The next day.
　We finished our preparations and left River End.
　Our destination was the village of Zisu.
　It would take about a week to get there, so it was going to be a long journey.

　We've prepared well, so we're not worried about supplies and such.
　But if we had to carry a week's worth of food and water, it would be quite a lot.
　So I decided to send a bear to carry our stuff.

I said, "Awesome. Come on, Beast Tamer, that's useful.

　Axe said somewhat happily as he looked at the bear carrying his luggage.
　Cell, walking next to him, gives Axe a cold look.

'Don't frolic like a child, please. It's embarrassing.'
Isn't it great though?　See, this bear, he's carrying his stuff properly........I didn't know beast tamer could do this kind of thing. I've only heard of it as an outsider's job, so I have a strong sense of surprise.
'Hmmm. That's right, Rain is great.

　For some reason, Kanade joined the conversation.

'After all, Rain is our master!　It's special.
Why does Kanade have to be so proud...?
"Haha, they love you.
'Meow!　Oh, don't love me... well, uh... uh...

　The canade turns red and sullen.
　It's just a light-hearted remark, but why do I react so badly?

"Ha-ha.

　Axe looks at the panicked Kanade, and Axe looks devious.

'Oh, so that's what it is, isn't it?　Okay, Kanade. If that's the case, I'll help you out.
'Huh?　No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!
Come on, man. I'm on the side of the girls. It's a shame I won't be able to get to know Kanade better but I'll be able to help you with that.
I don't want you to have to deal with the status quo now...
'Sweet!　How can you tell when someone will take it from you like that?　I'll take care of it!　Hey, Rain. How do you feel about Kanade?

　Cell struck Axe with his bow.

''What are you doing...?''
How can you possibly solve such a delicate problem?　Don't interfere because you're just going to stir up a mess and make it even more confusing than it already is.
'Well you're jealous because I care about you, Kanade, aren't you?　But don't worry. I'm just a cell guy, playing with fire for a bit, goohoo!
'I don't know what it means, and what's the point of declaring an affair in the first place if you openly declare it?
Neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

　I'm secretly overheard.

''Are these two really A-ranked adventurers?　Aren't you really a comedian?
I know how you feel.

　If you only look at him on a daily basis, he doesn't look like a very A-ranked adventurer.
　Maybe he's flipping the switch on and off.
　I can't be tense all year round, you know.

　........maybe, though.

'Oops.'

　We quickly got back to our feet and Axe was walking in the lead...
　He stopped, seeming to notice something.

'What's going on?'
Stop. It's a demon.
What?

　This is a city road, and demons rarely appear here.
　The only places to hide are behind trees and small bushes.
　It doesn't look like there are any demons here, but...

　But Axe had the most serious look on his face I've ever seen, and he'd already drawn his sword.
　There was no doubt about it.
　He told everyone to stop.

'Location?'
Well, I don't know for sure, but it's about 200 meters away. I can feel a bad vibe coming from that area.


　Kanade's ears fluttered... and not long after, his tail twitched.

'Rain, Rain. Axe was right, there's a sign of a demon in the air!　Look, you see?　Up in the tree over there.
Oh, yeah, that's right.

　The trees lined up in the distance.
　Hidden by the fresh green leaves, a bird-shaped demon could be seen.

　Was that................................a flare bird, as I recall?
　It is a fire-breathing bird-shaped demon that specializes in surprise attacks.

　Kanade would have been able to find them at such a distance, but....
　How did you find Axe when he's just a normal human being?

Let's go kick some ass.

　I'll have everyone stay here and go ahead and eradicate the flare birds.
　As I was about to do so, Axe made me stop him with my hand.

'Yeah?'
'Well, well, let Cell take care of this one. Cell, you're going to be okay, right?
Yes. That's not a problem from this distance.

　The cell was already ready for the bow.
　Pulling the string wide ... and letting go!

　An arrow flew through the wind.
　As if it had been pre-ordained to happen, the arrow pierced the head of the flare bird two hundred meters away.

　It was neither a fluke nor a coincidence.
　As if to prove this, Cell fired arrow after arrow.
　None of the arrows miss and pierce the Flare Bird's head as if they were sucked in.
　It's all one blow.

'It's done.'
Oh, wow.

　Kanade, who was watching the whole thing, was pouting.
　I feel the same way.

　I sensed the presence of a demon 200 meters away before Kanade did.
　And then we'll shoot them through with our bows.
　It's not a pretty sight, but we can't do it.
　So that's what the A-rated people are capable of.

Okay, we're done!　Let's move on.

　At Axe's signal, everyone moved forward again.

'Awesome,'
Hmm?
"I'm picking up a demon 200 meters away. And sniping at extreme distances. Not something a normal adventurer would do.
Really?　To us, it's only natural to be able to do that. Otherwise, we wouldn't have survived.

　Even as he said this, Axe was grinning.
　He was probably happy to be praised.
　He's an easy guy to understand.
　But, well, I don't mind that kind of thing.

To tell you the truth, I was a little nervous at first, but now I think you're very helpful.
Oh, I got it!　I mean........you were worried at first!
"Sorry. After all, that was the first time we met...
Axe, it's your fault.
It's my fault?
Who else is to blame but you?
'Yes, it's my fault, I'm sorry...'

　Axe shrugged as Cell stared at him with icy eyes.
　I'm still not sure about the relationship between these two.
　I don't know if they're close or not.
　There is no doubt that they are a good duo, though.

Hey, can I ask you a question?

　He resumed his steps, and after a bit, Axe opened his mouth to speak.

'Yeah?'
Why did Lane and the others take this job?
'Why, you ask, what's the intent of that question?
Pure interest. And curiosity.

　Axe gave me a searching look.

''This request, the reward is nice, but the risk is high, right?　After all, he's an unidentified demon that destroyed an entire village. We don't know what kind of person we're dealing with but we're pretty sure he's a nasty piece of work. It's not an easy thing to get injured, and you could die. And yet, why?
No good reason. I just couldn't leave it alone.
"Hmm?
What's the matter?　It's not something we can leave alone, and if there's anything we can do about it, we wanted to do something about it. That's all.

　Axe was silent for a few moments and then....

"Haha.

　He smiled pleasantly.

"I like that. I like it. In fact, it's my kind of thing.
What about that kind of axe?
It's the same for me. A demon that could destroy an entire village would not be left alone. If someone is doing something wrong, we have to make it right. Well, in a word........I'm on the side of justice, right?

　It was very straightforward and for a very simple reason.
　In a way, it was childlike.
　You could say that he is living an ideal.

　That may sound puerile, but....
　But I liked it.
　I felt like I could do a good job with Axe.......and not only that, I felt like we could be good friends.

　........But I didn't know at the time that that wish would never come true.