Chapter 54

(Note) This is my second post today.

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As if seeping out from the forest, a large group of monsters appeared. Even within the visible range, there were no fewer than twenty of them. Bertal wagged her tail and approached the boy who was walking slowly, leading them.

The boy, without paying any attention to her, smiled softly and stared at me with his delicate features.

"You’re not surprised, senpai. Did you perhaps know it was me?"

"Yeah, I had a hunch. —Kudo Riku, that you were the monster tamer who attacked the Chiria fortress, right?"

The one standing there was Kudo Riku, the bullied kid who was supposed to have been shattered by the ten-word magic on the inner wall. Of course, his presence here meant that the one blown away at that time was a Doppleganger in disguise.

"Why did you know it was me? I’d be happy if you could tell me, for reference."

"It’s not that complicated. Anyone could have switched places with the Doppleganger at that scene, but not everyone could have made Sakagami a monster tamer."

My tone was bitter compared to Kudo’s calm demeanor. Even though I had expected it, seeing him in person made me feel bitter.

"Sakagami believed he had the power to summon monsters. To maintain that delusion, it was necessary to use his ability in his place whenever he tried to summon monsters. The ritual he believed was necessary to use his power was probably to make the timing of using the ability clear. He would have needed to be close to Sakagami all the time."

"Indeed. No one else but me, who was with Sakagami from the time we took refuge in the mountain hut, could have done it."

There was one more thing to add. I had also made a guess based on my own experience.

Bertal seemed very intelligent, but she was still a monster that had just gained self-awareness. It would have been difficult for her to be flexible enough to continue deceiving Sakagami. It would have required the cunning of a human.

"You made Sakagami a scapegoat to ensure your own safety, didn’t you?"

"Yes, senpai, I think you understand. The weakness of our monster tamer abilities is the fragility of the person who has them."

Kudo answered honestly.

"On the contrary, there’s no better ability for covert operations than one that allows you to pretend to be dead. However, if I left, it would be revealed that Sakagami had no power... But if the person himself were dead, it wouldn’t be a problem. Your failure to immediately kill Sakagami led to this discovery. You should have killed him right away. Your greed led to this."

Kudo used Bertal to reclaim Sakagami, simply to silence him. Yet, Kudo didn’t kill Sakagami immediately. Because of that, I was able to talk to Sakagami and confirm that the monster tamer who attacked the fortress was someone else.

Of course, Kudo had his reasons for not killing Sakagami immediately, and he had taken precautions for that.

"I know you’re trying to make the transfer students eat your handpicked monsters. You probably intended to lure us with Sakagami as bait and then target the remaining transfer students... Unfortunately, the Alliance Knights have already protected and evacuated the Mihara group to the forest."

Earlier, when I caught up with Sakagami, he said, "You’re too late." That was because we had prepared everything before starting the pursuit.

Now, even if they searched the fortress, it would be a waste of time. If they realized Sakagami was no longer there and chased after them, I had left Shiran behind to deal with them.

Shiran, who was as strong as the strongest white arachne in the deep forest, should be able to handle any situation. At the very least, she could counter an attack by Anton, who was targeting the transfer students. So far, everything had gone according to plan.

However, there was one thing... I hadn’t expected Kudo to appear here in person.

I had planned to re-capture Sakagami and defeat Bertal.

Of course, now that he had appeared, I couldn’t let Kudo escape.

With Anton dealing with the other transfer students, Kudo’s forces should be thin. It all depended on whether my "other preparation" would work...

"Excellent, senpai."

The forest echoed with a dry clapping sound, interrupting my thoughts.

Kudo, who had lowered his hands after clapping, opened his mouth in a gentle curve.

"Not only did you defeat the ten-word magic, but you also uncovered my true identity."

"...I appreciate the praise, but defeating the ten-word magic wasn’t just my doing. I only realized Sakagami wasn’t a monster tamer because of Kanhi’s words."

"There’s no need to be modest. All of that is part of your strength, senpai."

As I conversed with Kudo, a strange feeling stirred in my mind.

Something felt off.

Despite his plans being foiled, Kudo remained calm. His expression was even joyful.

"I heard the details from Anton. It was a magnificent victory."

"Kudo..."

Kudo spoke with a slightly excited tone. I stared at his face intently.

Unbelievably, Kudo seemed to be genuinely praising me, without any pretense.

"The words you said to the elf girl, ‘This is a world where wishes come true,’ are from the first hero, right? You proved those words. Your resolve shattered the violence of the ten-word magic. This world isn’t just a place where the strong do as they please. You and she are truly remarkable. I genuinely believe that from the bottom of my heart."

It was a conversation that felt similar to my talk with Shiran when she regained her heart, but it was also nauseatingly different.

I thought that denying Kudo’s resigned words would be a tribute to the deceased.

But, what was this conversation?

My resolve was undoubtedly conveyed. That’s why he said those words and praised me. Yet, we were hopelessly distant.

"...Why, Kudo?"

A groan escaped my lips.

"Why did you get involved in the ten-word magic’s scheme? You should have known how it feels to be oppressed by unjust violence. Why...?"

"The feelings of the oppressed, you say. Of course, I know."

Kudo nodded calmly, his eyes reflecting mine, not those of a cornered person.

"Because, like senpai, I experienced the collapse of the colony."

"...What?"

"I almost died, too. In that burning colony."

His candid confession left me bewildered.

It was different from what I had heard before.

"...But, you were protected by Shiran in one of the mountain huts with Sakagami, right? You took refuge in a mountain hut, protected by the exploration team that remained in the colony, didn’t you?"

"Everyone in the other mountain huts seemed to have done that. But I was different. I later rolled into the mountain hut where Sakagami was. Only Sakagami knew about this, but he was unpopular. Even if he hadn’t been, I couldn’t have told anyone about the circumstances."

Kudo chuckled.

"As senpai knows, Sakagami was a terrible person. We were acquaintances before coming to this world, but on the day of the colony’s collapse, he used me as a scapegoat to escape the crisis. I, on the other hand, suffered greatly. I survived... well, it was just luck. After that, I wandered in the forest for a few days. I was hungry, in pain, anxious, and lonely. It felt like a miracle to be alive."

I was speechless as I listened to his story, told with a smile.

—Betrayed by an acquaintance, almost killed, and survived only by luck.

—No one to trust, wandering alone in the forest.

—Always fearing a vicious monster might kill me, and terrified of dying of hunger and thirst.

Whose story was this?

Seeing my speechless reaction, Kudo chuckled.

"Perhaps, senpai has had a similar experience?"

"What?"

Kudo’s words, as if reading my mind, left me stunned.

Only my subordinates, like Lily, knew about my experiences after escaping the colony. There was no way Kudo could know.

"Why do you know...?"

Kudo’s smile didn’t waver, even as my voice turned harsh.

"I understand. We are similar, aren’t we?"

"Don’t joke."

Indeed, I had once thought Kudo and I might be similar.

But, that was only in the sense that we were both victims of violence. I never imagined we could have such similar experiences. For that, some basis was needed.

"Kudo, what do you know?"

"Things you don’t know. Especially about the power we were given, I think I know more than you."

Kudo answered with confidence.

Knowledge about the transfer students’ cheat abilities. Was that the basis for Kudo’s claim that we had similar experiences?

If so, did Kudo mean the characteristic of the ability to "lead monsters"? But, what could the similarity between our unique abilities have to do with our similar experiences in this world?

This was just a coincidence. Yes, it had to be just a coincidence.

So, there was no connection.

...Really?

Really, was there no connection?

Two people with similar abilities and similar experiences. Could such a coincidence exist?

If there was a necessity, Kudo knew something. I recalled that the ten-word magic also seemed to know something about the cheat abilities. So, perhaps...

A thought struck me, and I opened my mouth.

"Kudo, were you also in contact with the expedition team?"

"What? How do you know that?"

For the first time, Kudo’s smile faded. He opened his eyes slightly and stared at me. In contrast, my eyes narrowed.

"Thinking about how Sakagami and the ten-word magic planned the attack, it was natural. But I didn’t have any concrete evidence."

"Ah, you were outmaneuvered, then."

Kudo’s lips curled into a bitter smile, realizing his mistake.

Indeed, Kudo, like the ten-word magic and Sakagami, had been in contact with a "collaborator" within the expedition team. The various things he knew, which I didn’t, were likely from that source.

What was strange was that if the "collaborator" and Kudo were connected, they didn’t inform the ten-word magic that Sakagami was just a cover. There were many things to ask Kudo about.

"I want you to tell me everything you know."

This was the perfect opportunity to corner him.

Garbela’s spider legs clicked threateningly, Lily’s magic power increased, Asarina creaked, and Bertal growled again. The other monsters also prepared for battle.

"I don’t mind talking."

Despite the tension, Kudo’s smile remained clear and transparent.

"Depending on the situation, I intended to tell you everything, senpai. That’s why I came here."

"...What?"

Kudo’s words, shrugging his shoulders, made me frown. I was caught by the way he phrased it.

"Your words make it sound like you knew from the beginning..."

"Yes."

Kudo’s cheerful smile confirmed my suspicions.

"I intended to talk to you here from the beginning."

Before I could fully grasp the meaning of his words, the forest began to stir.

"What...?"

The bark burst, the underbrush shattered, and the ground was gouged.

Blades clashed, shields deflected, and some were broken.

It was the noise of battle.

"Gu... Gi..."

A gray-haired woman in a white dress, her face masked, emerged from the dark forest, followed by countless shadow swords.

"Rose!?"

The masked woman, Rose, who couldn’t block the shadow swords with her shield, retreated to my side.

"...I’m sorry, master. I failed."

She threw away the shadow sword she had pulled from her shoulder and apologized with a heavy heart.

Her presence here was, of course, not a coincidence.

In fact, before