The night I declared to the children of the Blue Grizzly that I would subdue that snake, I was on a tree, whittling a suitable branch with a knife to make a simple spear.

Whether such an improvised weapon would work was uncertain.

But I had no knowledge of making traps, and the only weapons I had were my knife and my fists.

So, I wanted anything that could serve as a weapon.

"Alright, done."

Though it was just a sharpened stick, it was considerably sharp.

I placed it close by so it wouldn't fall off the tree, and leaned back against the tree.

I had gotten used to this hard bed, but I still longed for a soft bed.

"I wonder how Kazuki and Inuue Senpai are doing..." "Kyuu?" "Haha, you ended up sticking with me all along, huh..."

I petted the rabbit that peeked into my face.

A mysterious rabbit. Both biologically and existentially. On closer thought, it was thanks to this rabbit that I had survived.

"Tomorrow, I might get you involved in danger... but please, be with me."

The rabbit nodded slightly.

Satisfied with its response, I slowly leaned back against the tree and closed my eyes.

Resting my body before the battle was necessary.

●

The next day, using the rabbit as a radar, I searched for that snake.

I only carried the makeshift spear and knife, leaving all other heavy loads behind.

Of course, I washed my body and removed any scents, so there was no worry about being detected by smell.

Everything was ready, now I just needed to find the snake.

"Kyuu!?" "What's wrong?"

The rabbit trembled suddenly.

Its gaze was straight ahead, sweat began to form on my hand holding the spear. Proceeding with utmost caution, I silently pushed through the bushes.

"A sound of something fighting?"

A very loud noise.

It sounded like trees being violently knocked down.

Paying attention to the sound, I slowly parted the bushes and peeked ahead, where I saw a giant snake, resembling the Tsuchinoko from my goal, in sight.

I involuntarily held my breath, but at that moment, I spotted another creature near the snake. It was the child of the Blue Grizzly I had seen yesterday.

"That guy...!" "Kyuu!"

Covered in wounds, yet still alive, likely due to its small size, but it was so exhausted it could hardly move properly.

What should I do? Should I go out now, or wait until the snake shows an opening while biting my finger?

The best strategy would be the latter, but that would be...

"Kind of lame, huh?" "?"

"Get down."

After setting the rabbit down on the ground, I gripped the spear with both hands.

I was determined, not to die, but to take down that snake that had been bullying those weaker than itself.

"Here I go!!"

This level of intimidation was nothing compared to Rose.

Knowing the horror of that cruel, cold-hearted woman...

"There's nothing to fear!!"

"Guuh!?" "......!!?"

Both the bear and the snake were startled by my loud voice.

The bear was one thing, but the snake seemed to be hesitating on whether to target me or the bear. This was my chance. But stabbing my spear into its thick, armor-like scales would likely not penetrate.

What should I do? There was only one target.

"Raaah!!"

With one powerful step, I closed in on the snake. Seeing it up close, it was even larger; its teeth, visible from its open mouth, were so large, I'd surely be dead in one bite.

Huh? It's getting dark...

"Shaaaa!!" "Whoa!?"

A massive mouth closed right in front of me.

If I hadn't retreated, I'd be dead...!

But this was the moment I had been waiting for. I spun around on the spot, thrusting the spear held in reverse in my right arm along with my voice.

"Take this, you damn snake!"

With a coarse shout uncharacteristic of me, the spear plunged deeply into the snake's right eye.

I thought to push it in all the way to the hilt and pierce it from the inside, putting all my strength into my arm to push it inー

"Kishaaaaaaa!!" "What? Noo!"

In the next instant, I was blown away by a tremendous shock.

I barely managed to keep consciousness by reflexively wrapping myself in healing magic and starting to heal my wounds.

Slammed against a tree and sliding to the ground, I looked towards the snake. There, a one-eyed snake with a spear stuck in its eye turned its tail towards me.

"Ugh... the tail, huh?" "Fshuuuuuuuuu..."

Am I an idiot? I should've realized that weird snake would use its tail.

But the healing magic quickly healed my wounds.

If that snake didn't have pit organs, it would be half-blind now. Compared to that, this level of attack was nothing to me.

After fully healing my wounds, I immediately stood up and drew the knife from my waist.

"That all you got? Didn't affect me at all!"

My aim was its blind spot on the right side.

Just as I started running towards the snake's blind spot, it also charged at me with an abnormal rush.

If it's coming at me with such momentum, dodging is simple. Just as planned, I reached its right side, its crushed right eye's blind spot.

However, the snake suddenly stopped in its tracks and turned its head towards me.

"ー!?"

In an instant, its mouth, split to the cheek, twisted as if mocking me.

Seeing that grin, I realized I had fallen right into the snake's trap.

I was naive.

I thought this was just a wild snake rampaging around. But this one was different. It was acting with intent, committing atrocities with intent, killing with intent.

It was... enjoying torturing its prey.

The snake's teeth, now aiming for my left arm to shoulder, clamped down.

"Guh, guaaaaaaaah!?"

I screamed as its teeth sank into my left shoulder.

Because I had instinctively thrust out my left hand, it was only my arm that got caught, and, strangely, it wasn't bitten off. The snake's peculiar eyes widened.

"ーーー!" "Hehe."

Of course, the knife in my left hand was now lodged in the soft upper palate of the snake's mouth, unprotected by its tough scales.

"Haa... Haa... Haa...uck..."

My shoulder hurt... but I was used to pain.

I forcibly inserted my right arm between the lower jaw teeth biting into my shoulder and exerted force.

"I won't, lose, damn it...!" "Shu, shurururu..."

The snake also exerted force on its jaw, refusing to let go.

I was confident in my strength, having trained in hell since arriving in this world.

Aaaaah, impossible! Even with both arms, maybe, but with just one, it's impossible. At this rate, my left arm will truly be separated from me forever!

I began losing sensation in my left hand. Although I continued healing with magic, I couldn't restore the lost blood.

"Huh? ...Left hand? Right...!!"

I twisted the knife lodged in the snake's mouth, wrenching the wound open.

As expected, the pain loosened its grip on me.

"Now!"

Seizing the moment, I pried its mouth open and pulled out my left arm.

Covered in blood and the snake's saliva, I retreated as the snake writhed in agony from the pain in its mouth.

This was my chance to attack, but unfortunately, I had left my knife inside the snake's mouth. I was now weaponless.

But there was still hope.

"...My target is only there, huh."

My aim was a certain part, located high up, towering over me.

I wouldn't give the snake a chance to recover.

With that thought, I began to run, but my feet failed to muster strength.

"My vision is..."

My view wavered, and gradually, I lost strength in my limbs.

I had administered first aid. My left hand wouldn't raise, but it would heal soon.

So, there was only one possibility.

"Poison, huh."

Poison in such a massive body was too cowardly.

But, this was probably my last chance. I couldn't let poison at this level stop me.

Covering my entire body with as much magical power as I could muster to alleviate the poison, if I was being damaged from the inside by the poison, I just had to heal it from there. Despite feeling intense pain throughout my body, I kicked off the ground and ran towards the snake.

"Ugh, uooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

As I screamed and charged, the snake, noticing me, swung its tail towards me. I couldn't dodge, but it didn't matter. If it hit, I'd just heal it.

Just as the snake's tail was about to hit me directly, a blue mass interjected itself in front of me.

"Growl!" "You..."

The Blue Grizzly let out a pained sound as it took the tail hit for me.

Did it... save me?

As I stared directly into the eyes of the Blue Grizzly, it turned back to face the snake without a word.

The head was out of my reach. If it was out of reach, I'd climb up from its body.

I clung on despite being shaken off by the thrashing snake, driven by sheer will.

Upon reaching its head, I grabbed the spear stuck in its right eye with my right hand.

"This ends now!"

I poured all my strength into my right arm, pushing the spear further.

As the snake shook its head trying to throw me off, I pushed harder until it abruptly stopped moving and collapsed onto the ground.

Lying sprawled on the ground, I glanced sideways at the snake.

"Ha, haha... did it..."

"Growl..."

The battered child of the Blue Grizzly approached me.

I thought it might eat me, but it showed no hostility, so it seemed fine.

Sitting next to me, the Blue Grizzly's child peeked into my face and growled softly again.

"You must be happy too, having taken down your enemy, right?" "…Grr."

I wondered what this young bear would do next, how it would survive in this forest.

No, I didn't need to worry about that. It had confronted that snake, after all. With that kind of guts, it surely had the right to become the boss of this forest.

"Kisha... sha..."

However, the last sound I wanted to hear reached my ears.

"No... you're kidding, right?"

The snake, thought to be dead, slowly rose.

Though it looked pitiful, its eyes harbored intense hatred, and its gaze was fixed on me.

"…Grr... Grurr..." "Stop, run, get away!"

The little bear, biting my clothes and trying to pull me away.

I should be the one to run and leave me behind...! I'm so frustrated with myself for not being able to move, thinking this is where it all ends...!

Kazuki, Inuue Senpai, the King, Seria-sama, Tong, and the rest... Rose.

That's right, it's all Rose's fault. I should be allowed to curse her at least in my final moments.

"Damn it... cruel—! Old hag—! Violent woman—! Ogre—!!"

"Shaaa… Aaaaa!!"

"If I die, I'll definitely come back to haunt you—!!"

As the snake, with its mouth wide open, approached us, something suddenly crushed it from above.

"Eh?" "Really. If you could just die quietly..."

Lifting her foot off the snake's head, a green-haired woman stood there with a familiar black rabbit on her shoulder.

The Blue Grizzly and I were dumbfounded.

But seconds later, realizing the situation, my whole body trembled.

Not from joy of being saved, but from fear of the woman standing before me.

"Hey, Usato. You did well." "Ro, Rose-sama...!"

I unintentionally added "-sama" to her name. But it was unavoidable before the presence of such an empress.

Ignoring my trembling fear, Rose, petting the black rabbit on her shoulder, smiled slyly.

"Ah, it wouldn't have been good if this guy hadn't told me. It was close." "That rabbit..." "Ah, that rabbit? What are you talking about? This isn't a rabbit, it's my pet, Kukuru, a monster that was keeping an eye on you." "Eh…"

The moment of my comfort turned into a moment of realization that I was being watched by a demon.

Rose, kicking the snake at her feet as if to look down on it, began to speak as if making sure I could hear.

"I was on the edge of the forest in case something happened to you. I never imagined the monster Sigurd failed to kill during the previous invasion would escape to the forest. Well, I was just watching without intervening much."

"Invasion? The Demon King's army?"

She knew I was being chased by that snake... Let's not say anything more.

I've grown accustomed to this level of cruelty.

"Yeah, but it was unexpected that the Grand Grizzly was killed. It must have eaten something really good. The Grand Grizzly was the boss of this forest, after all."

"What!? So you were going to let me fight the boss of the forest in my first monster battle!?"

What a devil! Inhuman!

"No, you misunderstood, you hopeless case." "Hopeless case!?" "Normally, there's no way you could kill it. The plan was for you to be defeated by the Grand Grizzly, experience real combat against a stronger opponent, and then I'd pick you up in about seven days..." "You thought?" "I thought, but you turned out to be more interesting than I expected, so I let it continue."

Eh... My actions to survive were strangling me?

Rose approached me as I sank into despair.

"Grurur!"

The child of the Blue Grizzly stepped between me and Rose.

"Hmm, is this a Blue Grizzly's child? It's taken a liking to you, huh?" "Is that so?"

I also felt a bond with this young bear.

"Looks like you and I are similar, after all. Hey, you."

Rose addressed the shivering little bear.

"Carry this hopeless case." "What? What are you saying!? Is it okay to bring a monster into the kingdom!?" "If I'm allowed, you're allowed. Besides, I was thinking of sending Kukuru back to me anyway. One extra won't matter."

What a ridiculous... I'm still doubtful this young bear would follow me... Huh? Why is this little bear lifting my body?

"Gr" "Eh~ You're actually keen on this? Don't you have parents in the forest you'd rather stay with?"

Seemingly understanding my words through sensation, the bear shook its body in response, indicating it felt a sense of obligation towards me.

Exhaling a sigh, I asked Rose one last question that bothered me.

"That rabbit... why was it injured?" "Oh? To make you let your guard down. I had it put on a little act." "Kyuu"

Don't be so proud, rabbit. You're grinding away at my heart with that confident look. And now I understand why it could understand words. Everything was within Rose's grasp... it's tear-jerking.

"Well then..."

Rose effortlessly picked up the little bear carrying me.

I'm terrified of this woman. As I nearly cried, Rose turned to me with a smile, but with a vein popping on her forehead...

"By the way, you were saying something, weren't you? What was it? Cruel? Old hag? Violent woman? Ogre? I'm 25, you know? Better prepare yourself when we get back?"

My greatest enemy wasn't that snake...

"Technically, if you round up, that's 30, isn't it?" "…You won't sleep tonight."

It was this terrifyingly formidable leader.