Chapter 153

I’ve been running around the country with a bunch of tough guys, chasing Nack and Ferrum around on my back with Bluerin, and spending my days as a rescue squad, but today I wasn’t training, I was visiting the castle.

The four of us were gathered in a room in the castle: me, Arc-san, Amako, and Nea.

In front of us, seated in the chairs provided was Alfie-san, the woman who had explained to me and Amako about other countries when we set out on our journey, looking at us with pen in hand and eyes full of anticipation.

“It looks like everyone has gathered here.”

“Yes, we are.”

A report of the events that happened on the way of the journey.

However, I was aware that the trip had been so dense that an hour or two was not enough time to report, so I asked Alfie-san to summarize the report once and then I would show it to Lloyd-sama.

“Oh, I’m looking forward to it! I can’t believe I’m going to get to hear about an adventure story full of vicissitudes! I heard that you had unimaginable experiences, so I was so excited last night that I couldn’t sleep at night!　So, Usato-sama, the format of today’s report is that I will be writing the report, and you can just tell us about your trip in a light-hearted manner!　Hm? You think I can’t write so quickly? No need to worry. I’m used to reading and writing fast because of my profession!”

“Usato, isn’t this guy talking too long? He talks so fast that I can only catch about half of what he says.”

“He hasn’t changed at all.”

Nea and Amako who had come along with me said this in a slightly reluctant tone.

I’ve only met this person once, but I remember him well because of his strong impact.

“Arc-san, should I talk to her instead?”

“Yes, you should. We’ll supplement the parts that are vague in your memory.”

I’m nervous when it comes to reporting.

I’ll try to order my speech in my mind so that it won’t be confusing.

“Alfie-san, is it okay if I start my report?”

“Yes, whenever you’re ready.”

“So, let’s start with our departure from Lukvis–“

Before arriving in Samaria, I talked about the situation where Nea tricked me and as a result, I had to fight the wicked dragon.

Alfie-san was listening to me with a high level of tension, but after about thirty minutes, his expression began to tense up.

“Well, that owl on your shoulder is a familiar, a vampire, a necromancer and the one who revived the …… wicked dragon? Why is this happening when we haven’t even arrived in Samaria? You’re in a lot more trouble than you’ve been told ……?”

Next, we talked about the events in Samaria.

For this, Lucas-sama informed the Kingdom of Ringle that I had something to do with the lifting of the royal curse, so I can honestly tell them what happened in Samaria.

“The curse of Samarial! Why are you involved in such a disturbing thing when I went to give you a letter! Eh, did physical attacks work on the ghost? Why are you trying to hit a ghost in the first place?”

I don’t know why I was being scolded.

After calming her anger for the time being, I resumed my report.

Next, I reported on the events in Mia Rak—-

“I knew this from the article, but you’re challenging a dragon person with your bare hands……yeah …….”

After being blatantly pulled away, I also finished my report on Hinomoto, the Land of Beastmen.

Alfie-san, who was interested in the culture of the beastmen, showed an unusual interest in this report, so I gave her some information that did not touch the secrets of the beastmen country.

It took two hours.

After listening to all the reports and arranging the bundles of reports, she took a breath and looked up.

“Let me conclude. If I show this to Lloyd-sama as it is, he will collapse from the shock.”

“That severe?!”

“Even I would have a stroke too. …… You’re in too much danger everywhere you go. ……”

I don’t know what to say to Alfie-san, who has a somewhat tired expression on his face.

The owl on my shoulder is saying, “Well~ Obviously.”

I’m aware that I’ve been on an unusual journey, but I didn’t expect it to be such a shock.

“Anyway, I’ll summarize the report here.”

“I’m sorry. I’m afraid I’m going to have to leave it to you. ……”

“No, no, that’s my job, too. And although I was surprised, I also heard a lot of interesting things, so rather I should be thankful.”

As for me, I’m afraid I’m going to be up all night with that smile on my face.

As I returned an awkward smile to Alfie-san, who was beaming with happiness, a question suddenly came to my mind.

Passing the letter to another country was the purpose of our trip, but what would happen after that?

“Well, we handed over the letters to the countries, but what happens after that? Will they form an alliance?

“That’s right. Right now, we are trying to coordinate with other countries for the next attack of the Demon King’s army.”

Collaboration with other countries, huh?

Joining forces would be more important than anything else in confronting the threat of the Demon Lord’s Army.

“Is everything going well?”

“It’s going smoothly, thanks to Usato-sama, Kazuki-sama, and Suzune-sama.”

Thank goodness. I guess what we did wasn’t in vain.

“When I first received the order, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to deliver the letter, but I guess I can do it if I try.”

“I guess it’s not that, it’s just that a lot of the kings and such that we met were special people.”

“Yeah, I guess. I know it sounds a little bad, but there weren’t any decent people.”

Don’t say it, because I have too many ideas when I think about it.

Lucas-sama, the king of Samaria, who is light on his feet and plans to take me into his registry.

Norn-sama, the Queen of Mia Rak, who was covered in potions when we met.

Jinya-san, the head of Hinomoto was ready to trap us from the beginning.

…… Now that I think about it, I really think I’ve met a lot of people.

“This time, we’re taking some countermeasures based on our previous mistakes.”

“Countermeasures? Against the demon king’s army, right?”

“Yes. One of those countermeasures is to detect the advance of the Demon Lord’s army as soon as possible.”

“Is it true that there are guards posted near the territory of the Demon King?”

Alfie-san nodded at Arc-san’s words.

“So you knew about it, Arc-san. In the last battle, we were too late to anticipate the attack of the Demon King’s army, so we had to place a sentry.”

“…… I see.”

Before, it was really just a sudden attack.

If we have more time, we can take various measures as well, so we won’t have to worry about the Demon King’s army doing whatever they want.

“The rest can be done at ……. In the not too distant future, the people representing the three neighbouring countries will gather for a meeting.”

“And by neighbouring countries, you mean ……?”

“The three countries are the Kingdom of Calm Helio, the Kingdom of Nirvarna, and the Kingdom of Samaria, where Usato-sama went. The representatives of the four kingdoms, plus the Kingdom of Ringle, will be meeting in the magic city of Lukvis.”

Calm Helio and Nirvarna …….

That’s the country …… that senpai and Kazuki gave the letter to, right?　As for Calm Helio, I only remember the name because it is the place where the article about Senpai and I circulated.

“Perhaps, Kazuki-sama, Suzune-sama, and Usato-sama, who delivered the letter, will also be heading to the meeting.”

“It wouldn’t make sense for me to go right? You see, I’m a healing magician, so for appearances’ sake, I’ll just go …… with Kazuki and senpai.”

“That’s not going to happen, Usato-dono.”

“Do you really think you’re an ordinary healing magician?”

“It’s okay for you to have more confidence in yourself, Usato-dono.”

I tried to say no, but was immediately corrected by my friends.

I’ll be punishing Nea later in the name of training. …… A meeting with Lukvis, huh?

If I have time, I might be able to meet Kiriha and the others. ……

“Well, the meeting itself is a little while away, so you don’t have to worry about that right now.”

“I see.”

Let’s leave the meeting behind, shall we?

For the time being, we finished our trip report, so we decided to break up there.

We parted ways with Arc-san, who was returning to his duties as the castle guard, and we walked slowly through the castle.

As we walked slowly through the castle, Amako looked sideways at Nea, who was walking with us in her unusual humanoid form, and asked her a question.

“So, Nea, are you doing well in the rescue squad?”

“No, of course not…….!”

Nea somewhat overreacted to Amako’s question as she walked next to her.

I don’t think there’s anything I can deny that strongly,” I thought to myself.

“The monster next to me is still a training idiot, the people around him with the horrible faces are just as bad as him, and the boss is just too much bullshit for words! She’s even worse than Usato… I think I’m going crazy!”

“What kind of training idiot are you?”

Training is a large part of the daily life of the Rescue squad.

I’m just carrying on with my daily routine, you know.

“I’m sorry, but ……! The only sane person in there is that demon girl!”

“What about Nack? I’m pretty sure he’s on the rescue squad too, right?”

“……..What if I say he’s a mini version of Usato?”

“Ahhh …… okay.”

“Wait a minute.”

Don’t go with the flow as well, Amako.

What do you mean, “mini me”?

Nack is like a role model for the rescue squads, taking the initiative in voluntary training without me telling him.

When I explained this to Amako, she gave me a more disgusted look.

No, let’s change the subject.

“Well, come to think of it, Nea got along pretty well with Ferrum, didn’t she?”

“Haaaah?! There’s no way that’s true!”

That’s exactly what Nea refutes, as if she can’t admit it.

From the sidelines, it looks like they get along well.

“That cheeky demon, she takes my food, she doesn’t bother with the bedding, she doesn’t do her washing properly, she’s so sloppy she’s practically a grown up child!

“…… Amako, what do you think?”

“I think they just don’t want to admit it because they’re so similar. After all, they don’t know that they’re unconsciously taking care of each other.”

“Right~”

She’s a former village girl.

So she’s a dependable lady, so she’s taking care of her.

It was probably a good decision to put her on duty with Ferrumu.

However, she is a bit sloppy in her daily life.

It is not unreasonable to think about her own origins and the circumstances of the dark magician that Koga told us about.

“But I think I should get on with training Ferrum about what it means to live in the rescue squad.”

“I don’t even want to think about what led me to that thought, but after chasing around town with a bear on your back, you still want to do something. ……Even I would feel sorry for her.”

“No, you’re not out of this exception.”

“……What?”

At my words, Nea put a finger to her chin and tilted her head.

Amako muttered, “Oh, it’s started again,” as she pulled her hood up tightly.

I need to do something about Ferrum’s sloppiness in her daily life, but there were things about Nea I need to help as well.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I’ve been meaning to work on your physical side.”

“But, but I’m the type of person who uses …… magic and other things to assist me. …… Hey, look! I’ve been training with Usato using magic right? I-Isn’t that already enough?”

“Until now, you’ve been observing ……, which means it’s a trial period.”

I slowly shake my head as Nea speaks in a desperate manner.

As for the current training, I’ve seen definite results. But it’s only training for me.

If that’s the case, Nea and Bluerin will never grow up.

“In the future, we may need you to fight against enemies like Koga, who do not hesitate to use any means necessary. But it’s also a battle where you, with your low durability, will be the first target.”

I clenched my fists tightly, remembering my deadly battle with Koga.

I really don’t want to find myself in a situation where I have to fight, but I have to think about it.

Fighting a strong enemy would mean that Nea would be in greater danger of being attacked.

“What do we do for that? The only thing that’s obvious is …… training.”

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while, but stop trying to solve everything with training! I don’t want to build muscle or anything for nothing!”

“Don’t worry. All you need to work on is your strength ‘here’.”

I indicated my chest with my thumb while trying to look cool.

That’s right, it’s not just your body that you can train in the rescue squad. It’s also the mental strength to endure any kind of abuse and suffering.

“If your mind is strong, you can keep your cool in any situation. Yes, even if a sword snatches you by the nose.”

“Now that I’ve got to that point, will there really be a heart at all……?”

…….

“………There is!”

“Where!!”

“I’m the proof. Nea, do you think I don’t have a heart?”

“Can’t you see that your very existence is a source of anxiety?”

That’s a terrible thing to say.

I may have changed a bit compared to when I was a normal high school student, but I’m still me.

“Hey, Usato.”

“Hmm?”

As I was thinking about how to persuade Nea, Amako, who had been silent until now, called out to me.

Nea, who had been teary-eyed, looked at Amako as if asking for help, but she didn’t care and spoke up.

“Do you mind if I join the rescue squad next time?”

“I don’t mind, but …… I don’t think there’s anything particularly interesting? It’s just me and the other members training.”

“If Usato’s there, I’m fine.”

I couldn’t see her expression with her hood up, but I knew she was saying that with embarrassment.

What can I say, this is what I mean when I say it warms my heart.

“……”

“……”

“…… Do we need to talk about this now?”

Nea raised her voice, as if she couldn’t stand the silence for more than ten seconds.

Amako glared at Nea with a frown.

“Nea, why don’t you just give up?”

“You can say that because it’s someone else’s problem, but from my point of view, it’s a matter of life and death. ……!”

It seems that she hates being trained as a rescue squad so much.

I don’t want to make the training that hard, but how can I convince her?

Leaving it up to Rose is too much ……, but it’s more like throwing a small animal (Nea) into a territory ruled by a lioness.

“Oh, Usato.”

“Geh …….”

“Huh?”

I turn around at the sound of a voice coming from behind me.

Kazuki, who had changed into something more comfortable to move around in, and Flana-san, the elf girl I met the other day, were walking side by side.

When Kazuki spotted me, he ran over to me, waving his hand happily.

“Usato, what are you doing here today?”

“To report on my trip. Are Kazuki and Flana-san training now?”

“Yeah, I figured I’d better train as hard as Usato. Right, Flana!”

“T-That’s right…….”

He’s still a relaxing best friend.

But when I see him training, it makes me feel like I can’t lose too.

…… Hmm? Speaking of which, …….

“Hmm? Where’s senpai?”

“Oh, that’s right, ……. She went to the Rescue squad to see Usato. ……”

“I guess we got mixed up. ……”

Is she looking for me because of something?

Well, if it’s senpai, she might come to see me even if there’s nothing going on, but I’ve done something wrong.

I should have told her beforehand if I was going to be in the wrong place.

“Usato, what are you going to do after this?”

“Eh? Well, I was thinking of going back to the rescue squad and training as usual. ……”

“Then why don’t you join us?”

I was surprised by Kazuki’s unexpected offer.

Kazuki scratched his cheek in embarrassment at my reaction.

“No, when I think back. We’ve never done any training together. Usato lives far away from the castle, so we don’t get many opportunities, and I thought now would be a good time.”

“Okay, let’s do it.”

I said that before thinking about it, but I had no regrets.

Rather, I haven’t stopped being human enough to turn this down. ……!

No, even if I were to stop being human, I would still give my approval. ……!

Senpai? I’m sure she’ll be back someday.

“What about you two?”

I asked the two next to me, Amako and Nea, who both seemed to be coming with me.

Aside from Amako, Nea seems to want to know Kazuki’s power as a hero.

“Hehe, let’s go to the training grounds right away then! Hurry up, Flana!”

“Oh, wait a minute, Kazuki!”

Flana-san followed Kazuki as he happily headed outside.

I’ve seen him train before, but this is the first time we’re training together. I would also get to see how much Kazuki’s powers have grown over the course of the trip.

“But hey, …….”

It bothered me a little …… or a lot that Flana-san’s expression twitched slightly when she agreed to participate in the training.

I’m not sure what made her look that way, but I have no idea.

Author’s Note:

Alfie is the character that appeared in chapter 44, right?

Next time, Flana’s common sense will be put to the test again ……!