Finally, the day of the hunting competition. There were so many people in the city of Rigforesia that the atmosphere of the festival is rightly called a festival, as it is incomparable to that of one night ago.

Speaking of which, Ray-san. How do you determine the winner of the hunting competition?
It's quantity and quality. There are various animals and monsters in the forest, and each type has its own points. Of course, the more powerful the demon, the higher the points, but the more dangerous it is. Well, a lot of people take part in this event every year, so if you ever get in danger, there are people nearby who will come to your aid.
So........when it comes to the most powerful demon, what do you have?

　As we all walk around the city, I ask Ray about the hunting competition.
　It seems that the rankings are based on a point system, and it's up to the individual to decide whether to hunt a large number of weaker animals or to defeat the more powerful demons.
　How they tally up the points is a mystery, but.......do they bring back the parts of the proof of defeat?

'Black Bear' foremost.
'Black Bear?　I've heard of Red Bear, is it something similar?
No, red and black bears are not similar. Red and black bears are very popular as prey because their meat is of good quality and their pelts are of good quality. But black bears have poisonous flesh that is inedible and their pelts are difficult to process, making them a vermin of little benefit.
Wow.
'More than anything else, their strength is like different. Red Bear is a fierce beast, but it's only easy to hunt if you can use magic. However, black bears are as strong as wyverns. Their movements are slow, but their power is tremendous, and their fur is as hard as iron, so even half-skilled hands won't be able to hurt them.

　A wyvern is often associated with the impression that it was killed by Black, but apparently Black is just too strong, and wyverns are very powerful demons.
　If you can defeat a wyvern on your own, you'll have one of the highest fighting powers of any human race.

''Most participants will probably avoid it, but Lilia-chan, Lunamaria-chan and Zeke should be able to defeat it alone, so the key to winning the championship will be how many of these black bears we can hunt.
Are you going to go after Ray-san too?
'No, I've been a retired mage for a long time. It's a bit of a pain in the ass when it comes to black bears. I'd like to make some money elsewhere if I could.
Can Lilia and her team win?

　Ray-san seems to have participated in many hunting competitions in the past and is familiar with many different situations. So I decided to ask her if there was a chance that Lilia-san and the others could win the competition.

''........Honestly, it's going to be tough.''
Huh?
'I'm not saying there's no possibility, but........this time there are far more participants than usual, probably due to the influence of the prizes. It seems that the captain of the guards from the elves will be participating as well. But more than that........I looked around a bit this morning and there were two people who were clearly different in rank.
Different?　Who's that strong?
''Oh, one of them is the 'pink-haired fairy tribe'. Fairy folk are not inherently very powerful, but that girl's magic power was far greater than mine.......maybe even the great fairy class.

　Yeah?　You know, that... that sounds like something I'd recognize.

''And the other one is the 'Knight in Black Armor' the way he carries himself, the atmosphere he wears, his magic power, it's all terrific. Perhaps they might have the power of a high-level demon race class.
....

　
　And although Raz-san's strength is unknown, Acht called her Miss, and Noin-san treated her with respect. Maybe he's a well-known figure among the fairy race.

　I see, in Ray-san's opinion, Raz-san and Noin-san are the most likely candidates to win... If one of them wins, I should ask them if they would be willing to give up the fruit of the world tree.
　Both of them are kind people, and if I explain the situation to them, they might agree.
　Well, the best thing would be for Lilia-san and the others to win.......

























"Whoa, Miyama-senpai!　Aoi-senpai!　That's a hell of a lot of shops!
Surely this is great.
Yeah, it's a really big festival.

　We saw Lilia-san and the others off to the starting point, but we couldn't go into the forest where there are demons and fierce beasts, so we were left with nothing to do until the hunting contest was over, and the three of us had to look around at the stalls.
　It's a good thing that you're a fan of festivals, or perhaps Yuzuki-san seems to be having a good time, and she and Kusunoki-san watch the scene with a wry smile.

Speaking of which, Miyama-san. I'm not sure if you are familiar with the fairy and her armor, but I did see her yesterday.
'Oh, look, I think we've talked about this before, but it's Black's family, Rasulia and Noin.
'What?　Well then, that armor guy gave me rice and other things I should have thanked him.

........Oh my God, Yona, you're just too excited.

　If Raz or Noin-san wins, I'll visit them to negotiate with them, and I'm sure there are many things I need to think about, but for now, I'll put the hunting competition and Lilia-san's affairs aside for the time being.
　The only thing I can do now is to support them, and while I'm cheering for Lilia and the others in my heart, I'll enjoy the Treasure Festival for now.

I'm going to enjoy the festival.　Quickly, please come!
Yeah, I'm coming.

　After gathering my thoughts, I headed to Yuzuki-san's place, who called me over with Kusunoki-san.






















　We enjoyed looking around the stalls with Kusunoki-san and Yuzuki-san, and it was getting close to noon time.

'Huh?　We're running out of stalls, aren't we?
'Oh, look, I see a wall over there, and this might be the last one around here.
I see.　Then touch that wall and make a U-turn!

　It's getting a lot more advanced and the number of stalls is starting to dwindle, and a little further on you can see the wall of trees surrounding the city of Rigforesia in a circle.
　Apparently this is the end of the stall, and Yuzuki-san seemed to be enjoying himself as he ran towards the wall.

'You're in good spirits~'
I've loved festivals since junior high school. She was so excited about school festivals and such.
Haha, that's just like Yuzuki-san........well, it's almost midnight, isn't it? As I recall, the hunting competition is until 2pm?
Yes, I'm sure it is. How about lunch?　Shall we wait until after Lilia and the others return?
Hmmm. Anyway, ask Yuzuki-san about it too--?
What's that noise?

　As I was talking with Kusunoki-san about what to do about lunch, I suddenly heard a loud sound as if something was crumbling.
　When I turned my attention to the direction of the sound, I saw a large cloud of dust rising from where the wooden wall had been.

''Yuzuki-san!''
Yona-chan!

　I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to get a better idea of what I'm talking about.
　I'm not sure if it's because of the fact that it's not.
　A short time before Yuzuki-san, a jet black bear, over four meters tall, was revealed from the collapsed wall, pushing away the dust cloud.

''Bu........it's a black bear!
Has the warding spell been broken?

　At the same time we're checking out the figure, we hear screaming cries from around us.
　Why didn't we notice it?　The reason you couldn't read the approach with sensory magic was because of the warding magic?　Anyway, that position is tasteless!
　Black Bear saw Yuzuki-san's figure and slowly walked towards her.

'Yona!　Run!

　Kusunoki-san shouts to Yuzuki-san.
　It's okay ... it's okay. Yuzuki-san can use tremendous body strengthening magic. Rei-san said that the black bear is slow, and since they're still a few meters away, they can easily escape.......


"Shit!
Miyama-san!

　A trembling voice spilled out of Yuzuki-san's mouth, and immediately afterwards I ran towards Yuzuki-san.
　I'm an idiot!　It's one thing to have the ability to deal with it, but it's another to actually deal with it!
　She's a 16-year-old girl.......there's no way she can keep her cool and deal with it the best way she can when a monster like that suddenly appears in front of her!

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
　It's a good idea to be able to use the same kind of magic that Kuro taught me, as the magic leaks out of my body in response.
　I'm not a saint or anything. I'm not able to risk my life to save a stranger.
　But ... you can't do that once you've made your acquaintance. Because I'm a coward........too cowardly to even dare to abandon my friends, I can't just leave Yuzuki-san here to die!

　
　At the same time as Yuzuki-san, who was thrown backwards, falls on her buttocks, the black bear sees me interrupting and speeds up to close in.

　I'm not the hero of a battle manga, nor am I a hero. I've never been in a fight, and my athletic ability is only slightly below the average for my age group.
　If you ask me if I have any chance of winning against the black bear that former court mage Rei-san said would break my bones, I don't.

　You're going to be able to find out if there's a sword in my hand that can kill a black bear in a single blow, I don't think I'd even be able to hit it.
　It's not possible for someone who has never even fought a fight to be able to get around in a real fight for the first time. I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot of good reasons for this.

　If you can't fight a rogue, then you should have a technique that can force you to defend yourself.
　My only weapon is the sensing ability brought about by sensory magic. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most out of it.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a spell that makes the most of this.

　I was told not to use it if possible, but I don't have any other options.
　I'm sure you're ready for this, but the magician's magician's hand is a very strong light.

　I'm not going to be the only one who has the ability to do this.

''Auto-counter!''

　When I say the name of the magic, all of my body comes off of my control, leaving only my thoughts, and reacts to the hostile magic read by the sensory magic, which is far more accurate due to the magic power that erupts, and begins to force my body to move.

　Dear Mom, Dad - 'Sometimes a man has to make a decision, even if he has to force himself' is what my dad used to say?　I don't know if now is the time, but in the midst of the hustle and bustle, I - confronted the giant beast.