CH 9

[T.N: Yuuhi’s POV]

I, Yuuhi was just about to confess a few minutes ago. Even I don’t know why in that timing. I guess I might be lonely from parting with Yuki-kun.

Well he kind of leave the reply hanging…but when we meet again, if I could avoid a forehead flick from him, Yuki-kun said that he would then confess to me. Eh? How did it turn into forehead flick? Well whatever.

“~♪” (Yuuhi)

So, I’m kind of in a very good mood right now. Although I only felt uneasy when I came to this world, right now I feel excellent.

I’ve liked Yuki-kun for a very long time…I didn’t even know exactly how long. When I noticed I already liked him, I don’t really understand the reason. Some people said that love has no need for reason, and I think that the current me understand that.

I’ve spent a long time with him. Naturally, Yuki-kun is important to me, and I think that Yuki-kun also values me greatly. However…no matter how close we are, I somehow felt that he was not from this world.

And today, I finally able to know the reason.

Yuki-kun had lived in this world…and thought about coming back here for a long time.

When I knew that, I really envied Eruka-san who speaks about it. She knows about the Yuki-kun that I didn’t knew, just with that alone I felt jealous.

I felt relieved when I learned that Eruka-san and him are not yet lover. The reason I confessed today, it might be because I wanted to be one step further than her.

…but Yuki-kun seems to be very popular in this world…what should I do if there are many women by the time we met…

“…well, I’ll leave that to the me at that time.” (Yuuhi)

What would I think about it, I wont know as I am still not in that situation yet. However…it might not be all that unpleasant. Seeing as they are all people who came to like him, I think that I might be able to get along well with them too.

――――――What should I do if she’s not a human?

Oops, I’ve been thinking while walking, I’ve already returned back to the center of the town without noticing. Although it was terribly bustling before, most of the shops are already closed with almost no one here, there are only people at the bar.

I too must return to the castle in time for dinner…although I might be a bit late, eating together with everyone is the best…even though it’s just Kouma-kun and the others.

“Yuu!” (???)

A voice could be heard from behind me who is walking a bit fast.

The only people that would call me Yuu is Kouma-kun and Mizuki-chan, and not Jiro-kun.

When I turn around the one that stood there is Kouma-kun alone.

“Huh? What’s wrong Kouma-kun?” (Yuuhi)

He should have been resting in the castle today like he said. Since using the Holy Sword skill consumed a lot of stamina, Grein-sensei had told him that taking a rest is important.

“No…I’ve been looking for Yuuhi since you didn’t show up.” (Kouma)

…huh? Didn’t I already tell everyone that I’m going shopping today? Although it’s not possible to tell them that it was just Yuki-kun and me since it’s embarrassing, I think that I did told them when I go out in the morning…

“Let’s go back, Yuu. It’s going to be dinner soon.” (Kouma)

“U-un. You’re right.” (Yuuhi)

It’s a bit dark and I can’t really see his expression… but I think he’s a little bit angry. I wonder if I did something bad?

“Let’s go?” (Kouma)

“――――――Eh?” (Yuuhi)

Kouma-kun grabbed my hand. Pulling it just like that, it’s not like I won’t go even if you didn’t do that, so why would he act that way?

“Say, Yuuhi. Do you want to go shopping with me in town on our next rest day?” (Kouma)

“Shopping?” (Yuuhi)

Kouma-kun ask that without turning towards me.

Although I’m happy with the invitation, I’m going to be coached by Eruka-san on the holiday. Since I already expected that my holiday is no more after agreeing to that, taking a rest on that day just because another business came up is inexcusable. She’s abandoning her holiday with me too after all.

All of this is so that I can be with Yuki-kun, so although I’m flattered that Kouma-kun invited me, I have no other choice but to refuse.

“I’m sorry, my schedule is full on the holiday.” (Yuuhi)

When I tell him that, Kouma-kun just said “is that so? And back down. Somehow I’m kind of felt bad for him.

“――――――You didn’t want to spend time with me because you want to spend the holiday with that guy huh.” (Kouma)

“ ? Did you say something?” (Yuuhi)

“No…it’s nothing.” (Kouma)

Although I’m unable to hear it since it’s just a small mutter, I didn’t pursue it since he said it’s nothing.

I felt his grip on my hand is getting stronger.

Although I want to ask him to let go since it hurts a bit, seeing Kouma-kun’s face being too serious, I can’t say anything.

As I thought he’s acting a bit weird today, is how I felt.

That night, I asked Mizuki-chan about how Kouma-kun is acting.

She said, “although it seems that he spend the holiday reading a book and taking naps, but I heard him saying that he’s going to look for Yuuhi who’s returning late”.

“Although I told him not to worry too much, 『What would you do if she go to the dangerous place in the town!?』 is what he keep on saying…as expected of Kouma I guess, so maybe he went to town outskirts looking for you.” (Mizuki)

Mizuki-chan said that with an astonished look. I wonder what she’s implying?

…I mean I’m not so careless that he needs to be worried. Well, I did go to the town outskirts though.

N? …the outskirt?

Did he really come looking for me at the town outskirt?

(It should be around evening if he sets out looking for me from the castle)

In other words, its at the time when Yuki-kun and I were saying goodbye――――――

(…Don’t tell me he heard about that(confession)…)

My face turned red as soon as I thought about that, I’m at my wits end in the room.

――――――Having other people listen to my first confession, that is way too embarrassing.

I keep on thinking about what I should do, everyone else were already fast asleep, I’m the only one awake.

Dark circles could be seen under my eyes when I came out of the room the next day.

[T.N: POV change to MC

“Fuaaahh~~.” (Setsu)

――――――Inside a forest approximately around 100km away from Destinea, I woke up in response to the morning sun that is peeking from the gap of the trees.

I need to go to the port town first to cross the continent.

Although I should have already left the port town right now――――――

(Just where the hell am I…)

―――――I who lacked the composure after leaving Yuuhi when I left the country just keep on running, and then I noticed that I’m here. Although I saw maintained road used by merchants on the way, as I keep on running nonstop without care, before I noticed it I’m already in this forest without any road.

――――――In short, right now I’m lost.

Since I got sleepy by the time I noticed I’m lost, although I’m sleeping in such a place, everything is fine since I’ve already brought along tools needed for camping.

“What should I do now…I guess for now there’s no other way aside from finding a road?)

I’m really regretting it now but I really should have brought a compass.

Since I have Tia on our last trip, we never get lost because of the convenient magic that she developed, but I’m alone this time…I guess this is called careless.

Well worst case I could just jump high to fly up and look for a town from the sky, but I might get mistaken as a flying monster though.

(I should move first, I might be able to meet other people who knew something)

Although I could just follow the road once I found it, unfortunately I have no idea which end should I walk towards, well, its a win for as long as I met even one person on it…

While cling on such a slight hope, I collect the「Magic Stone of Monster Repellent」 that I put around the bed. Just like its name suggest, I put it since it keeps monsters out. Deciding on the range and putting one each on a corner of a square area, I insert my magic power into each one. I then create a barrier that could ward off monsters according to the magical power. Although it could still maintain the barrier even if it’s moved, the effect disappeared once you pick it up.

“That’s the last one.” (Setsu)

I squat down and pick up the last one, and when I throw it into the magic bag, a lukewarm wind blew on my face.

“N?” (Setsu)

“Burururu” (???)

When I felt displeased and look ahead, there’s a huge wild boar whose head is approximately around my height. It’s whole body is covered with brown fur, and it have two huge tusk.

This creature is what they called monsters that are in this world… Apparently it approached as soon as I removed the barrier, so the wind from before is the snort of this fellow.

[T.N: The words for them is 魔物(mamono). The meaning is close to demon, but I just don’t want people to confuse it with the Devil tribe, so I’m sticking with monster for now. Give suggestion if you have better one.]

As I’m still not moving, the wild boar looked at me with the eyes watching on a prey.

“What’s wrong with you, wanna pick a fight?” (Setsu)

“BURURURURUuuuu!”

No more discussion huh――――――

The wild boar greatly shook its head, trying to penetrate me with its tusk.

I lightly dodge it, taking some distance from it.

“Burururu…”

“This one is 〈B class〉 I guess?” (Setsu)

About the B class, there are threat degree of the monsters in this world. Rank is decided on how dangerous the monster is, the lowest is E class, and then continue to D, C, B, A, S, SS, until SSS. So the strength of a B class is somewhere in the middle.

By the way for the job called adventurer, they are also ranked similarly. Although both the monster and adventurer are on the realm of their own once they exceed S rank, the former-adventurer Baus was actually an SSS-rank adventurer where there’s only a few of them in the past.

Well even I managed to climb to SSS class in my previous life!

―――――Now then, enough boasting for now and let’s face this wild board.

The wild boar is accumulating power while scratching the ground with its foot. It totally looks like an engine warming up.

“…alright, it’s finally Kuromaru’s turn after a long time.” (Setsu)

I shove my hand into the magic bag in order to cut down this guy in two with the sword.

Although I talk about the no-killing or my belief somehow yesterday, monsters are not included.

although not all of them, but the monsters could be considered as the enemy of all living creatures. These guys basically doesn’t have a will, they attack any creatures aside from themselves, living only on the feeding instinct. It’s a relation of eat or be eaten. I also got used to the law of this world which is survival of the fittest because of these guys.

“Sorry okay, as expected I still didn’t want to be eaten.” (Setsu)

I take out a large sword out of the bag, and unsheathe it. The side blade reflects the morning sun and shines in black.

I faced the wild boar that unleashed the accumulated energy in a dash, dashing forward in full throttle. That would have hit for sure, if it’s not me that is.

“BURUOOOOooooo!!!”

I swing down Kuromaru from above towards the wild boar who roared while dashing.

“There――――――” (Setsu)

The moment the sword hit the wild boar, it sinks into the body like cutting tofu, cutting the body in two.

…The wild boar that had split in two falls in front of me, rolling on the ground as a lump of flesh.

“Wew… you’re still as sharp as before, Kuromaru.” (Setsu)

To cut the not-so-soft bone of the monster, there’s not even one nicked part on the edge of Kuromaru. Although I didn’t heard much about the material, should I ask about it this time? I am interested about it. I return Kuromaru ot its sheath, and threw it into the magic bag. By the way, the sheath has the ability for automatic cleaning, so a sword would be clean just by putting it inside.

“Alright, I’m done with the exercise…. Let’s move for now?” (Setsu)

That is not addressed to anyone in particular…

I turn my back on the bisected wild boar, and start walking in the forest.

The dead monster, it will turn into magic particles sooner or later if you just leave it unattended, so there’s no need to process it as it will be disintegrated in the air. It seems that it won’t disintegrated if you take it from there, and it will rot in the same way as normal creature. Although I heard that the magic power in the ground seems to affect it somehow or other, I don’t know the specific details.

“――――――Is that a road?” (Setsu)

Did I walk for one or two hours… when I make my way through the forest, I finally found a road made of soil without any tree around.

While I’m relieved for the time being, I go near it.

――――――around the place near the road, a woman’s scream suddenly resounded in the area.

“Kyaaaaaa!!” (???)

“!?” (Setsu)

I hide my body behind a tree by the time I heard that scream, checking the surrounding.

――――――over there..?

Towards the road that I see… one carriage falls down there.

Several men dressed similar to me fall down, their body covered in blood.

Ugh…there’s even freshly-severed head…

Even though I didn’t kill, I’ve seen a lot of corpses that other people killed, so I had a bit of resistance… but I’m still not used to seeing severed head. It still make me lose my appetite, it’s an unimaginable thing at the time I’m in Japan.

While I was preoccupied with the corpses, several man with dirty appearances appeared with vulgar voice.

“Ora oraa! Take it quickly, you lot!!” (???)

“Stuff all the valuables in the bag!” (???)

“Oi, what should we do with this girl? She still a kid but her look is pretty good.” (???)

“Please…stop…” (girl)

I see, bandits huh? 5 people… that’s a very radical bandits, the band of bandits that I used to know avoid killing and work more efficiently you know?

Although the merchant’s carriage seems to be attacked, who’s that girl?

“Let’s sell her! Some weird noble somewhere would buy her.” (Bandit A)

“That’s right!” (Bandit B)

“Then we’re really in luck! For us to have come around a merchant with such weak guards!” (Bandit C)

“Please…. Please return my goods…” (Girl)

“Tch! Shut up!” (Bandit)

“Ouch!” (Girl)

――――――I’m shocked, that kid is a merchant?

Although the girl clung to the foot of the bandit telling them to return her commodities, they just kick her flying.

“Oi! Don’t injure her from now on since she’s a product too!!”

“Cheh! That girl is the one that came to me touching me with her hand!”

Although I really want to jump in on this, I think about it a little bit.

The other party is such a troublesome fellow…or rather, from the looks of it they seems to have other comrades. Dealing with the other party is going to be a pain too…

“――――――But I can’t really call myself a man if I didn’t help that girl here…” (Setsu)

It’s true that it’s a pain in the ass, but

“My lunch would taste like shit if I didn’t help out here!” (Setsu)

It can’t be helped, it would leave a bad aftertaste if I didn’t help. I’ll keep on regretting for having not done anything.

I dash out from the shadow of the tree, and run towards the bandits.

There’s a great distance, but I arrived there in no time at all, sending a surprise attack on the bandits by swinging my fist.

“Oraa!” (Setsu)

“Guh!?” (Bandit A)

It’s already too late when he noticed me, my fist had already hit his back.

The bandit got blown away in the shape of a shrimp, rolling on the ground.

Still, they’re weak… I didn’t even used magic enhancement you know? Bandits these days are no good huh.

“Please don’t worry, your spine is safe and sound.” (Setsu)

I said that to the bandit that is groaning while lying on the ground. Well he probably won’t be able to move for a while die to the pain.

“What was that!?” (Bandit B)

“You bastard!!” (Bandit C)

Oops…

As expected the bandits who noticed get ready for battle.

The two who are near pull out their knife, and threw themselves at me at the same time.

“You didn’t even think about the combination…” (Setsu)

The two knives just thrust out straight foolishly, so I drops it by beating their wrist before it reached my body.

Before the knife falls on the ground, I deliver a blow to each of their abdomen with my fist using both of my arms.

“*cough*!” (Bandit B)

“Guh…” (Bandit C)

“Alright, now for the two at the back~.” (Setsu)

The two who received my blow in the abdomen are rolling on the ground having trouble to breathe, so I go pay a visit to the remaining two.

“Damn!!  Let’s scram!!” (Bandit D)

“R-run!! What’s with this guy!!?” (Bandit E)

The remaining two judged that they’re no match for me, so they turn their back and start to run into the forest. Their judgement is the only thing that’s not bad.

However.

“Naive, you want to escape?” (Setsu)

I put some power and kicked one of the rolling bandits and then kicked another one towards the two who are trying to run away.

“What!? Stop screwing wit―――――guoh!?” (Bandit D)

“Gyaaah!!” (Bandit E)

“…and that’s a goal.” (Setsu)

I see their figures colliding and rolling in the forest, and I couldn’t hide my laughter.

Although I tried going forward towards them, I felt something weird when I stepped on the ground in front of me, and when I looked under, there’s the first bandit that I knocked off, still lying on the ground on his stomach.

“Oops, almost forgot about you♪.” (Setsu)

I grab the back of his hair, and lift him while dragging it.

Now then, allow me to play a bit more.

When I went towards where the others had fallen, the two bandits who tried to escape before let out a smalls scream and inched back.

Ohho~ They got real scared now.

“Hii`…”

“P-please wait… I’ll give back the luggage…P-please spare me…”

The two people that I kicked flying had already fainted, they doesn’t move an inch no matter what I do, so I ready my fist for the rest.

“P-please…forgive me..”

“If you accept what the girls said just now, I wouldn’t have poked my head into this…Yeah, be at ease as I won’t kill you.” (Setsu)

The man let a sigh of relief when I said that.

If a person who knew me well sees this, they would have likely said that I would have leave them in 「grief state」. What a bunch of rude people.

“Y-you’ll really overlook it?” (Bandit)

“My appetite will sharply decrease if I did that to you.” (Setsu)

I won’t allow any grudge over food…It is one of the major desires of human after all.

[T.N: Sorry, can’t make this one very well.]

―――――N? It’s not really a grudge over food? Don’t sweat the details.

These guys are like that too… I look at their face. You think I’ll have an appetite looking at you!!?

Even if I said that…as expected in this case it’s a bit too much.

“But still, as a man I really hate a man who raise his hand on a woman.” (Setsu)

The bandit’s face turn blue real fast.

―――――N? You guys used violence too right? Since if it was Eruka, you’ll be out long ago.

“―――――so with that, let’s have a get together as a villain.” (Setsu)

N? Which one is the bad guy?

―――――Who knows?

At the very least I am not a hero.

“Please be at ease, I’ll only beat you to point that you’re almost dead.” (Setsu)

―――――There’s already no consideration for the bandits when I said that.

My thirst for blood is a bit too much there…they’re already having a deep blue face…

“That’s enough I guess.” (Setsu)

I get the 5 bandits, and bind them to one of the tree with a strong rope that I took out from the magic bag.

Well, if they’re lucky someone might helped them.

When I return to the road, the previous girl rushed to me.

“U-um!! Thank you very much for helping me!” (Girl)

She’s wearing a light blue dress, the hair that have some sands attached is a little black, with a short forelock hair at the front. Her face is small with lovely eyes. I guess she’s around 12-15? People don’t really work as a merchant at that age.

“N, yeah it’s fine. Since I was nearby when they attacked after all. By the way, there’s something I want to ask you.” (Setsu)

Even if I said that, when I’m in the middle of tying the thief, that’s when it hit me that I should have asked them the way to the port town.

“Fue? What do you want to hear?” (Girl)

“Yeah, I wanna go to port town. Do you know the way?” (Setsu)

“I-is that so!? I-I’m going that way too! If it’s there I know the way!” (Girl)

Ooh! Alright, with this I’m no longer lost.

“That’s great. Please tell me at once!” (Setsu)

“U-um… although I could tell you the way…” (Girl)

…What? Even though I really want you to tell me the way quickly…

“W-will you please be my escort…?” (Girl)

“――――――Huh?” (Setsu)

――――――With that, it was the first encounter between me and the young merchant Ruri.