A young elf named Cedric offered to stop my journey.
“I’ll be detained here and my journey will end. But I’m sure everyone else will be fine. Sharin is dependable, and Philiana will guide everyone in the right direction.” I could hear Piyo and Pauline’s voices from behind.
“Why? Why are you taking Hiro? All you want is the letter, right?”
“That’s right. Did Hiroaki do something?”
Cedric offered them a regretful smile in response.
“I’m sorry, but humans… your friends cannot stay in this world.”
So that’s how it is. The people I’ve met so far didn’t assume humans existed, so they weren’t discovered. But if you look closely, it’s easy to see.
“Are you okay with that?”
My heart skipped a beat at Nina’s voice, which followed.
“Are you okay with ending things here? Are you going to do whatever they say? Even if we continue our journey secretly with just us, you won’t be there.”
That may be true, but it will work out somehow without me.
“Everyone will be fine. They can manage without me. It might even go better without me.”
“…You idiot. You absolute moron! I want to be with you! Can’t you understand that? You might not realize it, but the only thing we have in common, despite our unrelated backgrounds, is you.”
The only commonality? What were they talking about?
“We were born in different places and raised differently, and we never would have met under normal circumstances. But we’re traveling together because we all met you. You said you came from a different world, and now I can believe it. Because this is anything but normal.”
I see. I felt like I had heard something similar before. I was traveling to return to my own world. Then, companions gathered one after another. While I wasn’t the sole cause, I might have been the one to start that first breeze.
I never expected to hear someone say they wanted to be with me. Perhaps I’ve grown a little through my journey. And if I am everyone’s common ground, then I can’t just leave.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t obey you. I’m taking it back.”
I snatched the letter from the Dark Elf that Cedric held.
“What!”
“Is there any man who can ignore such a passionate confession from a girl?”
“Alright! I got the letter back! Then you guys stay back, we’ll handle the rest. Everyone, let’s go.”
Huh? Was that supposed to be cool? They all passed me and got into battle formation. Yes, that’s my group.
“Sigh, I have no choice. You really want to fight, don’t you?”
“Boss, we’ll crush these guys.”
“That’s right, Master, you stay back.”
On their side, it seems their entourage of girls will fight as well. In that case, jokes aside, I have to get serious. First, let’s analyze the opponents.
There are seven of them, including Cedric. The large woman he calls “Boss” is likely a Hunter Harpy. Then there’s a small Dark Harpy named Lucy, a Servitaurus with a staff who is a mage, a dog-type Beastman, and a large Satyr. No, looking closely, he resembles the Minotaur I saw before on Sheep Island. Finally, there’s a Dragon Maid with large wings and tough-looking scales. She’s the same race as the one I saw in the town taken by the White Witch.
So, Philiana will fight the Hunter Harpy, and the Servitaurus is Elana. Nina will handle the Minotaur, and I should take on the dog-type Beastman. Then Piyo will fight the Dragon Maid? No, I don’t think the latter combination will work out.
“Hah, if you’re not going to make a move, we will!”
Lucy flew at me as a starter. She had iron claws on her hands.
“I’ll go!”
Nina met her attack. The sharp sound of clashing blades echoed several times. Lucy attacked repeatedly with speed no less than Nina’s.
“It’s my turn next, get ready.”
This time, the Hunter Harpy next to me came forward. She had a long blade attached to her wings. I saw this when I fought Keiga before. It’s a sword used by Harpies. Philiana blocked its strike.
“Woof, I’m suddenly all fired up. Master, give me an order too.”
“Alright, you go and retrieve Arisugawa from behind. Riana, you clear the way.”
“Yes, Lord Cedric.”
In response to his order, the Servitaurus woman named Riana raised her staff. I see, they intend to achieve their objective with minimal fighting.
“Elana, I’m going to cast magic at you.”
“I know.”
She quickly stood in front of me and fired a fireball before the opponent could. However, the straight-flying fire turned into steam and disappeared before it hit. Riana had cast water magic.
“Oh, I see. This is a terrible match-up.”
“I’m surprised there’s actually a Sphinx here. But it doesn’t matter, no matter who the opponent is, I will complete my mission.”
Huh? Come to think of it, the dog-type Beastman who was waiting behind Cedric is gone. No, wait! By the time I realized it, he had already closed to within about five meters.
