Once you get used to life on a boat, you will see many ways to enjoy it.

You can take a look at the changing scenery and flowing rivers, and you can have a peaceful trip that is different from before.

It was noon on the third day after boarding the boat. We had reached the point where we would arrive in the Lingle Kingdom in about half a day.

As I was resting my body on the edge of the ship, remembering my previous trips, Nea, who was in human form, came next to me.

 

"It looks like you're going to have a lot of time."

"That's right."

 

The work on the ship is done by the Mr./Ms., so we basically have nothing to do on the ship.

Oh, come to think of it, Mr./Ms. Alc took the lead in cooking.

Bullin is coasting, Amako is writing a letter to Kanoko Mr./Ms. and Linka, and Leona Mr./Ms. is tending to the spear she brought with her instead of the hero's weapon.

So at the moment, the only people who really didn't have anything to do were me and Nea.

 

"Nea, there's something I've been wondering about for a while."

"Hmm? What's that?"

"You're a vampire, aren't you?"

"Huh? What's up?"

 

At this time, let's ask Nea about something that bothered me a little silly.

For some reason, I hadn't heard of it.

 

"No, can vampires in this world increase their clan by drinking blood?"

「…… Is this world the same in Usato's world?"

"In our world, vampires are fantastical creatures, but that's what Mr./Ms. says."

 

In my world, I don't know if they exist or not, but sucking blood to recruit more friends is a common setting for vampires.

At my words, Nea turned her head away and opened her mouth.

 

"It's not impossible."

"Oh, really!?"

 

Involuntarily, I took three steps away from Nea.

 

"Why are you keeping your distance?"

"I mean, that's it, right? You're going to suck all the human blood and turn it into a ghoul, right?"

"I'm not going to do such a horrible thing! How bizarre are the vampires in your world!?"

 

Apparently, it wasn't what I had imagined.

At one end, Nea, who had calmed down her breathing, looked away from me with a slight hesitation.

 

"The way we multiply our kinsmen is not to suck blood, but rather the opposite: to pump blood."

"Sending it in? Vampire blood?"

"Yes, of course, it can't be just blood. After all, it violates the taboo of turning humans into monsters. To put it simply, it's a special blood that contains high-purity magical power. So we reconfigure the human body into our body."

「…… Is that something that can be done easily?"

"Hehe, it's impossible."

 

Nea laughed funny at my words.

 

"There's no way a normal person can withstand the burden of rebuilding their bodies, and even if they're lucky enough to be able to withstand it, their minds will be destroyed and they'll just look like strong zombies."

「…… That's a ...... It's ridiculous."

"Well, I know it, but I've never tried it."

 

I definitely don't want to be a strong zombie.

But isn't it a terrible thing to turn humans into monsters? Inwardly, as I re-acknowledged the anomaly of the vampire monster, Nea gave me a mischievous smile.

 

"Isn't it possible for someone as sturdy as a fool in body and mind like you to do? How about giving it a try? The upper limit of the body will be raised, and the lifespan will be increased to a degree that is incomparable to that of humans, right?"

 

Saying this, Nea peeks out her sharp fangs.

I sighed and lightly poked her forehead.

 

"Ahh

"Don't kid me, I still want to be human."

"U~, you're joking! I mean, you're not human enough at this point! How long are you under the illusion that you're human, this brain?"

 

Oh, that's all I can say, this guy.

I'm a person who has a history before the illusion, right? I'm aware that I'm dehumanized, but I've never stopped being human, right?

 

"You don't usually ...... yes?"

 

Nea was angry and glaring at me with teary eyes, but she suddenly turned her gaze toward the river as if she had noticed something.

 

"What's wrong?"

"I feel like something has moved underneath ...... now."

 

I wonder if there are fish or something?

I wondered, and just as I was about to lean over and look into the river——、 something human-sized jumped out at us with a loud splash.

 

"Gegege-ge-!"

"What?"

 

The poisonous color of Sorae jumped up in front of us and our eyes met.

A round and fat body, viscous skin, and a long tongue. Its appearance was similar to that of a frog in the original world.

However, the moment I saw it, many times larger than the frog I knew, I almost reflexively slammed my gauntletted fist into its abdomen.

 

"Nun!!"

"Gburp!?"

 

A giant frog peels off the whites of its eyes and returns to the water.

It's probably a monster...... Well, I was surprised that it came out of the blue, but that's it.

Compared to Ghost and Rose, it doesn't even feel scary.

 

"Ugh, the gauntlet is kind of sticky ......."

"Heh, you hit him with a lot of flirtation, ...... sometimes you can count on him to be unwavering like that."

"Can you stand? Nea"

"Oh, yes, yes."

 

While brushing off the mucus from the gauntlet, he makes Nea, who is slumped in surprise, stand up. Then, from a different place from where we were, a number of the same giant frogs as before boarded the boat.

 

""Gegege——!"""

「…… Wow."

 

In an instant, things were going on the ship.

The sight of a giant frog bouncing on the boat makes me and Nea twitch our cheeks.

Hearing the commotion, the Mr./Ms. sailors, Leona, Mr./Ms. Alc, Mr./Ms. Amako come out of the ship.

 

"A flock of aqua frogs!? What, this number is ......! Usato, are you okay!?"

"It's okay here, Amako and ...... Mr./Ms. Captain, please hide!"

"Geeroo!"

"Whew!"

 

Perhaps he noticed me, two giant frogs, Aqua Frog, rammed me with a big leap.

He doesn't want his gauntlet to be slimy, so he takes aim with his fist on the right side and fires two healing flying fists. A bullet of healing magic was released with the sound of air popping, knocking Aquafrog into the river.

 

"Okay, let's throw them all into the river for now."

"It's really late, but are you really a healing wizard?"

"I'm like a new form of healing wizard......

 

While mouthing excuses that I thought were painful, I saw Nea, who had turned into an owl, fly to my shoulder, and I moved to Alc Mr./Ms. while holding back the Aqua Frog with a healing magic bullet.

 

"Leona, Alc, do you have any thoughts?"

「…… Somehow, I began to think that Usato was pioneering a new kind of magic."

"It's amazing when you look at it again...... yes, really."

 

While Alc Mr./Ms. complimented Nea's words normally, Leona replied with a somewhat distant look Mr./Ms.. However, her expression quickly changed, and she pointed the brunt of her spear at Aquafrog, which was different from the hero's weapon.

 

"It seems that because the ship didn't pass, this was Aqua Frog's territory...... I didn't think I'd come up on this ship......"

"What kind of monsters are these guys?"

"The combat power of a single unit is not very high, you just need to be careful not to get caught by the sharp claws, the venom secreted from the back, and the tongue. The problem is this number, but——"

 

As far as I could see, there were more than a dozen Aqua Frogs jumping up and down on the boat.

Normally, this would be a scene that would have been frightening in many ways, but it doesn't matter to us now.

 

"——With you guys, there will be no problem."

"Yes."

 

Leona Mr./Ms. generates ice magic in her hand, and Mr./Ms. Alc makes her new sword glow red.

I'm the only one who doesn't use magic, just my fists.

It's one thing to think about at a time like this, and it's too late...... I've never fought like a wizard.

 

●

 

The first thing I learned after fighting Aqua Frog was that it was dangerous to touch it with my bare hands.

From the looks of it, it's slimy and you don't want to touch it, but even without it, the poison that covers the surface of your body is dangerous.

With healing magic, I could heal the poison quickly, but I didn't need to waste magic power, so I decided to fight off Aquafrog safely.

 

"Gege!"

"Slow"

"Gee!?"

 

He grabs the tongue that sticks out like a spear with a gauntlet and throws it out of the ship after forcing Nea to perform a spell of restraint.

It's a lie, dude! I have a little sympathy for the Aqua Frog as it falls into the water with a smug look on my face, but I turn to the individual who jumped on me from behind.

 

"I've already noticed! Healing Magic Bursting Palm!"

"Gee!?"

"Wow......"

 

Aqua Frog is blown overboard by a bursting palm.

Anyone who approaches you with a thud from behind will tell you.

 

"After all, I can't deal with ordinary demons anymore, I've been fighting against people I've fought before, and I know I can't help it...... You're really not human."

"There's a frog that's just opening its mouth, so why don't you throw it in?"

"Oh, I'm sorry! Oh, I'm sorry, so don't grab me and pull it!"

 

Sighing at Nea, who is clawing into his cloak tightly, he uses his right gauntlet to shoot a healing finger bullet into Aquafrog, which has his mouth wide open.

Healing finger bullets using a gauntlet are fired from the fingers using the same principle as the healing flying fist.

Its power is also much lower, and its range is less than three meters, but it is much faster than a healing magic bullet. Aquafrog, who was shot into his mouth, writhed in confusion before losing his balance and falling into the river.

 

Are Alc Mr./Ms. and Leona Mr./Ms. okay?"

 

I dropped all the Aqua Frogs in the vicinity from the boat and saw two people who were probably dealing with it elsewhere.

Mr./Ms. had defeated Aquafrog with a flaming sword in a familiar manner, and there were no scorch marks from the flames around him, not even Aquafrog's corpse.

 

"It's Mr./Ms. Alc, so you don't need to add to it. Leona Mr./Ms. ......"

 

Mr./Ms. also had most of the Aqua Frogs defeated.

Using ice magic and a spear that he didn't show in his fight with Mr./Ms., he tossed the Aquafrog and knocked it off the ship in a flowing manner.

From freezing the floor to remotely manipulating magic bullets, the variety of skills as usual is impressive no matter how many times you see it.

 

"Lord Usato, all the monsters that came up on the ship have been cleared out."

"Well, I'm glad you're not a strong demon. I don't want you to encounter a powerful demon until you get back to work."

 

No, I really want you to understand.

With the Ringle Kingdom just around the corner, I feel hopeless that I can't go back to normal.

After defeating all of the Aqua Frogs, I was conversing with Mr./Ms. Alc who had put her sword in her hand, and I noticed that Mr./Ms. Leona was still holding her spear and had a grim expression on her face.

 

"Leona, are you still lurking something?"

"No, I don't know yet."

 

Leona Mr./Ms. vaguely responds to Alc Mr./Ms.'s words.

 

「…… Aquafrogs are monsters that act in groups. There should be a Mother Frog, the boss of Aqua Frog, in that swarm...... I can't help but wonder why he hasn't shown up yet."

 

Okay, so that's why I was still on my guard.

But is Mother Frog a mother because she is the parent of Aqua Frog?

 

"There are two possibilities: one is that Mother Frog is already dead. The other thing is...... They're trying to hit us with a little Aquafrog and attack us when we're exhausted."

「…… By the way, how is the Mother Frog different from a normal Aqua Frog?"

"It's——"

 

Just as Mr./Ms. was about to spin her words, the water in front of the ship exploded vigorously, and a huge object the size of a light car flew high.

A purple frog that is incomparable in size to the Aqua Frog.

Mr./Ms., with a somewhat distant look, pointed to a purple frog.

 

"yes, well...... It's such a big difference."

"No, no, no! If something like that falls on the ship, it will sink!?"

 

Nea is right, I don't think the ship can withstand that weight. Or rather, how high are you leaping?!

Rather than getting on the ship, you're here to destroy it! This!

 

"Usato, Lord Arc! We'll fight them off with maximum firepower!"

"Got it!"

"I'm a healing wizard."

 

Leona Mr./Ms. is poised to throw a spear containing ice magic, and Mr./Ms. is holding a flame sword that has become even brighter.

I can't get lost anymore.

 

"No, I have no choice but to use it!"

 

Gather the maximum amount of magic power in the gauntlet and move into the position of a healing barrage fist.

Honestly, I don't think it's overkill, but if it falls on the ship, it's the end of us.

I try to leap while keeping my eyes on the Mother Frog that is falling towards me.

 

"Wait ———、! Something is flying from the side!"

"Huh!?"

 

The moment we stopped at the sound of Mr./Ms.'s voice, a crescent-shaped magic blade that emitted a dazzling electric shock hit Mother Frog from a different direction.

The crescent-shaped magic blade blew away Mother Frog's massive body and at the same time burned it with an electric shock.

 

"What!?"

"This blitzkrieg is ...... No way."

 

The Mother Frog falls a short distance from the ship and makes a loud splash.

The rolled water rained down on the ship, but I ignored it and looked in the direction from which the magic blade had flew.

At the end of his line of sight, he saw the figure of a dark-haired girl who had wielded a sword that had struck thunder.

When she spotted me, she waved at me with a big smile on her face.

 

"Inugami-senpai!!"

 

One of his best friends, Inugami-senpai, who vowed to reunite.

I didn't expect to see her again before I arrived in the Lingle Kingdom, but it was still a joy for me.