After a while, a desperately worried Tina rushed forward. Despite Krulâs lack of injuries, Tina began to barrage Krul with Healing Magic as she approached, and Krulâs body was wrapped within a green light.
âGeezâŚDonât be so rash. I thought my lifespan was being cut short when Krul-san faced that Monster!â
âNow that I think about it, with the exception of princess-sama, what did you guys do?â
âEh? WawawaâŚH-He appearedddd!â
Although Tina had become rigid for a moment while shielding Krulâs body behind her, after realizing that the man before her, who had spoken in a cool manner and saved Krul by defeating the monster, was Kagami, she just muttered, âThank you very much for saving her!â as Krul casually emerged from the light.
âWe were swallowed by the wave of people when they all started to run away. Only Kuu-chan was unaffected, since she immediately went to try and save them.â
Soon, Palna and Rexâs worn out figures appeared, walking towards them slowly as Palna muttered âYareyareâ in relief.
Having heard her, Kagami sympathised with an âI see,â and thought back to a similar situation.
âThat Monster that flew into the sky earlier, although it looked like it vanished, was it because of you?â
As always, Rex asked Kagami with his frank hostility. Kagami nodded in response while looking like he wanted to talk about something.
âNo matter how you look at it, surely that wasnât an opponent that could be defeated in one attack. What kind of skill did you use to defeat it?â
âHmm? I just used a simple Charge Blow, a Charge Blow. Itâs a fundamental skill that even Villagers can use. You can use it too, right?â
âYouâre just lying with a straight face. Youâre unarmed, right? Thereâs no way you couldâve defeated it barehanded.â
âWellâŚeven if I say it like that, except for Charge Blow, I only have one other Attack Skill, and if I use that skill, it would render my body useless. So, I have no other means besides Charge Blow.â
After Kagami said that, Rex moved his line of sight to Krul with a dumfounded expression. Then Krul said, âAn orange-colored Aura appeared on his right arm,â and she told him the honest truth about the time Kagami used the Charge Blow.
Although the truth was surprising, Rex felt an indescribable discomfort.
He couldnât believe that a Villagerâs power was enough to defeat the Monster from earlier with only a charge attack, even if it was the Level 999 Kagami. Even if he didnât know the accurate numerical value of the Monsterâs skills necessary to analyze its level, surely the Monster from earlier was beyond Level 150. Even if he used a Charge Blow, the opponent didnât appear weak enough to be defeated in one attack.
He couldnât understand the man standing in front of them. How had he become that strong?
WhyâŚdid he try to get stronger?
âI haveâŚa lot of things I want to speak with you about.â
Rex looked at him with a complicated expression.
For once, Rex didnât show hostility. Kagami looked at him in amazement, and with a âHou,â he revealed an impressed smile.
Krul seemed like she had prepared herself. Behind her, like always, Tina appeared anxious. Palna didnât look at them, feeling as if it couldnât be helped, and the other three adventurers waited for Kagami to reply.
âOf course, but first, we should do something about this situation.â
After Kagami replied, he faced Alice who was pacing worriedly beside him as if she wanted to say something, and showed her a smile and saying, âSee?â
As if baffled by Kagamiâs sudden acknowledgement, Alice immediately nodded, smiling happily without saying anything.
âIt doesnât mean that youâre just an ally of Demons.â
Palna finally looked at him, she muttered that as she heard his declaration.
âAlthough I donât know what there is to misunderstand, even if Iâm not an ally of Demons, Iâm not their enemy. Having said that, even if Iâm not an ally of Humans, Iâm not their enemy either. Iâm neutral.â
âI donât understand what you mean.â
Palna muttered while she looked the other way with a cold look, as if she had predicted that he would say those words. Kagami saw her and retorted with, âIâll make you understand,â within his heart. Then he turned around towards Alice who had pulled the hem of his clothes earlier and asked, âWhatâs wrong?â
âWhen Kagami-san was fighting earlier, I heard screams in the other direction. I heard what sounded like a Monsterâs cry. I think there are probably Monsters rampaging here and there.â
âShall we hurry? Though I donât think that the ones falling down with a bang would be Berserker Beasts, we should check to make sure. Well, I think the Adventurers of this town could handle it somehowâŚHmm?â
They heard cries from far away, and just as Kagami turned in that direction, a man that appeared to be a heavily equipped gatekeeper came running in a hurry from one of the main streetâs side roads.
The gatekeeper ran towards Kagamiâs group as fast as he could after spotting them. He arrived in front of them looking pale, panting with a âzeehaa,â and squatted, his shoulders moving up and down.
âYou guys are still in a place like this?âŚFleeâŚquickly! Itâs already the end for this city!â
He cried that out desperately while breathing haggardly.
Naturally, Kagami wasnât the only one disturbed by these words. Even Rex and Krul looked shaken.
âHey, hey, even if you say Monsters are falling down onto the city, itâs not like they canât be defeated, right? There are lots of Adventurers in this city after all.â
âThe Monsters who invaded are already fighting with the other Adventurers! Although normally the Monsters should have been defeated by nowâŚitâs not like that!â
Kagamiâs expression stiffened as the sudden development was completely outside of his expectations. Feeling the unease in Kagamiâs change of demeanor, Aliceâs mood also became clouded.
The shoulders that had been moving up and down until now trembled as if remembering something bitter, and the gatekeeper spoke, opening his bloodshot eyes, slowly urging them on,
âThe large crowd of Monsters inhabiting Atros IslandâŚare heading towards Salumeria from the Demon Kingâs Castle! The numberâŚis approximately 10,000âŚ!â
Except for Kagami, everyone had their eyes wide open as if they couldnât believe the gatekeeperâs words at all.
To make up for the many high Level Monsters in Atros Island, there werenât many Spawn Blocks. Even if the Monsters from Atros Island were wiped out, it was standard for Adventurers to fight in parties to increase survivability.
There was no reason not to feel despair in the face of 10,000 such opponents rushing towards Salumeria.
Even with the several thousand Adventurers currently in the city, there appeared to be no chance of winning should they face the hoard of 10,000 Monsters.
âA notice of Salumeriaâs end.â
Meanwhile, as if troubled with a lack of interest, Kagami muttered this.\n