Chapter 136 (1/2)

Volume 2

Chapter 115

The cold morning air cuts my cheek.

Waking up somewhat earlier than usual was not pleasant.

「Oh, good morning」

「………… Oh, morning」

Neither Minnalis nor Coo have yet to awake since then.

Inside a magic tool for warding monsters, Shuria and I alternately nursed Minnalis who was still collapsed. Well, even though I say nursing , apart from looking at the status to make sure there are no strange aspects, there is nothing we can really do.

The only thing I could do actively was to keep the campfire from going out, and to see if there are any changes.

The sky I looked upon was dim, and it seems the sun is just about to rise up.

「Shuria, I am going to wash my face for a bit. When I get back, you should also sleep a little. Let’s think about what to do after the sun is fully up」

Saying that, I headed to the nearby spring.

The gushing spring water, was clean enough to see through to the bottom.

As I wash my face rapidly, the coldness of the water pierces through my body.

「…………」

After all that events that had happened, Leone, who stood up immediately, turned back and walked with her colleagues.

Chuusuke continued to follow them, but after that, it was understood that the four people were not adventurers but a travelling peddler and her escorts.

After that, they headed to Carbonheim Leaving their wagon there for the time being, they intend to go into town, using it as a base to search for us.

I won’t know unless if I were to confirm it, but they might be peddlers mistaken as the party of lady adventurers who sometimes come to the village that Minnalis occasionally talks about.

However, such a thing was no longer a major problem.

『The Japanese former hero』, I am positive that woman said so.

・・・・ The Japanese, former hero.

「Impossible……, what does this mean?」

The only time I ever uttered the proper noun Japan was in the first world, and then towards Minnalis and Shuria.

And yet, how did the word Japanese come out.

…… An Other-worlder? would have still been disputable, but Japanese.

「And also, the 『former』hero?」

For the sake of argument, she managed to peg me as the hero.

She might actually possess a unique skill which allows her to see my true title of『Hero』in my hidden status. Although the possibility is low, it can’t be written off.

However, just by looking at my status, I cannot be sure that I am not recognized as a hero right now.

「Pursuers sent by Alesia……?」

It slowly sets in, like a spreading poison.

That answer, and the fact that she uttered the word Japan were linked together.

「No way, another, from Earth……,」

The conclusion which was about to be put into words is awfully cold, making me feel as if my blood froze over.

The feeling of oppression rising from the back of my throat constricts my mind.

「No, that on the other hand is what’s impossible!!」

And so, I shake my head.

They’re almost certainly Minnalis’s acquaintances, and hardly much time had passed between when I was summoned and when I met Minnalis.

There is no way the one who was summoned after me could be an acquaintance of Minnalis.

「Damn it, what the hell is she……」

Not enough, I lack way too much information.

I can’t reach a satisfactory answer with what I have at hand.

Either way, I cannot ignore it. Even if the ways to obtain such an answer are little..

After I’ve heard the gist from Minnalis who is still sleeping, I’ll need to devise a countermeasure.

So, what I need to think about right now is……..

「Why did I not break that summoning magic circle at that time……」

I should have been able to destroy that magic circle the minute this second world began to move.

At that time, blood was rushing to my head in delight as I was given a second chance in this world.

I won’t deny that I was drowning in a fulfilling pleasure.

But, in order to render them unable to produce another existence like me, wasn’t I supposed to have destroyed that magic circle ?

It wasn’t a difficult thing, was it?

「…… Oh, damn, I made a mistake again」

Once the question came to mind, those words slipped out of my mouth quietly.

Just like the water surface in front of my eyes, the innermost depth of my heart was calm and undisturbed.

The strange serenity of my mind which does not feel anything, as if the time stopped only for me, however soon.

Brings along with it, a helplessly violent regret.

「Aaaaaargh!!」

It is as if all the blood flowing inside my body turned into boiling acid, and the inside of my body being stirred up.

Why did I leave that summoning magic circle untampered?

…… That’s because I still wanted to return to my original world.

Because that magic circle was the only thing left, as the sole viable clue left to me.

「Damn it, damn it!! GODDAMNITT!!」

My family, my friends, even if I were to lose everything.

Even if I were to fall into despair again at the sight of that spectacle.

「Is that so bad, that’s right, I want to go back! Of course I would want to return !!」

I scream as a kept pounding my fist onto the ground.

Perhaps, If I return to my original world, I thought maybe I could go back to those warm days.

Because I have not seen the previous world where everyone was gone.

It got bleaker, and bleaker, and bleaker, ……and got broken, andyet…

Such a thought, haunted me like ghosts, and wouldn’t leave, so.

「Even if it’s just to return only to despair……, you bet I would still want to go home……」

…… So, I unconsciously capped that possibility.

That since the Kingdom doesn’t have the capacity and resource for summoning again, that there is no problem if I left the magic circle as it is.

But, it was a 『Mistake』, after all.

Because I relied on such ambiguous factor, I am going to lose something precious from my grasp.

「At what point will I learn……, stupid……」

The voice leaks out as if it was being squeezed out.