Chapter 5.

The journey to the floating city of Myalak was going without incident.

Thanks to Amako's foreknowledge, I was able to avoid fighting monsters as much as possible, and I was able to replenish my rations in the villages I normally passed by, without any traps like I did with Nea.

Have you gotten used to traveling? Or, let's enjoy the scenery around us, and we can afford to enjoy the trip to the fullest, but at the last minute, we were about to get into trouble.

 

"I wonder why this happens!!"

"Gaoooooo!"

"Guoooooooo!"

 

Right now, we're running—it's me, Burlin, and the horse with Alc on it, but that's not the problem.

Behind us, a group of monsters are chasing us at a great pace.

Normally, it should be rare to encounter such a large number of monsters, but it was a sudden event. A swarm of monsters of such a scale that even Amako could not avoid even if she had foreseen it, had appeared.

 

"Usato, look ahead! If I fall here, I'll be caught up!"

"You're not going to forget that you and Amako are there, are you?!"

 

As I was running while being bored, Nea on my shoulder and Amako on my back raised their voices impatiently.

I mean, I want Nea to fly away normally, but would she have ever come up with that idea in this situation......?

 

"Lord Usato, it's almost time for Miarak! Once you're on the boat, the monsters won't be able to get into the lake!"

 

Answer Mr. Aluk, who is on horseback.

 

"Got it! If the worst is about to catch up, I'll stop you! I'll ask for Amako and Nea then, Bulllin!"

"Grua"

「...... Ask! Please don't be rash!"

 

If I ran as fast as I could, I'd leave Bulllyn and my horse behind.

I'm trying to adjust my speed so that doesn't happen, but in case of emergency, I'll take on the monster. After all, it is a wild beast, and if you hit it on the bridge of the nose, it will lose its will to fight and go home.

Even if it was impossible to drive them back, if they stuck to stopping them, they should be able to hold down the hordes of monsters for ...... few minutes.

 

"But why do so many demons attack ......?"

 

Running without disturbing his breathing, he looks in the direction where Miarak might be.

This number is unusual.

It's enough to say that all the monsters in this area are gathered.

 

「...... Is that voice the cause?"

 

Come to think of it, that "voice" that reached our ears may be the beginning of this uproar.

The sound of the voice goes back to a short time before what seemed to be a smooth trip turned into an escape from a monster in an instant.

 

 

 

●

 

Lucas' shocking statement.

Eva's feelings are too straight.

And covering fire from a distance for seniors.

We fled Samaria as if to escape them, and we were heading to the next country we would visit: the floating city of Myalak.

 

"Oh, I wonder what will happen to me ......."

"Usato, I've been saying the same thing for a long time, but it's better to give up."

 

It's been two weeks since I left Samaria.

I used to mutter the same thing every time I remembered an article by a senior.

 

"But there's a caricature like this out there, right? I'm scared that if they see me in real life, they'll definitely say it's different from what I imagined......

"I care too much, and besides, the good thing about Usato is not how he looks."

 

I ...... that I can't be happy because that follow can be interpreted in various ways.

If there is even a strange impression in the Mealak where I am going, it may interfere with my ability to deliver the letter and I may suffer a lot of mental damage.

And...

 

"Puppu, it's always a masterpiece! This sparkling smile on the nose! It's too funny that it's not like Usato at all!"

「......」

 

I can't help but be annoyed that an owl dexterously holding an article written about my seniors and me with its wings makes fun of me every time.

And it's been like this for two weeks since I left Samaria.

I wonder if it has the root of the fact that I was stunned.

 

「...... Whew!"

"Whew!?"

 

Oh, Amako grabbed Nea.

Amako starts to turn her hand that grabs Nea. The person being turned around is screaming unspeakably.

No longer a quarrel between the two (?) is a familiar sight, so I shift my gaze to Mr. Alc, who is pulling the horse.

 

"Mr. Aluk, Miarak is a city on a lake, isn't it?"

"Yes, the great river that runs through this continent, the city located in the lake at the center of it, is Myalark."

 

The place where we are going to hand over the letter, Miarak.

The image is like a city of water, but what is it actually like?

In order to get to your final destination, the Land of the Beastmen, you have to go through Mialak, so you need to know a little about it.

 

"So, are there a lot of ships after all?"

"Myalak is a place where fishing is thriving, so there are quite a few boats, some of which are focused on fighting water-dwelling monsters. If you want to get safely to the other side of the Beast Country, the best way to get there is to take a boat from the Mialak."

"Hey, is it impossible to swim across normally? Or looking for a bridge or something like that......

 

If you avoid the lake and swim in the river, or find a bridge and cross it, you don't have to go to the trouble of getting on a Mealak boat.

It's a bit simple, but it's not impossible.

At my words, Mr. Alc shook his head slowly.

 

"Humans can't beat demons in the water, and even if they succeed in swimming across the river, what awaits them beyond is the territory inhabited by the Demon King Territory and the Beast Race, a place where humans should not step around, so there are no bridges built."

"Demon Lord's Domain...... I didn't expect that they were building a massive bridge when they attacked ...... Lingle Kingdom."

"That's right, because the bridge itself wasn't built to connect the other side in the first place."

 

I see, it's true that the human side doesn't need to bother entering the Demon Lord's Realm or the place where the beastmen live, so there is no need to build a bridge, .......

Anyway, I mentioned it a little, but I ...... it is a monster that lives in the water.

Until now, I've only met land-dwelling monsters, so I'd like to meet them at least once.

In the original world, would it be a kappa or something?

 

"Oh, yes, Mealak has a reputation for delicious fish dishes, right?"

"Is it a fish dish?"

 

Is it a freshwater fish because it is called a lake?

No, it seems to be close to the sea, so there may be saltwater fish. It's like sea bass or salmon in the original world.

As expected, there will be no sashimi, but it is still something to look forward to.

After all, what I've eaten recently is just grilled river fish, so it's rare to eat authentic fish dishes.

Perhaps it was on his face that he was excited about Mialak's fish dish, but when he saw my face, he smiled.

 

"When you visit Myarak, why don't you go for a fish meal?" From what I've heard, Mealak's fish dishes have a reputation for being very good."

"It's good, I'm having a lot of fun after that."

"Hahaha, I'm looking forward to it too."

 

Ah, but what about Bulllin?

With that in mind, I turned my gaze to the next and saw a bear looking at me with expectation.

 

"Ah, okay, okay, I'll take the fish to Bulllyn later. The biggest one should be the one, right?"

"Grul" ♪

 

It's a cash guy.

I patted Bulllyn with a wry smile, and Nea, covered in dust from behind, jumped on my shoulder with teary eyes.

Amako also lines up next to her, wiping her forehead with her hand.

- While she smiles wryly at her as if she has just done it, she can't hide her horror at the fact that she has won the victory over Nea with one hand.

 

"Whew, Usato, what were you talking about?"

"Isn't it strange that this fox bullied me so much!?"

 

Nea on her shoulder flutters her wings in protest against Amako.

 

"Noisy, do you want to be circled again?"

"Huh!? Oh, you're a little bit of a jerk in Usato!?"

"Hey, what's wrong with me?"

 

I was told that it was my dangerous place.

What's the danger? It's really hurtful to be called a dangerous person.

 

「...... I don't mind. Even if you end up like Usato."

"I'm not good!? Are you saying that you can become a monster in the form of a person!?"

"Hey, can you wrap it up in more oblates?"

 

Nea is drawn to Amako, who answers softly, but I wonder why I'm the one who doesn't participate in the conversation the most.

Moreover, it sounds like a mess, but I'm a person with a history as a category, right?

I just trained a little too much, right?

 

"So, Usato, I just asked you a question......

"Hmm? Oh, I was talking about Mearlac."

"Hmmm."

 

Hmmm, you don't seem interested.

 

"It's a good place, it's a human city near the land of beastmen, so there is no blatant discrimination like Samaria. ...... There aren't many of them, but they're coming and going."

"Hey, do you know anyone?"

"Well, I didn't have much time to spare at ...... time."

「......」

 

You see, the first place this kid visited after leaving the Beastman Land was Mialak.

He was so eager to save his mother that he couldn't afford to look at the scenery around him.

...... Maybe I was a little too insensitive.

 

「...... I'm not the same person I was then."

 

Amako murmurs.

 

"I've always been alone...... But I met Kiriha and the people of the Ringle Kingdom...... And now that I'm with Usato and the others, it's not painful at all."

"That's it."

"Yes."

 

She smiled a little, and I smiled at her.

You're not alone.

I was relieved to hear those words.

I'm not the lonely girl I was when I was traveling alone. Right now, I'm with Alc, Nea, and Bulllin.

I want to make sure she has a smile on her face after ...... trip.

 

「......?」

"What's up, Amako?" Stop suddenly."

"Someone's fighting......

 

Amako put her hands on her ears and stopped.

Someone is fighting, ?

Hearing Amako's words, Aluk puts his hand on the hilt of his sword and warns his surroundings.

I stopped in my tracks and looked ahead to check the situation with Amako.

 

"You mean there's a battle going on down here?"

"It sounds like hammering iron...... And the sound of something shattering ......."

"Crushing? The ground?"

"It's a little different, I mean, it's kind of like the sound of glass or ice breaking......

 

I try to listen, but I can't hear if it's sound enough for the beastman's ears to finally catch it.

I wonder if someone is being attacked.

It's possible that the traveling merchant is being attacked by bandits...... The scariest thing is the possibility that it was a trap to lure us out of the rescue -- but we won't know until we check it first.

 

"Nea, can you fly over the air and see what happens?"

「...... I can't help it."

 

If she can fly, she can go and grasp the situation without danger.

Nea, who spreads her wings wide in a troublesome manner, looks up at the sky and begins to flap her wings slowly.

 

―――Oooo

 

"Huh!?"

 

Suddenly, something like a loud battle cry was heard from ahead.

His voice was like a beast, but it was still oppressive, and everyone except me and Mr. Arc shook their bodies greatly.

Nea, who was about to fly in the sky, stiffened in the air and was about to fall headlong to the ground, so she hurriedly caught it.

 

"Nea, what's up!?"

「...... Oh, there was a wave of magic on the battle cry...... It's not just a creature down the road!"

"...... waves?"

 

It doesn't seem to have any effect on me and Alc, but it seems to have affected Bulllin, Nea, the horse, and Amako the Beastman.

Only creatures with sharper senses than humans can understand it...... Is it like an ultrasound?

I couldn't hear it, so I don't know much about it, but .......

 

"Oh, everybody's running, ......."

"Amako?"

 

Amako, who had a surprised look on her face, muttered in a trembling voice.

With her words, Bulllin, who had turned his back, glared at the depths of the forest and began to growl, and when he turned to look at it, he heard many footsteps and the cry of demons from the direction of the forest.

...... It's not a coincidence, is it?

 

"The magic power contained in the battle cry just now is causing the demons in this area to run wild!?"

"What!? Does that mean you're losing yourself!?"

"If you are a strong-willed demon, you will be fine, but if you are a demon living in the wild, you will not be able to resist this vibration! Hurry up and get away!"

 

Does that mean that all the monsters around here are in a state of delirium?

And it's coming towards us...... No, I just have to get out of here!

 

"Everybody's going to run!" What's that, Amako!?"

「...... Huh?"

 

If you look next to you, you can see Amako hugging her body and trembling.

Are you so tired that you can't move?!

Why don't you rush into the back and buy time? No. Then, the monster that couldn't stop them attacks Amako and the others. In this situation where Amako is unable to move, it is almost impossible for me to stop all the monsters by myself.

...... I can't help it.

 

"Hold on!"

"Whew!?"

 

With Nea on my shoulders, I start running with Amako in my arms.

 

"Mr. Alc! Let the horses run!"

"Got it!"

 

Mr. Aluk mounted his horse and pulled the reins, and he ran the horse vigorously.

Bulllin is already thick, so he doesn't seem to care about the impact of the battle cry and follows me.

A horde of monsters is already rushing in from behind.

However, despite the fact that it is not a herd and various kinds of monsters are mixed, they do not fight, but only see us and try to attack.

His eyes are bloodshot, so he probably thinks we're bait...... No matter how much you do, this is too abnormal.

 

"What the hell is going on......!"

 

I was frustrated by the obviously unusual situation, but I had no choice but to carry Amako in my arms and push forward on the road.

 

________________________________________________________

It was Usato-kun who naturally mixed up with horses and bears.

This time he will also be involved.

Chapter 4 wasn't all about combat, but this time it's going to be pretty gutsy.

 

* In the activity report, I wrote about the store benefits in Volume 3.