Suddenly, a black flame blew in from right beside her. It engulfs the poleaxe-wielding adventurer, swallowing the woman and burning her body. In front of Kyousuke's eyes, the woman lets out a scream that resembles a scream. The flames tried to scorch Kyousuke's body as well, without any mercy or remorse.
　Kyousuke knows these flames. It's called dark magic or chaos magic, a monster-specific attack magic, one of which is the Evil Flame's Deadly Claw (Evil Flare).

　For a moment, Kyousuke wondered if his other classmates had come to help him.
　Because the Evil Flame's Deadly Claw was Succubus Sakuma's specialty. Alternatively, Kaoru Okama could also master dark magic.

　But the moment the scream came from behind him as well, he dismissed the idea.
　The blow was clearly overpowered, even if it was the one that had been unleashed to save Kyousuke.

''Rain!''

　A man carrying a sword, who looked like the leader of the adventurers, called out the woman's name. The black flames continued to surround the woman's body and burn her. The unpleasant smell of burning flesh filled the area. A female adventurer dressed like a cleric raised her staff and continued to cast healing spells.

'Oh no, there it is again. It's a Lesser Demon!

　Then the bandit man pointed towards the direction the flames were blowing from.
　The adventurers all turned their gazes in that direction at once. Kyousuke also got trapped and looked at them.

''What is that........''

　Standing there was a slender, tall, eerie-looking oddity of stout stature.
　The flesh was never good. Its body, with its ribs protruding, is even seemingly poorly built. Its head resembled a goat, and it had wings on its back. It was over two meters tall. Its eyes were blood red and had a glittering, eerie glow to them.
　The adventurers who had been attacking us had already turned their consciousness completely to that direction. The tension was thick on their faces.

　A Lesser Demon, had he said?
　Perhaps it's a monster native to this land. Kyousuke could have explored its performance based on his own knowledge of the game, but he preferred to escape first. The adventurers are distracted by the Lesser Demon, and the Lesser Demon is also targeting the adventurers, not us.

''Rin!　Mitarai!

　Kyousuke turned around and called out to the two of them.

''Oh, come on, Kyousuke........''
Let's get out of here!　You can combine them!
Uh....

　Rin's reply was stiff, but she smoothly clung to Kyousuke's body and made up his physical body. She was still a bit heavy, but it would be better than letting her crawl across the ground in her slime form.
　Mitarai Azuki watched the adventurers with a pale look on her face. Perhaps the sight of a woman being charred whole in front of him was a little more bearable. But Kyousuke didn't have the time to care about that. Now is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to prolong your life.

　Kyousuke took Azuki in his arms and kicked the ground in one fell swoop. A roaring sound could be heard behind him. There's no time to just look back. He didn't even pay attention to the direction, he just ran and managed to leave the place.




　After a short run, we reached a slightly different part of the landscape. The wasteland eventually gave way to a grassy field, and we reached a relatively gentle hill with grass and trees. When we reached this vicinity, the battle we had just witnessed should have been much further away. However, we have entered a bit inland, and it feels like we are far away from the sea.

　As a skeleton, Kyousuke is not connected to physical exhaustion. Not particularly out of breath, he was finally able to gently lower Azuki to the ground. Rin also released Kyousuke from the combination and cunningly slid her body onto the hillside.

''Somehow, you saved your life.

　Kyousuke also sat down on the rock at hand and sighed.

''.........''
.........

　There was no reply. Azuki was still blue-faced, and Rin was purring and shivering.

　I'm not good in these situations. Kyousuke's communication skills are not broad-minded. But in this situation, he wouldn't be able to say so. At first he tried to choose his words, but he couldn't come up with a good one, and finally decided to cut to the chase with his own thoughts.

'I want to check the situation first. Mitarai, can we talk?

　When I called out to her, Azuki looked up and opened her mouth to speak something. But the words still didn't seem to come out. Kyousuke controlled her attempt to force her to speak with one hand.

''All right. I'll wait until you're calm. I'll talk to you about us first, but what about Rin?
Hmm, maybe a little bit...
'Alright, I'll talk to the main guys then. Rin, if you have anything to add, please.

　Kyousuke wondered if the class committee member, Ryuzaki, was always doing this kind of thing. It would be easier in this situation if there was one companion like him who was skilled in negotiation and the ability to organize opinions.
　There's no point in asking for something that isn't there. If there's no such person, then I have no choice but to be the one to put it all together.

'First of all, me and Rin woke up on the beach, and we were on the beach. Maybe there was a fight between Beni and Luke, and that's where the warp thing happened. I didn't see any other classmates. Mitarai was the first.

　Azuki nodded in agreement.

''Next, we'll talk about where we are. The adventurer earlier said it was the new continent. I didn't really look through the map that Ryuzaki and the others had, but...

　So, Kyousuke looks around for a moment.

I wonder if there's anything to write about........ No?''

　First of all, I want to clarify just the location of the new continent and the destination.

　Initially, Kyousuke and the others were aiming to cross the ocean to the northeast of the Verneus Peninsula from the maritime union nation of Albadamba. However, not long after they left Albadamba, they were attacked by Luke at sea.
　The new continent is the continent south of the sea. It is said that the full extent of the continent has not been revealed, and except for a few adventurers who visit it, few people enter it.

''If that's the case, then we've been sent to a very difficult place...''

　Rin muttered to herself.

''Well...''

　Kyousuke crossed his arms and nodded. I don't want to think about it too pessimistically, but the situation is pretty bad, to say the least.

'For starters, if there are any classmates other than us that have been sent away, I want to meet up with them. Mitarai, have you seen anyone?

　Azuki shook her head.

''I also, um, woke up around the desert, so...''
That's where you were attacked by the adventurers.
Oh, yes....

　Azuki has been absurdly rubbing her hands together since a while ago. Is it something out of habit?
　Come to think of it, Mitarai Azuki was a fastidious person. In the middle of the battle, she was chased around by adventurers and her clothes were stained with mud. And I held her body as hard as I could while escaping.

'....Mitarai, do you want to wash yourself?
.........

　Azuki nodded hesitantly when Kyousuke asked her timidly.

　Reincarnation into a youkai Azuki wash would have been gospel to her. At least, even in these waterless conditions, Azuki could use her race ability to wash something.
　It's a field, though. A grassland. There's almost no such thing as a barrier.

''For now, um, Rin, can I ask you to keep watch?　Let's just stick to the bushes over there.
Oh, yeah. I'll keep an eye on him. Is that okay, Azuchan?

　Azuki nodded his head in silence.
　When Rin was about to head to the bushes with Azuki, Kyousuke stopped her once.

''Rin, are you alright?''
What? What?
'If you were attacked by a monster, would you be able to handle it?　Would you prefer that I go?

　Slime, she stopped moving once. Kyousuke was able to read her expression much better, too.

''...I don't know. It's funny, it's like, I suddenly got scared.
Maybe that's who Benii was going to say.
It's a filter. I think it's a filter, too...

　In hindsight, it was a funny story. There was some confusion, but they each accepted their own forms naturally and adapted quickly. They had little resistance to fighting and killing things in human form.
　Kyousuke imagined that was what Benii was referring to as a filter. A filter for things that humans would normally resist and hesitate to do. That's why Kyousuke and Rin had been able to kill three of their blood relatives, so far.

'What about Kyousuke-kun?　Are you okay with it?
For now.

　However, Kyousuke was somehow aware that his own filter had already been cut off.

　The slight discomfort he remembered for putting his hand on Tokihara just before leaving Albadamba. In hindsight, that may have been proof that the filter was broken.
　But that's all. When rescuing Azuki, who was attacked by the adventurers, Kyousuke clearly declared that he would 'kill a human if necessary'. Is that in itself an abnormal thing, or is it a normal reaction in extreme conditions? As for Kyousuke, it didn't matter either way anymore, but he didn't want to say anything that would frighten Rin more than necessary.

'I see.... I guess it depends on the individual.''
The filter in the washroom must have run out.
Yeah..... But it's okay. At least the monsters are okay. I don't think it's a good idea. I can fight.
All right. Call me if you need anything.
So you don't want any snooping around?

　His words were somewhat uncharacteristically uncharacteristic, but he seemed to have recovered enough to make a joke. Instead of chuckling, Kyousuke kicked Rin to the curb.
　Mitarai Azuki drew a monster of an Atari, at least when it came to looks. She had the appearance of a Japanese style girl dressed in a kimono and a minogasa. So when it comes to her washing her body, it's a situation that's right for her to be dogged, but the current Kyousuke doesn't have that much time to spare.

''Oomotohee, Azu-nyan. Oh, you're getting rather skinny.
''Hi, Himemizu-san, stop......... I'm worried about you........

　Okay. You're going to lose weight.

　From the bushes, he could hear the sound of Mitarai Azuki washing her body. Kyousuke suddenly remembered the clams he'd left on the beach. It would have been rather easy to remove the sand from the clams if Azuki had a tub and water to move in and out of it at will.

　In any case, we would have to re-supply our food.
　How will we aim to join up with the other students in the future? How to prevent the attacks of adventurers and stray monsters? There are extremely many challenges in the future.

''(Adventurers.......humans.....)''

　This will be the first time we will be hostile to the people of this world and the armed forces of it.

　It's a moment that makes us realize once again that we are monsters. With the class falling apart and the crisis of a broken filter on top of that, this is not a desirable development.

'(But) we survive. So we'll all meet again.)

　For that, I'm ready to put my hands on them, even if they're human.
　Kyousuke looked up at the azure sky, alone and quiet, faking his resolve.




　The adventuring party, led by the gold-ranked adventurer Lesvon, had finished the battle with the Lesser Demon and managed to turn back to the relay camp.
　Rain, a poleaxe user, was severely injured with burns all over his body. Unlike mere burns, the wounds inflicted by dark magic are not very effective in healing magic. Even if they healed well, they would still leave scars, said Philharts, the healer.

　The Adventurer's Guild allowed only Gold Rankers and above to travel to the New Continent. The reason for this is that in the era of the Mythical War, the New Continent is where the Demon King retreated, and even now the monsters directly related to the Demon King still roam in large numbers.
　In fact, Lesbons had fought nearly ten Lesser Demons so far.
　The New Continent is the largest untrodden area, along with the western part of the Old Continent. The exploration will yield great results, but it will also bring with it danger.

''We might as well think about withdrawing soon.

　The robe clad wizard-like man, the party's sub-leader, Weygun, said that.

''With Rain, the wallflower, taking so much damage, it's tough to continue fighting in the future.
Yeah, but it's not terribly profitable at this rate...

　Lesvon crosses his arms and thinks.

'I still want to hunt some more of the native species of the new continent. Like that skeleton and the slime. And that female monster, what was that?
It's an Azkirai. It's a species endemic to the New Continent. His bloodline is a bit different from the Demon King's direct descendants. I'm sure Wombat or Filhana would know more about it.

　About 200 years ago, humanity was in an unprecedented crisis. A number of threats from very different origins bared their fangs against humanity.
　Among them was what was called the Shura's Army, which had come across the sea from the east of the Old Continent. Even today, the remains of the "Anti-Shura Sea Defense Fortress" can be found on the east side of the continent, as a trace of the battle of those days.

　The Azkirai were a type of monster that mixed in with Shura's forces. Nowadays, their existence is only known from the documents of the Central Empire, but they were recently discovered in the New Continent. This is said to be the proof of the geological theory that the new continent is connected to the home of Shura's forces, which is believed to be east of the old continent, and the new continent, which has been widely discussed among scholars.
　Azkirai is not the only one. If the theory is correct, then the monsters at the heart of Shura's army, such as dengue, mites, gnats, and spiders, should also inhabit this new continent.

　Lesbons had come to this place with the purpose of capturing or killing such monsters native to the new continent (also known as the Shura tribe) and selling them to the scholars of the Central Empire through the Adventurer's Guild. It must be a sample that the Empire's Rare Biologist Corps would want to have at their throats.

''After all, I guess we have to go a bit further east to stay........ Is that Azkirrai a stray monster?''
I don't know. I don't know.

　As the two were conversing, Wombat and Filhana, who had been out scouting, returned.
　Wombat was a typical bandit-turned-adventurer, a typical exploration type. Filhana is a young girl who has recently become a Gold Ranker and can use oracle magic, a rare means of recovery for an adventurer.

''Hey, Lesvon. I've got good news for you.

　The wombat cut him off, looking a little excited.

'What's going on?'
I found one. A species native to New Earth, maybe four animals in a pod. And they're all different species.
Are you sure?

　Lesvon couldn't help but stand up.

　What he found was an intermediate level endemic species of the new continent, including the Karasteng. Unfortunately, it wasn't an advanced species like the Oni or Nue, but it was still a monster that had little or no documentation. It would definitely be able to sell them off for a high price.

''Alright. Rain can't be moved, so let's have one person to guard it, and we'll have three. Just watch out for the Lesser Demon.

　For intermediate level, even three Gold Rankers are enough to deal with it. If I'm thinking about balance, I'll probably have to ask the wombats to take care of Rain.
　As I was thinking about it, Filhana cut me off in a tantalizing manner.

''Lesvon are you sure you want to go?''
Hmm, why?
'I thought when I was chasing after the Azkirrai, there is a strong resistance to capturing them as monsters. At that time, Azkirrai was clearly terrified and running around...
Well, that's...

　Lesvon said, scratching his head.

It's not uncommon to see monsters with advanced intelligence and social skills, so it's not uncommon to hear that many adventurers are emotionally invested in them. It is said that elves and dwarves were also considered monsters until about 200 years ago.
Well then....
But you can't know that without doing your research on the subject. It's a fact that they turned on humanity 200 years ago.

　It's a living thing, so it's only natural for it to get scared and run away. It's just that they happen to look close to humans and have an intelligence close to that of humans.
　However, the line here is blurred. That said, there are races like elves and dwarves that will be recognized as members of the human race as time goes on. But at this stage, the Azkirai are monsters.

　If we think about this area too hard, we can't afford to make adventurer's money. It's a different story if you have to dive into dungeons day in and day out to earn money. I've heard that such adventurers are still the mainstream in Zelmenarga, the autonomous region of adventurers in the northern part of the continent.
　Lesbons despise such adventurers, calling them "moles. It's a way of earning a living.

　Filhana nodded in agreement as Lesbón politely explained.

'In the meantime, once we get those guys, we'll prepare to withdraw. The rate of encounters with Lesser Demons is higher than I thought, so let's be cautious.''

　Lesvon gave the instructions, and the policy of this adventurer party was decided upon as such.




　Azuki washed her body and clothes and appeared in front of Kyousuke again, glossy and shiny. Her hair was moist and wet, and her skin was strangely s*xy as it regained its moisture, but that wasn't the point at the moment. Even Azuki, who was a clean freak, seemed to finally catch her breath as she cleaned her body of dirt.

''There were no monsters, Counselor!

　Rin deforms her body as if in a salute with a snap. Kyousuke nodded, scratching his head.

''It's been a while since I've heard of you, Counselor...''
''There will be another month or so when no one says anything. I'll tell you regularly to remind you that Kyousuke is the chief of staff.
Oh, well...

　Rin is also getting back to her usual form. For now, it seems we can relax and talk.

'I don't think it's just me, Rin and Mitarai who were sent to this continent.

　Sitting down on a handy rock, Kyousuke breaks the conversation up. Azuki still found a handy rock, and after rinsing it off with water, he sat down on it, covering it with a tenugui-like cloth. It was a great precaution.

'Anyway, me and Rin were rather close to each other, so I'm guessing we were blown close together. Mitarai, do you remember who was nearby before you were sent away?
''Hmmm......... I was in a hurry at the time, so........

　Azuki tilted her head slightly.

'But by that logic, shouldn't Hino-kun be there with Utsurogi-kun?
Ei.....

　When his childhood friend's name was mentioned, Kyousuke couldn't make a little, bitter face.......so he voiced the nuances of bitterness anyway.

''That guy was a bit far away at the right time to get sent away.
You were closer to Mya than to us, weren't you?

　He is one of my classmates who is particularly worried about his safety. Who is safe and who isn't, of course, but he is still my best friend who was born and has been with me for the past 17 years. We hadn't had much opportunity to talk to each other lately, which might have added to our worry.

'I'm worried about you and Sachiko too. I'm pretty sure he was closest to Benii-san,
Same with Kaoruko, Harui and the others.

　If Beni herself had caused this transference accident on purpose, then what would be the implications of the fact that she was closest to Beni?
　At that time, she had told him to 'get as far away from her as possible'. What happened to Sakuma Shoko and the others who were swallowed up by the light first? What did Benai fear and say 'get as far away from them as possible'? I can't imagine too well.

''I'm pretty sure I'm surrounded by........ Yukinoshita-san or Karasumaru-kun...?''

　Azuki said with a tilt of her head.

''Since you must have been relatively close enough to get attached to it.......isn't it highly likely that you were sent near where I was?
'I see. Yukino and Karasuma....
Oh, they're all Japanese style youkai.

　Rin said a bit happily. At her words, Azuki flapped her hand.

''That's right. Maybe Kameno-san was there too.''
You're Chi-Chan. That means you're there, too.

　Whenever a classmate's name is mentioned, the names of other classmates immediately come up, and as expected of a class snitch.
　Nevertheless.

Are Ozaji and Kano close?
'I'm the ace and manager of the football team!　There's something about that. Well, I didn't ask if they're dating or not, but Chi-chan used to watch Gozashiki-kun a lot.
You're looking good...

　So is there any doubt that at least those four people could have been sent to the vicinity of where Azuki came from at warp speed? Kyousuke ponders. This hillside seems to be a relatively safe zone, but if he were to look for the four of them, he would have to head to that wasteland or desert again.
　It's a dangerous place where they could encounter adventurers and Lesser Demons. You shouldn't head there without a second thought, but on the other hand, those four are still left behind in those danger zones.

"Kyousuke-kun, we're going...?

　Rin asked fearfully.

'Yeah, I'm going,'

　Kyousuke nodded.

''Ki, isn't it dangerous...?''
I'm aware of the risks. It's not like I'm desperate or anything.

　At Azuki's words, Kyousuke speaks slowly.

'It's not about self-sacrifice or putting others first. In the end, when I think about what I want to do, or what I don't want to happen, I have an answer that says I have to do this, and if I have to do this, then I have to do that.
But, Kyousuke-kun, you're very weak when you're alone...

　Rin's words were to the core. Yes, that's right. Kyousuke is weak when he is alone. He's only a skeleton with a slightly sturdy body. If he had a weapon, it would be different, but he is even poorer, since he is an empty handed fist.
　However, Kyousuke was aware of that as well. Knowingly, knowing that it was selfish, there was only one method to take.

'I know,'

　I have no choice but to do this, so I have to.

'So Rin, I need your help.
'Uh....'

　Rin's voice contained a slight hint of bitterness in it.

So that's how it is...
''Of course, if we run into a human adventurer, we run away at once. The same goes for encountering a Lesser Demon. Even if I were to escape, it's easier to escape with Rin's strength than it is with me alone and naked.

　He had a feeling that one day he would have to make a request like this.

　Not to talk about self-sacrifice, but still, Kyousuke would often take risks to save others. But there, if Kyousuke tried to hedge his risks as much as possible, he would have to rely on Rin and Ei to help him. Rin was always willing to go along for the ride. Even though Ei complained, he always made decisions that went against Kyousuke's wishes.
　However, they wouldn't always nod their heads. Even at such times, Kyousuke has to force them to follow through with the selfishness he wanted to do.

'Well, saying that, Kyousuke-kun. You're also considering acting as a shinigari yourself to escape Karasumaru-kun and the others, right?
Uh, well...
I'm freaking out now, okay?　You don't want your body to freeze up, do you?
Then I'll take you in my arms if I have to carry a princess.

　Mitarai Azuki watched such a conversation between the two with a pouting look on her face.

''Good........''
'Oops, sorry, Azunyan. I didn't mean to show you off. Hahaha ... ah.

　Rin, who makes some kind of generous statement, gave Kyousuke a deco pin for now.

The reason for this is that........ Of course, Mitarai will have to follow me to show me the way. Are you okay?
''Well, I, too, find it reassuring to have at least one more classmate...''

　Kun Kun, Mitarai Azuki nodded.
　So, this is unanimous for the moment. The day is slipping away. It's harder to find them at night, so if possible, I want to set out to search for them as soon as possible. As Kyousuke stood up and looked out from the hillside towards the desert, Rin poked his foot a little bit.

''Kyousuke-kun, Kyousuke-kun. Just so you know, I'm serious.
Hmm?
I have a terrible fear of killing people.

　A suppressed tone of voice. Himemizu Rin spun the gloomy words.

''It's also terribly scary that I never had any doubts until now. The three people I've killed so far, all three of them are my abilities...?

　The first, an unnamed pawn, was killed with a kick accelerated by Rin's water stream jet, which opened a wind hole in his stomach, killing him.
　The second, Suou the Knight, was killed with an Extreme Blower that allowed a body part to enter his body and devour him from the inside.
　The third, Tokihara the Pawn, was also killed with the Extreme Blows.

　Purely, it could not be said to be Rin's ability. But the same feeling that lingers raw in Kyousuke's body is probably in Rin's as well. Maybe that's what keeps her sane, or maybe it's her strong mental strength that allows her to offer to accompany Kyousuke.

''So, I........''
I'm not going to let Rin kill any more people.

　Kyousuke said flatly.

'I'll kill you if I have to.'
Can you do it?

　Kyousuke knew that wasn't a mental thing to say.
　On its own, Kyousuke Soraki is just a poor skeleton.

　But this surely isn't a matter of can or can't. There was no choice left for Kyousuke to make.

'If I have no choice, I'll just have to do it.