As I stared at the sky with my unmoving body, Daniela suddenly entered my vision.
“What are you doing?”
“I can’t move.”
“Damn it…”
Daniela sighed and then disappeared. Then I suddenly felt very light. Daniela reappeared in my vision. Her face was now very close.
“Hey, Daniela.”
“What, Asagi.”
“I’m sure it’s not the case…but you wouldn’t happen to be carrying me, would you?”
“Indeed I am. Just like you carried me earlier.”
“…”
A man being carried like a princess by a woman. Asagi Kamiyashiro did not mind falling. That was how much he wished to struggle and break free. However, it seemed his body was not one with his mind. In fact, his body seemed to like it. It wouldn’t listen to him at all.
I suddenly felt that people were gathering towards us. Are you kidding me? What now?
“Wh-what happened…? Hah…Boss…!?”
They must be bandits. And there were easily at least one hundred of them. Until now, they had avoided this place and searched for Daniela and me in areas that were safe.
“You killed…the Boss…!”
“I’ll crush you!!”
They began to shout at us. But Daniela held me so that I faced the other direction, so I could not see them. But when I looked at her, she had a devilish grin on her face.
“I did kill Eve. If you wish to get your revenge, come forth. I will send you to meet your master.”
“Kk…!”
Daniela was so imposing now that the bandits found that they could not move. I could sense that some of the men towards the back were running away. In any case, I wished she would drop me. Being carried like this in front of such an audience was unbearable.
“By the way, here is the man who slew the dragon. You can come at him as a horde, and you will still be no match for him.”
“Liar! Some coward who has to be carried like a princess wouldn’t stand a chance!”
It wasn’t a lie, and did they have to call me a princess?
“Well, it is no business of mine whether you believe it or not. But he has taken off the head of a wind dragon. You should face reality. Here is a man who can kill dragons!”
Even more of them fled as she unleashed these powerful words. It was wonderful that the bandits knew they had no chance and were fleeing. That meant the town would be cleaner. Still, I wish there had not been so many witnesses to my shame.
“Now, for those of you who still wish to fight, unsheath your swords!!”
“Damn, damn it…!”
A wind started to blow along with Daniela’s voice. It picked up the dust from the area and it increased in power. The display was enough to make the bandits cower. Of course, she did this for that very reason.
And it was very effective too. They all knew for certain now that there was no hope of winning, and they ran, without a single man remaining.
Once they were out of range of Presence Detection, Daniela sighed with relief.
“We should be going then…but first…”
“Hmm…?”
Daniela started do something behind my back. I think she had opened my backpack.
“We must take this wind dragon with us.”
“What? You can do that?’
“Hm? Why not?”
In my head I had just assumed that any monster summoned by magic would eventually return to its world whether dead or alive.
The idea of a ‘summon beast’ had taken over my mind.
“It is magic that summons monsters. It is not a monster created by magic, so it should be fine…I think.”
“Oh, so you’re not even sure.”
“I have never witnessed such magic before. But theoretically, it should be alright.”
I see. Well, if you say so. If it disappears later then, well, that would just be too bad.
Daniela was still carrying me when we arrived at the riverbank. The river that spread out before us was immense. It looked like it could be a whole kilometer to cross? It was like one of those great foreign rivers I once saw on tv. Well, this was a foreign country to me. A foreign world.
“Asagi. Are you still unable to move?”
“Hmm…I can move a little. But I still need more rest.”
The only thing I could do was move my hands. I doubt that Legs of the Forest Wolf would do me much good in this condition. Unless I wanted to be fanned by some weak wind, which I didn’t.
“Then we should pitch our tent and rest for a while… I am tired from carrying you for so long, and I have not rested since the fight.”
“Sorry. I’ve been the only one taking it easy.”
“It is nothing.”
Daniela leaned me against the fence of someone’s house. Phew. We could finally rest… I was a little anxious about the bandits wanting to get revenge, but there were some, like the bandits in the tower, who hated her at least. In any case, I would keep Presence Detection up and rest.
□ □ □ □
It was night time before we knew it. My recovery was a lot slower than I thought it would be. That maximum speed thing really took its toll on me. Not being able to move on the battlefield like this was a lethal flaw. I would have to avoid using it in the future… But it had felt so good to use. I felt as if I had become a comic book protagonist. Being able to attack after practically teleporting. Well, I suppose the fact that there was such a deadly price to using it just showed that I wasn’t cut out for the protagonist role… But it felt good to have that feeling, even if it was just temporary.
Daniela cared for me that night during dinner and then let me rest.
I fell into a deep sleep, and thanks to that, I felt much better the next morning. Though, it ended up putting a bigger burden on Daniela, but we at least we came out of it fine the next day. The bandits also seemed to have actually fled, as they did not attack us. The rest was up to the military. It shouldn’t be too difficult to clean things up now that Eve was gone. Though, I had no intention of helping them further…
“Hmm…alright, we can go now.”
I checked to see if all of my gear was in good condition. Then I folded the tent and put it in the bag and went to gently pick up the sleeping Daniela. As I was carrying the bag in the front, I was able to carry her on my back without disturbing her sleep. It did look a little stupid, but it was still better than being carried like a princess. Seriously. …seriously.
I could use the wind around my legs without problem as well. If anything, there was something about it that felt more comfortable now, as if it had become a part of me. It was so easy to control now. Not that it was that difficult before, but I always felt that it restrained me in some ways. Though, I probably shouldn’t complain considering how much it had helped me up until now…
“Well, it’s great. That’s all that matters.”
I should be able to cross the river without too much trouble then. And so I began by jumping into the air and running. I decided to keep a distance from the surface of the water, just in case there were monsters who would leap out towards us. Ah, the wind felt so nice. I glanced to the side and saw Daniela sleeping comfortably. I couldn’t help but smile.
There were several boats floating on the water. Their passengers looked up at us and their mouths dropped. They were dumb-founded, but I suppose they would be.
…Ah, that’s right. I wanted to ask them something, and so I descended.
“Um, excuse me.”
“…Yes…”
“I just have a question. The town on the other side of this river, it’s also called Nicora?”
“Ah, yes…no, it’s not.”
So which is it?
“It is the trading town of Usk.”
“Usk… Thank you.”
“No, don’t mention it…hahaha.”
I thanked the old man with the forced laugh and left the boat. I see. So the town on the other side had a different name. I had assumed they were two parts of the same place. It was a good thing I decided to ask.
“Usk… How exciting.”
And with that, I increased my speed. The weather really was nice today.
I felt quite cheerful as the town came into view. Yes, I could see the port. That must be the entrance to Usk. They might be annoyed that I came without a boat, but surely they would understand when I explained it to them. Well, I was hoping for the best, but how would it be?
As I stared at the sky with my unmoving body, Daniela suddenly entered my vision.
“What are you doing?”
“I can’t move.”
“Damn it…”
Daniela sighed and then disappeared. Then I suddenly felt very light. Daniela reappeared in my vision. Her face was now very close.
“Hey, Daniela.”
“What, Asagi.”
“I’m sure it’s not the case…but you wouldn’t happen to be carrying me, would you?”
“Indeed I am. Just like you carried me earlier.”
“…”
A man being carried like a princess by a woman. Asagi Kamiyashiro did not mind falling. That was how much he wished to struggle and break free. However, it seemed his body was not one with his mind. In fact, his body seemed to like it. It wouldn’t listen to him at all.
I suddenly felt that people were gathering towards us. Are you kidding me? What now?
“Wh-what happened…? Hah…Boss…!?”
They must be bandits. And there were easily at least one hundred of them. Until now, they had avoided this place and searched for Daniela and me in areas that were safe.
“You killed…the Boss…!”
“I’ll crush you!!”
They began to shout at us. But Daniela held me so that I faced the other direction, so I could not see them. But when I looked at her, she had a devilish grin on her face.
“I did kill Eve. If you wish to get your revenge, come forth. I will send you to meet your master.”
“Kk…!”
Daniela was so imposing now that the bandits found that they could not move. I could sense that some of the men towards the back were running away. In any case, I wished she would drop me. Being carried like this in front of such an audience was unbearable.
“By the way, here is the man who slew the dragon. You can come at him as a horde, and you will still be no match for him.”
“Liar! Some coward who has to be carried like a princess wouldn’t stand a chance!”
It wasn’t a lie, and did they have to call me a princess?
“Well, it is no business of mine whether you believe it or not. But he has taken off the head of a wind dragon. You should face reality. Here is a man who can kill dragons!”
Even more of them fled as she unleashed these powerful words. It was wonderful that the bandits knew they had no chance and were fleeing. That meant the town would be cleaner. Still, I wish there had not been so many witnesses to my shame.
“Now, for those of you who still wish to fight, unsheath your swords!!”
“Damn, damn it…!”
A wind started to blow along with Daniela’s voice. It picked up the dust from the area and it increased in power. The display was enough to make the bandits cower. Of course, she did this for that very reason.
And it was very effective too. They all knew for certain now that there was no hope of winning, and they ran, without a single man remaining.
Once they were out of range of Presence Detection, Daniela sighed with relief.
“We should be going then…but first…”
“Hmm…?”
Daniela started do something behind my back. I think she had opened my backpack.
“We must take this wind dragon with us.”
“What? You can do that?’
“Hm? Why not?”
In my head I had just assumed that any monster summoned by magic would eventually return to its world whether dead or alive.
The idea of a ‘summon beast’ had taken over my mind.
“It is magic that summons monsters. It is not a monster created by magic, so it should be fine…I think.”
“Oh, so you’re not even sure.”
“I have never witnessed such magic before. But theoretically, it should be alright.”
I see. Well, if you say so. If it disappears later then, well, that would just be too bad.
Daniela was still carrying me when we arrived at the riverbank. The river that spread out before us was immense. It looked like it could be a whole kilometer to cross? It was like one of those great foreign rivers I once saw on tv. Well, this was a foreign country to me. A foreign world.
“Asagi. Are you still unable to move?”
“Hmm…I can move a little. But I still need more rest.”
The only thing I could do was move my hands. I doubt that Legs of the Forest Wolf would do me much good in this condition. Unless I wanted to be fanned by some weak wind, which I didn’t.
“Then we should pitch our tent and rest for a while… I am tired from carrying you for so long, and I have not rested since the fight.”
“Sorry. I’ve been the only one taking it easy.”
“It is nothing.”
Daniela leaned me against the fence of someone’s house. Phew. We could finally rest… I was a little anxious about the bandits wanting to get revenge, but there were some, like the bandits in the tower, who hated her at least. In any case, I would keep Presence Detection up and rest.
□ □ □ □
It was night time before we knew it. My recovery was a lot slower than I thought it would be. That maximum speed thing really took its toll on me. Not being able to move on the battlefield like this was a lethal flaw. I would have to avoid using it in the future… But it had felt so good to use. I felt as if I had become a comic book protagonist. Being able to attack after practically teleporting. Well, I suppose the fact that there was such a deadly price to using it just showed that I wasn’t cut out for the protagonist role… But it felt good to have that feeling, even if it was just temporary.
Daniela cared for me that night during dinner and then let me rest.
I fell into a deep sleep, and thanks to that, I felt much better the next morning. Though, it ended up putting a bigger burden on Daniela, but we at least we came out of it fine the next day. The bandits also seemed to have actually fled, as they did not attack us. The rest was up to the military. It shouldn’t be too difficult to clean things up now that Eve was gone. Though, I had no intention of helping them further…
“Hmm…alright, we can go now.”
I checked to see if all of my gear was in good condition. Then I folded the tent and put it in the bag and went to gently pick up the sleeping Daniela. As I was carrying the bag in the front, I was able to carry her on my back without disturbing her sleep. It did look a little stupid, but it was still better than being carried like a princess. Seriously. …seriously.
I could use the wind around my legs without problem as well. If anything, there was something about it that felt more comfortable now, as if it had become a part of me. It was so easy to control now. Not that it was that difficult before, but I always felt that it restrained me in some ways. Though, I probably shouldn’t complain considering how much it had helped me up until now…
“Well, it’s great. That’s all that matters.”
I should be able to cross the river without too much trouble then. And so I began by jumping into the air and running. I decided to keep a distance from the surface of the water, just in case there were monsters who would leap out towards us. Ah, the wind felt so nice. I glanced to the side and saw Daniela sleeping comfortably. I couldn’t help but smile.
There were several boats floating on the water. Their passengers looked up at us and their mouths dropped. They were dumb-founded, but I suppose they would be.
…Ah, that’s right. I wanted to ask them something, and so I descended.
“Um, excuse me.”
“…Yes…”
“I just have a question. The town on the other side of this river, it’s also called Nicora?”
“Ah, yes…no, it’s not.”
So which is it?
“It is the trading town of Usk.”
“Usk… Thank you.”
“No, don’t mention it…hahaha.”
I thanked the old man with the forced laugh and left the boat. I see. So the town on the other side had a different name. I had assumed they were two parts of the same place. It was a good thing I decided to ask.
“Usk… How exciting.”
And with that, I increased my speed. The weather really was nice today.
I felt quite cheerful as the town came into view. Yes, I could see the port. That must be the entrance to Usk. They might be annoyed that I came without a boat, but surely they would understand when I explained it to them. Well, I was hoping for the best, but how would it be?
