Chiyu Mahou no Machigatta Tsukaikata ~Senjou wo Kakeru Kaifuku Youin~

I was in the center of a large, dark, and ominous room .

Below my feet was an expensive-looking carpet . Above me were beautiful chandeliers that didnt fit the atmosphere of this room . But upon closer inspection, everything around me was broken and crumbling . It was pitch-black and I couldnt find anything resembling a window .

I didnt bother questioning why I was in a room like this . I only focused on the current situation and tried to face what was ahead of me . I was able to confirm that Usato and Ark-san were both in this room as well .

However, Ark-san looked worn-out and held his sword while facing Usato .

As for Usato, his back was facing me and he was talking to someone .

Youre truly an idiot .

If you regret it, then why didnt you notice it earlier? The thing that you desired was already in your hands . But of all things, you were the one to let it go from your own hands Regardless of your intentions .

I wonder who he was talking to .

I couldnt see who was in front of Usato from my position . Although I couldnt see that persons face, I could tell that they were injured That person was leaning against the wall .

Looking closely, Usatos clothes were tattered . They didnt tear as he was wearing that special Rescue Squad uniform But it was awfully dirty . I could also see dried blood on the temple of his forehead . It looked like the aftermath of an intense fight .

The person in front of Usato said something to him . Afterwards, that person drew closer to Usato and squatted .

At that instant, I could see the appearance of that person for a few moments . It was really only for just an instant . It was hard to tell in the darkness but I felt like I saw that persons mouth distort into a crescent moons shape . Once I saw those sharp fangs, My vision greatly shook .

Usato! Avoid it!!

I jumped out and screamed .

At the same time, That person suddenly pulled out a dagger and thrust it at Usato . I couldnt tell whether it pierced Usato or not as I couldnt see the front .

However, I ended up seeing blood drip down from Usatos legs .

My vision became blurred .

It felt like a scene from a dream . I couldnt reach my hand out towards it It felt like it was going somewhere far away .

I want to know what would happen next .

What happens to Usato?

Is he injured?

Is he okay?

Hes alive, right?

Am I going to Be all alone again?

I couldnt help but think of the worst case scenarios in my head I was scared .

It was always like this for me . The essential things and the important things They always end for me . Regardless of my will, the scenes I want to see the most never come . I wont be able to see past those parts .

I always feel vexed at myself when I wake up after seeing them . It was frustrating that I couldnt do anything

Was Kaa-san always holding such a heavy burden?

I had to face against a reality and future that couldnt be opposed The thing called fate was really absurd . .

*

Eh? You saw a dream where someone stabbed me?

Yeah .

After hearing Amakos dream from her, I grimaced .

It had been a few days since we left Luquis . We hadnt encountered any bandits or monsters . Our journey was smooth so far . But Amako had just told me of her premonition, leading me to believe that things wont be as easy from now on .

Amakos prediction of the future will definitely come true .

Unless she tries to do something about it, the future will absolutely not change . Lyngle would have already fallen were it not for Amako urging me back then

Is that really true, Amako-dono?

I dont know exactly when itll come but I can somehow tell that itll be in the near future .

Amako nodded and replied to Ark-san who was riding on the horse .

Where was I stabbed?

I dont know . I think around your stomach area .

Stomach area, huh

Sounds painful

Yeah .

. . Eh, thats it?

Eh?

I mean I wasnt really afraid of something like being stabbed in the stomach at this point .

I think my battle against that snake was much more painful . Besides, I would only be stabbed by a little knife . As long as it doesnt hit one of my vitals, I can immediately counterattack .

Honestly, I was more afraid of Leaders fists .

Did you know Amako? Once a person continuously receives blows that far exceed their limit, they wont feel anything anymore at some point .

No, no no no, what if the knife is coated with deadly poison or something!?

Ill use healing magic to cure myself

If its poison, I have experience with that against the snake too . It should be no problem .

You were also bleeding

How much?

. . Just a bit .

Just a scratch then . Its something I can manage .

No problem then .

.

Wait a moment . Stop looking at me with those eyes .

Its like she didnt understand what I was saying and thought I was something beyond human .

Why am I being treated like a monster just because I have resistance to poison and damage?

. . Actually . If I thought about it, I did sound like a monster . But Im sure there are even more incredible monsters out there

But perhaps we ought to be careful . If we take into consideration what Amako-dono has said, well definitely be involved in a troublesome situation in the near future .

Thats true . Well, we know what well happen but we cant do much Amako, is it possible to change this future like at that time with Lyngle?

Amako shook her head .

In that case, it looks like Ill be stabbed by a knife no matter what .

Should I start tempering my abdominal muscles right away? No, how about I start fighting before I get stabbed? Actually, wouldnt it faster to beat the hell of the person stabbing me with a knife? What do you think, Amako?

You already know its going to happen so why are you trying to overturn it?

Well, yeah . Still, if I know something is going to happen, I would obviously try to do something to quickly resolve it .

Its better to do something than not doing anything and regretting it .

For the time being, I should do some training . Bluerin, you want to train too?

Guah!?

I see, I see . You want to do it too .

As expected of my partner .

It seemed Bluerin was really happy as he kept beating on my legs . While laughing, I looked at Amako . I thought this before but, Amako is a little thin . If I consider our journey ahead, it might be a good idea to forge her body a bit .

How about you, Amako? You can build some muscle . It might come in handy .

Definitely not .

I didnt think she would reject so strongly .

I was shocked as Amako gave a clear refusal and distanced herself from me . Bluerin was also still beating on my legs .

Ark-san, who had seen this exchange, gave a heartfelt laugh .

The three of us, plus one horse, continued our journey with a favorable atmosphere like this .

*

Ark-san, have we still not arrived at Samariel yet?

Night time . We stopped near the path we were on and set up a campfire . We would be here till morning . It was dark and the only source of light was from the moon . The monsters were also more active during the night . With that being the case, Ark-san and I would take turns watching over the fire .

Amako had already fallen asleep and was lying on Bluerin .

It was still a little early for bed so I decided to ask Ark-san about this journey while tossing some dry wood into the fire .

We still have quite a bit of distance to travel .

Our next destination, Samariel, was still far away .

Well, there werent any cars or trains in this world . It was obvious it would take time to travel to distant countries . I understood that but there was another problem .

It was necessary to have food and water while traveling .

We could obtain water from rivers but our food supply was gradually diminishing . We had to think of a way to procure some more I wonder if there were any good methods .

Our food supply is running a bit short . Any idea where we could procure some more?

Lets see Umm, there should be a village not far from here . Lets obtain some food from there .

Ark-san obtained a map from his leather satchel . After looking at it for a moment, he nodded .

Approaching a village It really feels like a RPG . Im excited .

Well, if were really in need of food, Bluerin and I could do some fishing or hunt for some animals .

Guah .

Dont growl like that . Its like youre saying its a pain in the ass . Youre the one who eats the most here .

Hahaha, how reliable .

I lightly smacked Bluerin on the head .

Seriously, youre the one who eats the most . You should be more like a wild monster and go hunt .

However, hmm

Ark-san looked at the map once more .

Whats wrong?

There are some strange rumors in the surroundings of this village .

Strange rumors?

Not the village itself but the surroundings? I wonder what kind of rumors they are . Just as I thought about asking, Ark-san had a mysterious expression and started talking .

Ive heard that skilled knights, adventurers, and bandits have suddenly disappeared in this area . They havent contacted anyone either .

I dont think thats a strange rumor . Rather, doesnt that sound like a dangerous one?

Completely disappearing all of a sudden is quite disturbing .

In my world, I guess it would be called spirited away? It was like how we were summoned into another world from our original world but To disappear from this world, I could think of several causes .

Like being captured by bandits, getting attacked by monsters, or falling off a cliff

No, I say they have gone missing but They show up again after a while . The shortest is around a few months while the longest is several years .

Whats with that? Are those people fine?

It was certainly strange No, if I had to word it better, it was eerie .

If the people who disappeared returned back after a while and they were fine I wonder what happened to them during the time they were gone .

I dont know much either, this is just what Ive heard It seems like the people who have returned after their disappearance lost their memory of the time while they were gone .

Lost . . their memory?

There are various guesses . It could be that the people are overwhelmed at their own situation because they have crossed over time . Its also possible someone stole their memories

Yes, its possible that it could be some kind of rare magic at work here

In my former world, this case would be labeled as something like the mysterious disappearances event . But magic existed in this world and it was commonplace . A possibility like this certainly existed .

Honestly, I wasnt good with topics like this .

In fact, I wasnt good with ghost stories or the Horror genre in general . If a ghost appeared in front of me, I would be scared . I mean, its not like I could punch it .

Seeing that my face looked a little pale, Ark-san gently smiled . He then folded his arms and said some words to reassure me .

Well, there havent been any rumors of anyone going missing in these past few years . I think it should be okay . Just think of it as an interesting story Ive heard from traders .

I-is that so

Im glad . There hasnt been any thing in these few years . In that case, itll be fine .

I imagined a scenario where we would be caught in this spirited away rumor as we walked on this path to the village . But it looks like I dont need to be afraid of that anymore .

A Fantasy world like this didnt need something like the Horror genre . Merging the two together is a big no .

Besides, something like a ghost doesnt

Guuh .

Bluerin, who was drowsily sleeping just a moment ago, suddenly gave a small growl towards a bush .

Ark-san .

Err

I exchanged looks with Ark-san . He picked up the sword beside him and stood up .

Something had entered Bluerins view just now in that bush .

Whether it was a monster or someone lying in ambush In either case, the fact that the other party was concealing themselves means that they didnt come with friendly intentions .

Ill leave Amako, who was still sleeping, to Bluerin . Ark-san and I both drew closer to the bush .

. .

Once I see them, I guess Ill knock them out hard with a Healing Punch, for the time being .

If it isnt an enemy, Ill apologize afterwards .

If its a monster, Ill knock them unconscious without any reservations .

If its a ghost, Ill carry everyone and run away .

I advanced while coating my fist with healing magic . I placed my hands on the bush and spread it apart

Houh! Ho-Houh!!

Uoh!?

At that moment, a black figure jumped out .

While I was surprised, I lowered my fist . I look at closer look at what had just flown away .

An owl . . ?

It had large wings and a round silhouette . It gave an awfully high-pitched hoot before disappearing within the forest .

Ark-san saw the owl as well and laid down his sword . He smiled in relief and said,

. . It looks like we were a bit too tense .

Hahaha Seems to be the case .

I probably still wasnt used to traveling on a journey like this yet . It was just Ark-san said, I was too tense .

It might be a better idea to relax a little . If Im on guard all the time, I might overstrain myself and not be able to react in time when something does happen .

I sat back down at where I was previously sitting and settled down my thoughts . As I did so, something about what just happened attracted my curiosity .

Wait Do owls hoot like that?

And why was it in a bush? Im pretty sure it started flying from the ground too .

I didnt know if that was how a real owl was supposed to sound but, it just felt bizarre to me for some reason . I unconsciously stared at the gloomy forest where the owl disappeared .