Chapter 79

The long nights of turmoil caused by the half vampire, half necromancer, Neah, is finally coming to an end .

My body was already at its limit, and before I realized, I was already knocked unconscious . When I opened my eyes, I found myself laying on the bed, the bed of the village that we were staying in just yesterday .

While I was resting, Ark-san seemed to have ignited and burned the western-style building, leaving only the black-burned framework of the once beautiful mansion . A large collection of burnt waste, and a large amount of ashes, and the ashes of the dragon remained .

Finally, after resting for almost an entire day, my fatigue and magic has recovered, and we went and visited the village chief before leaving .

“Even so, you don’t have to call out everyone in the village to send me off… . ”

“We must never be ungrateful to our benefactor of this village . Thanks to the disappearance of the necromancer, there are now no zombies wandering around the village . We can finally live a peaceful life . ”

Looking behind the village chief, the other villagers are there to send us off .

And of those people, a large bag is handed to Ark-san, who is currently loading the luggage behind him .

“To receive so much food from you……”

“In fact, we felt that it wasn’t enough . ”

I would feel bad if we received even more than that .

While refusing the kindness of the villagers who are approaching with vegetables in both hands, I noticed a woman approaching here, smiling .

“Tetra-san . ”

“It seems that you have fully recovered . ”

“Yeah, thanks to you . ”

Next to the old woman where Frank was helping her, the appearance of the village girl isn’t there .

Frowning on that scene, I decided to ask something I’ve been meaning to ask for awhile .

“If you don’t mind me asking…… Are you the only one who is living in such a huge house?”

“Ha ha ha, there is nothing to be mindful of . I have been living there by myself for the past 20 years . Because my husband and daughter were killed by monsters… . Since then, I have been staying there all by myself . ”

All on her own huh . So she has really forgotten .

But, I can feel that she’s actually speaking on her own . She isn’t speaking as though she was being controlled like a puppet .

Since I got to know what I wanted to know, I thought that I should just give up on questioning Tetra-san——-, but I stopped midway when I saw a hint of sadness from her face .

“Then again, it’s kinda weird . Even though I’ve been living on my own,  I feel like my home has suddenly become wider since yesterday . I wonder if I’m becoming crazy . ”

“…… . . No, you are still as energetic as ever, Tetra-san . ”

Having an emotion that she can’t speak about, I finally turn back and prepare to leave .

Shit, I guess it’s still impossible . It’s not easy to wipe out someone’s memory . Now that I have a glimpse of evidence in front of me, the feelings kept in my chest want to let out .

Then, Amako pulls the hem of my uniform, as though she heard the conversation between us .

“……Don’t worry . I’m not enough of a crybaby to soak in such sentiment . ”

“No, it’s not about Usato crying, it’s about time we’re leaving . ”

“Would you please return my sentiment?”

Looks like she didn’t care for me .

I can feel the burning emotions that have risen in my chest starting to sink .

“That’s what she chose at the end, so I have no say on this . It’s her own job to deal with it . ”

“That’s tough… . . Well, you’re right . ”

“In addition……”

For some reason, Amako looks at me .

What is with that rebellious eye?

“Usato’s still Usato . Aren’t you too kind for your enemy?”

“Rather than that, remember that my sole purpose is to help people? So I’m just helping them when they ask for help . ”

“But, look at what happened in the end . ”

I agree with that, but it doesn’t seem like I like it .

… . . Well, I don’t really care anymore . We have to finish with our preparations .

I checked the luggage, put the food we got from the villagers on the back of Bluerin . If we have this much, we don’t have to make a pitstop until we reach Samariar .

“Ark-sa~an . I’m done preparing here~”

“I’m almost done over here!”

Looking at Ark-san, who fixed our luggage securely on the horse, I once again turned around to the villagers .

“Though it was a short time, I wish the best to everyone . ”

“Yes, if possible, please visit us again . By then, we’ll have more hospitality than before . Until then, we pray for your safe journey . ”

Again, huh…… . . hmmm, yeah, guess I’ll come back someday .

While not feeling satisfied, I wave the villagers goodbye .

The villager is getting farther away . And inside the village, there is no village girl named Neah . Nobody questioned it, and from the outset, she behaved as though she never existed .

Surely, they don’t even know the end of the story .

The fact that they were being manipulated,

The identity of the necromancer,

Why the zombies wandered around the village,

A girl who suddenly disappeared from the village without a trace——

“Hoot . ”

After the village wasn’t in sight, a little black owl fell on my shoulder .

The small palm-sized black owl, shrieks with a hoot with its small wings folded into its small body .

I continued walking without questioning that the owl was flying at noon, and muttered .

“Is this okay with you?”

“… . . Hoot . ”

“Neah, you erase those people’s memories……Are you really sure you’re okay with that……”

“Hoot . ”

“… . . Oi . ”

I grab the owl that jumped on my shoulder without hesitation, and swing it upside down . When I look at the owl closely, which looks visibly upset, blatantly stares away from my peripheral .

This bastard…… .

Shaking the owl vigorously, the owl suddenly makes a girlish scream .

“S-Stahp it! ! Stop shaking me while I’m upside down?!”

“You little, if you can talk then fucking talk . You know how weird I look talking to birds?”

“B-But I’m an owl! ! And ordinary owls don’t talk! ! Hoot hoot—-!!”

“Shut the hell up . Ordinary owls don’t always hoot . So stop replying like that . ”

I don’t know the details of owls, but I know for a fact that it doesn’t make such an artificial noise .

As you might’ve guessed, the owl who is struggling to escape from my hand is the girl who disappeared in that village, Neah, the monster that should’ve been defeated as a necromancer .

She tries to flutter her wings to hit my hands, so I sigh and let go of my hand, by throwing it forward . The freed owl flutters its small wings and stays behind Bluerin, then transforms with a bang into a girl with black hair and red eyes .

“Sigh, so you’re really following us . ”

“Of course . That’s because our contract has been made . ”

She leans her neck forward, showing her right palm in a cute manner . In the center of the palm, a pattern-like magic circle is engraved like a tattoo .

And, my left hand has the same pattern as hers . Right now, nothing is drawn on the left palm, but if I put magic on it, a purple glow will appear .

“Why did you do something like this…… . ”

“Didn’t I say that I’ll wear it for a lifetime, right?”

“Then you wouldn’t need to burn your house where you lived, right?”

That night, after she signed the contract—–It wasn’t even a curse, no magic, just a simple familiar contract . However, the familiar contract she used was not commonly used in this world, but was largely modified . The significantly modified contract has been used hundreds of years ago, where it’s possible to forcibly forge a contract if both blood was paid without anyone’s consent .

One of the troubles with this contract is that it is more tied to a master-slave than the current simplified familiar contract, and it cannot be easily resolved .

Neah is certainly a monster . It’s no wonder she can sign a familiar contract .

But I didn’t think that after she made herself my familiar, she wouldn’t go into a rage . Moreover, while I was unconscious, she erased the memories of the villagers and burned the western-style building she once lived——I was even more surprised that she prepared to follow us .

“Fufu, it doesn’t make sense to leave a house that I won’t live in anymore? What’s more, I’ve bought something important with me . ”

Then, when she opens the bag on the back of Bluerin, I can see several black spine books .

… . . I was thinking whose bag was that, so it was yours? At first glance, it looks like a magic book . Since there’s nothing precious anymore, she doesn’t care if she burns the building .

“Sigh, well whatever . Then, why an owl?”

“Eh, isn’t it familiar-like? What’s more, it’s cute right . ”

“If you’re a vampire, then it should’ve been a bat . ”

“I hate it . I’m not some animal who sucks on blood . I want to be a cute creature when I transform . ”

Does she not have a good impression on bats?

Either way, the owl looks pretty, but the inside is ruining everything in many ways .

It’s hard to say that Rose and Kukkuru have similarities in taking black creatures as their friend .

When I turn my gaze to Neah, she struggles to hum while stroking Bluerin . Whether it’s because they’re both monsters, or because of her instinct, but she doesn’t have any ill intention on Bluerin .

“Once again, please take care of me, M・A・S・T・E・R . ”

“Pfft!”

Neah said with a full smile on her face . Amako, who was walking next to me, did a high kick . Kyaa!? As Neah falls down from the back of Bluerin with a miserable voice .

“W-What are you doing!!”

“Don’t get in the way . Bat . ”

“W-Who are you calling bat?! I’m a monster, not a beast… . . Let’s find out once and for all, who’s on top!!”

Neah jumps up and tries to return an attack, but Amako, who predicted that, avoided by flipping backwards, and landing on her feet .

Neah dive head first and performs a dynamic head slide . Pssssshhh! After a few seconds of silence, she stands up, wipes her eyes, and begins wrestling with Amako while weeping .

Looks like I’m watching a cat fight, but it’s actually a fight between a vampire and a fox .

Well, let’s leave them be . Some say that the more they fight, the better the friendship becomes .

“A weird person has followed us… . ”

“Ha ha ha, it will become more lively . ”

“Ark-san is on the other team then . ”

Because he was manipulated .

“Since we’re on our way . And since she really wants to go, we can’t just leave her alone . Moreover, I feel that she’s already been punished . ”

Punished .

Even after being suffered by the Wicked Dragon, and if the act of erasing the villagers’ memories with her own hands is her punishment, she might not have been punished nearly as enough .

“You’re right, her power could help us on our next trip . That’s what I thought . ”

I nod and agree with Ark-san’s words .

Restraining spell, resistance spell, and magic that is generally not good for attacking, but she seems to be helpful in neutralizing her opponents and protecting herself from attacks .

“No wait a minute . If she uses the restraining spell on me, I may be able to use that for training… . . ”

“I didn’t even think about it . It’s an idea that ordinary people like me would never think of trying to use…… . A technique of restraining yourself . ”

Are you complimenting me? Don’t, you’ll make me blush .

While grinning at his words, Neah, who has turned back into an owl, jumped over to my shoulder . I don’t need to ask who won because she’s gotten away here all dusty and dirty .

“……Right . ”

Suddenly, I recall the things I kept in my pocket, and take them out .

Amako looks from behind and takes a surprising voice .

“It’s the thing that’s inside the Wicked Dragon’s body… . ”

“Yeah, it’s a sword in my world . ”

A sword in a leather sheath that the villagers overlooked .

Neah sees the sword in my hand, and feels some strange power from it . When she hears that it’s inside the body of the Wicked Dragon, she turns her eyes with interest .

“It was written in the diary . Usato, it’s better to take good care of it . ”

“Hm? Why?”

“It’s a weapon used by the hero . Perhaps it’ll be useful later . ”

This thing, useful?

I don’t use knives, so there are endless opportunities to use them . But if I give it to Amako, the weight of the sword may become a burden to her, also Ark-san already has a broken sword .

… . . Can’t be helped, guess I should hang it on my waist for the time being .

I can use it to peel off vegetables and fruits .

Breathing out a huge sigh, I hold my sword between the waist belts, and Neah who was on my shoulder looks at me .

“What’s wrong?” 

“No it’s nothing . ”

She quit her lonely and manipulative life and decided to depart and travel to the outside world .

It doesn’t matter what kind of means or reason there was .

When I think about it, I remember the conversation I had with her early morning as a village girl Neah . I guess she wasn’t just seeking knowledge, she was finally able to step forward .

The girl who controls life and death is no longer in that mansion .

No daughter was protecting the village .

Right here, right now—–

“Something like a clown familiar . ”

Sometimes a little annoying, and noisy at times .