***
Running, running.
Cutting through the wind as I run.
Utilizing the 【Grasshopper】 technique, I sprint all the way to the northern cliffs – the Togūdo nesting grounds.
Kamasse is a good guy.
At the very least, I’ve taken a liking to him.
The humans I actually come to like aren’t that many, truthfully.
I like those who have shown me kindness.
My master, Baron-sama, and Sara-chan.
They all treated me properly as a person despite me being a cursed child, instead of looking down on me.
That’s why I like them.
…And Kamasse too.
Though I initially thought he was an unpleasant sort, at his core he turned out to be surprisingly earnest and upright.
He properly apologized to me, and even treated me to yakitori.
That’s why I like Kamasse.
I absolutely don’t want him to die.
That thought arose strongly within me.
Which is precisely why, seeing Kamasse nearly killed by those damned birds, I completely lost my temper.
I’ll kill them, those birds.
Unforgivable. I cannot allow them to live.
I’ll slaughter every last one.
My vision turned crimson, unable to think of anything else.
First I crushed their heads with【Infinite Pebbles】to kill them.
But those damned birds proved surprisingly smart, quickly defending against the pebbles with magic.
So afterwards, I used【Grasshopper】to leap onto the birds directly and severed many necks with【Mantis】.
Served them right.
However, the truly infuriating part was…
To reiterate, those birds were quite intelligent.
And I had completely lost my cool, succumbing to blind rage.
Before I knew it, the Togūdo I was clinging to had been isolated from the flock at a distance.
Trying to leap to another would leave me without stable footing, plus the gap was a bit too far.
…That was when the suicidal dive came crashing in.
The colliding Togūdo were instantly killed upon that shattering impact.
I found myself plummeting towards the sea along with them.
“Hohohohohohohohohoh!”
“Hoholhoh! Hoholholhoh!”
The Togūdo’s screeching laughter-like cries rang out, utterly grating.
Don’t mess with me, damn it! So infuriating!
Don’t mock me! I’ll kill you all! Kill! Kill!!
My head filled with rage once more, but without any footing, there was nothing I could do.
No matter how I flailed, I could not fly through the air.
The Togūdo’s forms shrank smaller and smaller as I fell, until…
“O wind, blow it away! 【Storm】!”
Those incantation words reached my ears right before a sudden gust blew against my back, hurling me back towards the cliffs.
I face-planted onto the ground.
Converting the impact into magic power, I tumbled over a few more times while retaining that momentum.
“Hey! Hey, are you okay Emi!?”
I heard hurried footsteps rushing over while that voice called out to me.
…It was Kamasse!!
Groggily sitting up, I lifted my gaze to the silver-haired young adventurer.
His clothes were tattered, showing he had clearly taken quite a beating from those damned birds, but he didn’t seem seriously injured.
Looking lively. Alive.
Kamasse was alive.
I moved closer and hugged him, pressing my ear to his chest.
His heart was beating.
Kamasse was alive!!
…?
Though his pulse did seem unusually rapid. Was he unwell?
Peering up at his face, it was flushed bright red.
“Kamasse, are you okay? Not hurt, are you?”
“A-Ah!? Hurt!? Well, as an adventurer, having recovery potions on hand for when you take a tumble is basic! As the exceptional adventurer I am, I would never neglect such preparations, so no need to worry!”
Kamasse hurriedly pushed me away while flustered, showing off an empty potion bottle as supposed proof of his well-being.
But was he really okay? His face was still so red and he seemed rather different from usual.
<Th-This guy! Could it be, he became aroused from Emi hugging him!? Un-Unforgivable! Let’s kill him, Emi!>
For some reason, Extra-sama started raging too.
No, I’m currently a 7-year-old girl, you know?
Kamasse looks like a middle schooler at most, so is it really conceivable for a girl my age to make him blush from a hug?
If so, just how inexperienced is Kamasse? A cultural difference, perhaps?
And by the way Extra-sama, you were awfully quiet until just now?
<Eh? Ah, yes, Emi seemed quite angry there, with her head filled with rage, so I didn’t think she’d listen anyway and kept silent.>
Ah, I see.
My apologies for the lack of consideration on my part, then?
“And you! Are you really okay yourself? Not injured, are you? I did shoot that 【Storm】 spell at you to pull you over, after all. I’m so sorry about that!”
Now it was Kamasse expressing concern for me instead.
How nice of him.
That incantation from before must have been Kamasse’s doing, it seemed.
“Something like that was nothing.”
I swung my arms about to show I was unharmed.
No need to worry, Kamasse.
“‘Something like that’…but I was actually pretty serious with that spell I cast impulsively…”
Huh? Now he seemed dejected.
Oh come on, Kamasse!
His emotional ups and downs were rather amusing to watch, I had to admit!
Anyway, in any case.
I looked up towards the sky.
The flock of damned birds circling against the cloudy backdrop seemed to be keeping a wary distance, likely cautious of my jumping ability.
At that altitude, even I couldn’t feasibly reach them right now.
Conversely, they also lacked any long-range means to attack us from down here, one could say.
In other words, Kamasse was safe!
I had protected Kamasse!
That settled this entire matter, didn’t it?
…This time there didn’t seem to be any odd divine intervention either.
I protected him.
This time…I protected someone!
Guuuuu.
…I’m hungry!
I suppose I’ll just snack on the meat of those fallen damned birds lying around before heading back to town.
Shuffling over, I grabbed one by the nape and forcefully tore off a chunk.
Buchi, buchichi…
The gushing blackish blood.
The crimson raw flesh emerging from the feathers.
…Time to dig in.
Gokugoku…
Mushammusha…
“H-Hey, hey!! What’s with that casual meat-eating look on your face!? And don’t eat it raw, cook it first for crying out loud!!”
Kamasse snapped out of his dejected sulking to protest at me.
Oh stop it. Don’t interrupt my meal.
You’re going to ruin my mood…
“Stop leaking out that killing intent. Your fuse is way too short…Actually, take another look up there.”
Heeding Kamasse’s words, I glanced skyward again, but all I saw was the same flock of damned birds circling above, showing no signs of trying to attack us further.
I cocked my head skeptically.
Since Kamasse was safe, wasn’t everything settled now?
I had considered “slaughtering them all” in my earlier rage, but having calmed down, I no longer felt compelled to exterminate those damned birds so thoroughly.
“…It may be hard to make out from this distance, but do you see that large red Togūdo flying? That’s the Togūdo Commander. A highly intelligent, troublesome foe. If we leave it be, the Togūdo flock will keep expanding their territory, and Yoshanka town will inevitably get caught in the crossfire! We have to somehow take down that thing!”
…Huh?
“Hey, why are you tilting your head like that? Protecting the unable is the duty of the capable! An adventurer’s duty! Didn’t you become an adventurer yourself? Then you mustn’t forget that!”
Ah.
Kamasse didn’t know I wasn’t actually an adventurer yet.
<He seems to have misunderstood, but that’s understandable. In most cases, adventurer registration goes smoothly from what I’ve seen in various otherworldly reincarnation streams. Emi is the first I’ve witnessed stumbling at that initial hurdle.>
Well, in any case.
Kamasse wanted to defeat that red damned bird, it seemed.
Wiping the blood from around my mouth, I contemplated that thought.
If Kamasse said so, I didn’t mind lending a hand.
But that red damned bird had retreated far up into the sky.
Out of reach.
“How do you plan to defeat that thing?”
Those who can fly sure have an unfair advantage!
Whether attacking or evading, they’re overwhelmingly favored, aren’t they?
Honestly, I didn’t see any feasible way to reach it.
There was no method to defeat it, I thought.
“…There is a way.”
You have one, Kamasse?
Your stratagem abilities are impressive, aren’t they?
And yet you were furrowing your brow with a troubled expression as you said that?
“Only…under normal circumstances, no sane person would consider this method. It would place an immense burden on you. Sheer madness. But…Emi, after witnessing your rampage earlier, I believe you might just be able to pull it off.”
Oh?
“Tell me this strategy then.”
…………………..
The “strategy” Kamasse then described was so simplistic, I had to wonder if it even deserved that label.
And admittedly, it was the kind of outrageous plan most people would hesitate to actually attempt.
But for me, it should be doable.
With my flesh having undergone a degree of magic conversion, reasonably mastering 【Body Strengthening】, and above all inheriting my master’s techniques, I should be able to reliably execute it.
I could do it.
“Are you really sure about this?”
Why are you looking so teary-eyed, Kamasse?
This was the strategy you devised, wasn’t it?
“It’s fine.”
Honestly, what was he being such a wuss about?
Kamasse kept going on about how dangerous it was, but I was quite sturdy, you know.
Unlikely to sustain any serious injuries from something so trivial.
This time too, I would definitely be okay.
“…I just feel pathetic.”
Huh?
“Having to be rescued by you…and now relying on you again. I can’t stand my own powerlessness. My weakness frustrates me.”
Oh come on, don’t start whining at a time like this.
Well, I suppose as the (probably mentally) more mature one here, I should offer some reassurance.
“…This time, I just happened to be stronger. That’s all.”
“………”
“If Kamasse gets stronger too, it’ll be fine. Kamasse can get stronger.”
Probably. Since he was such an earnest guy.
“Next time I’m in a pinch, the stronger Kamasse can rescue me then.”
“………”
“…Promise.”
“…Yeah, it’s a promise.”
We bumped fists, a small symbolic gesture.
Oh, Kamasse’s expression had turned resolute and steely.
He seemed fired up now.
Rotating his wrists, ankles, neck, shoulders, waist – a full warm-up sequence.
Alright, okay.
I used 【Solidify】 on the ground to reinforce my footing.
Then 【Body Strengthening】 on both legs, channeling power into them.
Finally, I fixed my gaze on the red damned bird soaring high above, fully prepared.
I was ready to go at any time!
“Are you ready!?”
Of course!
I nodded in affirmation to Kamasse.
“I’m all set too. Just give me the timing, and I’ll synchronize perfectly!”
What was about to begin was the red damned bird hunt, to be undertaken through our collaborative efforts.
Now that I thought about it, this would be my first experience hunting monsters in cooperation with someone.
With my master, it was more him demonstrating as I followed his example in a teaching dynamic, not true cooperation.
Considering that, having gained a comrade felt rather gratifying.
…Alright, let’s go.
No point grinning inwardly forever while keeping an expressionless face.
I locked onto the red damned bird as my target.
After some light stretches, I activated 【Grasshopper】 and leapt with all my might.
Cutting through the air, my body soared skyward in an instant.
Now then…get ready, red damned bird!!
***
Running, running.
Cutting through the wind as I run.
Utilizing the 【Grasshopper】 technique, I sprint all the way to the northern cliffs – the Togūdo nesting grounds.
Kamasse is a good guy.
At the very least, I’ve taken a liking to him.
The humans I actually come to like aren’t that many, truthfully.
I like those who have shown me kindness.
My master, Baron-sama, and Sara-chan.
They all treated me properly as a person despite me being a cursed child, instead of looking down on me.
That’s why I like them.
…And Kamasse too.
Though I initially thought he was an unpleasant sort, at his core he turned out to be surprisingly earnest and upright.
He properly apologized to me, and even treated me to yakitori.
That’s why I like Kamasse.
I absolutely don’t want him to die.
That thought arose strongly within me.
Which is precisely why, seeing Kamasse nearly killed by those damned birds, I completely lost my temper.
I’ll kill them, those birds.
Unforgivable. I cannot allow them to live.
I’ll slaughter every last one.
My vision turned crimson, unable to think of anything else.
First I crushed their heads with【Infinite Pebbles】to kill them.
But those damned birds proved surprisingly smart, quickly defending against the pebbles with magic.
So afterwards, I used【Grasshopper】to leap onto the birds directly and severed many necks with【Mantis】.
Served them right.
However, the truly infuriating part was…
To reiterate, those birds were quite intelligent.
And I had completely lost my cool, succumbing to blind rage.
Before I knew it, the Togūdo I was clinging to had been isolated from the flock at a distance.
Trying to leap to another would leave me without stable footing, plus the gap was a bit too far.
…That was when the suicidal dive came crashing in.
The colliding Togūdo were instantly killed upon that shattering impact.
I found myself plummeting towards the sea along with them.
“Hohohohohohohohohoh!”
“Hoholhoh! Hoholholhoh!”
The Togūdo’s screeching laughter-like cries rang out, utterly grating.
Don’t mess with me, damn it! So infuriating!
Don’t mock me! I’ll kill you all! Kill! Kill!!
My head filled with rage once more, but without any footing, there was nothing I could do.
No matter how I flailed, I could not fly through the air.
The Togūdo’s forms shrank smaller and smaller as I fell, until…
“O wind, blow it away! 【Storm】!”
Those incantation words reached my ears right before a sudden gust blew against my back, hurling me back towards the cliffs.
I face-planted onto the ground.
Converting the impact into magic power, I tumbled over a few more times while retaining that momentum.
“Hey! Hey, are you okay Emi!?”
I heard hurried footsteps rushing over while that voice called out to me.
…It was Kamasse!!
Groggily sitting up, I lifted my gaze to the silver-haired young adventurer.
His clothes were tattered, showing he had clearly taken quite a beating from those damned birds, but he didn’t seem seriously injured.
Looking lively. Alive.
Kamasse was alive.
I moved closer and hugged him, pressing my ear to his chest.
His heart was beating.
Kamasse was alive!!
…?
Though his pulse did seem unusually rapid. Was he unwell?
Peering up at his face, it was flushed bright red.
“Kamasse, are you okay? Not hurt, are you?”
“A-Ah!? Hurt!? Well, as an adventurer, having recovery potions on hand for when you take a tumble is basic! As the exceptional adventurer I am, I would never neglect such preparations, so no need to worry!”
Kamasse hurriedly pushed me away while flustered, showing off an empty potion bottle as supposed proof of his well-being.
But was he really okay? His face was still so red and he seemed rather different from usual.
<Th-This guy! Could it be, he became aroused from Emi hugging him!? Un-Unforgivable! Let’s kill him, Emi!>
For some reason, Extra-sama started raging too.
No, I’m currently a 7-year-old girl, you know?
Kamasse looks like a middle schooler at most, so is it really conceivable for a girl my age to make him blush from a hug?
If so, just how inexperienced is Kamasse? A cultural difference, perhaps?
And by the way Extra-sama, you were awfully quiet until just now?
<Eh? Ah, yes, Emi seemed quite angry there, with her head filled with rage, so I didn’t think she’d listen anyway and kept silent.>
Ah, I see.
My apologies for the lack of consideration on my part, then?
“And you! Are you really okay yourself? Not injured, are you? I did shoot that 【Storm】 spell at you to pull you over, after all. I’m so sorry about that!”
Now it was Kamasse expressing concern for me instead.
How nice of him.
That incantation from before must have been Kamasse’s doing, it seemed.
“Something like that was nothing.”
I swung my arms about to show I was unharmed.
No need to worry, Kamasse.
“‘Something like that’…but I was actually pretty serious with that spell I cast impulsively…”
Huh? Now he seemed dejected.
Oh come on, Kamasse!
His emotional ups and downs were rather amusing to watch, I had to admit!
Anyway, in any case.
I looked up towards the sky.
The flock of damned birds circling against the cloudy backdrop seemed to be keeping a wary distance, likely cautious of my jumping ability.
At that altitude, even I couldn’t feasibly reach them right now.
Conversely, they also lacked any long-range means to attack us from down here, one could say.
In other words, Kamasse was safe!
I had protected Kamasse!
That settled this entire matter, didn’t it?
…This time there didn’t seem to be any odd divine intervention either.
I protected him.
This time…I protected someone!
Guuuuu.
…I’m hungry!
I suppose I’ll just snack on the meat of those fallen damned birds lying around before heading back to town.
Shuffling over, I grabbed one by the nape and forcefully tore off a chunk.
Buchi, buchichi…
The gushing blackish blood.
The crimson raw flesh emerging from the feathers.
…Time to dig in.
Gokugoku…
Mushammusha…
“H-Hey, hey!! What’s with that casual meat-eating look on your face!? And don’t eat it raw, cook it first for crying out loud!!”
Kamasse snapped out of his dejected sulking to protest at me.
Oh stop it. Don’t interrupt my meal.
You’re going to ruin my mood…
“Stop leaking out that killing intent. Your fuse is way too short…Actually, take another look up there.”
Heeding Kamasse’s words, I glanced skyward again, but all I saw was the same flock of damned birds circling above, showing no signs of trying to attack us further.
I cocked my head skeptically.
Since Kamasse was safe, wasn’t everything settled now?
I had considered “slaughtering them all” in my earlier rage, but having calmed down, I no longer felt compelled to exterminate those damned birds so thoroughly.
“…It may be hard to make out from this distance, but do you see that large red Togūdo flying? That’s the Togūdo Commander. A highly intelligent, troublesome foe. If we leave it be, the Togūdo flock will keep expanding their territory, and Yoshanka town will inevitably get caught in the crossfire! We have to somehow take down that thing!”
…Huh?
“Hey, why are you tilting your head like that? Protecting the unable is the duty of the capable! An adventurer’s duty! Didn’t you become an adventurer yourself? Then you mustn’t forget that!”
Ah.
Kamasse didn’t know I wasn’t actually an adventurer yet.
<He seems to have misunderstood, but that’s understandable. In most cases, adventurer registration goes smoothly from what I’ve seen in various otherworldly reincarnation streams. Emi is the first I’ve witnessed stumbling at that initial hurdle.>
Well, in any case.
Kamasse wanted to defeat that red damned bird, it seemed.
Wiping the blood from around my mouth, I contemplated that thought.
If Kamasse said so, I didn’t mind lending a hand.
But that red damned bird had retreated far up into the sky.
Out of reach.
“How do you plan to defeat that thing?”
Those who can fly sure have an unfair advantage!
Whether attacking or evading, they’re overwhelmingly favored, aren’t they?
Honestly, I didn’t see any feasible way to reach it.
There was no method to defeat it, I thought.
“…There is a way.”
You have one, Kamasse?
Your stratagem abilities are impressive, aren’t they?
And yet you were furrowing your brow with a troubled expression as you said that?
“Only…under normal circumstances, no sane person would consider this method. It would place an immense burden on you. Sheer madness. But…Emi, after witnessing your rampage earlier, I believe you might just be able to pull it off.”
Oh?
“Tell me this strategy then.”
…………………..
The “strategy” Kamasse then described was so simplistic, I had to wonder if it even deserved that label.
And admittedly, it was the kind of outrageous plan most people would hesitate to actually attempt.
But for me, it should be doable.
With my flesh having undergone a degree of magic conversion, reasonably mastering 【Body Strengthening】, and above all inheriting my master’s techniques, I should be able to reliably execute it.
I could do it.
“Are you really sure about this?”
Why are you looking so teary-eyed, Kamasse?
This was the strategy you devised, wasn’t it?
“It’s fine.”
Honestly, what was he being such a wuss about?
Kamasse kept going on about how dangerous it was, but I was quite sturdy, you know.
Unlikely to sustain any serious injuries from something so trivial.
This time too, I would definitely be okay.
“…I just feel pathetic.”
Huh?
“Having to be rescued by you…and now relying on you again. I can’t stand my own powerlessness. My weakness frustrates me.”
Oh come on, don’t start whining at a time like this.
Well, I suppose as the (probably mentally) more mature one here, I should offer some reassurance.
“…This time, I just happened to be stronger. That’s all.”
“………”
“If Kamasse gets stronger too, it’ll be fine. Kamasse can get stronger.”
Probably. Since he was such an earnest guy.
“Next time I’m in a pinch, the stronger Kamasse can rescue me then.”
“………”
“…Promise.”
“…Yeah, it’s a promise.”
We bumped fists, a small symbolic gesture.
Oh, Kamasse’s expression had turned resolute and steely.
He seemed fired up now.
Rotating his wrists, ankles, neck, shoulders, waist – a full warm-up sequence.
Alright, okay.
I used 【Solidify】 on the ground to reinforce my footing.
Then 【Body Strengthening】 on both legs, channeling power into them.
Finally, I fixed my gaze on the red damned bird soaring high above, fully prepared.
I was ready to go at any time!
“Are you ready!?”
Of course!
I nodded in affirmation to Kamasse.
“I’m all set too. Just give me the timing, and I’ll synchronize perfectly!”
What was about to begin was the red damned bird hunt, to be undertaken through our collaborative efforts.
Now that I thought about it, this would be my first experience hunting monsters in cooperation with someone.
With my master, it was more him demonstrating as I followed his example in a teaching dynamic, not true cooperation.
Considering that, having gained a comrade felt rather gratifying.
…Alright, let’s go.
No point grinning inwardly forever while keeping an expressionless face.
I locked onto the red damned bird as my target.
After some light stretches, I activated 【Grasshopper】 and leapt with all my might.
Cutting through the air, my body soared skyward in an instant.
Now then…get ready, red damned bird!!
