sigils with her staff.

Lightning. The thunder rumbled, and a bolt of electricity pierced the ustrel. His body convulsing, he looked like he might fall. He managed to stay on his feet, but Kuzaku used that opening to launch a counterattack.

“Gah! Gah! Gahhh!”

His swings were a mess, and he was clearly getting in too deep. Still, it worked out well. As Kuzaku’s sword pushed in and the ustrel’s naginata pushed back, it was as if their hilts had locked together. They weren’t actually locked, because a naginata doesn’t have a hilt guard, but it looked like they had. The hilt of Kuzaku’s longsword and the fist the ustrel was gripping his naginata with were jostling against one another. Regardless, they were in a stalemate.

Now’s our chance! was one thing Haruhiro didn’t have to tell anyone. “Meow!” Yume fired an arrow, hitting the ustrel in the right shoulder. “Leap Out, followed byyyyy—Satan’s Blooooow!” It was an impressive

sounding name and all, but all Ranta did was jump at the ustrel and slash his left shoulder.

Haruhiro jumped onto the ustrel’s back. The metallic skull helmet covered the neck, too, but Haruhiro knew the ustrel had no armor covering his chest,

his back, his torso, or his shoulders. Haruhiro jammed his dagger in right underneath the rim of that helmet. He stabbed him eagerly, then immediately backed off.

“Gugohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” the ustrel screamed. “—Wha?!” Kuzaku was pushed back and knocked on his rear.

Oh, crap, that’s—not that bad...?

The ustrel didn’t try to hit Kuzaku while he was down. He stumbled, his huge form swaying, unsteady on his feet, as he planted his naginata’s pommel on the ground.

Have we done it? Haruhiro thought. No, it looks like that’s not quite it. “Ogoh!” The ustrel lifted up his naginata, spinning his body around. “Whoa, get back!” Haruhiro leapt backwards.

Kuzaku screamed, rolling and scrambling to get away. Ranta pulled back, too. Yume, Merry, and Shihoru were at a distance to begin with, so they were fine.

The ustrel spun around seven times, then slumped against his naginata, exhausted. They watched for some time, but he showed no signs of moving.

He’s probably resting, Haruhiro thought. That’s bad.

“Attack!” he shouted.

As everyone ran in to attack, the ustrel started whirling around again.

Once they hurriedly ran away, the ustrel ran out of strength after spinning around seven times, and leaned on his naginata.

I’m not letting you rest any more, Haruhiro thought fiercely. He shouted, “Let’s go!”

Ranta and Kuzaku each got in a hit or two, Yume got in one arrow, and Haruhiro himself got in a good hard whack with his sap. At that point, the ustrel started whirling around again, so they fell back. This time, it didn’t make it to seven spins, only six. It looked like this was pretty hard on the ustrel. At this point, Haruhiro didn’t even have to give the signal anymore.

Haruhiro and the others would attack, each of them getting in one or two hits, and then the ustrel would do his big spin. They would fall back, counting the number of rotations. One, two, three, four, five, six times around. What a hard worker. They didn’t bother thinking those sorts of unnecessary things before charging.

They cut him, whacked him, shot him. The ustrel spun around, forcing Haruhiro and the others to temporarily withdraw.

Three, four, five, and he looked ready to spin out of control on the sixth.

Making a point of not thinking We can do this, or, Just a little longer, they would close in on him, almost mechanical in their attacks. They attacked and attacked.

The ustrel howled, so they all leapt back and braced themselves, but no big spin came.

Haruhiro and Ranta traded glances.

Ranta wanted to go. Haruhiro was quick to shake his head. He wasn’t about to get reckless after coming this far. He tempered caution with more caution. No matter what, he wasn’t going to let anyone die here. That was his top priority. It was okay to let some opportunities slip by. He would just have to take advantage of the next one.

Haruhiro looked at the ustrel. He felt the urge to blink, but he resisted it. The ustrel was putting more of his weight on the naginata than his own legs.

The ustrel’s mouth opened wide, with a wheezing sound and a thick blackish fluid leaking out. He seemed so small, somehow. The ustrel had been so big, yet now he looked small.

First, his knees gave out. The ustrel sandwiched his naginata between his legs, getting into a sitting position, and then the metallic skull mask faced up at them. An orange tongue lolled out, and a moaning sound escaped, then stopped. After that, the ustrel moved no more.

Haruhiro used Sneaking to approach the ustrel from behind. When he got to about a meter and a half away, the metallic skull helmet suddenly turned towards Haruhiro, and he thought his heart might stop.

Oh, crap, he thought. That was scary. Is he coming? Is he? It’s fine. Even if he comes at me, I can get away. I’m ready for it. No problem. I can cope.

Besides, I don’t even see any sign the ustrel’s breathing.

Haruhiro bit his lip. He took a short, deep breath. “Finish him!”

The moment he shouted it, Ranta, Kuzaku, and Yume rushed towards the ustrel. After that, it was just longswords, machetes, and more cutting up, smashing, and beating down the ustrel.

Haruhiro participated, too. Merry and Shihoru did not.

Even as they swung their weapons with all their might, Haruhiro—no, everyone, including Haruhiro—was perfectly calm. Their objective was clear. To terminate the ustrel. To utterly eradicate the threat he posed.

Even when the ustrel slumped to the ground, they kept at it for a while. It

certainly didn’t feel good. But it was necessary. Stopping to take his pulse, to make sure he was dead— they didn’t have time to take it easy like that. They had to thoroughly kill him.

Once the ustrel was utterly destroyed, everyone stopped.

After all of that, I’m exhausted. I don’t feel like talking, Haruhiro thought. If I say so much as a word, it feels like my soul might escape with it. I’d die if my soul escaped like that.

“...We did it.” Ranta exhaled deeply, leaning back and waving his arms around. “We did it! We did it, damn it! We killed that ustrel good! How do you like that, you piece of crap?!”

“That sure was nerve-rackin’...” Yume slumped to the ground. She was drenched with sweat, her hair clinging to her face. She looked haggard. It was so bad, you had to wonder how many pounds she’d lost from just this one fight alone. “No more of this...”

“I...” Kuzaku was sitting on his haunches, his head hung. “I... I thought... I was gonna... die...”

“Haru.” Merry signaled him with her eyes. She used a gesture to tell him that she and Shihoru would watch the area.

Haruhiro nodded, meaning, That’ll help. Seriously, it will.

That was crazy, he thought. We were walking on thin ice there. Seriously thin ice. Does it feel like a victory? Not in the least. Is this a win? It’s not a loss. That much I can say for sure. No, the ustrel’s dead over there, so it must be a win. And not by a wide margin, either. If we had to do this ten times, I can’t say we’d win every one, but we’d probably win six of them. There were a number of crises, but we managed to work through them somehow, and we’ll do even better next time. If we assume that, this time, we won a battle we had a sixty percent chance of winning, next time, we should be able to bring our odds up to seventy percent. After that, it’ll be eighty. Then ninety.

As we repeat the process, we can get to the point where we’ll more or less never lose.

Experience. This was what it meant to build experience. And the experience gained from fighting the ustrel could be put to use in their battles with other enemies.

In fact, if they hadn’t been through the fight to the death at Deadhead Watching Keep, they would have panicked just from encountering the ustrel, which could easily have gotten them wiped out. No, not could, it definitely

would have.

Getting stronger wasn’t just learning skills, acquiring new equipment, building stamina, and strengthening their muscles—it was more than that.

They had to experience things. They had to use their own heads and bodies to learn the terror, the harshness, the pains and difficulties. Then they had to overcome them.

True, Haruhiro and his comrades were not strong. No matter how they trained, Haruhiro, for instance, could never become like Renji. However, with each experience like this, they might not get closer to Team Renji, but Haruhiro and the party could grow in their own way. If they had different experiences from Renji and his group, they would gain different knowledge, different specialties, and expand their abilities differently. Even if they were inferior ninety-nine percent of the time, just that once, they wouldn’t lose. It was fully possible that they could turn out like that.

Potential.

It’s there.

We still have potential.

Moguzo. Even now that we’ve lost you, there are still things we can do. Lots of them, in fact. If anything, there may be things we’ll only have to do because we’ve lost you.

If you could have always stayed with us, that would have been for the best. But just because we’ve lost you, that doesn’t mean it’s all over. I feel bad for you, and it makes me feel very sad, very lonely to say this, but we have to move on. We can keep moving forward.

Haruhiro put a hand on Yume’s shoulder. “Good work. A whole lot of your arrows hit their mark today. After all the times you’ve talked about how bad you are at it, you were amazing.”

“...Yeah.” Yume looked up at Haruhiro, holding his hand tight. It wasn’t just sweat. She had tears in her eyes, too. “Yume, she couldn’t just keep sayin’ she was no good at it. Yume needs to do the things Yume can do, y’know. It’s not about needin’ to try hard—Yume, she wants to try hard.”

“Yume, I know you’re trying hard,” said Haruhiro. “Well, yeah, but Yume can do much, much more.”

“I’d say it’s okay for you to take it a little bit at a time, don’t you think?” said Haruhiro. “You don’t have to do everything at once. We’ve got a long time to work on it.”

“Maybe you’re right.” Yume furrowed her brow and bit her lip.

If Haruhiro and the party continued on like this, they would likely make it through to tomorrow somehow, but that wasn’t true for everyone.

The world was neither equal nor fair. Someone had once said the only thing that was equal for all was time. But that wasn’t true. While time may flow equally for all, ours can easily be snatched away from us. This was something Haruhiro and the others had no need to remind themselves of, because they knew it well.

Haruhiro gripped Yume’s shoulder firmly, then let go. He had nothing to say to Ranta. He slapped him on the back and Ranta gave him a “Heh.”

“Shihoru.” When Haruhiro called out to her, Shihoru shrunk her neck into her body and looked at him apologetically. No, I haven’t even said anything yet. “Your timing with those spells was good. It helped us out a lot.”

“There’s a lot of room for improvement...” Shihoru said. “Actually, I still don’t have enough firepower...”

While she may have looked timid, Shihoru had the bravery to face her own weaknesses. That meant that even if she was weak, she could become stronger. In Shihoru’s case, it would probably be better to urge her to improve than to console her.

“Yeah,” Haruhiro said. “The way things stand, your magic can’t be the decisive blow against more powerful enemies. I think you could pursue that as a goal.”

“Yes,” she said meekly.

“There’s no need to be so meek...” “S-Sorry...”

Shihoru bowed her head, and Merry gave her a pat on the back.

It’s kind of nice, seeing them like that, Haruhiro thought. I’m not jealous or anything. When I see girls who are close to each other, it’s strangely calming. When it’s a guy and a girl, that’s more awkward, though.

Merry was looking at him, so Haruhiro gave her a smile. Merry smiled back just a little.

This isn’t bad, either. I feel like Merry and I can really communicate. Only as comrades in the same party, but still. When it comes to anything more than that, or other than that—I’m not so sure. I don’t feel like we could. Not that we have to. We’re comrades in the same party, after all.

Haruhiro turned to Kuzaku and offered him his hand. “You’ll have to buy

a new shield, huh.”

“...Guess so.” Kuzaku extended his hand, Haruhiro took it by the wrist and pulled him to his feet.

Still, is this guy big, or what? Haruhiro thought. When you’re tall and thin, it’s a real asset. Even if your face is pretty normal, you still look relatively cool.

“Unlike before, you actually did your job as tank,” Haruhiro said. “I’m gonna demand more and more of you from here on, so expect that.”

“I’ll do it,” said Kuzaku. “Whatever I have to. So I don’t die—actually, so I don’t let anyone else die, either.”

“I’m counting on you.” Haruhiro poked Kuzaku in the ribs.

Maybe I ought to make a rule against romance within the party, he thought for a moment. If people within the group hook up or have a break up, that could cause a lot of trouble, so it might be a good idea.

With a glance to the ustrel’s remains, he looked up into the narrow slit of sky visible from inside the canyon-like Wonder Hole.

Here, in this Wonder Hole, we’re going to get stronger, Haruhiro resolved. We’ll build up a ton of experience, gain more and more strength, and—this one would get me laughed at, so I won’t ever say it out loud—but someday, we’ll get to the point we can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Soma.

I swear we will.

Afterword

When I opened my eyes, I was in the middle of a battle. It seemed that I had fallen asleep at some point. The controller was still in my hands. When I restarted the battle, I noticed one of my party members was dead.

Why are you dead? I don’t remember, I thought. I’ll have to bring you back to life. Well, whatever.

I was just slaughtering weak monsters to level up, so I could handle losing one person.

Would you usually die, though? Fighting enemies of this level? I’m sure, in my hazy semi-conscious state, I must have neglected to heal while continuing my mass murder. When I looked, my surviving party members were pretty low on health, too.

Ahh. There goes another one. Well, whatever. Battle’s finished.

Two people were dead, and one of them was the one who could cast the revival spell. I could also have used an item to revive them, but that would be a waste, so I used magic to warp back to town. I revived them, healed them, and now what? I had money saved up, but I’d more or less bought everything I wanted already. When I thought about it, there was no need to be such a cheapskate about using the items.

Guess I’ll go level some more, I thought. Nah, I think I’ve done enough.

Time to advance the story, I guess. Wait, where do I go and what do I do next, anyway? What was I supposed to be doing?

I’ve had similar experiences—or actually, practically the same experience

—time and again, cutting into my sleeping hours to do it. Did I waste my time? I don’t think so. I mean, if not for the time I spent doing that, I wouldn’t be writing this book, Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash, right now.

Out of habit, or to escape, or in search of pleasant, mind-numbing work, I was idly spending my time leveling up. Looking back to a time long before then, I had seen a new world inside video games.

With the advance of technology, open-world games and 3D action RPGs like Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls are now made all the time, inviting me

back into that world I feel such nostalgia for, but at the moment, my greatest hope is reserved for VR headsets. I am certain that a VR headset will immerse me in newer and more different worlds. I am hoping the next-gen gaming experience will be able to win against the act of writing novels, something which plays out inside my head and stimulates all five of my senses. But, I dunno. Novel writing is difficult and, at times, painful, but it really is fun.

I’ve run out of pages.

To my editor, K, to Eiri Shirai-san, to the designers of KOMEWORKS among others, to everyone involved in production and sales of this book, and finally to all of you people now holding this book, I offer my heartfelt appreciation and all of my love. Now, I lay down my pen for today.

I hope we will meet again.

Oh, that’s right, please support my other series, What’s Wrong with a Hero Being Jobless?, too.

Ao Jyumonji