“Aniki, where are we going?” (Reus)

  Reus was probably happy, he was shaking his tail while easily carrying the men who were bundled together.

  In the case of me taking separate actions, I usually order him to return together as Emilia’s escort. He was probably happy because I asked him to come with me.

  His breaths were rough, as if he was willing to do anything, but I think your turn will hardly come this time.

  “For now, we’re going to the men’s hideout, but don’t do anything, and stay behind me.” (Sirius)

  “I don’t really mind, but are you going to crush it by yourself, Aniki?” (Reus)

  “Ah… it seems you misunderstood something, I’m not going to crush the hideout. I’m going to have a talk.” (Sirius)

  “Eh!? Even though it’s the hideout of these guys?” (Reus)

  Reus was sending a despised look at the men. After all, they kidnapped a silver wolfkin who was similar to himself. So, it can’t be helped that he would feel angry about it.

  However, based on the earlier conversation, ‘Daughtress’, which these men belonged to, was highly unlikely to be related, and I guessed that these guys were the bad ones. It will never end if you annihilate their organization, when only looking at the bad things done by the underlings.

  Although Reus can be viewed as having a reckless nature, he is by no means stupid.

  As for things that catch his attention, I have to make him understand that it’s not always good to knock someone down from one end…


  “If everything can be solved by annihilate it all with strength, it would be similar to being like Lior, who crushes thieves, you know?” (Sirius)

  “That is no good! I will pay attention, Aniki.” (Reus)

  It is a fact, so I won’t apologize, old man.

  Even if Reus understood, I explained my intention this time, and told him to observe from behind me.

  “It is easy to annihilate someone, but I want you to know that there is more to the world. Anyway, this will become necessary for you, and there is no loss in learning it.” (Sirius)

  “Seeing is also training! Got it.” (Reus)

  While calming down the excited Reus, we entered a back alley that was slightly away from the slums. There was a small tavern that was built to be inconspicuous. I’ve went looking for the Daughtress’ hideout yesterday.

  I haven’t entered the bar yet, but we seemed to be observed by the gazes of a man who was sitting on a chair, drinking near the entrance, and from a man who was hiding in one the surrounding buildings. Well, that was normal, since we were carrying five men who were their comrades.

  “Aniki… there are two people. I made sure through both my nose and their presence, and I don’t think there is a mistake.” (Reus)

  “That is correct.” (Sirius)

  When we approached the bar, while expecting those hidden people with low voices, the lone man who sat in front of the bar stood up and came close to us with a bottle of sake.

  “Oi oi, what are children like you doing in this kind of place…?” (??)

  His appearance of unsteadily walking was exactly like that of a drunk… but that was an act. There was no doubt that he was drunk, because of the sake, but I could properly see something reasonable from his eyes. I see, is this a test for outsiders?

  “No, no, I have something important to talk about inside. Aah, you have dirt on you, you know?” (Sirius)

  I pretended to brush the other person’s sleeve, and dropped a copper coin in his hand. The drunk got off my nose and separated himself from me. He sat again and began drinking.

  The reason for him to pick a fight was to make visitors feel timid. A copper coin was like an entrance fee.

  We entered the bar without getting picked on, but as expected, there weren’t a lot of people, since it was late afternoon. There were a lot of tables lined up with several people sitting on them. When we headed for the bartender’s counter , Reus asked me in a whisper.

  “Aniki, are they really these men’s comrades? The people nearby are not attacking us though…” (Reus)

  “If they make noise in this place, won’t they expose that this is their hideout? And it would be a lot worse if they attacked us here. Prepare yourself, alright?” (Sirius)

  “Understood!” (Reus)

  Or, there was a possibility that these men were not important enough to make noise for the organization.

  There was no mistake that this was their hideout, from the mood of the tavern and the presence of people. Then, I placed a silver coin on the counter and ordered. By the way, Reus was curiously looking around.

  “Master, one Daughtream and Resslite please.” (Sirius)

  “We don’t have that in the house.” (Bartender)

  “Eight Daughtream, then.” (Sirius)

  “…Wait a sec.” (Bartender)

  In this bar, there were several peculiar drinks from this town, and they were not listed in the menu among them, but those two were the secret password of wanting a meeting with the organization. Based on the information of the store, the amount of Daughtream ordered played a major role of the purpose of the meeting.

  To tell the truth, I wanted to reply with ‘Ten’, but since the worst was avoided, I made it ‘Eight’. The bartender returned after going inside for a while, and then we were guided by the employee to the back door.

  After I descended down a dim staircase, there were several doors lined up side by side, and I entered one of them. It was a dreary room with two sofas and one desk, but I could see several people lurking in the dark and the shade. This made me remember ‘Melissa’, the organization that I sold the gems of the ‘Jewel Turtle’ to when I was a child.

  A man was already sitting on one of the sofas, so I sat on the other sofa, and Reus positioned himself behind me after putting the men down on the floor.

  There was absolutely no disdain in the eyes of the man who looked at me. As I expected, when it comes the inner workings of the organization, they seemed to be different from those fools.

  “You are as young as I’ve heard. What kind of business do you have with us?” (??)

  “There is one thing before we start talking about it. The truth is we came to return them because we were involved with your subordinates over there.” (Sirius)

  “Haa? Aah… they surely are subordinates. I don’t remember them that much. Did they join the organization recently?” (??)

  When the man sitting on the sofa called a woman behind him, she checked the paper he had and nodded. She was probably a secretary.

  “It is confirmed that they have recently joined. However, since I didn’t see them after they joined, I thought they died.” (??)

  “Is that so? They caused some inconvenience for us, but we deliberately came to return them, what do you think? Will you pay for a settlement?” (Sirius)

  At that moment, the men who were lurking around, seethed. Reus reflexively drew his sword, but I signaled him with a gaze to suppress his alertness. You can’t act violently from bloodlust level, you know?

  “I don’t need anything like money. From here on is the main objective. I want to request information from you.” (Sirius)

  “A request for information? Have we become that low to give information to outsiders, huh? Well, what kind of information?” (??)

  “I also want to inform you… that those men kidnapped someone from the silver wolf tribe.” (Sirius)

  “What!?” (??)

  The man stood up in surprise and looked down at his subordinates lying on the floor. His calm demeanor until just now disappeared. He was looking at me as if he couldn’t believe it, but since there was a silver wolfkin, Reus, standing behind me, he didn’t think that it was a lie.

  “Oi! Wake them up!” (??)

  When the man gave the order, the woman that stood by poured a jug of water, and slapped the cheeks to wake them up. That was considerably extreme, but judging from the situation, it’s not that I don’t understand.

  “Aughh… Lea-leader?” (D Subordinate)

  “You… No, it doesn’t matter anymore. Oi, what did you do to that child over there?” (D Leader)

  “Aa… aah! Yeah, leader! The brat was a hindrance! We had a chance to earn a lot of money!” (D Subordinate)

  “How did you intend to make money? Answer me.” (D Leader)

  “It’s the silver wolf tribe! There was a guy who made a direct request to us, and he said he would pay us fifty gold coins if we brought him a female silver wolfkin!” (D Subordinate)

  “…And, did you, by any chance, kidnapped them?” (D Leader)

  “I discovered some, by chance, when I was looking in a forest. After that, when we got back to the town, the female ran away. When we chased after her, the brat over there…” (D Subordinate)

  “I had enough. Go back to sleep.” (D Leader)

  Far from having the leader confirm, the man easily confessed and validated that my information was true. The flabbergasted leader kicked the man’s face and let him ‘sleep’ again. And then, he sat on the sofa while sighing.

  “Damn it, these idiots are surely outsiders.” (D Leader)

  “Yes, they are. They arrived from another continent the other day. Could it be that these guys didn’t learn about the rules…?” (D Secretary)

  “Damn it! Send them away immediately…” (D Leader)

  The reason why the leader was panicking was… that a silver wolfkin was kidnapped by force.

  The silver wolf tribe is a tribe that regards families and friends more than anything else, and the bond with someone from the same tribe is strong. It is said that once they get married, they will never be apart again.

  It seemed that the royalty of a certain country abducted some silver wolfkins that they wanted in the past, but apparently, the silver wolf tribe assaulted the country in order to recover their fellows and family.

  The silver wolf tribe generally had high physical abilities, but the number of warriors seemed low. They had managed to fight them with the difference in numbers, and the country was weakening because of the huge amount of damage, and a war triggered again, when the crime of the royalty was exposed, and the country was eventually destroyed.

  Since then, to kidnap a silver wolfkin against their will was considered a taboo, and if they walked together with someone, they must have a deep bond with the person himself and was recognized by them as a family member.

  That was why the slave merchant who spoke to us in the town said, ‘You manage them well’ towards me. If the bond was created even when they were slaves, you won’t be attacked because you will be seen as nothing but same family.

  It was a widely handed down story in the Adlode Continent, but they appeared to have failed in various ways when listening to the conversation between the leader and the woman.

  If the matter is left as it was, the silver wolf tribe will probably attack the town to get their kidnapped friends back within a few days, so the leader’s impatience was reasonable.

  Since he understood the present situation, I moved on to the next talk.

  “I am sorry for you to be impatient, but we have defeated your subordinates for that reason, and protected the silver wolfkin. Can I treat your organization as being uninvolved with them?” (Sirius)

  “Yeah, got it. We were actually saved. If you had left them alone, there was the possibility that someone would have given the silver wolfkin to the client before we knew it. If that happened, it might have been too late to send them back.” (D Leader)

  “That is true, isn’t it? So, I have a request, will you let me send the silver wolfkin back?” (Sirius)

  “…What is your reason for this?” (D Leader)

  “The guy who stands behind me is a silver wolfkin. Due to a certain reason, I picked him up, grew up together with him, and now he has become an important existence to me. He is worried. Isn’t that a reason for him to make a move for someone from his tribe?” (Sirius)

  My real intention was only to go to the silver wolf tribe’s settlement, but there was no mistake in saying this, since the siblings have already become indispensable existences to me. Of course, Reese and Hokuto too, they are my important companions.

  Reus was quietly watching, but he was desperately holding back because he almost cried after hearing my words. However, since his tail was moving intensely, it was a pointless worry.

  “I will leave the town tomorrow morning, and head for their settlement. The kidnapped silver wolfkin will be our guide, and she will explain the situation to other family members to prevent the attack. How about that, it’s not bad for mutual discussion, right?” (Sirius)

  “Isn’t there the possibility that you will run away with that silver wolfkin? And, it is not hard for someone from the same tribe to deepen their relationship.” (D Leader)

  “If that’s the case, it was not necessary for us to come here, right? The reason we came here was to inform you and solve the matter.” (Sirius)

  “Even if you don’t say it, I had already planned to do it.” (D Leader)

  I came here mainly to let Reus get the experience, but there were two other reasons.

  First was to give warning for what I have said earlier.

  Daughtress is an underworld society, but they were following some rules to a certain extent. In addition, there was also another side to them that kept the order of the town so that the wickedness from other places won’t be spread here. I thought it was regrettable to be annihilated because of a stupid mistake.

  Another reason was to deal with the culprit.

  The ones that kidnapped the silver wolfkin were those guys, who were lying on the ground, but there was still a problem because, in the first place, it was taboo to kidnap them, in regards of the Adlode continent.

  There was a possibility that the same person will appear if I leave this out, so I should definitely check it out. Since there were silver wolfkins among my companions, it was better to get rid of the weeds that have caught my eye.

  I don’t mind doing it, but I will leave the town tomorrow, and I should entrust the matter to Daughtress to regain their honor because they have put the town in danger.

  “The client is either not a person from Adlode, a noble, or someone higher who is interested in the silver wolf tribe. So, you have to aim until a certain extent, am I right?” (Sirius)

  “You’re right; I will teach and stop that fool as a favor. Actually, I already made contact with him. A foolish noble came in contact with us a few days ago and informed us of his interest in having a silver wolfkin. Of course, I refused him and explained the reason, but that fool didn’t get it.” (D Leader)

  According to his additional explanation, the noble was an aristocrat from a different continent. It seemed that he wanted a silver wolfkin to the degree that he came all the way to the Adlode continent. It was unfortunate that he couldn’t understand the reason why that was impossible.

  In the end, the noble didn’t give up. He indiscriminately shouted for suitable adventurers, and searched for anyone who would accept the request. I thought there weren’t any fools who would accept it in this continent, but it seemed that Daughtress won’t remain indifferent and they planned to make a move.

  “Since he would cause a problem, I thought of giving him a warning, since they would abduct them before long, but let alone not knowing that my underlings accepted the request, I didn’t think that they would catch one so soon.” (D Leader)

  “I can say nothing but bad luck in various ways. So, will you guys handle the noble and leave the kidnapped silver wolfkin to us?” (Sirius)

  “…It can’t be helped, I guess. When I think about it, you probably don’t want to see your companions kidnapped, so it is best to leave it to you, who has someone from the same tribe, to return them. Make sure you deliver them, alright?” (D Leader)

  “Please, leave it to me. I will excuse myself, since I have nothing more to discuss.” (Sirius)

  I received their pledge, so I should leave it to their side, for now.

  As we were about to leave, since the discussion was over, the leader threw a silver coin and a copper coin, and I caught them in midair.

  “I have a principle not to be indebted to outsiders. I have returned the entrance fee because you have provide me with some information.” (D Leader)

  As expected, it seemed that his character was someone who settles his debt on the spot. It was worthwhile to give him information and advice.

  “There are bad adventurers gathering around the noble that we talked about earlier. Therefore, you should walk around the downtown all day today. After that… you got it, right?” (D Leader)

  “I was expecting that, but they are acting swiftly, right?” (Sirius)

  “That’s how much they want someone from the silver wolf tribe. Good grief, I wish they channeled that enthusiasm to something else. Aah, our companions are not included, you know? Either way, even if they were, such foolishness won’t know what will happen next.” (D Leader)

  “Understood. Well then, I won’t hesitate.” (Sirius)

  “Do whatever you want. Oi! Make those fools vomit everything. You don’t have to hold back.” (D Leader)

  The debt was settled, and we won’t see that leader anymore. As he kicked the men that were lying on the floor, and gave orders to the other guys, Reus and I left Daughtress’ hideout.

  —


  When we left the hideout, as our walking pace grew, Reus finally breathed out and undid the tension he felt. As expected, it seemed he wasn’t used to watching things in silence.

  “Reus, it is alright if you breathe like normal. So, what do you think about the interaction with the organization?” (Sirius)

  “I was really happy when you said that I’m an important existence.” (Reus)

  “No, not that. Did you understand that there are other ways to solve things other than acting violently?” (Sirius)

  “Yeah. It was very difficult for me to understand, but I understood that there are various things that can be done, other than just annihilating something.” (Reus)

  It seems that the conversation with the underworld organization was difficult for him, but Reus seemed to have learned something. He was walking next to me and laughing while showing his teeth.

  “Don’t just kill them just because they are bad guys. Unless they are obvious fools, after thinking a bit, I will cut them.” (Reus)

  “This time, it is enough to understand that much. But remember, the road that you are going to walk will require various experiences. That is why I brought you with me, but there is no need to be impatient. One step at a time. You will learn and grow for sure.” (Sirius)

  “Yes! I will fulfill Aniki’s expectations.” (Reus)

  Because he was together with Lior so much, he would crush evil by instinct. However, Lior’s instincts were not similar to Reus’, so I can’t say that it was a mistake to crush something by leaving it to his instincts. He was a child who has difficulties in making subtle adjustments.

  “But, Aniki. What were you going to do if those guys didn’t listen to Aniki’s proposal, and attacked us?” (Reus)

  “In that situation, I would crush them. There is no need to hold back against an organization that doesn’t understand the situation and is greedy.” (Sirius)

  “As expected of Aniki.” (Reus)

  “It is different if we are the bad ones, but I won’t forgive them if they aim at us for no reason, you know?” (Sirius)

  “Aniki is somewhat similar to a silver wolfkin, huh?” (Reus)

  “Oi oi, I don’t have wolf ears on me.” (Sirius)

  While walking together with Reus, who was happily wagging his tail, we returned to the inn.

  —


  We had two double rooms for the inn, but Emilia changed it to a quadruple room. By the way, Hokuto was on standby at the stables to watch over the carriage. I saw his situation a while ago, and he really was a wolf that looked like a messenger of a god. He was also revered by several horses in the stable.

  We entered the inn, and when I knocked on the door of the room where the mother and son were resting, Emilia immediately opened it and showed me inside.

  “Welcome back, Sirius-sama.” (Emilia)

  “We’re back. We are done. So, how about them?” (Sirius)

  “They calmed down after we explained ourselves, and they are resting, since Reese’s treatment is over. Anyway, I would like to say thank you, Sirius-sama.” (Emilia)

  “The ones who found them were you guys, not me. Anyway, shall we talk?” (Sirius)

  When I entered the room, the mother, who was lying down on the bed, raised her upper body, and lowered her head at me. Reese and the child were sitting on the next bed, and they were eating the skewered meats that were bought at a stall. Their relationship seemed good because they were having fun, talking about the deliciousness of the skewered meat. Was this also because of Reese’s virtue?

  I was prepared to be glared at, because they were attacked by humans, but it seems we don’t have to worry, after looking at the expression of the mother and the child.

  “Thank you very much for this time. Thanks to everyone, my child and I were saved.” (SW Mother)

  “The ones who helped you are these two, not me, you know?” (Sirius)

  “No. I heard from Emilia that we weren’t the only ones who were rescued, but your two companions over there, too. On behalf of the tribe, I would like to say thank you.” (SW Mother)

  As one would expect, someone from the silver wolf tribe is said to have strong bonds. Even though there is no blood relation, she thanked Emilia and Reus for it.

  “I did it because I wanted to do it. Besides, since I am younger, there is no need to use honorifics. Please, talk normally.” (Sirius)

  “Y-yeah. But, I also have something to ask. Let us stop being formal, alright?” (SW Mother)

  “Well then, if you insist. Anyway, I’m glad that both of you are safe. I accept your thanks. First of all, shall we introduce ourselves?” (Sirius)

  “Yeah. My name is Aery. This is my child, Quad. Hey, please say hello.” (Aery)

  “I am Quad. Thanks, Nii-chan!” (Quad)

  I was wondering whether he would be alarmed like Noir, but he made a smile and obediently said thanks. Every child that I met for the first time, including Emilia and Rues, were all wary, so this made me feel really refreshed.

  Contrary to what I thought, Emilia was nodding in satisfaction; it seemed she was convinced about something. Well… is it alright if the mother doesn’t say anything?

  “I think she informed you about me already, but my name is Sirius. I am… their Shishou.” (Sirius)

  “I am Reus. Nice to meet you, Aery-san, Quad.” (Reus)

  When I think about it, I am their Shishou, their master, leader and so on. But, since it was troublesome, I lumped it all together as their Shishou.

  After Reus introduced himself, Aery -san turned her sight towards Reus’ face. She put her hand on her mouth as if she remembered something, so Reus came closer and waved his hand.

  “Is there something on my face?” (Reus)

  “Aah, sorry. When I look at you again, I feel like your face resembles someone. If it’s alright with you, would you tell me your family name?” (Aery)

  “It is Silverion. My Tou-chan was the head of our village.” (Reus)

  “Oh!? If that’s the case, you guys must be Garve-san’s grandchildren!” (Aery)

  Aery-san gave Emilia and Reus a gentle smile, but the siblings tilted their heads, as if they did not recognized the name of Garve.

  “In short, Aery-san’s village is where Emilia’s family lives?” (Sirius)

  “Yeah. Garve-san was the former chief of our village. Several years ago, I heard that his child’s settlement was attacked by monsters and it was destroyed… but I’m glad that you are alive.” (Aery)

  While shedding tears, Aery-san hugged Reus, who was drawing closer.

  Although it was unexpected, I found the connection to Emilia and Reus. If we go to Aery-san’s settlement, the location of the village where Emilia used to live was likely to be known as well.

  “That is great, you guys. Although you reaction is light, don’t you two understand?” (Sirius)

  “Yes. But, my mother and father never talked about such person before.” (Emilia)

  “I didn’t hear about him, either. Aery-san, what kind of person is this Garve?” (Reus)

  “He is a considerable old man. But, it’s probably not impossible for you guys to say that you don’t know him. Garve-san is terribly stubborn and rarely talks about his family, and the only story that I heard about was when he was drunk, it was about how he fought and split with his child.” (Aery)

  “He is our grandfather… isn’t he?” (Emilia)

  “Yeah… that’s great, Nee-chan! We have a Jii-chan!” (Reus)

  The siblings gradually accepted the fact that their family was there, but for some reason, they started to delightfully cling to me. I think that I am also happy that your family is still alive, but it hurts a little when I am being hugged by the strength of the siblings.

  “Fufu… they really long for you. I heard from Emilia why you, Sirius-kun, came to this continent. Our whole family plan to cooperate with you, unsparingly, including the favor of being rescued by you.” (Aery)

  “We’re saved. First of all, we will bring you to your settlement.” (Sirius)

  “Yes, leave the guiding to us. By all means, I would like you to come to our settlement.” (Aery)

  “Please. But, since today is already so late, I want you to slowly recuperate. We will leave tomorrow morning.” (Sirius)

  “Y-yeah. The present me will only drag your feet. I will quietly lie down.” (Aery)

  Even if the injury was cured by Reese’s magic, Aery’s physical strength hasn’t recovered yet. In preparation for tomorrow, Aery-san obediently lied down on the bed to recover her physical strength, even if it’s only a little bit.

  To tell the truth, she wanted to go back by forcing herself, but since we saved her, it seemed impossible for her to overdo it. Quad also felt sleepy after eating the skewered meat, and he crawled next to his mother and was breathing like a sleeping person.

  Looking at the movement of the sun, the time was early evening. We quietly left the room, and talked about our future plans.

  “I will buy what we need before the day ends. Reese and I will go shopping. Emilia and Reus, take care of those two.” (Sirius)

  “Understood. I will make a light meal for Aery-san. Reus, please stay here and watch over them.” (Emilia)

  “Understood, Nee-chan. I’ll be the watchdog!” (Reus)

  According to the information from Daughtress, it was said that the noble was gathering adventurers to catch the silver wolfkin. Because of that, we’ll finish the shopping with only me and Reese, without being them entangled by them midway.

  It was a matter of time to get to the place, but if I leave the front to Emilia and Reus, and the back to Hokuto, there was no problem in us defending them.

  And Reus, you’re not wrong because you are a wolfkin, but I want you to stop it because you’re too loud.

  “Lastly, prepare for battle. There is a possibility that we will be attacked in the town.” (Sirius)

  “““Yes!””” (Emilia/Reus/Reese)

  Not just Reus, Emilia and Reese were also, for some reason, not listening. Is that proof of them growing up?

  After I finished giving instructions to everyone, we moved into action at once.

  “Well, shall we go, Reese? The skewered meat that you were eating earlier seemed delicious. Can you show it to me?” (Sirius)

  “It was delicious. Sure, I want to eat a little bit more, anyway.” (Reese)

  “Please take care. Reese, you can have fun.” (Emilia)

  “Eh? Having fun… aah!?” (Reese)

  Reese finally realized that it was only she and I who were going to do the shopping. Since she was blushing and looking at me, I extended my hand to be her escort.

  “Come on, let’s go, Reese.” (Sirius)

  “Y-yes! Ehehe…” (Reese)

  Although Reese was embarrassed as she took my hand, she floated a glittering smile.

  —


  Late at night

  While aiming at certain inn, the bad-natured adventurers were walking in the back alleys to avoid attracting attention.

  Their number was ten. Everyone seemed to be beasts sharply aiming for their prey. They were clearly different from ordinary adventurers.

  “The target is the silver wolfkin. How many are there, all of them?” (Adventurer 1)

  “A female takes priority. It is for that whimsical noble-sama.” (Adventurer 2)

  “Other than that, there is a muscular and splendid wolf. If we can get that, he will also buy it.” (Adventurer 3)

  “Heh! He really likes them, huh?” (Adventurer 4)

  By considering their aim, they should probably just mobilize without their pointless talk, but the men were walking while continuing their conversation.

  Anyways, once they get the money from completing the request, they would immediately escape to another continent. In short, they were aware of the taboo in regards to the silver wolf tribe, and yet, they still accepted the request.

  “Although she has a guardian, it seems that he’s just a brat. There will be no problems if we make a surprise attack with ten people at once.” (Adventurer 5)

  “I guess so. By the way, there is a cute silver wolf girl and a blue-haired girl inside. How about we take them with us?” (Adventurer 6)

  “What? Rather than money, you want to take the girls?” (Adventurer 7)

  “Me too, I would rather take the girls than money, but I’m not interested in the brat.” (Adventurer 8)

  And then, when the targeted inn was within their sights, the men looked at each other to confirm their plans, but they noticed an abnormality there.

  “…Wait a sec. Does our number seem to be getting lower?” (Adventurer 1)

  “Where did they go? They were here until a while ago…” (Adventurer 2)

  “Aah, they were dragged into the shelters earlier. And… behind.” (??)

  “Wha?” (Adventurer 4)

  When the men turned back, it was at that moment that the foot of a muscular and splendid wolf swung down. A man was knocked out before he could scream, and the other was blown away by its tail.

  “Wh-what’s this!?” (Adventurer 2)

  “Make some distance! What are you doing, you’re going too far!” (Adventurer 1)

  “It’s not his fault. It was because of him… he is my partner.” (Sirius)

  Hokuto was leaning on my side and rubbed his head. There were six… No, except the one that was just blown away, there were five, huh?

  “You, could it be that you…” (Adventurer 4)

  “Yeah. The adventurers who have gathered here are our enemies.” (Sirius)

  After I finished shopping together with Reese, and before we returned to the inn, the information about the people who would attack us and the place that they were gathered at was told to me by Daughtress. It was to settle the debt, but since the leader, for some reason, felt bothered because we were going to escort the silver wolfkin, they expressly handed the information over.

  Perhaps, there was significance in departing soon, but unfortunately, Aery-san was still tired. Since this was also training for the disciples, I decided to ambush them. However, this was about their reputation, so I only attacked a bit. When it comes to surprise attacks, they should try to sneak in secretly.

  By the way, I sneakily pulled two of them that came here brought them into the shelters, knocked them unconscious and left them.

  While stroking Hokuto’s head, I took off the the hood that covered my face and smiled at those men.

  “You guys are nothing but fools, I heard everything, you know? You are careless when the opponent is a child, you don’t know the strength of your enemy, you’ve been talking loudly and the surprise attack… is too poor.” (Sirius)

  “Keh! Originally, we were not good with surprise attacks. Taking down a brat and a monster from the front is…” (Adventurer 1)

  “I am not alone, you know?” (Sirius)

  Emilia and Reus appeared from the entrance, and we sandwiched the adventurers between us. However, I couldn’t feel them being impatient. They grasped their weapons and calmly looked at our direction.

  The five men from earlier were easily knocked down, but these five men reorganized their party. That was proof that they had proper experience. I left them, so that they could serve as training for my disciples.

  “Oi, the target has come out. They saved us time and trouble.” (Adventurer 2)

  “You guys hold that wolf and brat at the back. Capture that silver wolfkin, secure the target and make her a hostage.” (Adventurer 1)

  Although they were no good with surprise attacks, their momentary consideration wasn’t bad. Two of the men turned to me and Hokuto, while three of them went to Emilia and Reus.

  Two men threw ropes and nets in order to catch Emilia, but she manipulated the wind and jumped high. She went to their rear by stepping on their heads.

  “This girl is quick… nahh!?” (Adventurer 3)

  “It’s just that you are slow.” (Emilia)

  One of the men turned his head, and was knocked down, unsightly, by Emilia’s leg. At the same time, the other man sliced his weapon down, but Emilia purposely plunged into his bosom to avoid the attack.

  Before his eyes was Emilia’s flowing silver hair, and a palm was directed at his face. Then, Emilia’s spell was released.

  “[Air Impact!]” (Emilia)

  The impact of the wind, with its strength adjusted, punched the man’s jaw out. The man was blown away, while making a curved line, and he fell onto a garden plant nearby and fainted.

  “One more!” (Emilia)

  She fired an [Air Impact] at the man who was knocked down by her foot sweep, and he also completely lost consciousness. Above all, it seems she was properly training herself because I told her not to be careless, unless the enemy was completely neutralized,

  Meanwhile, a man went towards Reus…


  “You have a splendid sword, but is it just for decoration!?” (Adventurer 1)

  “…” (Reus)

  Reus, for some reason, didn’t pull out his sword. He just continued to avoid his opponent’s sword. The opponent was wielding his weapon while questioning Reus’ behavior, but he continued to avoid it.

  Just when the man thought it was obviously weird, Reus grabbed his sword while muttering to himself.

  “It is difficult… to attack in this situation…” (Reus)

  “Have you finally got motivated!? But, such a big sword is…” (Adventurer 1)

  Before the man finished talking, Reus’ sword was hurled and sliced the man’s arm. During the gap where he was being surprised, he was hit on the crown of his head with the flat part of the sword, and the man sank while groaning.

  “Haaa… It’s no good. I can still see Nee-chan. And I can’t fight in a situation where Reese-ane and Aniki are nearby.” (Reus)

  “Do your best, Reus. Well, let’s tie them up.” (Emilia)

  What Reus was doing, just now, was my way of taking care of others while fighting. Certainly, I am defending others while fighting the enemies before me, and preferentially defending companions who are likely to be targeted. However, it was possible because of my ability, [Multi Task], but it is not easy, even if you enhance your physical strength with [Boost].

  Nevertheless, Reus was going to do that. Since they seemed to not be putting a great effort into protecting the most important thing, the enemies were aiming at me.

  The siblings threw a rope and quickly tied the three helpless men.

  By the time the battle of the siblings finished, Hokuto’s side was also over.

  The man who approached Hokuto was a man with a Halberd that was taller than his height. Apparently he was befitting of using it as he swung the heavy-looking Halberd down at Hokuto, but Hokuto waved his right forefoot without evading it.

  “Eh…?” (Adventurer 4)

  The moment Hokuto’s forefront was waved, the Halberd was divided into four.

  It wasn’t used habitually because it was dangerous, and the halberd was torn by Hokuto’s nails. In short, he was using something that he usually curls.

  Hokuto raised his arm at the man, who was stunned by the loss of his weapon. He swung the nails that were as strong as steel down… no, he stopped them at the man’s nose.

  “Garurur!” (Hokuto)

  “Hii!?” (Adventurer 4)

  Although a cute paw was spread before his eyes, the man fainted and crumbled on the spot, due to Hokuto’s intimidation.

  As soon as Hokuto made a small bark, Emilia and Reus rushed over and tied the mn up. I was able to see a very clear hierarchical order.

  The top… is me, of course.

  “Hmmm… Emilia and Rues are doing their best.” (Sirius)

  “You bastard! Why are you looking away!?” (Adventurer 5)

  “Eh?” (Sirius)

  I was looking at the battle of the siblings and Hokuto, while fighting the man in front of me.

  Even if you say that I am looking away, your sword is too monotonous and I can catch it with a sidelong glance.

  “Why!? Why is my sword being held back by such a small sword!?” (Adventurer 5)

  “You rely too much on your strength. Look, it’s not enough.” (Sirius)

  A greatsword that was swung by both hands of an adult, was held by the short sword that I received from Dee. To say it accurately, rather than holding it back, I was shedding it away.

  The trick is, it is a matter of leading the trajectory of the sword away when the hit connects but before the opponent’s strength get through. If it was Lior or Reus, they would interact with perception and technique, but since the man before me was emphasizing the strength and weight of the sword, it was easy to shed his attack away. If I wanted to add something more, even a small sword made from Gravilite is way stronger than your sword. (Note: Gravilite is a metal that has been used to make their carriage. The metal can be lightened if mana is supplied into it. That is why their carriage can be heavy or light depending on mana supplied.)

  If looking from the other side, he will feel as if I’m completely evading his sword attack.

  “Shall I explain in detail? To swing that greatsword with that level of speed is praiseworthy, but the technique is poor. It is evident that you haven’t fought a stronger opponent before.” (Sirius)

  “Damn it! Are you a brat trying to pretend to be an educator!?” (Adventurer 5)

  Because he didn’t want to be told by me, without learning the lesson, he raised the greatsword with all his strength. Perhaps, he thought that strength alone was not enough, so it was likely that his opponent would be crushed if he used more strength. He was full of gaps when he raised his sword, but I purposely waited for his attack.

  “With this, your sword… ooo!?” (Adventurer 5)

  When the greatsword was swung down, I took a step to his rear at the same time. I swept his leg the moment his center of gravity was the most forward, and I scooped up the floated leg by thrusting the sword. Coupled with the center of gravity, the man was thrown into the air as if he was flying forward. He fell on the ground and lied on his back.

  “You forget this.” (Adventurer 5)

  The man recovered the greatsword he had unintentionally released from his hands, and thrust it right next to my face. An Elysion student would faint with just this, but this man was an adventurer, and he was only stunned for a moment.

  Quite a nerve, but… there was no meaning.

  I put my hand on the man’s belly, and said my words of farewell.

  “If you want to hate someone, hate your client. Well, I’m not sure whether you’ll be alive or not.” (Sirius)

  It can’t be helped, since this guy was bringing war with the silver wolf tribe to this town.

  Maybe the client was being dealt with by Daughtress at this time.

  For the sake of having a quiet sleep today, I reaped the man’s consciousness with a point blank [Impact].

  —


  Extra/Bonus 1

  “Do you get it, Quad-kun? Sirius-sama is a wonderful person who rescued us. He is very strong, very good at cooking…” (Emilia)

  “Ooo! Amazing Nii-chan!” (Quad)

  “Aah… that bad habit of Emilia’s, once again. Sorry, Aery-san. I’ll stop her immediately.” (Sirius)

  “I don’t mind. It’s fine. My child is having fun, and Emilia also seems happy.” (Aery)

  “…So, Quad-kun… Pledging to Sirius-sama is…” (Emilia)

  “Yeah, ME TOO… AS SIRIUS-SAMA…” (Quad)

  “Awawa!? I knew it!” (Reese)

  “They are really fun kids.” (Aery)

  After that, it seemed he was cured when Reese poured water on him.

  Extra/Bonus 2

  “Aniki! The technique that you used to handle that man’s sword was amazing! It barely uses any strength, how can I do it?” (Reus)

  “If you keep being struck by Lior-jiisan’s sword, you will naturally be able to do it.” (Sirius)

  “Oo… ouu! Alright, when I meet him next time, I also will…” (Reus)

  “Furthermore, when he fires his eight slashes attack at the same time, you’ll do it perfectly if you handle all of it. However, if you miss even one, your bones will surely break.” (Sirius)

  “…” (Reus)

  Actually, I broke a few bones.

  At that time, I was fighting by using a wooden sword, but since the strength and technique of both of us was high, I always had the feeling of possibly dying.

  The expression that Reus showed at that time was very impressive. It was a mixture of surprise, fear and reverence.