CH 3

Having fun looking around the stalls with Kusunoki-san and Yuzuki-san, before we knew it, it was already getting close to lunchtime. It seems that we have walked quite a bit, as the number of stalls began to dwindle as we progressed, and after walking a few steps further, we could see the wooden wall surrounding the town of Rigforeshia in a circle.

[Arehh? There’s hardly any stalls around here?]

[Yeah, you see the wall over there, this might be the last one around here.]

[I see! Then, let’s go touch down on that wall and let’s go make a U-Turn!]

It seems that this is the end of the stalls, and Yuzuki-san seems to be enjoying herself as she runs towards the wall. Her steps were very light, and looking at her like that makes me smile.

[You’re really having fun huh~~]

[I’ve loved festivals since junior high. I would be in high spirits in times like when there’s a Cultural Festival happening in my school.]

[Heehhh…… Kusunoki-san and Yuzuki-san knew each other even back in junior high huh?]

I thought they were just senpai-kouhai when they were in senior high school, but it seems that the two of them have known each other for a long time. Indeed, now that they mentioned it, Yuzuki-san seems to trust Kusunoki-san a lot, and there’s this bond that seems to have been built up between the two of them.

[Yes, our homes are reasonably close to each other, so we’ve known each other for a long time. She was quite an energetic child, always dragging me around to do this and that.]

[Ahaha, that certainly sounds like Yuzuki-san…… ah, it’s almost noontime, isn’t it? As I recall, the hunting competition lasts until 2PM?]

[Yeah, I think that’s right. How about we have lunch? Or shall we wait until after Lilia-san and the others returned?]

[Hmmm. How about we ask Yuzuki-san what she thinks—— Wha!?]

[W- What is that sound!?]

As I was talking with Kusunoki-san about what to do about lunch, I suddenly heard a loud sound as if something was crumbling. When I turned my attention to the direction of the sound…… I saw a large cloud of dust rising from where the wooden wall had been.

[Yuzuki-san!]

[Hina-chan!]

Kusunoki-san and I called out Yuzuki-san’s name, who should have been heading in that direction. At the same time, the cloud of dust cleared, and when I saw Yuzuki-san standing there, I was about to pat my chest in relief—— but something unbelievable was happening right before my eyes. A few meters in front of Yuzuki-san, a jet-black bear, standing over four meters tall, was revealed from the collapsed wall, pushing away the cloud of dust.

[It’s…… It’s a Black Bear!!!]

[Has the Barrier Magic been broken!?]

Just as we’re seeing its appearance, we could hear screams from people around us. Why didn’t I notice it? Was it because of the Barrier Magic that I didn’t sense its approach with my Sympathy Magic? Anyway, doesn’t the situation look pretty bad!? The Black Bear saw Yuzuki-san’s figure, and slowly walked towards her.

[Hina-chan! Run!!!]

Kusunoki-san shouted to Yuzuki-san.

It’s alright…… It will be alright. Yuzuki-san can use that amazing Body Strengthening Magic. Rei-san also said that the Black Bear is slow, and since it was still a few meters away, she can easily escape……

[……Hiiihhh…… aahhh……]

[Sh*t!]

[Miyama-san!?]

Her trembling voice leaking out of Yuzuki-san’s mouth, I immediately ran towards Yuzuki-san. I’m an idiot! It’s one thing if she has the ability to deal with that situation, but using that ability to deal with it is another! She’s just a 16-year old girl…… Being faced with a monster like that all of a sudden, there’s no way that she can keep calm and think of the best way to deal with the situation! Dashing forth towards Yuzuki-san, I brought forth a magic circle in my hand. And in response to that, magic power began leaking out of my body as I got ready to use the magic Kuro taught me.

I’m not a saint or anything like that. I can’t risk my life to save a stranger. However…… There’s no way I can do that for people I know. I’m a coward after all…… I’m too cowardly to even dare abandon my friends after all, so I can’t just leave Yuzuki-san here to die!

Only a few seconds passed…… When I reach Yuzuki-san, I pull with all my might on her shoulder while she’s standing upright, and cut myself in between Yuzuki-san and the Black Bear. At the same time as Yuzuki-san, who had been thrown backward, fell on her buttocks, the Black Bear saw my intrusion and sped up its approach.

I’m not the protagonist of a battle manga, nor am I a Hero. I’ve never been in a fight, and my athletic ability is just below the average for my age group. If you ask me if I have a chance of winning against the Black Bear, which the former Court Mage Rei-san is calling as a pain in the ass to deal with, the answer would be a flat no. Even if I had a sword in my hand that could kill a Black Bear with a single blow, I don’t think I’d even be able to hit it. There’s no way someone who has never even been in a fight before can fight just as he thought the battle would go.  I can’t even land a single decent punch…… That’s why, the first thing that came into my mind was the combat magic that Kuro taught me.

If I can’t decently fight, I should just find a way to protect myself when I’m forced to do so. My only weapon is the Perception ability brought by my Sympathy Magic. This is enough to detect the approach of the wyvern at about the same time as Kuro, one of the Six Kings. That’s why I asked her to help me come up with a magic that would make the most out of it. Kuro told me not to use it if possible, but I don’t have any other options. As if it was ready, all my magic power burst out of my body at once, and the magic circle floating in my hand emits an exceptionally strong light.

And just when it got in front of me, the Black Bear raised its paw overhead as if it was about to mark a tree, but I also unsheathed my single double-edged sword.

[Auto-Counter!]

When I say the name of my magic, all of my body comes off my control, leaving only my thoughts, and reacting to the hostile magic power read by my Sympathy Magic that has become clearer due to my magic, my body begins to force itself to move. Responding to the malicious attacks which were seen through by my Sympathy Magic, relying on my single weapon, my human body that’s working on autopilot, the battle between me and the gigantic beast has begun.

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

A sword flash runs through the air and the giant deer-like monster crumbles down.

After putting her sword away, Lilia approaches the defeated monster and cuts off its antler with a knife to prove its subjugation.

Just at that moment, Lunamaria-san and Sieglinde, who happened to be hunting nearby, approached.

[Milady, I think it’s about time for us to return…… What do you think?]

[I can’t say we did great. We’ve been able to hunt a few thanks to the Search Magic, but I’m troubled since “we almost didn’t find any Black Bears”.]

[It seems that it’s also the same case for Milady, I’ve only fought against one Black Bear…… Too few considering the time of the year.]

[………………..]

This hunting competition also serves as a means to thin out the population of the vermin, the Black Bears, and for that reason, the Black Bears give out points higher than the others. Naturally, the competition is also held for the time of the year when the number of Black Bears increases in the forest, and although this is the first time Lilia and the others have participated, they also felt that something’s amiss.

[Well, anyway, if there are hardly any Black Bears here, they should be gathering somewhere else——!?]

[ [ ! ? ] ]

Lilia was about to continue speaking, but her words stopped as if she sensed something while she’s speaking. And that’s what Lunamaria and Sieglinde seem to be doing as well.

[……What is that? That strange feeling I had just now.]

[……Is Miyama-sama in danger?]

[You also felt it too, Luna?]

[Y- Yes, there’s a sudden feeling of unease……]

Kaito has received the blessing of Shallow Vernal, the God of the world, and he is loved by the world. Therefore, aside from “the Underworld King whose Shallow Vernal’s power doesn’t work on”, the world would transmit Kaito’s crisis to his acquaintances as a foreboding.

[I felt an unpleasant premonition. It looks like we’d better go back to Rigforeshia at once.]

[Yes, I agree.]

[Are you also fine with that, Sieg…… she has already begun running before us!?]

Unable to ignore that uneasiness they’re feeling, Lilia and Lunamaria decided to return to Rigforeshia at once, and tried to call out to Sieg who should be nearby…… But Sieg was already far ahead of them, running towards Rigforeshia.

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

A huge paw swung down. This blow, which can easily crush a human body if it hits, is deflected with a left hand and counter-struck with a clenched right fist. The right fist strikes the face of the Black Bear as if it’s catching it, but unfortunately, the weight difference between them is too great for the punch to be an effective hit.

[Guuoooohhhhh!!!]

The Black Bear is enraged by my unexpected counterattack, from someone he thought as a weak prey, and it lets out a roar, and this time, it tried sweeping away the enemy in its path with its paw, but it’s still not fast enough. Bending my body to avoid it, I swung my right leg as if I’m leaping up and kicked the Black Bear in its jaw.

[Guohh……]

I heard someone say that the feet are several times more powerful than the hands, and that doesn’t seem to be a false statement, as even the Black Bear is slightly thrown off its stance by the kick that slammed under its chin. However, it’s only for a moment, and it immediately glared at me and recklessly swung around its paws. I fight back while dodging its raging storm-like attacks. Looking from the side, I was quite superior in offense and defense, but my thoughts weren’t calm at all.

It hurts…… It hurts…… My right hand is definitely broken! There’s a strange sound that popped out in the joints in my legs, and I was in so much pain that I felt like weird sweat would come out from some place.

Yes, my body is currently moving regardless of my intentions due to the effect of Auto-Counter.

In other words, it’s as if this magic is making my body move in auto-pilot, reading the enemy’s attack with my Sympathy Magic, my body would respond before the enemy could strike.

When you just read it like this, it may sound like an incredibly useful magic…… but in fact, there are many abnormal weaknesses.

First of all, my body, which is enhanced by this magic, is in a state where its limiter is off. So to speak, because of that, even I, who’s not very good at using Strengthening Magic on my body, have been able to make a Black Bear stagger…… Naturally, the act of releasing the limiters of my body would obviously have its backlash. The arm that punched the Black Bear is probably broken, and the pain that has been running through my whole body for a while now feels like they’re tearing my muscle fibers to shreds every time I move.

And as I’m feeling an absurd amount of pain in my body, the second drawback…… is that as soon as I activate Auto-Counter, everything but my thoughts are moving without my will, so no matter how much it hurts, my body won’t stop and I can’t even scream because I can’t move my mouth. It would have been better if my thoughts stopped too, but then, I wouldn’t be able to cancel my magic…… and I ended up just having to keep enduring the pain running through my body.

And the third drawback…… is that this magic eats up a ridiculous amount of my magic power.

My body is currently emitting magic power like a broken faucet in order to increase the accuracy of my Sympathy Magic. I don’t have a large amount of magic power to begin with, so this spell will only last a few minutes…… And when my magic power runs out, it will be forcefully released.

It’s a high-risk spell because it was originally intended to be used in a really critical situation, but thanks to this magic, even someone like me who has almost no experience in combat can fight.

However, as I had originally expected……It’s still impossible to defeat it. Although the Black Bear does stagger from time to time, it doesn’t do much damage at all, so even if I could maintain this magic for an hour, it would still be impossible to defeat it.

However, the chances of victory itself aren’t zero. It’s impossible for me to defeat the Black Bear, but since there’s this much commotion, if I can buy enough time, the guards should arrive.

The only question is…… How long do I have to keep this up……

[Guuuooooohhhhh!!!]

Attacks horrifying enough that I would be dead if a single strike hits me, I incessantly dodged it and sent my counterattack. Ouch, It hurts…… This magic still has a lot of room for improvement. Specifically, if I’m fighting against an opponent as hard as iron, counterattacking will also be damaging to me, so I will have to adjust that part too…… Let’s make it possible to set it so that it would only avoid the enemy’s attacks without fighting back next time. Well, I don’t want to actively seek a fight in the first place, but in a situation like this one, where the opponent may be covered in thorns or something…… Striking back at times like those would just be suicidal.

A minute or so after I confronted the Black Bear, I saw armed people rushing towards us at the edge of my vision. Are they the Guards? Or perhaps, participants of the hunting competition…… Either way, it seems that they were going to make it……

[……Ah.]

Immediately after, my body lost its power and I collapsed on my knees.

This is bad, the effect of my magic has already ended……

[Guuoohhhh!!!]

At the same time as the strength drained from my body, the way the Black Bear brandished its paw sideways looked like it’s moving in slow-motion. No good…… I can’t avoid this. I might die here……

Within that extremely compressed time, what came to my mind wasn’t the revolving lantern…… but something I had heard a few days ago.

————-Once the effect is over, leap backward.

Before I could even think about why she told me that back then, my body moved and I jumped backwards with the last bit of energy I had left.

[Ahh, gah!]

[Miyama-san!?]

[Nooooooooo!?]

The huge arm that was waving at me finally catches me, and I fly through the air as if I was just struck by a car. With the sound of Kusunoki-san and Yuzuki-san’s voices, I collided with a nearby stall, destroying the simply made stall, before falling to the ground, face down.

……Wow. I’m still alive from that…… Could it be because of these clothes? If I remember correctly, Alice can guarantee the protection that this clothing provides…… so…… after we return…… I need to say my thanks……

In addition, even though I crashed into a stall…… It’s great that I didn’t crash onto it head first. How should I say this…… I guess I’m fortunate in some strange areas.

Ahh, but I think I’m still in trouble…… I’m not sure if I can’t feel anymore or not, but my body that hurts so much before feels like it turned numb……

Slightly moving my head, I look at the Black Bear who sent my body flying. It would have been great if it had let out a roar of triumph, but the Black Bear turned toward my fallen body and raised its huge arms again. I thought the distance between us was a bit too far, but the Black Bear continues to raise its arms in the air. Then, its hands slightly glowed and blades of magic power were released following the trajectory of its claws.

This guy can attack from a distance huh…… That’s cheating…… Ah, this is no good. If that hits me…… I’m dead.

Just as the flying claw strike seemed to be approaching in slow motion, I was ready to die, filled with a sense of resignation. And then, red hair like flames blazing entered my vision, and the claw strikes that had been flying in the air were torn out. Holding the twin swords wrapped in red flames, the figure interjected between me and the Black Bear looked like a crimson rose, blooming on the battlefield.

[……Sieg……-san.]

When I can finally clearly see Sieg-san standing as if she’s protecting me, a little later than that, behind the Black Bear…… Lilia-san’s figure appeared crashing down from the sky.

[……Lilia……-san.]

Holding her slender greatsword above her head, it’s as if Lilia-san had just “kicked the air” and swooped down, slicing the Black Bear in half with one slash.

Amazing…… Just one strike at that Black Bear that seems like a walking lump of steel…… Or rather, Lilia-san, I should have known…… you really are the power type…… However, that’s great. You made it in time……

Seeing the arrival of Sieg-san and Lili-san, as if all tension in my body disappeared, my consciousness also disappears.

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

[Luna! Go check Kaito-san!!!]

[I’m on it!]

As soon as she cuts through the Black Bear, Lilia loudly screams and Lunamaria immediately runs over to Kaito to check her condition. After touching Kaito’s body a few times and checking her injuries, Lunamaria…… exhales in relief.

[……He’s fine. His injuries can’t be called minor at all, but it’s not life-threatening.]

[……Thank goodness.]

[However, if we don’t apply Recovery Magic soo……]

[Leave that to me.]

[Rei-san!]

[Sorry, I’m late. I’ll use Recovery Magic at once.]

Rejnhardt and Sylphia arrived a little later than Lilia and the others, and Reinhardt, who is skilled in magic, holds out his hand to apply Recovery Magic to Kaito…… Thereupon, Kaito’s body slightly glowed…… but immediately afterwards, a sound like shattering glass is heard and the light disappears.

[What!? No way, o- once again……]

Rejnhardt’s eyes widened at the sight, and he held out his hand again but…… The sound of shattering glass resounded again.

[This is impossible…… The Recovery Magic is being “nullified”……]

[……!?]

[It can’t be!? In that case, what about Kaito-san……]

[I- In any case, we should apply first aid first——!?]

For some reason, the recovery magic that they were casting to Kaito was being nullified, and Lilia and the others hurriedly tried to treat him without using magic…… but immediately afterwards, Kaito let out a brilliant light, and a white sphere appeared a little above Kaito.

After the small sphere emitted a strong light, Kaito’s arm which was red and swollen returned to its original color, and not only that, but even his torn clothes and the dirt on his cheek, all of his body returned back to normal.

[……What…… is this magic…… this is already within the realm of God’s miracles……]

The magic crystal that Shallow Vernal gave to Kaito last night. It was filled with the Creator God, “Shallow Vernal’s Recovery Magic”. It was a present from Shallow Vernal so that Kaito won’t die…… An absolute recovery spell that automatically activates some time after Kaito becomes injured. It twists the law of cause and effect to regenerate him, even if his body is shattered.

In other words, as long as this exists, Kaito will not die from anything aside from “Kuromueina’s power that can nullify Shallow Vernal’s power”.

Lilia and the others didn’t know what had just happened, but they exhaled in relief after confirming that Kaito was safe for the time being. And then, adjusting her sword with a serious expression on his face, Lilia calls out to Rejnhardt.

[……Rei-san. The one that attacked him is a scout, right?]

[Yeah…… Besides, you don’t even have to check them to know your answer.]

Almost at the same time as Lilia and Rejnhardt exchanged words, multiple Black Bears emerged from the crumbling wall. The numbers they had is so bizarrely high…… while further in the back, the figure of a huge Black Bear conspicuously stands.

[……As I thought, a “Special Individual”. I’m not sure how many times I’ve seen something like this happen in the past…… but I’m sure it was 400 years ago when they last appeared. For all the times for them to appear……]

One of the reasons for the mass generation of monsters is the appearance of Special Individuals. In rare cases, within the monsters and demons, such as orcs and ogres that have their own race names, a Special Individual would be born, having much more power than others, and their characteristics differ depending on their species.

For example, the Blue Ogre Acht, a Special Individual of the Ogre race, is a symbol of fear for the Ogres and is persecute by his own kind before he became Kuromueina’s family, while High Orcs, which is a Special Individual of the Orc race, are revered as the head of their species, each Special Individual differs. The Special Individual of Black Bears are similar to Orcs in nature. They can lead the Black Bears that don’t normally flock together, forming large groups.

The emergence of this Special Individual is a disaster for the elves.

[I was only a child when they appeared 400 years ago, but I heard that at that time, they affected nearly half of the city of Rigforeshia.]

[……They sure have extravagant numbers on their side.]

Receiving Rejnhardt’s words, Lunamaria-san also muttered, as anxiousness could be seen on her face. The swarm of Black Bears emerged from the broken wall, their numbers were well over two hundred, and considering that each of them had a power comparable to a wyvern, it could rightly be said that their numbers make the onlookers despair.

[Luna, you stay here and protect Kaito-san, Aoi-san and Hina-san!]

[Yes!]

[Sieg, come to the frontline with me!]

[……………….]

[Rei-san, Fia-san, please provide support to everyone!]

[Yeah!]

[I’m on it!]

Tightly gripping her sword, Lilia gave commands to Lunamaria, Sieglinde, Rejnhardt and Slyphia…… those who can fight. The elven guards and the participants of the hunting competition also began to gather, facing the Black Bears.

[Ooooohhhh!!!]

As the Special Individual Black Bear let out a roar, the Black Bears began charging in, clashing with the vanguards, a sharp voice resounded.

[I’ll also be going in and attack! Raz-sama, please cover me!]

[Leave it to me!]

A person wearing jet-black within the group of humans…… Neun jumped out and headed towards the pack of Black Bears at a terrific speed.

[So fast!?]

In the midst of Lilia’s astonishment at Neun’s speed, Neun made a black spear appear in the air and threw it as a projectile while running. The spear stabbed deep into the Black Bear that was at the head of the pack. Without slowing down, the neck of the Black Bear that was pierced by the spear is cut off with the sword that appeared in her hand, and afterwards, she grabs a one-handed axe that appeared in the air and throws it to the side while still swinging her swords, striking another Black Bear.

The Black Bears, who had the initiative taken from them, looked confused for a moment, but they quickly raised their arms to intercept Neun who was slashing past their group.

However, their raised arms are pierced by a series of flying arrows.

[Neun! You don’t have to care about those around you, just fight as hard as you can!]

[Yes!]

With her bow ready, Razelia punched out a hole at the arm of the Black Bear aiming at Neun, with an accurate and peerless shot. With her support, Neun further increased her attacks and struck down one Black Bear after another.

[A- Amazing…… With them here……]

[No, the situation is still the worst! Neun and I can’t use wide-area Annihilation Magic either. No matter how strong Neun is, a lot of them would be able to pass through her.]

""

At the words muttered by one of the guards who had witnessed Neun-san’s strength, Razelia bit her lip as she said those words. Just as Razelia said, Neun certainly is strong…… However, her strength was most adept at one-on-one or against a small number of opponents, and there was no way for her to defeat a swarm of over 200 Black Bears before they could cause damage to the city of Rigforeshia.

The proof of this was that Neun was always taking on three or more Black Bears, and she certainly was overwhelming them, but some of the Black Bears had already ignored Neun and started moving towards the city of Rigforeshia.

[This is bad! A couple of them passed through.]

[Everyone! They’re coming!]

The confusion of the Black Bears due to their surprise has subsided, and dozens of Black Bears began to march towards Rigforeshia. Hearing Razelia’s voice, Lilia and the others, along with the guards and the participants of the hunting competition all prepared their weapons and prepared to intercept the oncoming Black Bears.

After just a few seconds, a large-scale battle that can be called a battle royal began. The moment everyone thought so—– the movements of the Black Bears that were coming towards them all stopped at once.

[……Eh?]

For some reason, looking at the Black Bears that suddenly stopped, a voice that sounded listless leaked out of Lilia’s mouth. A little while later, the sword that was supposed to be in her hand fell…… then, Lilia realized that her hand was badly trembling. An unbelievable silence dominates the surroundings, and then…… some of the assembled warriors fall to the ground unconscious, like puppets who had their strings broken.

As if it was a trigger, the Black Bears turned their backs all together and began to flee with even more vigor than they had before. However, they weren’t able to escape, as a huge ice wall appeared in front of the fleeing Black Bears, piercing through the heavens.

And then, before they knew it, 'she” appeared next to the fallen Kaito. With a hand as white as snow wrapped in pale light, she gently caressed Kaito’s cheek as if she were being affectionate, before she slowly stood up.

[……dare you…… rt Kaito…… won’t forgive you…… won’t forgive you, won’t forgive you, won’t forgive you, I will never forgive you!]

Every time she uttered, magic power raging like a storm was released, making the air tremble and the earth shake. That’s right, the Black Bears had attacked a being that they should never have touched.

[All of you!!! Not even a drop of your blood…… will be left in this world!!!]

Accompanied by the great sin they committed, is the executioner of death, sweeping away all these foolish beasts.

With an intensity that has never happened before…… clad with the most vicious and powerful magic power of death……

The angry Death King—— has descended.

The Death King, Isis Remnant…… is neither as brutal nor as cold-hearted as the world perceives her to be. She kills anyone she doesn’t like without mercy. If you resist, the only thing waiting for you is death, a disaster that spreads death around her path…… That’s what the world says about the Death King. However, in fact, even in the long history of the world, there have only been a handful of times when she had the desire to kill a living creature.

The reason for this is that she was originally a lonely and quiet person, but the most important reason is that the magic power of death that she’s clad in is greatly influenced by her emotions.

To Isis, most of the creatures are far below her standing, and she can easily pluck their lives even without the intent to kill them. Even the wyverns, which is a threatening monster for the Humans, are nothing more than a mere “hindrance” to her, and just a whisper would immediately kill them with her magic power of death.

Because of the power to cause the death of a living creature even if it’s unintentional, Isis usually suppresses her magic power of death as much as possible. Even if she can’t completely suppress it, she was always being careful not to scare people away.

But now, Isis is using that raging anger, filled with killing intent that she never had before, to control the space around her. The woman currently doesn’t have an ounce of lighthearted emotions like suppressing her power.

Those foolish beasts that have brought out her wrath…… The future of those fools will be judged by the King.

[………………”Die”.]

At that moment, the magic power of death from Isis’s body…… along with violence she was originally capable of, was released. The magic power of death, filled with clear killing intent, was released along with her powerful words, and affected by Isis’s tremendous rage, it gives her targets a vicious and cruel death. From the time those were unleashed, there was just less than a second before the Black Bears’ lives were hunted down. But within that short amount of time, the Black Bears would experience tens of millions of deaths.

The tips of their fur died, their skin died, their flesh died, their blood died, their bones died, and every single cell in their body died. The moment of death, an irresistible and despair-filled death tasted within that extremely compressed time. At that moment of death’s utter annihilation of their bodies, if there was still a shred of emotion left in the Black Bears, the beasts would only have one thought—— Ahh, I’m finally dead……

The magic power of death, unleashed filled with her powerful killing intent, completely killed the existence of the Black Bears, not to mention their bodies, death was conferred even to their souls.

In other words——- It was a complete “annihilation”.

Just as Isis declared, not even a drop of their blood would remain in this world, as the Black Bears disappeared before her eyes. However, Isis’s anger did not end with the annihilation of the beasts in front of her eyes. Her magic power of death covered the entire Elven Forest, and ate away the targets of her rage, uprooting all the Black Bears in the forest.

In just a few seconds of time, the Death King had just said one word…… But today, as of this moment, the Black Bears that inhabited the vast forest, feared as vermins—– became extinct from the Elven Forest.

There is no sound around. None of the warriors who had gathered to defeat the Black Bears, Lilia and the people around her, not even Razelia and Neun could speak.

That’s how overwhelming the power of Isis was.

Rightfully reigning in one of the top corners of the world…… A powerful person of a different dimension itself, where those beneath her could only feel hopeless before her power.

All those gathered continued to stare at the Absolute while their hearts were filled with fear. They are praying to the point of being torn apart, praying that they won’t have to be the next one to receive the end of her rage.

After she finishes killing the Black Bear, Isis moves quietly towards Kaito, gently lifting his body up, as if she were carrying a fragile treasure.

[……Lilia.]

[Wha!? Y- Y- Y- Yes!]

[……Kaito…… I will carry him…… Where’s…… the inn?]

[T- T- T- This w- w- way.]

[……Unnn.]

Shaking to the point that she isn’t able to speak properly, Lilia told Isis the location of the inn, and after listening to her, Isis nodded before following after Lilia. The existence of the Black Bear trashes were no longer within her head, and she only cared about Kaito, who was still unconscious in her arms.

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

In a corner of the God Realm, two shadows could be seen, sitting at a white and elegant table, enjoying a cup of tea…… when the Creator God, Shallow Vernal, who reigned at the pinnacle of the God Realm, suddenly opened her mouth.

[Looks like it’s all over huh.]

[Eh? What is?]

Shallow Vernal said as she put down the tea that she’s been drinking, while Kuromueina just tilted her head as she ate her baby castella.

[About Kaito-san being attacked by Black Bears……]

[Kaito-kun was attacked!?]

[It’s already over.]

[Eh?]

[The Black Bears were killed by the Death King.]

[Eh? Isis did? Eh? T- Then, what about Kaito-kun?]

Hearing Shallow Vernal’s words, Kuromueina immediately stood up and was about to fly over to the Elven Forest with Teleportation Magic, but before she could do so, Shallow Vernal told her that it was already over.

[He received injuries, but he’s safe. His injuries have also been healed.]

[I- Is that so…… That’s good. H- However, in that case, where am I supposed to direct my anger?]

[I dunno?]

[I dunno, you say…… rather than that, Shiro! If you knew that Kaito-kun would get hurt, why didn’t you tell me!!!?]

Kuromueina looked dumbfounded by the fact that Isis has cleaned up the mess, and after expressing her sincere relief that Kaito is safe, she questioned Shallow Vernal, who knew about it beforehand but hadn’t told her. While Kuromueina is clearly angry when she’s questioning her, Shallow Vernal doesn’t seem to be particularly concerned, as she indifferently replies to her.

[If I had told you, Kuro would be angry at the Black Bears, wouldn’t you?]

[Of course I would! I’m seriously angry, even just the fact that I let Kaito-kun get hurt!]

[When you’re angry, Kuro would use magic to “hit” them, right?]

[Of course I’ll hit them! I’m going to seriously hit them!]

[If you do that, not to mention the Elven Forest, “you would wipe out nearly half of the continent”.]

[……Uuuuhhh……]

After hearing what Shallow Vernal indifferently said, Kuromueina, who had an expression that said she was angry, didn’t know what words to say.

[So, I thought it would be less damaging if I let the Death King clean up this mess.]

[That is…… That really might be so but…… what were you going to do if Isis didn’t make it!?]

[I would just make the Black Bear disappear myself.]

[Ugghhh…… Geeeeeezzzzzzz!]

If Isis doesn’t make it in time, Shallow Vernal said that she will be moving herself. As if she couldn’t find the words to refute her, Kuromueina just puffed up her cheeks and turned away sulkily.

[Mnnhh, it’s good that Kaito-kun is safe but…… I feel like I just burnt out. I can’t even direct my raised fist anywhere.]

[Then, do you want to fight for the first time in a while?]

[……When was the last time we fought again?]

[It’s been 3,465 years.]

Just as Kuromueina’s anger at the Black Bears seems to be building up, Shallow Vernal tells her that as if she has an idea and stands up, lightly waving her hand to create a space where only she and Kuromueina exist. Kuromueina also thought her idea was good so that she could vent her frustration, and after nodding her head, seeing the space created by Shallow Vernal, they turned to face each other.

[I’m not going to go easy on you today, alright?]

[When did Kuro ever go easy on me in a fight?]

[Speaking of which…… I never did go easy on you.]

[Well then, let’s get started. This fight that we’ve never had for a while……]

Just when Kaito was brought into the inn by Isis. In a space where no one knows and sees…… Shallow Vernal and Kuromueina, the polar opposites of White and Black, were clashing violently as if they were venting out their stress.

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

Slowly opening my eyes, I found myself in a dimly lit room—– seeing a ceiling I don’t know…… isn’t the case at all. Unnn. I didn’t get sent to another world again, I’m just seeing the ceiling of the inn we’re staying at. Trying to raise my upper body up, that’s when I suddenly realized something. Arehh? Isn’t my body injured from fighting? I’m pretty sure my arm was broken, and I think I also broke a bone around my ribs…… but there wasn’t even a trace of it anymore.

I see…… It was all just a dream huh.

Since my body is so cleanly restored, it occurred to me that the fight against the Black Bear was just a dream, but that’s when the door of the room was suddenly vigorously opened.

[Kaito!]

[Huh? Whoa!?]

The person who appeared from the opened door was Isis-san, who isn’t supposed to be here.

Jumping on me with great speed, Isis-san’s impact towards my body made me lightly slam against the bed.

[……Thank goodness…… Kaito……]

[Eh? Arehh? Isis-san?]

The heck, what’s with this situation? I may not know why Isis-san is here, but I know that most of all, the current situation is very dangerous. Isis-san tightly hugged my body like she’s clinging onto something, and her very soft and slender body was pressed against my whole body.

How should I say this… It’s like I just experienced one dream after another…… Just when I woke up from that hellish dream of mine…… I woke up, arriving in heaven.

[……Kaito…… It’s already alright…… Those who hurt…… Kaito…… I already killed them.]

[……Huh?]

I didn’t quite understand what she was talking about. Those who hurt me? Is she talking about that Black Bear? However, the Black Bear that I fought was slashed by Lilia-san in half…… Does that mean there were more of them?

When I asked Isis-san for more information, it seems that a swarm of Black Bears appeared after I passed out, and Isis-san wiped them all out. Unnn. I see…… That Black Bear I fought was monstrous enough, and even if she said there were a bunch of thousands of them, I can’t imagine the scene where Isis-san is beating them up at all, even if it actually was the case. Anyway, it seems that thanks to Isis-san, there was almost no damage to the city of Rigforeshia.

Isis-san stayed still and kept hugging me for a while before she stood up with a slightly sad look on her face.

[……I should…… go home now…… If I’m here…… Lilia and the others…… would get scared.]

[……Isis-san.]

I see, the reason why the always worrying Lilia-san and the others haven’t come to my room even after I woke up. I guess the better way to describe it is that they can’t get close due to the effect of Isis-san’s magic power of death. Seriously, how should I say this…… Things really don’t always go as one wishes. Isis-san herself is a gentle person, yet she is feared just because of the magic power she was born with. Though I say that, it’s not like I can do something about this matter that even Isis-san herself is helpless about, but I can’t just look at Isis-san while she looks that lonely. A magic circle manifests beneath Isis-san’s feet…… probably a Teleportation Magic Circle leading to her castle.

[U- Ummm! Isis-san.]

[……What is it?]

I also don’t know why I stopped her. What I do know is that I don’t want Isis-san to leave with such a lonely expression on her face, so desperately thinking of what to say, I spoke.

[Thank you very much for today. And, ummm, I’d like to thank you properly…… Would you like to, errr, have dinner with me another time?]

[……!? ……Is that alright?]

[Yes. It will be my treat at that time. Otherwise, I won’t be able to repay you.]

[……Unnn…… I’m really…… looking forward to it.]

I can understand that “thanking someone = buying them a meal” is quite short-sighted though of me but…… That was the only thing I could think of on the spur of the moment. However, the effect of those seemed to be immense, as Isis-san’s expression, which looked sad, changed to a bright one as she nodded in response. And with a small wave of her hand, Isis-san left, wrapped in the light of the Teleportation Magic.

After Isis-san left, I left the room and walked down the corridor of the inn to apologize to Lilia-san and the others for making them worry about me. This inn is one of the most high-class lodgings in Rigforeshia because it’s only used by Lilia-san, who is a Duchess, and the wide corridor is so quiet that anyone would think that this place was reserved for a private party.

Walking for a while, I found myself in front of some kind of lobby or a lounge, but I arrived in a rather large room, and in the distance, I found Lilia-san and the others.

[Kaito-san!?]

[……..!?]

[You’ve finally woken up huh. Thank goodness.]

The three people there were Lilia-san, Lunamaria-san and Sieg-san, and they all looked relieved when they saw my face.

[I’m sorry for causing you to worry.]

[No, do you still feel any pain anywhere?]

[Not anymore, I’m feeling completely fine.]

[Is that so…… That’s really good.]

Answering to Lilia-san, who spoke to me with concern, that my physical condition is now perfectly fine.

[Speaking of which, Kusunoki-san and Yuzuki-san don’t seem to be here…… Could it be that they have been injured?]

[Ah, no, neither of them were “injured”.]

""

Since Yuzuki-san and Kusunoki-san weren’t here, I asked if they had been injured after I passed out, but it seems that they are both fine. However, why do I feel like there’s some meaning behind her words when she said that they’re not “injured”.

[Did something else happen to them other than being injured?]

[Aoi-san and Hina-san are now sleeping in their room.]

[……They were exposed to Death King-sama’s magic power of death and lost consciousness.]

[A- Ahhh……]

Lilia-san and Lunamaria-san answered my question with a slightly pained tone. I see, it seems that they weren’t injured  by the Black Bears, but they fainted because of Isis-san’s magic power of death.

[Incidentally, Rei-sama and Fia-sama are attending a reorganization meeting for the almost destroyed security force.]

[Almost destroyed!? Reorganization? Eh? I heard that the city received no damage though……]

[Yes, the Black Bear didn’t cause any damage. However, after being exposed to Death King-sama’s frightening magic power of death, almost half of them had their minds broken……]

[That’s not surprising. I couldn’t stop shaking for a while. It was rather fortunate that Kusunoki-sama and Yuzuki-sama were among the first ones to faint.]

In the aftermath, she broke the Guard Force’s mind!? How outrageous could her magic power of death be……

How terrifying Isis-san was at that time can be seen by looking at the three of them trembling just as they remembered what they’ve seen. It seems that Kusunoki-san and Yuzuki-san were fortunate that they passed out before their minds could process the horror caused by Isis-san’s magic power of death. Just when we were speaking about that, Lilia-san stood up with a serious expression on her face, she walked up to me…… and suddenly got down on her knees.

[……Eh?]

[Kaito-san, I’m really sorry.]

[Li- Lilia-san!? W- What are you suddenly doing!?]

I’m really confused about why I suddenly kneeled on a dogeza, and Lilia-san just held out the necklace I gave her last night.

[Kuro’s necklace?]

[……This necklace had a defensive magic imbued on it, though not a powerful one…… That is to say, if I hadn’t borrowed this, Kaito-san wouldn’t have been injured like that.]

There’s a defensive magic in Kuro’s necklace? That’s the first time I’ve heard that though……. I thought there was only search magic in it, but it seems that there are lots of other magic in it as well. Lilia-san didn’t seem to understand all the details about this necklace either, but after the earlier incident, she asked the former court mage Rei-san to take a look at this necklace and found out that it contained defensive magic. Deeply bowing her head, Lilia-san’s voice was trembling as she continued to speak.

[No, if only I had been more level-headed right from the start…… I said I would guarantee the safety of Kaito-san and the others just when we met, but I was so preoccupied with myself that I forgot to even have someone guard Kaito-san and the others, and because of that, Kaito-san got hurt. Everything is… Everything’s my fault.]

[……N- No, it’s not like it’s Lilia-san’s fault or anything like that……]

[No, it could have been prevented if I had only been more level-headed. If I had just been more careful…… I’m sorry. I’m really, really sorry.]

Lilia-san’s voice began distorted with tears, as she continued to bow her head, keeping on apologizing to me…… The heck, she’s starting to get annoying. I repeat, I’m not some kind of saint. I don’t remember it happening that much, but I can also get angry at times.

[Kaito-san. I’m really sorry……]

[……Lilia-san. I’m going to apologize in advance.]

[……Eh?]

After I told that to Lilia-san who keeps on apologizing to me, I swung my knuckles down on her head as hard as I could.

[Ow!?]

Even though Lilia-san is a person with great abilities, she isn’t always using Body Strengthening Magic. My knuckles that struck her unprotected head seemed to be quite painful, and Lilia-san held her head down with both of her hands.

[If you just shut up there, and stop murmuring like a creep there…… How serious can you be that you distorted the facts and reached that conclusion!?]

[Eh? Eh?]

[What happened before was just an accident, right? I got hurt because I got careless, and me being careless isn’t Lilia-san’s fault at all! Or rather, shouldn’t I be thanking you instead, Lilia-san? Thank you for saving me before!]

[Eh? Ah, y- y- yes. Y- Your welcome?]

Hearing the words I blabbered about, LIlia-san flusteredly nodded, though she still had a puzzled look on her face.

[Good. Then, this is the end of this conversation! If you say anything more about it being your fault or anything like that, I’ll hit you again.]

[Y- Yes!]

[In the first place, thinking that everything is your fault is a bad habit of yours, Lilia-san. I know that Lilia-san is a serious person, but it still depends on the time and circumstances. Even that time too……]

Lilia-san, whose position quickly changes from a dogeza to a seiza, and I go on with my lecture-like words. I honestly don’t think that this is something she’s always doing, and maybe it’s not something I should have said to her, but I think someone should tell off this overly-serious person.

[Terrific. I am now inclined to give Miyama-sama a heartfelt round of applause. That’s really well said……]

[………………]

[Lu- Luna!? Sieg too, don’t just nod there, please help me out. Kaito-san somehow looks kinda scary right now……]

[Lilia-san! I’m still not done talking yet!]

[Y- Yes!? I’m sorry!]

Lilia-san looked like she’s becoming teary-eyed in a way different from a moment ago, but since I don’t intend to be lenient to her, I’m going to continue my sermon. Unnn, perhaps, because I’ve been scolding a certain idiot lately, I think I’m getting a little used to doing it now. Well, even so…… The randomness of that general store owner is a problem in itself, but being too serious can also be a problem.

After my sermon to Lilia-san ended, I decided to ask her again about the current situation that I’m curious about.

[Speaking of which, what happened to the hunting competition?]

[Due to the Black Bear Incident, the competition has been cancelled.]

[Well, even if they were to calculate the points we gathered…… The overall winner would be Death King-sama, right?]

My question is answered by Lilia-san and Lunamaria-san.

I see, the competition was cancelled huh…… Well, it can’t be helped but……

[In that case, the Fruit of the World Tree will be……]

[I heard that it’s going to be the prize for next year’s Sacred Tree Festival instead. The Fruit of the World Tree is a mysterious fruit that doesn’t deteriorate with time, so it’s said to be perfectly fine even after a year.]

[I…… see.]

It seems that the Fruit of the World Tree will be next year’s prize, so Lilia-san and the others won’t be able to get it, at least, in this year’s competition. Considering how Lilia-san and the others are feeling right now, I probably shouldn’t just lightheartedly talk about it.

After a brief silence passes, Lilia-san turns to Sieg-san and opens her mouth.

[Sieg, I’m sorry. I said something like you should look forward to it, but in the end, I wasn’t able to get the Fruit of the World Tree……]

[…………………]

Receiving Lilia-san’s words, Sieg took out a memo pad and pen from her pocket before writing something on it and turning it towards our direction.

“I’m going to apologize in advance. Lili, I’m sorry.”

[Eh? W- Wait, Sieg…… Don’t tell me……]

[………………]

What was written there kinda looks exactly what I had just said to Lilia-san a while ago. Seeing what’s written there, Lilia-san’s face turned pale before she took a step back. And then, Sieg-san clenched her fist and swung it towards Lilia-san without any hesitation.

[Gyyaaaahhhh!?]

S- She was blown away!?

Her iron fist, which is incomparable to my knuckle earlier, sends Lilia-san’s body flying backwards with tremendous force. Arehh, did she just punch her with a punch filled with magic power…… A- Are you alright there, Lilia-san?

[……Ouch……]

But then, Lilia-san, who had fallen on the floor, got up while holding her face.

No, no, that force of that punch even sent you flying and making two spins in the air, you know!? Being hit with that kind of power, and you just reacted to it with an “ouch”, even if she says she had used magic power to defend herself, Lilia-san is already almost a monster. Sieg-san looks at Lilia-san, who is holding her face with tears in her eyes, and shows her what she wrote on her memo pad this time.

“Please don’t make assumptions about my feelings without permission. I’ve told you many times. I’m not blaming you for what happened.”

[……Sieg.]

“I don’t regret losing my voice and resigning from the Knights Order. I’m just happy that I was able to protect the people of my best friend.”

[……………..]

I somehow had the feeling that was the case. Lilia-san was desperately trying to heal Sieg’s body, but Sieg-san was looking at Lilia-san and the others with a sad expression, rather with an expression that looks like she wants her voice to be healed. Then, Sieg-san turns to me and slightly smiles.

“Hearing what Kaito-san just said also woke me up.”

[Eh?]

“Lili, I’ve never been able to tell you but…… I’m going to be clear with you, I’ve never once thought of healing this injury.”

[What!?]

Lilia-san’s eyes widened, as if she had forgotten what had just happened to her face, when she saw what Sieg wrote.

“However, I knew that Lili was feeling guilty about me. So, I thought that if returning my voice would make Lilia feel a little bit better, then I should not say anything and just wait. So, if Lili had obtained the Fruit of the World Tree, I was going to take it with open arms.]

[……Sieg.]

Talking with written words, speaking without any sound. However, the feelings that Sieg-san wants to convey strongly resonate. Ahh, I see, that’s why Sieg-san was looking at Lilia-san so sadly…… What was really hard for her wasn’t the loss of her voice……

“Lili, I’m with you. I am also feeling guilty about you ever since that incident.”

[……Eh?]

“If I’d been stronger, if I’d only been able to stand up for myself, I wouldn’t have to burden you with such heavy shackles…… As much as Lili wanted to bring my voice back, I also wanted to lighten what you’re carrying behind your back as much as possible. I thought the best way to do that was to remain silent and accept your atonement. However, I finally realized just now that it was a mistake.”

""

Just as Lilia-san felt responsible for Sieg-san losing her voice, Sieg-san was also feeling responsible for causing trouble for Lilia-san because she was weak. That’s why I think Sieg-san is feeling pain seeing Lilia-san being so desperate, but still couldn’t stop her…… Because she was convinced that it was her fault and that she had to accept Lilia-san’s atonement to redeem herself……

In the end, Lilia-san and Sieg-san may be similar to each other. Both of them had a strong sense of responsibility and couldn’t forgive themselves, which is why they’re crossing this path for so long.

“I was just running away. I was ashamed of my inadequacy, and avoided facing you. Making excuses to myself that it was for Lili’s sake…… However, if I really cared about you, I should have just told you exactly what I wanted, not run away. So……”

Thereupon, Sieg-san stops writing and removes the scarf wrapped around her neck. Revealing the deep, slightly discolored scar, which had been hidden by the scarf for a long time to keep it from driving Lilia-san into a corner, Sieg-san looked straight at Lilia-san. Then, she puts her hand on her own neck, and a thin red light made of magic power illuminated.

[……Li– li……]

[ ! ? ! ? ]

[Is… tap…… mis……. anders….. tand……. ing……]

A hoarse, faint, choppy voice that sounds like it’s being desperately squeezed out…… perhaps, she’s using magic power to force her throat to tremble, producing a “voice-like sound”. It’s hard to hear what she’s saying……. Still, it felt like that was the most beautiful voice I ever heard.

[Dis…… wunds…… ay…… gat…… wir…… samting…… aym…… prawd…… of.]

[……Sieg, you’re……]

The words she would have wanted to convey the most. To Sieg-san, the large scar on her neck isn’t something to be ashamed of, but a proof that she has protected something important to Lilia-san…… her pride. As if that way of speaking was excessively exhausting, Sieg-san’s breathing became heavy, with the gentle smile still on her face, she took up her pen and memo pad again.

“See, a voice is something easy for me to get. So, Lili, please don’t blame yourself anymore. Please stop thinking about erasing my most important pride.”

[……Sieg, I…… I……]

“Lili has always been kind even back then…… And you have always been a crybaby since you’re a child.”

[When exactly did that happen……? However, I know that…… Sieg…… isn’t the only one……]

Large tears fell down from Lilia-san’s eyes as if something heavy was lifted from her shoulders, and seeing that, Sieg-san gently hugged her. The scene looks like they’re real sisters. After the incident that occurred once upon a time, the relationship between the two of them has been unknowingly distanced from each other, but now, it seems as if they are repairing their relationship.

[Miyama-sama…… Should we slip away now?]

[I guess so.]

Burying her face in Sieg-san’s chest, Lilia-san sobbed like a child. Seeing this scene, Lunamaria-san silently called out to me and nodding to her words, we left the place. I was reminded once again how difficult understanding the heart is. They should have been thinking about each other, caring for each other…… And that, in turn, pushed each other in a corner. But today, I think that the relationship between Lilia-san and Sieg-san that was filled with misunderstandings, in a real sense—— I think it was restored.

[……Is it alright not to be with them, Lunamaria-san?]

[……It’s fine.]

Lunamaria-san is also a close friend of Lilia-san and Sieg-san, so I’m sure she was worried about this matter too. However, Lunamaria-san only slightly smiled and said she wouldn’t join them.

[I’m not really a fan of that kind of atmosphere. Well, I guess all I’m asking is for them youngsters to enjoy their youths to the fullest.]

[……Arehh? Lunamaria-san, are you older than Lilia-san and Sieg-san?]

[I’ll be 86 this year.]

[I- Is that so? You don’t look like someone of that age.]

I had always thought Lunamaria-san was about the same age as Lilia-san…… but I was really surprised that she was actually much older than me.

[What did you mean by that? Is it that I look younger than that or that my mental age feels younger than that……]

[If I had to choose, I’d say the latter.]

[……Miyama-sama has finally come a long way huh. I’m gonna make the tea I serve you next time very bitter.]

[Well, the former was also true too.]

[……Good grief, you’re in great form today, I see.]

It sounds like her words were sharp, but Lunamaria-san had a gentle smile on her face.

After some time passed, I went back downstairs with Lunamaria-san and Lilia-san, and just at that moment, Rei-san and Fia-san came back with a slightly tired look on their faces.

[Miyama-kun, thank goodness you’re finally awake.]

[Yes. Thank you for your concern.]

[No, no, I’m glad you’re safe. What about Kusunoki-chan and Yuzuki-chan?]

[I think they’re still sleeping.]

After exchanging some small talk, Rei-san sat down with Fia-san on the sofa in the common room and let out a big sigh.

[Good gracious, the situation has become really complicated. Well, I guess it’s not impossible seeing Death King-sama’s wrath…… Well, I’m really surprised. I didn’t know that Miyama-kun was acquainted with Death King-sama……]

[……It would have been great if it was just the Death King-sama though……]

[ [ Eh? ] ]

The reorganization meeting must have been quite a rough one. Both Rei-san and Fia-san have very tired expressions on their faces. Then, after drinking the tea Lunamaria-san brewed, she leaks out a sigh before turning to me and mutters, gathering dumbfounded expressions from the others.

[Miyama-sama is also very close to Underworld King-sama.]

[ [ With Underworld King-sama!? ] ]

[Not only that…… He’s also blessed by Creator God-sama.]

[ [ Huh!?!? ] ]

With the words that followed, Rei-san and Fia-san’s eyes widened. Unnn, seeing other people being dumbfounded like that, I can understand the abnormality of what happened to me. I’ve been in contact with two of the Six Kings, the pinnacles of the Demon Realm, and the Creator God, the pinnacle of the God Realm, and one of the Supreme Gods, which is just one step beneath the Creator God.

[H- Hahaha…… In the time we haven’t seen each other for a while, Lilia-chan has learned  to tell some pretty unique jokes huh.]

[T- That’s right~~ I was also surprised.]

[……It would have been great if I was just joking…… Nowadays, I’ve even learned to bring stomach medicines no matter where I go.]

[ [ ……Seriously? ] ]

[……Yes.]

Yeah, how should I explain this……. Lilia-san kinda has a melancholic expression on her face. I don’t know what to say… It’s just, I’m sorry.

As Rei-san and Fia-san remained dumbfounded for a while, Lilia-san and Lunamaria-san courteously explained how I’ve developed such outrageous connections within the previous month. Feeling somewhat uncomfortable, I only looked at them……

(Kaito-san, do you like pets?)

Is this person not equipped with the ability to read to mood or even think about the flow of the conversation? And also, isn’t it strange to ask “Do you like pets”? Wouldn’t you ask if someone likes animals first or something like that….. Well, anyway, Shiro-san’s asking me if I like keeping animals huh? I like it. When I started living on my own, I couldn’t have a pet because the place where I’m living at doesn’t allow pets, but my relatives had a dog and I used to take care of it a lot……

(Then, that’s great. I’ve 'sent” it in front of the inn.)

……Huh? Wait a minute. What is this person talking about? Sent what? A pet? How did we even get towards that topic? Shiro-san! Shirrrroooo-saaaaannnn!!!

(What is it?)

You don’t “What is it?” here, an explanation! Please give me an explanation!!!

(The pet I sent you is in front of the inn.)

That’s what I’m talking about!!! I’m asking how this situation turns into something where you’re sending a pet to me out of the blue!

(There was one soul left. When I asked its wish, it said that it wanted to serve Kaito-san, so I gave it a body and sent it towards you.)

…….I have no idea what you’re talking about. I don’t think I’d get a good answer even if I asked, but what I’m more worried about is…… that pet that the Creator God, Shiro-san, sent, is that a monster or something like that……

Feeling my head ache at Shiro-san’s words, I explained the situation to Lilia-san and the others and we all decided to move to the front of the inn. Walking outside, when we reached the entrance of the inn…… There was a woman standing there with a straight back and beautiful posture. Her black hair, which is about the length of a short bob cut, though I guess it could be described as a shaggy cut huh? Anyway, combined with her sharp eyes, I could feel some gruffness from her. She is a little shorter than me. Her clothes are all black, looking like a military uniform that would give the impression of someone sharp and always acts efficiently, but she has a black fur cloak on, which is severely unbalanced with her uniform. And most distinctive of all were the ears peeking out of her black hair…… They’re obviously unlike the ears of a human, it kinda looks like a circular ear of a beast…… Is she a beastman?

[Good day! Master!]

[……Yes?]

When the woman sees my face, she puts her legs together and greets me with a salute so neat that it even sounds like a snap. There are no other creatures around, and this woman is the only one in front of the in…… Does that mean that this woman is the pet that Shiro-san was talking about? Hey, isn’t she clearly humanoid!? What the heck are you doing now, Shiro-san!? Heck, isn’t the only animal part of her, her ears!?

[E- Errr…… You are?]

[Hahh! My name is Anima! I am Master’s faithful servant!!!]

The woman…… Anima-san replied to my question while keeping up her salute. Or rather, her voice is so loud……

[P- Please wait, I don’t really know what’s going on…… So, can you please elaborate?]

[Hahh! Roger that! But before that, I would like to ask you to do something presumptuous!]

[You want to ask something?]

[Yes! Please stop using honorifics and don’t add titles to my name! I am Master’s servant, as well as your tool, please only call me with just Anima!]

[……Ah, o- okay. I understand. Then, Anima. Can you explain…… Ah, you can be at ease.]

[Hahh! By your command!]

I thought she just looks like one, but she really acts military-like. Anyway, when I told her that I want her to explain the situation, Anima removes her salute as instructed and changes to an “at ease” posture, with her hands clasped behind her waist.

[I am the “damned beast” that injured Master the other day! I was originally supposed to disappear like the other beasts, but I caught the eye of the Creator God, Shallow Vernal-sama, and thus, she gave me a new body!]

[……Huh?]

[The disrespect I have shown to my master is unforgivable! So, with this fresh start I received, this life and soul, I will repay my master by dedicating these to his service! Diminutive I may be, please allow me to serve the great master!]

[……………….]

The explanation that Anima gave might be called an outrageous bomb that came out of nowhere. The beast that injured me? A new body? That black fur cloak and those round beast ears…… Is she exactly what I think it is?

[Errr, does that mean that you’re…… the “Black Bear I fought against”?]

[Yes! That’s right!]

[ [ [ [ [ Eeehhhhhhhhh!? ] ] ] ] ]

Hearing the shocking words Anima told us, we let out a surprised shout at the same time. Seriously, lots of things have happened one after another today, but it seems that the incoming troubles haven’t ended yet.

A soldier-looking woman sent by Shiro-san out of the blue, Anima. I’m surprised when she told me she used to be a Black Bear, but the biggest question is why she wants to serve me. If she wanted to serve me because I defeated her or something like that, I would have understood, but I didn’t beat Anima at all. Rather than defeating her, she even beat me without a single scratch on her.

[Why do you want to serve Miyama-kun? It’s not like Miyama-kun is stronger than you, right?]

It seems that Rei-san has thought about the same thing, as she threw that question to Anima.

The questioned Anima sharply glared towards Rei-san, before speaking.

[You fool! Do you think that power is the only thing that decides who is in charge!? There are many knights in this world that are stronger than their King! In addition, if Master had the same physical abilities as me, that battle would have ended in an overwhelming victory for Master!]

[……Miyama-kun, Miyama-kun. This child somehow has a totally different attitude compared to when she’s talking with you though!?]

[E- Errr…… Anima, I’d like to know about that too, so can you tell me what made you decide to serve me?]

[Hahh!]

Compared to when she looks like she’s about to swoop down on Rei-san……. where Anima’s shouting at him like she’s threatening her, when I asked her, she immediately corrected her posture.

[These days, there are many people who run away from me even though they have weapons, but Master boldly challenged me with just his bare hands.Even though he’s clearly inferior to me in terms of fighting ability, he held no fear nor hesitation at all.]

[U- Unnn.]

No, that was just because of Auto-Counter, and I couldn’t even move my face. I was actually freaking out on the inside. The circumstances just happened to be like that, and if I had encountered it alone, I would have run away immediately.

[Master’s brave and courageous eyes at that time…… It feels like my heart was burning before the fires of hell, as I became master’s prisoner! However, regretful it may be, but when I was a Black Bear, I couldn’t oppose the fate of being under the command of the Special Individual!]

[Is that because they have some kind of ability?]

[Yes! Special Individuals of the Black Bears have powers similar to Brainwashing Magic that allows them to make the other Black Bears follow them! But most of all, my current self may be a former Black Bear, I have been reborn with a different life, so there’s no way I’m going to turn my fangs on master! You don’t have to worry about that! This body and mind exists for Master!]

In other words, if I were to summarize what Anima said…… Anima said that because I challenged her despite my obvious weakness, she was impressed by my courage and wanted to serve me. I felt like most of it was because of a misunderstanding though…… It seems that in Anima’s mind, she has already determined that I’m her master.

[U- Unnn. I think I get the gist of what you’re saying. Thanks for explaining it to me.]

[I’m unworthy of those words. Then, please master, give me your orders!]

[Errr, orders?]

[Yes! It would be my utmost joy to devote this body upon master’s command! Now, please pray tell!]

[……Errr.]

Anima is staring at me with eyes filled with tremendous anticipation, but even if she suddenly asks me to give her an order……

[No, ummm, I don’t really have any orders now……]

[N- No way! C- Could it be that I’m not of use for Master……]

No, no, don’t just give me that look tinged with despair, as if the world is ending, okay!? What do I do, do I just have to give her an order? However, I can’t just suddenly think of anything to order her……

[……Miyama-kun. I need to discuss something with you.]

[Eh?]

As I was wondering what to do, Rei-san whispered to me.

[Actually, I think Miyama-kun has heard of this before, but Rigforeshia’s Guard Force is rattled for the moment. We’re in a situation where we would even welcome the help of a cat. So, would you be willing to lend this child to me until we finish reorganizing to some extent? And since she said she used to be a Black Bear, I think she’s more than capable in terms of fighting.]

Rei-san is talking about asking Anima’s help to the Guard Force, whose minds were broken by Isis-san. It’s true that I can’t think of any specific orders at this point in time, and even though it might be indirectly, I still have some fault as to why the guards’ minds were broken.

[That’s fine with me but……]

Hearing what I said, Rei-san nodded once before turning towards Anima.

[Anima-kun, you must be confident with your fighting ability, right?]

[Haahhh!? F*cking trash talking with me so casually, want me to tear you apart huh!?]

[……Errr, how strong are you, Anima?]

[Hahh! When I obtained this body, I was given the same level of combat abilities as a Viscount-level high-ranking demon by Shallow Vernal-sama!]

[……I guess this child really is a former Black Bear. Other than when talking with Miyama-kun, it seems like she’s practically a berserker……]

Anima changes her attitude towards me and Rei-san to the point where it’s easy to understand. How should I say this…… This girl has quite the personality. Anyway, it seems that Anima’s strength is even greater than what she originally had, as Shiro-san has given her power comparable to that of a high-ranking Demon. Having the power of a high-ranking Demon…… As usual, that airhead Goddess doesn’t seem to know the word “moderation”.

[Then, Anima. The elves’ guard force is pretty rattled right now. I need your help with that until they can somehow reorganize……]

[Hahh! Roger that! This Anima will fulfill Master’s will with all of my might!]

When I told her that I wanted her to cooperate with the security force, Anima saluted with tremendous vigor and with a gleeful expression on her face, she replied. She seems to be really happy hearing my orders…… Yep. She’s a really unique child.

[Well, that’s quite reassuring. Well then, Anima-kun. I’m going to talk to the guards, so will you follow me?]

[Shut yer trap, trash! The only one who can give me orders in this world is Master!]

Hearing Anima’s approval, Rei-san smiled and tried speaking to her…… but Anima’s nails stretched out and directly pointed them towards Rei-san’s neck. A Black Bear’s weapon is its tremendous power and tough claws, but it seems like Anima’s weapon is also her nails.

[……Miyama-kun.]

[Anima. I want you to listen to what Rei-sa…… Rejnhardt-san says.]

[Hahh! Forgive me, Rejnhardt-dono! For your guidance and encouragement, I will be under your care!]

[……How amazing. This is the first time I’ve ever seen a child so extremely straightforward before.]

Apparently, Anima really has no intention of listening to orders from anyone other than me, but when I told her to follow Rei-san’s instructions, she retracted her outstretched nails and salutes.

After giving me a polite salute, I let out a big sigh as I watched their backs as Anima followed Rei-san to the guard force.

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

In her office at the foot of the gigantic World Tree that pierces the sky in the center of the city in a corner of the Demon Realm, Lillywood Yggdrasil, the World King, was pondering while looking over some documents. This year’s Sacred Tree Festival commemorates the 1000th anniversary of the restoration of the Elven Forest, and Lillywood, who has a large number of followers among the Elves, is scheduled to participate in it. Even then, she’s a very busy person, and it was difficult for her to keep her schedule free for the entire two days, so she was only going to participate on the 2nd day.

After that, she plans to visit the Symphonia Kingdom’s royal capital to meet this Kaito that Kuromueina and Isis told her about, and she is currently working hard to make time for that. With her pace, Lillywood thought she could make enough time after the Sacred Tree Festival, but her expectations were dashed when her follower showed up in a panic.

[L- Lillywood-sama! Urgent news!]

“……What’s the matter? With you panicking like that, did Megiddo went on a rampage in my forest again……”

[The Black Bears inhabiting the Elven Forest…… have become extinct.]

“……Huh?”

Hearing what she was told, Lillywood inadvertently dropped the documents she was holding. However, as one would expect from someone called the World King, she quickly regained her composure and asked her follower.

“What do you mean? Extinct? That’s absurd…… Did a Count-rank suddenly decide to join the Sacred Tree Festival?”

[N- No, that is…… They were wiped out by Death King-sama.]

“Isis did!? W- why…….”

She didn’t think that Isis’ name would be brought up here, making Lillywood dumbfounded again. She has known Isis for a long time, and knows her personality well. Black Bears certainly are vermins, and with Isis’ abilities, she knew that it would be easy for her to exterminate them. However, she couldn’t understand why Isis would go to the trouble of subjugating the Black Bears that live in the Elven Forest.

[……No, we don’t really know the details but…… It was said that “a male participant in the Sacred Tree Festival was injured”, and after that, Death King-sama appeared.]

“……I think I’ve already figured out what happened.”

After listening to the explanation of her follower, Lillywood immediately understood the reason, and her shoulders slumped down.

(That injured male participant is definitely Miyama Kaito-san. That would explain why Isis would become angry. No, it’s more of a miracle that the forest is still physically intact.)

As she tried to organize her thoughts, Lillywood’s mind raced into imagining what would happen next. After a few moments, she called out to her follower.

“……I’ll head to Rigforeshia right away. If Isis unleashed her magic power of death with all her might, it might have had some effect on the plants.”

[Understood!]

Loudly sighing, after she told her follower that she’s going to put off the documents she was processing for later, Lillywood headed towards Rigforeshia.

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

After seeing Anima off, I returned to the inn and found Kusunoki-san and Yuzuki-san in the room we were in earlier. The two of them were looking around, but their faces brightened after they noticed us.

[Miyama-san!]

[Miyama-senpai!]

They run over to me and ask me a few questions to make sure I’m okay. When I told the two of them, who are asking me with concern, that there’s nothing wrong with my body, they both look relieved. And then, although I thought we would then begin chatting with Lilia-san and the others, Yuzuki-san stood in front of me with her face down.

[Ummm…… Senpai…… I, errr……]

[Yuzuki-san?]

[I’m sorry…… I was so scared…… that I couldn’t move……]

I knew immediately what Yuzuki-san was talking about. She seems to be feeling guilty that she caused me to be injured because she wasn’t able to escape, bowing down while her shoulders quiver, she apologized. Smiling as gently as I could to Yuzuki-san, I replied to her with words that reassure her.

[I’m glad you’re not hurt.]

[……Sen…… pai……!? Senpai!!!]

[Whoaa!?]

Hearing my words, Yuzuki-san’s body trembled for a bit before tears appeared in her eyes, and then, she jumped towards me.

Because of the height difference, it looks like she buried her face in my chest, but Yuzuki-san continues to cry.

[I…… uwaahh…… Senpai……]

[It’s alright. See, I’m as safe as I can be……]

[Yes…… Senpai…… Thank you…… for saving me……]

[Unnn…… though even if I say that, I was also saved by Lilia-san and the others, so it isn’t that I can proudly say I saved you.]

Yes, in the end, I didn’t win against the Black Bear, and I think I would have died if it weren’t for Sieg-san. So, when I told her that with a wry smile that I can’t proudly say that I saved her, Yuzuki-san’s arms which were behind my back squeezed my body tighter.

[That’s not true…… Senpai looked really cool. You looked really, really cool.]

[I see…… Thanks.]

Placing my hand on Yuzuki-san’s head, I gently patted her head. No further words are needed, as Yuzuki-san buries her face in my chest for a while. Continuing to stroke her head until she calms down, after a while, Yuzuki-san releases her embrace and moves away from me.

[……Ummm, errr.]

[Unnn.]

[Once again, thank you very much! “Kaito-senpai!”]

Saying that, Yuzuki-san brightly smiled like a blooming flower.

Kusunoki-san and Yuzuki-san were back to how they usually act, and as I explained about Anima and other stuff to them with Lilia-san and the others, Rei-san came back with a very tired look on his face.

[Rei-san, welcome back. What happened with Anima?]

[Ah, unnn. She’s now guarding the area where the wall was broken now.]

[You somehow look exhausted though?]

[……Well, that child really has quite the strong personality huh. She immediately tried to strike the guard captain who tried to give her instructions…… Unnn. Fortunately, thanks to Miyama-kun’s order, she followed my instructions. Because of that, I ended up joining the guard force for a while too.]

It seems that Anima is acting like usual even when they went to the guard force’s barracks, as she refused to take orders from anyone but me, and tried to bite the guard captain. It seems Rei-san ended up having to make a follow up, deciding to join the guard force himself.

[That is, ummm…… somehow, I’m sorry.]

[No, she certainly has a strong personality, but she does have the ability to back it up. She was even able to carry a large amount of materials used to repair the wall with just one hand.]

""

Although he had some difficulties because of her personality, it seems that Anima, who has a power comparable to that of a peerage-holder high-ranking demon, is a very useful manpower for the guard force. Even if you factor in her personality, it’s said that her strength is enough to tilt the scales towards the positive side…… Unnn. I guess the next time I see Anima, I’m also going to tell her to follow the guard force’s instructions.

After that, Rei-san joins in our chat and the topic of conversation shifts to the event for tomorrow…… Sacred Tree Festival’s harvest competition.

[Then, the harvest competition will be held tomorrow as planned?]

[Yeah, we’ve taken every precaution to ensure that the harvest competition, which was originally made to be child-friendly, would be safe…… And though it’s ironic, because Death King-sama uprooted the Black Bears, we can say that it’s rather safer compared to the previous harvest competitions.]

[I see.]

It seems that with the extinction of the most dangerous beings in the Elven Forest, the Black Bears, the harvest competition is now safer.

[Speaking of which, where was the harvest competition going to be held?]

[It’s going to be held in the “Spirits’ Forest”, east of Rigforeshia.]

[Spirits’ Forest?]

[Yeah, the symbol of the festival, the Sacred Tree, is the “Spirit Tree” in which Spirits live. The Spirit Trees only bear fruit at this time of the year, and that fruit is a local specialty of Rigforeshia.]

Yuzuki-san’s question is answered by Rei-san. It seems that the Spirits’ Forest is just as its name says, the forest where Spirits live, and the Spirit Trees that grow there are apparently the Sacred Trees.

[Does that mean that the participants will harvest the fruits?]

[That’s right~~ And for the Elves, it’s also a perfect opportunity to make friends with the Spirits.]

[The Fruit of the Spirit Tree is a strange fruit where it tastes worse if it’s not harvested together with the Spirits…… The Spirits are very shy though. The secret to harvesting more fruits is to be friendly to them.]

Fia-san and Rei-san explained my question in turn. Apparently, the Spirits were very shy, which is why each participant goes into the forest separately to interact with the Spirits and collect the fruits.

[In case you’re wondering, the competition is ranked to see who collects the most fruits, but that’s actually just an added bonus.]

[Yes, after all, this event has an overwhelming advantage for “Spirit Mages”.]

[ [ [ Spirit Mages? ] ] ]

I’ve heard that the harvest competition, like the hunting competition, will be ranked, but that’s apparently just a bonus, as the prize for the harvest competition is an assortment of fruits harvested from the Elves’ Forest, which is comparably meagre compared to hunting competition. And when Fia-san mentioned the unfamiliar term “Spirit Mage”, Kusunoki-san, Yuzuki-san and I tilted our heads.

[A Spirit Mage is a mage who is loved by the Spirits, and they can borrow the power of the Spirits. For the elves, being a Spirit Mage is a very honourable duty. Incidentally, Fia here is a Spirit mage.]

[Ah, then, Fia-san can call Spirits?]

[Yes, it’s been a long time since I did, so let’s go call her……]

I don’t know if girls were just really interested in seeing Spirits or not, as Yuzuki-san asked in response to what Rei-san said, and with a gentle smile on her face, Fia-san made a small magic circle appear above her hand. The emerald green magic circle shimmered several times, before a small, translucent fairy, less than thirty centimeters tall, appeared.

The Spirit who looks like a translucent girl who’s wearing green all over her body really looks just as I imagined, and seeing her, Yuzuki-san gets even more excited.

[Uwaaahhh, she’s really cute…… Just a little touch—– Ahh!?]

[Fufufu, I told you, right? The Spirits are very shy…… and the only people who can touch their bodies are Spirit Mages.]

Yuzuki-san tried reaching out her hand, and the Spirit quickly hid behind Fia-san.

[How about you try, Kaito-senpai?]

[Eh? Me?]

I looked at the Spirit who came in front of Fia-san again as Yuzuki-san told me that, the Spirit noticed me and looked towards me…… and after a while, she began fidgeting. When I felt that she reacted strangely, I slowly reached out my hand so as not to scare it…… but when the Spirit saw me reach out, it looked surprised before she disappeared.

[I guess that’s impossible even if it’s Miyama-sama huh.]

[No, in the first place, I feel like you’re misunderstanding something…… Fia-san?]

[She disappeared? I didn’t unsummon her though, but she disappeared instead of running away?]

Replying to Lunamaria-san with a tsukkomi with a wry smile on my face, when I turned towards Fia-san…… For some reason, Fia-san has a strange expression on her face while she’s quietly muttering something. As she tilted her head at the situation, the magic circle in Fia-san’s hand shone again and the Spirit returned.

Then, the Spirit slowly approached me and after fidgeting for a while, she handed out something to me…… a small fruit. Seeing this scene, the three elves, Rei-san, Fia-san and Sieg-san, looked surprised.

[Errr…… Are you giving this to me?]

I was curious about why those three reacted like that, but when I spoke to the Spirit in front of me, the Spirit slightly nodded.

[Thank you.]

As I thanked her and received the fruit, the Spirit spun around me looking somewhat happy, and then, she started patting around my body. Arehh? I thought the only person who can touch a Spirit is a Spirit mage?

[Ummm…… What’s happening?]

[…….Mi- Miyama-san!? H- How in the world did you do that!?]

[Eh? No, I didn’t really do anything……]

[Unlike when you’re harvesting together in the harvest competition, giving you what they harvested is a “gesture of affection” for them. In other words, it’s like the Spirit is saying she wants to be friends with you.]

[I- Is that so……]

I have no idea why , but it seems that this Spirit liked me. As proof of this, when I reached out my hand to the Spirit that came near me, the Spirit didn’t run away and I was able to touch her. And Fia-san, who had been watching the scene looking dumbfounded, with her mouth wide open, her shoulders slightly slumped down.

[……A- Are you alright? Fia?]

[……Rei…… I…… It took me twenty years…… twenty years to become a Spirit mage…… but for an instant? In an instant…… he was already able to……]

[Fia-sama, I’m sure that you’re well aware now…… that this person is just abnormal.]

""

[That’s right, Fia-san! Kaito-san is just unusual! He’s really a monster in all sorts of ways……]

The burning reproach by Lunamaria-san, along with Lilia-san’s follow up, directly struck me. As far as Lilia-san’s concerned, she’s naturally treating me like I’m some sort of monster…… but it’s not like I used my Sympathy Magic this time like I did with the baby dragon…… So why in the world did this happen?

It’s the second night since I came to Rigforeshia, and tomorrow is the harvest competition where I’m participating in, and I want to rest already for the incoming day…… I don’t know if it’s because I got lots of sleep in the daytime, or perhaps because I fainted earlier, but I can’t sleep.

Just when I was thinking about getting some evening breeze, there’s a somewhat reserved knock on the door.

[Yes.]

I reflexively replied, but I received no reply. Under normal circumstances, I might have been distrusting when someone suddenly knocks on my door at night, but with my Sympathy Magic, I know who’s visiting me.

[What’s the matter? Sieg-san.]

[………………]

Yes, the reason I didn’t receive any answer after her knock was that the one knocking was Sieg-san. It’s almost time for the date to change, but when I asked her what she wanted, Sieg-san made a small motion with her hand.

[Are you going for a stroll? That sounds great. Yeah, I also couldn’t get some sleep.]

[……………….]

I don’t know if Sieg-san also couldn’t get some sleep either or she’s just wide awake, but she asked me if I wanted to go for a stroll. Since I was about to get some night breeze anyway and I wouldn’t have to worry about anything with her around, I nodded in response to Sieg-san’s invitation.

I walk side by side with Sieg-san through the streets of Rigforeshia, which are lit by moonlight.

In front of us is a glowing sphere-shaped magic tool…… An item that was apparently called Portable Illumination Magic Tool which were often used to light up one’s path. It’s just like the flashlights in our world, but this magic tool doesn’t need to be held in your hand, and you can adjust the direction it shines, making this one more efficient. After walking for a while, we arrive at a place that is like a plaza, and Sieg-san prompts me to sit on a bench there. Sieg-san also came to sit next to me like it’s normal, as her red ruby-like hair faintly gleamed with the illumination magic tool, my heart can’t help but skip a bit at her beauty from looking at her from her side.

The night in Rigforeshia is very quiet, and the occasional breeze caressing my cheeks feels pleasant. After a brief moment of silence, I suddenly thought of something and called out to Sieg-san.

[Speaking of which, Sieg-san. I have been able to thank you properly. For saving me, thank you v—— Eh?]

[……………]

I was going to properly thank her for protecting me from the Black Bear’s attack, but as I was speaking, Sieg-san held up her index finger in front of my face and interrupted me. Then, she shook her head a few times, and after taking out a memo pad and pen from her pocket, she wrote something on it.

“I think it should rather be me who’s thanking you. Kaito-san, thank you very much. Thanks to you, I was able to restore my strained relationship with Lili to how it was back then.”

[Ah, no, I didn’t really do anything……]

I only said what I thought at that time, and I think the reason why Sieg-san and Lilia-san were able to restore their relationship is because she sincerely thought about her when she scolded her. So, I replied that I didn’t particularly do anything in particular, but Sieg-san shook her head again and began writing on her memo pad.

“I needed someone to push me. And you were the one who pushed me forward. Humility may be a virtue, but you should understand when to receive compliments.”

[……Yes.]

“……However, I’d like you to be a bit careful about something.”

[Be careful? What of?]

After writing up to that point, Sieg-san holds out a note with the rest of what she’s trying to say while looking at me with her beautiful blue eyes.

“I know that the method you used earlier can’t be helped but…… please don’t be too reckless.”

[……………….]

“You being injured makes me sad…… so I hope you’ll take care of yourself.”

[……Yes.]

After scolding me like I’m her naughty younger brother, Sieg-san looked at me with a gentle expression on her face, and I gave her my firm reply. Nodding after she heard my reply, Sieg-san then softly smiled and wrote some more in her memo pad.

“……Kaito-san. Can I…… borrow your shoulder for a moment?”

[My shoulder? Ah, yes. I’m fine with it but……]

“In that case, please excuse me.”

[Wha!? S- Sieg-san!?]

I didn’t really understand what she meant when she said she wanted to borrow my shoulder, but when I nodded as I didn’t have any particular reason to refuse, Sieg-san leaned towards me with her head on my shoulder. Sieg-san’s height is about the same as mine, and although it can be said that she had just the right height to lean on me…… I never thought that it would turn into a situation like this.

Her long ears, the peculiar characteristic of the elves, swayed slightly, and I can feel Sieg-san’s body heat from her head placed on my shoulder. Sieg-san stayed like that for a while, with her eyes closed and leaning her weight on me. I’m naturally not calm at all as a beauty like Sieg-san is doing that to me, and my heart has been pulsing like an annoying alarm clock since a while ago.

“Kaito-san, will you always…… hear my voice?”

[Unnn?]

As I froze sitting there in place, a note was held out to me out of the corner of my eye, as if it had been written there at some point.

“As you can see, I can’t speak, and perhaps, my tall stature can be intimidating, but I don’t get talked to much.”

[C- Certainly, I also thought that Sieg-san was the cool type of person too.]

Sieg-san is about 170cm tall for a woman with a very well-defined face and a calm atmosphere, so when I first met her, I had assumed that she was a cool, stoic person.

(T/N: 5′ 6.9″)

“However, you talked about a lot of things with me. Even when I can’t answer you, you didn’t feel adverse towards me…… and I’m really happy with that.”

[It’s just that I enjoyed talking to Sieg-san. I did think you were a cool person at first…… but in fact, when I spoke to Sieg-san, I found you to be very homely, kind, and easy to talk to.]

“Thank you very much.”

After hearing my words, Sieg-san smiled a little shyly, and after closing her eyes again, she leaned her head on my shoulder again. The silence that came again wasn’t uncomfortable, but it somehow feels warm and calming.

Basking in silence for a while…… As I yielded my body to the occasional night breeze and enjoyed the gentle flow of time, Sieg-san slowly lifted her head from my shoulder and quietly stood up.

“It’s not a good idea to stay up too late, it would hinder us in the event tomorrow. We should get back soon.”

[Yes.]

Following Sieg-san’s words, I got up from the bench. And just as we were walking back the path we used, Sieg-san grasped my hand as if it was normal.

[Ehh!?]

[…………….]

[Sieg-san?]

[…………….]

I’m surprised by the suddenness of the situation, but Sieg-san doesn’t reply and just continues walking forward. The cheeks of Sieg-san, who is walking a little ahead of me with her thin and soft hand piled on my hand, as if to pull me along, seemed to be slightly reddish, though it might just be the lack of light.

Parting ways with Sieg-san at the entrance of the inn, I returned to my room. I somehow felt like what happened just now was just a dream, but just as I was about to lie down in my bed, I noticed something. Before I knew it, there was a little note inserted in the pocket of my clothes, which was undoubtedly written by Sieg-san, and picking it up, I leaned close to the room’s illumination magic tool and read the note.

“Kaito-san is always straightforward and kind, and that is why I like you. Please remain the kind person as you are now, even in the future. I’m troubled since I have lots of rivals, but I will do my best…… so if you can, please also turn my way once in a while.”

[……………..]

Looking at this note, written in a way that seems to express something, I tilted my head in my room. I guess this means that she likes me, but what does she mean by rivals? If I remember correctly, Sieg-san and the others won’t be joining the harvest competition tomorrow, so I don’t think she would be competing with other participants……

With the way she wrote this, it kinda looks like a love letter…… Nah, there’s no way that’s the case……

Hmmm. I don’t really know what she meant, but I don’t particularly feel uncomfortable. Just thinking about it didn’t seem to give me an answer, so I put the note away in the magic box and after turning off the light, I laid down on the bed. I couldn’t fall asleep earlier, but thanks to Sieg-san, I feel like I’m going to get some good night’s sleep.