CH 76

The lingering scent led us back to the school.



“Momo, are you certain that you’re not making a mistake?”



“Wan!”



I ask just to be sure, and Momo responds positively. Thanks, Momo. You’ve worked hard. I pat her head, and Momo wags her tail in glee. But to think that we’ll arrive at the school again. The person we’re chasing seems more dangerous that we have initially predicted. The dark wolf which suddenly appeared near the school. The smells that Momo detected in the park. And the mysterious individual.



With this much information, I can make the assumption that there is someone capable of manipulating the monsters. It’s not like I haven’t thought of the possibility of the existences of such skills. Not only did I have the option of becoming a “Monster Tamer”, Aka the slime also became our companion, so it wouldn’t be strange if someone could tame, manipulate, and control monsters into submission. And that is why I believe that this attack was incited by someone who has a skill like that. The person’s aim is most likely… well, either to strengthen his monsters or to level up.



By killing humans, monsters can level up. Perhaps, it could also give some experience to the master. If you want to gain massive amount of experience, it makes sense to sabotage a populated spot. After all, it will be very efficient… except it’s highly unethical. Personally, I don’t care what happens to others either, but I won’t go to the extent of purposely killing them to gain levels.



Rather, no one would even think of that plan in normal situations. If this person can execute this scheme without batting an eye, he’s completely crazy. This individual is too dangerous. Damn… this could be more serious than I thought. The culprit behind this assault— if the monster’s master is currently within the school, he’s likely to stage another scene. As long as others can’t see your status, revealing false information about your skill and occupation is a piece of cake.



Furthermore, infiltrating isn’t that difficult either because of the number of refugees here. Maybe that person is a student. Anyways, Momo claims that she smelled multiple monsters. That means the person possesses pieces other than the dark wolf. If he were to use all of them to launch another offense, it won’t be a laughing matter for the school.



To begin with, how did the person get the dark wolf to following him? Considering the timing, was it after its battle with us? Was it tamed while it was weak? No… even so, isn’t the skill too overpowered? Are there any conditions? Or something like a nasty constraint? In this case, thinking about it won’t really help, huh. Let’s forget about this for now.



“Wh-what should we do, Kudou-san? If we stay silent, the people here would… Ricchan would…”



Ichinose-san is showing signs of uneasiness. Her eyes keep alternating between the school and I, and she looks unsettled.



Yep, that’s the main issue here. To be honest, it’s not my business if something happens to these strangers. I take priority in my safety, so I don’t want to walk into danger on my own volition. As for the members in school, they should take care of themselves. If they want to live, they should think of a plan by themselves. At least that’s how this world works. But… “…”



I take a peek at Ichinose-san who is standing next to me. Her eyes look like they are trying to cling on to me. This must mean that that girl is an important existence for Ichinose-san. That Rikka-chan. Her friend.



“…”



Honestly, it’s a pain. But if I abandon Rikka-chan here, Ichinose-san might despise me. She might even leave the party. I… wouldn’t want that to happen. So that’s it. It’s just like the case with Momo. If I’m dealing with complete strangers, nothing would matter. But if I were to interact with them even once, some attachments will remain.



The desire to be liked. The desire to do something for them. Emotions that cannot be casually tossed out. Nishino-kun and Rikka-chan aren’t an exception. It’s not like they’re complete strangers. Even though they have not met me, I’d rather see them alive than dead. While having those thoughts, I scratch my head. Nothing is more important than my life. Others are only secondary. That has been my philosophy thus far. And this is why I have been distancing myself from others………………



This is really annoying. I don’t want it. I don’t want it. I don’t want it. I don’t want to do it. I shouldn’t have formed a party in the first place. It is influencing my behaviors and altering my course of action. Having said that, I heave a big sigh.



“Momo, if we enter the school, can you identify the culprit with his smell?”



“Wan!”



Momo nods.



“Ichinose-san.”



“Yes?”



“First of all, we’re going to break into the school like before. If possible, we will identify the monster tamer and leak the information to Nishino and Rikka-chan via Mail.”



“Ah…”



“After that, we’ll meet them somewhere people don’t often go to. We don’t know when the monster tamer will strike again, so we’ll leave this place the moment we finish this task.”



“Kudou-san!”



Ichinose-san’s expression brightens up. I hate myself for feeling relieved because of her smile. It feels like being told about the kind of person that I am. Well, it’s that. Someone that is actively hunting humans is too dangerous to keep silent about, and since this won’t be the last time we get involved with a group of other people, it’s better if we do them a favor early on. So this is for both Ichinose-san and I.



I convince myself with this reasoning. I won’t be able to go on if I don’t make this kind of excuse.



“Wafu”



What is it. Momo, what are your grinning for. Ah, whatever! Let’s go. Blast it all. And this is why we entered the school premise for the second time.