LV999 Villager Chapter 3.3

It's Fine For You To Become What Ya Wanna Be

A resounding cheer that was much louder than the one inside the Game Center reached their ears when they stepped outside. The people who were walking in the streets ran off towards the main street, and the people who were holding goods bought from the stalls watched excitedly, smiling as if their hearts were floating with happiness.

“Papa! Hurry, hurry!”

Groups of parents and children, couples, and other such people had all headed off towards the main street. Seeing this, Alice, who didn't know about activities like parades, restlessly stared at Kagami and lightly tugged at the hem of his clothes. She had strong feelings against being pushy and troubling him.

Kagami, who understood this from seeing her, burst out laughing as he said “It's alright to act like a brat,” and then headed towards the main street while holding Alice's hand.

“Am…azingggg!”

As they had expected, there were plenty of festivities taking place as they arrived at the main street. People in the main street Square formed a long line around a giant, slow moving object that was carrying various people. The townspeople who walked along the road threw their hands up as they enthusiastically cheered for the warriors that were mixed into the parade.While walking down the main street, children performed a dance, as if to guide the object used to transport the warriors in the parade. Their performance filled the hearts of those watching in the vicinity with great vigor.

Even though all they did was stand, their spirits were uplifted by the completely noisy atmosphere, as if an order had descended from the heavens. Influenced by the atmosphere and buried in the crowd of people, Alice pranced around with a 'pyon, pyon', like a rabbit, and yelled.

“Amazing! It's amazing Kagami-san!”

“Although you're bouncing around with a 'pyon pyon', can you even see it?”

“I can't see it at all! But, somehow, that big thing they're riding is moving, it's, um… amazing!”

As she said that, Alice continued to gaze at the large object that was carrying people while feeling something that couldn't be put into words. Even so, Kagami, who didn't want to get irritated by her constant 'pyon pyon' bouncing in order to see everything, lifted her up onto his shoulders with a grunt.
Although Alice blushed in embarrassment at being picked up, she immediately and obediently spoke her gratitude, “Thank you, Kagami-san!”

“Still, just how many Adventurers are going to try and fight.”

“But…it's not as many as I had thought. I had thought there would be several thousands.”

“The guys who were invited to the Parade are just a small portion of them, right? Whether or not the others are spectating, aren't the truly powerful guys gathering their spirits in a quiet place right now?”

When Kagami said this, the parade line suddenly halted, the performers switched to rhythmical music, and the children who had been dancing to the previous rhythm began another dance. Beside them, carried in the hands of the Adventurers, a big reinforced wooden box was mixed in with the parade.

After the box was placed in the center of the wide space between the performers and the large object, everyone except for two Adventurers immediately scattered to the left and right.

“What's about to begin?”

Not replying to Alice's question, Kagami, who could generally predict the outcome, only looked at the movements of the two adventurers, who reeked of idiocy.

Immediately after, one of the two Adventurers who was left near the wooden box broke the seal and slid the key inside the box's lock. A four-legged Monster with a green shell and skin that emitted a pale light similar to iron armor appeared from inside. The yellow light of its eyes penetrated the darkness of the box and a strange roar filled the air, as if it wished to make others cover their ears as it came out.

What came out was a Monster, a Grapple Blogger around Level 24 that was worthless even to the active Adventurers in the area, since its size couldn't even compare to that of a domesticated pig.

The other Adventurer, who had been on stand-by, drew out a sword from the sheath on his waist and took a stance against the Monster. Immediately afterwards, the Monster charged at the sword wielding Adventurer.

Rather than avoiding the charge, the Adventurer used his sword to parry from the front and shook off the Monster, knocking it away. After that, he swung his sword downward without flinching and stabbed the Monster, transforming it into gold.

After reaching the climax, the observers standing at the side of the road were in a craze, shouting cheers of joy. There were even those who shouted “Nice, Nice!” and “The Demon King's Army is such a worthless opponent!” and the like.

Then, after the Adventurer that had opened the wooden box collected the gold, the child dancers and performers that had scattered gathered together again, and the parade began to advance.

“W-what was that just now Kagami-san? Everyone was making a racket, yet it looks like the parade has done it in multiples spots…”

“That was a demonstration that relieves the audience by asserting power, but it indirectly says that we will win against the Demon King's Army. Although it isn't something bad, it leaves a bad taste.”

A trembling Alice replied with an “I-is that so,” to Kagami. Although it wasn't Demons who were being killed, she couldn't help but be perplexed by such a scene. It was as if they were indirectly baring their teeth against Demons in hostility. Kagami sighed.

Immediately after, the parade stopped advancing once again, and just like before, the child dancers and the performers scattered.

After a while, a sound sliced through the air around them, , then with a 'Zudo!,' a dull sound rang out as the concrete ground was destroyed. A Monster with a giant body, several times larger than the Grabble Blogger from earlier, leapt out from the concrete fragments and then fell back down from the sky.

Although it walked on four legs just like the Grapple Blogger did, it was extremely scary to look at. Its overwhelming power was evident by the size of its fully-grown mane, which resembled the mane of more than half of the Beasts in the main street, its tough jaw that could easily pulverize a lump of iron, the giant fangs protruding from its jaw, and its jet black body which was reflecting light.

Since its appearance was too sudden, there were those who fled, screaming out in alarm, after seeing its large body.

“It's fine, it's fine! Beat its ass, Adventurer-samas!”

“Haah~…So far the monsters have all been killed. The Adventurers right now are amazing to be able to defeat such a scary Monster. But, is it normal for it to come falling from the sky?”

“Well, it's not a problem, even if this was an attack from the Demon King's Army. At best, this is just a normal confrontation to them.”

This, too, was just one of the events to them, and because there were those who thought that the Adventurers would handle it somehow, even if someone thought it was dangerous, they wouldn't try to run away. Instead, just like earlier, they cheered enthusiastically for the Adventurers that were lining up in the middle.

“Hey, hey…Ain't this bad?”

Amongst the crowd, only Kagami had understood the danger and abnormality of the situation. The dancers and performers, rather than scattering to the sides, went down the middle of the road and ran away as far as their legs could carry them. The Adventurers who had formed a line wore a looks of surprise as they wielded their weapons; just as one of the commonfolk had said earlier, this situation was outside of their expectations and they understood that the possibility of it being a Demon attack was high.

Even if it was an attack, Kagami could instantly conclude that it would be useless to try and defeat it while trying to protect the cheering audience. This was because Kagami knew about the jet-black Beast that fell down.

It was one of the Spawn Blockers that existed deep inside the Demon King's Castle. They were Monsters that could only be spawned from the Spawn Block placed by the Demon King in that one specific area within the castle and would only be used under special circumstances.

It was the Berserker Beast. With its prided Level of 213, it was a genuine Monster.

“Hey, run away you guys!”

Kagami yelled out too late. The Berserker Beast moved instantly, with a speed unimaginable for its size, towards the line of Adventurers wielding their weapons, and blew away the adventurers standing beside the Object with a slash from its giant forelegs.

When the Object and the Adventurers who were blown away crashed into the wall of a house, the adventurers spat out blood, lost consciousness, and dropped their weapons onto the ground.

In an instant, several Adventurers had been knocked unconscious. The other Adventurers that had been holding themselves back ran away as fast as they could.

“””””UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!“””””

It wasn't just the Adventurers that fled. The part of the audience that was still there also fled. The crowd fell into a state of pandemonium with people rushing out of the main street one by one. They pushed their way out without caring for others, crashed into others without apologizing and prioritized themselves while running away.

Except for Kagami, who had anticipated the confusion created by the Monster invading in the middle of the town, the people ran in different directions. Kagami stood in place like a large tree, dividing the flow of people and shouting, “Pull yourself together!” as he tried to calm down the flow of escaping people.

“H-…Hii!! Don't come over here!”

While people desperately tried to escape, the Adventurers who had put on a show of defeating the Grapple Bloggers were paralyzed with fear and impulsively swung their swords at the Berserker Beast that stood before them.

Kagami, who had finally managed to somewhat calm the flow of people, hurriedly took Alice off of his shoulders and placed her on the ground.

However, the Adventurers who quicker to react grazed the base of the Berserker Beast's nose with their wildly swinging swords, and, at that moment, the Berserker Beast let out a howl before moving to slash at one of the Adventurers.

“Divine Shield!”

The forelegs that had slashed out towards the Adventurers who had avoided being slammed into the wall earlier stopped abruptly after colliding with an Adventurer who was emitting a pale light. A metallic clang reverberated through the surroundings.

“Haah…Ku, are you alright?”

“You are?”

“This isn't the time for self-introductions. Hurry up and flee!”

It wasn't an Adventurer who had stopped that slash, but Krul, a woman wrapped in a white robe that exposed her azure-colored hair. She roared that out towards the Adventurer with a pained look as a 【Divine Shield】,which formed a Magic Shield from light, expanded around her.

In exchange for consuming a large amount of magic power, 【Divine Shield】 was an omnipotent shield with enough endurance to protect against anything, regardless of the attack. This endurance, depending on the timing and attack, was reduced over time.

“K…k-k-kyaaa!”

Sure enough, the 【Divine Shield】 broke after stopping the slash, and the Adventurer and Krul were blown back by the attack. However, Krul's stance wasn't ruined and she held her Staff with both hands as she prepared to promptly attack the Berserker Beast before her.

“Y-…You won't run away? It's fine to abandon someone like me and run away yourself!”

The Adventurer, whose stance had been destroyed by the attack, yelled when he saw her brave appearance.

“I won't run away! Of course…It's frightening enough to make me want to run away…but! It's my duty as royalty to defend the people! I will never abandon my people!”

The Berserker Beast didn't wait for Krul as she yelled that out and charged at her, widening its mouth as it tried to crush her with its tough jaw. It's mouth was covered with saliva, it's sharp eyes seized Krul with a glare, and a tremor resounded as it continued to advance step by step.

“Divine Shield!”

Krul, whose legs trembled as she faced the approaching Berserker Beast, once again cast a Magic Shield in front of her. However, the moment the Berserker Beast stood in front of her very eyes, she collapsed onto the ground with a 'petan'. At that moment,

“Yoo, nice of you to hold out! Thanks to you, I stored enough power to defeat this guy in one…blow!”

The Berserker Beast suddenly stopped in front of Krul without touching the Divine Shield and someone who could only be seen as a commoner in Villager garments spoke, in an unworried voice, before suddenly appearing in front of Krul with a gust of wind.

The Villager stopped the Berserker Beast's movement by firmly grasping its fang in his left hand, and whether or not he had stored power like he'd said, an orange-colored aura coiled around his right arm as he launched it upwards, hitting the Beast's strong jaw.

The shockwave that generated around him split the Berserker Beast's skin with a roar, and the its whole body was blasted into the air at a blistering speed before changing into gold along the way.

“You…aren't angry today, right?”

Although Krul was, for a moment, too dumbfounded by the spectacle, she soon recognized the person who had saved her and put on a smile, tears forming in her eyes as she muttered to Kagami.

“…Though I really could have come to save you a lot earlier, these guys were so annoying as they were running away. You helped me by luring it out. Sorry about that, this time you got a perfect score.”

Kagami held out his hand to Krul as he said that.

When Krul saw Kagami hold out his hand while he unreservedly declaring that she was a decoy with a smile, his confidence, and the fact that he was certain to rescue her with his true abilities, made her smile back and she grabbed his hand, realizing that she had been used as a decoy in his place.

“Krul-san! Are you ok!?”

After a while, a desperately worried Tina rushed forward. Despite Krul's lack of injuries, Tina began to barrage Krul with Healing Magic as she approached, and Krul's body was wrapped within a green light.

“Geez…Don't be so rash. I thought my lifespan was being cut short when Krul-san faced that Monster!”

“Now that I think about it, with the exception of princess-sama, what did you guys do?”

“Eh? Wawawa…H-He appearedddd!”

Although Tina had become rigid for a moment while shielding Krul's body behind her, after realizing that the man before her, who had spoken in a cool manner and saved Krul by defeating the monster, was Kagami, she just muttered, “Thank you very much for saving her!” as Krul casually emerged from the light.

“We were swallowed by the wave of people when they all started to run away. Only Kuu-chan was unaffected, since she immediately went to try and save them.”

Soon, Palna and Rex's worn out figures appeared, walking towards them slowly as Palna muttered “Yareyare” in relief.

Having heard her, Kagami sympathised with an “I see,” and thought back to a similar situation.

“That Monster that flew into the sky earlier, although it looked like it vanished, was it because of you?”

As always, Rex asked Kagami with his frank hostility. Kagami nodded in response while looking like he wanted to talk about something.

“No matter how you look at it, surely that wasn't an opponent that could be defeated in one attack. What kind of skill did you use to defeat it?”

“Hmm? I just used a simple Charge Blow, a Charge Blow. It's a fundamental skill that even Villagers can use. You can use it too, right?”

“You're just lying with a straight face. You're unarmed, right? There's no way you could've defeated it barehanded.”

“Well…even if I say it like that, except for Charge Blow, I only have one other Attack Skill, and if I use that skill, it would render my body useless. So, I have no other means besides Charge Blow.”

After Kagami said that, Rex moved his line of sight to Krul with a dumfounded expression. Then Krul said, “An orange-colored Aura appeared on his right arm,” and she told him the honest truth about the time Kagami used the Charge Blow.

Although the truth was surprising, Rex felt an indescribable discomfort.

He couldn't believe that a Villager's power was enough to defeat the Monster from earlier with only a charge attack, even if it was the Level 999 Kagami. Even if he didn't know the accurate numerical value of the Monster's skills necessary to analyze its level, surely the Monster from earlier was beyond Level 150. Even if he used a Charge Blow, the opponent didn't appear weak enough to be defeated in one attack.

He couldn't understand the man standing in front of them. How had he become that strong?
What had he discovered after reaching that Level? What kinds of Skills did he have?
Why…did he try to get stronger?

“I have…a lot of things I want to speak with you about.”

Rex looked at him with a complicated expression.

For once, Rex didn't show hostility. Kagami looked at him in amazement, and with a “Hou,” he revealed an impressed smile.

Krul seemed like she had prepared herself. Behind her, like always, Tina appeared anxious. Palna didn't look at them, feeling as if it couldn't be helped, and the other three adventurers waited for Kagami to reply.

“Of course, but first, we should do something about this situation.”

After Kagami replied, he faced Alice who was pacing worriedly beside him as if she wanted to say something, and showed her a smile and saying, “See?”

As if baffled by Kagami's sudden acknowledgement, Alice immediately nodded, smiling happily without saying anything.

“It doesn't mean that you're just an ally of Demons.”

Palna finally looked at him, she muttered that as she heard his declaration.

“Although I don't know what there is to misunderstand, even if I'm not an ally of Demons, I'm not their enemy. Having said that, even if I'm not an ally of Humans, I'm not their enemy either. I'm neutral.”

“I don't understand what you mean.”

Palna muttered while she looked the other way with a cold look, as if she had predicted that he would say those words. Kagami saw her and retorted with, “I'll make you understand,” within his heart. Then he turned around towards Alice who had pulled the hem of his clothes earlier and asked, “What's wrong?”

“When Kagami-san was fighting earlier, I heard screams in the other direction. I heard what sounded like a Monster's cry. I think there are probably Monsters rampaging here and there.”

“Shall we hurry? Though I don't think that the ones falling down with a bang would be Berserker Beasts, we should check to make sure. Well, I think the Adventurers of this town could handle it somehow…Hmm?”

They heard cries from far away, and just as Kagami turned in that direction, a man that appeared to be a heavily equipped gatekeeper came running in a hurry from one of the main street's side roads.

The gatekeeper ran towards Kagami's group as fast as he could after spotting them. He arrived in front of them looking pale, panting with a “zeehaa,” and squatted, his shoulders moving up and down.

“You guys are still in a place like this?…Flee…quickly! It's already the end for this city!”

He cried that out desperately while breathing haggardly.

Naturally, Kagami wasn't the only one disturbed by these words. Even Rex and Krul looked shaken.

“Hey, hey, even if you say Monsters are falling down onto the city, it's not like they can't be defeated, right? There are lots of Adventurers in this city after all.”

“The Monsters who invaded are already fighting with the other Adventurers! Although normally the Monsters should have been defeated by now…it's not like that!”

Kagami's expression stiffened as the sudden development was completely outside of his expectations. Feeling the unease in Kagami's change of demeanor, Alice's mood also became clouded.

The shoulders that had been moving up and down until now trembled as if remembering something bitter, and the gatekeeper spoke, opening his bloodshot eyes, slowly urging them on,

“The large crowd of Monsters inhabiting Atros Island…are heading towards Salumeria from the Demon King's Castle! The number…is approximately 10,000…!”

Except for Kagami, everyone had their eyes wide open as if they couldn't believe the gatekeeper's words at all.

To make up for the many high Level Monsters in Atros Island, there weren't many Spawn Blocks. Even if the Monsters from Atros Island were wiped out, it was standard for Adventurers to fight in parties to increase survivability.

There was no reason not to feel despair in the face of 10,000 such opponents rushing towards Salumeria.

Even with the several thousand Adventurers currently in the city, there appeared to be no chance of winning should they face the hoard of 10,000 Monsters.

“A notice of Salumeria's end.”

Meanwhile, as if troubled with a lack of interest, Kagami muttered this.

“Are you certain about this information!?”

A panicking Rex asked as he grabbed the gatekeeper's shoulders.

“Aah…Without a doubt, I saw it with my own eyes! I was the lookout on top of the outer wall on the west side. Just as I thought that it was just those persistent Demon King Army fellows again, it turned out to be something else entirely…The Monsters that dropped from the sky were just a feint. We were hit through the front!”

The gatekeeper who had been complaining in desperation unintentionally pointed a sour look to Rex, as if he had been accused of lying, and Rex released his hands from the gatekeeper's shoulders.

Sweat dripped from Rex's forehead as he considered their options, while Krul and Tina stared at him, waiting for an answer.

“And? What should we do, Rex?”

Palna imposingly asked Rex, not giving him any more time to think, as if he should know what to do in such while he was overwhelmed by the situation.

“Courage and recklessness are different…We should withdraw from here. Although Salumeria is being attacked by the Demon King Army…it's fine if we counterattack after we re-organize and gather more people. We shouldn't die in vain here.”

“That's reasonable…We'll guide the people who are still in the city as far as we can until the Monster troops arrive.”

Whether or not Krul and Tina also believed this to be the best strategy, they wore serious expressions and nodded their heads in assent.

Seeing this, the gatekeeper was at a loss for words and thanked them with a “Sorry about this…you've saved me.”

“Kagami-san, please lend us your strength as well. Cooperate with us and help rescue the people of this city.”

During this exchange, Kagami had been staring at them idly, until Krul suddenly took his hand and pleaded for his help.

Kagami assented with a, “Yeah,” while strongly gripping Krul's hand, and then immediately let go. Then he said, “Though, I have something I need to do before that,” before heading in the direction the gatekeeper had come from.

“Where are you planning on going?”

Rex stopped Kagami, who had tried to casually head off somewhere, and asked him.

“I went ahead and called Takako-chan earlier. Takako-chan has war potential.”

“Takako?”

“Is that the muscular monk man?”

“Hmm? Takako-chan is a woman, you know?”

Although it wasn't as startling as the fact that there was a group of 10,000 Monsters currently rushing towards them, the hero's party, familiar with Takako's figure, distorted their expressions, unable to conceal their shock.

Rex recalled her appearance and wondered how it was possible for her to be a girl despite her severe lack of feminine elements. Putting his feelings aside, he considered that maybe every part of her body had been completely changed into muscle.

“Since I need to meet up with her, I'll start guiding the city's residence before you guys. I leave Alice to you.”

“Hey…you, do you realize what you're saying? I believe that we should kill Demons, you know? Did you already forget our dispute from the other day?”

“Don't you guys have things you want to ask me? Surely there isn't any merit to killing Alice until we're done talking.”

Certainly, there wasn't any merit in killing Alice at this point. However, the ones attacking the town were Demons and Alice was a Demon as well. Under normal circumstances, it would be natural to kill a Demon like her if any were present.

Despite this, Rex became bewildered and wore an unpleasant look. Even without Kagami asking to protect her, he himself wouldn't kill someone who had already declared themselves as a friend.

“Since what I want to ask doesn't matter, what if I said I would like to immediately kill this child?”

Palna spoke such menacing words with a smile in response to Kagami's inexplicable attempt to leave.

“I ask of you not to kill her and to protect her, please.”

Palna was bewildered by his unexpected reaction. He didn't behave arrogantly and give them an order, nor did he preach to them with foul words. Instead, he had merely asked them for a favor with a troubled smile.

While they were dumbstruck by his unexpected words, Kagami rushed away without waiting for a reply, and, just like that, he was gone.

Although she had temporarily stiffened due to his crazy actions, Palna soon returned to her normal self, and sighed as she muttered “Aah, geez!”

“Such an irresponsible man. You were abandoned by him.”

Although she muttered this to Alice as if pitying her, Alice just stared at Kagami's fading figure with honest eyes.

“I don't think that's the case. Since Kagami-san thought that this was for the best, I'll believe in his decision.”

“Even though you're a Demon, what the hell are you saying? What would you do if I were to kill you?”

“Although that's a possibility…I think Kagami-san believes that you guys aren't like that. Therefore, he asked for a genuine favor, without setting strange terms. That's why I believe in you guys, who believed in Kagami-san.”

Alice's hands were trembling as she said that. Palna could see as clear as day that Alice was bluffing and began to head towards the center of the city.

“Y-You aren't scared?”

Tina asked, worried that her little companion was bluffing.

“Although it is scary…I trust him. It's useless to not believe in him, since I have my own hopes.”

Alice did not change her posture as she said that, staring at a Kagami who was no longer visible with a serious expression. However, her body was trembling and tears had gathered in her eyes.

They did not know why Kagami had left in such an odd manner, so although they tried to trust his judgement, the ones left behind couldn't help but feel anxious.

Alice's goal was for Humans and Demons to reconcile and coexist. Yet, 10,000 Monsters were rushing forth as if to destroy that hope. This conflict could only become a spark that would worsen the relationship between them. For example, even if she stopped this recklessness by going to her father, the residents of Salumeria would probably still hate the Demons for attacking their home.

Even if Kagami were to fight as a part of the Third Army like he had said he would, she couldn't see an end to the conflict.

“It's fine. Please be at ease.”

At this time, Alice, whose eyes were brimming with tears, was hugged by Krul.

“The promise won't be broken. I, too, think that I want to try and believe in Kagami-san. You're innocent, right?”

When Krul attempted to comfort her, Alice, who had been wrapped in unease, was at a loss for words and realized that she had incorrectly guessed the Hero party's actions. At the very least, her hands had stopped trembling, and she became curious as to why Krul was trying to understand her.

“…Let's go.”

Rex muttered that in a worried manner, feeling strange after witnessing that scene, and Palna chased after him.

“Before that…Please let me know one thing. What kind of person is Kagami-san when he's with you?”

“Well…he treats me without any discrimination…No, well, um…he's a gentle person.”

With a satisfied expression, Tina replied, “I see,” and chased after Rex and Palna saying, “Let's go,” as if she understood what Alice had tried to say.

As soon as the three caught up to Rex and Palna, they began to run around searching for those who were left behind when fleeing from the city.

Although there were many Monsters that the Adventurers had failed to defeat that came to attack them along the way, they weren't as powerful as the Berserker Beast Kagami had defeated. With the four's power, the Monsters were swept away.

There was pandamonium, like a scene straight out of Hell, and many of those who had given up on escaping chose to flee towards the eastern side to take refuge. The Hero's group moved into the heart of the buildings on the west side, yelling out loudly to check for anyone that had yet to flee.

“I wonder if the Monsters were defeated by the other Adventurers for us? There aren't that many left.”

“S-Since a group of 10,000 Monsters are coming, we have to warn the people that are still taking refuge without knowing about it.”

Palna was walking while staying vigilant of her surroundings, and Tina yelled out loudly, “A large group of Monsters is heading this way! Run away everyone!” Rex, Krul, and Alice, who were behind them, carefully checked for any stragglers.

“Now that I think about it, why aren't you emanating any magic power even though you're a Demon?”

Along the way, Rex realized that there wasn't any magic power emanating from Alice's horn. While Rex asked that, Krul poked at the pointy part of Alice's head that looked liked a horn, which was wrapped in white cloth and a stylish ribbon.

“It's thanks to this cloth. It was given to me by Kagami-san…It's an item that is made from a Spawn Blocker, so it's able to completely suppress the magic power Demons emanate.”

“Eeh! Well if that was made for all the Demons, wouldn't the breakout of Monsters stop?”

Tina yelled out from behind Alice as she casually listened in to her unexpected explanation.

Surprised as well, Rex and Krul stared hard at the white cloth covering Alice's horn as if they were seeing something unbelievable.

“It's too difficult to make, and it has to be from Spawn Blockers or else it won't work. Kagami-san did say that it was really valuable after all.”

Alice answered honestly while feeling some slight regret that she could only report what she knew even though they showed great interest. Deep down in her heart, Palna muttered, “It's natural…” in wonder.

“…Tch! Careful!”

When she heard that, Alice's eyes opened wide as she looked at the source of the voice, and Palna jumped to the left, guessing that she was being targeted from Alice's gaze. Immediately after, a pale sphere of light shot out and on impact, engulfed the place Palna had been standing, in flames.

“Get away from Alice-sama!”

The moment they heard that, the Hero's party grabbed their weapons and readied their stance. When they looked for the threat, they saw a muscular man in a pink dougi and a silver haired man wearing a surcoat and hat.

“Takako-san! Menou!”

Before anyone else could react, Alice ran up to the two of them. Takako and Menou welcomed Alice, who had been released too easily, with a bewildered “Are?”

“Alice-sama! I'm glad you're not hurt…Tch! Although you were released quickly…What's the meaning of this?”

“Well…It's quite a long explanation…”

Takako who somehow guessed what was going on without her explanation, gazed at the Hero's party who were brandishing their weapons, and let out a sigh as she muttered, “This party that we've formed really is out of the ordinary.”

Rex, Tina and Krul gulped when the muscular presence wearing a pink-colored dougi in front of them sighed and placed her right hand on her cheek. “This is…a wo…man?”

“I wonder if it's fine that his magic power isn't being concealed? Though it does look like his horn is being hidden.”

Palna, who didn't care whether Takako was a man or woman, began to ask as she directed her hateful gaze to Menou.

“In this confusion, there probably aren't many people paying attention to who's emanating magic power and who's not. There aren't any Spawn Blockers around here either. Rather than that, why are you bastards acting in concert with Alice-sama!”

Menou yelled while letting out killing intent, and stepped forward, trying to protect Alice. He was vigilant thanks to yesterday's events.

“We were asked to by Kagami-san. He said that Takako-san would lend us her power and should be able to solve the situation…Did you not meet up with Kagami-san? He said he would search for Takako-san.”

Trying not to irritate Menou, Krul undid her stance and replied to his question.

Takako and Menou looked at each other's faces once as these words were spoken, and shook their heads back and forth in denial, looking troubled.

“We came directly from the inn…Where would we have passed by him in this heavily populated town? Anyways, we haven't seen him.”

“Somebody! Somebody, come here!”

Krul simply muttered, “I see…”, but her reply didn't mirror her feelings. She was worried about Kagami, who had strayed from the correct path. Takako and Menou, who didn't know the full story, tilted their heads, not knowing why Krul was so worried.

At this time, they heard a hurried cry for help from the road to the west side of town. Everybody there directed their gaze to the gatekeeper who came running from that direction.

“Somebody…Anyone is fine…the west, somebody come to the west gate!”

The running gatekeeper came to a stop in front of Rex, and spoke in a hoarse voice as his shoulders heaved up and down.

This was a different gatekeeper from the one earlier that was fleeing from the Monsters in the west side, and at his words, Rex and Tina became bewildered.

Meanwhile, Krul healed his vitality using Healing Magic, and promptly tried to talk to him and calm the distressed man. And then,

“There is an idiot standing against the horde of 10,000 Monsters by himself! I tried to stop him! Even though I tried, he wouldn't listen! Even though he looked like a weak Villager…He's fighting with those Monsters alone right now! Somebody…Anyone is fine! Don't let him be abandoned! It's fine if you just run away after taking him…Somebody go save him!”

He yelled out, and even though he had witnessed it himself, the gatekeeper was bewildered and couldn't calm down. He couldn't believe that the Villager would win such a reckless battle.

Immediately afterwards, Alice began to run as fast as she could towards the west gate. She began to cry in anxiety, regretting the fact that she had let Kagami leave, and thought about what would happen from here on out.

She had doubted his reasons for entrusting her to the Hero's party and leaving to find Takako. At first, she had thought that she would only be a burden while looking for Takako. With the urgency of the situation, it was natural to try and move quickly and efficiently, so she had thought that was the reason he'd entrusted her to the Hero's party.

She had also believed that he'd given up on their mission, that it couldn't be helped with the current situation. He had just been trying to do the best he could. She had selfishly believed that Kagami had thought like that.

However, she had been wrong.

Kagami hadn't given up. If the people were deprived of their home, it would be nearly impossible to mend the wound. However, if the attack was repelled, then there would still be room for peace. They would not become filled with irremediable hatred from having lost everything. While they wouldn't forget that they were attacked, the humans would settle that hatred themselves due to the glory called victory. After all, they would still have something to lose if they chose to pursue hatred instead.

Kagami still hadn't given up on the peace between Demons and Humans. Entrusting her to the Hero's party was the right choice. The reason why Kagami had politely asked the reluctant Hero's party for a favor was so that he could give it his all.

“Kagami-san is…kind-hearted, he really is…!”

Kagami was supporting her dream with all of his might. Yet, she'd felt anxious and had half given-up. She became embarrassed and felt both sorry and regretful. Alice recklessly ran towards the west gate as if compelled by an indescribable feeling.

“It'll take you a long time to get there with such a short stride.”

Takako had caught up with Alice, and picked her up, carrying her at a blistering speed. She didn't miss a step while picking up Alice.

“Takako-san…Kagami-san is!”

“I know, I know. Let's hurry…Even if he has an automatic healing skill and is Level 999, handling attacks from 10,000 opponents would be too demanding and difficult.”

The vigorous Takako continued to charge forward like a raging bull as she spoke. Then as she felt a presence closing in on them from behind, Takako turned her head to look. It was the Hero's party. They had caught up to Takako's blistering speed.

“Araa? They actually caught up…Even though I'm running seriously.”

As she said this, Takako lowered her speed slightly and met up with Rex who was trying to catch up to her.

“Hah…Hah…! The one over there is…the Sage, Krul, and her speed spells are temporarily boosting our speed. Rather…casting them makes it hard for her to breathe, with the speed we're running at. You're way too abnormal.”

As Rex said this, he looked towards Krul, Tina and Palna. Everyone was reaching the limits of their stamina, and began to gradually lower their speed with a grimace. It appeared that only Rex had a slight margin left to work with. Takako also lowered her speed in order to run alongside them, with the belief that it was better for everyone to be in agreement if they were going to save Kagami.

“Could it be that you guys are coming to save him?”

“It can't be helped, we have things we want to talk about with that guy. Besides…even though we asked him once, I'm still uneasy, since we were abandoned.”

After Rex answered Takako's question, he turned away in embarrassment.

Witnessing the exchange with a “hee”, Alice, who had realized from the beginning that he was just protecting his position as a Hero by being hostile to Demons, admired this trait and realized that Humans weren't truly bad.

“Eh? Where is Menou?”

Alice, still in Takako's grasp, looked behind them and wondered out loud.

“If it's that Demon, he headed towards the west gate in a straight line by jumping from rooftop to rooftop earlier. He has fantastic jumping power since he's a Demon.”

Listening to Rex, Takako snapped her fingers with a 'pachin' and said, “He had that up his sleeves?”

“Rather than that…What's the meaning of that Villager's actions? You've known him for a long time, right? Why is he trying to face a troop of 10,000 Monsters by himself?”

“I don't know, since he didn't tell me, but to have gone by himself, he probably didn't want anyone to be sacrificed…In other words, even he understands that it's unreasonable. Even so, he's facing them alone in order to prevent resentment from being formed, since would lead to Demon towns being attacked by humans. He's a child that fights for both Demons and Humans.”

Alice was slightly saddened by Takako's words. If she thought about it, she'd been lying to herself from the beginning, by calling herself a burden she had refused to get involved. Just remembering that, she didn't want to get scolded for her earlier thoughts.

In contrast, Rex sneered. After showing a look of wanting to say something foolish, he stiffened, as if he didn't want to be heard.

“I understand that he's a guy that tries to fight for the coexistence of Humans and Demons, or at least tries to prevent there being any wounds between them. What I want to ask him isn't that! Even though I have my own reasons as well, why is it that he's trying to fight without fear of death! Courage and recklessness are two different things…I can't imagine that he's foolish enough not to understand this!”

Takako looked ahead of them as Rex spoke and became serious as her expression darkened.

“As for that child, from the very start, he isn't a being that defines himself with terms like courage or recklessness. He just thinks in a simple manner, what he can do and what he can't do…giving up or not giving up…Just that.”

Seeing that her expression had changed and her tone of voice had lowered as Takako answered his question, Rex tensed while they ran, cold sweat dripping down his forehead.

“Right now, at the very least, Kagami believes he can fight against them. Of course the chance of succeeding is low…but that child will still do it, even if there's only a 1% chance. This time in particular, he doesn't want to give up.”

“Impossible…He's throwing his life away. Even if he has a 1% chance, there's a 99% that he will die. It's fine to be reckless, but surely there are better choices.”

“Didn't I tell you? I said he doesn't define himself with terms like courage and recklessness, if he has a chance, he will make a choice, and then single-mindedly adhere to that choice, whether it's to give up or to persevere.”

Neither agreeing nor disagreeing to her answer, Rex continued to run next to Takako, baffled. Takako muttered, “It can't be helped,” and since Rex's image of Kagami might change, she suddenly began to speak about the things that may happen.

“Kagami-chan…he lacks just one important thing that all livings things have.”

“Important…thing?”

Not just Rex, but Krul, Palna, and Tina, who were running slightly behind them, and even Alice were curious. For Alice, this was a question she had tried to ask before, but had not received an answer to.

Takako then slowly responded, as if pitying him somehow.

“The fear of death. Kagami-chan doesn't have it at all.”

Towards these words, everyone wore an indescribable look.

“What do you mean by that?”

“It's just as I said.”

Rex couldn't understand what she meant. Those who attempted to subjugate the Demon King had the resolve to die; they would have the courage to do so because it was a necessary resolve. Not knowing when they would die, and with the high death-risk involved in subjugating the Demon King, the Hero's party currently did not fear death.

Even if they were told Kagami lacked this, they couldn't understand it immediately.

“The fear of death, even if that villager doesn't have it, we've had the resolve to die since a long time ago…is it something special?”

Takako released a sigh at Rex's words and just told him, “You'll understand when you see it,” after which they wordlessly ran towards the west gate.

After a while, Alice could see a giant wall and a man dressed in a surcoat.

“Menou!”

Alice raised her voice and called out to Menou who, despite having arrived before them, just stood there without moving.

When they arrived, the previously shut west gate had been opened.

Before the open gate, Menou and several gatekeepers stood idly, not speaking at all. They all stared at something outside of the gate, looking baffled.

“Menou-chan, Kagami-chan is?”

Although Takako yelled that out to him, Menou didn't reply at all.

He stared at a certain point like his eyes had been bound by something, and even though he couldn't speak, he pointed to an area outside of the gate, as if he wanted to say something. When they looked at the location he was pointing at, everyone aside from Takako wore the same surprised expression as the gatekeepers and became speechless.

Outside of the west gate, a dry, vast land spread out in front of them. A few flowers were sprouting here and there, but most had died or vanished due to being dried up. Dead, broken trees and rugged rocks were rolling around, and the ground that was illuminated by the setting sun had soil as red as the barren wasteland of Atros.

Just as the gatekeepers had said, a group of Monsters that seemed to number at 10,000 had come to Salumeria. However, their advance had been stopped and they had been slightly scattered.

“K-…Kagami-san?”

Alice couldn't believe what was in front of her eyes…instead of the troop of Monsters that she should have been seeing, Kagami, who had the presence of a Devil, was releasing an overwhelming feeling, as if this troop wasn't anything special at all.

It was the presence of a person who was showing hostility towards all of the Monsters that originally had the goal of attacking Salumeria. The moment this presence had appeared, all of the Monsters had instinctively concluded that “He is dangerous, and he is someone we must defeat here.”

A giant, one-eyed, green skinned Monster that had a form similar to a human's, but boasted several times the height of one, walked up to Kagami. This Monster was a Level 168 Cyclops that was powerful enough to lift several boulders. Kagami firmly grabbed the Cyclops by one of its hands and waved it around like a weapon, blowing away a large amount of Monsters in the surroundings like they were confetti.

There was a human twirling around a Cyclops, which was said to be the best close combat Monster native to Atros Island and one that shouldn't be challenged without a strategy, with one of his hands.

No matter how crazy this event was, those who saw this reality couldn't form words to describe it.

It was something you could only understand if you saw it.

“Hey you!…It's dangerous!”

The moment Rex yelled out, several monsters that appeared to be Level 126 Reptilians flew out from the troop of Monsters, and they shot a Heat Beam from their mouths directly at Kagami.

However, he avoided it at the very last moment. As a testament to how long he waited to dodge the attack, a scratch appeared on his cheek. Kagami smiled, not taking it to heart as he flung the Cyclops in his hands towards the flying Monsters.

The moment the Cyclops left his grip, Kagami was attacked all at once by the surrounding Monsters…but he had already vanished instantly from the spot.

Immediately after, completely blurred figures of Kagami appeared in front of the Monsters one by one, as if he was creating after images. When he thrusted out both of his hands, the confused Monsters were blown into the air, like the confetti from the parade, and turned into gold.

However, the Cyclops was quick to respond, and the moment the gold landed on the ground, it struck down at the upright Kagami with it's massive, nearly boulder-sized hand.

The assault didn't end with just that. The flying Monsters shot out Heat Beams towards the giant, boulder-like fist striking at Kagami, engulfing it in countless small explosions that melded together into a giant explosion.

The Cyclop's fist was unable to endure the Heat Beams and was partially destroyed, while the rest of his body was engulfed in the explosion and curled up like smoke. Within the maelstrom, a calm, keen eyed and worn-out Kagami showed a fearless smile, unphased by the surprise attack, as blood flowed and splattered onto his forehead. Then, he once again ran towards the troop of Monsters.

“Hey…That guy.”

Everyone there could understand what the surprised Palna was trying to say whilst sweat poured down her forehead. He was certainly taking damage. And serious damage at that.
Yet…He faced the troop of Monsters without fear. The spectators couldn't help but gasp at the madness.

“I told you, didn't I? That child doesn't fear death at all. No matter how much damage he receives, that child wouldn't try to fight safely unless he's near death. That child only thinks about whether he can do it or not. If he thinks…that he can do it, he won't stop 'til he dies, if not…he will immediately give up.”

The Hero's party heard Takako speak but couldn't believe their own eyes as they watched Kagami fighting until he wore himself out. Although it was gradual, Kagami's wounds seemed to disappear as if he'd never sustained them to begin with.

Although the Hero's party assumed incorrectly that he had taken no damage, Takako supplied “That's Kagami-chan's Skill,” and the Hero's party once again looked at Kagami with amazement.

He received damage without yielding as if facing down death, he confronted the Monsters, and while he confronted them, his wounds would heal. Then he would fight again, receiving more wounds, and then…he laughs. He was like a genuine Devil.

Perhaps the reason Kagami had entrusted Alice to the Hero's party was so that they would not see this side of him. This was very likely since the current Kagami clearly was not normal. His eyes were filled with killing intent, and he confronted the 10,000 Monsters while emitting a difficult to endure, spine chilling aura.

The moment everyone there saw this, they understood. This was the REAL Kagami. He had such an overwhelming presence that the Hero's party understood he hadn't handled them seriously before.

Equivalent to 10,000.

Endlessly relentless, despite accomplishing the impossible, Kagami on his own was more terrifying than the troop of 10,000 Monsters. They couldn't help but fear him.

“How did that guy get this strong?…No, why did he want to get stronger? What kind of reason could he have to obtain this much power!?”

Rex asked Takako in a trembling voice as he looked away from Kagami. Kagami, who was bold enough to single-handedly fight against the Monsters with his bare hands, smiled while he fought and stopped the Monster's attacks with his body.

“…Who knows? Even now, I don't know why he became that strong. But, if his original goal was to obtain the power to fight, I can understand it, even if it's just that.”

Takako replied to Rex cryptically, while watching over Kagami intently.

“The reason he wanted the power to fight, you say?”

Showing interest, Rex asked without facing her.

“A reason that, surely, is not too different from yours…The Hero, Rex Chickyboy.”

Takako muttered Rex's full name. Including Rex, the six present, Alice, Menou, Palna, Krul, and Tina looked at Takako as if she had swapped places with Kagami.

“You…know of me?”

“I'm a bar owner, you know? I'm well-informed from my profession. Well…Even if that wasn't the case, I think that you're famous. A man with a promising future born in a distinguished family of the Arcasia Kingdom with the role of the Hero…Rex Chickyboy. Weren't you a hopeless heir who had lost his noble house while still so young…because they were met with ill-fortune and were slaughtered on a journey after encountering seldomly seen, high-Level Monsters?”

As if she hit the mark, Rex showed Takako an unpleased look in response to her words.

“After that, aside from the heir going on a journey…I feel like the rest of the events have lead up to this moment?”

“Is that so…I-I didn't know.”

Krul muttered in a small voice, looking lost for words, perhaps because she was slightly sympathizing with Rex, who was making a distorted expression.

Beside her, Palna spoke, “You…Speaking of Chicckyboy…” in a subdued voice, staring intently at Rex rather than focusing on his past.

When she heard this, Krul muttered “Chickyboy…is it?” as though she was following suit, and Tina also muttered “Chickyboy” while looking dumbfounded shortly after.

“Tch! Anyways, there's no point in talking about me! That guy had his parents killed by Monsters just like me, right? Are you talking about him wanting the power to fight so he can take revenge?”

“That's right. I think his reason for wanting the power to fight is definitely because of that.”

“If that's so…then why is that guy protecting Demons? If they were killed by Monsters, shouldn't he take his revenge by killing the Demons that spawn them?”

“That's where you're wrong. Your parents were both killed by Monsters, but while Kagami's father was killed by a Monster, his mother…a human, was killed by another human.”

Although Rex understood what had been said, he was left speechless. He felt as though the unpleasant feelings that had always been in his chest had finally disappeared. Since he had continually fought with Monsters to get his revenge, he understood what her statement meant.

He didn't need Takako to explain it to instantly understand. Why did Kagami maintain his neutral position? Why had he been pissed off at Kagami? Why did he continue to doubt Kagami, while Kagami continued to fight with Monsters?

“He will get his revenge on all Monsters, since his precious person was killed by a Monster. Then, will he get revenge on all humans because his mother was killed by a human? Will he root them all out?”

Everyone there easily came up with the answer. There wasn't a need to bear a grudge against all humans just for that reason, even if it was for revenge. Somehow, it wasn't possible to say that, because he was a human as well.

People that formed the same community wouldn't kill each other, since they were companions. Rather, there wasn't a reason to kill each other in the first place. However, in regards to Monsters, there was a reason. They hurt humans, after all.

In other words, to exterminate all Monsters for revenge was just his personal feelings. In this world's system, they were existences that should be killed, and no problems would arise from it. This wasn't revenge, but just obeying the system.

Alice finally understood the meaning of the words that Kagami had spoken before, “Because I'm an idiot.” He had said it because it was convenient to kill things as a human.

However, out of all of them, only Palna could not admit the fact that she understood.

“Was it because…I just went too far with it?”

Rex muttered as he lowered his head. However, Krul tried to support him by slapping his back with a 'Pon' when she saw his appearance.

“Kagami-san has said it. Demons are harmful and are the enemy of humans. However, I think I have an idea as to why Kagami positions himself as neutral. I think there's a reason why he has never gone too far while he fought with Monsters and Demons. Otherwise, he wouldn't care about his own safety…I think this is one of the answers.”

Krul took five steps forward with resolution as she said that. Then she stood still and looked back at Takako's group with a small smile.

“Although most of us already understand it, I want to ask him why he thought about going against the ways of this world. I want to hear his answer directly from his mouth after this. It will be problematic if that person dies in this situation.”

After she finished saying this, Krul began to run towards Kagami and the troop of 10,000 Monsters with a serious face, looking determined once again.

“I, too…have things I still want to ask him. Like how he managed to get that strong!”

When Rex saw Krul suddenly start running, he let out a sigh and smiled before following behind her.

“Please wait for a moment, Krul-san, Chick…Rex-san! You'll die immediately since you can't heal!”

“Isn't it fine…she wants to hear it directly from his mouth when this is over. His reason for trying to go against the ways of this world!”

Tina began to run to try and catch up with the two who had run off, and Palna soon began to follow as she glared at Kagami, as if she was sizing him up.

“Ah…It's the springtime of youth! It's been a long time since my blood began to boil after seeing such a development! Let's go! Gotta make it a dynamic entry, you know? Urooaaaaaaaaah!”

Although the Hero's party had been seen as an enemy until very recently, Takako yelled in excitement after seeing the people running with hopes for Kagami. Her muscles swelled up as blood coursed through them and she began to run vigorously, quickly overtaking the Hero's party.

“Takako-dono!? I, too, will assist you!”

Menou believed that there was value in following Takako and fighting to protect Kagami, even if he was to be called a traitor, and began to run without hesitation.

“E-Everyone…!”

When the warriors saw them go, their desire for a fight was lit up and they thought about what they were capable of doing. Alice also began to run towards the eastern side of Salumeria, retracing her footsteps.

 

Chapter end