Chapter 41

In the midst of that sudden encounter, Akari didn't know what to do.

Even if she tried to call out, she didn't know what to say.

As a result, she ended up performing incomprehensible actions, such as lifting and lowering her arm.

Maxime and Ophelia watched Akari's actions with suspicious eyes.

Zang and Hayato faced each other in silence, not moving an inch.

They seemed to be thinking about something.

However, the atmosphere was not immediately hostile.

Zang saw the women running towards Hayato from behind him. They were probably Hayato's party.

If Erika and the others arrived, things would inevitably get complicated.

He didn't want any more unforeseen events.

He made up his mind.

Zang pointed to the cave with a nod to Hayato.

Hayato nodded thoughtfully.

Zang took out a notebook from his pocket, looked at Yuki's eyes, nodded, stroked her, and then entered the cave.

Hayato followed, inwardly surprised by the affectionate Ilneic.

Hayato's party finally caught up and rushed towards the cave.

—Gwon

Yuki blocked the entrance, stopping them in their tracks.

"Hey, move out of the way, you monster!"

The air around Erika crackled.

Yuki bared her fangs and growled, showing her alertness. She seemed ready to pounce at any moment.

Erika hesitated, taken aback by the intensity.

"Erika, it's been a while."

Yuki and Erika's confrontation was interrupted by Akari, who called out to Erika.

She really wanted to follow Hayato into the cave, but she decided to stay behind, thinking that Erika chasing after them would make things worse. The fact that they didn't seem ready to kill each other immediately also influenced her decision.

"…Ah, Akari, who turned down Hayato's invitation and became some hunter. You were here? Hayato was looking for you. He said you're not the kind of person who would get others into trouble."

"That's right, thank you. But don't worry, it has nothing to do with Ichihara."

"Nothing to do with it? Hayato is so worried, and you say it has nothing to do with it?"

A crack sounded from under Erika's feet.

"You have quite a short temper."

Akari took a step back, drawing her ice staff from her waist, which was useless against an ice creature.

She felt the soft fur on the back of her knees.

It was Yuki, standing behind her.

When Akari glanced at Yuki, she saw her glaring at Erika, ready to support her. Just that made Akari feel more confident.

"Whatever's going on, it doesn't seem like we should interfere."

Maxime stood in front of the uniformed girl with a sword.

Though she was a girl, she was about the same age as Akari but taller.

Her long black hair was tied in a single braid, and her slender body had no excess or weakness.

Though she held a weak sword, Maxime instinctively felt she was the most dangerous in close combat.

"Hmm, the captain of the 'White Spear,' Maxim D'Arle. …Let me through."

"Bad nickname, but it's not all bad that a girl like you knows it. But when a man is facing off like that, a woman shouldn't butt in."

The girl frowned and glared at Maxime.

"…A woman."

"Hmph, whether you're a man or a woman doesn't matter, but there are times when we can't get in each other's way."

Maxime and the uniformed girl glared at each other.

"I heard that Alice Kingston, the prodigy of the academy, was traveling with the hero, and it's true."

Ophelia, with a composed smile, looked at the girl with a pointed hat.

"Where I go and who I go with is my business. Besides, being called a prodigy by a noble with many titles like 'Flame Elf,' 'Master of Magic,' and 'Beloved Daughter of the Moon Goddess' sounds like a joke to me. —Oh, and 'Kidnapper' was one of them, too."

Ophelia's expression didn't waver.

"Using grand magic like summoning to ruin the lives of seventy-eight people, I don't understand how you can be like this. As a princess and with such power, why don't you reflect and try to make amends? I'll help you in my small way."

Alice's cheek twitched.

"None of your business. I'm doing what I can with Hayato. I have no obligation to make amends to you."

Outside the cave, where five pairs of men and women faced each other, inside a room in the cave, Zang and Hayato sat by the hearth, facing each other.

Hayato, with his neatly cut black hair, always showed no weakness with his strong black eyes, a thick claw mark on his cheek, and a perpetually arrogant and insolent expression, but to Zang, he seemed somewhat precarious.

His lithe build, visible even through his black leather armor, was the opposite of Zang's, who believed in not getting hit, and exuded a flexible and explosive power.

Hayato placed the two long swords on his back to the side and quietly stared at Zang as if to see through everything about him.

Zang squeezed out his words.

"Thank you for the rescue. I wanted to say that first."

"…No problem. I would have rescued you even if you were my enemy. …I don't want to see my country fall again."

Then silence.

Zang opened his mouth again.

"Instead of being silent, why don't you say something? Why did you follow me? —Are you going to kill me? You've become quite famous, haven't you?"

Zang inwardly chuckled, thinking he sounded like a villain.

"…I won't do that."

Hayato said this while looking at Zang, holding the notebook firmly.

"Ha, to you, I'm just a thorn in the side, right?"

"I don't intend to do anything to someone who hasn't harmed me."

Zang was puzzled by the discrepancy between the rumors of Hayato's character at the time of his enrollment and the fact that he had taken away his power.

"Even after taking my power, you're quite arrogant. How are you going to make amends?"

This made Zang seem like the real villain.

Hayato frowned.

"I can only say I'm sorry. But I'm not the same person I was back then. I'll do what I can to make amends."

"So, what are you going to do? If I told you to die as an apology, would you?"

"……I can't die."

Hayato fell silent. He was still not quite eighteen, and perhaps he couldn't think of a way to make amends.

But Zang couldn't think of one either.

Zang decided to take advantage of the situation to extract information.

"Anyway, why don't you tell me about your blessing's power? It's scary not knowing."

Hayato might not reveal the full extent of his power, but he said it straightforwardly.

The 'Holy Sword' grants a party-wide ability boost, automatic bestowal of holy spirits, a flexible light sword, specialized affinity to light spirits, and reduced affinity to dark spirits.

The 'Beloved of Spirits' grants increased affinity to almost all spirits, reduced mana consumption, increased magic power, and the ability to see, touch, speak to, and hear spirits.

"You could have found out with a little research."

"Ha, it's a convenient blessing. So, is that a gun on your hip?"

Hayato looked a bit puzzled.

"…Yes. I haven't given it to anyone outside my party or taught them about it."

"Doesn't matter. …Is it gunpowder?"

"No, I use earth spirit magic to create the bullets and fire spirit magic to launch them. It's more like a magic gun."

Then silence again.

Zang, irritated by the silence, decided to probe for a weakness.

"But, you say you're sorry, but there's no sign that you've been looking for me?"

"…That's not true."

"I've heard from Akari. It seems no one was looking for me."

Zang asked calmly.

In response, Hayato began to speak hesitantly.

"Akari was here. …After being summoned, a lot has happened. I wasn't living a peaceful life. There were many who tried to use us. Erika, Kaede, and other students were also used."

"Ha, sounds like you've had a rough time."

Zang's encouragement made Hayato speak more freely.

"At first, I didn't care. But when I managed to defeat a man-eating bird that attacked us, I saved a few students. It was a whim. After that, people's attitudes towards me changed. They started to rely on me. It made me happy. I helped them a few more times, and eventually, I started to help on my own. Not just students, but people in this world. I could do it. And before I knew it, no one was talking about you. No, they couldn't talk about you."

"Well, a hero can't say he's a thief. Everyone was covering for you. There's nothing you can do about it."

Hayato glared at Zang.

"You can say whatever you want about me, but don't talk about everyone else. They were doing their best to survive. You don't know where they went or what they're doing, and you're talking about it. You don't know our struggles. One day, an adult might smile at you, and the next day, they might become your enemy. Do you understand that fear?"

Hayato's anger pressed down on Zang.

His spine froze instantly. Zang was gripping the notebook without realizing it.

"…What do you think would have happened if I had been summoned with you?"

Zang had to ask, even though he had come to the snowy mountain willingly, but not by choice.

Hayato was slightly shaken by the question, and his anger wavered.

"Maybe to some school? If you were summoned there and your lack of power was discovered, what are the chances that they would provide for you and take care of you until you could stand on your own? More likely, you'd be a hostage, exiled, killed, or persecuted. If there are such bad people, as you say."

Zang added, "I didn't think about that when I was stolen."

Hayato hesitated but didn't let go of his anger.

To him, the other summoned companions had become something precious.

"Besides, I wasn't living a carefree life either. Without any power to rely on, I went crazy learning magic for the first six months. Otherwise, I would have frozen to death. I even slept buried in warm soil. Food was a constant worry. Every time the food supply dwindled, I felt a burning sensation. It wasn't safe outside either; I almost died to a monster. The quality of my struggles was different from yours, who lived in a city. Don't go around bragging about your hardships; it's not even comparable. Besides, do you think you have the right to talk to the person who stole your power like that?"

Hayato countered, though with a bitter expression.

"Still, there are people who were saved because I was there. Do you think you could have done that?"

"I don't know. Maybe I could have, maybe I couldn't."

"Stop being so vague. How dare you insult my companions!"

"Hmph, can't forgive me, can you? So, what are you going to do, cut me down?"

Hayato's arm had already reached for the long sword at his side.

Hayato hesitated and pulled his hand back slightly.

Seeing this, Zang relaxed and chuckled.

Hayato, with his arm still extended, looked at him curiously.

"Well, I've said what I wanted to say, but in the end, it doesn't matter. As long as you and your associates don't involve me or mine, it's fine."

Zang added,

"However, if you spread information about me, use it, harm me or mine, or try to frame me or mine, I won't forgive you, no matter who you are, even if you're a fellow summoner—I will kill you."

Hayato instantly grabbed his long sword and stood up.

Zang remained seated.

But Hayato felt a creepy, unsettling sensation, like a venomous insect crawling towards him.

"…I won't let that happen."

"I'm not saying anything unreasonable."

"You're different. You treat people like they're not human, in a disjointed way…"

"Indeed," Zang stood up, drawing his kukri knife with one hand.

"…Do you think you can win?"

"Win or lose, what are you talking about? Even a small bug like a grasshopper can bite a human. It's the same. I don't fight because I have a chance of winning."

"…You're insane."

Zang smiled, madly.

"Insane? Thieves talk differently. So, you think I'm insane, huh? Then, for example, how about self-destructing right here?"

Zang opened the notebook he was holding.

Hayato, still holding his long sword, looked at Zang suspiciously.

"There's no such magic."

"Is there? Giving all my magic to