CH 37

The monster was repelled and we all gathered by the truck.

“This stupid…. Taiyo!!”

“Hiiii!”

What awaited Taiyo there was a scolding from Tsukiyo.

She put her hands on her hips and got angry. No, this is more than a pout. This is serious anger. It seemed that the cause of her anger was that transformation.

“I’ve told you many times that “Armor” is a trump card and that you shouldn’t use it too often!! Look, that form is certainly powerful, but the load it puts on the body is outrageous! And to use it in a fight with a common opponent before fighting one of the Four Heavenly Kings is …”

“Don’t worry, my body is fine.”

“I’m not talking about that!　The current attack may have revealed our position to Genbuou Basartes … Oh my god, you are such an idiot!!”

“Hey, I’m stupid!!”

“I know you’re saying that because you’re an idiot!　We were originally going to have Kota-san drop us off a little bit further down the road… For the safety of Kota-san and the others, we’re going to have to ask them to turn around and go back here.”

“Huh!? In the middle of nowhere!?”

“Yes, it is. Or are you trying to say something? With that blow, Genbuou Basartes has found out about our existence. There will be a lot of dangerous monsters coming out from now on…”

“Ugh…”

Hmmm. I’m too scared to say anything from my side. It’s true that the big blow was quite noticeable. If one of the four Heavenly Kings like Genbuou Basartes noticed, then we should probably turn back here.

“Tsukiyo-chan, calm down…”

“Do not underestimate him, Tsukiyo. Taiyo took a risk no matter what the reason is. If you don’t recognize that, it will be dangerous for us in the future.”

“Yes… I’m sorry.”

“Ugh, I’m afraid of Tsukiyo…”

I agree with you, but I think Tsukiyo is right.

It’s a situation where a 16 year old transforms and fights. Taiyo is excited, and I can understand wy. But if he did something wrong, he should be sorry.

This is real life, not a game. Lives are at stake, and there is no continuation.

I didn’t have a good image of the party at first, but I’m willing to help them out a little bit.

I looked at Mireina and the others, and all three of them smiled at me as if they had no choice.

“Tsukiyo, give them that much.”

“Kota-san, but…”

“I’ll make sure you have a safe ride. The truck is not without means of self-defense either. I’ll take care of the monsters on the way.”

“B-but…”

“Don’t worry about it. Just rely on the adults.”

Hmmm, I’m so cool.

Well, I’ll leave Genbuou Basartes to the hero party, but I’ll at least take out the monsters along the way. They’ll see my armament, but I don’t care. With the strength of this hero party, they won’t think of relying on me after this.

Then I heard Tama’s voice coming directly from the truck, not through my earphones.

“President. The Lizard survivors are on their way. The number is thirty.”

“I see. Intercept them, please.”

“Understood. [Gatling Gun] deployed.”

At the same time as Tama’s voice, the hood opened and three Gatling guns were deployed.

At the same time, the survivors of the Little Lizards swarmed in front of the truck.

“Gatling guns sweeping in. Extermination!”

Bullets were scattered with a loud sound, and the Little Lizard survivors were quickly reduced to mincemeat. Taiyo and the others watched the scene in stunned amazement. I’m going to be a little cool too. This is not a good time to be doing this.

“So, that’s it. Let’s go.”

Damn, I played it cool.

Maybe I should take down Genbuou Basartes at this rate. Heh heh, that’s a good idea. I could take them all the way to Genbuou Basartes’s position.

But I was naive to the end of the line.　

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“Whoa!?”

I was fleeing as fast as I could.

Because, from behind, a giant was chasing after us. What is this?

“A dangerous species, Cyclops. It may be damaged by our current defenses.”

“Hey, I thought you could defend against Behemoth’s attack at level 10!?”

“Cyclops is a higher species than Behemoth. The damage will be minor.”

“I still don’t want to get hurt!! And I’m scared!!”

I’ve pretended to be brave enough to ask for help from the heroes, but this is no time to say … that it’s not cool to ask for help here. The road is wide for a swamp, so we can fly, but if we don’t, we’ll get caught.

“Waa, Tama, do something!!”

“Understood. [Small Missile] Launching.”

Damn, I should have started from the beginning. When the missile landed on the Cyclops, its upper body was blown off. I learned once again the horror of modern weapons.

After that, I continued to drive the truck forward while defeating monsters that looked reasonably strong, and finally arrived at our destination.

“We finally arrived at a large open area.”

“Searching the perimeter …… This is the midpoint of the Sokonashi Swamp.”

“Oh, finally…”

I stopped the truck. Then, the hero party got out in droves.

I got out of the truck and faced them. Then Mireina and the others got out of the truck as well.

“Heh, old man, leave the rest to us.”

“Yeah, make sure you defeat the Four Heavenly Kings.”

“Be careful, Tsukiyo-san.”

“Yes, and thank you, Mireina-san, for the delicious meal.”

“Well, it’s frustrating, but you guys are much stronger than me, so … do your best.”

“Yes, I’ll show you how great I am. Kirie, I’m going to take him down quickly, and I’ll show you how great I am.”

“Yes, I’m looking forward to it, Chris.”

From here they proceed on foot. We’ll turn around and wait near the entrance.

When the hero party defeated one of the Four Heavenly Kings, they will give a signal, so we will pick them up, collect them, and that will be the end of it. To be frank, with a party that strong, a member of the Four Heavenly Kings should be no problem.

“See you later!! I’ll bring back the head of the Genbuou Basartes as a souvenir!!”

“No, I don’t want it.”

He’s the kind of guy who spouts lines like a manga character, isn’t he? Tsukiyo is going to have a hard time of it.

With a wave of the hand, the hero party left.

We got into the truck, with Mireina in the passenger seat.

“Then, let’s go back to the entrance.”

“… Yes.”

“What, are you worried?”

“… Yes. The King Genbuou Basartes-sama is probably aware of us. If it is the strength of the heroes…”

Shiny and Kirie appear from the aisle space behind us to encourage Mireina, who is looking down.

“Don’t worry. To tell the truth, that armored form of his is invincible. The whole body is wrapped with magical power, so even a Demon Lord level of magic won’t hurt it. He is indeed a hero.”

“And even if he gets hurt, he still has Chris. I didn’t think she’d even mastered fire magic.”

“… Yes.”

I’m sure Shiny and Kirie are encouraging Mireina. I knew our employees are good friends. There’s no bullying or harassment at all.

“Well, let’s go.”

As I was about to start the truck, a chill went through my body.

I gripped the steering wheel involuntarily, as if cold water had been poured on my neck.

“… What, what?”

“This is … a lie.”

“What’s this … feeling?”

“…”

Mireina, Shiny, and Kirie also seemed to feel it.

My hands were shaking with no idea what was going on. It had been less than twenty minutes since we had left Taiyo and the others, and we wondered if a vicious monster had appeared around us.

Then Tama made a warning sound that I had never heard before. It sounded like an alert.

“Warning. Warning. Maximum danger level. A monster that cannot be defeated at the current level has been detected. Retreat is recommended. Warning. Warning. Maximum danger level.”

“Oh, hey, Tama, what’s …?

“No way.”

Mireina, or rather, we noticed.

A warning at this time. That’s what it means.

“Super Dangerous Monster “King Genbuou Basartes” detected. Fifty of the super-dangerous species monster “Tyrant Turtle” are detected. Warning. Warning. You will not be able to defeat them with your current armament. Retreat is recommended.”

“Oh my God, … Tyrant Turtles!? … King Genbuou!?”

“No doubt. It seems that the hero party has made contact with King Genbuou Basartes.”

I confirmed this with Tama in a hushed voice. I had to ask this one thing.

“T-Tama…, can you measure the King Genbuou’s strength?”

“Yes, I can.”

“Answer honestly … can Taiyo and the others win against him?”

“…”

“Tama, answer me.”

It’s unexpected power. Even I, an ordinary person, can understand it.

I can actually feel the black, intimidating, cartoonish sensation of energy crushing the air around me. I could tell, even though the distance was so great.

“The result of the strength contrast. The hero party’s victory rate is 12 percent. Currently in battle… Estimated time until total annihilation is forty-five minutes.”

The four of us had our blood pumping.

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Annihilation. In other words, … death.

I was naive to think that I was right. I didn’t think the Genbuou Basartes was this strong. Taiyo and his team’s winning percentage was 12 %. But it was not a number that could not be beaten.

“What are you going to do, Kota-san?”

“…”

“Kota, are you going to help them …? If you’re going to go, we have to go now!”

Mireina and Shiny asked me. Wait, what do they want me to do? I’m just a truck driver. Fighting, demon lords, and the Four Heavenly Kings are not my thing. I don’t even know how to arm a truck, and I’m sure they wouldn’t blame me if I ran away in the first place.

“…President. I will follow …you.”

“Kirie!? You have your sister, don’t you!?”

“That’s right. The actuality is that Chris is prepared for it too. If I go to Chris here and start screaming, it will cause trouble for the president and for you guys.”

“B-but…”

“It’s okay. Thank you, Shiny.”

Kirie’s expression was the same as always. She clasped her hands together and thanked Shiny with a gesture as if she were praying.

How can she be so calm when her only immediate family is in mortal danger?

“Kota, what are we going to do! If we’re going to save them, we have to do it fast!!”

“But, but… we can’t compete with the armaments of the truck, and we can’t …”

“So you’re just going to abandon them? You’re abandoning kids younger than us!!”

“What are we supposed to do then!! Even if we go towards them, we’ll be a target too!! We’re carriers, not heroes!!”

“But that is …!”

“Damn … damn it, me too.”

The right choice would be to abandon Taiyo and the others here and run away.

There is a twelve percent chance of winning. A hot-blooded hero like Taiyo might even take advantage of that possibility. Even if we risked our lives to save them, they would turn on us. Even I know that much.

Then Mireina said to me as if she was praying to me.

“Kota-san, please … help the heroes.”

“Eh …, Mireina?”

“Tama-san, is it possible to retrieve the hero party and escape?”

“Simulation start …………… possible. Using the armaments to put up a smoke screen, the hero’ party will be retrieved while they are in the open. The chance of success is 18%.”

“Oh, hey, Tama.”

“…Kota-san, please. We, the “Agatsuma Shipping Company,” are in the business of delivering the client’s deliveries. Our job is to deliver the heroes to Olesanjo!”

“Yeah, you said …… that we are the carriers. So, we have to collect the heroes and deliver them to Olesanjo!”

“Oh, hey …”

I held my head and looked at Kirie.

“Kirie, you…”

” If it’s a job…, we have to do it.”

“Eh?”

“If you run away at this point, it will affect the credibility of Agatsuma Shipping Company.  It’s also not a bad idea to provide a favor to the hero party.”

“Hmmm, if you want to help your sister, be honest. You’re not very nice.”

“Gosh, did I ever once say anything that would make you worry about Chris?”

What is this? Why are they so motivated?

I’m still freaking out, but Shiny and the others aren’t freaking out anymore. In fact, they’re motivated.

“Ah, I’m just a regular guy. I can’t just jump into a dead zone like this…”

“It’s okay, Kota-san.”

“Yes, that’s right. You have us.”

“Yes. We’re here to help you, President.”

“…”

Give me a break, seriously. Where’s my peaceful life as a carrier?

Oh, God. Okay, okay, okay. Just go.

“Okay, no fighting, I’m just going to collect the hero party and take off. I’ll leave it to the hero party to deal with Genbuou Basartes. After that, I’m going back to Zenimouke!!”

“Yes!!”

“You’re too scared, aren’t you?”

“I don’t care. Let’s go.”

I let out a big sigh and started the truck.