— Emilia —


  I was breathing and running in a world of darkness where everything was dyed black.

  Wait…


  Wait…


  It was difficult to breath and I may collapse at anytime, but I looked forward and continued to run.

  After all, Okaa-san and Otou-san were standing over there.

  I wanted to see you.

  I wanted to hear you.

  I wanted to bite your shoulder again.

  And yet… no matter how much I ran, I couldn’t get close to Okaa-san and Otou-san.

  Quickly…


  Quickly…


  I have to go to Okaa-san and Otou-san… quickly…


  “Okaa-san, Otou-san, run awayyyyy!” (Emilia)

  A big black monster appeared behind Okaa-san and Otou-san.

  And that big mouth opened up and was about to eat my precious family.

  “I won’t let you! [Air Shot]!” (Emilia)

  The magic that I used as easy as breathing nowadays… didn’t activate.

  “Why!? [Air Shot]! [Air Slash]! [Air Impact]!” (Emilia)

  No matter how much I concentrated… no matter how much I shouted, the spells didn’t activate.

  I understood the reason as soon as I saw my hands.

  “Why…?” (Emilia)

  My body reverted to a child’s… back when the settlement was attacked.

  I could cast spell after I met —sama.

  I couldn’t get over it… because I was just a kid… I couldn’t do anything at that time…


  “No… Stop…” (Emilia)

  Even so, I ran… and ran… desperately extending my hand to my parents.

  But, Okaa-san and Otou-san were smiling and walking towards the monster.

  “…Emilia.” (Rona)

  Stop!

  Please run away!

  After this… please don’t say it!

  “Live strongly. I love you…” (Rona)

  At the end of those words, Okaa-san and Otou-san… by the monster…


  —


  “Again…?” (Emilia)

  When I slowly opened my eyes and looked at my hands, I could see my growing hands, not a child’s.

  What I saw until a while ago… was a dream.

  I kept seeing… that nightmare several times since that day.

  I almost didn’t dream about it since I was saved by Sirius-sama, but when I stepped on this continent, after we rescued Aery-san and Quad-kun, I started to see it again.

  When I saw the sight of a scared mother and her son, I instinctively remembered that day. It was visible every day after that. I was seeing the nightmare of the monster eating Okaa-san and Otou-san.

  Whenever I woke up, it was always in the middle of the night. I couldn’t sleep after that because I got worked up. Because of that, I haven’t been getting enough rest. Someday, I might do an irreversible mistake.

  I became calm when I embraced the cushion that smelled of Sirius-sama, but the effect was gradually getting thinner. I had to cling on to Reese, who slept next to me, since I couldn’t calm myself down yesterday. At that time, Reese gently hugged me. She stroked me until I calmed down, but I had already depended on her too many times.

  After all…


  I looked outside of the carriage, so as not to wake the sleeping Reese, and I confirmed that Sirius-sama was sitting in front of the burning wood.

  Hokuto-san is always on watch for the night, but Sirius-sama ordered us to make sure that the watch was taken in shifts. Although Sirius-sama, who is our master, doesn’t have to do it, he properly included himself for the watch, and he usually does it at the most difficult time.

  On the contrary, Reese and I slept in the carriage. No matter how many times I told him that he didn’t have to do it, he didn’t listen. Erina-san would often say, she wished he was more selfish.

  But… because Sirius-sama was like that, I wanted to support him. And I happen to love him from the bottom of my heart.

  Looking at Sirius-sama’s appearance made my sadness that was caused by the nightmare to go away.

  “…You can’t sleep?” (Sirius)

  Even when I showed myself a little, Sirius-sama noticed me and looked back.

  I quietly got out of the carriage and sat next to Sirius-sama. Hokuto-san, who was sleeping on my way to him, slightly opened his eyes, but he immediately closed them and turned towards the other direction.

  Since he leaked a voice that sounded like a complaint, I leaned against Sirius-sama’s shoulder without saying anything.

  This was something that an attendant shouldn’t do without asking the permission of the master. If Erina-san saw this, she would get angry. Although I am aware of it, I want… Sirius-sama’s kindness.

  “Can you not sleep under such conditions?” (Sirius)

  I did something improper, but Sirius-sama placed my head onto his lap.

  Sirius-sama’s lap pillow! Aah… so happy.

  …I was happy, but why did Sirius-sama not ask anything? While I had my doubts, Sirius-sama stroked my head with a smile.

  “Isn’t this weird when you haven’t heard about anything?” Emilia)

  In order to confirm that, I moved my head a bit.

  “I know the reason why you cannot sleep. But, I don’t plan to do anything about it. Got it?” (Sirius)

  …Sirius-sama really understood me. I firmly looked at that face and nodded because he was looking at me with a slightly serious expression.

  “It looks like you understand. Yes, you have to overcome the problem yourself. You probably don’t want me to solve your problem, right?” (Sirius)

  Yes… this is what I have to solve on my own. I want to support Sirius-sama, and I don’t want to rely on Sirius-sama for everything.

  I know, but I just want Sirius-sama to pamper me. Despite this, why are you…


  “…Are you not angry?” (Emilia)

  “You mean about being pampered? Do you want me to say something? I can, if you want me to, but since you are aware of it, it is not necessary for me to be angry.” (Sirius)

  Sirius-sama gently stroked my head while reprimanding me with a voice that was trying not to complain.

  “When you return home, you have to face your past, even if you don’t like it. If you are tired at that time, you won’t be able to do anything… and it will be meaningless.” (Sirius)

  What I am afraid of is the shadow of the past. I was trying hard to run away from the problem. However, I do not yet know how the settlement is after it was attacked by monsters. At that time, I wonder what I will become… if I see it with my own eyes.

  But, if I run away, Sirius-sama will surely feel disappointed at me. I don’t want that.

  “When you are tired, you will naturally think unpleasant things. That is why, now is the time for you to rest to prepare for that time. I will lend you my lap only for today.” (Sirius)

  “Thank you very much. But… is it only for today?” (Emilia)

  “…I will think about it when you have overcome your problem.” (Sirius)

  “Promise. In order to support Sirius-sama… I will get over it…” (Emilia)

  When I realized it, the feelings of wanting to cry faded away and only my endearing feelings remained.

  I am an attendant and disciple of such a great person. In order to declare these feelings in my heart, I have to overcome the past.

  But now… let’s accept Sirius-sama’s words.

  I was wrapped by the smell of the person that I love, and I fell into a deep sleep.

  — Sirius —


  In addition to Garve, we left the silver wolf tribe settlement to where the carriage was left behind.

  Although we had to go through the forest to reach to the siblings’ hometown, we would be able to approach by using the main road, just like when we escorted Aery-san.

  “Hmm… it’s a splendid carriage.” (Garve)

  “It is our house, Jii-chan. It’s small for everyone to sleep in, but it is comfortable.” (Reus)

  “However, I’m not going to ride it.” (Garve)

  Since Garve also worshipped Hokuto, it was too much for him to get on the carriage that Hokuto pulled.

  As we secured the carriage, which was still in safe condition, we returned to the main road and started traveling to the sibling’s hometown.

  We were attacked by monsters and thieves on the main road, but they were being easily brought down by the combination of Garve and Reus. When fighting together, Garve’s true nature was well expressed.

  “Hey, look, isn’t that silver wolfkin on a trip? Although he is an old man, he seems likely to sell at a high price.” (??)

  “There is a brat, but there are women too, you know? I want to train them to call me master… buhhh!?” (??)

  “Do you want to die, brat?” (Garve)

  In short… he had no mercy, except for his kin. Especially against those who aimed for Emilia, they were beaten about an extra five times. He seemed to be trying to hide his affection towards them until he mourned for his son.

  The journey went well, while being amazed by Garve’s behavior.

  There were no particular problems on the first day, but during a break on the second day… it turned out that a little problem was occurring when I was preparing lunch.

  Reese, who was helping me with the cooking, looked around once, and after she confirmed that nobody was around, she talked to me.

  “Sirius-san. Actually, Emilia is a bit…” (Reese)

  “Aah. I was thinking to listen to her because she didn’t seem to be well. Can you tell me what happened?” (Sirius)

  “Yes. In the middle of night…” (Reese)

  Currently, there were only Reese and me around the carriage, since Emilia and the rest had headed out to gather some ingredients. Hokuto didn’t care, even if he heard it, so there was no problem.

  It seemed that she was suddenly hugged by Emilia when she was sleeping. It felt like they were having a good relationship when I listened to her, but from Reese’s perspective, her conditions appeared to be abnormal.

  “Emilia was trembling a lot. She hugged me for quite some time, and she could only calm down after I stroked her back and head. It appears she couldn’t sleep well until morning.” (Reese)

  “Did she mutter something like, ‘Okaa-san’?” (Sirius)

  “Yes, she did. Could she be…?” (Reese)

  “It is what Reese thinks. Emilia is scared because she dreamt about the nightmare of her past.” (Sirius)

  Although it was a story of a few years ago, she was in that same situation for several days after I picked up the siblings and they got along with me. Emilia would occasionally get frightened when she remembered a dream she had about the past, and she would slip into Noel’s or Erina’s bed.

  But after one year had passed, the dreams that made her frightened had completely disappeared. She regained her original cheerfulness and she worked hard on her training.

  She was reverting back to the circumstances of the past. It might have started when she was approaching her hometown, but the trigger was probably when we were helping Aery-san and her child.

  “Have you heard about too? About what happened to Emilia’s and Reus’ parents?” (Sirius)

  “Yes… and it was in front of her. I haven’t seen Emilia being frightened to that extent. If Sirius-san consoles her…” (Reese)

  “Unfortunately, that is not possible.” (Sirius)

  Her parents being eaten right in front of Emilia was her deepest trauma. Even though she could forget that pain, the wound still remained and didn’t disappear.

  Even if I console her, she would cry again whenever she remembered it. It’s going to be repeating again.

  She had less of a chance to deal with the past when she was a child… but now is different.

  Emilia had reached an age, commonly referred to as an ‘adult’ by the general public, with a trained body and mind. And now, she was returning to the place that was related to her. It was time to overcome the trauma with her own feet.

  “Emilia has to get over it on her own. Otherwise, she will continue to be frightened because of nightmares, no matter how many times she sees them.” (Sirius)

  “Is… that so? I wish I could do something.” (Reese)

  “Fortunately, she is aware of it. She wasn’t being pampered to the point of relying on us, and she needs to rest her mind and body properly.” (Sirius)

  Although Emilia came to me, there was also Erina’s teaching of not depending on me. Because of that, I casually advised her that it would be best to maintain her physical fitness in order to calmly confront the trauma.

  When Reese heard about me moderately pampering her, she was laughing as if she was misunderstood.

  “Ahahaha… what shall I do? Emilia’s trembling was somewhat cute, so I spoiled her yesterday.” (Reese)

  “Aah… Sorry about that, Reese. It will be fine to observe the situation today. But, it seemed better if Reese pampers her. She is reverting to something like a baby, isn’t she?” (Sirius)

  “Sirius-san can also pamper her, you know?” (Reese)

  “I will rely on you, sometimes.” (Sirius)

  “Eh!? Y-yes. Anytime… I will be waiting for you.” (Reese)

  Reese probably didn’t think such a reply would be returned, she was smiling while being surprised.

  By the way, even though I said that about child retrogression, it was actually not a joke and I was half serious. She was called as a Saintess. Although she was not equal in terms of Erina, she had the capacity to reassure people with her smile.

  If she kept pampering her, it won’t be good for the other person. I also had to be careful.

  “It is severe, but I want Reese to bear it too. And, if you feel that I am saying something strange, feel free to say something. Because I might make a mistake.” (Sirius)

  “If you care about Emilia to that extent, I have nothing to say. Besides, it is not a mistake for someone who says that.” (Reese)

  “Thank you. Perhaps even today, Emilia may suffer, and if that does happen, please take care of her.” (Sirius)

  “No, I think that child will go to Sirius-san, more than me, today.” (Reese)

  Reese had a mischievous smile when she wished the best for me.

  And she was right on the mark.

  —


  Like when we headed for Aery-san’s settlement, we departed from the main road, led by Garve. We went to a place where the carriage could enter and made camp.

  Then, we ate dinner and decided the order of the watch, as usual, and went to sleep. Later, it seemed my turn came when Garve woke me up.

  My watch time was in the middle from the overall list, and it was also the most difficult time. But, I was the best candidate to activate spells and recover in a short amount of time, even on a sleepless night. The siblings said that I didn’t have to watch over them, but I didn’t plan to listen to them because I thought that I am not qualified to be called their Shishou if I skipped this task. Besides, it was an important time for the siblings, so I had to reduce their burden as much as possible.

  As I shook off the sleepiness, I folded the blanket and drank some water. Garve appeared to be praising me while narrowing his eyes when we were passing each other.

  “…You’re really different.” (Garve)

  “Well, I just live the way I want to live.” (Sirius)

  “Heh… those kids, they were lucky to meet you.” (Garve)

  Garve slept in a place slightly away from the firewood. After I confirmed that Reus was sleeping nearby, I sat in front of the kindling fire and threw in some firewood.

  When I was about to extend my hand to brush Hokuto’s head, who was sitting down next me and became a backrest since some time ago, I felt a presence. When I looked back, Emilia was looking at me from the carriage.

  As expected, she couldn’t sleep after all. She sat beside me without saying anything. She, then, clung to my shoulder with a look that was about to cry at any moment.

  Although she was acting like a spoiled child to me, she never showed it in front of the others, especially Reus. Even though Reus and Garve were sleeping a little ways away, this behavior was not like Emilia. It was proof that she was shaken.

  I won’t say anything from the earlier discussion, but I guessed it was fine for her to cling onto me after waking up from a nightmare. It was just as Reese said.

  At this kind of time, if it was Erina or Noel… it would be a lap pillow. Because of that, when I brushed Emilia’s head, which was on my lap, she had visibly calmed down.

  “…Are you not angry?” (Emilia)

  She was scared, but she still asked. I would complain if I was angry. Since she realized that, I shouldn’t be angry.

  After she told me what she needed to say, Emilia was quietly sleeping. This will allow her to get the minimum amount of rest, and she would probably be fine tomorrow. There was no need to worry about Emilia getting cold because Hokuto used his tail as a blanket.

  Emilia was suffering so much, unlike Reus, who was sleeping like a normal person.

  It didn’t mean that Reus had no feelings. In his case, it was probably because of his personality. He also didn’t see the moment when his parents were eaten, and he probably regarded Erina as his second parent. In the case of Emilia, rather than a parent, she was an attendant for a master.

  It’s just that… this was certainly not normal. She was unusually sensitive to monsters. Although it was not as much as Garve, there were many occasions where she would attack monsters beyond necessity. I managed it somehow with the ‘House’ command, but when I think about it, I will have to think of a method to forcibly stop her with [String] soon.

  And that Garve, he was watching this secretly while pretending to be asleep. However, he seemed to understand that he shouldn’t speak, so he closed his eyes without saying anything. It appeared that he let me to take care of the things about Emilia.

  Although I’m a bit worried about the future, we had no choice other than to head towards their hometown.

  And now, I was just watching over a child who was sleeping on my lap, trying to overcome the past.

  —


  In the morning, we hid the carriage again and headed out.

  According to Garve, we were likely to reach the settlement before noon, if we moved at our present speed. There was a small valley on the way. Unlike the one on the way to Garve’s settlement, we went through it without any problems.

  However… the situation had suddenly changed beyond the big river. The number of monsters had started to abnormally increase.

  Until we arrived here, I barely noticed the monsters attacking us due to Hokuto’s intimidation, but they came to attack us more frequent after we crossed the river.

  “Take care, the number of monsters will increase from now on! Let’s do it!” (Garve)

  “Leave it to me, Jii-chan!” (Reus)

  “I’m going too!” (Emilia)

  The monsters appeared every time we took a few steps, but since they were knocked down by the silver wolfkin family, there was almost no case of our progress being halted. Although it was unworthy, we decided to ignore every monster drop, except for the rare ones. It was because there was no limit to the monsters that appeared one after another as we tore off the raw materials.

  While seeing the whole picture, I gave instructions. And I shot monsters with [Magnum].

  “Emilia, Reus, step back! Hokuto and I will take over.” (Sirius)

  “Eh? We still can fight, you know?!” (Reus)

  “Yes, we still…” (Emilia)

  “Did you think that I didn’t realize that your breathing is starting to get disturbed? Step back and take a break.” (Sirius)

  Since Garve seemed to be fine, I ordered the siblings to stay back and went ahead with Hokuto. Nevertheless, rather than Reus, it was a bit unusual for Emilia to grandly move ahead on her own, compared to her normal assault method.

  While confirming that the siblings were receiving a drink from Reese, I swung my sword against the approaching monsters.

  When Hokuto and Garve’s fist blew away the last monster and almost annihilated the enemies, Garve was frowning while muttering alone.

  “…That’s weird.” (Garve)

  “What do you mean? It is going well, so far, but tell me if you have something in mind.” (Sirius)

  “The number of monsters is too few. If I compare this to the past, there were a few times more monsters attacking when I came here before.” (Garve)

  “Wouldn’t the number decrease since Jii-chan knocked them down? Maybe they are running away…” (Reus)

  “Shall I do a thorough check?” (Sirius)

  As I closed my eyes, I invoked a slightly more precise [Search] to confirm the response of the monsters from here and there, but I could hardly see more flocks than before.

  I didn’t think the number was small, but with that number, it wasn’t something that made the attempt by the silver wolf tribe, including Garve, to be abandoned.

  “Garve’s right… the number of monsters is not that many. There will be no problems if things continue like this.” (Sirius)

  “Is that so? I am a bit concern, but if you say so, let’s proceed.” (Garve)

  Looking from aside, my [Search] spell that detects magical response is a spell that can’t be seen with the eyes, and it does look suspicious. However, Garve started walking without questioning anything. I was saved since Garve unconditionally trusted me, maybe it was because we had a match before.

  As we proceeded through the forest, while plucking the vines and branches that were growing thick, Emilia, who was staying at the rear and was taking a break, came close to Garve and called out to him.

  “Ojii-chan, how far is the settlement?” (Emilia)

  “Just a bit further. We will reach the settlement once we leave this place.” (Garve)

  As what Garve said, when we walk passed some big trees, the trees there were cut as if the forest was cleared, and we reached the remains of a settlement where people once lived in.

  I didn’t feel any signs of people in this abandoned settlement.

  After so long, the siblings were finally…


  “…We have returned, right?” (Emilia)

  “Yeah. Jii-chan, our house… is gone.” (Reus)

  The hometown that the siblings were finally able to return to… was completely destroyed.

  Most of the houses were destroyed, but some of the original shapes remained and where abundant with overgrown weeds and vines.

  Tears overflowed from the siblings’ eyes as they stared at their hometown that had completely changed from the time they lived there.

  “…I’m sorry. I can’t do anything… but let us grieve together.” (Reese)

  “Reese…” (Emilia)

  “Reese-ane…” (Reus)

  Unable to bear it any longer, like those siblings, Reese was crying while embracing them. As someone who they thought of as their family, the siblings accepted her gentleness of grieving and they cried together.

  “Finally… I reached this far. Felios… you were here, right?” (Garve)

  Garve walked to the place that seemed to once be a plaza. He then sat down and lowered his head. He also needed to arrange his mind, so I should leave him be for now.

  Everyone seemed to need a bit of time to settle down, but this place was not a safe place. I stroked Hokuto before giving him some instructions.

  “I’ll depend on you, Hokuto.” (Sirius)

  “Woof!” (Hokuto)

  Hokuto barked as if he was saying to leave things to him, he kicked the ground and jumped into the surrounding forest. I instructed Hokuto to deal with the nearby monsters, and leave markings to prevent them from getting closer.

  And what I could do now was to eliminate any hindrances that could disturb those who were mourning for the deceased. The monsters that approached before they could be dealt by Hokuto, were secretly shot by [Magnum].

  I should also grieve together with my disciples, but somebody needed to take care of the surroundings.

  Besides…


  “…Sorry.” (Sirius)

  Even though it was such a miserable situation… I’m already used to it.

  Compared to the mountains of dead bodies that I had seen over and over again on the battlefields of the previous life, there were no dead bodies left at the moment… even though it was a realistic impression, priority must be given to our safety, rather than that. It was a habit I acquired in order to survive, and I can’t fix it by any means.

  ‘That is why I can’t grieve together with you guys’, that mutter leaked out from such emotions.

  And then, the moment I activated [Search], while Hokuto exterminated the surrounding monsters on his own— I shouted.

  “Ready for battle!” (Sirius)

  Whether it was a result of training, the disciples, whom were crying, wiped away their tears and held their weapons in their hands. Before I shouted, Garve had already prepared his posture, and he was staring at the direction where there was a reaction.

  “Sirius-sama! Is it a monster!?” (Emilia)

  “Yes, it’s coming!” (Sirius)

  With my voice as a signal, Hokuto jumped out like a bullet from between the trees and landed in front of us, he was glaring and growling at the forest.

  Along with the earth trembling, it made its appearance while knocking down the trees of the forest.

  “What the heck is that!? There was no such monster when I last came!” (Garve)

  “Do you know it, Aniki!?” (Reus)

  “If I’m not mistaken… that is a Dyna Rhodia.” (Sirius)

  It was a subspecies of a dragon with strong legs that could run at high speeds on the ground, but was unable to fly in the sky.

  It looked similar to the Tyrant species seen in the previous life, but its body size was several times bigger than Hokuto. The legs supporting its huge body were abnormally developed, and long nails were extended from its thick arms. There were countless sharp fangs on its huge jaw that could easily swallow and chew a human in one bite.

  Such a huge monster was looking at us and loudly roared, getting ready to attack.

  “Awoooo——!” (Hokuto)

  That roar was powerful enough to intimidate intermediate adventurers, but Hokuto offset it with a howl at the same time.

  Although Hokuto might be able to fight against the monster alone, I told him not to force himself. He was faithfully on guard and lured the monster here.

  Besides, even if his howl couldn’t prevent it, we didn’t train to falter from this degree.

  “Tactical Alpha! Pay close attention!” (Sirius)

  “Understood, Aniki! Jii-chan, I am from the left!” (Reus)

  “Uhmm, I take the right.” (Garve)

  “I can do [Aqua Pillar] anytime!” (Reese)

  Tactical Alpha is a basic formation for us, which Reus and Hokuto become the vanguard, while the rest give support. Besides replacing the role of the siblings and Hokuto, there were other kinds of formations, such as Bravo and others.

  And then, when the vanguards tried to attack with the usual formation…


  “No… NOOOOOOO——!?” (Emilia)

  …For a moment, I didn’t know who that was.

  When I turned around, Emilia had a pale face. She was scared, holding her head down and crying.

  Reese immediately approached and shook Emilia’s shoulders, but her cry didn’t stop.

  “What happened, Emilia!? Hey, what’s wrong!?” (Reese)

  “Noooo! Stop! Don’t go, Okaa-san!” (Emilia)

  I quickly understood when she shouted for her mother.

  When I thought about it, it wasn’t surprising for the monster that attacked her parents to stay around.

  In other words, this Dyna Rhodia was…


  “Reus! Garve! That monster is the one that attacked Felios and Rona!” (Sirius)

  I was convinced that it was one of the monsters that attacked the settlement, and ate their parents in front of her.

  When the old man and his grandchild knew the enemy of their family, they clenched their fists and glared at the monster while releasing an overflow of bloodlust.

  “This guy did that to Tou-chan and Kaa-chan…” (Reus)

  “It was… you bastard…!?” (Garve)

  Having an obvious murderous intent, they both rushed at the Dyna Rhodia.

  I thought that they would attack from the front, since they were angry, but they were calmer than I thought. They separated to the left and right and attacked from both sides of the monster at the same time.

  The Dyna Rhodia showed a moment of hesitation, before it turned its face to target Reus, who was approaching it slightly earlier. At that instant, Garve’s speed dramatically accelerated.

  “The enemy of my son!” (Garve)

  Garve’s fist hit the side of its face, and the Dyna Rhodia’s head was greatly shaken. Through that gap, Reus slip into its chest, and swung his greatsword while aiming at the neck and torso.

  “Arrghh!” (Reus)

  Reus’ greatsword slashed the monster’s skin, but the force was lost to the extent that the sword sunk into its skin, and the sword was stopped while being buried into its body.

  Reus was surprised and he immediately tried to pull the greatsword out, but it was really stuck. The monster regained its posture at that time. And then, it swung its nail towards Reus, who was trying to pull his sword out.

  “Like I’m going to let you do that!” (Garve)

  Garve went around and released an uppercut at the monster’s arm to deviate the trajectory. At the same time, I stretched my [String] and wrapped it around the greatsword and shouted.

  “Pull at the same time, Reus!” (Sirius)

  “Thanks, Aniki! Ready, set!” (Reus)

  When we pulled the [String] together with Hokuto, the power of two people and an animal was able to release the sword. While pulling Reus away from the monster, I threw a handmade throwing knife.

  The knife stabbed the monster’s eye and sunk into it. The monster roared again while shedding blood from its eye.

  Since Hokuto was standing in front of Emilia and Reese in order to protect them, its roar wasn’t offset this time and hit us. Reus and I stopped attacking and defended against the roaring, which was like a shockwave, but there was one person who hadn’t retreated from the monster and didn’t finish attacking.

  By the time the monster noticed an enormous mana and bloodlust being felt from its feet, Garve’s special move was on the verge of being released.

  “Take this!” (Garve)

  When Garve’s special move, [Wolf Fang], struck the monster’s belly, its large body, which appeared to weigh several tons, was blown away and knocked down several trees in the forest.

  However, although the Dyna Rhodia took a blow that threw him outside of the settlement, it slowly stood up.

  “Impudent…” (Garve)

  “Step back, Garve! Let’s go, Hokuto!” (Sirius)

  I wanted Emilia to participate in the attack to overcome the trauma, but it was impossible because she was crying, even now. I wanted to re-coordinate the assault, somehow, but since Reus’ and Garve’s attacks didn’t go through, I don’t think I will head out.

  At the same time, when I pointed my hand to release [Anti Materiel] and Hokuto made a loud howl, the Dyna Rhodia suddenly turned its legs and ran into the depths of the forest.

  ““I’m not going to let you run away!”” (Reus/Garve)

  “House!” (Sirius)

  Reus and Garve rushed out in order to chase the runaway monster, but I forcibly tied them down with [String] while giving them an order.

  “Wh-what are you doing, Sirius!? I’m going to kill it!” (Garve)

  “Release me, Aniki! The enemy of Tou-chan and Kaa-chan is running away!” (Reus)

  “Calm down! Your attacks didn’t really work, you know!?” (Sirius)

  ““Uuh!?”” (Reus/Garve)

  It easily received Garve’s killer technique, and held Reus’ sword when it was cut to the point that it didn’t come out, so there was no doubt that there was some secret on the monster’s body.

  Dyna Rhodia is a considerably rare monster, so there was little information about it. What I know about Dyna Rhodia was its ecology, its strength matched its large body, but I didn’t know that weapons weren’t really effective against its body. Although there was a way to defeat it, according to a certain book, the method was to hit it with a massive amount of continuous long range spells… the information wasn’t very helpful.

  And because of Hokuto and my intervention, it understood the handicap and that established the theory. It was a troublesome monster in various ways, but I was grateful that it pulled away before inflicting any damage.

  As the two regained their composure, while being tied up, I decided to ask their opinions, since they had directly fought the monster.

  “Have the both of you calmed down? I would like to know what you thought after fighting that monster.” (Sirius)

  “Uhmm… yeah. My [Wolf Fang] definitely hit it, but it felt strange. Although I hit at one point, I felt the impact spread throughout its body.” (Garve)

  “I also didn’t feel too much when I slashed its flesh. The sword carved into it and some unknown force pushed it back. It’s as if its whole body was alive… sorry, I’m not sure how to explain it.” (Reus)

  “No… I understood it, somehow.” (Sirius)

  Summarizing their opinions, it spread the impact that it received throughout its whole body and resisted the weapons that try to penetrate its body. In short, the blow from Garve’s battle style was fatally incompatible. Their attacks didn’t have any effect. Reus’s father, Felios, who was as strong as Garve, also lost.

  Although Reus’ sword managed to slice it a little, apparently its flesh enveloped it and resisted the sword. I was not sure whether the monster did that consciously or unconsciously, but it was like a lump or rubber or something.

  As for the countermeasures, it needs to be stabbed with a sharp-pointed weapon, such as a spear, or the body needs to be slashed quicker than it can respond, I think?

  [Magnum] was unreliable, but it seemed that I can do it with [Anti Materiel].

  But… there is no point if I killed that monster.

  Therefore, Hokuto and I were trying to support them without helping them too much, but their attacks didn’t get through. Plus, there was a child who should be fighting against Dyna Rhodia, but she couldn’t do it.

  “Sirius-san, Emilia is…” (Reese)

  “I know it. Are you alright, Emilia?” (Sirius)

  “Ah… Aah…”


  When I turned around, Emilia had crumbled down and was being consoled with her shoulders embraced by Reese.

  I approached those two and bent down in front of Emilia. When I matched her eyes, she slowly raised her head. It was confirmed that she was depressed with tears on her face.

  “Okaa-san… Otou-san… that monster… ah… ahhhh…. Nooo…” (Emilia)

  I anticipated that she would be like this because of her hometown, but the problem was the monster.

  It would be fine if the monster had already died, but if it was still alive, I planned to let Emilia do the last blow, after I secretly weakened it.

  But… I didn’t expect that we would encounter the monster that attacked her parents so soon.

  I won’t blame Hokuto for leading the monster to us. It was because Hokuto took the most suitable action.

  Emilia jumped into my chest like a child, asking for her parents, and she kept hugging me while shedding tears.

  “Sirius-sama… Sirius-sama…” (Emilia)

  I barely understood her, but it would be tough to fight that monster in such a condition. It wasn’t a condition where she could fight very well, even if she could think normally.

  But… Emilia repeatedly said that she wanted to support me.

  And if she wanted me to regard her as a disciple, I want her to overcome the past on her own and live with confidence.

  It seems that the time has come for her to make her own decision.

  —


  Presenting Hokuto

  (I’m sorry, but Hokuto is busy with marking his territory, so I will take a day off. However, please enjoy these images, since I took photos where Hokuto does his marking.) (News presenter)

  ※ Please portray the images in your mind.

  Scratch… scratch…


  “Woof!” (Hokuto)

  Warning… people who can’t portray are not up to Hokuto’s level.

  (I’m going.) (News presenter)