066. Full Exposure, Erection In the Earth!
「...... You've come out of the blue, and you've got a gut to say that」
Lilyza stood up and said with hostility, but Grieve's expression remained cool.
「Oh dear. I had expected this―but I am doing this out of the kindness of my heart for you, you know? What do you know about him, in the first place?」
「You know. That's totally our line, isn't it?」
「Ha! You're all nothing but "bait" and "tools". You all know, don't you? You know about the "abilities" and "abnormalities" that he is carrying at the moment.」
「Th-that's...」
「In addition, you are forgetting the fact that he is an "otherworlder" invited from another world, even though he looks like an ordinary human being, aren't you? He is a "similar but different existence" from you, fundamentally different from you. If you stay with him, you will surely bring about his destruction―I heard that you have hurt him, and I think it would be better for his health if you parted ways now, don't you think?」
When Grieve said this, Lilyza, Nora, and the others fell silent. But there was only one person who strongly and willingly argued against it.
「Why the hell should I be told that by you?」
「Osada-kun!?」
Barbara raised her voice, but Osada did not take a step back and objected to Grieve.
「No matter who or what kind of existence he is, the fact remains that he's an "important friend of mine"! Especially since I'm his partner! It's my duty to be there for him and support him!」
「Hmmm. However, you can't ignore my point that you are "not strong enough", can you?」
「Ugh. T-that's...」
「The only thing you can boast of is your [S-Dimensional Stomach] ability ― it's useful for managing and transporting goods, but that's basically all it is, and the rest is just an added bonus, isn't it?」
「H-How did you――!?」
「Who knows. And the same goes for the others. It's not enough. You are so incompetent that you can't even stand beside him」
「......!」
「That's――」
「............」
「You may be good for now, but you will surely slow him down in the near future. Just by being by his side――Just being involved is a hindrance. If you were to be taken hostage, it would be a dead end at that point, wouldn't it?」
When Grieve said that, even Osada was finally forced into silence.
「Therefore, I strongly advised you. Forget about Yuuto Orihara. He, too, will eventually have to face the "fate that has been imposed on him". Each person has his or her own "parts and role". Realize this and go back to your respective daily life」
「Ah!」
Grieve announced and disappeared before everyone's eyes.
The remaining members of the group were left with no way to deal with the "advice" and the "reality" they were confronted with.
◇◆◇◆
The shining sun.
The smell of thick greenery.
The sound of birds and beasts coming from nowhere, the faint sound of running water...
In the midst of all this. A boy with black hair and black eyes was standing there stunned, literally "as he was born"
「......Where in the world am I? And what am I doing?」
In the middle of the forest in the middle of nowhere, in full nude. The situation now, standing alone, is dangerous or unusual in a different way.
(――How did this happen?)
This is the result of my asking for Grieve's help to solve the "abnormality" that had arisen within me and the "mental problems" that accompanied it.
「For the time being, as the saying goes, "Survive on your own," and I will show you.」
Without any explanation, I was suddenly taken to this place by [Transfer], and then she just said one-sidedly and disappeared.
I was stunned by this, and spent the night without sleep, not knowing why - until now.
「I mean, thank goodness it's summer」
It was indeed cold in the mornings and evenings, but I was lucky to make it through without freezing to death.
「But I can't stay "like this" forever.」
Moreover, I have very little "survival knowledge".
For a while, there was a 'puchi bumu (Things I'm a little addicted to these days)' around me, so I've been nibbling away at the basics ― I think.
Furthermore, Grieve did not forbid the use of folia.
So for now, it's not really a big problem, but ......
「Anyway, let's break the stone.」
I came close to the stream and started by "breaking stones," as I learned from a manga.
I picked out stones of various sizes that were in good shape, split them by slamming them against each other, sharpened them, and roughly shaped them.
I then used them to cut thin wood, bark, ivy, and other materials and tie them together to make "something that looks like clothing".
Of course, it is smoked to get rid of insects, and finally, several triangular pieces of wood are arranged in a row and covered with tied branches and leaves, and by adding fallen leaves, a tent small enough for one person to lie in is created.
Of course, it was not as easy as it sounds.
Even though I had the knowledge, I had never done anything like this before, and I failed far more often than I succeeded.
Still, I managed to do it simply because I could use folia.
Fire could be easily started with the [Flame], and water could be drunk by melting ice created with the [Ice Edge].
There is a stream nearby, so why don't I just drink from it?
This is an absolute no-no, as doing so is highly likely to cause diarrhea or, worse, introduce parasites into the body.
No matter how clean the water looks, unless it is from a spring, you should boil it before drinking it ― and as for food, the fish in the stream will keep for a while (Even if I don't have a pole, there is "stone fishing (石打漁)". It's illegal in Japan, though). I was fortunate that I was able to obtain "edible grass," "nuts," and "fruits" thanks to my unexpected acquisition of "Botany".
I created various other things ― "stone axes," "stone knives," "bark vessels," etc.
「――why do I have to do this?」
I can't make head or tail of what Grieve is thinking.
Or is she going to say, "Leave human society for a while and take a rest for your mind"?
(No, no, no. That logic doesn't make sense.)
If that were the case, I would be more than grateful for a referral to a good counselor. And what's more...
「!?」
Immediately after that, a demonic beast "Al-Mi'raj" attacked me out of nowhere.
「Guooooohhhhhhhh!?」
It looks almost the same as a horned rabbit, but it is more than one size larger and moves in a ferocious and wild manner. In addition,
[Hypnosis]
「!?」
I was stunned to see a rabbit using folia, and for a brief moment, I lost consciousness. Immediately afterward
「Gaahhhhhhhh!!」
My left arm was wounded by the horn, but I crushed its head using a stone axe I had placed nearby. The wound was also healed, so it was all right.
「......Guuaagghh!」
Within 15 minutes, I suddenly suffered from severe chills and fatigue, and after fainting in agony for a while, I vomited out the contents of my stomach.
It's not normal, no matter how you look at it.
(D-don't tell me ...... poison!?)
Or maybe some bacteria or something got into me when I was injured ― I wasn't sure if it was effective or not, but I used [Detoxification] and also forcibly swallowed some medicinal herbs and went to bed.
I don't know if it was effective or not, but when I woke up again, I recovered to the point where I could barely move, and as the days went by, I gradually became able to adapt to my current situation and environment.
However ― still lonely, and surviving life in another world was neither easy nor fun.
Rather, I felt like I was going crazy in a different way, being "next to death".
(I couldn't feel anyone's eyes on me, I couldn't feel anyone's presence, demonic beasts were relentlessly attacking me, and the insects were annoying and dangerous...)
I had completely lost sight of my purpose.
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Tftc
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