Episode 75 — Brownie Shoot
～ Part 1 ～
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“Wombat, our target is that lycanthrope. These guys are…”
“Is it the case to worry about that, Wogan! These guys are rare, if we catch them…”
Two adventurers encountered monsters during their search in the western woodland.
It wasn’t mere monsters but monsters endemic to the New Continent called the Sands of Shura or ayakashi. Just by capturing and palming them off to the guild headquarter or the Rare Organism Scrivener Team, they could fetch a considerably good price. The adventurer party Wombat belonged to should have come to do that to begin with.
He had made bleeding efforts in order to become a gold rank. Adventurer work isn’t necessary something you can continue for long. In fact, Rezbon did lost his arm in this New Continent.
That’s why, he would make big profits here and save up.
Wombat thrust his knife before the azuki-arai who seemed to be the ayakashi with the lowest fighting strength and seized her body. After that, they could just restrain her and escape for a bit. Simple, no?
It is often said that ayakashi had many monsters with appearance closed to human or advanced intelligence. But monster is monster. It’s a living being different from human. Even elves were treated the same until 200 years ago.
“Release Mitarai-san.”
The nurikabe standing before him said.
“Didn’t you promise Utsurogi-kun to not lay a hand on us anymore?”
“Wogan, can we catch THAT as well?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Though we still don’t know its combat ability…”
As expected, carrying that giant body would be backbreaking. When you defeat Inorganic monsters, their mode of life become difficult to clarify, therefore, the material value also drops a big amount. He didn’t know whether this rule apply to ayakashi, but if he was to catch it, he wanted it alive.
Just when he thought so. The bushes rustled, a silver shadow jumped out from the other side.
“Guoo!!”
“Hey…!”
It was a silver hair wolf. It jumped at Wombat, trying to strike its burly forefeet at him. Wombat jumped, still seizing the azuki-arai, Wogan released lightning magic to intercept it. Flash of light bursted open in the lush forest.
But still, the wolf’s momentum never stopped.
Like tearing away the lightning, the silver wolf attacked Wogan. It knocked down the dainty magician and set its claw on his chest. Baring its big fangs, it brought its face closer to the fallen Wogan, threatening him. That big jaws could easily crunch a human skull.
The silver wolf was shedding blood from its shoulder. It was the lycanthrope they encountered and fought some time ago.
May as well kill this guy. There’ll be bonus if I bring back its corpse. But at this rate, Wogan is going to be killed. Wombat had no mean to slaughter the lycanthrope in one blow.
“I, Inugami-san…!”
Muttered the nurikabe. The lycanthrope’s silver eyes glanced over.
These guys are acquaintances? The moment he knew that, Wombat thrust his knife before the azuki-arai’s throat. He didn’t know whether these guys had sympathy equal to that of human, but he could only try.
“Step back! Or I’ll kill this guy!”
“……!”
A common word, yet it was effective. The lycanthrope slowly moved its legs from Wogan, using that gap, he slipped out of the restrain.
As expected, it has intelligence and sympathy equal to human.
But what about it? We’re adventurers, we’re mercenaries. If it’s for work, we’ll be recruited to war as well. The guild rules forbid assassination of important figures, but you can kill people during your duty. Reasons to hesitate killing monsters? As if that exists.
The lycanthrope showed no sign of releasing its beast form. Certainly, it was a silver hair girl when they encountered it at the hill.
Though wounded, it was a considerably powerful enemy to fight with 2 people. Moreover, there was a nurikabe over as well. Suppose it wanted to, it could jumped at them again, and this time, biting off the throat of either Wogan or Wombat, easy peasy.
“I, Inugami, san…”
The azuki-arai let out a fragile voice. Wombat thrust the knife further to its throat. A voiceless scream came up in his arms. The lycanthrope bared its fangs, it growled.
“Release your beast form.”
Wombat warned.
Lycanthrope is much different from ordinary beastkin and their mode of life. By transforming into beast form — the lycanthropes’ special ability — their body becomes 1, or 2 sizes bigger, their physical ability raised. Same as the demon of the Demon King, and gillman of the Sea King, lycanthropes are considered to be the direct descendants of the Beast King.
Namely, speaking in human’s terms, their beast form is no different from wearing powerful weapon and armor. Wombat’s warning was the so-called disarmament order.
“Inugami-san, you can’t.”
Said the Nurikabe, but eventually, the lycanthrope called Inugami obediently abided Wombat’s warning.
The silver wolf kept glaring at Wombat and Wogan, then finally, its body deflated as if air was coming out. The silver fur grew thinner, exposing skin. The burly forefeet changed to dainty arms, a slender waist started appearing.
A slender beautiful girl sat on the ground, she was strongly glaring over here. Perhaps she had the minimum shame, she was covering her chest with one arm. The wound Wombat stabbed on her shoulder hadn’t heal yet.
“Sleazebag.”
Inugami throated spun such words. Wombat snorted.
“I don’t feel like it now.”
Depending on the circumstances, even Wombat would whistled at least, but now was kill or be killed. He tackled it with the same resolution as when fighting a succubus.
“Now, what do we do? Wogan.”
“At this point, We can’t try to negotiate either.”
Wogan sighed a little, he turned a cold gaze at Inugami.
“Kill that lycanthrope.”
The heck should I do?
Ozashiki Dousuke was watching the situation from the shadow of a tree. Before them were adventurers. Adventurers are the bunch who does mercenary work in human society. They were almost got hunted just the other day. At that time, Utsurogi and the others somehow saved them.
When Mitarai Azuki who walked the foremost was captured by the adventurers, Ozashiki was behind Kabeno. He immediately evacuated to the shadow of a tree and was never found. Originally, his strong point was to kill his presence.
Inugami came to help, but she immediately fell into a dilemma. Azuki was still caught by the adventure, Inugami was made to release her beast form, Kabeno couldn’t move.
And then, one of the enemy adventurer said this:
———Kill that lycanthrope.
At this rate, Inugami would be killed. And when Inugami was killed, would Azuki and Kabeno would be saved? That kind of thing would never happen.
Now, the one who could move to save the girls was only himself. But Ozashiki’s feet had frozen.
It’s the Filter OFF thingy. He always couldn’t say that he was in that state. Now, if he was to take out a kemari and kicked one of his prided shoot, the situation might change for the better, yet he couldn’t do that. What if its fail? What if my location is exposed? Only worries floated in his brain.
The thing he could do if he mustered just a little bit of courage, he couldn’t do it.
Still sticking close to the tree, Ozashiki was clattering his teeth.
“Oi, Ozashiki.”
Called out from behind, his shoulders jumped. He almost unintentionally let out his voice.
When he turned around, a monster in an itinerant Buddhist monk getup covering its black feathers, and a simple semiliquid monster lined up.
“Ka, Karasuma…. Himemizu-san…”
“What’s the situation? Did something happen to Azu-nyan?”
“…Mi, Mitarai-san is caught. Inugami-san was made to release her beast form just now…. The adventurers said they’re going to kill Inugami-san…”
When he answered in a shivering voice, the two people went silent for a moment. Karasuma muttered a short comment «It’s the worst case».
“Does that mean the one who hurt Hibiki-chan is an adventurer? Why such a thing…”
“Adventurers attacking monsters is something very natural.”
Karasuma spat out at Rin’s question. While listening to the two’s conversation, Ozashiki muttered.
“So, sorry. You two, right now, I’m…”
“Filter OFF, yes? It’s okay. I knew.”
Rin kindly responded. She stretched an arm from her body and softly patted his head.
“No need to worry. I and Karasuma-kun will do something. We can, right?”
“Right, I’m also a little nervous about when my filter may be cut though.”
Karasuma’s Filter OFF hadn’t happened yet, but Rin’s had once, and she overcame it. If said it’s reliable, it’s certainly so.
From Kabeno’s shadow, Ozashiki could check the situation. Was it because Azuki was taken hostage? Kabeno also couldn’t move. One of the adventurer kept a knife thrusting before Azuki, the other released lightning magic at Inugami. Inugami, while bouncing, tried to somehow dodge, but the lightning could move freely in this narrow forest, it immediately caught up to her. She raised a small scream and fell on the ground.
“Himemizu, if it’s speed, I have some confidence.”
“But it’s too far from this place. Let’s go around.”
“Can Inugami last until then…?”
Rin and Karasuma continued their discussion.
If Kyousuke was here, he would combine with Rin and easily settle it. Thought Ozashiki.
That guy was splendid. In the class, he was looked down upon, after reincarnated, he was shunned, even then, he never became arrogance even after he obtained power. Of course, there might be the reason that half of that power was borrowed thing. But when Ozashiki mixed among the classmates around and ridiculed Ryuzaki who fell to the lower class, also when Ozashiki turned his cold gaze at Kogane who lost all trust, Kyousuke’s attitude was always constant.
Without discriminate who, without any favoritism, he ran to his comrade’s dilemma and gallantly defeated the enemy.
I can’t be like that. I cannot.
Therefore, once the filter was cut, Ozashiki’s body easily stopped moving. Seized by fear, he could do nothing. Even at the scene of his classmates were being knocked about before him, his righteous heart didn’t flare up.
———Kuu, u, aaa…!
———Quite tenacious.
———Wogan, use something stronger!
———I’ll burn the surrounding trees.
The exchange of Inugami and the adventurers fanned his impatience. Suddenly, Ozashiki turned his gaze in Kabeno’s direction. Not a fragment of emotion was bleeding from her body that was a black wall itself. What was she thinking? He didn’t know at all.
Only, at that time, Ozashiki noticed that Kabeno Chihaya’s body was faintly trembling. At the same time, he recalled about her when they were human. A tall, always tight-lipped girl, she had an intimidating air and was hard to talk to. Even Ozashiki who was acquainted with her since childhood, had given up that he didn’t understand her at all. Impudent, a girl with wall around her heart, such things were throughly said behind her back, Ozashiki sympathized well.
That girl was now trembling a little. She was frighten. Just like himself right now. Due to the ghastly state happening before them.
“…Himemizu-san.”
Ozashiki muttered, starting a conversation with Rin who was making a tactics with Karasuma.
“What is it?”
Even when he interrupted the conversation, she didn’t show any irritation, and kindly asked back.
“…Himemizu-san, how did you overcome the Filter OFF?”
“I can’t do any thing like overcoming it, you know. Once the filter is cut, what scary is still always scary.”
Rin quietly, calmly, but clearly answered.
“But, if there’s something even scarier, I will have no choice but to do it. That’s why.”
“Something scarier?”
“That I can’t puff up my chest by Kyousuke-kun’s side. Ah, I have no chest now though. I mean with the intention of return to being to human…. Ahhh, even after return to being human, I still have no chest, huh. That’s not what I mean, okay?”
“Himemizu…”
Rin started some kind of incomprehensible excuse by herself, Karasuma uttered an amazed voice.
Ozashiki ruminated the words Rin said. Once the filter is cut, what scary is still always scary. This cowering feet would never disappear. But, even so, If there was something even scarier, he would have to no choice but to move his body, even if he had to force himself.
What’s the most scary thing right now? Suppressing his trembling body, he desperately thought.
While thinking, he got the answer. When he got the answer, certainly, the trembling of his body did become a little better.
“Karasuma, Himemizu-san…”
Ozashiki — in a voice somewhere clearer than just now — said this…
“I will make a gap in that adventurer holding the knife.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m not okay, but,”
Ozashiki shook his head to Rin’s words.
“Because I feel that what I fear most will happen at this rate…”
To be continued…
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