ol li Let’s Return to Town/li /ol

    * * *

    “…Haha, that girl, she actually did it!”

    Watching the Togūdo Commander’s severed head soar through the overcast sky far above, Kamasse let out a joyous cheer.

    “I’ll blow you towards the Togūdo Commander with magic. Then you slice off its head.”

    Those were the words Kamasse had conveyed to Emi during their brief strategy meeting just prior.

    Looking back, it sounded utterly ridiculous.

    Propelling someone to their target location using offensive magic – he had never heard of such an outrageous tactic.

    Could he even execute such precise magical control?

    And the Togūdo Commander was a formidable specimen.

    For someone smaller than himself to sever its neck seemed absurd.

    Yet despite Kamasse’s proposal defying all reason upon calm consideration, Emi didn’t voice a single objection and simplyplied.

    And Kamasse sessfully transported Emi to the Commander’s vicinity through magic, whereupon she beheaded it with that unfathomable power of hers.

    (……Heroes must be like you, Emi.)

    Watching the ck-haired, ck-eyed girl descend from the sky, Kamasse recalled an old tale his grandfather had often recounted from his youth.

    A real-life encounter his grandfather experienced when he was young.

    Kamasse’s family, the Kaisetsu n, had long operated a considerablyrge merchant business.

    In his younger days, his grandfather traveled as an itinerant peddler for training.

    During those travels, he unfortunately crossed paths with a monster stampede.

    A relentless onught surging like an avnche.

    Resigning himself to death in that dire moment, a golden-haired woman suddenly appeared before his grandfather.

    With a single swing of her arm, she effortlessly blew away nearly every monster closing in, saving his grandfather’s life.

    Abnormal. Supernatural.

    A power transcending human intellect.

    Undoubtedly worthy of being called a hero.

    Kamasse had idolized that heroic figure from his grandfather’s tale.

    Though his grandfather likely never imagined such admiration would drive Kamasse to leave home and be an adventurer himself.

    In any case, Kamasse superimposed that heroic image onto Emi.

    While she may not yet possess the overwhelming power to blow away entire stampedes with a swing of her arm, her current abilities already deviated from the ordinary.

    That was the makings of a true hero.

    A hero of the future.

    Kamasse was convinced of this.

    (……I can’t afford to lose!)

    And his heart burned with passion.

    He was a genius widely acknowledged by others and himself.

    Yet that genius had encountered an entity whose caliber rendered him insignificant byparison.

    However, Kamasse refused to be discouraged.

    Someday, he would undoubtedly stand beside her.

    Without fail!

    His heart zed with determination.

    Kamasse was a sore loser!

    ……But for now.

    His petty sense of rivalry didn’t matter.

    For the time being, he should simply wee the small heroic figure with a smile.

    “Wind, embrace and shield this one! 【Air Protect】!”

    The wind enveloped Emi’s body, allowing her to gently descend to the earth.

    She seemed bewildered.

    Herck of any particr reaction suggested she likely could havended safely even if left alone.

    From such a height?

    Just how? It made no sense.

    Even so, a man shouldn’t greet her without any preparation.

    “Hmph. Well, not bad at all. I’llpliment your effort!”

    Relieved the battle had concluded, Kamasse inadvertently slipped into his usual arrogant tone.

    Was it an attempt to hide his embarrassment? He couldn’t say for sure.

    But his face felt flushed regardless.

    “……Good work. Wee back, Emi.”

    Finally, he managed to offer a simple word of gratitude.

    Reflecting on how terribly warped his personality had be, Kamasse could only wryly smile at himself.

    In response to his words, the ck-haired, ck-eyed girl answeredconically while expressionless as ever.

    “I’m back.”

    However, her voice seemed to carry a subtle lightnesspared to usual.

    At least, that’s how it sounded to Kamasse.

    * * *

    THUD……!

    Trailing slightly behind me, the red damned bird’s body finally descended.

    Despite its massive size, why did it take so long to fall after me?

    Perplexing.

    Togūdo fly through magic, so even after their main body perishes, the magic power maintains their gradual descent until depleted. Hence theyndter.

    I see, not perplexing after all.

    In any case, with this, everything has truly been resolved and settled.

    I killed the leader of those damned birds, causing the rest to flee elsewhere in terror.

    ncing skyward now, all that remains is the grayish overcast.

    No more unpleasant cries can be heard, only the relentless sea winds whistling.

    The Togūdo invasion of Yoshanka that Kamasse worried about likely won’t happen now, nor any other issues.

    And so—

    Guuuuu……

    I’m hungry, so I’ll have this red damned bird in front of me.

    Munch munch. Gulp gulp, chomp chomp……

    “That’s why—aaaah!! Don’t eat it raw! Don’t drink the blood—aaaah!!”

    Kamasse keeps interfering again.

    Stop it, don’t shake my shoulders. munch munch

    “It’s dangerous, you know!? Especially with powerful monsters like this, if you don’t properly process them, there’s a high risk of ‘mana poisoning’!”

    “Mana poisoning”? What’s that? munch munch

    ……That’s irrelevant to Emi. You don’t need to worry about it.

    Oh?

    Is that so, Extra-sama? munch munch

    “And Emi, an adventurer’s job isn’t finished after just ying the monster, you know!”

    Is that so, Kamasse? munch munch

    “After a subjugation, you need to report it to the Adventurer’s Guild, collect the reward bounty, and only then is the jobplete. The journey back to the inn is part of the adventure! Remaining vignt until the very end is an adventurer’s discipline!”

    Ahh. You really are diligent, aren’t you Kamasse? munch munch

    In Kamasse’s raised left hand lecturing me was the severed head of the red damned bird I had decapitated.

    He must have picked it up at some point.

    “Going to eat the brain?”

    “No, it’s proof of the subjugation. This time, the guild has likely already been notified that I was fighting the Togūdo Commander alone. In which case, a rescue party for me and a subjugation force for the Commander may have already been assembled. It would be inconsiderate for the other adventurers to journey all this way to the northern cliffs fully equipped, only for the battle to have already concluded. I should return to the guild soon to report the full ount of what transpired.”

    ……I see. munch munch

    Well then, good luck with your report, Kamasse. munch munch

    “…………”

    What’s with that stare? munch munch

    I cocked my head curiously. munch munch

    “Don’t give me that ‘it has nothing to do with me’ look! You’re involved in this too! Obviously you’reing along to report as well! You’re an adventurer too, aren’t you!? Or rather! For this subjugation, you’re the biggest contributor!”

    Flecks of spittle flew as Kamasse thrust his finger towards me while bellowing loudly with his face pushed up close.

    But even if you say that— munch munch

    The fact is, I’m still not an adventurer yet. munch munch

    And more importantly……

    “It would be pointless for me to give a report.”

    “Hm?”

    “I’m a cursed child. Likely no one will believe anything I say.”

    In this world, the prejudice against ck hair and ck eyes runs deep!

    If I tagged along for the subjugation report, it might only cause unnecessary trouble.

    In that case, wouldn’t it be easier all around to simply attribute this entire incident as Kamasse’s sole achievement?

    “…………”

    After hearing me out, Kamasse cupped his chin in contemtion.

    But soon lifting his face, he met my gaze squarely and spoke.

    “No, I absolutely want you toe along for the report. Leave it to me! I won’t let you be disadvantaged!”

    shing a confident smile, Kamasse then grabbed my cor and began forcibly dragging me back towards town.

    Ah, aah—…!

    Wh-What are you doing!?

    The meat! The meat! The meaaat—…!

    “Stop squirming! I’ll treat you to meatter, okay!?”

    Well, I guess I’ll just go along with it.

    * * *

    By the way, here’s what happened on our return to town.

    The two of us walked across the grassy cliff-side ins towards Yoshanka, dotted with scattered boulders.

    “Come to think of it, why did youe all the way out to these cliffs? On some request?”

    “I heard Kamasse was in danger, in town.”

    “……So you came to rescue me?”

    “Yes.”

    “Why……”

    “I like you, so I rescued you.”

    “Eh?”

    “I like Kamasse, so I rescued you.”

    As a person, you mean?

    “………”

    Ah, your face is bright red.

    W-Wait, don’t misunderstand!

    “You like me as a person, right?”

    “Ah, uhh……eh?…….uhh”

    Stillpletely flushed red.

    Are you even listening, hey?

    Rather, don’t get so flustered just from a little girl saying she likes you!

    Just how inexperienced are you, Kamasse?

    ……Emi, you always say it yourself, don’t you? You’re a beautiful girl. It’s just your ck hair and ck eyes that are disliked – from this world’s perspective, your other features are quite beautiful. It seems Kamasse’s resistance to the ck hair and eyes has diminished considerably. Getting told “I like you” would make anyone embarrassed. Let’s kill him.

    Extra-sama, what’s with that killing intent at the end!?

    “…………”

    “…………”

    Aaaaaaahhh—!!

    What is this awkward silence!!

    It’s getting really awkward for some reason!!

    Honestly, it grew so unbearably awkward, plus Kamasse was clearly exhausted and moving slowly, that I eventually just carried him piggyback and ran the rest of the way using my 【Grasshopper】 dash technique. We reached town in no time at all.

    The outer town walls?

    Of course I just scaled them with 【Silverfish】.