The next day, we were heading to a nearby village to share food.

I thought that Mr. Arc would walk a little behind me with his horse in tow, and before that, with Bulllin, Amako, and me, the same journey as today...... Today was a little different.

 

「...... Huh?"

"Amako-dono?"

"What's wrong?"

 

Amako suddenly puts her hand on her ear.

I wonder if the ears of the beastmen, who are distinct from humans, have caught something. I was curious, so I put my hands on my ears and focused on hearing distant voices.

 

"————

 

Woman...... No, a girl's voice?

Stop in your tracks and listen further. Then, along with the rustle of the trees, a voice resembling a scream said:

 

"Someone help me!!"

"Usato!"

"I know!!"

 

He hears the screams of a girl calling for help and starts running.

I don't know what the situation is, but it's definitely an emergency. If we were all moving, it would be too late, so I, who was fast on my feet, would go ahead and help. Amako and the others can come later.

After going up the gentle slope surrounded by trees at full speed, there were several figures at the end of the road. Looking into the distance, I saw a group of girls of the same age surrounded by a group of people wearing tattered clothes.

 

"There it is!!"

 

They don't seem to have been harmed yet, but judging by the physiognomy around the girl, they don't seem to be decent people. After all, the group has pale skin with lifeless eyes.

If we don't help them as soon as possible, we don't know what to do.

 

"Lie down!!"

 

- She tells the girl who notices me running up to me and tries to ask for help, and throws the generated magic bullet as hard as she can.

The magic bullet that flew straight hit the man surrounding the girl and was blown away by two people.

I arrived at the group in the meantime, took the girl in my arms, stepped back at once, and checked her safety.

 

"Are you okay!? Are you hurt?!"

"What!? ...... Excuse me...... What's ...... now?"

 

A girl looks up at us with dotted eyes.

She has slightly brownish hair that reaches her shoulders and beautiful amber eyes. Perhaps because he was frightened, he was stared at by his moist eyes and involuntarily took his breath away.

 

「...... Huh?"

 

I was fascinated by what I meant.

It's not like I'm about to fall in love with a girl I meet for the first time, or it's love at first sight. Is it because I have been too involved with a woman with a strange personality that I have lost my tolerance for normal children?

Shaking off the evil thoughts, he lowers the girl to the ground.

 

"Stay behind, because your friends will be here soon...... I'm the one who owns these guys."

"Yes......

 

The problem is the group in front of you.

He is not a bandit because of his appearance, and he is not a monster.

His clothes were tattered like a vagrant's, and his arms were slanted. And the soggy, lifeless eyes that stare at you through the gaps in the bangs.

Cheng Cheng, perverted ....... It's something that exists in every world, and it's called a pervert.

 

"Why did you try to attack this child......

 

Attempts to engage in dialogue are ignored.

The people who were knocked down by the healing magic bullet earlier also stood up and looked at us as if nothing had happened.

...... Threatening?

 

"Those guys...... Huh?"

"I don't know what you tried to attack him......... If you get any closer, twist your arm first. If you don't like it, tell me why you tried to attack him, and if there's someone who did it, be prepared, these bastards."

「......」

「...... Hmm? Something now."

"It's nothing."

 

When she turns around, the girl turns blue and shakes her head.

Apparently, he threatened the girl behind him, not the group in front of him.

On the other hand, the group in front of me was not frightened by my words, but on the contrary, they approached me.

 

"Huh......"

 

Sighing, he pulls the panicked girl back and quietly wraps the healing spell into his fist.

 

"Ugaaa

"I can't help it...... Don't feel bad!! You're down!!"

"Hi...... Sigh!"

 

With an eerie growl, he grabbed his arm and pulled him as hard as he could, slamming his fist into his stomach with healing magic.

As it is, he lightly shakes his fist and punches it about five meters away. He slams his body against the ground, rolls around, and slowly reraises his protruding fist as he looks at the pervert who goes limply and goes quiet.

What do you think......? It's a sloppy blow. It should be powerful enough to stun you.

 

"What do you mean......

 

There is a girl behind me who is very dismayed, but she must be surprised by the power of my fist anyway.

I look at the man who punched me away, feeling a little sad that I had gotten used to that reaction.

...... It was so hard, did you hide it with an iron plate or something? I hate to say it, but it didn't feel like I hit someone.

Feeling uncomfortable in his fists, he tries to turn his attention to the rest of them...... However, he is astonished to see the man who punched him get up with a sled movement.

 

"...... woke up, you're sturdy!?"

 

The abdomen is depressed!?

Why? It shouldn't have been that powerful. Besides, there's no way my healing magic isn't working.

No, wait, why are you standing in the first place!?

 

"Ugaaaaa

"Damn ......."

 

Suspicious people who were standing ominously attack in numbers.

Confused, he responded by wielding a fist with healing magic, but he was always unusually hard and fragile. It's like punching a tree trunk.

Can't these guys work magically? Is it not a human being, but such a creature?

In any case...

 

"The healing punch doesn't work......

"Ugh!?"

 

He is shocked as he punches one of the people who jumps on him with a healing punch.

I never thought that my technique would be sealed in this way......

Enemies that can't be healed, and can't be stunned.

 

"I'm ......."

"Ugh!?"

 

He kicks two of them together with a roundhouse kick, grabs one of the arms that is trying to grab him from the side, swings them around, and slams them to the ground.

 

"What should I do......

"Aha!?"

 

He releases his grasped arm and at the same time slams the magic bullet generated in his palm into the face of the other who is about to attack him from behind. A new technique, Healing Eye Smashing, -- A gentle eye crushing with a healing magic bullet smashes his vision, and he throws his fist at the point where he is crouched, causing him to crash into a nearby tree.

 

「...... I don't see any healing magic effects, ......."

 

I saw everyone stagger to get up and let out a sigh for the second time today.

Healing Punch ...... No, I didn't expect an attack with healing magic to be defeated so quickly. What the hell are these guys? Is that the kind of race? Either way, it's still creepy.

 

"You just have to hit them normally!" Is Usato an idiot!?"

"No, that's right......

"Ugh."

 

While knocking the suspicious person who jumped on him to the ground with a sword, he replied to Amako, who was breathing heavily and shouted at him.

I'm not obsessed with healing punches, so there are so many ways to do it. A healing punch is just a punch that I can hit with a certain amount of force and the opponent is safe, so if you care about your opponent, you just need to suppress it or knock it down.

 

"You've done it again...... Usato-dono."

"Yes, ha--"

 

Hearing the troubled voice of Mr. Alc when he saw the scene in front of him, he exhaled as if relieved.

After fighting, I realized that these guys are strong, but otherwise slow.

They are different from demons and humans. It seems like a ferocious beast that groans, goes wild, and just wants to bite its prey in front of it.

 

"Who are these people?"

「...... Usato's healing magic doesn't work, and his body is in tatters、...... I'm going to try it for the first time, but I think they'--"

 

A person who does not shed blood when he is hurt and gets up again and again.

Looking at them, Mr. Alc said a word that would fit the bill.

 

"Zombies"

 

In a sense, the name was the name of a famous monster in the world I used to live in.

 

 

 

 

 

"Zombies, ......?"

"A corpse that continues to move even after death, a 'demon' that continues to move no matter what wounds it suffers, and has a strength that exceeds the limits of humans, albeit slowly."

 

Not a human, but a monster?

I know a little bit about zombies in this world. It's just textual knowledge, but zombies as monsters are beings in which dead humans are awakened by specific monsters and manipulated as puppets.

There is no such thing as infection, and of course you will not become a zombie even if you are scratched or bitten.

 

"So let's say he's a zombie...... You mean there's a controlling entity somewhere?"

"Possibly."

 

Either way, it made sense why healing magic didn't work. Zombies are vectors of dead humans, so it's no surprise that healing magic that acts on living creatures doesn't work.

Break the healing spell on the limbs.

I don't need any more healing magic. After that, you have no choice but to sink it in pure hand-to-hand combat.

 

"The most effective means of attack for them are attacks with holy power like Kazuki-sama's light magic, and--"

 

Mr. Aluk, who came out in front of me, pulled out his sword.

Then, a line of flaming sword ran from the blade and hit the zombie in front of it, bursting into flames.

Flame lineage magic. I ...... that he lit a magical flame at the tip of his sword and released it at the same time as he drew his sword. It's cool, I guess that's what a stylish sword is all about.

As I was secretly admiring Mr. Aluk's skill, the individual that was directly hit by the flames and the zombies around him suddenly changed from expressionless to groaning in fear.

 

"Ahh......hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

"They are vulnerable to fire, leave the rest to me."

「...... Please."

 

The zombies' expressions contort in fear at the fire set by Mr. Aluk, and they run away like scattering spiderlings.

Maybe it's because it's a zombie, so it's vulnerable to fire, but it certainly felt like a dead tree, so it can't be helped that it's easy to burn...... I wonder if it is?

 

"Well, anyway...... Amako, is he okay?"

"yes...... I don't think there will be any injuries."

"Guar"

 

She turns around and asks Amako and Bulllin, who were protecting her, to check on the girl's safety.

Or rather, Amako, you're hiding your face with a hood when you're dealing with humans other than us. Well, is it better to do so in order not to create unnecessary friction in the current situation?

 

"Help me in a dangerous place...... Oh, my name is Nea! Well, that's ...... Thank you!!"

"Oh, ......."

 

Perhaps the zombies are gone and the fear has faded, but Nea, a girl who bows her head with a dazzling smile.

Her too dazzling smile made me look away.

 

 

 

 

 

"Are you a kid who lives in a nearby village?"

"Yes."

 

Nea, a young girl who is about to be attacked by a group of zombies.

She is a resident of a nearby village, and it seems that she encountered zombies when she went out of the village to look for medicinal herbs and fell into that situation, and at that time, we were lucky enough to save her and she was unharmed.

Now, he wants to thank us for helping us, so he is now guiding us to the village.

What was surprising was that this kid wasn't too scared of Bulllin. The Luqvis students were so scared that they would pull back at Bullin, but Mr. Nair didn't show any signs of fear, but rather smiled.

...... It may be a good idea to have the audacity to go out of the village alone.

 

"Usato-san has a lot of magic."

"yes? Amazing magic......?"

"I've never seen anyone fly zombies so effortlessly or send magic bullets flying so fast. Or are you speeding up with the wind system? No, is it a rare magic of the gravity system?"

 

I wonder if it can be seen that it is said to be dehumanizing in a roundabout way.

 

"Pooh......"

 

Amako, did you laugh just now?

He glared at Amako, whose face was hidden by the hood he wore over his head, and his shoulders were shaking, and returned an awkward smile to Nea, who looked at him with sparkling eyes.

The smile that reminds me of her innocence is too dazzling for me, who has a dirty heart...... Whew.

 

"No, no...... You know, I'm a healing wizard."

「......... Huh? Healing, wizard...... Eh, but a healing wizard is not magic that heals people......"

"So, that's ...... I didn't use much magic because I solved it with just a normal fight."

 

When she says that, she rolls her eyes. He probably didn't think that the magic he was using was a healing spell that was said to have no other ability than to heal.

 

"One, I mean...... I ...... earlier."

"All hand-to-hand combat without magic...... It's understandable to be surprised. Usato is a brain healing wizard."

 

Bear with me, I'm in front of you...... - Punishment for Amako will be later...... Whew.

 

"Hahaha, he uses magic in an unconventional way, as Lord Amako said, but it's true that many lives have been saved thanks to him."

 

Mr. Nea, who returned to himself with Mr. Alc's exquisite follow-up, turned to me with a bang, perhaps because he thought he had taken a rude attitude towards me.

 

"No! I was just surprised. It's not like I made a fool of Usato-san or anything like that!!"

"Oh, yes, I don't care."

 

- She replies to Nea, who is crowded in with a desperate face, although she is upset. Like before, for some reason I can't make eye contact with this girl.

It's not the curious stuff that asks you to be prepared like Inugami-senpai, nor the cheerful one that makes you feel the vivacity of Uluru. If I had to say it, it would be reminiscent of an abandoned puppy.

To put it simply, it makes you want asylum. At worst, it's a bruise.

 

"Hey, it's close."

"Oh! I'm sorry......"

 

Noticing that she was close enough to catch her breath, she took three steps back, her face bright red. I can feel the heat on my face as well.

Oh my gosh, I didn't expect this...... This is it.

 

"Hmph!"

"Ugh!? Amako, what are you going to do all of a sudden!!"

「...... Usato's future is deceived by a woman. Absolutely."

"Huh!?"

 

What's that line!? I think I'm jealous if someone else says it, but if you say it, I can only feel anxious! Suddenly, I couldn't hide my horror at the words of Amako, who had kicked my shin with a sword.

 

"It's too deredere, I don't see it."

"No, I don't know, but I don't know if it's foreknowledge that I'm going to be deceived."

「......」

 

Why are you stuck there!?

Seeing the exchange between me and Amako, Nea smiled a little awkwardly, perhaps calming down.

 

"It's been a long time since I've seen people outside of the village, so maybe I'm a little excited."

"It's been a long time, does that mean that there haven't been many visitors to the village?"

 

Aluk's words cast a shadow on Nea's expression.

After a moment of silence, Ms. Nea, who had been holding her lips, opened her mouth in pain.

 

"Well, ...... zombies are coming out...... That's why we're bothering them."

 

I certainly don't want to go to a village with those creepy guys roaming nearby. But if that's the case, merchants won't come to visit, so life will be difficult.

Come to think of it, I should have guessed when such an ordinary girl came to pick herbs by herself.

I ...... that she went to get herbs knowing that she was reckless.

 

"Do you know why the zombies came out?"

「...... No, we don't know about it at all."

 

Don't you know why?

If you know the leader who caused the zombies, there seems to be a lot of ways to do it.

 

「...... We've arrived."

 

I am reminded of Mr. Nea's words as he looks forward.

I looked ahead and saw the entrance to a small village lined with slightly old houses. Even though it's small, it's bigger than I expected, and it's like a rural farming village in the world where I used to live.

 

"That's where I was born and raised, Iava Village."

 

Perhaps because she was finally able to return to the village, Nea had a relieved expression on her face.

If you look closely around the village, you can see that the outer wall is only separated from the inside and outside by a simple wooden fence, unlike the Lingle Kingdom and Luxvis, and the building is not sturdy, but looks like a slightly old wooden building.

 

"Nea!!"

 

An old woman came running towards us with a voice calling for Nea from the village. I glanced at her, thinking that it was probably related to Ms. Nea, and she rushed out of the place as well as the woman.

 

"Mr. Tetra."

"I'm glad ......, I was very worried that you would go out of the village silently......

 

An elderly woman hugs Nea gently.

 

"I'm sorry, but...... I don't have enough herbs ......."

"I don't know if the medicine is ......, but I've almost sent the young people of the village to look for it. Anyway, I'm glad you came back safely. And the people behind me ......?"

"These are the people who saved me when I was about to be attacked by zombies. My...... He's like a parent."

 

After breaking the embrace with the woman, Mr. Nea turns his body towards us and introduces us.

Tetra looked at us suspiciously for a moment, but when she heard that she had helped Nea, she immediately returned to her kind face and bowed.

 

"Thank you so much for helping this girl...... It would have been hard. I don't know how to thank you ...... that."

"Hey, hey Tetra-san! I'm in front of guests, please stop talking about me!"

 

When Tetra talks about Nea in a lamenting manner, she tries to stop her with her cheeks bright red.

I was a little worried about the phrase "parent-like" earlier, but when I saw the exchange between the two, I didn't think it was something to worry about.

 

"No, we did what we were supposed to do!"

 

Oh, I feel like the current line is very commonplace.

Rather, I was surprised that I was able to say the lines I wanted to say in real life naturally.

 

"Well, let's go into the village for now, and we'll talk about it later!"

"That's right, the three of you...... A horse and a blue grizzly kid, right? You'd better move those two horses to the village stables."

 

Enter the village with Tetra and Nea.

There were many other villagers in the village, each ploughing the fields and tending to the horses and cattle.

As Mr. Nea said, the villagers pay attention to us when we enter the village, perhaps because it is rare for people to visit here.

 

"We're travelers, and if you can, we'll be fine if you can share some food and so on......

"Don't be reserved, you look tired from the long journey. Why don't you stay for a day or so?"

"No, it's a hurry, so it's just your feelings, and I can't afford to bother you."

 

At Aluk's words, Tetra slowly shakes her head.

Our task is to deliver letters to each country. No matter how much I thank you, I can't afford to be troublesome for a day. Alc is right, feelings are enough.

 

"It's better to rest when you can, because you have small children. It's better to get a good rest and be ready for the journey than to collapse and get stuck at the crucial time."

"But ......."

"Besides, you had better take the kindness of Baba, who is short of his old age."

 

Alc smiles resignedly at Tetra, who laughs cheerfully.

Nea, who is next to me, is also smiling wryly.

No matter where you go in the world, the merits of age are strong.

 

"Small children...... Small children...... I'm fourteen years old, but ......."

 

Amako is secretly shocked.

Well, he's so small that he doesn't look like he's fourteen years old from the side.

......。

 

"Cook-Ku-ku......"

「...... Usato, did you laugh just now?"

"Oh, no, I'm not laughing at all."

「......」

 

- Pleasure in Amako who punches her back silently.

I will never forget the humiliation I was subjected to at any time...... Almost! And return it when you can...... Only to those who can give it back!

While smiling and mocking inwardly, Mr. Alc spoke to me.

 

"Usato-sama, I'm sure she's right that you're tired from the journey, so let me just take care of you for a day."

「...... My healing magic can cure physical fatigue, but it can't cure mental health."

 

Even though I'm used to sleeping on the ground, it doesn't mean it's stressful.

I feel a little sorry for you, but I'm going to indulge you in the kindness of Tetra and Nea. When I give my approval to Tetra, I nod my head in satisfaction.

 

"Alright, then, let's show you where the two horses and the blue grizzly sleep."

 

I've heard that the more good you do, the better things can be, and you may not be wrong. I thought so when I saw Tetra with a gentle smile on her face.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After taking Bulllyn and the horse to the stables, he was invited to the house where Nea and Tetra lived.

When I was shown the rooms, thinking that it was a little large in a two-story wooden house, it was a little large, and to my surprise, there were enough rooms to accommodate the three of us in separate rooms.

 

"It's a little too big for two people to live here."

 

I was impressed by the slightly lonely expression on Mr. Nea's face when he said that with a wry smile.

We rested in the private room we were shown for a while, and when the sky darkened, Nea visited the room and told us that dinner was ready.

I went downstairs with Aluk and Amako and found a table that could seat about six people, with a warm dish that Nea and Tetra would have made for them.

Mr. Alc, me, and Amako sat down in that order, and Mr. Tetra, who was sitting in front of me, tilted his head and looked at Amako. She still wears a hood to hide her ears.

 

"Oh, why is she wearing a hood all the time......?"

「......」

「...... Oh, ya...... That's ......."

 

I had been with him for so long that I had completely forgotten that Amako was a beastman. Nea and Tetra tilt their heads suspiciously at me and Alc as they stiffen in front of the table.

However, Amako removes it to the hood without saying a word.

 

"Hey, Amako, you!?"

 

Amako, who has glossy blonde hair and fox ears exposed, looks at you in surprise and shakes her head as if she doesn't need to worry.

 

"These people are fine, because I can see them."

 

Did you see it, did you have any foreknowledge?

Hurriedly shifting his gaze to Tetra and Nea, Tetra's eyes widened slightly, and Nea held her mouth in her hands and her eyes widened even wider than Tetra's.

Everyone would be surprised if a girl with beast ears suddenly appeared in front of them! And you--.

 

"Haha...... This was surprising, wasn't it? I didn't think such a cute girl was hiding."

"Uh, yes......."

 

Tetra, who laughed cheerfully, involuntarily made a stunned voice.

 

"Humans and beastmen alike, the only difference is whether they have a tail or not, and I don't think I'm narrow-minded enough to complain about it, and above all, I'm not so ungrateful as to make Nea's benefactor evil."

 

"But it's better not to show your face to the others, because they're not bigoted like me," he said, nodding at his words.

This guy is bold in many ways. I wonder if they are starving for such a person. Either way, Amako seems to be able to spend her time here without worrying too much.

 

"I'm really surprised that Amako is a beastman."

 

Nea looks at Amako with an exclamation. I can see that there is no bad feeling there, and I am looking at it with pure interest.

 

"When I came here, I thought that Usato and Amako were very good friends. You don't often hear that humans and beastmen act together."

"Well, I'm aware that it's unusual."

 

I was told that it was a lot weird at Luxvis.

But from my point of view, your reaction is more unusual. I haven't seen anyone who hates Ajin up close yet, so I don't know how much I hate them, but I can tell that their friendly reaction is different from the others.

 

"Let's talk about it later, let's have dinner first, and the hot food we made will get cold."

"That's right, come on, please!"

 

At the suggestion of the two of them, he reaches for a meal.

I had only eaten this cold dried meat and fruit, so the warm soup was very delicious. Tetra told me that it was a soup made by Nea, but Cheng Cheng said that she would be a good wife in the future.

...... I'm an old man!

 

"It was very good."

"Oh, no, I'm exaggerating."

 

When I finished my meal and said this to Mr. Nea, who had cooked dinner, Mr. Nea, whose cheeks were dyed red and looked down, perhaps because he was not used to being praised.

...... I mean, I can't get used to it. The reaction is completely different from the women I have met so far.

Maybe it was because they were all strong mentally and capablely. Rose, Senpai, and Kiriha...... Is Carla there? They all had some kind of strength.

 

"I'm talking about those zombies...... When did it start haunting this neighborhood?"

"They ......."

 

While Tetra was cleaning up the dishes, Alc asked Nea about it.

Was there anything bothering me about zombies?

 

"Zombies are not spontaneous monsters, they are monsters created by someone, and their behavior is also determined by the Creator."

"Mr. Alc?"

「......」

 

Mr. Arc talks to Mr. Nea, who has fallen silent as if he was thinking about it, in a questioning manner. I have no idea what he means, but he's not the kind of person who is harsh on girls.

I'll leave it to him and sit back.

 

"You know the truth, don't you? Probably everyone in this village knows who created the zombies."

「...... Huh?"

"I understand that you don't want to involve us, Nea, but can you tell me?"

 

She was upset, and I understood what she was trying to ask.

When I first asked her about zombies, she said, 'I don't know.' But that's a lie she told us because she cared about us, and she really knew who created the zombies and probably where they were.

 

「...... ...... it."

 

Before I knew it, Mr. Nea was spinning words in a choppy manner.

Maybe if Alc and I find out the truth, we will try to kill Soitsu, who created the zombies. ...... No, I'm sure I'll try to knock it down with a kettle even though I'm going to bump into it.

I don't want you to do that, so Mr. Nea said--

 

"Village, us...... Please help me."

 

Her tearful cry for help overlapped with the figure of Amako next to her.