...... I know it's sudden. But please.

We were stunned by the unexpected event, and maybe he thought we would refuse, but Zeke asked us to do so.
But Zeke's fears were unfounded.

No, it's okay! It was so much more than I could ask for.

The next moment, I smiled at Zeke with those words.
I didn't expect that Siege-san would ask me to take down the Phoenix, and I went rigid for a moment.
But just because I was surprised doesn't mean I was repulsed by Zeke's request.
On the contrary, the offer was something we could not have wished for now.
To be honest, me and Narsena have a pretty bad fit with Phoenix.

...... At any rate, the Phoenix is primarily a long-range attack and has the nightmarish nature of flaming armor, which is a nightmare against adventurers in the vanguard.

It's a difficult opponent for me and Narcena, who fight at the super close range of daggers and fists, to deal with.

''My brother and I were just thinking of challenging you to a game of one or two, so I'm really grateful that someone like Zeke-san is joining us!

That's why it wasn't as reassuring as it would have been if someone as talented as Zeke-san had come in, as Narcena had said.
Although Zeke-san is also a person in the vanguard, as far as the great sword he carries on his back is concerned, his reach is long.

With Zeke-san as the master of the attack, if we fought the Phoenix, our chances of victory would increase considerably.
With that hope, I smile.

'Well, you guys should also realize how dangerous that Phoenix is. ...... No, there was no way you guys who defeated that Hydra wouldn't notice the danger.

Mr. Zeke saw my smile and smiled with the words.
And with those words, I realized that Zeke had the same concerns as I did.

"Could it be that Zeke-san has noticed it too: ......

I asked him that with a look of trepidation, and he nodded silently.
This was the best proof that he had the same concerns we did.

The concern that Narcena and I had for Phoenix, was the possibility of the Phoenix mutating.

It would normally take quite a bit of time for an ultra-high difficulty demonic beast to mutate, and even with the wounds chased and the magic power easily absorbed, it would take several months.
With that in mind, there is a period of time before the Phoenix, which has only appeared for a few days, mutates.

...... but knowing the exception of Hydra, which had mutated in less than a month, there was no way I could be relieved.

It may be that the hydra was an exception, but that didn't mean I could leave the Phoenix alone.
If that were to happen and a mutated Phoenix appeared on the ground, there is no telling how much damage it would cause.
I'm sure Narsena and I are aware of the danger because we fought the mutated Hydra.

...... It was only a miracle that we were able to defeat the hydra, and that miracle is usually the kind of thing that will never happen again.

It's not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you'll be able to get a new job.
No matter how much of a threat the phoenix is, if we don't defeat it before it mutates, there's nothing we can do about it.

Because I had made up my mind to do so, the fact that I had decided to fight with Sieg-san was more reassuring than I had imagined.

I'm not sure if Siegfried noticed that from my mood or not, but he also smiled.

...... I'd like to say a few things.

But the next moment Mr. Zeke opened his mouth with a clouded expression.
As if he was trying to say something hard to convey.

'Actually, the wizard in my party isn't doing well, the only ones who can move are me and .......

Mr. Zeke! I finally found it.

...... but Zeke's words were interrupted by a voice that sounded like it belonged to a girl that came echoing in the middle of the sentence.

I was momentarily taken aback by the voice.
I realize that it sounds familiar and turn my attention to the voice.

'...... huh?'

...... And I was astonished at the sight of Aamir, the former lightning sword wizard who was standing in every place.



◇◆◇



'I told you I'm fine! I'll join you in taking down the Phoenix!

Aamir, who raised his voice in response to Sieg-san, was completely unaware of our presence.

''If it weren't for the wizards, how much more difficult do you think it would be to defeat the Phoenix!

It seems that Aamir, who is shouting emotionally at Zeke, doesn't understand the situation around him at all.
But such an attitude of Aamir did not make me feel uncomfortable.

...... I remember being so upset by Aamir's condition that such a thing seemed to be a trivial matter.

Aamir emotionally laced his words to Zeke-san.
She had become a changed figure from what I remembered her to be.

The Aamir from where she was in the Sword of Lightning was quite well dressed.
She had quite a variety of clothes, and she even wore makeup.
I remember feeling uncomfortable about the fact that the still childlike Armia was doing that much.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on in the world, and I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on in the world.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most out of your time in the future.

...... Furthermore, what struck me the most was Aamir's eyes.

Aamir's eyes remained vacant for a long time as he emotionally ate at Mr. Zeke.

Eyes that were cold, as if they were elsewhere, despite his emotional demeanor.
The separation between his actions and emotions was enough to create a somewhat tinny image of Aamir.

''Huh!''

I can't be indifferent to Aamir's condition.

To be honest, I don't have good feelings for Aamir.
Compared to Margurus and his friends, Aamir's attitude towards me may have been considerably better.
But even so, I still felt a sense of disgust at Aamir's blind attitude towards the Margulls, and I can't say I dislike him.
I would never say that I disliked them.
But I couldn't help but feel a sense of dislike for Aamir.

......, but even I couldn't help but feel a sense of pain at the current state of Aamir.
It's even more so because you can roughly predict why Armia has become the state she is in now.

The end of the former first-rate Lightning Sword, it was now known throughout the Labyrinth City.
All about how the Sword of Lightning had tried to sell out his party members and become a mine slave.

And with that much information, I was able to understand the general situation.
Perhaps the Margurus were trying to sell off Armia.
Understanding that, I involuntarily contorted my face.

...... I had no interest in the Sword of Lightning at all, but Aamir was too miserable.

''No matter how strong Zeke-san is, ............ eh?''

And it was in the next moment that Narsena noticed me.
Aamir, who was about to say more to Sieg-san, who had a somewhat troubled expression on his face, finally noticed our presence in the middle of his words.
At that moment, Aamir stared at me and stiffened.

......... Huh?

I let out a dumb voice at Aamir's unexpected reaction.

'─────!'

...... At the sound of my voice, the blood drained from Aamir's face as he came back to himself and became pale.
There was an agitation in her eyes that couldn't be hidden.

''...... I'm sorry for interrupting you,''

In the next moment, Aamir turned himself from this place for the last time with those words and started running.

As I stared in amazement at the back of Aamir's fleeing form, I had no idea what had happened.

'...... what,'

And the next thing I muttered in dismay, I didn't get an answer to my words: ......