Chapter 121

In Mia Rak, we fought against the knight Karon who turned into a dragon .

He lost his mind and went out of control, he had tremendous power, but with the help of Leona, the hero of Mia Rak, we were able to end the battle without sacrificing anyone .

It was a tightrope walk, but the gain was great .

We were able to complete the enhancement of the healing magic system . If I have the spare time, I’ll be able to take a look at a few of the best ways to optimize it . But now we have all the conditions to save Amako’s mother .

Our final destination: the Land of the Beasts .

After leaving Mia Rak, we crossed the frozen lake and entered the beastmen’s territory .

“After all, beastmen don’t make roads or anything like that . ……”

A little over a week had passed since we left Mia Rak, and we were making our way through a thickly wooded area .

There are very few paths here . So if it hadn’t been for Amako, who was leading the way, we would have been lost by now .

“Yes . If there’s a path, there’s a danger of ambush . That’s why we beastmen don’t make a set path, we just put landmarks . ”

Every so often I would find a scar carved into a tree or a pile of stones, which I guess were the markers Amako was talking about .

I don’t know where they are . ……

“I’m not sure what to make of this . They live deep in the mountains where it’s difficult to get to, right?　In addition, they don’t make roads and only have primitive landmarks . …… Not only is their culture different, but they seem to be from a different era . ”

“I don’t deny it . In fact, it’s a pain in the ass . ”

“Yes, it’s surprisingly easy to admit . It’s your hometown, for one thing . ……”

Nea is surprised by Amako’s lack of interest in talking about her own homeland .

“We beastmen have tried to develop in a different direction from humans . In the process, we’ve cut out everything that doesn’t need to be developed and built our own culture . ”

“Hmm, that’s interesting . I would like to see with my own eyes a culture …… that is different from our own . ”

“It’s not as interesting as you might imagine, Arc-san . ”

After leaving Mia Rak, Amako’s expression was not so good .

The reason for this is probably related to what she heard from Norn-sama back in Mia Rak .

”The beasts are looking for something . ”

I think that “something” is Amako . Of course, I don’t know for sure, but there would be no reason for Amako to be so worried .

“Usato, you look like you’re in trouble . ”

“Hmm, ah my bad . I was a bit lost in thought . ”

I’m not sure if my worries were showing on my face, but on the contrary, Amako was worried about me .

Is it that easy to read what I’m thinking through my facial expressions .

Should I just smile wryly and shrug it away . 　…… No, that would make everyone worry about me in a different way .

Let’s return our thoughts to …… the land of the beasts .

“Arc-san, there’s something I’ve been thinking about ever since we left Mia Rak . ”

“What is it?”

“It’s about the letter . ”

I called out to Arc-san, who was leading the horse, and touched the package containing the last of the letters .

I’ve given the letter to three places so far – Lukvis, Samaria and Mia Rak – but this last destination is going to be different then the previous two .

“Is it better… . . If we don’t hand it over?”

The relationship between beastmen and humans is not very good .

As Falga-sama said before leaving Mia Rak, beastmen hate humans . It is impossible for us to give them a letter asking for help .

In fact, they might even think that we are agitating them .

“I am sure they will not react very well . ”

“Yes, that’s true …… . ”

“But we won’t know until we go there . There are not many people who have entered the land of the beasts . The majority of them have entered for evil purposes, but not us . ”

Arc-san  turns his gaze to Amako, who is standing next to me .

“You have come this far for Amako-dono’s mother . That is unmistakable good will and sincerity . The beastmen have only responded to hostility with hostility . If we can approach them, we may be able to create a situation where we can offer our cooperation . ”

“…… Arc-san is right, not all beastmen are uncommunicative . There are more hard-headed people, but there are also people who understand if you talk to them properly . ”

A compromise, huh?

…… This reminds me of the first time I spoke to Amako .

You can say that the journey to this point began when I caught Amako, who showed me a premonition that Kazuki and Inugami senpai would be killed by Ferrum .

Not even half a year has passed since then, but so many things have happened that it seems like years ago already .

I was feeling a little sentimental, and Nea on my shoulder let out an exasperated sigh .

“I’m sure you’ll be fine as long as you do what you always do . Because you are such a freak that you can get along with demons like me and Bluerin, right?　I think it’s creepy that you’re worried about meeting a beastman now . ”

“That’s a terrible thing to say, isn’t it, Nea? …… I was seriously worried about it……”

“Ho ho ho, I’m laughing at your seriousness . You’re a bit of a haphazard kind of guy—–!!  I’m sorry!　Stop flicking your fingers!”

I silently flick her forehead as Nea holds her forehead with her wings and cried .

And she says we get along together .

She didn’t deny that, so I kept quiet .

“As a matter of fact, I think that Usato-dono will be fine . ”

“Are you sure about that …… . ”

I tilt my head at Arc-san, who says it in an unusually vague way .

“The journey so far has not been an easy one . That’s exactly why you are here today, after overcoming so many trials that you could have broken down at some point . ”

“Haha …… . Part of it is like I’ve stuck my neck out on my own, though . I’ve been …… really, really giving you troubles . ……”

I think objectively I have really made a mess for Arc-san, from being manipulated by Nea, to having Samaria’s historic bell destroyed, to fighting alongside a powerful enemy .

“I don’t regret following you at all, you know?　In fact, I’m glad I did, because it’s been a great adventure . ”

I can’t say anything to him who just answered so casually .

I’m really blessed with my friends …… .

I know I keep saying this, but I get myself into a lot of trouble .

Normally, people would want to get away from me being a troublemaker .

“……”

I look at Nea on my shoulder and Amako and Bluerin walking behind me .

Amako came along to help her mother, but so far she has not complained one bit about coming along .

I’m not sure what to make of that .

She’s my partner, and in a way she’s probably the person I feel the most connected to .

“Usato, your eyes looks kind of soft . Are you okay?”

“N-Normally you’ll only show a scary face, but ……, pl-please be positive . ”

“Guaaa~”

“What do you guys normally think I am?”

Just when I’m feeling a bit sentimental, there it is!

And Nea is really freaking out!

What’s wrong with me being nice to her? I’m sure you’ll be able to understand what I’m talking about .

I got goosebumps when I imagined …… .

What can I say? I’m reminded that Rose is the best fit for me, as she has always been tough in terms of image . It’s just sad that I’ve got used to it .

“Hmm? Didn’t you have two swords now?”

“Oh, this you mean?”

He took out the sword from his waist .

In addition to the sword he always carries, he also has another, slightly smaller sword on his hip .

“I got it as a backup sword, just in case . Considering what I’ve been through, I thought one sword would be very insufficient . ”

“Ah …… that’s true . ”

At the time with the wicked dragon I broke his sword, and this time it was also shattered by Karon’s wings .

Thinking about it, it’s a good idea to have a spare sword .

“I don’t like the idea of having my sword broken at a crucial moment and not being able to do anything about it . ”

“Haha ……”

A flame knight who skillfully wields two swords, one large and one small: …… That sounds cool just imagining it .

…… What would have happened if I had been able to handle magic other than healing magic?

I can’t help but chuckle at the thought of myself training as an ordinary magician without even meeting Rose .

I can’t imagine myself working with water or fire magic .

Let’s give it a try, shall we? Objectively speaking, I may be able to use any type of magic?

“Amako, Nea . Can you imagine me using any magic other than healing magic?”

I ask the two of them, and after a bit of deliberation, they look at me with a subtle expression .

“Punching, maybe: ……?”

“Throwing, maybe?”

“Oi, I was asking about magic, why are you guys only naming physical moves?”

Did I say something wrong ……?

Or iss it that? They already have an image of me fighting and associate that .

“—, Usato!”

“Hm, what’s wrong?”

As I was pondering my future direction, Amako’s ears suddenly perked up and she looked back at me with a shocked look on her face .

“There’s something flying at you from diagonally right above!”

“What?”

At Amako’s words, I reflexively look up in the diagonal direction .

At that moment, with a sound of wind, I saw two arrows coming at me, ready to pierce my torso .

“Hhup!”

With reflexive moves, I deployed my right hand gauntlet and grabbed the two arrows .

The speed is slower than Karon’s awakened attacks .

But why did the arrows fly at her?

“Hey, Amako . If you hadn’t warned me, would this arrow have hit me?”

“No . you couldn’t catch it, but you could have dodged it . ”

“Yeah, but I would still have to dodge …… . ”

“But instead, Nea would’ve been thrown to the ground . ”

“Why me?”

Aside from the fact that Nea is looking at me like I’m crazy, I’d like to talk about the attacker who came after me .

If they mistook me for someone else and shot an arrow at me, I could get away with it, but…

“Not so fast, ……!”

I grabbed the arrow again, snapped it, and threw it to the ground .

It’s obvious that they’re only aiming at me .

If it’s not a mistake, it’s a clear sign of hostility .

“There!”

In the direction from which the arrow came, there was a sign of a person . The person who shot the arrow at me is probably a beastman .

Since they’re already attacking me, there’s no point holding back .

I create a healing magic bullet with my right hand and throw it in the direction of the voice . The healing magic bullet, which flew straight ahead, struck a leafy branch some distance away and scattered .

A pathetic voice echoes .

“Tsk, a miss huh…”

“Usato, your face, your face . You’re starting to look like a villain . ”

The …… sudden attack made my words and actions wild .

I took a small deep breath and once I calmed down I was on the lookout for any other arrows flying at me .

“Usato-dono, are you alright!”

“Yes, I’m fine . But I can’t believe they’re suddenly shooting arrows at me . …… I knew that this is the normal response to humans but……!　Crap ……!”

“I can’t help but be surprised that you think you’re being treated like a human after you grabbed the arrows with impunity and even fought back …… . ”

Ignoring Nea’s words, I stare hard in the direction of whoever shot the arrow .

Then I heard a loud rustle and the sound of someone moving in the bushes .

Amako, who was staring in the same direction as me, pointed in the direction of the sound .

“Usato, go and get that kid . ”

“That kid? Do you know them?”

“Yes . …… maybe . ”

Maybe .

Well, I don’t want to get in trouble if she knows them . I’ll just get her to clear up the misunderstanding .

“I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to do that . 　Let’s go, Nea!!!”

“Huh, okay . ……”

Probably, the opponent is a beastman .

It’s not something you can catch them with half-heartedly .

But when it comes to running with my feet on the ground, I’m good at it .

Author’s Note:

Usato: “Wow!”

In case you’re wondering why the attackers targeted Usato, it’s because he was the weakest looking person .

The theme of the sixth volume, which started this chapter, is “Trust” .

I wrote an activity report about the release of the fifth volume in the activity report .