Foreigner Volume 6, Chapter 70

Volume 6 Chapter 70, Shock ~ 10

　On that day, at the second koku of the day, Derek read the message that appeared on the message tablet and sighed as he was the vice leader of the Academy of the Wise patrol team.

　It's a magic tool that allows you to exchange messages with the tablet's counterpart. The current holder of the tablet's counterpart is an adventurer by title, Raymond, Baron Dantes' heir.

　There are nine of them in the countermeasure team, all of them magicians. They were so short-handed that they had to outsource to Raymond, the leader's helper, he's a good worker, but he's still not highly regarded by the Team leader and the High Mentor. As for Derek, he had to worry about the message that resulted from his arbitrary decision. It would be another source of stomachache for the Team Leader. Derek had already assessed that the young Team Leader, who had just been appointed to the post, was capable, but she had a tendency to push herself too hard. But that didn't mean he couldn't report back.

　Derek copied the words on the tablet onto a piece of parchment and placed it in front of Sheryl.

「Message from Sir Dantez. The target is headed to the 【Lost Forest with the half-elf.」

　As Derek had predicted, Sheryl's beautiful face twisted blatantly.

「That guy.........I told you to stay away from the target」

「However, 【Detection】 doesn't work in the 【Lost Forest】. Wouldn't it be effective to have them watch the target comings and goings?」

　As long as the target, Satoru, is in the 【Lost Forest】, their 【Detection】 won't work. Since it would be difficult to understand the target's movements, she wanted to end this before he entered the 【Lost Forest】 if possible. However, that was impossible in the current situation. In addition, Satoru had accurately found the half-elf that Raymond had failed to find and entered the forest, which was a problem. This is because their strategy is not working at all. More precisely, Raymond didn't fail to look for it, but as expected, that much is none of Sheryl's business.

　The report itself is also very useful, because it shows that they failed to stop the target. She can't blame Raymond unilaterally.

「「However, it will take at least an koku (4 hour) for Sir Dantes to get through to us. It will take another hour (4 hour) for him to receive our instructions. As long as we can't respond immediately, if the target finds Raymond and his men and  they get into trouble, we won't be able to see a thing.」

「There's always that possibility, but......」

　Sheryl is the only person who has interacted with the target. She always advocates caution. It was probably because she had experienced the horror of the target up close, but if she was only cautious, she would not be able to gather the necessary information. Sheryl swallowed her opinion and glanced at Derek, who muddled his words.

「What do you think?」

　This is the part where Derek feels that Sheryl, despite her young age, has first-rate abilities. She listens to the opinions of her subordinates, and when she feels it's necessary, she has the courage to incorporate them. Derek was very clear about this.

「I think we should respect the judgment of the field.」

　The fact that Raymond was able to send reports like this is the best proof that he was able to monitor the target without being detected. It's possible that the target is keeping Raymond in the dark, but it's hard to imagine that, considering Satoru's bold statement that he doesn't hold back.

　There was no way Sheryl could have known that Minerva's sense of smell was slightly weakened by the smell of Rico's menstrual blood.

　Sheryl put her hand on her chin and thought. It would be a big deal if Raymond accidentally contacted Satoru and got into trouble, and that was why she had always tried to tell him to proceed with caution, but Derek had a point. Derek is a man of the field. The opinions of those who can actually see and hear what is going on are strong.

「I see what you mean. ...... Vice Team Leader Derek has a point. There's a limit to how much time we can buy ourselves. The only thing we can do now is hope that the 『World Tree Labyrinth』 will give us the leverage we need.」

　However, considering how easily he cleared the 『Labyrinth of No Return』, She doesn't think there's much hope. In any case, Satoru's power, his way of doing things, everything is in a different dimension. As the High Mentor predicted, Satoru is moving forward at a much faster rate. Sheryl will not be surprised if Satoru comes out tomorrow.

　Accepting Derek's opinion, Sheryl thought about the text of the reply.

「"Please continue to work hard on your duties". Just write that on the message tablet.」

　It would be best to write that - she thought rather casually. Later, Sheryl would regret her lack of thoroughness.

　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊

　His vision opened up rapidly and the lights became stronger. It was as if he was swimming, and suddenly, without a sense of resistance, it opened up in front of him. He slipped through and found himself on a path that was clearly inhabited. On both sides of the half-major width of the path, there was a neat line of trees about one major in height, and ahead of him, he could see the trunk of a tremendously large tree.

「Ohhhh!」

　The sudden brightening made it difficult for his eyesight to adjust quickly. As soon as he got used to it, and Satoru immediately pulled Liz's hand forcefully.

「Kyaaa!」

　Satoru stood up as if to protect Liz. Four arrows were shot at Satoru with great force. However, the arrows did not reach Satoru.

『Holy Shield』

　Leia, who had been hiding in the shadows, used defensive magic. Just before hitting Satoru, the arrow's power was diminished as if it had hit a barrier, and it fell to the ground.

「Liz! You are an outcast, and bringing an outsider to this holy land!」

　A young male elf shouted loudly. In Satoru's field of vision, he sees four elves holding arrows at what is probably the entrance to the village. Satoru's brain snapped at the rudeness of the person who shot arrows at him without question, without even listening to what he had to say.

「Bastaaard!」

　At the moment of Satoru's agitation, a strong surge of magic power surged around him. He tore off the string that tied him and Liz together without difficulty, and pushed Rico and Minerva behind him to take care of Liz, while he himself pulled out his 【Giant Killer】. The young elf, sensing the change in atmosphere, drew his bow again, and a dignified voice sounded.

「Stop it!」

「Elder!」

　The owner of the voice suddenly appeared without a sound. He wondered if it was some kind of 【Transfer】 art. He was an old man who looked like a dead tree and was missing one arm. However, there was definitely a sense of intimidation in his slender physique. At the sound of the old man's voice, the elf who had been drawing his bow loosened his grip, but Satoru was still holding the 【Giant Killer】 in his right hand.

　Satoru doesn't know if he's an elder or what, but he doesn't find it necessary to refrain from a leader who shoots arrows at him like this without question. The distance is about five majors (45 meters), but it's only a breath away for Satoru.

「Uninvited, human. What brings you to this place?」

　A voice sounded cheerful and resonant at a distance. The voice seemed to be strong for someone of his age, which was to be expected from his appearance. It's not the best way to start off a conversation, but Satoru guessing the old man wants to have a discussion.

「We're going to conquere the 『Labyrinth of the World Tree』」

　There is a hint of Liz getting shaken up in the background. It's natural. She didn't expect to suddenly point an arrow at her. Perhaps it was meant as a warning, but even so, the unacceptable rudeness of the other party seemed to make Rico, as well as Minerva, unusually angry. Satoru glanced at her, and Rico noticed his gaze and nodded. Rico moved quickly to Minerva and whispered - as expected, Rico is quick to judge. She seems to have understood Satoru's intention to discuss it at least once.

「Are you calling this a conquer instead of a search?」

　A voice with a hint of dismay rang out. To say that Satoru and others are going to conquer the labyrinth that hasn't been conquered for hundreds of years is nothing short of a grandiose statement.

「I've already conquered the 『Labyrinth of No Return』. Is that not enough?」

　At the sound of Satoru's voice, the four young elves with their arrows still in their hands showed clear signs of agitation.

「Nonsense, that's impossible!」

「That humans are probably lying.」

　But there was no sign of a lie in Satoru's eyes. Of course. Even though he cheated quite a bit, the fact is that he conquer the 『Labyrinth of No Return』 and scattered its magic power. At any rate, the proof is in his own shadow.

　The Elder kept his sincere attitude while the young people were upset and fussing about the lie.

「...... My goodness. I'm surprised if it's true. What is your purpose for exploring the labyrinth?」

　Satoru relaxed a little. He was ready to kill them all here, but at least he could see that the old man had not ordered the young men to attack. Of course, you can never be too careful. In the shadows, Leia and Solor were probably thinking of their own countermeasures.

　The purpose of exploring the labyrinth is not to hide. Satori said with dignity

「Yeah, I'm looking for the 【Immortal King】 Yarth. I'm searching for a labyrinth where he might be the Lord.」

「I see. But if that's the case, then there's no point in trying to conquer the 【Labyrinth of the World Tree】

「Huh?」

　Satoru was caught off guard by the assertion that there was no point in having come all this way.

「The Lord of the 『Labyrinth of the World Tree』 is not the 【Immortal King】, Yarth. It's the Demon Ingolshenes.」

　The existence of the demon and its name were simply told to him. But Satoru was not interested in it at all.

「...... Drats. So it's a waste of time.」

　Perhaps the information about the Lord of the labyrinth is a closely guarded secret. The young elf looked surprised at the Elder for mentioning the name so lightly, but it did not matter to Satoru.

「I have not heard much about the 【Immortal King】 Yarth around here. I think he's in another region.」

　Judging from the way the Elder said it, it was probably true. If that's the case, there are no Yarth in this region. It was a good thing he had come to this region, but he came up empty-handed. Honestly, Satoru was disappointed.

　For the time being, he stabs the tip of his 【Giant Killer】 into the ground and scratches his head.

「I see. That young man said that you were Elder, right? Thanks for the advice. It saved me from wasting any more time.」

「Rude ......」

　A fearless-looking elf, who was probably the leader of the four young elves, glared at Satoru as he spoke. But of course, Satoru doesn't think that's a problem. The first encounter had been a disaster, but he had just thanked the old man for his advice.

　Then, there was no need to stay here for long. He didn't want to be in a dangerous place where they could just point and shoot arrows at Liz.

　When Satoru was about to turn back on his heel, the Elder suddenly called out to him.

「Say, human.」

「What is it?」

　Satoru tied the 【Giant Killer】 back into a knot on his back.

　Finally, the young elves noticed that Satoru was handling such a large sword without difficulty. Elves, as a race, are not very powerful. It was not like an elf to fight with such a large weapon, let alone a savage creature like a dwarf. The elves are a race that has survived on their agility and magic power. But even so, there was still a sense of awe at the thought of handling such a large sword so lightly.

　The Elder did not seem to take kindly to Satoru's back-to-back replies, and asked in a bitter tone of voice.

「If we were to ask you to conquer that labyrinth, or rather to exterminate Ingolshenes, would you accept?」

「Wha!」

「Elder!」

　Satoru raised one eyebrow in response, completely ignoring the impatient shouts of the younger generation.

「.......Are you in trouble?」

「Honestly. We have to pay tribute to Ingolshenes every year. We've been offering it for three hundred years now.」

「What about the reward」

「I don't know if it will be enough to satisfy the humans, but I will give you as much money as we can. We will also give you some of the magical tools we have in our village.」

　Hmm, Satoru sighed. To be honest, it doesn't matter to Satoru how much trouble this village is in. In Satoru case, the reputation of this elven village was severely damaged by the fact that they drove out the helpless mother and daughter, Liz and Reine, but more importantly, they pointed an arrow at Liz without warning. Satoru have no obligation or reason to help this village. It may be a hardship to keep paying tribute to the Demon, but he don't care about that either.

　But this village is home for Reine and Liz. Although they were forced out against their will, they can live in this village without having to work hard in the fields, which they are not used to. Besides, Leine has a bad leg. It would be a pity for her to stay in an unfamiliar place in such a condition.

　Satoru doesn't care about the village. It's just that he owe Liz and Reine for a night's stay and for guiding him to this village.

「Just the money is fine. But, I have a condition.」

「Condition?」

　Satoru walked over to Liz, put his hand on her shoulder, and looked back at the Elder.

「I want you to lift the banishment order on this girl. And of course, you must accept Liz's mother.」

「Onii-san......」

　Liyes raised her voice in deep surprise.

　Honestly, Satoru didn't want to send her back to the village where they had done such a barbaric and rude thing to her, but he had no other choice. After all, this is the hometown of Reine and Liz. Some of them might be able to help Reine with her bad leg.

「Half-elves does not belong in this village!」

　The leader of the young elves shouted at the top of his voice. Satoru's shoulders twitched.

　Perhaps this young elf is a bundle of pride. He takes pride in being a pure-blood in a closed world, and cannot accept anything else. He is an idiot who is the epitome of exclusivism. What he does is right above all else, and he has no need to tolerate other values - it's foolish. His appearance itself seems almost the same as Satoru's, but since the lifespan of an elf is said to be three times that of a human, he is probably over 60 years old.

「Stop!」

　In a somewhat weak and strained voice, the Elder shouted a warning. The Elder himself may be a moderate, judging from the past interactions, but he was just as guilty as the others for not being able to save the mother and her child who had just lost her father. Even the Elder were convinced by the young elf's opinion, which is why they came to the conclusion to kick them out.

「What's more important? Bloodline? Pride? Are you willing to abandon mother and child for such things?」

「What do you mean with such things!?」

「Fuck you! I'm talking to the old man here! You small fry, stay out of this!」

　Satoru called out in a loud voice. If the Elder had been in charge of the young people, he would not have had to go through all this trouble. Reine wouldn't have had a bad leg, and Liz wouldn't have had a hard time.

「Y-You're a small fry for lack of a better word, and you call the Elder, an old man. ......!」

　He gritted his teeth, and the young elf who was the leader――Dietta's hand trembled as he held his bow. He is the strongest in this village. He still has a lot of room for training in magic, but even so, his soul is the biggest in this village. There is no one who can match him with a bow. His pride would not allow him to be called a small fry by a human.

　The hand holding the bow and arrow was trembling with excitement from anger. He was about to move his hand when the voice of the Elder stopped him.

「Stop it! If these people are in fact the fierce warriors who have conquered the 『Labyrinth of No Return』, then you are no match for them!」

「That's a lie, of course! There is no way that a human being can conquer that labyrinth!」

　At the sound of Dietta's voice, the other young men who were serving as guards, who were probably his sympathizers, all chanted in unison, "That's right, that's right!". It seems that the rumor of the 『Labyrinth of No Return』 has reached the elves as well. Leaving those idiots screaming, Satoru turned his attention to the two people in the shadows.

(Leia, Solor. If these guys attack me, I won't need any defensive arts. Just take care of Liz and Rico.)

『Understood.』

　You must have some idea――Leia sensed it. The two of them had been known for a long time, so they were able to work together. She doesn't believe that a bow used by an elf can hurt Satoru in the slightest. It is the same even if it is magic. If that is the case, then, as Satoru says, she should use her power to protect her friends, who would be mortally wounded by it.

『Master. If it is Ingolshenes, I have it in my data. I estimate that it has about 4,000 soul. Even if the Master yourself does not travel through labyrinth, I alone am sufficient to kill it.』

　Following Leia's voice, Solor's voice echoed in Satoru's mind. I'm sure you've heard of it. I see, 4,000 soul is quite a high rank in this world. It's the highest soul he have ever heard of, with the exception of the Five Dragons. It's no wonder the elves are having a hard time. Ingolshenes has soul higher than Leia was before she met Satoru. But the current Leia has a soul that is higher than Ingolshenes.

(No, you won't be able to return once you've used your magic. I want to conserve it as much as possible.)

　Solor also has a maximum of 50,000 magic power. While she can't use advanced magic, she can use intermediate and lower level magic, as well as magic that is classified separately.

　In other words, even at this stage, there were three people here who could defeat Ingolshenes: Satoru, Solor, and Leia.

　For some reason, the Elder seem to believe Satoru's words, but those words don't reach the young people. If these are the same people who drove Liz out, it would be faster to kill them all.

「Hey, Elder. Can I kill them all?」

「Wait please」

　Satoru's voice was provocative, and the Elder's voice was full of sarcasm. Dietta, who had been forcing himself to endure Satoru's obvious and cheap provocation, couldn't bear it and bought it easily.

「Wha......you, enough of this!」

「Sto-」

　The Elder's words of restraint did not reach him. Dietta, who was very quick with his bow, shot a precise arrow right between Satoru's eyes. His bow was one of the best in the village, and his aim was accurate―but the arrow did not reach Satoru's eyebrows. The arrow was caught by Satoru's right hand. Like holding it between his fingers. He thought about hurling the arrow back at his opponent like an old fighting comic, but decided against it.

「......whaa」

　The smile of satisfaction quickly turned into a frozen one. Aside from the fact that he had ignored the Elder's warning and attacked, Dietta was also surprised that his attack had no effect at all. It was impossible to grab an arrow that was so quickly placed with just two fingers.

　Satoru himself was skeptical, but just like the battle with the males in Minerva's lair when they descended from the top of Galmul, the attacks he could see were almost like slow motion. So he was able to catch the arrow between his fingers with plenty of time to spare.

「And. What's up? Is that it?」

　Satoru spun the arrow around and snapped it with one thumb. The arrow Dietta used was a special stiff bow made for the elves, and the arrow was thicker to match. Dietta was horrified, as were his three cronies, when Satoru snapped an arrow with a single thumb, which a normal elf could barely bend with both hands. The Elder and Liz watched with bated breath.

　Satoru took a step forward, pulled out the 【Giant Killer】 again, and thrust it into the ground with a thud. The young people's elven bows were pointed at Satoru, and Satoru stood in a position where he could dodge their arrow but not point their arrow at Liz and the others, and Satoru looked at the leader of the young people―Satoru gave Dietta a mocking look.

「Oi」

「What?」

　Dietta was agitated that his bow didn't go through, but he still returned it with a lot of bravado. These people should be beaten up in plain sight.

「You don't have to be alone, I'll give you ten, count 'em. You can attack me all you want. I will not fight back during that time. Instead, when I've counted to ten, I'll counterattack everyone who attacks me―Oh, I'll do give you handicap of not using this sword. But be prepared for losing an arm or two.」

　Satoru's overly arrogant words made Rico and Minerva laugh. But Liz's expression was one of concern. Rico patter her shoulder.

「It's okay. Well, watch it」

　Dietta's face turned bright red at Satoru's attempted provocation.

「Don't talk nonsense!」

「Then, here we go. One...」

　First, Dietta and the other three shot their arrows in unison; one was lightly dodged, the other two were caught with his right hand, and the other one hit the 【Giant Killer】 stuck in front of them. But not just once. They shoots several arrows in rapid succession. Dietta's archery is quite good even in this village, and the archery of the other young men who follow him should be no less.

「Two~」

「What the hell!? I haven't heard of it at all!? That's ridiculous!」

　Some of the arrows must have hit Satoru, but they didn't even pierce him, and they fell helplessly in front of Satoru. It was probably the same defensive magic he used when he first defended Liz, and Dietta, who guessed so, gave up attacking with his bow.

「Three~, Four~」

「Magic! Everyone use 【Water Chakram】!」

　Quickly discarding their bows, the four young elves each took a stance. Elves are a race blessed with the attributes of water and wind, and the attack power of water and wind magic is double that of other races. And as elves are skilled in the use of magic, there is no need to chant. In front of each of the four, a large 10-feet (3 meters) blade made of water floated into the air.

「Five~, Six~」

「『Water Chakram』!!」

　The four of them breathed in unison and released their water blades in unison. The magic is powerful enough to slice even a giant bear or boar in half―but it doesn't reach Satoru. Satoru's clothes got a little wet, and he frowned a little. It didn't work at all. The water blade, which was supposed to have tremendous power, was merely a harassing spray of water.

「――No way!」

　The elf beside Dietta shouted in impatience. If it is only the power of the 【Water Chakram】, his technique is stronger than Dietta's. But despite this, Satoru's competely untouched.

「Se-ven~」

「Oh, shit! Then how about this! 『Stormblade!』」

　Dietta imagined quickly, and a blade of wind struck Satoru. A roar erupts, and a technique with a power that ranks high among wind attack magic is deployed around Satoru.

　Pff, Minerva snorted. That level of wind magic is probably nothing more than a passing fancy to Satoru. The wind magic that Leia used on the Minerva's Nest guys in Galmul was much more powerful - although that wasn't an attack magic.

「Eight~」

　Satoru stood majestically in the fierce wind with no signs of agitation, not even a scratch. Kamaitachi was indeed attacking Satoru, but it was not working at all.

「Oh, no, that's ridiculous.」

　Dietta's impatient voice filled with despair echoed. The most powerful of their attack methods, the bow and arrow, the water magic, the wind magic - It's ridiculous to think that none of them will work.

「Nine~」

　With one more count, Satoru would launch a counterattack. The young people braced themselves for his attack. His defensive capabilities were impressive, but don't think Satoru can catch an elf with superior speed so easily.

「Ten~」

　As soon as he finished counting, Satoru disappeared from the scene. There was no time to think.

「Gyaaa!」「Guaghh!」「Hidebu!」

　Three screams echoed around Dietta, and he turned to look. Three of his own people had been beaten up in a matter of seconds. Satoru's movement was invisible to his eyes, and in a matter of seconds, his opponent had closed the distance to five majors (45 meters) and struck with unseen force. One person's arm was bent in the wrong direction, another person's leg was bent in an impossible direction, and another was blown 10 majors (90 meter) high into the air. The Elder offered his help, saying that it was dangerous to fall from that height.

　Dietta checked Satoru's position ―― Satoru pointed his fingertip at Dietta with an empty gun and smiled. Instantly, a tremendous amount of water gushed out from Satoru's fingertips.

「【Water Shot】!?」

　Dietta twisted to dodge, but the sheer volume of water was too much for him to do so. He was unable to avoid it, and the tremendous water pressure hit his left arm, broke it.

「What the hell is this―!?」

　Dietta was impatient. It's a water magic that elves are supposed to be good at, but even so, no one can use a magic this thick and with this much power. Satoru - he was showing a smile that was totally relaxed. In the face of this attitude, Dietta was horrified to realize that he had just been shown the difference in power by waving an empty gun sideways and saying, "I missed you on purpose."

「You still want to do this? Next time I'm gonna kill you all.」

「Kuhh!」

　Dietta shielded his broken left arm, but still braced himself. He can't use his bow if his arm is like this. The same goes for the other three - or rather, the other three are in no condition to fight. If they fought any longer, Dietta would undoubtedly die as well.

　――Die? To be tortured to death by a human being?

　Realizing this fact, Dietta was terrified. No, I can't go any further――

「Cease this, you fool!」

　A furious shout echoed around the area. It was the voice of an Elder. Satoru was momentarily confused. He hadn't expected this old man, who looked like a dead tree, to be able to shout so loudly.

　Dietta fell to his knees. His face was tight with fear, and he was shaking uncontrollably. He had been the strongest person in his village, but now he was completely beaten down, and he was even ready to die. It would have been a good lesson for Dietta, who had recently become arrogant――the Elder thought, then suddenly noticed something and looked at Satoru. I wondered if this man had anticipated this and showed the absolute difference in power.

　The Elder stepped forward in front of Satoru and bend his own knees. Liz gasped at the unbelievable sight.

　It was unthinkable for a proud elf to bend the knee to a lowly human. In addition, the other party is not a king or anything. It was the first time in the thousands of years of this village's history that an Elder had bent the knee to such a mere human man.

　But there is no one left to oppose it.

「...... My apologies for the young man's rudeness. If you are able to do so safely conquer the labyrinth, I will bet on the name of Bauers to take care of Liz and Reine.」

　Satoru could see that he was trying to be polite in his own way. Satoru pulled out the 【Giant Killer】 that was standing on the ground, and stood in front of the Elder, carrying it on his shoulder. If Satoru were to swing down the 【Giant Killer】, he would probably be able to chop off the head of this Elven Elder. Even so, the Elder bent his knees, hung his head, and did not move.

「There's no point in just letting the mother and child come back here. And get rid of the strange discrimination.」

　The reason why Liz was kicked out of from this village in the first place was because of the deep-rooted discrimination against half-elves. As long as that is not eradicated, Liz will be in a dilemma even if she returns. The Elder hung his head and declared that he would take on the responsibility in his own name. It would have been nice to have that kind of reminder.

「Neither elves, nor half-elves, nor humans. It doesn't matter whether it's a king, a commoner, a slave, or an elder. No matter who you are, you only have one soul. There's no difference in that.」

「.........」

　The elder - Bauers - nodded deeply. Satoru said the same words that Bauers had been told by the Elder when he was a child. But of course, Satoru himself was not aware of this.

(I never thought I would hear such words from a human being's mouth.)

　Bauers himself was young when he heard the story, and like Dietta, he could not accept it. But now that he's older, he can see that there shouldn't have any discrimination towards half-elves.

　However, he never thought he would hear such a word from someone who is filled with discrimination (?). It seems that visitors from other worlds are indeed different from other humans.

「It's a difficult subject, but I accept.」

　If it was just me, I would have no problem with it, but it affects the whole village. But now that I've said I'll bet my name on it, I'll have to do it, even if it takes the rest of my life, which won't be long. After receiving Bauers' reply, Satoru nodded his head and put the Giant Killer back in his back again. This is the end of the contract for now.

　Satoru turned to the three people behind him. Minerva smiled, Rico only shrugged a little―and Liz walked up to Satoru with a look of great emotion.

「Onii-san ......」

「Did I do something unnecessary?」

　He shook his head to the left and right, worried that he had proceeded without asking Liz's opinion.

「No, Mom really wanted to go home. I think she'll be happy.」

「I see.......Liz, come back here, too. If you get bullied again, let me know. I'll beat the crap out of them.」

　It was crude, but Liz could tell that Satoru was worried about her. Softly, Satoru's kindness sank into Liz's heart. It was a very comfortable feeling.

　Liz smiled bitterly at Satoru.

「I don't have any way to contact you.」

「Oh, I forgot.」

　But Dietta, who had denounced Liz as unworthy of this noble village, was in no condition to do so. And then there was the fact that the Elder had promised in his name to end discrimination. The story that there was someone behind Liz who had treated Dietta like a child would eventually spread. I don't have much of a problem with it myself. But.

「But first of all, you have to get rid of the demon. ...... Onii-san, are you sure you'll be okay?」

　The Demon Ingolshenes is vicious and troublesome, and Liz knows about it, even if only at the level of stories, because she has lived in this village. Satoru indeed didn't even give a second thought to Dietta, the strongest in the village, but Ingolshenes is a Demon that boasts a different level of strength. Liz felt bad that Satoru had agreed to kill such a troublesome opponent for the sake of herself and her mother.

　But Satoru stroked her head as if to say, There's no problem at all.

「You saw my fight, right? Are you still worried even though you already watch my abilities?」

「I know that you are very strong, but ......」

　Putting a hand on her cheek, Satoru sat down and locked eyes with her. He patted her arm with his left hand to encourage her.

「Don't worry. I'll definitely come back.」

　Satoru's eyes were sincere, and Liz finally gave a small smile. This brother will never do anything to make me sad ― for some reason, I am sure of that.

「Will you promise me?」

「Yes, I promise.」

　Satoru then held out his pinky finger in front of Liz. Liz is confused.

「What's this?」

　Oh, come to think of it, finger cutting with the pinky finger is a custom from the original world, and a Japanese one at that. There's no way Liz would know about it.― Satoru smiled bitterly

「Oh, let's see, it's a kind of spell we do when we make a promise in the region where I'm from. We intertwine our pinkies together.」

　Although she was curious, Liz honestly intertwined her own pinky finger with Satoru's. Her hand is so small compared to Satoru's.

「Yu-biki-rige-nman, u-sotsui-tara-ha-risenbonno-masu-yubi kitta」 [TLN: Literal meaning: Pinky promise, if I lie, I will drink 1000 needles, and cut my pinky.]

　He waved his hand up and down, intertwining his fingers in a unique knot. When he finished, Satoru smiled at Liz, and she smiles back.

「It's a promise.」

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