While Rayos was developing a relationship with a reptile.
A town that lost half of its hidden forest and grasslands.
There was a spectacular explosion.
To say the least, I heard there was an explosion.
How much?
I hope I haven’t involved any acquaintances.
People continued to visit to confirm the official names of those affected by the damage.
Among them.
“You’re sure you didn’t see anything!?”
“Y-yes. I’m sure that person is not participating in the second subjugation team! *Grumble*”
Pursuers of a noble searching for the Beautiful Yoko Fox Sisters.
They grabbed the soldier by the collar and questioned him.
The soldier who was being questioned was pitiful.
Released, he was about to take in oxygen when he was squeezed by another person.
“Damn it. Where did they go…?”
“We have to find them quickly, or we’ll end up like the previous ones…”
“You know that too!?”
This is a recollection of the day they were assigned the search mission.
One of the recreational facilities built on the private grounds of individuals with the same status as the master I serve.
“If you want to survive, run.” They were chatting eagerly, waiting for the start of an inhumane entertainment show in the special seats of the “If you want to survive, run” facility.
Far below the special seats, about two stories down relative to the building.
Those who couldn’t even find a trace of the beautiful sisters. The pathetic sheep who would be punished today.
They were shouting, not “baa,” but “gyaaa,” asking for another chance.
“Ho ho ho ho.”
“You’re lively.”
“Shall we begin soon?”
The masters… to the sheep shouting below.
They gave them instructions for survival, just once.
“Please stop!”
“I have a family!”
The sheep couldn’t accept that if they did this, their lives would be at stake.
If we were the sheep, we might pity them.
But because you failed, we have to take over your mission.
So die quickly!
Before we, your successors, kill you…
“Well, let’s begin~~~~♪!”
“OOOOOO~~~~U♪!”
Did our feelings reach them?
No, that’s not it. It’s just that the hunters and hounds prepared by the masters were released only at their designated times.
—
△ Board Sheep
Rock Sheep
△ Rock Sheep □
Board Sheep
△ Board Sheep
To prevent the sheep from escaping. The walls of “If you want to survive, run” are high.
Well, if the sheep formed a human pyramid and one person escaped, they could get away. But none of the sheep could escape by themselves. Such friendship, such a drama of best friends, could never happen.
□ Special Seats
△ Hunters
The hunter role was blindfolded and gagged.
The quiver contained five arrows with specially engraved arrowheads.
If they shot a sheep.
The masters in the special seats would grant any wish.
According to information I overheard, it was for the treatment of a loved one or to help those who served them.
Every 10 minutes.
The area below the special seats would move, and hounds would be unleashed.
I don’t know how many, but they were wolves that had turned into magical beasts.
Daggers and short spears were tied to their backs.
Those with Leaders with
The equipment provided small improvements in physical strength and reduced physical attack damage.
There were about 30 sheep.
If they could sacrifice even one arm to a hound, they could obtain a weapon.
However, for the masters’ amusement, some of the equipment were cursed items. If equipped, they would weaken physical abilities and cause paralysis.
Furthermore, the hunter’s arrowheads too.
Board Wooden board
Rock A rock that can hide one’s body if one bends their knees.
To prevent the sheep, who were playing with the hounds, from reaching the hunter’s position, which was the goal.
The arrows penetrate the boards.
The arrows bounce off the rocks.
When the arrowhead falls to the ground.
Fire Fire Fire Fire Fire
Fire Fire Fire Fire Fire
Fire Fire Rock Fire Fire
Fire Fire Fire Fire Fire
Fire Fire Fire Fire Fire
The ground would produce flames for a few minutes.
The sheep were burnt to a crisp.
The sheep were unable to use magic as their possessed magic power had been drained beforehand. If it recovered naturally, they wouldn’t be burnt to a crisp, but they would still get burned.
Hounds were released from the rear every 10 minutes.
Hunter’s arrows flew from the front.
“Gyaaaaaaaaah!”
“Don’t shoot! Please stop! *Gasp*”
The sheep begged the hunters for their lives. Their cries only gave away their positions, and they were shot and burned to death.
“Hahahahaha♪ How pathetic♪ Ooooooh! The hounds have been released~~~~♪!”
The masters appeared to enjoy themselves throughout.
We were chilled to the bone.
Would we be the next to die miserably in that place?
“Investigate the place where the rumored explosion occurred.”
“There’s a possibility they were caught in it.”
“Indeed, indeed. Now, hurry up and go.”
— Recollection Ends —
“That’s why if you see such beautiful women, you must stop them with your body!”
“Can you believe it?!”
“You couldn’t find anything from the epicenter, could you?!”
The commotion of the soldiers and those confirming the safety of others continued, even as their stomachs began to rumble.
“Let’s move.”
“Let’s get something to eat.”
“Haa…”
We came to the front of what looked like an empty eatery.
“…It’s expensive!?”
Before coming to this town, I had heard rumors about shortages of food and supplies. But how could it be double the price of the villages between this town and the next?
I suppressed the urge to complain about the prices on the sign.
What should we do, should we eat?
As two people were pondering, I called out to them, “Excuse me?” When they turned around, a girl? was smiling at them.
“What…?”
They started to ask if I needed something, but the girl? pointed her right index finger at them. The moment I saw it, my thoughts of getting angry and asking what she was doing with that gesture suddenly dulled, and my vision abruptly went black.
” ” ”
Was that the girl?’s voice?
My vision was completely dark, and my ears felt strange. I couldn’t hear well.
Could you say that again?
Huh? I can’t even speak? What’s happening to us?
As my thoughts became increasingly unable to function, the next time the two awoke, they were lying on a decent bed under an unfamiliar ceiling.
“…? Where is this??”
They experienced the encounters of reincarnation protagonists.
But the two didn’t die. They had only been sleeping.
When they went outside the room, they realized it was an inn.
According to the employees and the innkeeper, the two of them had been quite drunk.
“?”
Hmm? I remember going to an eatery around lunchtime. They said that was yesterday. Now, before ordering a late breakfast, it’s time to share information.
“How much do you remember?”
“How much… just around the sign that was propped up in front of the eatery.”
“I only remember up to that point clearly too.”
“And the fact that some of our money is gone.”
It must have been spent on the inn and drinks.
“Hmm~~?”
I have no memory of drinking.
So, are all the inn staff in cahoots and deceiving us? For what purpose? I think only the cost of lodging has been deducted from our possessions. If they were trying to deceive us, they would normally take all our possessions, right?
The two, unable to reach a conclusion with a “hmm,” eventually heard their stomachs rumble. One of them called out to an inn employee and asked to order breakfast. After filling their stomachs, they decided to continue their search for the beautiful sisters, feeling relieved that there was no damage that would hinder their search mission. Their newfound motivation stemmed from remembering the deaths of their predecessors.
The girl? who had spoken to the two was looking at a brooch with an unusual design in an accessories store.
“Fufufun, Rururun♪”
“Little lady? Do you like that brooch♪?”
The store clerk, perhaps, began to explain the brooch the girl? was looking at and the story of the craftsman who made it to boost sales.
“That’s amazing♪”
“Yeah, that guy (the craftsman) is known for being stubborn. Thanks to his stubbornness and his childhood friend, along with the shopkeeper’s skillful matchmaking, these brooches ended up in this shop~~♪”
“But, I…”
I don’t have much money.
“You can pay me later♪ And if you’re short, I can even cover the difference from my salary♪”
The store clerk, not wanting to lose a potential customer, made his final pitch.
“Hey? I have business with that young lady.”
” ” ” Hehehe, boy, you don’t want to get hurt, do you? ” ” ”
Due to the recent economic downturn, people who lost their jobs and were struggling to make a living gathered.
Human trafficking.
Ah, the customer, the young lady… will be preyed upon by these people.
But I can’t help her.
I don’t have any combat skills.
All I have are business-related skills.
“…”
” ” ” Hehehe, we’ll take her then~♪ ” ” ”
“Noooooo! Don’t touch me with your dirty hands–Nnnn!?”
“Gyaaaaaaa! Be quiet! What if soldiers come?”
” ” ” If they do, my big brother will take care of them, so don’t worry ♪♪ ” ” ”
“You idiot!? You guys do some work too!”
They were going to be sold into human trafficking.
But I could only watch…
“…Sorry.”
The street, lined with shops that had gone out of business due to the town’s recession, and houses where people had moved to other towns after losing their jobs.
“…”
The girl? fell silent, intimidated by the change in the surrounding atmosphere. She was led away by four men, trudging along.
Then.
“Halt, you!”
A man out of place blocked their path.
” ” ” ” Who do you think you are? ” ” ”
“Our livelihoods depend on this,” the three subordinates glared and shouted at the man who was blocking their path.
*Shh!* *Tang!*
“!? ”
“Guh?!”
“What did you do!?”
The “Aniki” dodged instinctively.
But two of the subordinates were knocked to the cobblestones by the man’s sheathed sword.
“Hii!? Aniki!? *Gurgle*”
“Now it’s just you left ♪”
“…”
Although they were foolish, they were adults. It was not normal to be hit by a sheathed sword so one-sidedly.
In other words, he was an extraordinary person.
Could he be of noble blood—descended from heroes and brave warriors— I’ve never fought before, but I’ve heard the rumors. So much so that I sometimes believe the exaggerated tales told when drunk…
“I’ll give you this young lady. So…”
Can you please let us go?
*Shh! Spakoon!*
“Ah…”
Why?
The man, like his subordinates, hit the “Aniki” (thug) with his sheathed sword. Without mercy. He delivered a blow to the head that mechanically took away his consciousness.
“…Uh, please help me… Fee?! Uh, um…”
Weren’t you here to save the girl?
The few residents on the street thought.
“The hidden gem, where the rumored explosion occurred. I bet it would be interesting. It seems I’ve finally found its tail ♪”
The man pointed the tip of his sheathed sword at the girl?’s face.
What is going on?
Do the girl? and the man have some sort of past connection?
I don’t want to find a new job, nor do I want to be an adventurer.
Just living day by day, doing nothing else but talking about trivial things with ordinary people until I become unemployed.
Something interesting seems to be starting ♪?
The street residents, looking for the best seats, actively moved to a place where they could watch the girl? and the man from a distance.
“? What does it have to do with the rumors and me? And who are you, by the way?”
“Heh, you’re still playing ignorant ♪ You killed my childhood friend and colleague! I am Garfagash Loudリース! The name of the one who will take revenge on your organization!!”
The moment the man—Garfagash—declared his name and purpose, the girl?’s demeanor and the surrounding temperature dropped rapidly.
“Brr, cold?!”
“Y-it’s getting exciting! ♪” The street residents who were having fun.
Due to the extreme drop in temperature, they instinctively huddled together and moved away from the scene, crawling. Intellectually, they still didn’t understand what was happening.
But their bodies instinctively knew that if they stayed, they would “die.”
“…Heh~♪”
“…”
The girl? and the man faced each other. The man had the advantage with his weapon.
Despite this, the girl? began to wear a cold smile. If she revealed her true form, wouldn’t Garfagash attack her?
“Loudリース, is it? Is it a house? I suppose it’s a house~♪? If my memory serves me right, we annihilated your territory several years ago–”
“
As if to interrupt the beautiful boy’s words, Garfagash unleashed a fatal thrust, imbued with magic, stepping forward with his right foot.
The beautiful boy easily dodged it with a “Oopa♪,” his movements completely different from the timid behavior just moments ago when he seemed to fear the thugs.
“Hah!! Dodge the
“Hahaha♪ Amazing♪? Whether it’s the wall of a building or someone who couldn’t escape, you attack without the slightest hesitation~~♪”
The street residents, who just wanted some entertainment, were caught in the crossfire.
They met a cold death from which they would never awaken, due to Garfagash’s unsheathed sword.
The beautiful boy relentlessly dodged.
He didn’t counterattack or use magic.
Is he trying to wear down Garfagash’s stamina?
Is he waiting for soldiers and onlookers to arrive because of the commotion?
Or is he waiting for reinforcements from the organization?
The beautiful boy “Hahaha, Waaah♪” continued to dodge.
Garfagash roared like a beast, “Shaaa, Nuoooooh!” unleashing a fierce attack.
The end came when soldiers and onlookers arrived due to the commotion.
The beautiful boy, slipping into their midst, disappeared.
“…Damn, I let him escape again…”
Please forgive me.
When he was apprehended by the soldiers for interrogation, Garfagash mentally asked who he was begging for forgiveness.
The soldiers, who could review the interrogation report later, split into two groups: one to prevent Garfagash from escaping, and the other to search for the girl?, with whom he had just been fighting.
The ripples caused by Rayos’s actions gathered various individuals, leading to a chain reaction that threatened to engulf the western kingdom of Grabam in flames and death.
