CH 52

Fear and Despair

“You’re going to… take Lulu-chan…?”

“That’s right, as fellow otherworlder… I’ll stop your evil deed.”

What a joke, you damn spoiled brat.

Lulu-chan is my family, as if I’ll let you take her away from me. Perhaps you can’t accept slavery, but like hell I care. Forcing such self-centered justice, aren’t you just robing someone’s important without any regards of other?

Hero, my ass.

“Such challenge, as if I’ll ever accept it.”

“No, you can’t decline it.”

“…what do you mean?”

When I decline his challenge, this time the miko-clothed girl opens her mouth.

When she interjects, I get slightly irritated, I get a bit mad, but I put my usual faint smile and ask so. People says that smile is the strongest pokerface after all.

And then, she plainly answer in businesslike manner.

“In this country, strength is everything. That’s why anyone have to accept any challenge presented at them, that’s an unspoken rule… if you decline the challenge, then that means you lose WO. And then, according to this country’s rule, the winner could take everything from the loser… well, even if it says everything, the winner won’t take life or any minimum human rights, though.”

That means, if I decline this challenge, he’ll get the authorization to take Lulu-chan away from me… and if I accept this challenge and lose, he’ll take away Lulu-chan from me, huh. Quite a hero centered rule.

“Also, according to duel rule… aside from the concerned parties, no one could interferences.”

So it would become one on one duel for me against this hero, huh… to think that such an unbalanced duel exists, how outrageous. I’ve come to such an amazing place huh, not just unable to gain any clue, there’s even a great chance I might lost my family.

Aren’t you, quite looking down on us too much?

“…!?”

Immediately, I activate “Eerie Constitution”. The hero immediately takes a great distance from me, and brandishes the sword at his waist. Seems like immediately turning into duel stance.

If I can’t decline the duel, then I’ll have no other way but to run away somehow. I have no chance to win after all, if I take Lulu-chan away from this country, this country rules shouldn’t affect us anymore.

Leila-chan and the others are looking at us from the guild, the distance isn’t that far, but since the hero is standing between us, going there seems like to be quite a hard task.

“…you, won’t stop the hero?”

I helplessly ask so to miko-chan. Perhaps, at the very least, she should’ve realized that I didn’t oppress Lulu-chan.

Looking at Lulu-chan’s attire and the fact that there’s no bruise at her body, moreover the fact that she has such lively eyes different from the eyes of the previous slave, as someone who’s used to slavery as her, I’m sure miko-chan’s fully aware about that, isn’t she?

And yet, she doesn’t stop him. It’s whether she has her own motives, or she simply really doesn’t realize it.

“…I’m, appointed to support Nagi-sama.”

Seems like it’s the former.

I see, what a great follower. Very disgusting.

“I see… what a disgraceful follower, you are.”

“…“Field Rule”.”

Without showing any response to my word, she chants something.

And then, using her as the center, light starts rising from the ground. And then spreading, and when it wide enough to surround me and the hero, I feel like the area inside and outside the circle are separated.

“Seems like you have quite a twisted personality, so I made some insurance.”

“Insurance?”

“I just activated a special barrier. It’s only for a short amount of time… but as long as it’s still there, even demon lord itself won’t be able to enter nor interference us here… of course, we can’t come out of it as well… so, you won’t be able to run away.”

Perhaps she was angry to be called as a disgraceful follower, it appears that she has no intention to let me away. Straightening their master’s mistake is also a part of followers’ task though, or so I thought… what an ambitious one.

Nonetheless, since my escape has been blocked, that means I’m in a desperate situation, huh. These two, seems like these master-follower duo are already beyond help, huh. I even feel like there would be no chance for them to defeat the demon lord, at this rate.

“However… crisis is still a crisis… what should I do, I wonder?”

There’s a hero before me, without any escape route, if I lose, my family would be taken away from me. Moreover, my chance of winning is— zero.

“How about we start it… Kitsune-senpai, a duel without anyone interferences.”

Seems like I don’t even have the time to think, huh.

◇　◇　◇

The state of the duel between Kitsune and Nagi could also be seen by Finia and the other who were outside the barrier. The unarmed Kitsune, against Nagi who brandished his sword. No matter how they look at it, the victor was as clear as day.

Esprecially for Finia-chan and the other who were fully aware of Kitsune’s ability. Different from the hero, he was merely a weak H rank adventurer, after all.

“Kitsune-san!”

Finia fled and tried to enter the barrier. However, she was unable to step in as if she was blocked by some kind of wall. It wouldn’t budge even when she hit it.

Then, Finia unleashed a fire magic toward it, but as expected it didn’t budge at all.

“What’s it…! Kitsune-san!”

“Step away, Finia.”

“Wha….”

“Ei.”

And then, coming from Finia’s rear, Leila brandished her fist toward the barrier. An attack from an S rank demon, moreover quite a serious one.

And yet, leaving aside destroyed, there was no change at the barrier at all.

At that fact, even Leila herself was quite shocked. And then, after patting and inspecting it, she was convinced that she wouldn’t be able to destroy it.

“…this, sure is hard, huh.”

“Geez….Kitsune-san…!”

Finia was quite expecting that perhaps Leila would be able to do something about that barrier, but soon realized that even Leila had no way to destroy it. Grinding her teeth, she looked at Kitsune inside the barrier.

“Finia-sama…!”

“Lulu-chan… Rishe-chan….”

“We can’t pass through it…?”

“That’s right….”

Lulu and Rishe came over there, however after knowing the fact that they couldn’t pass through the barrier, they also could only grinded their teeth. They pretty much understood the situation, the hero challenged Kitsune for duel, and the miko cut off his escape route. Also, the fact that Kitsune had no way to deal with that situation.

Originally, Kitsune was the one that led Finia-chan and the others. He had no influence at battle, but he was the one who led these capable girls as one, like a linchpin that act as the core of the two blades of scissor, an indispensable existence. Regarding his battle prowess, he was nothing compared to the hero.

“Kitsune-sama….!”

Lulu shouted so in pray for Kitsune’s safety, while fully focusing toward him inside the barrier.

◇

Looking at the hero who was pointing his sword toward him, Kitsune thought about what to do. Thanks to “Eerie Constitution”, seems like the hero wouldn’t carelessly attack him, however Kitsune himself originally had so many openings, so it wouldn’t be strange for the hero to attack him anytime soon.

Moreover, if he didn’t find any plan to overcome this situation, Kitsune wouldn’t be able to have any chance of escaping.

And yet, however,

“…I don’t know what kind of card you hide under your sleeve… however, it’s futile.”

Saying so, the hero charged toward Kitsune.

—fast!

When Kitsune thought so, that sword had already stabbed at Kitsune’s abdomen, and pierced through his back.

“Gah… gu… aaa…!!?”

There, Kitsune was bewildered. Not because of the hero’s speed, but at the state of his body.

Originally, thanks to “Pain Nullification” skill, Kitsune couldn’t feel any pain. Or rather, he could resist any pain, however it was different this time. Pain was spreading at his stabbed abdomen.

Not just he’d already got used to pain, he never let out such a groan, and yet he still couldn’t understand what happened to his body. He couldn’t understand what was happening.

“Gu… that sword…!”

“No, this sword is just a normal sword.”

“Ugu… ga… aaa…!!”

*zururi*, the hero pulled out his sword of Kitsune’s body, and a large amount of blood sprouted out. And then, because of the pain, Kitsune dropped to his knee on the ground. Holding his abdomen, Kitsune glared at the hero. Without he noticed it, “Eerie Constitution” has stopped activated.

Looking at him at that state, the hero, who was standing before Kitsune, said toward him.

“As a hero, a have a certain innate skill. Its effect is to… ‘Nullify any skill activation of my opponent’.”

Hearing that, Kitsune recalled something. The hero’s innate skill, “Ray of Hope”, a skill that nullified any skill activation of his opponent, even when those skills were already activated. If this skill was activated, no matter who it was, they wouldn’t be able to activate any of their skills.

That means, Kitsune’s “Eerie Constitution” and “Pain Nullification” were nullified.

“…I see, by nullifying all of demon lord’s skills, the rest is just physical clash, and since as a hero you have such great innate abilities, you would be able to win, huh….”

Kitsune thought. What a sly hero. In the end, he would only fight against the weakened opponents. Such cowardice mean, a way that was very unsuitable for a hero, or so he thought.

“…in the end, that’s all your worth, o great hero.”

The air around Kitsune, changed.

Kitsune unsteadily stood up, and floated his usual faint smile.

It wasn’t like he had found a mean to win. Or rather, he was still at such desperate situation.

Nevertheless, as if he was the superior one, Kitsune stood before the hero, and pointed out his index finger toward him while floating a faint smile.

“You… which part of you that is of a hero?”

I won’t accept it. I won’t accept you as hero. No matter even if heaven and earth were collapsed, I won’t ever accept you as hero.

Kitsune said so with such a thought. At the strength of the fake hero youth before him, he laughed it off.

“What did you say?”

“You didn’t hear it? I asked, which part of you that is of a hero? Using a sword against the unarmed me, nullifying all of my skills and weakening me, and then mercilessly stabben my abdomen… you, what you just did was similar to stabbing a restricted baby with a sword, you know?”

“Wha….”

At Kitsune’s word, the hero’s anger was rising higher.

And then, irritated by Kitsune who was laughing with blood endlessly flowing out from his abdomen, the hero kicked Kitsune’s hand that was holding his abdomen.

However, Kitsune was blown away but he his legs didn’t come off of ground, even by staggering, he somehow resisted it without collapsing to the ground.

“Gofu… it hurts…!”

“I’m hero… unlike you, I won’t ever oppress a little girl.”

“Ahaha… you’re mistaken there… won’t ever oppress a little girl? Then, does that mean it’s okay to oppress me, I wonder? Someone who’s far way weaker than you, unarmed, and unable to use any skill, nothing but a mere normal high school boy… is it fine to bully me?”

“…that’s!”

“What a double standard, o fake hero.”

At Kitsune’s word, the hero couldn’t say a word.

He couldn’t muster any word to rebuke it. Surely Kitsune was weak, and at a state that couldn’t even defend against his attack, the hero attacked him. So the hero had no way (excuse) to rebuke him back.

Then, what is hero? If it’s simply defeating his opponent, then even someone who was not a hero would be able to do it.

Kitsune asked him so.

The thing you were doing was just bullying the weak, a far cry act of justice.

“In the first place… what are you planning to do after taking Lulu-chan away from me? Taking her along to accompany you at your dangerous journey to defeat the demon lord?”

“That’s… I’ll gave her enough money to live by herself.”

“Immediate good bye? Ahaha, she’s a little girl who only ever lives as a slave… there’s no way she’d be able to live by herself, right? Without any resolve to taking care of her to the bitter end, please don’t trifle at someone’s life simply to fulfill your self-satisfaction.”

“…self, satisfaction…!?”

Kitsune took a step toward the hero. The flowing out blood was dying the ground red. However, Kitsune didn’t stop his legs. One step, and another step, he approached the hero, till only several centimeters left separated them, he looked up at him as if to peered in at hero’s face while floating his usual faint smile.

“It’s just for your self-satisfaction, isn’t it? For saving a pitiful slave girl, I’m sure you thought that ‘I’m so cool’, didn’t you? Even if you would simply abandon her afterward, you thought that at least you’d do a great deed as a hero, didn’t you? ‘amazing, amazing’, you wanted to be praised so, didn’t you?”

“No….”

“If that’s not the case, then….”

Interjecting the hero’s word, Kitsune ripped off the bandage at his left eye.

“…!?”

A dark-red hole without an eyeball, and Kitsune’s right eye were staring at the hero. Looking at such gruesome left eye, the hero gasped and overwhelmed by Kitsune’s air.

Even though the hero was supposed to have nullified all of Kitsune’s skills, his body was trembling. As if “Eerie Constitution” was activated, he harbored fear against Kitsune.

“If that’s not the case, then save all the existing slaves. To just saving one of them—“

—isn’t that unfair?

Saying so, Kitsune laughed. The hero could feel his body was drenched in unpleasant sweats.

“What’s up? You were happy to be a hero, weren’t you? Being treated kindly by everyone, becoming someone who was completely different from the past you, being expected by many people, and then you just luckily found an ‘enemy’ like me. I won’t let you say that you didn’t have such thoughts. Sure, I feel like you do want to save Lulu-chan. You can’t accept the existence called slave, right? However, at the bottom of your heart, I’m sure you have such a thought, ‘If I defeat him here, I’m sure someone will praise me’, don’t you?”

Kitsune pressed him.

The hero’s heart was shaken, pierced and overwhelmed by his word.

As if to run away from Kitsune, the hero took a step away from him. However, Kitsune took a step forward as if not to let him away. Without any care of the large amount of blood he lost, and as if he didn’t feel any pain, Kitsune laughed.

“That’s… not it….”

“With the fact that your heart is shaking, and the fact that you can’t even clearly rebuke my word, the height of your hero capacity— is merely that much.”

The moment Kitsune said so, the hero took a great step back and made some distance from him. As expected this time Kitsune couldn’t pursue him, and a great distance was presented between them.

Even though he didn’t do any strenuous move, however the hero was out of breath because of the mental damage he received. His body was drenched in unpleasant sweats, his heart was shaking. And then, since his heart was shaking, his pointed sword and gazes were shaking as well.

“Gofu….”

“!”

There, Kitsune vomited out of blood. There was no change at his expression, however the hero understood that the injury had cornered him. With that, calmness started returning to his mind.

And then he thought, that his enemy was weak, and there was no chance for him to lose. No matter what Kitsune said, it wouldn’t change the fact that he was someone who possessed a slave. Indeed, he never thought about any legitimate reason that justified him for one-sidedly attacking Kitsune.

However, later matter should just be handled later. That was how he, ran away.

“What you just said sure were true, however… if I don’t save her right here right now, I’m sure I’ll regret it later.”

“Ahaha… so you run away, huh. As a hero, your state as if you were being scolded just now was actually very amusing, you know?”

Kitsune said so while laughing.

However, the hero had already ran away from that matter.

“I won’t be deceived anymore!”

“Ga… gobu…!”

Kicking the ground, the hero closed the distance between them. And then, with that charging force, he side kicked Kitsune. Along with cracking sounds, Kitsune’s body rolled over sideway, but the hero didn’t stop there, the moment he landed on the ground, he immediately chased after him.

And then, even while rolling, Kitsune could somehow regain his stance, but the moment he raised his body with his knee on the ground, his right shoulder was pierced by a sword.

“Gi… aaaaa!!!”

Unable to resist the consecutive pain, Kitsune let out a scream. From the impact for being stabbed at his shoulder, he collapsed with his back smashed on the ground and air leaked out of his mouth.

He somehow resisted it and grabbed the sword with his left hand, however the hero ignored it and kicked him flying.

Pushing down, not exactly that, but by pinning down the collapsed Kitsune with his leg, and with his sword at Kitsune’s right shoulder, the hero looked down on him.

“Haa… haa… it’s my win.”

“…no, I haven’t lost yet.”

If he lost then Lulu would be taken away. Thinking so, without any care about the sword at his right shoulder, Kitsune rose his body up.

“A, aaaaaa!!!”

Along with the sound of smashed flesh, Kitsune head-butted the hero’s defenseless abdomen.

—I couldn’t afford to lose here, I’ll definitely protect Lulu-chan.

Thinking so, he could ignore the pain at his right shoulder.

“…wha…!”

“Aaaaa!!”

Without letting out the hero’s opening after got head-butted, Kitsune brandished his ragged left hand and smashed it toward him.

Surprised by Kitsune’s do-or-die act, the hero spontaneously let his hand away from his sword, and took several steps back in stagger.

While standing up, Kitsune pulled out the sword at his right shoulder, and glared at the hero with eyes that said that he hadn’t given up yet.

“Haa… haa…!”

“Ku… you, to go that far…!”

“Never… I won’t ever let Lulu-chan away….”

“You!”

Looking at Kitsune’s tenacious act, the hero charged at him in irritation, and hit Kitsune’s face like this first strike he made.

“Gu…!”

“You, lose! You know, that you have no, chance of winning, don’t you?!”

“Gafu… ugu… go… kafu… agu…!”

However, toward the kept standing Kitsune, the hero kept smashing his fist at him over and over again. With excessive bleeding, injuries all around his body, and mind that had gone hazy, Kitsune suddenly dropped down his hand that gripper the sword.

However, without picking the sword up again, the hero kept on attacking Kitsune. Rather than the thought of defeating Kitsune, his expression said that all he wanted was to make Kitsune collapsed to the ground.

“Zee… hyu… zee… hyu….”

Kitsune’s breath was already ragged, however Kitsune was still standing still in his two legs. Thanks to Kitsune’s high reistance stats, it appeared that the hero’s fist almost met its limit already before Kitsune did.

With his fist in pain, the hero stopped his attack.

“Haa… haa…! Just drop down already… you’ve lost!”

“Wo… n’t….”

“…!?”

“Won’t… let… her… away….”

Kitsune, didn’t even half conscious. However, his willpower and his fear for losing his family, made him kept standing.

If he collapsed, he lost.

If he lost, he’d lose everything,

I— definitely won’t let it happens!

“Won’t, won’t let her away…!”

Toward Kitsune who displayed such tenacity, the hero harbored fear.

Kitsune’s whole body was covered in blood was if a ghost, his face was crumpled with bruises and blood, his right shoulder was severely gouged, his right hand was dangling down, and with the fact that he could only move unsteadily, he was at a state that could only be called as eerier.

The hero took several steps away from him.

“Nagi-sama.”

“…Cecil, huh….”

The one that softly called out of him from his back was the sole existence inside the barrier aside from Kitsune and himself, Cecil. She put his forehead on the hero’s back, and gently said.

“You’re hero. No matter what people say, you’re hero… there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Ah, right… you’re, right….”

At Cecil’s word, the hero slightly regained his composure.

He was still weak. Not his prowess, but his mind. He had practiced and sparred against many people and became ridiculously powerful, however he haven’t killed anyone yet. That’s why, he was overwhelmingly lacking in real battle experience. He didn’t have the resolve to take someone’s life.

That was why he feared Kitsune. Normally, with such severe injuries no one should be able to move at all, and yet he stood in his two legs there. Resisting himself from killing was something that the hero thought by nature. If he attacked him any further, he might end up killing him.

For the hero that didn’t have any resolve to killing someone, Kitsune was pretty frightening.

“He can’t fight anymore, if you simply brush his legs away, I’m sure he won’t be able to stand up again.”

As if abiding Cecil’s word, he kicked Kitsune’s legs. And then, Kitsune’s stance crumbled, and collapsed face down. Letting out a short groan, Kitsune tried to stand up again, however, he couldn’t muster up any energy anymore.

Originally, “Near-death Experience” should have been activated here, however because of “Ray of Hope”, this skill couldn’t be activated.

“This duel, Nagi-sama is the victor.”

And then, while looking down at Kitsune, Cecil plainly declared so. Simultaneously with the disappearance of the circle of light that obstructed any interferences from outside, Finia and the other immediately rushed over toward Kitsune.

“Kitsune-san! Kitsune-san!”

Finia immediately tried to invoke recovery magic, however, the hero’s “Ray of Hope” didn’t even let it to be activated.

“Why… why?!!”

Even though Finia desperately tried to invoke recovery magic, she felt as if her racing magical energy was running toward nothing.

“…as we agreed before, we’ll take custody over your slave.”

However, there, the hero said so while looking down at Kitsune. Hearing that word, Finia and the other looked at Lulu.

And Lulu herself, was shocked at that word. Then, when the thought of she’d be separated from Kitsune crossed through her mind, she flusteredly looked at Kitsune. And then, while touching her choker, she crossed at a certain idea.

“Kitsune-sama… please, give me order…!”

—order, an absolute rule for slave.

“Please order me not to go…! Then…!”

Then, the moment the hero took her away, the chocker would activate and kill her. The hero definitely wouldn’t let that happen. Or so she thought.

“Lu…lu, -chan… r….”

Kitsune was also aware about it, then he opened his mouth. However, she couldn’t hear any order from him. ‘why?’, Lulu flusteredly pondered so.

However, Kitsune couldn’t do it. Giving order to her, moreover with the possibility that it might end up killing her, he couldn’t do it.

“Why… Kitsune-sama…!”

“Lu, lu-chan… lend, me… your, ear….”

Kitsune softly called at Lulu-chan, who was suffering and shedding tears at Kitsune’s kindness.

Doing as what he told her to, Lulu put her ear near Kitsune’s mouth.

“…what is it, Kitsune-sama?”

“—–“

With a voice that could only be heard by Lulu, Kitsune said something. Only Lulu know what he just said. However, hearing that word, Lulu was surprised and opened her eyes wide.

“Kitsune… sama…. understood.”

The next instance, as if she had made her resolve, she stood up. And then, she walked up till before the hero and said while looking up at him.

“Please… take me with you… hero-sama.”

At her word, Finia and the other could only be dumbfounded.

“Wh, why… Lulu-chan!”

“…I’m sorry, Fini-sama.”

“Don’t give me sorry…!”

“Ah, right.”

Finia couldn’t understand Lulu’s conduct, however the miko, Cecil, stepped forward as if interjecting her word. And then, she crouched down near Kitsune, and took up the mask that was hanging at his head.

“…return, it…!”

“Valuable things would change people… since it seems like Nagi-sama isn’t particularly interested in slave, so… if you want to take them back then please correct yourself first and ask it properly later.”

Cecil said so. Shamelessly, said so. Hearing that word, Kitsune immediately understood something. That this woman, wasn’t as pure as her appearance. She was the type that would always acted after calculating about its gain and loss. And then, he was sure that she thought that, if she took that mask away from him for themselves,

—they would acquire an idea type fairy (Finia).

“Wait, that’s.”

“What is it?”

“….”

Rishe opened her mouth to stop her, however she was overwhelmed by the intimidating air of her word and eyes.

“Gafu….”

“…! Kitsune! Leila, take Kitsune to the guild’s nursing room immediately!”

“Kay… well, I’ll be troubled if Kitsune-kun die, after all.”

Toward the vomiting blood Kitsune, Rishe immediately took action to deal with it. If they brought him to guild’s nursing room, he should be able to receive a proper treatment, or so she thought. And then, unusually obeying Rishe’s order obediently, Leila hold Kitsune’s body and walked toward the guild, she glanced at the hero for a moment.

“?”

“…ufufu.”

The hero inclined his head in wonder, however Leila immediately averted her gazes and brought Kitsune inside the guild.

The one left there was, the hero and Cecil, Lulu, and then the one that confronted the hero and co; Rishe and Finia, those five.

“Return that mask… that’s an important thing.”

“Didn’t I said it before? If he corrected himself, I’ll return it… but if you’re that eager to take it back—“

“?”

Cecil closed her face to Finia and Rishe’s ears, and said with a voice that could be heard by the hero.

“That slave child, will die, you know?”

That word was, the finishing blow. Lulu’s life was taken as the hostage, and even if they wanted to fight them back, Finia was in the condition that couldn’t use any magic, and Rishe’s was no match for the hero.

There was no choice but, abiding it.