It had been an hour since they had raided a pack of hundreds of Earlby's into the bandit's hideout.

　It's about time.
　Deciding that, I stepped into the hiding place.

''Gu.............................''
I mean, my body...
God, I'm sorry, why did you have to...

　There were bandits lying all over the place.
　They all seemed to have been poisoned by Earlby's poison and could not stand up properly, only convulsing.

　I search every inch of my hiding place to make sure that they are all down.
　This would allow us to capture them safely.

　All that's left is for Kanade to bring the adventurers and soldiers to me in good time...

"Oh?

　It was getting noisy outside the cave.

'Oi, Rainy!　I've got him!!!

　Loud Kanade's voice.
　Apparently, Kanade was successful too.



----------



　Once outside, I explained the situation to the reinforcements Kanade had brought with him.
　They were skeptical at first, but when I showed them the bandits lying around in the cave, they believed me.
　The assembled adventurers and soldiers captured the bandits one by one, and one by one.

　I watched the scene at the entrance of the cave with Kanade.

''Nyahuhu, I'm a bit tired because I rushed...''
Good night.
Rain, Rain. Did I help you?
Yeah, you're just in time. Thanks, man.
Hey! Rayne said nice things about you.

　When I stroked Kanade's head, his ears twitched.
　He seemed pleased.

'I suppose that solves the case,'
........nyah!

　Suddenly, Kanade's face becomes sharp.
　It's a grim expression, as if he's wary of something.

''What's wrong?''
This atmosphere ... this is not good, Rain!

　Huh?　Just when you think you can't...
　Screams and roars could be heard from inside the cave.

'What the hell?'

　I'm going to get inside as quickly as I can.
　And then.....

'Kishaaaaaaah!

　A huge lizard, perhaps 10 meters long, was attacking the adventurers and soldiers.

　I remember learning about this individual when I was training with the Beast Tamer.
　A King Lizard.
　A demon comparable to a C-rank, it is a ferocious individual that is untouchable once it gets out of control.

''Why is there a King Lizard here!
'Yeah, it's like the jet-black fangs were taming it and... d*mn it, I never heard of this guy!

　An adventurer nearby told me that.

'Rain!'
Oh!

　Before, I wouldn't have been able to do anything against the King Lizard.
　Even if Arios and the others were there, I would have decided that I couldn't do anything about it.

　But now I'm different.
　There's the Kanade.

　It doesn't matter if I'm a cat spirit race or not.
　I felt like if Kanade was with me, I could do anything.

　So.....
　I'll stand up to him!

Let's go, Kanade!
Meow!

　We both charge at it.

　BOOM!

　A blow to one of the limbs supporting the body, avoiding a blow from the giant tail.
　Thrusting his fist out with all his strength... impact!

　The King Lizard barked as he felt a definite response.

'What?!'

　The adventurers and soldiers are astonished.

''You've damaged that King Lizard!
And I can't believe you're bare-handed... are you really the most adventurous man alive?
I'll keep going!

　Kanade jumped and spun around.
　He used that spin to his advantage to hit King Lizard in the head!

'GGAAAH!!!'

　As expected, I should say.
　The King Lizard staggered widely under Kanade's painful blow.

''Lie down for a while ... for a while!

　As he staggered, I slammed a kick into him.
　A blow to the side of the neck.
　The King Lizard couldn't withstand the attack, which seemed to reap his consciousness, and he collapsed to the ground.

''Phew.''
Lane, you did it!
Yeah.

　He exchanged high fives with Kanade.

　However, the adventurers and soldiers are pale.
　Their faces have turned pale, and they look like they could die at any moment.

''What's going on?''
Oh, oh ... that ...

　The adventurer pointed to .....

'Kishaaaaah!

　A new King Lizard.
　And not just one, but several.

'Really? How long have you had them?
Well it would be a pain in the ass indeed.
But it's just a hassle, right?
What about Lane?
I'll be fine.
Hey, hey ... what the hell are you guys talking about?　You're going to die if you don't run away soon!

　The adventurer makes a desperate appeal.
　He's so upset by the unexpected reinforcements that he doesn't seem to be able to see the situation.

''Do you think you're going to get away safely now?''
Ugh, that's...
It's okay. We'll take care of King Lizard. In the meantime, I want you all to evacuate.
No, I'm not going to leave you guys.
I'll be fine.

　Kanade laughs.
　I laugh.

"We'll take care of it.



----------



　The adventurers and soldiers frantically fled out of the cave with the captured bandits.
　In truth, they wanted to abandon the bandits and run away.

　However, there were people who sacrificed themselves for them.
　At the very least, we must do our duty.

　Trembling with fear, they took the captured bandits outside....
　And he managed to escape outside himself.

''Ha, ha, ha.......oh, those two.......?

　The adventurer looks toward the cave.
　Faintly, he hears the sounds of a struggle.
　They are still fighting.

　They are still alive.

　The adventurer is reassured, but....
　I couldn't muster up the courage to go and support him.

　There is nothing I can do against such a monster.
　The only thing I can do is to pray for their safety.

Please.......please be safe........

　I've been an adventurer for years.
　I've never once prayed to God but....
　For once, I prayed to God from the bottom of my heart for their safety.

　And.........

　The sounds of strife coming from the depths of the cave stopped.
　The battle must have ended.
　Who had won?
　If I were to think normally, it would be King Lizard.
　There was no way they could fight multiple King Lizzards properly.
　They would only be overrun one-sidedly.

　After waiting for a few minutes, no one showed up.
　Just as a sense of desperation began to waft through the air.

Oh.

　Someone shouted.

　I hear footsteps.
　The sound of two footsteps.

　Eventually......

"'Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!!!!'

　In order to protect themselves, the two remaining people in the cave showed up.
　Seeing those two, those who were present cheered loudly.