Chapter 67

"Kuso, kuso, kuso!"

This was probably something he should have been aware of when he was killing adventurers before. After killing them, seeing the real dead bodies, he must have realized that this was reality and been overwhelmed by guilt.

Shōri was a small fry. Because he was a small fry, he didn't have the strong spirit to bear the death of others.

Even with the power, he could bully people, but could he kill them? No. Even with the power, now that he understood it was reality, he couldn't kill anyone. Shōri was a small fry, and he realized this about himself.

"Haha"

Knowing the situation and doing nothing, he felt as if he had indirectly killed someone, and the horror of it made him feel nauseous.

He shouldn't have realized it was reality.

When he heard Mine's scream after she had talked to him and given him pizza, he realized it was reality.

"Kuso, kuso, kuso!"

He thrust his hands in front of his chest and concentrated. The surrounding voices and screams faded out. This was a weakness when using this magic. He used all his consciousness to cast the spell, so his attention to the surroundings was zero. If he had a guard, it would be safer, but in his current state, it was a reckless gamble.

But Shōri won the gamble. No one interfered with him, so he was able to cast the spell.

'Guren Shōhō'

Mana rushed out of his body, and a sense of exhaustion washed over him. His body wobbled, but he gritted his teeth and endured, then opened his mouth.

In front of him, a 32-sided red crystal the size of a soccer ball floated.

It was a lethal original magic that Shōri had developed to use against the main character. He had planned to use it to save Seina this time.

'Missile Mode'

Shōri waved his hand and sent his thoughts to the crystal. The crystal split into five parts, each floating with a conical shape.

He observed the Scissors Mantis attacking people. The Scissors Mantis was attacking the fleeing people, but...

"What? Why is it moving like that?"

It moved like a tin toy. It swung its arms as if hitting something, and the awkward movement made him feel uneasy.

He was puzzled but quickly regained his composure and targeted the five Scissors Mantis.

'Multi Lock'

He targeted the five and commanded the floating crystals around him.

'Homing Shot'

In response to his command, the 32 crystals flew toward the five Scissors Mantis, leaving a trail of red. They didn't fly in a straight line but sharply turned in mid-air to avoid being detected by the enemy.

"Chichichi"

The Scissors Mantis, as if regaining its senses, swung its scythes sharply and deflected the first and second 'Guren Crystals.' However, it could only deflect two. The remaining three hit its body and embedded themselves in its torso.

The red crystals that had deeply embedded themselves in the torso spewed flames from the inside, quickly turning the Scissors Mantis into burning logs.

With a roar, the flames swirled, and the Scissors Mantis, its body burned to a crisp, fell to the ground.

'Return... Ugh!'

Shōri tried to return the crystals, but his concentration waned, and the spell was undone. The crystals melted away, and 'Guren Crystal' was deactivated.

"I still need to train this spell..."

With a throbbing headache, Shōri staggered toward the fallen Mine.

He approached the fallen Mine, sat down, and picked her up.

"Haha... Of course, it's like this, right?"

Mine was dead. Her pupils were dilated, and she wasn't breathing. She still felt warm, but she wasn't moving. Her body had been slashed diagonally, almost cut in half. Blood soaked his hands as he picked her up.

"Things don't go as conveniently as in a novel..."

Shōri had hoped that Mine might still be alive. Perhaps the block of roast beef in her pocket had protected her, and she was fine, just like in a novel. Common tropes like a coin in the chest pocket stopping a bullet or a magazine in the stomach preventing a knife from piercing.

But Mine was dead, and the block of roast beef was cut in half.

"Haha, I'm not the protagonist, after all..."

If it were the protagonist and the heroine, such a convenient scenario might have happened, but they were just extras. Such convenient scenarios didn't happen.

He hung his head, wishing he had acted more sensibly. But they were just extras, and this was the extent of it. He shed tears on Mine.

But a hand of salvation was still there.

"Muu, she's still alive."

"Who are you!"

Shōri, who was hanging his head, was addressed by an unusually low voice. He quickly looked up and saw a small, robed figure standing there, looking around.

"She's still alive."

"Huh? She looks dead to me!"

"Magic users would think so. But civilians are directly affected by magic."

Confused by the meaning, Shōri frowned, and the small figure raised a tiny hand.

'Area Minor Healing II'

A pure white magic circle appeared on the ground, and light enveloped the fallen people. After the white light enveloped the people, a shocking scene awaited.

"What? What is this?"

The bodies of the people, thought to be dead, were completely healed, with only blood and torn clothes as evidence of their injuries. But he thought that even if the injuries were healed, they were still dead.

"Keho, keho"

He heard Mine cough and quickly turned to see her frowning.

"Ah, there's a metallic taste... Did something happen?"

"Huh? What? Did you come back to life?"

He asked the small figure in disbelief. He saw that the people around him had also come back to life and were touching their bodies in confusion. They all seemed to be healed.

"She was still alive physically. Magic users have resistance, so their bodies die before they can be healed, but civilians can be completely healed with this level of magic. No one is missing any parts, which is a relief."

The small figure shrugged and explained. Wearing a mask, sunglasses, and a deep hood, it was impossible to tell who it was, but Shōri understood.

Probably, the bodies were still alive for a few minutes. Magic users, with their resistance, couldn't be healed, but civilians, without resistance, could be completely healed. If they were healed before their bodies died completely, they could come back to life.

He understood the theory but was amazed by the power of magic. The small figure glanced at Shōri and turned to the rear.

"Well, I still have things to do. See you."

From the rear, hundreds of Scissors Mantis were approaching. The small figure had already disappeared.

It appeared behind the leading Scissors Mantis, slit its throat, and disappeared again. It seemed to have moved and was taking down the Scissors Mantis one by one.

"Ah... Did you save us?"

"No... Just a thank you for the pizza. I didn't save you."

To Mine's awkward question, Shōri answered honestly.