Sousetsuka

622 Severing Relationship

I was led to a guest room and waited for quite some time. Selram showed up with her usual China dress. Apparently that's her daily attire, not worn especially to cajole me.

"Thank you. I'm in your debt, Saito. A really huge one at that. I read the brief version of the report. I can't believe you took down such a powerful magic beast with so little wound. You're even terrifying than I imagined, Saito."

Is that supposed to be a compliment? Guess I'll just ignore it.

"I'd like a different reward. Is that okay with you? Think of it as a way to return your debt."

I decided to get straight to the point. I don't need pleasantries.

"Oh what would it be? Perhaps you would like a larger sum? That's perfectly fine by me."

Selram thought I was going to demand more money and prematurely agreed.
But that's not it. What I ask is the opposite. Of course she wouldn't know my circumstance.

"I don't need money. Instead, I want to go separate ways. This is one and last time. Do not approach me ever again. Fate might have played a role to get us acquainted, but I don't want to keep doing your bidding for profit."

A silence ran. Berume who's present in the room is keeping quiet too.
Selram had a long sigh before she spoke.

"...I understand. Once you've left this store, you're no longer our acquaintance. Good enough for you?"

I only nodded at her question.
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
"Then allow us to service you while you're here. We have high-class snacks and tea ready. Do take it easy."

"No, I'm leaving now. I'm thankful for your hospitality but I don't want to keep dilly dallying. Not when it's my demand. I can't exactly stay here and act like everything is fine now, can I?"

I stood up and walked up to the door. Selram made another attempt to detain me.

"My? I don't mind, you know. I bet you're tired, no? Please use this chance to sit back and relax."

"You don't, I do. I can't stay calm."

"Fufufu, I suppose that's that. Berume, see him off."

"No you don't have to do that. I'm just gonna make my way outta the door."

"You're so cold to the very end."

I left the disappointed Selram and her store behind.

(There won't be any more requests from Selram. Well now, how do I go about killing the rest of my time here.)

I decided to go to the weapon store that stocked up a knife from Dwarf Kingdom I saw earlier.
To find out more about the country naturally.

"Next up. To Dwarf Kingdom!"

I walked on while imagining what kind of country is it. I arrived at my destination in no time.

"Welcome, come on in! What are you looking for? We only sell weapons and utensils from first rate workshops! Everything here is worth more than their price tags! Guaranteed, dear customer!"

Worth more huh. The barker's promotion line hooked me so I decided to go in the store to see the goods inside.
I could have asked the barker about Dwarf Kingdom stuff, but he's not the person who talked about the dwarf-made knife earlier.
I surveyed the store looking for that person in question.

Previous Chapter

It Me

This chapter starts from Radia's POV

"Radia-san, have you had a meal yet?"

"! ...Reina."


I was taking a breather after having my gruel when someone called me from behind.
Reina spoke to me with her usual curious-sounding speech.


"I'll take this side, okay."

"...Ou."


She sat down right next to me even though there's plenty of space left.
She's got her usual gentle smile but I could see a hint of worry for me on her face.


"...I'm sorry to hear about your onii-san (Lavijia)."

"Well. Things wouldn't have come to this if only he was a bit more patient. He's a huge moron through and through."


He had many chances to start over.
Yet he kept running, dumping and shoving them away until he met that end.
...There was, no other way. Aniki's path was completely blocked off.


"Well, he got his just deserts. It's a pity yeah but I got to put an end to him with my own hands. There was a part of me that felt good about that even though he's my flesh and blood brother, haha."

"Radia-san."

"What?"

"You look like you're about to cry."

"Eh...?"


'You look just as sad though, Reina', but I couldn't voice that out.
The corner of my eyes are getting hot. Accumulating hot water that would burst out if I tried to utter a single word.


"Huh, why."

"Radia-san is never the kind of person who'd happily cut down his own brother. Of course you want to cry."

"I, I always thought of him as the worst brother ever, he always took my and our little brother's snacks for himself."

"...So he was."

"But I just don't know why I'm now recalling the times we're playing together, that time mom scolded us together... or when we cried together, now after all this time..."


Hot water is dripping down my cheeks.
No, I can't show her, this face...


"Sorry, look away, from, me..."

"...It's okay, you can cry. Nobody is here to peep at you, and of course I won't say a word. Let it all out today so you can stand tomorrow."

"U, gu... Uuuu....!"


I could tell the dam broke down with Reina's words.


"Uwaaaaaaaa...!!"

I bawled out without caring about how I look.

Reina quietly kept patting my childish head without saying anything.




<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >


~~~~~~~~~Peeping Tom Kajikawa's POV~~~~~~~







Hm, Menu-san is reporting live about Radia-san's wailing in the backroom.
...That guy might have been a bastard but I suppose he was still his elder brother. Must have been a huge shock.

Who knows what he's gonna do under that kind of mental burden. Radia-kun needs a mental care urgently.
Dunno if Reina knew about it, she had already gone to console Radia-kun.
He's probably non-functional today. He'll get back on his feet tomorrow. I think.

No I mean, it's not like I'm into peeping but I can't help getting curious like (etc.)
Radia-kun is a crucial member for the final battle, and most importantly, I can't stand watching him like that.
...But I really should stop here.


Now then, I've still got plenty of things left to do.
First of all, I'll have to take the townspeople to safety on another continent with Fast Travel.

I can't put Markings on this many people so they all have to huddle up which needs time to prepare.
I had already made an arrangement with Kanakmatt-san to set up refugee camps and temporary dwellings for these people.
I discussed about this possibility with Kanatt-san before we set off and he should get help from the kingdom too. Things should go smoothly with him on the case.


Next up, I gotta join up with the Resistance and heal their leader.
Actually, pretty much all of their members are suffering from injuries from their daily battles with demons.
I'm seeing people with prostheses, and people with lost organs here and there.

...I'd rather not stand out, but leaving this tragic scene be is not an option.
I'm gonna go ahead and heal them all back up, no one left behind.


"Eyes, I can see with my eyes! It's clear as daaaaay!!"

"No way, my arm really grew back...!"

"Uwoooooaaaaaaaaaa!! I'm alive! It's so wonderful to be aliveeeeeee!!"

"T-that charred guy who's been whispering 'kill me' is already jumping around everywhere...!?"

"Are you a High Priest, no, a Saint....?"


No I ain't. Who's that again.
Heck, what's even a Saint.

<<'Saint' is a Job attainable by Sacred-type Job Holders who have acquired specific Titles and reached Lv70. The Job is capable of healing loss limbs as well as all types of illnesses, toxins and abnormalities. It is also possible to resurrect the dead as long as the act is done immediately after death and with met conditions. It is called 'Saintess' for women.>>

So like the highest upgrade of 'Priest' lineage huh.
Would have loved to have someone like that as a member of Hero party. Then again, Olivier can already handle both Offensive and Healing roles as a Sage.
Well, I don't plan on adding more people to Hero's party to begin with though.


Once I was done with the treatment, I had the resistance leader share intel about the progress of battles at each their bases.
My Map has gotten larger thanks to all the people I've Marked but this continent is just too vast.

The Resistance leader turned over some documents with the left arm I regrew as he collected all reports that could be of use to me.


"Big fights always broke out all over the place even before you all came here but those demons got even more active ever since. Be careful out there."

"Understood. You have my gratitude for sharing your intel."

"We gotta be thanking ya instead. No really, I was all prepped up to live with one arm and one leg the rest of my life before you came along and got these all fixed up. I feel better than ever in fact."


That's cause you got lots of issues all over your body. I went ahead and healed them up as well, must be that.


"Oh yeah, we've been getting reports about a being suspected to be Demon King showing up on this continent. You seen the guy yet?"

"!!?"


W, what...!?
Hold it. Demon King shouldn't have got his Menu Function back online yet.
No, he could use Teleportation and forced his way through I guess?
But why would he go all the way here on his own!?


"Apparently, the guy's got black hair and an inhuman level of intimidating pressure."

"Where, and when did you see him...!? What was he doing!?"

"Calm down now. I'll start from the top, keep it together."


I'm breaking out cold sweat.
My teeth are clattering.
This is bad, I'm not done preparing everything yet, if Demon King finds out I'm still alive, he'll kill me dead for sure...!!


"First of all, that guy was flying around at tremendous speed, leaving everything in his wake to dust."


No uh, that me.


"He got into a fight with Firie Kingdom's Black Dragon which turned the vicinity to a hellscape no grass can grow."


That me too.


"Also, he led a herd of magic beasts with the face of an ogre. Marching on like an army from hell."


Me.


"Furthermore, he beat, cut up and tore off some super massive high S-ranked snake beasts. Also got some witness reports about him chasing down a Jormungand before mercilessly slicing it off."


Told ya, it me! Give it a rest already!


"What's curious is the fact that he seemingly only caused damage to demons with virtually zero reports to our side. Yet the only being capable of all that is the Demon King himself, our intelligent network is in chaos trying to find the truth... I gotta apologize for this vague intel."

"Oh not at all. It's-been-very-helpful-hahaha."


【Good News】 Demon King emergence was a fake news.

【Bad News】 I got branded a Demon King.


...I really can't decide if I should feel happy or sad.

Previous Chapter

621 Where to Next?

"You're back early. What happened? Did you retreat due to unforeseen circumstances?"

A man asked.

"Oh it's you of all people, found some rare spare time? You're usually knee deep in your job."

Berume stood up and walked into the room they prepared us. They seem to know each other.

"They were looking for someone to handle you. That was when I walked in here after finishing my share of work. Those guys really don't know how not to overwork someone. This was supposed to be my rare free time."

"My condolences, but no worries, it'll be done in a jiffy. You just gotta carry the thing I'm handing over."

The room they prepared us was neither too small or too big.
Two sofas facing each other with a table interposing them. There's not much furniture.
Berume and me sitting on one side and the man on the other.

"I got nothing much to report. Well then, the magic beast is dead, the wound is clean. No casualty on our side. You'll be delivering this. To the usual place."

"...Oy? Say that again. Didn't you just set off the other day. How's it done already? Quit joking around... Are you?"

"Even if I'm joking, they won't blame you for it. Your job is to deliver this. You're in no position to nitpick. Go there and go home, that's all you need to do, what's the problem?"

"...Do you mind if I check it here?"

"Absolutely not. You wanna lose our trust?"

Berume put a magic bag on the table. The man took and stared at it.

"I've done my part. I'm heading off to see Selram now. See ya."

I stood up and followed Berume.

"Oy, hold it! Did he really do it? How?"
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
The man looked at me as he asked. He's trying to dig intel on me.

"Are you seriously asking that? Or is that supposed to be a bad joke?"

Berume glared at the man before exiting the room. I lightly bowed at him before leaving as well.

I have nothing to say to all this. My share of work is eliminating the magic beast. With that over, the only thing left to do is see Selram.
I'll take my reward and leave this city. Back to wandering aimlessly.

(Right, Holy State... Hm. The name alone screams it's not gonna mesh well with me.)

I'm now thinking about my next destination. Staying here will only get me involved in more mess for sure.
Might as well look for a new place. I didn't find a good spot to live a secluded life around these parts.
Therefore I'm merely resuming the journey to find one.
Berume quietly walked to Selram's place. I followed along obediently. There's no conversation.
Naturally I ended up overhearing street chatters.

"Look at this, knife. Look at this fine specimen if you will. I've finally got new stock from Dwarf Kingdom the other day."
"Hee, is this really good. It must pricey."
"I mean, go ahead and gaze at this design! Naturally it comes with a price. Fret not however, we're having a sale just for today!"
"Why would you? Something's not right."
"It took me a lot of effort to stock this up! We're celebrating the sponsorship."
"Hmph, so how much?"
"This work of art is worth five gold coins! But, you can have it for three! So cheap! Don't you think?"
"Yep, something's amiss. I can tell it's a good knife, but I wonder if it's really worth that much?"

Such and such.
Someone is trying to sell their ware to people gathering in front of their store it seems.

Dwarf Kingdom huh. Quite a timely topic to overhear since I've been wanting to have my katana maintained.

(Guess that's where I'm going next?)

I'm gonna take my reward and leave without saying anything to anyone.
Or else, I might get dragged in another event I can't run away from.

(We got back here early. I'll depart by noon today, or tomorrow at the latest...)

My thought is occupied with this yet unseen Dwarf Kingdom.
In the meantime, Berume led me to a store.

Previous Chapter 

Next Chapter

 Whole Roast Steak Hamburger

"Are the 『Sacrificial Pawns』 ready?"

"Yeah, they should be usable in a few days."

"What of Black Dragon?"

"It's raising its level on the Arcane Dragon Continent per Demon King-sama's order. It should undergo an evolution in less than a week time."

"...That thing is already monstrously strong as is. It will now grow even stronger. I cannot help but feel it is slightly excessive."

"Are you doubting Demon King-sama?"

"Nay. Unlike all previous Demon Kings, our great lord bears a clear will and ideal over the extinction of humanity. Everything his majesty asks must be necessary."

"Then all is well. Let us proceed with the plan."



<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >



~~~~~~~~Kajikawa's POV~~~~~~~~~






We're finally left with a breathing room.

White Dragon, abbreviated 'White', passed out when I squeezed it a tad with a mana-made hand so their fight ended prematurely.
I felt bad at Juurou-san but the person in question didn't seem to mind. Oh good.
In exchange, he made me promise to have a match with him after the war... Well, still better than fighting Oni-sensei.


I'll decide how to punish White later.
I was gonna turn him into an ingredient had he killed even a single soul but apparently he only barked orders around and never actually killed one personally.

But it still doesn't change the fact that he's indirectly responsible for the slaughter so while I won't kill him, I'm gonna work him to death.
This accident reinforced my belief about dragons and their crap attitude. Ah, that Lava Dragon I beat in the dungeon is the sole exception.


We've feed all the townspeople and all. Time for us to have a meal as well.
We can't exactly have a feast in front of all these poor people though so our menu is the same as them, rice gruel.
Hiyoko protested. Bear it in for now, I'll feed you whale meat for dinner.


After mealtime, I'm sorting out all the info we have.
Itemizing everything that's happened so far.


- The demons jammed our teleportation, leaving us isolated and stranded.

I really didn't expect the scale would be this massive.
Menu never gave a warning either cause I had never been to Continent 3 before.
This scheme alone had caused a lot of casualty on our side. Those below Intermediate Job likely don't survive.
We might have saved some of the people used as 'Fuel', but there's probably more of this case in other towns, we can't expect reinforcements from other continents for the time being...


- The existence of facilities used by demons to raise a huge amount of powerful magic beasts.

Continent 3 was originally destroyed by hordes of magic beasts under demons' control so this was always expected.
They may be difficult to handle for most combatants besides Special Job holders and me, yet we could also use this to turn the tables on them if we had people with Tame Skill. Like Souma.
Gonna need to Fast Travel Magic Beast Tamers from other continents here. Guess I'll run an urgent recruitment drive later.
Speaking of, wonder if Souma is still fighting on the frontline with the magic beasts. Keep at it~.


- Confirmed sighting of a demon leading a group of brainwashed people to their hideout in order to brainwash them harder.

That Long Purple female captain also got brainwashed.
I'm guessing they're gonna pit those people against us, but I can use this to pinpoint their hideout instead.
The problem is Aizawa-kun was found among them. What're you doing, man.
Hyula-san and Ganan-san are tailing them. No uh, you two please don't chase them too far and get back to the frontlines.


- The situation with Black Dragon.

...Frankly speaking, he's the biggest threat here.
I've had him Marked so I know he's been healed fully, albeit a bit anemic, and is currently moving all over the place.
He's gaining more experience points day by day. At current pace, he should gain 2, 3 levels each day.
If he managed to evolve from this, his strength would be in the realm of the unknown. There's even a chance of him outpacing me.
It all hinges on whether the things I ordered Julian and Granny would be finished in time. I'm pining my hope on you two, please get them done before he (Black Dragon) shows up again.


- Marking progress of skilled people.

I'm still Marking every single Special Job and high level Advanced Job holders I see.
I need those at Advanced Job or higher at least to deal with the worst possible outcome that might happen after the war, not during.
Heck, anyone below Special Job likely would only drag us down. I can't believe how high leveled the current generation demons are. They're Chief-class.


Phew, I think that's about it. Really, hahaha.

Ain't things real dicey?


We suffered a huge loss due to the first three issues, but it's still within an acceptable level. We should manage somehow.

But Black Dragon has gotten too strong for anyone but Hero or me to handle. And it's on the process of evolving now.
Heck, I'm not even sure if the two of us fighting together could win.


What's even more headache-inducing is the 'Current Generation Demons'.

Demons are created by Demon King and their strength are proportional to their creator's.
Average Demon Kings can only create Lv20-50 demons, while Chief-class are at Lv80 or higher.
That's how all the demons we fought so far were like. They were survivors from previous generation Demon King's era.
Current generation Chief-class are previous generation demons chosen for their high level or something along that line.


But current generation Demon King is capable of easily creating demons over Lv80s.

What if an army of these demons stage an invasion on human world for real?
What if powerful Combat Job holders are incapacitated when that happens?
...The result is obvious. It'll take no time for humanity to go extinct. Poof.

They haven't made a big move yet. They're either still amassing their number or standing by right now, but humans will die out if they do when we're busy fighting Demon King if we don't come up with a counterplan.
That's my reason for getting in touch with all those powerful people.


"Kajikawa-san, you've got this real difficult look on your face. What's up?"

"Something, on your mind?"


Reina and Alma asked me worryingly.
Oh shoot, all those conundrums must have shown on my face. Can't make these girls worry.


"Err, I'm just wondering what to do about that Black Dragon."

"Ah, un. He's gotten really strong now."

"Your fight against Black Dragon made me go all tingly even though it happened so far away... Can't you beat him, Kajikawa-san?"

"Naw, I was wondering how to cook him up. Steak maybe, or that Hamburger thing I made the other day, oh but frying sounds good too. Uumu, can't decide."

"Isn't there like something else than cooking you gotta think about!?"

"...Give me back my worry. That's so like you though, Hikaru."

"How do you like him cooked, Hiyoko?"

『Pipii!』

"...Uh, I dunno about roasting that thing whole."


I get that I'm putting up a bravado, but I gotta do this to ease their worries.
Gotta stay firm even if it's an act.
...Well, I do admit I'm curious about the evolved Black Dragon's taste. 20% anxiety, 80% anticipation.


"Serious talk, I'm not sure if I can handle him by myself. I know it's dangerous but I'm gonna need your help if we want to ginger pork fry that thing."

"Un. You have all of me at your disposal. Please don't carry that burden alone, Hikaru."

"I-I'll do my best too... To be honest I'm scared of fighting against an opponent not even Kajikawa-san could handle."

『Pii!』

"Thank you. I do have a plan but whether it's gonna make it in time or not is still up in the air. Regardless, I want you all to be prepared for a fight to the death if we want to turn him into an egg meatloaf."

"But please don't go overboard. Whenever you're off to a big battle, you always find a way to get yourself in a precarious situation."

"But of course. I won't let anyone die, me included. I'll make doubly sure to treat you all to his kebab."

"Uh, I get that you can't wait to cook him any longer, but can't you quit rotating all those dish names..."


Now that's settled and I've got my postmeal break, time to clear my to-do list.
Like healing the resistance leader's left arm and leg Radia's aniki cut off and to give a mental care to Radia-kun himself.
I'll leave him to Reina. Actually, she'd already gone off to see him without me saying anything.
...Is this how it feels to be the father of a daughter who got a boyfriend. Pretty sure this isn't the first time too, I can't describe this feeling.

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

620 Normal Way Back

A man is holding the reins of two Grudoses in front of the village.
A different person from yesterday's guide. But Berume seemed to know him and greeted.

"You're going back to the city right? Good work. Got the short end of the stick eh?"

"Nah, I got no complaint I finished early. But you know... Knowing I gotta stay with this guy all the way back..."

So she said as she glanced at me.
I don't ride the Grudos. I'm running on foot, normally you wouldn't think that's gonna be faster than a Grudos.
'What are you talking about?' Thus the man's line of sight seemingly asked Berume. That's a normal reaction since he doesn't know me.
What Berume was trying to say didn't get across.

"Ah, never mind. We're off."

Berume rode a Grudos. The other Grudos followed them.
Followed by me running behind them. The man had a dumbfounded look on his face and blurted out 'Ha?' after a silence.

We ran together for a little while before it hit me that it's not like we have to go back together. I know the road already.
I could have gone back ahead on my own.
So I asked Berume, but she pleaded to let her stay with me since monitoring me is part of her job.

(Monitor huh. I won't ask for what. Most likely it's to decide whether I'm someone they can trust or not.)

Selram tried to get me join her company. But she backed off following her intuition.
Yet she managed to have me undertake her request.

She must be trying to see if her intuition made a mistake.
A monitor is likely part of her effort toward drawing a conclusion.
Berume is definitely going to report everything I did to Selram later.
Selram would base her decision off that. Whether to stay involved with me, or not.
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
(But sure she could just blurt that out? Shouldn't stuff like this be kept secret?)

Of course, I don't mind either way but I'm not sure if she could do that.
As it appears, Berume trusts me.
Which made her feel comfortable to divulge that information.

(I dunno how to feel about this... Should I be happy.)

The glances Berume sent my way as I light jogged to keep up with the Grudoses are that of someone looking at a total oddball. But why.
And thus regardless of anything, it took us three days to arrive at the city just as scheduled.

By the way, we came across exactly zero hitches along the way which made me all the warier instead.

(Will there be a huge scale event breaking out at the city the moment I step inside...)

We passed by the city's gate checkpoint smoothly and Berume led me straight to a perfectly ordinary looking cafe.
I could only follow along.
Berume didn't seem to care all the questions I had in mind as she took a seat and made an order to the clerk.

"We're having the 'special'. For two. Oh and there will be more guests coming later, can we borrow the back room?"

I got it after she said that.

(Ah, this must be the base of operation for reporting mission completions and stuff like that.)

I also realized that our seating area is a blind spot from the entrance and took a sip of this cafe's 'special' as I waited.

Previous Chapter 

Next Chapter

Feeding Kindling

Alright, it's cooking time. Haven't had one in a while.
It's a whole town-wide feeding project. With Alma and Hero-kun as my supports.

I chopped carrots, onions and pork, and then boiled them together in a pot.
They get softened up right away with 'Spacetime Acceleration' Feature, so handy. Woulda taken tens time longer if not for it.

After all, I had to use some real gigantic pots if I wanna feed the town's entire population.
I'm not talking five or six of them too. Nope, dozens.
By the by, I got Hero-kun help me out with his own Spacetime Acceleration.


"Isn't there way too many of these people. You sure just us three can do all the cooking?"

"Moving them to another continent with Fast Travel is not an option when so many can't even move on their own yet. Quite a few of them are nearing their Stamina limit too, we've got to feed them something fast."

"Well, I guess we can get it ready as fast as cup noodles with our Menu, but do you even have enough ingredients?"

"No worries. I bought a stupid amount of food from this world and Japan."

"Oh okay... So why can't I go to Japan anyways? I won't run away before Demon King is dead, you know."

"Ah, it's not because you can't, it's more 'Hero disappearing from this world' is a big no no."

"?"


Taking Hero-kun to Japan could potentially risk it all with no way to undo what's done.
Why you ask? It's simple.


If a Hero were to disappear from this world before they defeated the Demon King, they would lose the Grace of Revival.


According to Menu, the formula for Hero's Grace of Revival is engraved on the world itself by the goddess and the Hero has to permanently stay connected to it.
It's an unimaginably massive yet delicate formula, if the connection is severed for even an instant, there is no reconnecting them again.

In other word, if Hero were to lose his revival and died during this war, everything would all come to waste. Nobody can defeat Demon King anymore.
That's the reason I can't bring him back to Japan until that point. Sorry.


...Well, regardless, we can't pin our hope on the Grace of Revival though.
If everything goes according to Menu's plan, the battle with Demon King will be decided in one fell swoop.

Unlike all the previous heroes, dying in the middle of our combat against Demon King this time will mark the end.
Not only is the Demon King this time super strong with New Game+ Cheat, we also have no continue left... What the hell is this impossible game.


Whoops, gotta focus on the cooking.

Once the heat is passed enough, I put in solid consomme, salt and then washed Aro Rice once everything melted down.
Washing the rice beforehand helps un-clump them and gets you better texture, but there's probably no point to that anyway with this amount...

I shoved in beaten eggs as a final touch, put the lid on and stopped the heat to let it steam itself.
Half-cooked eggs should make for better nourishment. Rice gruel, order up.

Umu, it's done way faster thanks to Spacetime Acceleration.
One pot is enough to feed around a hundred people, we only need to do this like a few dozens more to feed them all.


"Put this in bowls and distribute them to those who need them. Prioritize children and the elderly."

"Ha, haee, it ain't even take five minutes to cook one pot for 'em..."

"They should be able to cook enough in two, three hours. Get them to the tables, pronto!"

"Those who've gotten their shares, take your time eating! You're gonna die if you wolf 'em down with zero stamina!"

"Uu... Thank you, it's so good..."


Adventurers and Anti-demon Army folks helped distributing the piping hot rice gruel to the town's populace.
It's not that luxurious but they need the nutrition more than the taste. Please wait a little bit more for actually good food.


"Uu, I haven't had a decent meal in a lifetime... Yummm...!"

"Those demons took away all the good food... They did give us scrapes to keep us alive as sacrifices, but it was flavorless and so little, they were definitely planning to starve us death one day..."


The people took relish eating such non luxurious food.
I guess any food tastes good when you're famished. What a sorry sight.


"...Hikaru, you're so fast at cutting."

"Well I've been cooking everyday. I'm sure you'll get even faster than me once your Cooking Skill levels up more, Alma."

"Nn, I'll do my best."


I got Alma to help finely chop vegetables.
I may be fast but there's only so much I can do alone. Thank goodness Alma chose Cooking as her Gift Skill.

We kept at it for a while and eventually managed to feed all the townspeople.
The place kept experiencing tremors while we were cooking. Apparently someone's fighting up there.


"An uncle with red lion-like hair is fighting the white dragon, y'see. I got saved by him myself."

"Hmm, should I go lend him a hand?"

"Nope. That uncle happily said, 'Don't butt in, that thing's my prey'. Think you'd better not."


Another battle junkie. Hyulan-san #2.
All the tremors are spilling out the gruel though. Wish they'd keep it down.


"Seeing as he's holding his own against a dragon. Is that man a Special Job holder?"

"Yea. He's called 'Juurou', a real Lv95 monster of an old man."

"...I'll be off for a bit."

"Oy, weren't you listening? You really don't wanna get in there."

"I'm just gonna see his face real quick. Be back in a bit."


I've got to meet him if he's a skilled Special Job holder at that.
Gotta mark as many powerful people as I could.

Otherwise, there will be no way to deal with what's coming after this war.


...Damn you Demon King, sure came up with a real nasty plan.
I'm gonna turn it aaall over your head kekeke. Serves you right.


<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >




~~~~~~~Juurou's POV~~~~~~~~~~






"Ooraaa!!"

『Gwoaaaa!!』


Sparks fly every time my arms fashioned like blades and White Dragon claws clash, letting out shrill metallic sounds all around us.
Ow ouch, dang thing's a tough nut to crack. The title world's strongest dragon ain't just for show huh.

But that's good. It's the best.
Ain't nothing better than having a full blown fist fight!

I blew its claw away and went in during the slight opening. Punching the dragon hard on its side face!


"Take this!!"

『Ogoa...!? Y, you, blasted vermiiiiiiin!!』


The dragon's jaws went for my head. It's tryina chomp my head whole eh.
Niice, I like that merciless instinctual bloodlust. Ain't no humans can emanate that.


『Aaagwuuaaaa!!』

"Aaaaaggu!!"

『Gyaaaa!!?』


I twisted my head and dodged by a hair's breadth before taking a bite of the dragon's face, skin and meat whole.
Guy's got some real thick skin. But the taste's pretty good even raw, that's a high ranking dragon for ya.


"Yer' surprisingly tasty. Gimme more!"

『Utter drivel! I shall eat you alive myself!!』


The white dragon's bloodlust shot right up.
It's finally getting serious at killing me.

That's good.
No hold barrel pure bloodlust. Can never get enough of this tingling sensation.
This sensation that could only be transmitted through exchanging fists, I've gone through it countless times. No matter who they are, be it allies or enemies, be they intelligent enough to speak or not.
Fighting is the ultimate way to communicate with each other!



"Ah, excuse me for interrupting when you're so busy."


............


!?


In the flash I took to blink, a man suddenly stood between me and the dragon.
I almost lost my ability to think for a moment there.
At the same time, I got the heebie jeebies the moment I laid my eyes on him.

He looks nothing more than a rather unreliable looking mild-mannered black haired man.
But who gives a hoot about exteriors. My brain, the cells in my whole body are screaming me.

When did, he show up there.
And what the hell's up with this bizarre presence...!?


"Nice to meet you. Err, am I right to assume you're 'Juurou'-san?"

"O, ou?"

"My name is Kajikawa Hikaru. I'm here to extend my gratitude to you for saving my party member, Reina, from those dragons' jaws a few hours ago."


Besides the way he refers to himself, his speech is the epitome of politeness and his bow is the perfect form.
Eh, what the heck, he got between my fight just for this? Read the room dangit.


"Ah, sorry for getting in your fight. That's all I wanted to say. Please go ahead and continue."

"...You shoulda not come if you knew. But eh, I got ya loud and clear."


The mood went south cuz of some real unexpected intruder, but meh.
Gonna get back in the gear and fight.

....?


『Gwooooooo!!』


White Dragon soared up high in the sky.
Oy oy, it ain't gonna run away on me, ain't it.


『Guhahahaha! Fool, you left an opening! I shall blow you into smithereens!』


It started prepping up for a breath attack after stopping quite high up.
Tch, petty trick. I woulda taken it head-on without all that crap.
No, wait. Ain't shooting this way from there gonna drag everybody underground in the blast...?

Crap, that just don't sit right with me.
Maybe I should swat the breath away? No, not 'should', I will!

Come, at me---


"Oy."


A quiet yet firm cold voice entered my ears.

The voice came from the gentle looking black haired man who made a grabbing motion. That alone stopped the white dragon from moving.
It's struggling hard as if something is grabbing it by the neck.


『Gah...!? Ka, ka...!!』

"Yer' free to fight all you wanna even if I don't agree with it, but who died and gave you permission to shoot breath here. Don't drag those people below into your mess."

『Gaaa...!! W, what, did, you, do to me...!?』

"Who said you can speak. Shut up."

『Hii...!?』


He's looking up at the white dragon with cold eyes like it's trash.
It's such a drastic change I question if he's even the same mild mannered man from earlier.

...This guy is that, the same type as that world's strongest couple and the guild's grandmaster.
They act amiable normally, but their mood swing is so intense, the damage to their surroundings is unfathomable. The fact that the reason for that is usually reasonable makes it even worse.
...Fighting this guy's probably gonna be the fight of a lifetime, quite literally for me. But I guess I'm gonna stop myself from kindling that during this war.

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619 Accept It

We arrived at our inn. It's fashioned like, a loghouse, I think? One silver coin and six copper coins for a night stay and two meals.

(Can't tell if that's cheap or pricey... but I guess this is reasonable for somewhere out in the bony like this? Or maybe a tad high?)

It's past noon now. The inn will offer meals for tonight and tomorrow morning. I haven't had lunch yet.

"Innlady-san, can we order a meal now?"

"Sure thing! You wanna the bellyfull or bellyless portions? Three copper coins for the full one, half that for the less."

Both Berume and I were famished so we took the full ones.
It was a set of steak, soup and salad. It's a seaweed soup for some reason.
Dunno what's the meat from. But it looks like poultry.
The salad got tomato-like thing with overall red color. As well as some sort of vegetables and dressing.

I've come to accept unknown food these days.
It's normal in this world. No need to fuss over it.
The salad was crunchy while the dressing tasted like mayonnaise.
The steak had a tender texture to it, spreading out meat juice with every bite.
The soup had a thin salty flavor.

"These are all so good... No, seriously."

"What? You? Yer' moved from something like this? I mean, I do admit it's good stuff yeah."

"My oh my? Taken fancy of our food, have you? That's so nice of you. Here, on the house."

The innlady got into a good mood seeing me eating in delight and gave me a cup of tea for free.

"Thank you. Ah, this must use good tea leaves. It's got this strong scent and tastes so fresh."

"You can tell? Couldn't help myself giving extra seeing how much you relished our food."

Apparently her husband is in charge of the food. The fresh tea filled my belly with comfort.

'Thank you for the food', after finishing my tea, I turned to Berume and threw a question.
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
"So what's the plan. Should we depart tomorrow morning after a night rest?"

"Hm~? Well, yeah. Actually still got some work to do, but there ain't no point anymore. Nothing left to stress over now. I mean we took care of everything real early and all. Guess taking a nap in my room sounds good."

Berume's supposed work probably had to do with the preparations for the beast hunt.
I thought it'd be a waste having a siesta now so I decided to walk around the village. I informed Berume before leaving the inn.
Who knows I might find a 'good spot' near this village. The spot where I could live in seclusion.
I have given up. Partly. But that's no reason to not search.
My stroll around the village bore no fruit. I went back to our inn and had a nap.

The following day, I had a good night sleep despite my siesta and woke up before sunrise.
I groomed myself like usual. Would get cavities if I slacked off on brushing. Only to me and me alone in this world.
This divine blessing thing works on the weirdest thing.

(No wait, it actually does more but I still can't accept it...)

That doesn't really bother me so I gargled out my doubt and pulled myself together.

"We're departing. You done prepping?"

Berume knocked on the door just as I was about done.
I got out my room to greet her.

"I got our breakfast boxed up. We're leaving right away. Ah, put these in your bag."

Thus we left the village after saying our thanks to the innlady.

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