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

The next day, we headed towards the nearby village to procure food .

Ark-san was walking a bit behind us as he pulled the horse along . In the front was Bluerin, Amako, and me . We would continue our journey like this without any problems as usual At least thats what I thought . But it was a little different today .

Amako-dono?

Whats wrong?

Amako suddenly held her ears .

Did she perceive something humans couldnt? As I was curious, I tried listening with my ears .

VeMe!!

A woman No, a young girls voice?

I stopped walking and listened more carefully . As I did so, the surrounding trees rustled and a shriek resounded

SOMEONE SAVE ME!!

Usato!

I know!!

I began to run once I heard the girls cry for help .

I dont know what the situation is like but its definitely an emergency . If I waited for everyone else, it might be too late to save her . I decided to go ahead of them since my legs are faster . Amako and the rest can just come afterwards .

I climbed up the shallow slope that was encircled by trees . Beyond the slope, I could make out several figures in the distance . I had to strain my eyes to see due to how far they were I could see a girl around the same age as me in tattered clothes and she was being surrounded by a group .

There!!

It looks like she hasnt been met with any danger yet . But from the looks of it, the group enclosing her didnt look like an honest bunch with good intentions . Their eyes looked devoid of life and they had pale skin .

I need to hurry and save her, I dont know what theyll do .

Get down!!

The girl noticed me running towards her as I yelled out . I also created a magic orb and threw it with as much strength as I could .

My magic orb flew straight towards the guys surrounding the girl and blew two of them away .

I arrived at the gap I created from blowing the two guys away and immediately carried the girl away . Using this moment, I checked to see if the girl was safe .

Are you okay!? Are you injured!?

Eh!? . . Umm What was that just now?

The girls pupils shrunk into dots and looked up at me .

She had long light-brown hair that reached her shoulders and beautiful amber-colored eyes . Maybe I was scared that something happened to the girl, as I proceeded to stare intently at her and met with her moist eyes I involuntarily gulped .

Somehow, I ended up being charmed by her .

Im not the type to fall in love at first sight with a girl I just met right? Is it because Ive only been around females with weird personalities? As a result of that, I dont have any resistance towards normal girls?

While shaking off my evil thoughts, I lowered the girl onto the ground .

Stay behind me . My friends will come in a moment Leave these guys to me .

Y-yes

I had to deal with this group first .

From their attire, they didnt look like bandits . They arent a type of monster either .

They wore torn clothes like a vagrant and their arms were hanging languidly . In the slight gap formed by their bangs, their lifeless eyes were staring at me .

I see, theyre perverts No matter what world it is, there will always be people like this .

Why are you all trying to assault this girl?

Despite trying to start a conversation with them, I was ignored .

The two guys that I knocked away with my healing magic a moment ago stood back up like nothing happened and faced me .

Ill try threatening them .

Umm, these guys are

I dont know what youre all trying to accomplish by assaulting this girl but If you come any closer, Ill pluck out one of your arms . . for the time being . If you dont want that, then tell me the reason youre aiming for this girl . For the guys that are planning on trying something funny Prepare yourselves for the worst, you shitty bastards .

. Hm? Were you saying something just now?

I-i-i-i-i-i-i-its nothing at all .

The girl looked paler than before and turned her head away while her body was shaking .

It looks like I ended up frightening the girl behind me instead of the group in front of me .

It looked like the other side wasnt threatened at all . In fact, they were coming closer .

Haah

As I sighed, I quietly coated healing magic over my fist and let the girl behind me retreat back .

Ugaaaaah!!

I guess theres no choice Dont think poorly of me!! You should get back!!

Hiiih . Yes!

One of the perverts gave an ominous cry and rushed at me . I tightly gripped my hand coated with healing magic and launched a punch with all my strength at the approaching targets stomach .

I knocked him about 5 meters away and lightly shook my fist . Once his body hit the ground, he rolled for a bit before stopping .

Hows that? Its a punch without holding back . It should be more than enough to knock you unconscious .

W-what is going on?

The girl behind me was awfully confused but she was probably just surprised by the power of my fist .

While feeling a little sad that I was used to this kind of reaction by now, I looked at the man I knocked away .

However, it felt really hard . Was he hiding an iron plate or something behind his clothes? While phrasing it like this was in poor taste It didnt feel like the sensation of punching a person .

As I felt something out of place, I turned my attention to the remaining guys but The man I knocked away got up, which astonished me .

You got up You sure are tough Wait!?

His abdomen was sinking in!?

Why? There shouldnt have been that much power . Additionally, my healing magic should have healed it .

No, before all that Why was he able to stand up like that!?

Ugaaaah!!

Kuh

While I didnt fully understand this strange situation, several of them commenced their attack .

I coated my fist with healing magic while in disorder and swung at all of them . They all felt strangely hard . . and brittle . It felt like I was punching at the trunk of a tree .

Was magic not effective against these guys? Were they not human?

Either way

My Healing Punch isnt effective

Ugyaah!?

As I used a Healing Punch and knocked away one of them, I felt shocked .

To think that my technique would be sealed like this

Healing magic wasnt effective . This was an enemy that I couldnt knock unconscious .

I

Ugwuh!?

I used a roundhouse kick against two guys and blew them away . Another one tried to grab me from the side but I caught his arm and threw him onto the ground .

Just what should I do?

Agaah!?

I formed a magic orb with the hand I had just used to throw, and fired it behind me, right into the assailants face . New technique, Healing Blind Form an orb of magic and gently blind the opponent, sealing their vision . The attacker that had tried to punch me ended up punching a nearby tree instead .

Looks like healing magic really isnt effective, huh

All of them started getting back up again . Seeing this, I sighed for the second time today .

Healing Punch No, any attack with healing magic is easily defeated . Just what on Earth are these guys? Is it a special race or something? At any rate, it doesnt change the fact that its creepy .

Wouldnt it be fine to just beat them up normally!? Are you an idiot, Usato!?

No, thats true but you see

Ugyauh .

As I knocked another one into the ground, I replied to Amako who had appeared and shouted at me .

Its not like I had to use my Healing Punch, I had plenty of other ways to fight as well . In the end, the Healing Punch was A punch that would keep my opponent safe to a certain extent . If I couldnt use it and I didnt want to hurt my opponent, I just had to knock them down or pin them down .

You sure are doing things in a flashy manner again Usato-dono .

Yes . Haah

Ark-san sounded troubled as he looked at what was happening in front of him . I breathed out in relief .

I realized it as I fought but, while these guys have a lot of physical strength, their speed is unexpectedly slow .

It was different from the Demons or Humans . They groan, act violently, and only go for the prey thats right in front of them like wild animals .

Just what are these guys?

Usatos healing magic doesnt work on them and their bodies look like this Its my first time seeing them but I suspect they are

They couldnt be injured nor bleed . They kept getting up no matter .

I focused my gaze on Ark-san and he blurted out a name that fulfilled these conditions .

Zombies .

That name was, in a certain sense, a famous name of a monster back in my original world .

*

Zombies, is it?

They are deceased that continue to move as corpses . No matter what kind of wounds they suffer, they will stand right back up . Although they are sluggish, theyve surpassed the human limits for physical strength . They are that kind of monster .

They werent humans, but monsters .

I knew a bit about the zombies in this world . It was only from what Ive read but, the monsters known as zombies are a specific type of monster that derived from humans that have died . They are reanimated and manipulated like puppets .

It wasnt an infection or anything . Of course, you wont become a zombie if you get bitten .

Then, if these guys are zombies like you said There should be someone manipulating them somewhere, right?

I believe so .

In any case, I now knew why my healing magic didnt work against them . Zombies were dead humans, in other words, undead . Healing magic only has an effect on the living .

I released the healing magic that was coating my limbs .

It wasnt necessary to use anymore healing magic . I had no choice but to punch them like sacks of meat and finish this .

Attacks that are effective against them would be something like Kazuki-samas light magic which possesses the holy element . Also

Ark-san stepped forward and unsheathed his sword .

When he did so, flames traveled from the edge of his sword to the zombies, and vigorously burned them .

Fire magic . Infusing fire magic into his sword and releasing it at the same time of his draw So cool . How should I say it? It looked so stylish when he drew his sword like that .

While I secretly admired Ark-sans technique, his flames were encircling the expressionless zombies and burning them . They shook in fear and cried out .

GYA, AAAH . AAAAH!!

They are weak to fire . Please leave the rest to me .

Then Ill gladly accept your kind intentions .

The zombies became fearful before Ark-sans flames and started scattering in every direction .

Zombies are weak to fire, huh . Well, they did feel like dry wood when I was punching them . I guess it makes sense that they easily burn?

Well, anyhow Amako, is that girl okay?

Yeah . . I dont think shes hurt anywhere .

Guah .

I turned around and confirmed that the girl was safe beside Amako and Bluerin .

And Amako Youre wearing your hood again . It looks like you still wear it except when only were around . Well, it was probably a better idea in this current situation .

You saved me when I was in danger Ah, Im called Neah! Umm, erm Thank you very much!!

Y-yeah

It seems like her fear has faded since the zombies were now gone . The girl, Neah-san, gave a radiant smile and bowed her head .

Her smile was far too dazzling that I couldnt help but turn my head away .

*

You live in the nearby village?

Yes .

The girl who was assaulted by the group of zombies, Neah-san, replied .

She was one of the inhabitants of the village and came here in order to look for medicinal plants . She then encountered the zombies but luckily met us and was saved .

Currently, she wanted to thank us and was guiding us to the village .

The unexpected part was that it seemed she wasnt particularly afraid of Bluerin . Despite how the students in Luquis would be shaking the moment Bluerin entered their line of sight, Neah-san wasnt afraid at all and would even smile .

She did come out all the way from the village on her own . Maybe she had more guts than you would expect .

Usato-san, you sure possess an amazing magic .

Yeah? Amazing magic?

You could easily knock those zombies away and could fire a magic orb with such speed . Ive never seen someone fire a magic orb that fast before . Is it some kind of magic that strengthens the body? Or are you using wind magic to accelerate it? No, dont tell me its actually the rare gravity magic?

I wonder if this is how it felt to be indirectly treated as an unworldly being

Puh

Amako, you just laughed, right?

I glared at Amako who was quivering and hiding under her hood . Then I gave an awkward smile to Neah-san who was looking at me with sparkling eyes .

Her innocent smile was far too dazzling for someone with a corrupted mind like me

N-no Umm . Im a healing magician, you see .

. . Hah? Healing . . magician Eh, but arent healing magicians only capable of healing others

Like I said, thats I was just fighting normally just a moment ago, I didnt use much magic .

Neah-sans eyes opened wide . She probably didnt think that the magic I had was actually healing magic of all things A magic that could only heal .

I-In other words Just now

It was all hand-to-hand combat without any magic I dont blame you for being surprised . After all, Usato is a healing magician thats all brawn .

Hold it in . You can do it, me . Neah-san is still here Amakos punishment will be dealt afterwards

Hahaha, its just as Amako-dono said . He has an unconventional way of using magic . But thanks to that, its also a fact he was able to save many lives .

Ark-san gave an exquisitely good follow-up and brought Neah-san back to her senses . It seems like she thought her behavior just now was rude . She suddenly turned to face me and said,

No! I was just surprised . I was absolutely not thinking of anything rude about Usato-san!!

Y-yeah . I dont really mind it so . .

I replied to Neah-san who was drawing closer to me with a frantic expression . I thought this before but . . I couldnt make eye contact with this girl for some reason .

She wasnt like Inukami-senpai who desired the attention and was brimming with curiosity . She wasnt like Uluru-san who was lively and cheerful either . If I had to choose something, she reminded me more of a puppy .

In a good sense, I felt a desire to protect her . In a bad sense, she was pushy .

Wait, too close, too close .

! S-sorry

Upon noticing that she had gotten too close to my personal space, Neah-sans face turned bright red and took 3 steps back . In addition, I felt like she was directing a passionate gaze towards me .

Hey, hey . Dont tell me this is Lo

Humph!

Uguoh!? Amako, what are you doing all of a sudden!?!?

Usato, youll be deceived by a woman in the future . Definitely .

Haah!?

Whats with that remark!? If it were anyone else, I would think theyre just being jealous . But when youre the one saying it, I cant help but feel anxious, you know!? Amako had abruptly kicked me in the shin and suddenly said those words . I couldnt conceal my fear once I heard them .

Youre being too dere-dere . I cant bear to watch this .

Be quiet . Leaving that aside, what you said just now, is it a premonition or something?

Why are you being silent now!?

Seeing the exchange between me and Amako, Neah-san had calmed down . She then gave a stiff smile and said,

Its been a while since Ive seen people outside from the village . I mightve been a little too excited .

Its been a while, you say . Does that mean there arent a lot of people stopping by your village?

Neah-sans expression darkened once she heard Ark-sans question .

After a brief period of silence, Neah-san opened her mouth and spoke with sorrow,

Thats right Zombies have been frequently appearing Because of that, it has been causing a lot of trouble for us .

I can certainly say that if those ominous zombies are loitering around the village, not many people would want to approach . In that case, traders wont come . The villages livelihood would suffer as a result and life would be more difficult for everyone .

If I thought about it carefully, just the fact that this ordinary girl without any power was gathering herbs all the way here should have been enough for me to guess their circumstances .

She was well-aware of how reckless it was to gather herbs here

Do you know the reason why the zombies have appeared?

No, we dont have the slightest idea .

It seems they didnt know the reason .

If we knew the origin for the outbreak of zombies, there would be plenty of ways to resolve it .

. . Weve arrived .

I returned back from my thoughts once I heard Neah-sans words .

From what I could see in front, there was an entrance Inside, there were houses lined up and they looked a bit old . It was a small village . Although it was small, it was bigger than I expected . It felt like the farm villages in the countryside back in my original world .

Thats where I was born and raised, the Village of Iyava .

Neah-san looked relieved . It was probably because she was able to safely return back to the village .

Looking closely at the villages surroundings, the outer walls were different from Lyngle and Luquis They were made with simplicity in mind They didnt provide much protection and were made out of wood . The outer walls were just there to mark what territory the village covered . The houses werent built sturdy either, they were just wooden buildings that had aged .

Neah!!

A woman called Neah-san from the village and started running over here . It was probably someone Neah-san knew as she also started to run towards the woman .

Tetra-san .

Im glad You didnt say anything and headed outside the village, I was very worried

The old woman gently embraced Neah-san .

Im sorry, but . . We didnt have enough herbs

If its medicine, were still okay Its almost time for the village to send the young men out to gather some . At any rate, Im just glad youve safely returned . And, who are these people behind you?

They are the ones who saved me when zombies were attacking me . Everyone, this is Tetra-san . Shes someone like . . my parent .

After separating from the womans embrace, Neah-san faced us and gave introductions .

Tetra-san didnt completely understand what was going on for a moment, but once she heard that we saved Neah-san, she immediately gave a bow and tenderly smiled .

Im truly grateful to you all for saving this girl . Shes really a girl with far too much courage Its quite troublesome . I really dont know how I can thank you

W-wait a moment, Tetra-san!! Were in front of guests, please dont advance the conversation without me!

Neah-sans cheeks were bright red as she tried to stop Tetra-san who was lamenting .

I was a little curious when Neah-san said someone like my parent but once I saw how these two interacted, I felt like there was no need to mind it .

No, we just did what anyone should have done!

Ah, that felt really normal for me to say .

Actually, I was surprised . I was able to say such a phrase so normally despite my plain existence .

L-lets head into the village for now . Well talk after that!

Thats true . Three people A horse, and a Blue Grizzly cub, right? Theres a stable where you can put these two . You should probably do that first .

We stepped into the village with Tetra-san and Neah-san .

Other than these two, there were a lot of other villagers . They were all tilling the fields, or taking care of the horses and cows Activities along those lines .

Just as Neah-san had said, it looked like it was an unusual sight for people outside the village to stop by as we were attracting a lot of attention from the villagers .

Were on a journey . If possible, we would like to receive some food but

You dont need to hold back . It looks like youre all tired and have been traveling for a while . How about staying here for one day?

No, were in quite a hurry for this journey . Were happy just for the thought . Besides, we cant inconvenience you .

Tetra-san slowly shook her head at Ark-sans words .

We had an obligation of delivering the letters to other countries . Even if it was to thank us, we couldnt stay here for a day and cause trouble for them . It was just like Ark-san said, their feelings were enough .

You should properly rest when given the time to . Dont you have a small child with you in your group? What will you do if you collapse during a critical moment? It would be better to get some sufficient rest now and be at your best condition before continuing on your journey .

But

Besides, Im just an old woman who doesnt have much time left . It would be best to accept my good favor .

Tetra-san gave a lighthearted laugh while Ark-san seemed to be on the verge of giving up .

Neah-san who was beside her also gave a wry smile .

It looked the wisdom of age was powerful no matter which world you were in .

Small child Small child But Im 14 years old

Amako was whispering in shock .

Well, you had such a small build and if you looked from the side, there was no way you looked like 14 .

Kukuku

Usato, did you just laugh?

Eh, no, Im not laughing at all .

I felt joy as Amako started drumming her fists on my back in silence .

I never forget the humiliation I receive, no matter what it is Mostly! And if I can return the favor, you bet I will As long as its an opponent I can return it to!!

As I was laughing and ridiculing her on the inside, Ark-san approached me and said,

Usato-dono, its just as she says . I think weve accumulated a lot of fatigue from traveling . Lets accept their kindness and trouble them for one day .

Although I can restore my stamina with my healing magic, I cant heal mental fatigue .

I was used to sleeping on the bare earth by now but its not like I didnt have any stress accumulated .

I felt a little guilty but Ill take advantage of Tetra-san and Neah-sans kindness . Tetra-san nodded in satisfaction after seeing that we accepted .

Good, good . First of all, Ill lead you to where the horse and the Blue Grizzly will sleep .

Ive heard the saying that, If you pile enough good deeds, you will receive just as much as youve done . But it might not necessarily be wrong . Thats what I thought as I saw Tetra-san gently smiling .

*

After bringing Bluerin and the horse to the stables, we were invited to where Neah-san and Tetra-san lived .

Their wooden house was a little big with two stories tall . I thought it looked quite spacious and once we were led inside, there was enough space for the three of us to each have individual rooms .

This place looks far too big for just two people to live .

When I said that to Neah-san, she gave an awkward smile and looked a little lonely .

After giving us a small tour, we were led into our own rooms . Once the sky was dark, Neah-san informed us that dinner was ready .

I went down the stairs with Ark-san and Amako . Tetra-san and Neah-san were sitting in a table that could fit 6 people There was warm cooking lined up as well .

Ark-san, I, and Amako took turns to sit down . Tetra-san tilted her head to the side as she looked at Amako . She directed a question at Amako, who had been wearing her hood this entire time

Oh my, why do you always have that hood on, little girl?

Ah, erm Thats

Weve been together this whole time and Ive already forgotten the fact that Amako is a beastkin . Neah-san and Tetra-san looked at us suspiciously . Ark-san and I stiffened under their gazes .

However, Amako took off her hood without saying anything .

Wait, Amako, you!?

Amako exposed her fox ears that were on top of her glossy blonde hair . I was astonished but she shook her head as if to indicate that there was no need to worry .

These people are fine . Ive looked .

Looked? Her foresight?

While I was still flustered, I turned to face Tetra-san and Neah-san . Tetra-sans eyes slightly widened . Neah-san used both her hands to cover her mouth and her eyes were wide open . She was at a loss for words .

If a girl with beast ears suddenly popped out in front of you, anyone would be surprised! In addition, youre

Hahahaha Well, this is really surprising . I didnt think you would be hiding such a lovely child .

E Eeh . .

I unintentionally said so when I heard Tetra-sans cheerful laugh .

Human and beastkin are the same, its really just a difference of one tail . Im not such a narrow-minded human to find fault with such little things and Im not someone who doesnt know how to show gratitude to people who Im indebted to .

But Tetra-san followed with a few more words right after .

However, you shouldnt show these in front of anyone else . Not everyone is eccentric like me .

I nodded .

This person was really bold, in various ways . Was this what they called an easygoing person? Either way, it looks like we didnt need to mind too much for Amakos secret here .

I really didnt think Amako-san would be a beastkin . Im really astonished .

Neah-san looked at Amako and voiced in wonder . There was no ill will, she was just genuinely curious .

When we were making our way to the village, I thought that Usato-san and Amako-san got along really well with each other but Now that I look at it, its really a mysterious relationship . After all, its not often you hear a human and a beastkin moving together like this .

Well, Im aware its an unusual thing .

I was told this many times during my stay in Luquis .

But from how I see it, both of your reactions are unusual too . I havent personally seen a human who didnt like non-humans up close so I didnt have a good idea how much they hated them but I know they wouldnt act friendly like you two .

We can talk about this later, why dont we have dinner first? We went through the trouble of making it so, we should eat it before it gets cold .

Thats true too . Here, here . Please go ahead and eat to your hearts content!

I reached out to the food as the two of them recommended .

All Ive been eating these days were cold, dried meat and fruit . This hot soup is very delicious in comparison . Tetra-san said Neah-san made this soup as well . I see . Shell become a good wife in the future .

. . Wait, what am I saying? Am I an old man or something!?!?

Thanks for the food . It was really delicious .

Eh, no, youre exaggerating .

After finishing the meal, I gave my praise to Neah-san . It looked like she wasnt used to given praise like this as her cheeks became red and she hung her head down .

How should I say this? Im not used to it . Whether it be her reactions or anything else . She was completely different from the females Ive come across so far .

Is it because they were all strong, whether mentally or physically? Like Rose and Kiriha Carla-san too . They were all strong in a sense, even though they were different .

About those zombies Do you know when they started appearing frequently around here?

They

As Tetra-san was in the middle of cleaning the tableware, Ark-san asked Neah-san .

Was there something about the zombies that caught his interest?

Zombies arent monsters that just occur naturally . They are monsters created by anothers hand . We might be able to determine the identity of the creator .

Ark-san?

Neah-san sunk into silence as she was speaking and Ark-san pressed her again . I didnt know what Ark-san was trying to say but I knew he wasnt someone who didnt know how to hold back, especially when the other person was a girl like this .

I should leave this to him while carefully watching over the situation .

Do you really not know? Perhaps, this village has some sort of guess as to who created these zombies?

Neah-san, I understand your feelings that you dont want us to get involved but, could you tell us?

Neah-sans body trembled once she heard Ark-sans words . From that, I understood something .

At first, when I asked about the zombies, she replied We dont know . But that was just a lie she made because she was worried about us . In reality, she probably knew who the creator was, or even the place where these zombies were being made .

SVe

Before I realized it, Neah-san started speaking in broken fragments .

I suspect that once we knew the truth about the zombies, well probably want to defeat the creator . . No, knowing myself, I know I would definitely go .

Neah-san didnt want that, thats why

The village, everyone here Please save us .

The figure of the girl, full of tears that desired to be saved, overlapped with Amako who was next to her .