Chapter 161

My friend who was in the same class as me in the original world said that traveling is fun on the way to the destination.

I think they’re right.

Arriving at the destination is important, but watching the scenery change, the flora and fauna change along the way is also very enjoyable.

And in the short time it takes to reach the destination, talking with friends is one of the pleasures —– that’s what I thought until about this morning.

“Senpai. Enough, please stop trying to hug Amako under the guise of sleeping.”

Currently, I’m lecturing my senpai in front of her, who is sitting upright in the carriage.

For the past few days, senpai didn’t listen to my repeated advice and went into action to use Amako as a hug pillow by feigning sleep. Each time, Amako avoided her, but she never gave up so I decided to give her a sermon even though I was very reluctant to do so. I had to give a sort of lecture.

“You’re being very unfair, Usato. Where’s the proof?”

“Isn’t the current crime enough for you ……?”

However, even so, senpai continued to remain stubbornly silent.

This was despite the fact that everyone present had witnessed senpai’s crime.

“Hmph, I have a habit of hugging the fox girl next to me when I’m sleeping. It’s one of the ten secrets I’ve kept hidden with a will of steel.”

“How pinpoint of a habit is that? It’s almost as if you’ve already confessed to it.”

“Ah, I hope Usato-kun will take responsibility for making me talk about my secret.”

“Senpai. Please feel how I feel when you expose my secret without permission and demand that I take responsibility.”

Why is she so imposing when she’s made to sit on the floor? How can she look at me as if she expects something from me? And really, a will of steel.

Kazuki and Welshie-san are laughing, and Amako is looking down at senpai with the coldest eyes ever.

I know that no matter what I say, she’s going to resist, so I sigh and turn my gaze to Amako.

She nodded head and spoke to senpai with a hint of embarrassment.

“Suzune, if you were honest with me, I would at least consider sleeping with you in my arms. ……”

“I, Inukami Suzune, admit that I tried to cuddle Amako while I was awake.”

“Oi, where’s your will of steel?”

How loyal to your desires are you, this girl? Your will is not steel anymore, it’s more fragile than tofu.

To senpai’s graceful admission, Amako tilted her head adorably and made a gesture of thinking, then showed a smile that she rarely showed.

“I’ve given it a lot of thought, and from today on, Suzune and I will be sleeping about five people apart.”

“The best smile since we started traveling!”

“I didn’t say I’d do it for you, just that I’d think about it.”

“You’re schemed against me!”

Well, it’s true that Amako only said she’d think about it.

She was talking to me, as if she was really shocked that Amako had tricked her.

“Usato-kun, Amako lied to me!”

“I think it’s a perfectly legitimate decision. ……”

“Noooo.”

“No, even with such a pained expression on your face, ……. Here, you don’t have to sit on the floor anymore, please stand up.”

I reach out my hand and make senpai stand up and sit on the seat.

Having regained her composure, senpai crossed her arms and spoke to us as if nothing had happened.

“Well, it’s been three days since we left, but traveling by carriage isn’t so bad, is it?”

“It’s hard to believe that we just had an exchange like that earlier, with your attitude and words. ……”

“Well, a carriage ride isn’t so bad!”

Are you going to continue with that act?

It’s not a bad thing that …… senior is still as energetic as ever, so let’s keep talking.

“The journey after we left Lukvis was on foot for us. When you think about it, traveling in a carriage is nice and different.”

“Me and senpai were on horses, but it’s pretty nice to be able to relax somewhat rather than holding the reins by yourself.”

It may seem a bit of a waste to travel without moving, but it’s still comfortable.

It’s very natural(?). As we were talking about the vehicle, Welshy-san, who had been silent until a moment ago, looked up and spoke to me.

“Um, Usato-sama. I’d like to ask you something, if you don’t mind.”

“Yeah sure, what is it?”

“Thank you.”

She looked somewhat distressed, but what was the matter?

“I’d like to ask you about Falga-sama. ……”

“What? You want to know about….Falga-sama?”

When I showed my gauntlet in front of Lloyd-sama before, she was very interested in them, so I knew what to expect …….

Surprised by Welshy-san’s words, Kazuki next to me tilted his head.

“Falga-sama is, I believe, the divine dragon …… that protects Mia Rak that Usato went to, right?”

“Yeah. Remeber the one I told you about before, the person who’s going to prepare the hero’s weapon for you and senpai?”

Falga-sama’s existence is a closely guarded secret, known only to the royal family of Mia Rak. I’ve told Kazuki, the person who will receive the hero’s weapon, but …… what does Welshy-san want to ask?

“Can you please arrange for the Queen of Mia Rak to have an audience with the divine dragon ……!”

“What?”

An audience, you mean you want to meet with Falga-sama, right?

While everyone except Welshy-san was unable to speak in surprise, she had a thoughtful expression on her face.

“It’s never for personal gain, sir.”

“No, I understand that because it’s Welsey. But I want you to tell me why you’re asking Usato-kun to do this.”

“Of course, I’ll tell you.”

Welshy-san, who looked around at us with a somewhat nervous expression, took a breath and then opened her mouth.

“Kazuki-sama and Suzune-sama may know this, but we magicians working for the kingdom are researching the art of returning those who have been summoned to our world.”

“Those summoned to your world, you mean us, right?”

“Yes. When we summoned you, we used a scroll written in an ancient book of the kingdom to activate the summoning technique.”

“A scroll?”

There was something fantasy-like about the word.

With a name like that, is it some kind of paper that contains magic or sorcery?

“A scroll is a piece of paper that contains magic or sorcery. It is a technology that is now as obsolete as sorcery, but a scroll with the technique of ‘Summoning the Hero’ was found deep in the Great Library of this Lingle Kingdom.”

We ……, or rather senpai and Kazuki, were a little surprised because we didn’t know about this how to summon a hero.

However, the fact that a scroll for summoning a hero was found in the Kingdom of Lingle was kind of strange.

Looking sideways at senpai, she murmurs with some glee, “Scrolls are a fantasy too, aren’t they?

…… Even during serious conversations, senpai is still the same.

I regained my composure and posed a question to Welshy-san.

“Are those scrolls still in place?”

“When the summoning was activated, the scroll was burned up along with the old book. Afterwards, you were all summoned …….”

“So it’s as we know it from there……”

“…… Yes.”

While senpai and Kazuki were training as heroes in the kingdom, I was taken away by Rose to the rescue squad instead of being abducted …… and had to spend my days in training.

“So, what does this have to do with the time we were summoned and Falga-sama’s story?”

“I’ll be honest with you. We, the magicians of the kingdom, are unable to find a way to return you to the other world. ……”

We were speechless as Welshy-san said this with a sad face, but we were also shocked to hear her say it as if she was trapped to this point.

“We’ve lost too much technology to allow you to return to your home world.”

Too much has been lost?

What does that even mean?

Before I can ask that question, Welshy-san utters the words in a mumble.

“A few hundred years ago, that is, before the Demon Lord and the previous generation of heroes were fighting, humanity was engaged in a bitter territorial war.”

“Can we call that a war?”

Welshy-san nodded at senpai’s words.

Before the Demon King and the previous heroes fought, when there was no common enemy of mankind, the Demon King’s army, the humans were fighting each other?

It’s not something I don’t understand, but I’m really glad that senpai and Kazuki weren’t summoned to that era.

“It was a time when it was commonplace to plunder other countries’ lands, cultures, and magic systems in order to take them in and make them your own power. It is said that magic was used at a much more advanced level than it is now. That’s exactly why one out of five people were able to handle system enhancement, which has few users nowadays.”

“Really? That much?”

“That’s what was written in the literature, but I think it’s almost a fact. In any case, it was a harsh era where battles never ceased, so the quality of warriors must have been suitably improved.”

One out of every five warriors had a magic proficiency or system enhancement.

It’s too dangerous, that era. I can’t imagine it very well.

“However, the era of humanity’s battles came to an end with the rise of the Demon Lord’s army led by the Demon King. Because humanity had no choice but to unite in the face of the powerful Demon Lord’s army, ……”

“I had a vague idea, but the Demon Lord’s Army at that time was such a powerful opponent. ……”

“Yes ……. But ironically, having a common enemy in the form of the Demon Lord’s Army allowed the nations that were fighting each other to unite.”

It’s similar to the present day in terms of uniting to fight against the Demon Lord’s Army, but the individual strengths are too far apart then and now.

I can’t really say it’s the same situation. ……

“After the Demon Lord was sealed by the previous generation of heroes, a peaceful world without fighting continued until the current era. …… In those long years, we have lost a lot of technology.”

“Is that like sorcery?”

“Yes. And scrolls, too. These were technologies that were used in many wars. But as the wars ceased and the days of peace continued, the techniques that were passed on faded away, and eventually there was no one left to pass them on.”

So, if there is no one to pass it on, it will eventually disappear.

When it comes to magic, you have to spend a lot of time learning it.

“Summoning heroes is a lost technology in this day and age. It is very difficult to restore it or to find a way to analyze it and return it to your world. However, it was at such a time that I learned that Usato-sama had met the divine dragon that lives forever, Falga-sama.”

“No way, the reason why you want to meet Falga-sama is …….”

“Yes. I was wondering if he could help me find a way to return you to your world, or if he could lend me his wisdom.”

Falga-sama is a divine dragon who has lived for a long time, and he knows a lot about magic.

He might also know about summoning heroes.

As I was thinking about this, a determined Welshy-san bowed deeply.

“I am well aware that this is an impossible request. However, I have a duty to return everyone who lived in the peaceful world to the original world. For that purpose, I will do everything in my power.”

I knew that Welshy-san was concerned about the fact that she had summoned us.

Maybe even if we said we didn’t care, this person would feel responsible for getting us involved.

Unlike senpai and Kazuki, I rarely had the chance to talk to Welshy-san, but even I can tell that she is a very kind-hearted woman.

…… If she told me this much, I couldn’t say no, could I?

“…… I understand. I will try to negotiate with the Queen of Mia Rak, Norn-sama, to see if I can meet with Falga-sama.”

“Yes, thank you very much.”

“However, we may not be able to meet right away. The battle against the Demon King’s army is imminent, and Falga-sama is in the middle of building weapons for Kazuki and senpai, so ……”

“It can be done after we finish the battle against the Demon King’s army. I can wait as long as you can advance the research of the return technique that was about to stagnate!”

I should send a Hoot Bird to Leona-san when I return to the Kingdom of Lingle.

I can’t just send a letter to the royal family myself, you know.

But …… a “return ceremony”.

I look at Kazuki and senpai and shake off the thoughts that come into my head.

It’s up to me to decide whether I want to return to my world or not. It’s not something that should be considered on the basis of Kazuki and senpai.

However, I can’t remain optimistic forever.

“Usato-kun?”

“…… yes?”

“No, you’re just staring at me in a daze. …… I guess you’ve finally found me attractive, huh?”

If you’re embarrassed after saying it yourself, you shouldn’t have said it.

…… I should try to get in on senpai’s joke once in a while.

“Yes, I think it’s very attractive that you’re energetic and humorous no matter what the situation is.”

“So, is that a compliment, or are you calling me an airhead in more ways than one ……?”

“It’s both, isn’t it?”

“Amako is pretty harsh too. ……”

I chuckle at senpai who is depressed by Amako’s words.

I feel kind of grateful when I think about the fact that we can laugh like this because of the times we live in.

If we had been summoned in an age of constant strife, senpai and Kazuki might have been forced to fight as beings just for the sake of fighting. Thinking about that, I felt a chill in the bottom of my heart.

What would have happened to me if I had gotten caught up in that?

I could be treated as useless and discarded, or I could be sent off to war as a pure healing magician.

Either way, it’s certainly no more laughable than it is now.

“No, wait. A few hundred years ago, it wouldn’t have been unusual for healing magicians to fight like me and Leader ……?”

It was a time when magic of a higher standard was more widespread than now.

The way of healing magicians might have been completely different from what it is now.

When I muttered this, everyone’s gaze gathered on me except mine.

“That’s a funny joke. Usato.”

“No, no, it’s not. Usato-kun.”

“It’s just a quirk.”

“Unfortunately, we have not been able to confirm any such references ……”

What’s with this total retort?

I didn’t realize that even a sliver of hope would be smashed …….

Flustered, I squeeze out the words.

“I-isn’t it too much to deny it all together?”

“Haha ……. I heard that healing magicians back then were considered much more important than they are now. In the midst of battle, there was an overabundance of injured people that could not even be compensated by the degree of recovery magic possessed by the individual, so magic users who could exert immense healing power like healing magic were valued.”

I see, I was settled in my original role of healing people in a straightforward manner.

As I was giving a vague response to the unexpectedly decent answer, Amako put her palm on the back of my hand.

“Hey, Usato. Do you think a healing magician can become like Usato or Rose with normal training?”

“Yeah, sure they can, if you train like crazy …….”

“No, right?”

“……No, they can’t.”

Why am I being gently admonished by a girl younger than me?

Amako nodded her head in satisfaction at my words.

“The healing magician who did something out of the ordinary is Usato, okay? Usato should admit that he is a healing magician who has done something out of the ordinary.”

“No, but …….”

“So you’re going to move around inhumanly from now on without admitting it?”

Amako’s expression twitches as she tilts her head adorably.

No way, this girl is serious. And she’s saying it with the intention of really telling me off, not making fun of me or anything like that.

I was almost crying with a different kind of emotion.