Chapter 144

This is the first time I’ve traveled on a ship in my life in another world.

　I’ve been on a boat before in the world I was in, but the one I’m on now doesn’t shake as much and makes me feel as if I’m on the ground. I don’t have to worry about getting seasick, and the trip is going to be much more comfortable than I thought it would be.

　A few hours after we left the ship, night fell and we had our first dinner on the ship …….

“Can you for once please understand just how dangerous of a technique you’re trying to pull off……!”

“I’m sorry …….”

　I was being lectured at the dinner table.

　The whole thing started because during dinner with the five of us and Leona-san, Nea gossiped about my healing flying fist and healing striking fist.

　Upon hearing this, Leona-san went pale with a spoon in her hand, and after looking at me in the seat next to her with the movements of a rusty machine, she began to lecture me.

“The technique you used is like making a small hole in a bag that has swollen to the brink of exploding. Even though you have the gauntlet, if you had done it in the flesh, you might have blown it off from the elbow up.”

“…… Oh, so that’s what happened. Ah, what a lifesaver Falga-sama’s gauntlet is ……”

“That’s not the point!”

　Leona-san, out of breath, poured a drink into the cup that was placed beside her and drank it down in one go.

　Hmm? What did you just pour into the cup, Leona? It wasn’t water, was it?

“That’s a strange idea! Why did you try to make your fist fly!”

“Sorry …….”

“Why would you shoot your fist at zero distance when you can make it fly!”

“Yes, you’re right.”

　I can’t argue with a good argument.

　Rather, I wondered if being genuinely worried and lectured was this much of a burden on my mind.

　The only time I’ve ever been lectured has been mercilessly, without a hint of kindness, so it’s quite bearable.

“Your technique is not magic, it’s a martial art!”

“I’m sorry I keep hitting you……”

“What’s healing magic!”

“It’s this.”

“No, it’s not!”

　I showed her a normal healing magic and she denied it!

　What the heck is different about ……?

　I showed the healing magic in my fist to Amako, who was sitting next to me on the opposite side of the table from Leona-san, eating her meal in silence.

“Amako, this is a healing spell, right?”

“Hmm?　…… No, it’s not. It’s a healing punch.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s right. Hahaha.”

　…….

　…… Hmm?

“Wait that’s not it! You’re trying to tell me that healing punches and healing magic are two different things!”

“Yes.”

　This little fox nodded without hesitation.

“Nea! You think they’re different, don’t you!”

　I looked at Nea and saw that she was propped up on the table with a cup in her hand that looked like she had only taken about two sips.

“Nea, what’s wrong!”

“Nea’s down from drinking something she’s not used to.”

“Why?

　No wonder you’ve been so quiet!

　You know what you said!　”When you’re my age, you can handle a keg of this stuff!”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to go that far. ……”

　As I sobered up and became depressed, Leona-san hurriedly leaned over me.

　It’s a bit close, isn’t it? As I tried to pull away, I noticed that her face was strangely red.

“Leona-san, are you drunk?”

“Hmm, I’m not drunk. I’m a knight, you see, and I try not to drink in case of an emergency.”

　I see, I must have imagined it.

　Then good—-

“So, when did Usato become able to alter himself into three people? No, I wouldn’t be surprised if you could.”

　I immediately picked up the cup beside Leona-san and the bowl she was pouring from.

　Sure enough, I could smell alcohol.

　And there’s Nea, prostrating on the seat in front of Leona-san.

　Nea, you little ……!

“I’m so worried about you …… really, I’m so glad that you came back safely …… uugh…uuu …….”

“Wait, Leona-san.”

“You’re not a normal human…… and I know you’re not the kind of person who would lose his life so easily. But more than that, you’re dangerous to watch …… because of the way you fight with no regard for yourself …….”

“Leona-san ……”

　I guess I had made Leona-san worry quite a bit.

　Indeed, I may have been a little too self-conscious.

　I’ll have to reflect on that …….

“Looking at it up close, it’s like watching a raging bull that’s lost its grip on its teeth. ……”

“Usato, I guess it’s true that when someone’s drunk, their true feelings come out.”

“Oi you shut up!”

　When I said that to Amako, who had quietly said such a thing, Leona-san became depressed, as if she thought it was directed at her.

“Uuuu, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for being such a nagging twenty year old. ……!　Uuuuu ……!”

“Ohhh, I wasn’t talking to you, Leona-san!”

　Leona-san grabbed onto my shoulder at the earliest opportunity, her voice becoming teary.

　Yeah, it’s a pain in the ass, does she have a crying problem when drunk! I’ve never done this before, but can you sober someone up with healing magic? This is like a kind of abnormal condition, isn’t it?

　I was in a hurry, so I decided to call Arc-san when I was in trouble.

“Oh, Arc-san!”

“Arc-san went to borrow the kitchen to make some snacks. He was in a really good mood.”

　Ugh, I don’t want to get in the way of good-tempered Arc-san.

　Wait a minute, the way this is going, it’s not like Amako is sipping on alcohol too…

“W-wait a minute, you’re not drunk too, are you?”

“Alcohol? I’m only fourteen, so I don’t drink. Also, it’s a nice dinner.”

　Common sense told me that was true.

　I had forgotten that Nea looked like she was in her mid-teens, but she is actually over 300 years old, so it’s not like she can’t drink alcohol.

　….But the most important thing is that Nea is drunk and fainted. I’m sure she’ll be fine, she’s still breathing, but I’m going to release a healing magic bullet just in case.

“Let’s eat too Usato? It’s the only time you can eat Miarak’s cooking, right?”

“…… I guess so. If we miss this, it looks like it won’t be for a while.”

“Yeah. …… But before that—-“

　I nodded at Amako’s words and tried to reach for the food laid out in front of me, but for some reason, she looked at me with a blank stare.

　That gaze is right next to my ……?

“Shouldn’t you do something about her?”

“……Kuh……”

　S-She’s sleeping. And she’s sleeping with her head on my shoulder …….

　Aren’t you a little too weak for alcohol. I’m not a drinker, but even I can tell.

“Don’t drink and be drunk, right? Yeah, I’ll be careful.”

　It seems that no matter what world you live in, you have to be careful with alcohol.

　I supported Leona-san who had fallen asleep drunk, and performed healing magic on her while escaping from reality.

　The first dinner on the boat trip was chaotic thanks to Nea, who brought out a bottle of liquor. After that, I punished Nea by giving her a finger-flying healing magic bullet, a healing finger bullet, when she got up with a dazed look on her face.

　But what the heck, the Miarak fish dish served for dinner and the snacks made by Arc-san were delicious, so it was a good memory.

“…… Oh, um, Usato, yesterday was …….”

“Leona-san, I don’t mind, you know.”

　And the next morning, while I was feeding Bluerin and the horse, I found Leona-san on the edge of the boat with her hands over her face, screaming in agony.

　I guess I don’t have to tell, but it must be because of what happened at the dinner table yesterday.

　Apparently, she had a subtle memory of the time when she was drinking, and as soon as she saw me, she made her face turn bright red.

“But I could tell that Leona-san was very worried about me.”

This chapter is scrapped from readlightnovel.org

“…… D-did I say anything else? You know, something rude or …….”

“You did say that I was like a raging bull that had lost control of itself.”

“W-Whaaa? Mugyuuu! What have I done!? I did not mean any of that, absolutely not! Hauu……!?”

　I guess that’s exactly what it means to fall for a story.

　I look at the flowing river from a distance. It’s so beautiful, I bet it would feel good to jump in.

“Haha, ……. I’ve been treated like a monster a lot lately, so it’s refreshing to be compared to a normal animal.”

“Oh, really ……?”

　It’s not that I was depressed.

　Rather, if I was depressed at this level, there would be no end to it.

“Um, Usato. There was something I wanted to ask you.”

“What is it?”

　I tilted my head at Leona-san who asked me a question in a reserved manner.

　What is it? It doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the fact that she was drunk on alcohol. ……

　She pulled out a piece of paper from her long skirt pocket and handed it to me.

“The maid at the castle gave me this, and when I …… looked it over, this is what it said.”

“……”

　Feeling a bad premonition, I opened it and found that it was an article about Inugami-senpai that I had seen sometime ago.

　While I was silently impatient, Leona-san somewhat awkwardly turned her gaze towards the river.

“I could tell from your reaction. Usato, I congratulate you guys on ……!”

“Leona-san! First of all, please let me explain what’s going on here!”

“Uh-huh?”

　It took five minutes of desperate explanation to Leona-san, who squeezed out her words with extraordinary determination, perhaps because of some misunderstanding.

　After hearing about the situation, she folded her arms and nodded her head as if she understood.

“I see. To refuse the confession of a prince from another country? Even though there was a problem on that side who tried to confess in front of the public, the hero Suzune is also doing something bold.”

“That’s why I’m confused, though. Why did she mention my name ……?”

“Usato, it’s because…….”

“Yes?”

“…… No, it’s nothing.”

　Leona was about to say something, but when I asked her back, she just shook her head and brushed it off.

“What kind of man are you? Towards the hero Suzune?”

“She’s a friend of mine. She’s a curious girl who jumps on a lot of things. …… Oh, she gets carried away when you’re nice to her.”

“…… You’re introducing me to a human right! It sounded like an introduction to cats and dogs to me!”

　……?　Oh shit! No, because if I were to be honest about Inugami-senpai’s character, I would have to explain it this way.

　I guess I should have explained it better.

　It’s a matter of honour for senpai.

“Well, it’s difficult to describe senpai in words, but …… she’s not a bad person. Rather, she is a good person. Before I came to this world, I thought she was really perfect, but in reality, she’s more human than anyone else.”

“Oh, I see. You and the two heroes came from another world, didn’t you?”

“Yes. …… And that girl told me that she had no intention of going back to her original world.”

“……And that is.”

　I don’t want to go back to my original world.

　When I was lost in the darkness of Lingle, I saw senpai vomit out such sentiments, and the image I had of her by that time completely collapsed.

　…… No, to be frank, it was as if it had crumbled right after she was summoned.

“As for me, I think it’s good that senpai is enjoying this world. I’ll be troubled even if I’m involved in the quirk, though.”

　Turning to the article that mentioned senpai and I and smiling, Leona-san turned to me with a somewhat troubled expression.

“…… Would you want to go back to your world?”

“Me?　Hmmm …….”

　Currently, there’s no way to return to that side.

　I’ve heard that the Welshies of the Lingle Kingdom are desperately trying to find a way to return, but it’s a long shot.

　But if I’m forced to choose between going back and not going back…

“Right now, I don’t know. I have family and friends in the world I was in before. But there are people in this world that I don’t want to leave as much as I do.”

　Now that I think about it, I’ve met a lot of people since I was summoned to the Lingle Kingdom and started my journey. My relationship with them is just as important to me as it was when I was in the original world.

　It’s not an easy decision to make and divide.

　I wondered if my pent-up feelings were showing on my face, but Leona-san gave me an apologetic look.

“…… I’m sorry. I asked you a question that was hard to answer.”

“No, don’t worry about it. It’s something I’ll have to think about someday.”

　I have to make a decision on the coming day.

　Which world should I choose, the one I was in or the one I’m in now?

　The moment I thought about it, one concern came to my mind.

“…… farewell, huh?”

　What would I do if Inugami-senpai and Kazuki, who were faced with the same choice, chose different answers?

　I’m not sure I can accept parting with my two best friends in this world.

　In a way, it’s the worst thing I could have imagined, and I had to shake it off and look at the scenery in front of me to calm myself down.

Author’s Note:

“I’ve been treated like a monster all my life.”

If you just take out the dialogue here, it doesn’t look like the main character who had a difficult childhood. ……

I’ve been a little busy, so my updates will be delayed.

I’ll be back to updating one story a week, but as soon as I’m done, I’ll get back to my normal pace.