◆Yukinojo◆



"ぅ......"



"Haruomi!　Pull yourself together, Haruomi!"



　Yo desperately calls out to Haruomi, who is losing his bloodlust more and more.

　Don't die!　Don't die here, Haruomi!



"Ugh ......"



　Haruomi opens his eyes thinly, as if Norbu's treatment has been successful.



"Haruomi!"



"Am I ......?"



　Haruomi's gaze wandered around him, not understanding what had happened, but his eyes came into focus the moment he saw the destroyed magical tool.



"Hahaha,...... pathetic,...... what a mess,......"



　Haruomi seems to have guessed what had happened and starts laughing like a broken man.　



"I finally got control of the magical tools, and just as I was about to take revenge on those who took everything from me, this is what I get for trying to ...... use you, only to end up being used by you."



"Haruomi ......"



　Haruomi recognized my voice and looked at me curiously.



"Why are you making that face ......?　Why do you look like you're about to cry?"



"I don't know!　I don't know!



"What ......?"



"I'm ...... the avenger of your father's murder, remember?　You're the enemy that tried to kill you, ......?"



"I know ...... I know, but I don't know ......."



"It's okay."



　Mina's companion, a man called Nolbu, shines the light of his healing magic on Haruomi's wounds.



I will take full responsibility for your brother. So don't worry.



　The man in front of me assured me with a strong gaze as if he were a skilled doctor, which was a complete change from the confident behavior I had seen in the village.



"......, I see. I see."



　Hearing those words, I finally understood what I was feeling.

　I am not very perceptive at all. I am so stupid that I hate myself.



　Then what am I doing?　He was born into a samurai family, yet he did not fight and fussed like a child.

　Is this the behavior of a samurai?



"No, I am a samurai."



　I remembered what I was supposed to do, and I stood up with my core in my heart.



"Nolbu, take care of Haruomi!"



"Yes, I'll leave it to you."



　Nolbu responds quietly but strongly. So this is what a good doctor looks like.

　I am so relieved!

　Then he told Haruomi.



"Haruomi, I understand."



"Okay. ......?"



"Why do I feel this way? It's simple. I was worried about you.



"What ......?"



　Haruomi rolls his eyes in surprise.

　I see even he has this look on his face.



"Yes, <>. It's really quite simple when you understand it.



"Are you stupid ......, I'm the one who ...... your parents."



　You killed him, is what he's trying to say.



"Yes, revenge. But at the same time we are brothers by blood!"



"......!"



"If you're family, ...... if you're family, it's your job to right wrongs and to forgive!"



"!　...... family......?　Me and ...... you?"



　Haruomi's face is a complex mixture of incredulity, unwillingness to believe, surprise, and rejection.



"You may not want to admit it, but he is still my blood brother. Father made a mistake. He believed in a false rebellion and took your name, your family, from you and banished you. But a family man, a father, should have embraced him instead of keeping him away. Even if it was out of concern for your brother's safety, if you were family, you should have been there to protect him!



　Yes, I can feel it when I put it into words.



"Maybe it's too late. Maybe it's too late. Maybe there's no way to get it back. But I still want to protect you. Haruomi, or rather Haruyoshi, I will bear the sins and mistakes of you and my father!






　With the sword that has lost its tsubasa in his hand, he throws himself into battle against the demons.



"I am the successor to the Shogun!　I am Yoren Yukinojo!　Prepare yourself, demon!



"Guwahhhh!"



"What?"



　But when Yo stepped onto the battlefield, he saw a demon flying in the air, having been beaten to a pulp by Mina and the others.



"What?



"If magic doesn't work, we can just use body enhancement magic to strengthen our bodies and beat them up!"



"Even if the magic effects of the magic item don't work, Lex's special magic item is very sharp, so you can just cut it normally."



"We couldn't use magic in the first place, and we can use the physical reinforcement that assists us in attacking ourselves normally, so we're not at a disadvantage.



""That's what I mean.""



　Mina and the others soar the demon high into the sky while saying such crazy logic.



"That's impossible!



　The demon's exclamations seemed to represent my inner voice.

　The demon's brain was smashed into the ceiling by the three's uninterrupted barrage of blows.



"Guboh!



　Thud!

　The demon crashes to the ground, looking like a rag doll, and convulses in a cruel manner.



"Kyu!"



　As if to add insult to injury, a strange white creature climbed up on the demon's back and began to chew on its wings.



　The sight of the creature, so pitiful despite being the cause of my father's death and the hateful avenger of my own brother, gently quelled the anger and hatred that had been swirling inside me.



"Pathetic."



　Well, I guess I've been dealing with the wrong person.



"Huh."



　Mina, who had just finished an overwhelmingly brutal overthrow that could hardly be called a battle, was exhaling heavily and doing zanshin (remaining mind).



"Mina, Mina."



　Mina recognized me when I called out to her and turned around.



"Yukinojo?　Is Haruomi-san okay?"



"Uh-huh. Nolbu is treating me now. I was going to help Mina and the others in their fight. ......"



"Ah."



　Mina glances at the demoness with an awkward voice.



"You already beat him, didn't you?"



"Yes, that's right."



　If you think about it, Mina and the others are much stronger than I am.

　I knew that if I got involved in their battle, I would only be a hindrance to them, but this was a problem before I was a hindrance.

　I am ashamed of myself,



"Well, well, we defeated the demon, and with Nolbu here, Haruomi-san will be able to heal you properly."



"Yes, I suppose so."



　The conversation between the two was very awkward.

　But it caught us off guard.



"What?



　A demon stood up behind Mina.

　There was a container of some kind of medicine lying at his feet.

　Is that a cure?



No, Mina!



"What?"



　My body moves involuntarily.

　I grabbed Mina by the shoulders, pulled her to me, and pushed her to the side.

　This should help Mina.



"Shit!　But killing you will destroy this country!　If I kill you, the next general!"



　The demon who failed to surprise Mina clicks his tongue in disgust, but shifts his target to me and comes straight at me.



"Majin!　You're alive!



It's a potion!



　There's no way around it. I'm out of position because I panicked and pushed Mina away.



"Stop!"



　Mina reaches for me, but her hand does not grab me.




　But that's all right. He who, when I was in the depths of despair, repeatedly patted me on the back and pushed me forward.

　If I die protecting you, I have no regrets!

　It is a warrior's or even a man's honor to die protecting the woman he loves!

　And I'm sorry. I'll leave you to clean up the mess.

　Take care of Haruomi if you can!



Die!



　The demon wields his deadly blade to kill me.



You!



　But the blade never struck me.

　Suddenly, a strange man's voice came from behind him.



"Terryaaaah!



"Gwaaaaah!"



　Then, the demon exclaims as he is hit from behind by a blow from someone.



What happened?



"That was a close call."



　This time, a strange man appears from behind the fallen man.

　He is not a citizen of Amagamine. Are they from another land?



"A, you ......!　Gyro!"



"Hey, long time no see, guys!"



　Mina speaks up. It seems that this man is an acquaintance of Mina and the others, perhaps the last companion they were looking for.



"Where the hell have you been wandering around?



"Hmm?　Well, I've been walking around looking for you guys.



　Mina angrily questions the man called Gyro, but he remains aloof.



"It's not a lot of things. When he sees a girl in trouble, he goes this way and that way, and then he goes further and further inland. I told you many times that you should be looking for Botchan in a town by the sea.



　Then, as if to complain about Gyro's words, a man dressed like a bandit appears.



"No, you know what? If there's a guy in trouble, we can't just not help him, can we?



"A girl?"



　Mina raises her eyebrows when she hears that he was saving a woman.



"Hey, what the hell were you doing!　Spit it out!　Spit it all out!"



"Hmm?　I didn't do anything important. I was just helping some people who were in trouble.



That's not even a little bit. Everywhere I go, I make friends with beautiful girls.



　The man sighs in disgust at Gyro's words.

　He looks like he's been through a lot.



"What are you really doing?



　Mina grabs Gyro by the chest and presses up against him.



"Hey, hey, what the hell?"



"You're always making me worry!　Really ......"



　Mina's voice, which should have been angry, becomes quieter and quieter.



"Oh, I'm sorry."



　Gyro, feeling sorry for himself, strokes Mina's head, apologizing with his eyes narrowed.

　This might be ......



"You should be more relaxed."



"Well, I'll be careful."



　Seeing this, I guessed it.



"Oh, so that's how it is."



　Oh, my God. Mina's mind was made up from the beginning.

　How funny I think it is.



"I wonder if she was even on the stage from the beginning."



　Of course. Mina is a good woman.

　Then it would be strange if she didn't have a partner.

　Let's be glad we didn't tell her how we feel.



"Hey, you're pretty good!"



"What?"



　As I was feeling down inside, Gyro suddenly spoke to me.

　I mean, what on earth are you talking about?






"You, you moved to protect Mina as soon as you saw that the demon was alive, didn't you?　If I had failed, I could have died. You're a brave man!



"Mm-hmm."



　I was so selfless at the time. I didn't even think about the math of how to save myself.

　And yet, when I heard this man's innocent praise, I felt nothing but joy.

　It was not a flattery to hide his ulterior motives toward the son of the Shogun, nor was it a rebuke for his inadequacy as a successor, but a simple word of praise for Yukinojo, and I was unexpectedly moved.



　Ah, you can't win.

　I guess such a pleasant man is the reason why Mina is attracted to him.

　It's a big defeat at the end of the day.

　But strangely enough I don't feel bad about it.



"You, too, have struck a great blow."



　◆



　The battle against the demons clad in powerful magic items was successfully defeated by Liliela and the others, as well as by Gyro-kun, who appeared last.

　Everyone had once said that it was impossible to fight against demons and dragons, but they have all grown into great men.

　You all had talent to begin with. All you lacked was a fair assessment of your own abilities.

　But now you all know what you are capable of, and I am sure that from now on you will not be afraid to show off your abilities.



"Now that the emergency repair of the magic item has been completed, I guess that's it for now.



　That's when it happened.

　Suddenly, I heard a tremendous beast scream from the depths of the earth.



What was that?



　Everyone was alarmed, thinking that demons had attacked here.

　But that wasn't the only thing that happened.

　The cave of the ruins began to shake violently again and the earth began to split open!



Another earthquake?



"Didn't Lex do something about it?



"No, this is different!"



　This is not an earthquake. Something more ......



"What!　It's bright!



And what's with the heat?



　A crack in the earth is erupting with orange light and heat.



"Could this be it?



　I look into the crack, being careful not to fall into it.

　As I had expected, I found an orange-colored liquid.



I knew it was lava!



　Yes, it was lava flowing at the bottom of the fissure.

　But that's not all. At the bottom of the deep fissure, something huge was trying to crawl out of the lava.



"A creature!　In that place?



"H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H!"



　That's when it happened. Gyro, the demon who had been knocked down by your blow let out a broken laugh.



"That's right!　He was sleeping at the bottom of this lava, at the intersection of the earth's veins and spiritual veins!"



"He?



Yes!　The source of the disaster that has befallen this country, the Great Monster!"



"A big monster?"



　As if to mock our triumph, the Majin told us a shocking truth.