After the chaotic night passed, once again they destroyed a large amount of food and unusually, for them, they began making preparations. Even though usually they would become dull with full stomachs and laze around.
From the experience of that fight, each and every one of the Demons of Gluttony Brigade learned of it, and stuffed their backpacks with mineral water.
âSince we can defeat Honoo-Hi-Atama-Ma (flame-rook-head-demon) if we cover it in water, letâs have each person have one bottle.â
âAnd, letâs also carry some food. When we have to be apart from this box and our stomachs are empty.â
Itâs the food prioritizing Pell, but itâs the right idea so all members nodded and chose products. Karaâage wonât keep, so letâs line up snacks and long-lasting can products.
âThis magic box is amazing, ne. When we want to eat karaâage, it puts out karaâage. Right now itâs lining up preserved food. Itâs almost like it can understand us, naa.â
Ooo-, Pell, you get it!
So these guys might finally be able to understand that I have a will.
âWelcome.â
âNo way, no way. Look, even now it doesnât say anything other than âWelcomeâ.â
Waving his hand in front of his face, Mikene completely denied it. Dammit, from now on Iâm giving out cold karaâage.
Haa, maa, I get it. If I could say âYesâ or âNoâ, then they might get it eventually, but itâs impossible with âWelcomeâ, na.
Itâs not like theyâre trying to harm me, so for now this is enough, huh? My goal for now is to have them transport me to area around the opening of the maze, and find people from the Seiryu Lake Level.
On that occasion I need to think about what would be good to give as my thanks. But they might be happier of I give them a discount for purchasing things from the vending machine.
âAlright then, today letâs give it our best!â
âO-!â
Aa, how soothing. Even though weâre in a situation where monsters prowl nearby, just watching the Demons of Gluttony Brigading seems to make me smirk. If I wasnât a vending machine, my face would be something horrible.
As we proceeded with those guys taking turns pushing me, quite far ahead along the course that weâre taking, you can see a cloud of dust being raised. Is someone fighting? The distance is much too far so you canât tell whether the targets of interest are human or monsters.
âGuys, it looks like someoneâs fighting up ahead; what do we do?â(Mikene)
Mikene noticed. All members stopped their feet and stood on tiptoe to look ahead.
âI canât see very well, but it sounds like someoneâs having a scuffle.â (Shote)
âUn un, I also hear it.â(Pel)
âItâs kind of Hunter-ish, ne. Thereâs a lot of them, too.â (Suko ⊠I think)
I also ⊠na, I canât hear it. These guysâ ears are really good.
âWhat should we do? Like this, continue and merge, and then help them?â(Mikene)
âIf we do that, this magic tool box might get stolen.â(Shote)s
âBut but, for just use to get out of the Maze Level is going to be tough, na.â (Pel)
âThatâs right, ne. Because lifeâs important. There might be benefits to seeing what happens with negotiations.â
They disagreed a bit, but these guys reached the conclusion that, if the fighting Hunters are hard pressed, then if they cooperate and the Hunters are put into their debt, then it probably wonât go poorly.
âFirst, Iâll go peek at the situation alone. Check to see whether thereâs a possibility of negotiations. Mikene and the others can come slowly, so bring that along and get closer.â
âUnderstood. You absolutely must be careful, Shote.â
âLeave it to me.â
Shote leapt forward; in the blink of an eye his figure became tiny.
I and the leftover three together progressed forward a little at a time while peering at the situation. Even now you canât distinguish anything other than the fact that they have arms and legs; I canât make it out at all.
âThe Hunters seem to be the stronger side.â
âSomehow, isnât there a human whoâs raising a weird yell?â
âUn, itâs unintelligible, ne. A woman, na.â
Raising a weird voice while fighting, huh, itâs probably a unique warcry. Hammer-throwing athleteâs also screech meaninglessly as they throw. Iâve head that if you do that, you add more power into it.
Slowly, slowly we get closer, and a shadow comes towards us at high speed. If you focus your eyes, that is â â Shote, huh?
âO-i, guys, itâs the President! He wants to talk. Come quick!â
âE-, the Hunter President of Seiryu Lake?â
âI wonder why heâs on a lower level.â (Suko)
âBut that saves us, ne. If itâs the Bear President heâll properly hear us out, and he wonât steal treasure that Hunters got for themselves.â
Those guys are talking calmly and having a relieved look on their face, but Iâm also at least that relieved. So the Bear President came. Iâm saved ⊠âtte, then Ramis is probably here.
Sheâll probably scream and cry again, but I will accept it completely. Since itâs proof that she was worried.
âThatâs right. Among the Hunters, thereâs a really amazing one. Ha-kooooon; with that mysterious yell, thereâs a human Hunter that smashed an Iwa-Jin-Ma (rock-person-demon) with her bare hands.â
Yup, Ramis is accompanying them. Looks like Iâve worried her greatly. Like this, no matter what abuse or sermon sheâs going to give, it canât be helped; Iâll take it obediently.
âYouâre lying-. A human canât destroy an Iwa-jin-ma(rock-person-demon) with her bare hands.â
âNo no, itâs true, Pel. And it was even a small-figured woman. Iâm pretty sure she was also saying, sheâs so worried that she wonât forgive unless sheâs allowed one punch, or something.â
⊠If I use <Barrier> sheâll probably get mad. Is my Defense enough⊠I should probably raise it more, na.
âAre, didnât this box suddenly get heavier? Itâs getting harder to move.â
âA, un, youâre right, itâs amazingly heavy.â
Itâs your imagination.
With feelings of wanting to meet and feelings of not wanting to meet mixed in, those guys continued transporting me towards the fighting.
â
âE-, Ha-kooooooooon!â
When we had just reached the distance were we could confirm each othersâ forms, with good timing, the Huntersâ battle ended. Ramis caught a glimpse of us and, leaping so that she left an imprint in the ground while running, that girl plunged in this direction.
Stepping so hard that you cave the ground in, coming full speed, please stop!
If you put in that much vigor into it, youâre really going to fly-!?
At several meters before me, Ramis spread out both her hands a soared over. <Barrier> ⊠no good. To repel a crying girl leaping towards, not as a vending machine, but as a man itâs the lowest.
The option to choose is ⊠to take it!
Looking at her teary face coming closer and closer, I â â itâs fine, I raised my Defence to 50 so it will be fine. I said to myself.
The heavy sound that filled the area was to the degree that it shook the atmosphere; the shockwave produced by the crash blew away the Demons of Gluttony that were transporting me.
ă10 Damage. Endurance has been reduced by 10.ă
Guwaaa-. N,no way, I raised Defense all this way and I still took 10 damage!
âHakkon! DUUUMMMMYYYYY-! I believed, I absolutely believed that you wouldnât be broken!â
ă2 Damage. Endurance has been reduced by 2. ă
Y,youâve grown, Ramis. And now, I wonder if you wouldnât please stop *don don*Â hitting my body?
I was thinking that Iâd like to say something to get her to let go, but on seeing her press her tear-streaked face against me and sob, I made the decision to keep quiet and take it.
Until sheâs satisfied, I will accept her feelings.
ă3 Damage. Endurance has been reduced by 3.ă
This â letâs repair myself.
â
When she had somehow calmed down and I got out of her vice-like grip, the other people have come up to meet us. Itâs a bunch of faces I remember all lined up.
âDammit, ye worried us. Haaaa, I also believed. That youâd be okay, na.â
Hyurumi hit my frame lightly with a fist. It looks like she had really been worried, but her voice was barely different than her usual.
âHakkon, we meet again.â
âSomehow you arenât broken. If Hakkon was broken, weâd by completely troubled you know? As much worry as if you were a beloved girlfriend.â
So the gatekeeps Gols and Karios came to help. As thanks, Iâll ask Ramis to set me near the gate area.
âHakkon, you saved us. If we werenât able to find you thenâŠâ(Leader)
âIt was dangerous ne, WhiteâŠâ(Red)
âThat it was, RedâŠâ(White)
The men of the Fools of Whimsy Brigade let out a relieved sigh, and their shoulders drooped. E, that reaction is, exactly what did that mean?
âHakkon-san, that youâre safe is the best over anything else. When we told Ramis-san that we had left you behindâ(Fulmina)
âShe approached Leader with an amazingly menacing look; if we didnât find you, I donât know what would have happened, neâŠâ(Shui)
When I heard the explanation from Vice-Leader Fulmina and the archer Shui, I understood.
So the girl sitting at my feet and glaring at me with upturned eyes threatened someone, huh? Iâm sorry, Iâve worried you terribly.
âHakkon. But really, how were you saved? For someone to fall safely from a Level Break, Iâve never heard of it before.â
Even with the wheels the Bear President was staring down at the top of my head, and he asked that question.
Itâs true that if you fell from that height, normally it would be instant death. Even I thought that my future as scrap was decided at that time.
âPresident, President, long time no see!â
The Demons of Gluttony Brigade that had been blown off in the shockwave had all revived at some unknown point, and they were now crowding around the Bear President.
âOo-, the Big Eater Brigade is all over here, na. On top of finding Hakkon, you protected him too, huh? I am grateful.â
N? Are, the Demons of Gluttony Brigade ⊠so itâs just a name they call themselves.
âE-, President. What is a Hakkon?â
âItâs not impossible for Mikene to not know. This magic tool box is called Hakkon, a resident of Seiryu Lake.â
âResident?â
Every member of the Demons of Gluttony Brigade(self-named) aka Big Eater Brigade tilted their ears.
So the Bear President recognizes the vending machine me as a resident. I have been blessed with the people Iâve met since coming to this other world. Dammit, if I get too happy, Iâll probably spring a leak in the vending machine. (aka, cry)
âAa, a resident. He lives in the Seiryu Lake Levelâs community.â
âE, but, this is a convenient magic toolâŠâ
âAa, I see. So you didnât realize it yet. Hakkon has a will and is capable of comprehension. Naa, Hakkon?â
âWelcome.â
âBut President. Look, it canât say anything other than âWelcomeâ.â
âHakkon is limited in what words he can say. âWelcomeâ is âYes.â And âToo badâ is âNoâ.â
Since they donât believe it even after hearing the Bear Presidentâs explanation, the Big Eater Brigade look at me with half-closed eyes.
âUum, Hakkon, was it? What we the Demons of Gluttony Brigade ate with you was meat karaâage, wasnât it?â
âWelcome.â
âUuum, then, that guyâs name is Shote.â
The fat one is Pel, so âToo bad.â
âN,no way. Then, you understand everything we were saying?â
âWelcome.â
Their mouths are open so wide that it looks like their chins are going to fall off, and their eyes are open so wide it looks like theyâll fly out of their sockets.
Maa, these guys didnât think that it was possible for me to have a will at all.
For those guys who thought a lot of money was going to roll in for them it was quite the shock, so even though the Bear President continued his explanation, it didnât enter their ears at all.
A, un. After this, Iâll treat them to free karaâage, so I wonder if theyâll pardon me with this.