Chapter 183

The day of departure to the base.

We, the rescue squads, had left the kingdom of Ringle with the knights.

Once again, I left the Kingdom of Ringle with the scenery of the Kingdom of Ringle, the place we had to protect, burned into my mind.

We traveled by carriage, just as we had done in the previous battle, but now there were more members than before.

Five strong men, Olga-san, Ururu-san, and — Ferum and Nea.

When I think that there are ten of us in the carriage, including me, it makes me feel very emotional..

No, there’s also a Bluerin in the rescue squad’s armor outside, so it’s ten people and one bear.

“That being said, …… Nea, what’s up with your outfit?”

“You finally pointed it out to me?”

Nea, sitting in front of me, crossed her legs with a confident look on her face.

Nea wasn’t dressed in her usual training uniform, but in a cute outfit that looked like it had been designed for girls on top of a black version of the group uniform that Rose and I wore.

Me and Rose look like coats, but Nea’s is arranged a little more like the current look of my world.

“Hmph, this is my very own troupe uniform that I made up with my shapeshifting abilities!”

“Yeah, I think it’s nice.”

“Eh? I-I’ll be embarrassed to be praised so honestly…”

“It looks very light, so you’ll be able to move fast when you need to.”

“……”

Nea, whose expression has changed from happy to expressionless, kicks me in the shin.

What is it? So now you’re going for the shins like Ferum?

“Hah, you still got a long way to go if you’re so concerned about looks.”

The one who swears in the seat between Nea and the other is a demon girl, Ferum, wearing a black uniform made of magic..

At her swearing, Nea returns a mocking smile.

“I guess that’s better than having a different colour than Usato’s huh?”

“Who wants to have the same colour as him! I don’t want to be like him. ……!”

Do you mind if I cry?

It’s not like I’m a different colour, but I’m being disrespected in a roundabout way, and when it comes to Ferum, it’s usually hurtful.

“You’re the one who should be dressed like that!”

“I don’t mind! As you can see from earlier, he’s a dullard and a muscle brain anyway!”

Just as Nea and Ferum’s bickering was about to heat up, the person sitting between them moved.

“Both of you, I know you’re shy, but please don’t fight and get along.”

“Agh!”

“Ugh!”

It was Ururu-san, the most communicative person in the rescue squad.

“L-Let go of me, ……!”

“Release me……!”

“No! You have to get along, we’re about to head to a very difficult place.”

With a sly smile on her face, she wrapped her hands around Ferum and Nea’s shoulders and pulled them straight into her territory and took them by the hand.

And there’s another reason why she had to stop.

“Besides, if I don’t stop soon, the Leader-san’s thunder will swing!”

“”……What?　……h!?””

As I followed Ururu-san’s gaze to the carriage window, I saw a horror-like scene of Rose holding the reins of the horse pulling the carriage, glaring at Nea and Ferum with tremendous eyes.

I only caught a glimpse of her back, but I wondered what it was, this horror movie blue power.

“So, got it?”

“”……””

Nea and Ferum looked pale and nodded their heads.

Last time I was next to Rose at the reins, but this time I’m riding in the carriage. I’ve been told by Rose to rest, as there are things for her to do at the base, but will I be given the job of vice leader?

“Usato-kun.”

“What is it? Olga-san.”

I listen to the voice of Olga-san, who is sitting next to me.

As Ururu-san’s older brother, Olga-san is more skilled in handling healing magic than I am.

He opened his mouth with his usual kind expression.

“I was remembering that I hadn’t said a word of congratulations to you for becoming the vice leader.”

“Oh, no, no. ……”

“I really want to say it. For my part, I’m glad that you’ve become the vice leader.”

Saying that, Olga-san once cut off him words, paused for a few seconds before saying congratulatory words.

“Congratulations on assuming the role of vice leader of the Rescue Squad, Usato-kun. I hope from the bottom of my heart that you will continue to support Rose-san in the future.”

“I don’t know if …… I can support the Leader, but ……”

“You’re plenty supportive at this point, you know. It’s just that you and Rose-san don’t realize it.”

I hadn’t thought of it the other way around, though it might be that I was being supported.

But if that’s what Olga-san said, then maybe it’s true.

I let his words ruminate in my mind, and nodded.

“I think I’ll try my best in my own way.”

“Yeah. I can’t do it now that the battle against the Demon King’s army is imminent, but if you have any problems as the vice leader, please consult me. If it’s okay with this unreliable me, that is. ……”

When I tried to follow up with a bitter smile at Olga-san who was depressed after saying that himself, Ururu-san, who was joking with Nea and Ferum before that, called out to Olga-san.

“You should have more confidence in yourself, big brother. It’s not cool if the end isn’t tight!”

“Hahaha ……”

“It’s not a laughing matter, is it, big brother?”

“…… Yes.”

Olga-san was taken aback by the rather normal tone of voice.

As I was watching them interact, I heard a loud voice coming from the opposite side of the room from where Olga-san was sitting.

Tong, a skinheaded man.

A small, fat, muscular man, Mil.

Gomul, a bearded man with a cross-shaped scar on his face.

Alec, the rescue squad’s cook, with his trademark bandana wrapped around his head.

Guld, a goblin in appearance.

I listen to the five strong men I trust as they talk about something thoughtfully.

“You’re talking about more than just demons, right? What are you going to do?”

“It’s a little troublesome when there are demons mixed in.”

“Yeah, it’s hard to tell the difference.”

“Isn’t it okay? We’ll still be doing what we’re doing.”

“Hee hee, that’s true too.”

Demon Race, Demon monsters, depending on the situation, we’ll still be doing the same… I see, so that’s how it is.

After listening to the conversation and understanding what they were saying, I called out to them to join in the conversation.

“First, let’s think of a way to deal with it so that you guys won’t be mistaken for demons and attacked.”

“””Haaaah!”””

As soon as I said that, I was stared at by a group of strong men with bloodshot eyes.

It’s funny, I don’t think my guess is wrong and …….

“Huh? Because you look like demons, weren’t they discussing it so that you wouldn’t be mistaken for a demon brought by the demon king’s army and attacked?”

“What, are you trying to pick a fight?”

I tilted my head at Tong, who had a blue streak of anger on his face.

“Huh?”

“No way, this guy’s serious. Guld has a criminal record, but we won’t be mistaken.”

“I can’t be mistaken either! Maybe!”

Guld refuted Mill’s words, but Alec shook his head as if to deny it.

“Didn’t you get mistaken for a goblin by the knights of the Ringle Kingdom and captured by them, and then picked up by your sister?”

“Don’t talk about my time as a bouncer!”

“Oh, really?”

That’s how she ended up joining the Rescue Squad, too amazing.

And I’m starting to wonder what Rose’s criteria are for recruiting members.

“What we’re talking about is a countermeasure against the demons that the Demon Lord’s army is bringing.”

“I see, that’s it.”

“Rather, why can’t you come up with this one ……?”

I nodded at Gomul’s voice, which brought me back to the conversation.

A countermeasure against demons.

I’m sure the strongmen have far more experience with such things than I do, so I might as well ask the question.

“What do you guys do when you face a demon? Oh, when there’s an injured person lying near the demon.”

At my question, the tough guys put their hands on their chins and thought for a while.

After about ten seconds, one by one, they spoke the answer to my question from their tongs.

“Aim for the vital point.”

“I’m going to graze him before he can stop me.”

“I’ll just punch him.”

“Do your best to hit them with your body.”

“I’ll hit a handy demon and use it as bait.”

“I see. Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.”

I thanked the five of them for their opinions.

I’m honestly glad that none of them said “abandon”.

If our legs can scare them even for a moment, we can save the injured near the enemy.

I’m aware of the practicality of the full force physical assault, since I once gave a blue grizzly a physical assault.

“Hey, Ururu. Can I use that as a reference?”

“Even I can see that. I think it’s an absolute no-no.”

“Normal people can’t do that, but I think Usato-kun and the others can.”

I can hear Nea and the others muttering from the front seat, but for now, let’s focus on what Tong and the others are saying.

It’s not that we don’t get along, although we do fight a lot. ……

Or should I say the kind of relationship that allows us to say whatever we want to each other without hesitation? I think it’s a different kind of trust than Kazuki and Inugami senpai.

“Now let’s see what we can do to prevent Guld from being mistaken for a demon.”

“””” No objection. “”””

“Of course there are! You fucking morons!”

Although we were riding in a carriage headed for the battlefield, it seemed that we would be able to reach our destination without any gloom in the air.

A long time had passed since our departure.

We spent a long time discussing how to deal with the demons, and one by one they came to a conclusion.

The first was Tong’s suggestion that demons are incapable of responding to unexpected attacks.

This is true even for demons, but it makes sense that they would be slow to respond to an attack that they have never seen before, or one that is unknown to them.

The second is Gomul’s idea of “just hit him between the eyes and he’ll be scared!

I’m not sure where the source is, but it seems to be a reliable idea. I’m not sure if I’ll try …… or not.

The third one is Mill’s idea that if you intimidate them with your eyes, they will naturally run away.

I heard that Rose practiced this when Mill was thrown into the Darkness of Ringle, but please don’t give me an idea that humans can’t do.

The fourth was Alec’s idea of not fighting, but carrying out their mission.

I think it’s a very convincing idea.

The fifth was Guld’s idea, “If we make them think we’re one of them, they won’t naturally attack us.”

Out of the question, discuss it from a human perspective.

After a brief discussion, it was concluded that Tong and Alec’s idea was a useful countermeasure against demons.

“It seems pretty long, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, it does. My brother is reading a book and falling asleep.”

When I looked away from the strong men who had started to take a nap with their eyes closed, as if they had become bored, Ururu-san, who had moved to a seat before I knew it, spoke to me.

Where are Ferum and Nea? I looked next to her and saw that they were both asleep with their eyes closed. They were leaning their heads on each other’s shoulders, even though they usually fight each other.

For the time being, I draped the two of them with their undressed team uniforms to prevent them from catching a cold.

“Usato-kun, when we get over there, we’re going to meet with the increased number of healing magicians, right?”

“Yes, I guess so.”

“I see. …… I wonder what kind of people they are.”

In a manner of speaking, there is information.

However, it’s only information, so I won’t know unless I meet them.

“From what I’ve heard, there are two people in their twenties, about the same age as us. I heard that there are about three people coming all together.”

“Three people, huh? Surprisingly, that’s a lot.”

“Yes, it is.”

Healing magician is a rare strain of magic that can only be awakened by humans.

And with such scarcity, even when they do awaken, some hide their magic, so the number of confirmed users of healing magic is surprisingly low.

In such a situation, three more healing magicians would be a great help to Ururu-san and Olga-san, who heal the wounded at their base.

“But there can’t be any speculation, right?”

“I suppose so. I’ve heard that they were sent from another country, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the reason for that was also to learn the inner workings of the rescue squad.”

If you think about it deeply, you can also think that they sent a civilian healing magician to a dangerous place just for that purpose.

To be honest, when I came up with that idea, my blood almost boiled in my head and I thought for a moment that I should refuse the reinforcements. But when I thought about how many dozens or hundreds of lives could be saved with those reinforcements, I couldn’t do anything.

After all, I was weighing the lives I could save with their help against the few healing magicians who would be involved in the battle.

“Once we get to the base, I’m prepared to take any swearing or complaining I can get. They have their reasons for doing so, and I have to take it in my position as vice leader.”

“Totally, Usato-kun, you know. That’s the kind of thing that worries me, isn’t it?”

I don’t know what I was thinking, but I raised my voice in confusion at Ururu-san, who started stroking my head as I looked down.

“Wha! W-Wait a minute, Ururu-san!”

“You’re just like the Leader in that way.”

Ururu-san gives me a bright smile that hasn’t changed since we first met.

“Don’t worry. You don’t have to think so backwardly. You’re not alone, and I won’t make you take on everything just because you’re the vice leader.”

“Huh?”

“We’re both part of the same rescue squad, you know.”

With that, Ururu-san patted me hard on the shoulder to cheer me up.

“Besides, the healing magician who’s coming might be someone who really thought of us, right?”

“…… Yes. You’re right, Ururu-san.”

Maybe it was because the battle with the Demon King’s army was imminent, but she seemed to be in a gloomy mood.

Her cheerful and positive words made me wake up.

I bowed my head to Ururu-san.

“Thank you very much. I guess I’ve been thinking about it more than I realized.”

“That’s okay, you’re still almost the same age as me, and it’s natural for you to be troubled.”

“You too, Ururu-san?”

“That’s true.”

It’s natural for her to be troubled, huh?

Maybe I was unconsciously driven by the idea that I had to do my duty as vice leader by myself.

I’m glad I’ve realized that now.

Thanks to Ururu-san, I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

“–Hey, you guys.”

As I was thinking about this, Rose, who was pulling the reins, called out to us, tapping on the window.

When Ururu-san and I looked out the window, Rose was pointing to the end of the road.

There was a large encampment with lots of supplies and tents.

“We’ll be arriving at the base shortly. Wake up anyone who is asleep.”

“”…… Yes!””

There’s a lot to do even after we get to the base.

After nodding strongly to Rose’s words and tightening up, Ururu-san and I stood up to wake up the sleeping people.