-88- Retribution Upon Dense Male Protagonist!

"————"

The atmosphere in the air changed. The low growls of the wild dogs suddenly disappeared, as if they had never existed, leaving the surroundings extremely quiet. There was no wind or rain, and even the rustling of the trees was absent, creating a dead silence.

Unintentionally, Akabane Raishin, Kamo Subaru, and Yuge Mutsura, who had originally intended to make a big fuss, found themselves holding their breaths and quieting down.

Ignoring their expressions, Rozen lifted his gaze and looked in a particular direction. In that instant, a dark shadow appeared.

It was an enormous creature, towering at nearly two meters in height. Just like the wild dogs before, it was shrouded in black mist, and its body seemed covered with dark rocks, resembling a gigantic stone giant. It stomped heavily on the ground as it slowly advanced from the other side of the forest.

"...!?"

Seeing such a colossal figure, Akabane Raishin, Kamo Subaru, and Yuge Mutsura were on the verge of exclaiming but managed to suppress themselves, gripping the ground tightly, their faces stiff with fear.

Rozen, who had initially intended to stop them from making any noise, was somewhat impressed by their restraint. Despite being a bunch of kids, their behavior was indeed commendable.

(Though they are just a group of kids, they do have good qualities.)

Rozen believed that these three would surely achieve something when they grew up.

As Rozen was lost in thought, he suddenly felt one of his hands tighten as a pair of delicate small hands grabbed hold of it tightly. Turning around, he saw Hinowa's pale face, her eyes shut tightly, trembling in fear.

This princess, who had always been cherished by others, probably had never experienced such terror before.

(Poor girl.)

Rozen couldn't help but feel a little sympathy, but now was not the time to worry about such matters.

Staring at the giant-like familiar outside, Rozen's body also stiffened.

After all...

(An Upper-level familiar...)

Unexpectedly, within this forbidden area, there appeared a Upper-level familiar.

Judging from the oppressive feeling it gave off, this familiar might not be on par with Domon Kira's Shuten-Douji, nor could it compare to the Servants Rozen once controlled during simulated battles in Chaldea. However, it was definitely not something Rozen could handle at the moment.

Since he couldn't handle it, the children present wouldn't stand a chance either.

If Rozen hadn't reminded them to hide quickly when they encountered the familiar, they would be facing certain doom.

It was this faint realization that made everyone behave this way, including Rozen himself.

(How can a familiar of this level just casually appear in the forbidden area?)

Rozen's eyebrows slightly furrowed as he thought rapidly, seemingly understanding something.

But regardless, the most crucial thing now was to avoid being detected by the familiar, or it would be dangerous.

Rozen slowed down his breath, using the 〈Heaven's Eye〉to closely monitor the familiar's movements just in case.

"Thud... Thud..."

The giant-like familiar continued its heavy steps, looking around as if searching for something, emanating a fierce aura.

This scene seemed to last for a long time.

Only after a while, as if giving up, the familiar raised its heavy steps once again and walked towards the other side of the forest.

Gradually, the giant disappeared into the bushes on the other side.

At this moment, Rozen heard a series of "plop, plop" sounds behind him.

"Ha... Ha... Ha..."

Akabane Raishin, Kamo Subaru, and Yuge Mutsura all collapsed on the ground at the same time, drenched in sweat.

"I say..." Akabane Raishin weakly said, "Do creatures like that exist here?"

"We... We were shocked too," Kamo Subaru responded, unable to argue with Akabane Raishin's nonchalant attitude, "That's definitely a familiar possessed by the mountain god. It couldn't possibly be a low-level spirit."

"Yes," Yuge Mutsura added while catching his breath, "It seems to have possessed a bear or something similar. What a terrifying combination."

Originally, the bear was already huge and terrifying, and now it was possessed by the mountain god, becoming a familiar. One can just imagine it's strength .

The evaluation of an Upper-level familiar would definitely be nothing short of low.

"It's a good thing we didn't encounter that kind of monster earlier."

"If we did, we'd be long gone."

"Totally, we would've been dead meat."

Akabane Raishin, Kamo Subaru, and Yuge Mutsura complained and bantered one after another. It seemed they were really on edge, which made them feel powerless now.

Rozen found it somewhat amusing and was about to say something when he heard a weak voice from behind.

"Um..."

Hearing the voice, Rozen suddenly recalled something and turned around to look behind.

There, Domon Hinowa lowered her head, her previously pale face now flushed.

It was a perfectly normal reaction.

Because at some point, Rozen had unexpectedly turned around and held Hinowa's hand and had tightly grasped it earlier.

Rozen's heartbeat accelerated as well.

He had lived for two lifetimes and, apart from Mash, Rozen had never been this close to any other girl.

However...

(Her hand is so soft...)

Rozen couldn't help but have some fancy thoughts.

//// Brotha, she's 10 ಠ⁠ω⁠ಠ ////

Having such thoughts, Rozen didn't let go of Hinowa's hand at the first moment. Instead, he continued holding it, making Hinowa's face turn even redder.

An ambiguous atmosphere immediately began to fill the space between the two.

Until...

"What are you doing!?"

"Let go of Lady Hinowa!"

Kamo Subaru and Yuge Mutsura shouted loudly and rushed over, forcefully separating Rozen and Hinowa.

"Subaru? Mutsura?" Domon Hinowa softly called out their names, but there was no response from the two.

Yuge Mutsura simply shielded Hinowa behind him, while Kamo Subaru glared angrily at Rozen, looking like he wanted to start a fight.

Seeing this, Rozen couldn't help but touch his nose, feeling somewhat awkward and internally exclaiming.

(Am I really developing feelings for a ten-year-old girl? Am I becoming a lolicon!?)

Rozen almost doubted his life choices.

Unfortunately, at this moment, Akabane Raishin had to add insult to injury.

"What are you guys doing? It's just holding hands."

Raishin asked in confusion, leaving Rozen wanting to punch him.

He was the typical dense male protagonist that Rozen despised when he used to browse the internet. Now he was showing off this kind of behavior right in front of him?

After considering for a moment, Rozen decided to take action.

"Thud!"

A punch, enhanced by the skills of "Rigid Body," landed on Akabane Raishin's face.

"Ah!"

A scream echoed through the mountains and forests.