"I was supposed to be a hero......!?"
The first thing that came to mind when the armor man spoke was the image of Senpai and Kazuki.
But I'm quick to reject that idea.
Its inhuman physique, body, and magic clearly do not apply to humans in the original world. Rather, the hardness and strength of that skin is not something that can be obtained overnight.
In the first place, I would be surprised if such a superhuman was from the same world as me.
"Do you mean that you were supposed to be chosen in this country?"
「...... Oh, yes."
The hero of this world has two meanings.
A person who has the qualities of a hero summoned from another world like Senpai and Kazuki.
And those who become heroes when the state gives the title of hero to an individual.
In this case, the long-haired man -- Charon is the latter.
"Even so, he...... Charon's power is beyond the scope of human ......."
"They don't want to be told only by you...... right?"
Noisy.
But the question is, what should we do in the current situation?
"This is the place I want to draw...... They won't let you do that......!"
I spread my legs half a step apart and looked at Charon, who was glaring at me with an axe.
Even if you turn your back on this person now, the icicles from earlier will fly. However, even if you stay here, this person will attack.
In the meantime, Charon puts his hands on the icy ground like a beast.
"Are you coming......!"
"You're called Usato! Get me down!! I don't want to get in your way!!"
The person in the armor, I'm sure Leo...... That's true? His voice is a little high and husky, but he must be a man by his name.
The injury had completely healed, so I put him down.
"I don't know you very well, and I'm curious that you're conversing with the strange creature on your shoulder...... I'm sure you're not a bad person."
"What's unusual!? I'm an owl!?"
No, you're a vampire.
Inwardly, I looked at the person in the armor who had moved slightly behind me.
"I'll tell you later what happened with him and Mialak, but first of all, help me get this situation out."
Still in his armor, Leo points his palm at Charon.
Since you don't have any weapons, are you going to fight with magic?
...... He's the one who used to fight him alone, and if you can fight with him, you can count on him.
「...... Thank you. Honestly, I'm very grateful for that."
「!? Reliable...... I'm being relied on...... ...... I?"
"Hmm? ......!」
For a moment, I felt that he behind me conveyed a sense of disappointment and unusual motivation, but when I saw that Mr. Charon put a lot of effort into his legs, I changed my mind and jumped forward.
I'm much faster at the beginning!
He fires a healing restraint bullet at Charon's feet, and closes the distance by stepping as far as he can. Charon-san tried to intercept me as I was coming towards him, and he tried to pounce on me, but my healing restraint bullet hit his unsuspecting right leg and caused him to lose his position.
"I'm used to hard opponents!"
Basically, I don't defend the hard guys!
You've learned that in the fight against the Evil Dragon!
"Nea! I'm going to take you unconscious!"
「―――!」
He tosses it around at speed and continues to crush the nose of the attack.
Continuously slamming a healing restraint fist to block the movement.
"Huh!"
However, he senses a tremendous chill from the axe that Charon is holding, and retracts his protruding arm.
In the next moment, a brute-wielded axe passed where the arm had been.
"It's dangerous, it was taken now!!"
"Ooo
"Ku......"
It doesn't feel heavy--it dodges the onslaught of Charon, who wields an axe as if he were wielding a wooden stick.
If I hit it, I will be seriously injured, and if I do it poorly, I will die instantly.
In addition to the slashing, another nuisance is the cold. Right now, I'm getting by with healing magic, but if I keep being exposed to cold air any longer, I won't be able to move properly.
Every time the axe is swinged, a strong cold air is released and takes away my body heat.
"Nea...... It's a resistance spell......!"
"In the cold!? Or slash--"
The axe buzzes in front of my face. I leaned back, so I didn't get hit...... As expected, I had a chill in my liver.
Perhaps the axe snatched Nea, who was at the same height as my face. His face seemed to be turning blue regardless of the cold.
"Slash, slash!"
"Huh...... Za, slashing!?"
With the Resistance spell activated, the slash no longer works for me, but I honestly don't want to take the axe myself, so I'm going to take the opportunity to attack.
As he clenches his fists and tries to keep his opponent in check, a piece of ice pebbles jumps out from behind and hits Charon's axe-holding hand.
Contrary to appearances, the ice gravel spread widely, sewing Charon's hands and the ground with ice.
「...... Hmm!?"
"Usato, it's now!!"
If you look behind you, you can see Leo holding up his palm.
Did he accurately aim only at the handle of the axe that was being wielded?
Ice Gravel -- No, he compressed the ice magic with both hands, and sent two ice magic bullets in quick succession, hitting Charon's legs and tightening his restraints.
"Thank you! Nea! Solidify it with numbers at once!!"
"Oh, I wonder how many times I've been with your recklessness already!!"
A fist with the magic of restraint.
The restraint force of each blow is insignificant, but if you hit it in succession, it will be a considerable restraint!
I stepped on Charon, who was about to start moving while breaking the ice, and I shook my fist.
"Wow!"
Eighteen fists were slammed into each other in a split second.
I couldn't do more than that because I risked destroying Charon's body.
However, it seems that the restraint spell worked, and the multiple layers of restraint spell were activated on Charon's limbs when he was beaten by me.
"Huh--......."
"Uh, uh, should I admire this guy for keeping his appearance with the fist of this monster?"
Nea's bewildered words make her worry that she has gone a little too far.
The feeling that lingers in the fist is still like punching the scales of an evil dragon -- although it doesn't seem to do much damage......
"Let's get into the Myalak as soon as possible, if we leave it alone, this person will soon go on a rampage, honestly, we can only suppress it now."
「...... It's unusual, and he's looking at the situation calmly. It's not all rushing...... is it?"
The rush is superfluous.
Wary of the motionless Charon, he steps back and urges the armored man to enter the Miarak.
But-,
「...... Oh ......."
「! Can you move!?"
"Usato, I'll help you again! Again--"
"O......oo
A roar so strong that it makes the air tremble.
In his voice, I feel something extraordinary.
Along with that, something like a horn grows from the man's head.
"What......!? Horns!?"
"It's getting a tail, too!?"
Two white horns grow from the side of the head, and a blue dragon-like tail grows from the waist.
As if in response to his transformation, Charon screams and his eyes bleed.
"Is this a dragon!? Why are humans dragons!?"
"That's too early...... There's still time!"
"What do you mean!?"
I asked Leo about it, but he didn't get an answer, probably because he was upset by the sudden situation.
In the meantime, Charon, who has completed his transformation, raises his axe, which is clothed in a stronger cold air than before.
- In a torrent of tremendous magical power that you can feel on your skin, you plunge Nea on your shoulder into the bosom of your clothes. At that time, I heard a voice saying, "Pugyafu," but now that I am not caring for her, I stand in front of Leo, who is upset, and protect his face and abdomen with both arms.
The next moment, the wind and cold air blew us away, so much so that it could be mistaken for a blizzard from the axe that was swung down.
"Guu
"Hyaa
I was blown away and unfortunately slammed from my back onto the icy ground near the gates of Myalak.
Nea is making a small scream in her inner pocket, so she's safe...... Not so much for me.
"Damn it, what the hell is that person ......! It's extraordinary to blow it away with just cold air......!"
My body is cold and I can't move well.
It doesn't seem to be frozen, but it's so cold that my limbs can't do what I say.
「...... Leo ......."
He was flown with me, but he was lying face down a little behind me.
I want to rescue him immediately, but I have to heal my body first.
"Ooo
"Oh, are you still chasing me?"
I swing my axe up and my cheeks twitch as he falls towards me.
If you get hit in this situation, it will be fatal, but no amount of healing magic will be able to beat the cold.
It's too late to ask Nea to become resistant to cold air now.
If this continues, certain death awaits.
"Are you going to die in a place like this......
He forcibly casts a healing spell on his leg, which is unable to move due to the cold, and tries to stand up.
If I can't move completely because of this cold, I'...... dead a long time ago!!
With that in mind, I scolded my trembling body and stood up, and when I looked up, Charon had already begun to swing his axe.
It's great...... Ambush!!
He clenches his fist with all his strength and shakes it.
―――Bachie!
「―――!?」
「...... Huh?"
However, before my fist and Charon's fist could make contact, the axe that Mr. Charon swung down was blocked by something and was repelled.
Charon lands on the ground and continues to wield his axe, but he is blocked by something like a transparent wall, and his attack does not pass.
"Is this a boundary?"
If you look closely, you can see that there is a translucent light blue barrier between me and Charon, and it is deployed so that it covers not only the front of my eyes but also the Miarak.
Even the barrier that trapped Eva in Samariar was not as big as this.
Who ......?
"Usato-dono!!"
"Mr. Alc!"
Mr. Ark descends from the wall near the castle gate.
Amako and Burlin are ...... Did you leave it in the Mealak?
"Are you okay!? Now warm up with my flame !!"
"No, I'm fine, I'd rather ...... someone who is unconscious there."
Charon-san can't touch us anymore.
The barrier is more robust than it looks, and it is not daunted by his strength. The problem is Leo, who was blown away with me. I'm still paralyzed by the cold, but now that I'm able to move a lot, I pick up Leo, who is unconscious, and cast a healing spell on him.
As I was flushing my face at the coldness of my armor, Mr. Arc moved next to me and created a flame in my palm.
"...... Mr. Alc"
"It's a bad habit of Lord Usato's to be patient, please rely on me a little longer."
「...... Thank you very much."
The heat of the flames warms my cold body.
I looked at Mr. Aluk and smiled as I moved to the gate of the castle of Mialak, where Mr. Alc seemed to have come out.
In the midst of this, a black owl jumped out of my clothes, out of breath.
"Puha, Usato! Are you going to suffocate me to death!?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot."
"Isn't it terrible!?"
It was just to help you.
I'm sure that if I had survived that blizzard, I might have been blown far away instead of frozen.
What's going on in Mealark anyway?
The man with the horns and the tail, Mr. Charon.
Leo wears armor that covers his entire body.
And the strange tranquility of Mialak, where no one shows up even in such a disaster.
「...... Either way."
He turns his attention to Charon, who is outside the barrier behind him.
I can see him glaring at me intently and growling like a beast.
To be honest, if I had continued like that, I would have been the one who lost. I was saved by a chance barrier, but I don't want to imagine what would have happened if it hadn't been for that.
"I'm not good at fighting......
If I could, I wouldn't want to fight him anymore.
On the other hand, there was also a part of me that had a premonition that I would have to fight with Charon no matter what I wanted.
●
When I entered the floating city of Mialak and joined Amako and Burlin, I saw a very deserted cityscape.
There are no shops open, and there are no people.
I had a bad feeling about the unpopular scene, and I looked at Mr. Alc next to me.
"Mr. Aluk, this is ......."
"yes, for some reason there are no people."
Did the people here get beat by Charon......? No, then there should be blood and traces of vandalism.
"Amako, I don't ...... smell blood."
"No, not at all."
That means it's not Charon's fault.
So why not? In this situation, there is a possibility that there is no one in the castle beyond sight.
「...... Grr
"Usato and Burlin have said, but there is no sign of people here."
"Oh yes."
I don't think this is a letter, .......
If the Miarak who should be handed over is in this situation, I don't think there's any point in handing over the letter.
"Lord Usato, why don't you find the one who put up the barrier?"
"Yes?"
"Even if it is due to such a wide range of barriers and magic tools, it must take human hands to extract such effectiveness, and if you look for that person, you may be able to understand this inexplicable situation."
"Well, Alc is right, let's find the person who created the barrier first. At the moment, this person, who seems to be the only person related to Mialak, has been knocked unconscious by the blow just now."
Nea, who is dressed as a village girl who agrees with Aluk's words, glances at the person in the armor I am wearing.
Certainly, what we need to do now is to grasp the situation.
Well, if you have Nea, Amako, and Bulllin, who have better senses than humans, you'll find them quickly.
"You don't have to."
「!」
A muffled voice echoes from the back.
Apparently, Leo woke up from his fainting.
For the time being, she lowers him and nods depressedly at the sight of his own scruff and dented armor.
"I'm sorry, I've been saved again."
"Are you okay? Is there any soreness?"
"No, it's not strange, I'm rather surprised that I don't even have any fatigue left. I feel sorry for myself for underestimating healing magic until now. ...... I'm so grateful to you."
I'm a little embarrassed by him for bowing his head.
However, the next time he raised his head, Leo's words froze.
"However, a skilled user of healing magic is truly terrifying! I never thought I'd take his fist so easily, let alone punch him with my fist!"
"Heh, heh, I don't ...... that big of a deal."
Leo's words make my cheeks twitch.
I'm sorry, ordinary healing wizards aren't good at hand-to-hand combat. It's more funny to go and punch them.
Hey, the little fox and the owl in the back. You seem to be desperately trying to suppress it, but you can see that you're laughing, right?
"And yet, I'm ...... How pathetic."
"I ...... have a lot of ups and downs in my emotions."
Emotional instability?
I wonder if it's quite young under the armor? He's a little taller than me, and he's surprisingly close in age.
"So, Leo."
「...... Is it about me?"
"What?"
Did I get the name wrong?
No, but I feel like I introduced myself as Leo ...... earlier.
「...... Huh, even if it's the first time you've met each other, if you've fought together, you'll call each other by nicknames...... That's what you mean, isn't it
"No, that's it."
"Don't tell everybody, I'll call you Usato. It's easier to call it this than to change it strangely."
"Ah, yes."
I'm tired of it, so I'll leave the name behind.
He is wearing a helmet, so I can't see his expression, but if you see him nodding his head with his arms crossed, he must be very happy.
It wasn't my intention, though.
"You want to know what kind of situation Miarak is in right now."
"Yes."
「...... I'll tell you more about it at the castle. I've done things that I have to report to myself."
"In the castle? Are there still people here?"
Leo nods at Aluk's words.
"Oh, but there aren't many of them...... Follow me, and I'll take you to the castle."
"Burlin...... Is it okay to take a Blue Grizzly?"
「...... After all, is the bear there a monster? And it's a blue grizzly...... I don't mind if it doesn't attack people...... You can't go inside the castle, can you?"
"Gua"
Here's a squeal.
Somehow, I understood what he was talking about, so I spoke to Leo for him.
"It seems to be okay."
"Oh, I see......
Leo stepped back, awkwardly turned around, and began to walk in the direction of the castle with a rattling sound.
As we followed him, Amako, who had moved next to me, looked up at us.
"Usato, have you noticed?"
"Hmm? What's ......?"
"...... him."
Amako's gaze turns to Leo.
What do you mean you are aware? Could it be something serious?
"What's wrong with him?"
"He...... Ah, it's good after all. Yes it's okay. It's nothing."
What's so bothering me?
Amako smiled a little, wondering what she was convinced by my words, and walked next to me.
I don't know at all because they don't make it clear what I'm trying to say...... Well, if you say it's okay, it's okay.
With a vague feeling, I followed Leo with my friends.
_________________________
This is Usato's first defeat.
It is by design that the first person of Mr. Leo (tentative) sometimes becomes "I".
In addition, he is not the queen of Mialak.