Vol-04 Ch 6 – Reunion With The Mysterious Girl

Part 1

It was several days after that day when Kaori, Lexia-san, and others met.

"Phew… I guess this is enough for today's study."

"Woof?"

When I say that while stretching, Night looked up at me and tilted his head. Come to think of it; I haven't been getting myself closer with Night and Akatsuki lately because I've been studying for the test all the time…

"…Yeah, it would be nice to go out with Night and Akatsuki today."

"Woof?"

"Fugo."

Are Night and Akatsuki okay? I look at their face, but they have sparkles in their eyes as if they are looking forward to going outside. It makes me want to go even more when they gave me a look like this, and I'm sorry for not so sensitive about it.

"It's okay. Wherever we go, we can come right away with teleport magic."

"Woof!"

Then Night took the Adventurer's Guild card that I had left in the room in his mouth and brought it to me.

"Woof"

"Oh, by the way, we also registered with the Adventurer's Guild… Could it be that you want to take the request…?"

"Woof."

Night nodded cheerfully at my question.

"I see… then, let's go take a request at the Adventurer's Guild today!"

"Woof!"

"Fugo!"

While smiling at their energetic appearance, I quickly made preparations and headed straight to the royal capital. However, it's not a good idea to move into the city suddenly, so we moved to an unpopular place a bit away from the capital.

We went straight to the royal capital from there. Once we could enter the city without any problems, we headed to the Adventurer's Guild. If I had more time, I would probably like to look around the royal capital streets, but this time, my primary purpose is to take a request from the Adventurer's Guild. I won't be able to look around until after the test is over.

As I headed to the Adventurer's Guild with that in mind, I saw a certain person walking towards the Adventurer's Guild from across the street.

"Hmm? Yuuya?"

"Oh, Luna!"

To my surprise, I met Luna near the Adventurer's Guild.

"What brings you here? As I recall, you said you were busy… Did you finished your business?"

"No, not yet. I just came here to take a request to take a break from it. You see, I can use teleport magic to get back and forth, after all."

"…Well, it's because you're the only one who can use that method, you know?"

"I was aware of that."

And Lexia-san had told me a lot about the dangers of teleport magic. More importantly, I was also curious about something.

"You too, Luna, why are you here? Is it okay with Lexia-san's guard?"

"Yeah, it looks like Owen alone can handle the guards today, so I got a break after a long time. However, not moving my body is also not good… That's why I was taking a walk around the royal capital."

"I see… would you like to join us and take a request from the Adventurer's Guild?"

"Eh?"

For some reason, Luna gives me a dumbfounded look at my suggestion.

"Oh, is that… okay?"

"I thought it would be nice if we could fight monsters together again like we used to train in the past. You know?"

"Woof!"

"Fugo~."

Night and Akatsuki are also very positive about Luna's participation, and they've slipped to Luna's feet. They are cute.

Looking at Night and Akatsuki, Luna smiled.

"I-I see… no, I didn't expect that Yuuya and I could really go on a request together… I-I guess you could call this a date, right…?!"

"Eh?"

"I-it's nothing! Anyway, let's find some reasonable requests in the meantime."

With Luna leading the way, we approach the bulletin board and check the requests, but the requests we get from our ranks are really simple things. That's precisely the image I received before… harvesting herbs, delivering packages, plucking weeds, and other chores.

When I was skimming through the bulletin board, Luna turned her attention to a specific request.

"Yuuya, how about this?"

"Eh?"

There was a request form with the words "Investigation of Monsters around the Royal Capital" written on it.

"Huh, that sounds good. But is there a place in the vicinity of the royal capital where such monsters can appear?"

"Yeah. Just in case, there's a forest nearby, so I guess it would be in the form of a survey there."

"I see…"

In the end, there were no other requests that looked good, so I decided to take the request that Luna had recommended in this way for now. Since Emilia-san was at the reception desk, I asked Emilia-san to go through the procedures and ask her for a few more details.

"Well, regarding the investigation around the royal capital, what is the main thing we should do?"

"Oh, you don't have to think too hard. If you can hunt down just one type of monster that appears in the vicinity of the royal capital, your request will be accomplished."

"It's easier than I thought."

"Yes, that's true. And since this is a request that is always posted, other adventurers often receive it as well. Are you okay with this request?"

"Yes, I'm fine with it."

"Okay, I'll just fill out the paperwork."

This is how Emilia-san took care of the paperwork, and we used teleport magic to head to the forest near the royal capital.

＊＊＊

"Mmm, Hhmm♪."

"You're in a good mood, aren't you?"

As soon as we left the royal capital after Emilia-san took care of the paperwork, Luna started humming. Then, Luna blushed in embarrassment at my remark.

"I-is that so? …Well, it's because I can go out alone with Yuuya… So, that's why…"

"Ah, um… yes."

I couldn't help but feel my face heat up at Luna's reaction too. But, indeed, Luna and I haven't acted together since our training in the [Great Devil's Nest]. No, there's Night and Akatsuki, of course, but in terms of people.

Well, even if my training with Luna is no longer there, I'm still training with Master Usagi.

We arrive at our destination, a forest near the royal capital while being shy of each other. The forest doesn't feel as bad as the [Great Devil's Nest].

We brace ourselves.

"W-well then, let's see if we can find a suitable monster───."

That was the moment I was about to say that.

"Kyaaaaaah!"

"Huh!?"

We look at each other at the sound of a woman's shout from the forest.

"What was that just now…!"

"I don't know. But it's close…!"

"Kuh! Night! Do you know which way the voice is now?"

"…Woof!"

Night moved his nose and ears, barked once, and started to run.

"Alright, we'll go too!"

"Yeah!"

I followed Night, and hurriedly entered the forest. And after a little while, the identity of the voice came into view.

"T-this wolf…"

"Grrrrrr…"

To my surprise, Glenna-san, who had approached me in the Adventurer's Guild before, sat down with her back to the tree, and Night stood in front of her, wary of something.

"Are you alright!"

"Oh, you guys…!"

"I don't know what happened, but I'll just check here──."

"N-no! Stay out of it!"

"Woof!"

"Huh!"

The moment I was about to tell Glenna-san to run away, a sharp attack suddenly flew from an empty place. I quickly took out [Absolute Spear] to prevent it and threw it in the direction of the attacker.

Then…

"Keeeeeeeee?!"

"W-what is that thing?"

"Yuuya, that's an [Assassin Chameleon]!"

"Chameleon?"

I hurriedly check the surroundings, it's definitely an extremely thin presence, but I can see that something is encircling us. I look around like I'm protecting Glenna-san, and Luna informs me.

"The [Assassin Chameleon] is a B-class monster. They'll mimic their surroundings and attack you as they did just now."

"I see…"

This is the first monster I've encountered outside of the [Great Devil's Nest], but it has a higher rank than I expected. Is this normal? Still, this mimicry ability is pretty tricky. It's a level that even I can barely understand. But since I can understand it to a point, I have no choice but to fight while trying not to miss their presence.

I called out to Glenna-san, who was stunned behind me.

"…For now, we'll take down this monster. Luna!"

"I know…!"

Luna skillfully manipulated the thread in her hand and released it randomly into the surroundings. The thread chopped up the surrounding trees, and the Assassin Chameleons who couldn't avoid it were also damaged and showed up.

"Keaaaaah!"

"Kukeeeee!"

The strange screaming Assassin Chameleon was a large chameleon about two meters tall with a green body, big yellow eyes, and a magnificent horn on its forehead.

And if it shows itself, not only Luna can deal with it, but I can deal with it as well.

"Haaah!"

The Assassin Chameleon's neck, which was damaged by Luna's thread and rampaging around, and I switched from [Absolute Spear] to [Omni-Sword] and sliced through it accurately.

"Ku-kukukeee!"

"Keeeeeee!"

Then the surviving Assassin Chameleon turned his back on us and left in a flash. It seems to have escaped. As I was surprised at my first experience of a monster running, Luna came next to me.

"Assassin's Chameleon, as its name suggests, is a monster that is good at attacking by surprise. They have a habit of running away if that surprise attack is blocked or can't get through to their opponents."

"I-I see…"

When I was surprised at the still unknown ecology, Glenna-san, who had been watching the battle earlier, opened her eyes.

"A-amazing…"

With that kind of reaction at my back, I let Night and Akatsuki take care of Glenna-san and collect the dropped items. I want to check more slowly since I've never seen any of these items before, but… Glenna-san is here, and this isn't the situation for that.

"Excuse me. Let's get out of here for now."

"Y-you're right."

As we continued through the forest, we took a breath.

"Phew… that really helped me. Thanks."

"N-no, I'm glad I could help."

"I didn't expect to run into a bunch of Assassin Chameleons… Anyway, since you saved my life, I should thank you for that…"

"T-thanking me?"

For some reason, Glenna-san takes my arm and presses her chest against me. Ah, um!

"Maybe you could come over to Onee-san's house tonight if you want. I can do nice things for you♪."

"N-nice things?"

"Yes. As Onee-san said───."

"───Did you forget me here?"

When I was having trouble dealing with Glenna-san, Luna released me from Glenna-san's arms. And just like that, Luna glares at Glenna-san.

"If there's gratitude to Yuuya, then, of course, I have one too, right?"

"Um… Luna-san?"

When I called out fearfully to Luna's attitude, Glenna-san gave a wry smile.

"It's a shame. I don't have any interest in that area… so that's about it for today, and I'm going to go home. I'm indeed tired, after all."

"Oh, then, do you want me to walk you back?"

As soon as I suggest that, Glenna-san smiles.

"That's a nice suggestion, but that's okay. Besides… I'm afraid of that girl if I'm around any longer…"

"Huh?"

I followed Glenna-san's gaze to find a strangely unhappy Luna staring at me.

"W-what's wrong?"

"…Nothing."

"I don't think there's nothing wrong with your face like that…"

No matter how many times I asked, Luna would only answer that in the end. Then, Glenna-san thanked us once more and left by herself, while Luna and I resumed our search in the forest, as we had intended.

Part 2

A few days after I saved Glenna-san with Luna. I checked the item I had obtained when I defeated the Assassin Chameleon, which I had completely forgotten about.

The item was this:

[Assassination Chameleon's Discoloration Skin] :: Assassin Chameleon's skin. It's very flexible and can be processed in various ways. Since it's a B-class monster, its defense power is also reasonably high. Besides, because the color changes depending on how it is processed, this is a target material that people involved in armor and clothing work would like to handle at least once.

[Cloak of Disguise] :: Assassin Chameleon's rare drop item. You can hide your figure from your surroundings while wearing this cloak. It is also possible to make your appearance visible only to any person while you are hiding. However, it is not absolutely undetectable. Once it has been noticed, that person will see through it even if you use it again, so you will need to hide somewhere to break their recognition.

[Bracelet of Replacement] :: Assassin Chameleon's rare drop item. It is possible to switch to the equipment registered in this bracelet instantly.

Although B-class magic stones are also added here, this item is the most common among them.

The [Assassination Chameleon's Discoloration Skin] is a strange rubbery material that changes color depending on how much light it catches, but since I don't have any plans or the place to process it at the moment, I decided to exchange it for cash at the Door to Another World, just like the Bloody Ogre's materials.

And although [Cloak of Disguise] didn't seem to be necessary from my point of view as I have the skill [Assimilation], I suddenly thought it would be nice to be able to deceive the eyes of someone who can't use the skill, or who can see that you've used any skill and hide your appearance when they come out. I haven't encountered such an opponent yet, but it wouldn't hurt to be prepared.

The rest is [Bracelet of Replacement]. This is the most useful for now. The reason for that is that when I registered a couple of sets such as the [Bloody War Demon Series] and the ordinary clothes that Sage-san left for me, I was able to switch into them in an instant.

For now, the only armor I have is the [Bloody War Demon Series], but if I get another armor later on, I can change into it in an instant, depending on the situation. This is really convenient.

So that's how I spent a fulfilling time in the other world, but on Earth, the test ended yesterday successfully, and all I have to do is wait for the return… I'm pretty confident this time.

"How did Ryo and the others do on the test?"

"I'm feeling pretty good as usual. But I don't think it's that bad, though."

"I-I think I did pretty well, too."

Apparently Ryo and Shingo-kun didn't seem to have any particular problems, but seeing as how Akira and Kaede were burned out, it would be… quite dangerous. If it becomes a supplementary exam, I'll help them out.

It's not that I'm good at math, but Kaori, a powerful helper, helped me out a lot this time. So I understand math tests better than usual, and I think I could answer more than expected in the classics and English by teaching Kaori.

However, the study session with Kaori ended when the test was over for the time being.

"…It's a bit lonely."

She had been coming over to my house after school to study all through the testing period, so it was a bit lonely when I got alone in this kind of time for the first time in a long time.

Besides…

"As I thought, it was fun…"

Since Kaori found out about the other world, I've been strangely curious about Kaori. Well, the reason was probably that Kaori accepted me after knowing the truth.

My appearance has changed a lot, and even though she saw me defeating monsters without hesitation, I was happy that she didn't get scared and told me that I wouldn't change.

I initially thought Kaori was a nice girl, but… that matter has made me fully aware of her.

…But even if I like her, it would be a nuisance to Kaori, and I think there are more suitable people for her out there. Maybe it's wrong to feel this way, but after years of being bullied, I can't get confident in myself quickly enough.

Still, I think I'm a lot less prone to that than I used to be, but… it still doesn't change the way I think.

"Oh… no. Let's move around a bit."

Whenever something was bothering me, I tried to move my body these days. I was Genuinely trying to recreate what Master Usagi taught me. The contents of the various martial arts books I happened to find in the secondhand bookstore I went to when I had just opened the [Door to Another World], and moving my body regardless.

Accompanied by Night and Akatsuki, I went out into the garden and mentioned something I suddenly realized.

"Come to think of it; I haven't seen Master Usagi around lately."

"Woof?"

"Fugo."

Night and Akatsuki thought so too, nodding their heads in the same way. Well, I don't think Master Usagi is in danger, but I was a little curious. Then I suddenly thought of the mysterious girl who appeared when I restrained Rhaegar-sama.

"…Maybe Master Usagi would know about that girl."

That overwhelming strength was honestly not normal. I was just beginning to gain some confidence in terms of power, but such confidence was quickly shattered because of that girl. The world is still a big place, after all.

"We should do our own thing and get stronger little by little."

"Woof!"

"Buhi~."

Night nodded vigorously, but Akatsuki's paws fluttered as if he was somewhat unmotivated. Well, well, Akatsuki isn't the type to fight. So, even if we were to get stronger, nothing would change if we kept going the way we are.

That's why we need to devise something of our own outside of training with Master Usagi…

"If there's one thing we can do right now that will make us stronger, it will be to combine magic and close combat."

"Woof?"

"Buhi."

Night was listening intently, cutely tilting his head, but Akatsuki was completely disinterested, lying sluggishly on the ground. Yeah, it's cute, and Akatsuki is still acceptable.

Getting my mind back on track, I explain my thoughts to Night.

"You see, so far, we're fighting in close combat with only weapons and fighting magic with magic, too, right?"

"Woof."

"So I thought, why don't we just combine them?"

"Woof?"

In fact, we don't have the luxury of being able to be aware of the use of magic when we fight with our weapons and physical bodies now. Perhaps that's why there's not much variation in our attacks.

In the meantime, I, for example, have a lot of Sage-san's weapons, so I can fight while changing those weapons, but that's not the case for Night and Akatsuki. I don't know if they actually exist or not, but there may be an enemy that will fight while switching between physical resistance and magic resistance.

When such an enemy comes out, with our current situation, there's a chance that we'll be killed the moment we switch our attacks. Well, there is talk of such a possibility, but even more than that, if magic and weapon attacks are combined, there is no doubt that the number of hands will increase.

However, I don't think it's possible to combine the two so easily. If you are suddenly able to avoid an attack, you can't unleash your magic on the point you were avoiding; it would be impossible for me to do that now.

That's why I decided to change my thinking a bit.

"Sage-san's weapons and stuff, aren't they ridiculously strong in their current state?"

"Woof."

"Could this… be stronger?"

"Woof!"

Well, that's how the reaction would be.

"For example, wouldn't it be strong if this [Absolute Spear] covered in… lightning?"

I took out the [Absolute Spear] from my item box and said that while showing it to Night. Then Night's eyes widened even more. What I'm trying to say is that I'm going to clothe the weapon with magic.

With this, even the ghostly enemy called [Wraith] that I fought before, I'll be able to defeat them with my weapon.

"Let's see."

When I say that, I raise the [Absolute Spear] in front of me and close my eyes. As it is, the image I imagine was the lightning that clings to the [Absolute Spear].

As the image solidifies, I unconsciously open my mouth.

"[Magic Attire]."

At that moment, lightning suddenly fell from the sky. The lightning struck the [Absolute Spear] directly and continued to charge the [Absolute Spear] as it was.

Night and I watched the scene in a daze.

"I-it's a success…"

"W-woof."

I swung the [Absolute Spear] around as if to confirm it immediately, and the lightning bolt followed the spear as if drawing a line, and even more so, the speed at which the [Absolute Spear] was being wielded seemed to be increasing.

"N-no way…"

I threw it lightly at a tree outside the yard to see what it felt like.

Then──.

*zugaaannnn!*

"….."

Night and I, and even Akatsuki, who was lying idly, were appalled by the scene. The spear I threw flew at a speed that even my own eyes couldn't follow, and the moment it touched the tree, not only did it pierce it, but for some reason, lightning rained down on the tree from above. The tree, which was carbonized in an instant, was given no time to burn.

When I was stunned by the excessive power, the [Absolute Spear] had returned to my hand before I realized it. Moreover, the lightning that the [Absolute Spear] is wearing has not disappeared even though it has returned, and it is still buzzing. S-scary…

"Eh, this is… now I imagined lightning, but what would happen if it was fire or water?"

I figured about the idea already, so let's do everything. So I put magic on the [Absolute Spear] one after another…

"Hmm… there are some which can, and some which cannot."

This is because, although I succeeded in making it clothed in fire, I couldn't make it clothed in water. Perhaps it's a matter of my imagination.

It was easy to imagine a spear with fire, but I couldn't imagine a spear with water. I was able to make it clothe with the wind, but not with the earth. And now that I've made it this far, I've been thinking about it even more.

──What would happen if I combined all the things I could do at this stage?

I couldn't stop being curious, so I tried it right away, but I was able to do it!

"S-seriously…"

"Woof…"

"Fugo."

Night and Akatsuki looked at the [Absolute Spear] in my hand and felt somewhat drawn out by it. This is because the current spear I'm holding is not in its usual form; it is clothed in a tornado of fire and surrounded by charged lightning.

Moreover, I, who is holding it for some reason, do not feel any particular heat.

"…T-this is, what happens if I throw it…?"

As far as I'm concerned, the lightning alone was very dangerous, and if I were to throw it at a tree outside the yard, it would be a disaster.

"T-this is not an easy one to throw…"

"Woof…"

"Fugo."

Night and Akatsuki nodded fiercely, doing their best to agree. However, this would cover up one issue, the fusion of magic and melee combat. Of course, the best thing would be to mix weapons and magic in a balanced way while also using magic as I do now. But I still lack experience and magical proficiency to do that, so this attempt was made to connect to that…

"It's more than I expected."

"Woof!"

Night also nodded with his eyes shining, and he began to try to see if he could wear lightning on his claws, which are his weapons, just like the [Absolute Spear] to me.

Then…

"Uu… Woof!"

"Ooh!"

Lightning flashed in Night's claws, and it clad on it. Then Night ran out straight away and jumped out with lightning speed as if it were a lightning strike, cutting down the trees outside the garden.

At that moment, just like when I threw the [Absolute Spear] earlier, lightning struck the tree. I don't know what principle it's based on, but for some reason, the lightning is falling from the sky.

Perhaps the [Absolute Spear] and Night's Claw wrapped in lightning may be acting like a kind of indicator… or lightning rod. No, I don't know what that means either.

As I was stroking Night, who slid over to me as if to say 'praise me, praise me,' I suddenly had an even more frightening thought. That's what came to mind when Night moved after wearing lightning on his claws earlier…

"…Hey, Night."

"Woof?"

"Wouldn't it be great if we could move faster than Master Usagi…?"

"Woof!?"

Night was surprised by my statement; his eyes widening just as much as before. That's natural. It's just that Master Usagi is even called "The Kicking Saint," and he actually boasts tremendous leg strength. That's why his agility is outrageous, and I still can't follow him with my eyes, but… I was about to step into that territory suddenly.

Naturally, it would be impossible to catch up with him first, as our status is also inferior to Master Usagi. But what if we borrowed the power of magic?

According to Sage-san, magic is all about imagination. And I have a magic circuit that I inherited from that Sage-san.

"Watch me for a moment."

I said, and then I meditated on the image. It's the image of the thunder-clad Night I saw earlier. I'm just going to change that into me.

Earlier, Night had only clothed his claws with lightning, but his movements were the fastest so far as if he was clearly affected by the lightning. That's why I wondered what would happen if I also wore lightning on myself instead of the [Absolute Spear].

The result was──.

"So, I was able to do it…"

"Woof…"

"Buhi."

Lightning clung to my body, and my armor glowed pale white.

"N-no, I don't know if I've succeeded yet. We'll have to see it in action──."

And the moment I took a step forward, I left every view behind.

"..., Huh?"

My eyes widen as the landscape around me suddenly changes.

W-what happened? I was just taking a step forward…

The moment I thought that, I turned around fearfully at a specific feeling, and I saw──.

"S-seriously…"

What's this, a path has been created from where I w. Moreover, the path was blackened and scorched, and for some reason, things like lightning's afterglow were shining in places.

"…I, did I make such a long move with just that one step?"

I conversely became calm at the situation that was too far from reality. I checked my current location with my [Map] skill and muttered that unconsciously. That's because I seemed to have gone out of the yard in an instant with that one step and came straight to the vicinity of the forest entrance. No, I don't understand what I'm saying to myself.

It's not a distance that I can move in a single step by any stretch of the imagination, and more importantly, its speed is strange. I don't think maybe Master Usagi would be capable of this… but at least it's not possible to do it for me until now. But it's really possible now. Even so, I still don't see the logic in it.

I'm stunned yet still physically electrified, so I tried to go home in this situation for a while.

Then…

"…For real?"

"Woof!"

"Fugoh!"

Once again, I moved that long-distance in an instant, and before I knew it, I was standing in the position I was in before I moved. I suddenly came back, and Night and Akatsuki were surprised to see me with their eyes wide open.

I've already figured it out, but it still seems that I can gain that much speed if I wear lightning. However, I need to control it, but… this is something I have to train well. Because the moment I step out of the door, it's normally laughable that if I don't know the place.

But then again, it was… a dangerous situation. I didn't happen to tear down the house or the fence, but this… would be a bad idea if I run into the house with this technique.

I regret now that I made a move without thinking about it. However, this ability is very appealing. And if I can master it, it will definitely become a great power.

"If that's the case, I'll start practicing right away!"

"Woof!"

"Fugo."

It looks like Akatsuki will be following our training as well. I'm going to start training to master this technique as soon as possible, but I decided to move first. In that case, I removed the [Magic Attire] once. Otherwise, I might end up at the entrance of the forest again.

"Well, then──."

"Uuuu…!"

"Eh? Night?"

Just as I was about to start now, Night suddenly started growling. Akatsuki and I were confused by it. And──suddenly I felt a chilling sensation in my back.

"Huh!"

I hurriedly held Akatsuki and Night and jumped back to the side at once.

"What was that…!"

We could see a cloud of dust rising from the spot where we had been standing a moment ago. As I was staring at the scene without caution, a voice suddenly called out from the sky.

"──Astonished. How could you avoid the attack just now…"

"You are…"

When I looked up, I saw the mysterious girl who appeared when I restrained Rhaegar-sama, standing leisurely on a tree. Upon closer look, she held a silver bow in her hand, which she hadn't carried the other day.

At the girl's presence, Night growled, and Akatsuki gave a serious look, which was unusual. What's wrong?

While tilting my head at Akatsuki's condition, I quickly put on the [Cloak of Disguise] that I obtained recently to hide Akatsuki, who has the lowest fighting power, as soon as possible.

And I ask the girl with caution.

"Who are you exactly? Why did you attack us?"

"….."

She was silent in response to my question, but the next thing I knew, I felt a chill run down my spine.

"Huh!?"

Following that sensation, I lifted my [Absolute Spear] while crouching down and cut something off. It was the same arrow I saw during the attack on the royal capital.

"…The arrows flew out of nowhere just like the other day, but the fact that they were aiming at me like this indicates that you're involved, right?"

"───Affirmative."

It was short, but she was the first to respond to my words.

And then───.

"Conviction. You can't be defeated with just the arrows I fired beforehand."

"Fired beforehand…?"

The other day, she was talking about predictions and other mysterious things… I don't think the arrows she's aiming at now may be the things that the girl shot at beforehand, right?

If that's the case, then I have no idea what kind of technique she's using. Besides, the fact that she can do such a thing means she's clearly in the Master Usagi class.

"Seriously?"

I can't help but spill that out of my mouth, but I guess it's inevitable. Just a few minutes ago, I was trying to think of a way to catch up with Master Usagi as much as possible, and I hadn't even been able to control it yet…

"Should I just go for it without preparation?"

"Woof."

Night is also ready to go for a fight.

"…I'll ask you again, why are you going after us?"

"A threat. You're a threat to my plans. And it's also just revenge."

"Revenge…?"

I can't help but tilt my head back at the girl's words.

Revenge, you said… to me? I don't know I ever did something that deserves revenge from this girl? I don't remember that at all, but a level of revenge like this would mean that I must be pretty much hated, right?

No matter how much I think about it, I don't remember ever meeting this girl before in the royal capital, and I don't remember doing anything in particular that would get me revenge. If it was revenge for preventing all the arrows in the last attack… then there's nothing I can do about it. If I hadn't done that, I'd be dead.

For now, since it seems like she won't be able to give me a proper answer even if I ask at this point, I also readied my [Absolute Spear]. However, the effect of [Magic Attire] has already expired. Well, I still haven't been able to control it, and it can't be helped.

"…I don't understand well, but for now, I'm going to defeat you and ask you for more details."

"Impossible. You're no match for me."

"That's still… I wouldn't know if I didn't try it!"

I threw [Absolute Spear] with all my strength, the girl just twisted her neck to dodge it. However, since [Absolute Spear] pursues until it hits the target, it immediately changes direction and attacks the girl from behind.

"Shock. It's following me."

"Don't forget about us, too!"

"Woof!"

Night and I slashed at the girl who was distracted by the [Absolute Spear] that was approaching from behind, at the same time. In doing so, I swing down my [Omni-Sword], and Night turns his claws down.

But…

"Naive."

With that word, the girl first caught the [Absolute Spear] with the silver-colored bow in her hand and swept it away at me without killing its momentum.

"Ugh!"

I was momentarily disconcerted because the spear that I had thrown with all my strength was swept away towards me, but I quickly calmed down, dodged the attack, grabbed the hilt, and stored it in the item box.

At that time, my body opened up due to the momentum of the [Absolute Spear] a bit, but I used that momentum to swing down the [Omni-Sword] in my hand. However, the girl dodged even that attack without difficulty.

But, after dodging it, Night was already there.

"Woof!"

The girl didn't even turn around and blocked the blow, which could be called a godspeed by Night, with the silver bow in her hand.

"Wha-!"

"Understood. It's dangerous, but… that's the extent of it."

"Kyaan!?"

"Night!"

The girl catching Night's attack only seemed to push him lightly, but Night was blown away with great force. Nevertheless, Night adjusted his stance in the air and landed in place and roared again.

…It only happened for a few moments, but it still made me realize how badly I felt. The girl in front of me is terribly strong.

"No use. There's no point in going any further. I'll end it."

"What?"

After saying that, she held up the silver bow she was holding. Then, the exact same arrow that flew in the air earlier appeared in her hand. …Maybe it's an ability similar to an item box, and that's where she stores the arrows.

As I was wary of what kind of attack would be flying at me───.

"──"

It was almost like a miracle. I wasn't on the reflex level, but rather an instinctual part of my body was moving unconsciously. And the moment I jumped back to follow that instinct, there was a tremendous shock to my torso.

"Guh!"

"Woof!"

"Don't come here!"

I quickly stopped Night's attempt to approach me in surprise. Frighteningly, I was blown away by the force of the arrows that grazed my body. Then, as if to chase after the blown away me, arrows fly in one after another at extraordinary speeds.

It's incomparable to the first time I was attacked, and I couldn't even follow it with my eyes anymore. All I could hear was the sound of a bowstring being plucked. The moment I heard the sound, the arrow was right in front of me. Even though I was so alert, I couldn't see the girl's attack at all.

The arrows that flew at me in the chase, I manage to hold myself up as if to use the [Omni-Sword] as a shield, but with only a single pursuit, I am blown away again.

"Huh!"

I tried to escape somehow, but I didn't even have time to do so, and there was already a new arrow in front of me. No matter how I think about it, I can't even defend myself in time.

If I continue like this──I'll die.

I felt the same intense sense of death when I first came to this other world. If it was me before I came to this world, I would have been helplessly swallowed up by that presence and would have died. My body would have frozen in place in fear.

But my body was not mysteriously tense. In response to such a presence, a relatively strong sense of resistance grew up in me.

"Aaaahhhhhhh!"

"Huh!"

I ignored the idea of controlling or anything like that and immediately activated the lightning [Magic Attire]. At that moment, I felt the pace around me instantly slow down. That's a phenomenon that didn't happen when I first used [Magic Attire]. But somehow, I can imagine the reason for this phenomenon.

When I used [Magic Attire] during my first practice, the effect of lightning only affected my muscle strength. But now I'm probably having the effect of lightning on my eyes and brain as well. This is why my brain and eyes are catching up with my body's movements for the first time.

…If it were true, I don't think I would have been able to do it this fast. Still, I guess this is an instinct to power up in a dangerous situation. Rather, my body instinctively triggered it as a crisis-avoidance ability because I knew I'd die if I didn't do it here.

Besides, if I look closely, I see that the lightning was glowing blue-white when I first used it, but now the white and silver lightning is clinging to my body. Apparently, not only did it accelerate my thoughts, but it also strengthened the lightning itself.

Anyway, my thoughts' acceleration made the arrow approaching in front of me look terribly slow, and I succeeded in avoiding it. Then as soon as I dodged the arrow, the surroundings' speed returned to normal, and the arrow slammed into the place I was just at like a machine gun.

"Huh?"

The girl's eyes widened at the situation where I had moved to another place before she even realized it.

"Puzzled. The attack just now should have been a hit. Why?"

The girl couldn't hide her confusion, as if she didn't believe it very much. But I wasn't going to let the opportunity slip away.

"Night!"

"Woof!"

Just when I called his name, Night figured out what I was thinking and immediately began to wear lightning all over his body, just like me. And at the same time as me, he runs out of the place.

"Huh! Fast!"

The girl's eyes widened as our speed increased rapidly. Earlier, I couldn't control this movement, but now I can manage my actions.

"Haaah!"

"Gaww!"

Night and I slash at the girl, trapping her between us, and she leaps on the spot.

"Fuh!"

With the momentum of the leap, she moved directly over our heads, and while twisting her body in the air, she fired several arrows at divine speed. However, they were no longer effective against us, who were clad in [Magic Attire].

"Haaah!"

"Gaaaaaaaah!"

We quickly came to an abrupt halt on the spot and went straight into the girl's direction. Of course, arrows were flying at us, but we managed to get through them. If there were arrows that we still couldn't avoid, we pushed forward while cutting them down.

"How about this!"

"Huh!"

I dove into the girl's bosom and released a kick as I twisted my body and launched it up into the sky. Finally, she couldn't avoid it and used her silver bow as a shield to prevent the attack.

However, the impact was not something that can be eluded. As she struck up into the sky, Night, who was anticipating the attack from me, was already waiting in the sky. While spinning forward with the momentum, Night directly transmitted the foot technique of Master Usagi into the girl.

The girl managed to react to Night's attack, and she still managed to block it with her silver bow, just like with me, and was slammed straight into the ground. The impact was tremendous, and a cloud of dust rose to the fullest extent.

"….."

Night, who was up in the sky, landed next to me and stared as alertly as I did at the rising cloud of dirt and smoke.

…By the feeling that I got, I think the impact wasn't something that she can sweep away easily as well…

The atmosphere is tense around the area, and a slightly cold voice comes from behind the smoke, still the same as when we first met.

"──Astonished."

"Huh!"

"Woof…"

And we're stunned as the smoke cleared, the girl standing unperturbed despite her wounds in front of us.

E-even though we have done so much… she still won't fall down…!

Perhaps it's a pure difference in status; the girl still stood firm in her footing even after receiving our full force attack, although she seemed to be taking damage. Then, while we froze in surprise, the girl told us in a matter-of-fact tone.

"It's confirmed. As I thought, you're a threat. I'll be sure to beat you here."

"What───."

The moment she began to say that, she raised her bow again.

"Master… lend me your strength…"

Then she muttered something. Unlike earlier, the arrow in her hand was replaced with a shiny white metal object that I had never seen before. Suddenly the arrow changed, and our alertness level was raised again.

But…

"You guys can't do anything from here."

At the same time as that word, an arrow was released, but it wasn't as fast as we were warned. Instead, the arrow that had been flying at us earlier was even faster. Despite our bewilderment at this, the girl's movements did not end there. She released another arrow at almost the same speed as the one that she had released, and this time she released the same wooden arrows as before.

Moreover, it flew along precisely the same firing line as the earlier arrow and finally caught up with the metal arrow. Then the wooden arrow crashed into the metal arrowhead and shattered. And the struck metal arrow accelerated──at a speed far beyond our imagination.

"Ugh!?"

The current me, whose brain and eyes should have been strengthened under the influence of the [Magic Attire], still couldn't follow the arrows that flew at me with my eyes. Even so, predicting the line of fire from the arrow before it accelerated, I twisted my neck, and the arrow grazed my cheek.

When the arrow I dodged hit the tree behind me, the momentum never stops, and it goes through the tree one after the other.

"Wa…!"

And that arrow wasn't just once. When I turned my body to the girl again from the stance I had taken to avoid the arrow earlier, there were already dozens… No, not dozens, but hundreds of the same arrows as before being released.

"It can't be true, right…?"

While I wish that were the case, the storm of arrows in front of me is undeniably real.

"Night, keep avoiding it at all costs…!"

"Woof!"

We continue to avoid flying arrows, judging them only by their initial line of fire. Although I also quickly activated a wind spell similar to the one I used in the royal capital, we had to keep moving as a result in the face of an attack of power that could not be offset by such a wind.

However, there's no way we could continue to avoid such an attack for a long time, and both Night and I, even though they were small, the number of scratches we got gradually increased.

"Damn it! At this rate…"

I can't think of a handful of cards to get through this anymore. As I continued to dodge in an impossibly dangerous situation, the storm of arrows unexpectedly stopped.

"What──."

──But it was the precursor of an even more powerful attack. At that moment, I saw the girl with her bow drawn so tightly that I could hear the sound even from a distance.

And then──.

"[Comet]."

──A single arrow was released, thrusting forward while gutting the surrounding trees and ground. It is no longer in the same dimension as the previous arrows.

I was able to avoid the arrows up until now, but the one that was shot at us now is absolutely unavoidable. It was an overwhelming blow that brought me to that belief.

All I could do was watch the attack in stunned amazement and wonder if I could somehow let Night and Akatsuki escape alone. However, the despair looming in front of us would not allow such a thing to happen, and that's when we were about to be swept up… by the strike.

(──[Heaven Fly].)

Part 3

The moment when we were about to be swept up by the strike…

(──[Heaven Fly].)

"!"

Something white suddenly interrupted the distance between us and the arrow, which was thrusting forward while wrapping around the surroundings. It stooped down to the ground threshold and jumped up at once at the moment of collision with the arrow.

And then, using its momentum, the white something… surprisingly kicked the arrow away. The kicked arrow shattered into pieces of wood, and its remnants scattered around. That scattered object alone spread the impact to change the surrounding terrain, but we were strangely unaffected by it.

As I watched the scene with Night in a daze, the white something that suddenly appeared turned its gaze towards us.

(I'm sorry I'm late.)

"M-master Usagi!"

What a surprise, it was Master Usagi who saved us from our predicament! Master Usagi narrowed his eyes in amusement when he noticed that lightning was clinging to our bodies.

(Hou… That's a pretty interesting idea. That kind of idea is a good stimulus for me, who hasn't mastered magic yet. I'll take a look at it for reference, okay?)

"A-as you wish… I mean, it's not the time for that now!"

I couldn't help but reply straightforwardly, but that's not the case right now. I mean, if the current [Magic Attire] could be used by Master Usagi too, wouldn't the distance between us be even further?

While simultaneously realizing the current situation and sad reality, Master Usagi turned his gaze to the mysterious girl.

(Now, we've met again──Yuti.)

"Eh?"

"Huh? How, my name…"

Master Usagi's words startled me. Could it be that… she's Master Usagi's acquaintance? If so, why did I get attacked?

Then Master Usagi snorted.

(Hmph. After you attacked me, I was just curious, so I looked into you. But thanks to that, I'm convinced. …You're the successor of the "Bow Saint," right?)

"Huh?"

"….."

The girl called Yuti was silent in response to Master Usagi's question. But it looks to me as if she's saying that's the answer. I mean, did master just say that she is the successor of the "Bow Saint"? Does that mean that the girl in front of me has a master of existence who bears the same "Holy" title as me?

But that makes it even more confusing. The existence of the "Holy" is to protect the world from the "Evil" and all the other negative emotions in this world, right? So what does that have to do with me? Eh, am I that "Evil" or something? Is it because I'm from a different world? But then, I should have already been beaten up when I met Master Usagi.

Ignoring me, who was already confused for no reason, master continued.

(I haven't seen that fellow for a long time now, but… I never thought that she would have been killed.)

"Huh!"

At master's words, Yuti glared at master fiercely and then turned his hateful gaze on me as well.

"…I will avenge my master. So, I will take revenge on this world."

(Do you really think that's what she wants?)

"Shut up. What do you know about any of it? You're do nothing until the "Evil" appears."

Then she uttered her fury as if her previous attitude were a lie, and continued.

"No. Master is not like you. She has always protected humans. And yet… and yet. Betrayal. You, humans, have betrayed her. You have forgotten about the master. And you killed her."

I couldn't hide my surprise at the girl's words. I don't know the details of the situation from the current conversation, but at least her master… was probably the one who was crowned "Holy." A mere mortal killed such a great person.

But unlike me, who was surprised, Master Usagi had a somewhat sad expression on his face.

(…That fellow wouldn't have resisted. Even if she was deemed unnecessary by the people she was protecting, she would have accepted it as good and took it without a word.)

"….."

(But even if that's the case, we "Holy" must protect the world from "Evil." That's our mission, our contract with this world. We are not allowed to break that and use that technique to destroy the world in the same way as the "Evil.")

"So what? I inherited my skills from my master's. But I didn't inherit the "Bow Saint." That's why I don't know about that "Holy" contract."

(That's not going to solve anything.)

"You don't know. Then you can stop. But that's not possible. ──Because you're going to die here."

(Hah! Oy, stop freaking out! She's coming!)

"E-eeh! I mean, we have no idea what's going on here!"

(Do you really look like I can explain this situation to you?)

"I-I know that!"

However, if an attack like the one earlier is unleashed, there's nothing I can do about it. However, perhaps sensing my feelings, Master Usagi said simply.

(I'll block the big attack. So you guys should do something about that girl.)

"That's unreasonable!"

(You must do it even if it's unreasonable. You couldn't fight the "Evil" if you like that.)

"No, I don't even want to fight!"

Of course, in order to live safely in this world, it would be good if I had enough power to resist that "Evil," but it's not that easy. Or rather, if possible, I just hope that I don't encounter such a dangerous existence.

However, Master Usagi doesn't seem to have any intention of changing what he once said, and he keeps rushing in more and more by himself.

"Aah, geez! We will go too!"

"Woof!"

We immediately applied our [Magic Attire] and ran at full speed to get to Yuti, and a large number of arrows attacked us to keep us away from her. When will she run out of arrows?

There is no end in sight to her attacks, as much as I would like to complain about it, but anyway, we managed to slip into Yuti's bosom, dodging the storm of incoming arrows and having Master Usagi block the attacks that we sometimes don't seem to be able to block due to our delayed reaction.

"Haah!"

"Kuh!"

I don't know if she knows the effect of the [Omni-Sword] I have, but Yuti is successfully repelling my attacks while using her silver bow to defend against the attacks from Night.

(Hey, that's not exactly the way you train! Use your legs!)

"Are we still training in this situation?"

(Isn't it obvious?)

I don't know what's obvious anymore, but if I didn't use my legs as the main focus here, the rest would be scary, so I'd have to deal with it quietly and only with my foot technique.

Even so, after the situation remained tense for a while, Yuti suddenly jumped backward as hard as she could, as if taking a considerable distance. Simultaneously, she began to draw her bow to the extreme again, like the arrow she fired just before Master Usagi arrived.

"Oh, no!"

I moved quickly to stop her at the sight of that, but for some reason, even though she shouldn't have fired an arrow yet, wooden arrows suddenly flew in from around her.

"How come!?"

(Hmph. In the last attack, she had probably sent several arrows flying around the area to blend in. Those arrows flew in advance are just attacking at the exact time she calculated.)

"J-just as she calculated, you said… so how can she aim at me like this!"

(Who knows, I can only say it's because the "Bow Saint" was doing the same thing.)

"It's absurd!"

I really don't see the point of letting an arrow go beforehand and then attacking with it! In response to my unintentional shouting, Master Usagi, who was running along with me, aiming at Yuti, said something even more outrageous.

(Well, Yuya.)

"Yes?"

(You saw what I did before, right?)

"Huh?"

I wonder if he means the move he did before…? Is it the one that made that ridiculous arrow leap up from the ground threshold and turn that ridiculous arrow into a piece of wood?

As I tilted my head, unable to understand the flow of the conversation, Master Usagi grinned.

(For now, you use that technique to stop the arrow. I'll stop the little girl's movements while I have the opportunity to do so.)

"Eh, no, no, no! That's impossible!"

(Just do it. Night, follow me. …Let's go!)

"Wait, eeeeehhhhh!?"

This is a very sudden request. Without the time to complain, Master Usagi ran through at a speed that even I, who was wearing [Magic Attire], couldn't catch up with. Or rather, even with [Magic Armor], I still can't catch up in the end, huh!

Then, as soon as Master Usagi sped up, the girl released the arrow she'd been pulling out! That arrow, just as before, chopped up the surrounding trees and rammed into me in a kind of tornado form while gouging out the ground.

I didn't have time to avoid or defend against it when it came to this point, and as a result, I was forced to move as Master Usagi had said.

"Aah, geez! I have to do it!"

I desperately remembered Master Usagi's move earlier. As I recall, he had stooped down to the ground thresholds once, but that was to release his power all at once, right?

Thinking that, I didn't stoop down like Master Usagi, but instead, I twisted my body and concentrated my power to make my body as compact as possible. And the moment the arrow and I made contact; the concentrated power exploded at once.

"Haaaaaaah!"

I jumped up at once, twisting my body into a spiral, and slammed a kick into the arrowhead while letting my body go with the flow. Then, with the addition of the rotation, my kick successfully shattered the arrowhead.

…It's a bit of a rush, but I was conscious of the spiral that was written in various martial arts books that I got at the secondhand bookstore when I first opened the door to another world. Even the spear books said to be conscious of the spiral, and the spiral concept may be one of the quintessential martial arts concepts. Some of the books I bought said that a spiral represents the whole universe.

However, I didn't think I could really do it, so I land safely today, thinking that I have many things to try out in the real world all of a sudden.

"Huh!? That's ridiculous!"

(───Now, it's over.)

"Shh───."

The girl's eyes were wide open when I smashed the arrow, but master didn't miss the momentary opening and went into the bosom and hit the girl with a kick that was more powerful than the kick I did before. Wow, it's hard to get over that easily.

The girl who was kicked off is pushing forward while bending several trees, and after a while, she finally hit a tree and slid down. That was a terrifyingly powerful kick, but is she okay? I don't think I'd be able to survive if I took that kick…

While being alert, I headed down to the girl who had fallen to the ground with Master Usagi. The girl was still conscious despite being tattered. A-amazing…

"Ugh… ah…"

(…Now, let's get you to speak quietly, shall we?)

"Hmm?"

I tilt my head at Master Usagi's abrupt words. He's going to make her talk it seems… what is it about?

"…Ooh! It certainly seemed like she had a connection to the Dark Guild in the royal capital, and you'd like to hear about her connections there. huh."

(No, I don't mean that.)

"Eh?"

That's not what it's about… well, maybe that's not the point from Master Usagi's point of view, but it's pretty important from our point of view. But from the expression on Master Usagi's face, it seemed that Yuti was hiding something more significant than that.

And──.

(You──Where did you get the power of the "Evil"?)

"Heh!?"

I widened my eyes at Master Usagi's words.

"You… it has nothing to do with you…! "

(How could it not matter? I'm the "Kicking Saint" and also the "Ear Saint." In order to protect this world, I have to fight against the "Evil".)

"Shut up…! Why? What is the value of those who killed my master? They continue to pollute the earth, growing in vain, and continue their unsightly conflicts. The answer. Worthless."

(You are not the one who decides their value. Of course, it's not me either.)

Master Usagi said coldly, but I couldn't say anything to Yuti's words. Her master was undoubtedly killed by us humans, I guess. And that too, by the existence she was supposed to have been protecting. If I were in a similar position… that wouldn't be very forgiving.

Yuti, despite being dizzy, struggled to get up to the spot, still carrying intense emotions, and stared at us.

"You people decide what they are worth. Then I will destroy the value…!"

"Whoa!"

(Kuh? As I thought…!)

Suddenly, a tremendous sense of intimidation was released from Yuti. Then things like a black haze kept pouring out of Yuti's body.

"M-master! Something that looks bad is overflowing…!"

(…Remember that carefully. That's a part of the "Evil" presence.)

"Is that it? Moreover, just a part of it?"

(That's right. That girl is already like a kind of deity, with the power of evil in her hands.)

"D-deity, you said…"

(It's like an evil god.)

I'm already exposed to an intimidating feeling that makes it painful just to stand there, but master says that this is only part of the "Evil" presence. No way, right?

The nearby Night also shuddered at the presence of it, his tail hanging down.

"Ahhhhhh!"

The girl wailed in lament and charged at us while wearing the black haze!

"Gah!"

I quickly took out my [Omni-Sword] and took a defensive stance, but amazingly, with a powerful attack that penetrated even that defense, blood was spat out of my mouth.

(Yuuya!)

"──You, too, will be erased…!"

(Kuh!)

Her beautiful gray eyes when we first met turned bright red, and she approached master with a movement like a beast without reason and struck him as hard as she could. Master quickly blocked that attack, but the shockwave from the collision reaches me, where I was blown away.

"I-it hurts…"

"Woof, woof!"

As Night hurriedly rushed over to me, I patted him to reassure him and quickly took out the [Complete Recovery Herbal Juice] from my item box and drank it down. Then I hurried back to master and was appalled to see the sight of the girl in an evenly matched close combat with master, who is a "Kicking Saint."

"Hey, hey… that girl's master is called "Bow Saint," right? So isn't she good with a bow? She was using a bow before! How is that possible to go head to head with master…!"

I was only stunned by the scene that was so far from reality, but I quickly came to my senses and shouted to master.

"M-master! What should I do now?"

(Don't ask me! I'm in trouble too! But I do know one thing… This girl is not officially "Evil"!)

"Huh?"

What does he mean when she has the power of "Evil," but she's not officially an "Evil"? Explain it to me in a simple way, please…!

Then, although he may not have read my mind, master told me while fighting.

(This girl… somehow has the power of the "Evil" but not the "Evil" itself! So someday I'm sure that the power she's using now will run out… but I can't tell when that will be…!)

"N-no way…"

(Even so, if I can manage this girl's "Evil" power now, I should be able to restrain it at least! So I have no choice but to keep fighting until this girl's strength is exhausted. Well, that is if I can hold it until then…!)

How ominous it sounds! If master can't stop her, there's nothing we can do about either! But when I see that even now she's fighting evenly with master, I can see that she's really in trouble. Even if Night and I want to help, we can't go in poorly and interfere with master.

That's when I thought… I'd have to just watch in silence just like that.

"Fugo."

"Heh? A-Akatsuki!"

Then Akatsuki, who had been hiding under the cloak of disguise, suddenly came towards us.

"Hey, Akatsuki! It's not safe here; you need to hide somewhere like before!"

"Woof, woof!"

Night and I say that desperately, but for some reason, Akatsuki shakes his head.

"Buhi. Buhibuhi."

"Eh?"

Akatsuki had a serious look on his face towards Yuti, who was fighting with master.

And then──.

"Buhii…!"

"Wa? T-this is…!"

Then a blue-white light emanated from Akatsuki's body and permeated the surroundings. Furthermore, an equally blue-white light came down from the air like snow.

This is… Akatsuki's [Sanctuary] skill! It's just more divine than the usual [Sanctuary].

For a moment, I thought it would heal me and master's wounds, but… right after Akatsuki used the skill, I realized that wasn't the case as Yuti's movements suddenly became worse.

"Wha… I-I can't get any power…!"

Amazingly, the black haze that had erupted from Yuti's body dissipated the moment it touched the light of Akatsuki's [Sanctuary] skill. Master, who was fighting Yuti, also sensed this and even looked at Akatsuki with a surprised expression.

(Don't tell me… you're not just a normal pig!)

"Buhi!? Buhi Buhi!"

Akatsuki stomped on the ground on the spot as if to say that master's words were something he didn't want to hear. Sorry, I thought so for a moment too. However, it seemed that master's reaction was different from my surprise. It was because he had some insight into Akatsuki's race. What exactly is that?

Well, there are a lot of things I want to ask about from Akatsuki and master, but right now the girl in front of us is first, so master sneaked into Yuti's bosom, who was not moving fast enough.

"Ugh!"

(──Just sleep now!)

"Guh!"

After getting struck once more, Yuti fell straight to the ground, and this time she lost consciousness.

(Phew… It gave me a cold sweat.)

Once he was sure that Yuti was completely unconscious, master finally took a breath. Then he turned his gaze to Akatsuki, who was immediately blown out of Yuti's black haze.

(…I didn't realize it myself, but I didn't expect you to have that power…)

"Uhm… master. Does master know anything about Akatsuki's power?"

(Of course. Didn't I explain to you before why "Evil" is born and why we "Holy" are born?)

"Y-yes. As I recall, "Evil" is the crystallization of the negative aspects of this world's creatures, and "Holy" is like a self-purification action to eliminate that harmful "Evil" presence…"

(That's right. And although I didn't tell you at the time, there are several other beings in this world that play a self-purifying role besides us "Holy." One of them is this pig.)

"Eh!?"

"Buhii!"

I couldn't help but look at Akatsuki, and he proudly puffed out his chest in response to my gaze. C-cute. …It's not the time for that now!

When I had Akatsuki use the [Sanctuary] skill for the first time, not only did I feel like my body was recovering, but there was definitely a sensation that my surroundings were being purified. I didn't expect that it was a skill to purify the presence of "Evil"…

"Um… Are there quite a few beings like Akatsuki?"

(No, these beings are still shrouded in many mysteries… After all, they are different from us "Holy" in the first place. We have mastered our own techniques, and as a result, we are recognized as powerful enough to oppose the "Evil" and are given a title by the world. On the other hand, this pig is an existence that can resist "Evil" from birth. In other words, while we are artificial, this one is natural.)

"I-I see…"

Apparently, Akatsuki was even more amazing than I imagined. Well, he had never been able to fight directly until now. Still, his recovery from the [Sanctuary] skill has been of great help. It's a great help when there's no time to drink [Complete Recovery Herbal Juice] or when there are many injured people.

His even greater power has been revealed here…

So this was the original use of the [Sanctuary], huh?

(But… it makes me more and more confused about this guy's race. When I think about it again, I've never seen a pig like this before…)

"Buhi."

(And Night, too. There are a few races that come to mind if I just look at his color alone, but none of them would be able to reach this level of combat power.)

Master looks at Night and Akatsuki with wonderment. Come to think of it; I've never explained about their races.

"Let's see… From what I've read, Akatsuki's race is called Mouju, and Night's race is called Black Fenrir."

(────)

The moment he heard the name of their species, Master Usagi froze in place.

(…What did you just say?)

"Eh? So it's Mouju and Black Fenrir."

(...)

Master Usagi fell silent again. Did I say something wrong?

(I've never heard of Akatsuki's race before, but… I didn't expect to meet a legendary being here… I see, a child wolf and that ability. I wonder what will happen when he becomes an adult… That's terrifying.)

"Um, master…?"

(…It's nothing. You guys have grown up more than I expected. I was just thinking of a new training program.)

"Eh."

(Rejoice. It's going to get tougher from now on.)

"S-seriouslyyyyy…"

The training of Master Usagi's one-on-one and actual battle style is already hard. How could it be when it gets even harder…

When I was already frustrated with the training that would become even more severe from now on, Master Usagi turned his attention to the unconscious Yuti.

(Now, about this girl's treatment…)

And after saying that much, for some reason, he turns his gaze towards me.

(Alright, I've left it up to you.)

"Huh?"

After Master Usagi said just that, he turned his back to us.

(I'm tired today. I'm going home.)

"H-hey… eeh!? Isn't master going to take care of this girl? Moreover, this girl is an "Evil" one, isn't she?!"

(It's okay. She doesn't have that kind of power anymore.)

"No, but isn't he related to master?"

(Hmph. Rather than me taking care of her, you seem to be better at handling women.)

"That won't be true!"

(Bye-bye.)

"Ah, master! Masteeeerrrrr!"

Master Usagi ignored my restraint and leaped straight up into the air and flew somewhere else at a tremendous speed, using the air as a foothold just like before.

"….."

The three of us stared at the scene with blank eyes and eventually looked at each other. Then we looked at the unconscious Yuti again.

"…What should we really do about this girl…?"

"Woof…"

"Buhi~."

──In the end, I couldn't leave her alone, and I had to carry Yuti on my back and take her into the house.