Chapter 92

"Welcome back, Master."

When I returned to the inn on Honshima, Filo was waiting at the entrance just like before.

For some reason, a very bad feeling crossed my mind.

"I'm back. How was it on your side?"

"Hmm... Well, the older sister is angry."

"Again..."

I had a feeling that this was going to happen... I had a premonition while hunting with Ren's party.

I cautiously entered the inn.

There, just like with Mototada, Laftalia was sitting in the same spot, waiting for me.

"Where is Ren?"

I muttered while looking for him.

Then, Ren walked in from the entrance of the inn as if he had just returned.

I decided to ask him before talking to Laftalia.

"Hey, you..."

Ren immediately turned away with a stern expression when he saw me.

"What's with your companions? They disobeyed my orders and went to a different hunting ground on their own."

What? It sounds like he's talking as if he's the victim.

Even if something happened with Ren, there's no way Laftalia would cause trouble without a reason.

"Let me point out a problem with your way of teaching."

I decided that Laftalia should also hear this.

I don't really want to get too close, but I'll call Laftalia over.

"Hey!"

"Naofumi-sama! And..."

When I called out, Laftalia looked at me with a smile, then saw Ren and her tail puffed up in anger.

It seems she was even angrier than with Mototada.

"What did you really do?"

It's not easy to make Laftaria that angry, except for Mototada.

Honestly, I'm curious about how anyone could make Laftalia that angry.

"Well, they just went off on their own."

"Don't joke around! That's not true!"

Laftaria, who had come closer, lost her temper when she heard Ren's explanation.

"This person—"

According to Laftalia, this is what happened.

After I left, Laftalia was waiting for Ren, feeling uneasy about Mototada.

"Is someone coming today?"

"Yes, today we have a hero named Ren, just like Naofumi-sama."

"Hmm."

Compared to Mototada, Ren arrived much earlier.

"I'm coming in."

"Please do."

After knocking, Ren entered the room.

Laftalia apparently got a quiet impression of Ren compared to Mototada.

Ren doesn't talk much, after all.

"Let's start with introductions. I'm the Sword Hero, Aki Ren. I hope we can get along for the next two days."

"Nice to meet you. My name is Laftalia."

"Filo."

Ren crossed his arms and glanced from Laftalia's head to her toes.

An eerie atmosphere dominated the room.

"Um..."

"What's your level?"

"Huh?"

"What level are you?"

"Oh, I'm level 42. Filo is too."

"Un!"

"Level 42... Then it's impossible, isn't it?"

"Huh?"

Laftalia apparently didn't understand what he meant when he suddenly said it was impossible.

It's the same with Ren's companions; don't ask questions without explaining.

As the saying goes, if you stay with red, you turn red. It seems that after spending a long time together, they start to resemble each other. This applies to me too... Laftaria's efficiency.

"Whatever, let's go level up."

With that, Ren handed over a party request, and Laftalia and the others accepted it.

"Buy any necessary potions on the way."

"Ah, yes."

Though he was blunt, he had the intention of leveling up, so Laftalia and the others obediently followed Ren.

I provide potions, so they didn't need to buy any, and they arrived at the destination.

"Then, I'll judge how much you can fight. Let's go and see."

"Yes...?"

Laftalia felt a bit uncomfortable with Ren's top-down attitude but followed him.

They fought monsters in the middle of the island.

"Hmm... This area is suitable for your level."

"It feels a bit too easy..."

"Take this!"

Due to the class-up, Laftalia and Filo's attack power had increased significantly. As a result, the monsters felt a bit weak.

In fact, they were mostly defeated in one hit.

What does he mean by "suitable level"? It seems he's just comparing it to game knowledge rather than what he actually sees.

"Levels in the 40s are suitable for this area. I'm going further ahead, so you two should level up here. You seem to be strong for your level, though."

With that, Ren left the party and ran off.

He's been saying too much. If this were an online game, I would have left.

"Ah, um—"

"I'll be back by evening. Keep fighting until then. Gather the monsters."

"Yes..."

Though the opponents were a bit too easy, the experience points were good, so Laftalia and the others continued to fight as instructed.

By evening, Ren returned and absorbed the monsters Laftaria and the others had defeated with his sword.

Laftalia apparently felt a bit awkward, as if only the spoils had been taken.

It's like he's an NPC. He should show more respect to his companions.

"Um..."

"What is it?"

"Aren't you going to fight with us?"

"You don't have the level to fight. It's common sense that those who lack effort should catch up."

...Laftaria apparently felt frustrated with Ren's attitude, which showed no consideration for teamwork.

Common sense, huh... It seems our sense of common sense is quite different.

If it were me, I would rather support them and pull them along, even if they lack the level.

In online games, there are experience point gain limits, but I've never felt such a limit in this world.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to make Filo grow rapidly by absorbing experience points.

In any case, they returned to the inn and finished eating.

"I'm going to level up a bit more. See you later."

With that, Ren left quickly.

Though his words were brief, he seemed to be seriously thinking about the world, Laftaria thought, and she went to bed.

The next morning, Ren asked:

"What level are you now?"

"We're level 48."

After yesterday's battles, Laftalia and Filo had both leveled up.

Incidentally, the growth correction depends on me, so there were no issues even in a different party.

"Well... It might be a bit tough, but..."

Ren muttered to himself and then looked up to answer.

"Let's go deeper today. We'll fight the monsters together."

"Yes."

"Okay!"

Laftalia was relieved that they could finally have a proper battle.

But it turned out to be a big mistake within an hour.

On the way, Ren asked Laftalia and Filo about the magic and skills they could use. So Laftalia explained her magic sword, and Filo explained her High Quick.

"Hmm... I've seen similar skills. You've given them unique names, haven't you?"

"Huh?"

"Don't worry about it."

When they passed the middle of the island and entered the deeper area, a large monster called a Karmadog Familia appeared.

It was a large, black dog-like monster with long ears.

Laftalia thought it was a nasty enemy that triggered her trauma.

"Alright! Follow my orders and fight!"

"Yes!"

"What do we do?"

"First, avoid the monster's attacks and draw its attention. Then, use your special moves!"

It's a pretty rough strategy.

It's no different from charging in, smashing, and winning.

Laftalia followed the orders and dodged the Karmadog Familia's attacks.

However, Ren was in the way, so she had to step aside.

"What are you doing, rubbing against me! Think more!"

"Yes!"

I would have praised her, but Laftalia and Filo did their best to draw the monster's attention.

There was no coordination, and they couldn't see eye-to-eye since they couldn't observe Ren's fighting style, so they prioritized dodging.

As a result, the battle dragged on, and they continued to fight the Karmadog Familia while panting.

At one point, Filo focused and tried to use her High Quick.

"Meteor Sword!"

"Ah! Get out of the way!"

Ren stepped forward, and Filo changed the direction of her attack and flew into the bushes.

It seems the spell can go in the wrong direction if it fails.

The Karmadog Familia let out a scream when hit by Ren's attack.

"Damn, it's too shallow! What are you doing! Fight faster!"

"Huh...?"

"...Phantom Sword."

Laftalia also used her special move, hiding and aiming for the Karmadog Familia's back.

However,

"Tsk!"

Ren avoided the direction Laftalia was trying to circle around, and it failed.

"Why are you circling around!"

"Think a bit more!"

It took a while, but they finally defeated the Karmadog Familia.

I don't know why, but I felt very frustrated just listening to the story.

"Look around more when you fight! You just need to draw the monster's attention!"

As soon as the Karmadog Familia was defeated, Ren told Laftalia and the others.

Immediately, a string snapped inside Laftalia.

"Look around? You should be the one to do that!"

Laftalia had a few thoughts while watching Ren's battle.

First, the Karmadog Familia was a boss-level monster that even Ren had trouble dealing with, as evidenced by the time it took him to defeat it alone.

It was a big catch, even making Filo's kick stagger.

Honestly, Laftalia analyzed that it was stronger than a Dragon Zombie.

"It's your lack of strategy. We tried to avoid and use our special moves as you said, but you kept getting in the way!"

"There's nothing wrong with my strategy. It's your fault."

"Don't joke around! We explained the features of our special moves! Why do you keep getting in the way!"

"I'm not getting in the way! You just need to draw the monster's attention."

"Then why didn't you explain that!"

"Figure it out yourself."

"...Enough!"

Laftalia's patience had reached its limit.

"We're not close enough to fight together and coordinate! It's impossible to fight properly!"

"That's why I'm trying to deal the damage and defeat it—"

"To be honest, you're in the way!"

Laftalia dissolved the party and ordered Filo to follow her.

"What are you doing, acting on your own!"

"Shut up!"

As they parted the bushes, another Karmadog Familia appeared in a good spot.

Laftalia formed a party with Filo, and they accepted.

Then, Laftalia and Filo defeated the second Karmadog Familia in a third of the time it took with Ren.

"Then, I'll take my leave. This place is inefficient for us."

Feeling frustrated, Laftalia left a sarcastic remark and led Filo back to a place with easier monsters to fight until evening.

She was concerned about wasting time by returning too early, as with Mototada, so they hunted until late.

"Do you think such selfishness is allowed!"

"It's just an argument. Who are you talking about being allowed or not?"

"What!?"

Really... He's talking as if he's the authority.

Not allowed... It sounds like he's reporting a problematic player to the game administrators.

"Hey... Who are you saying is not allowed?"

"..."

Ren avoided my gaze and mumbled.

Did he say it out of frustration?

Still, I don't think Laftalia was wrong.

It feels like they just had a disagreement and parted ways.

"Or do you have that kind of authority? Laftalia is my companion. If there's a punishment, I'll do it. From what I've heard, I don't see anything wrong with her. If you think Laftalia is wrong, explain your reasoning."

"Damn!"

This might lead to some trouble later.

Still, given the situation, I'll defend Laftalia. She's not doing anything wrong.

"What do you think a companion is? Do you see them as pawns to draw attention away from yourself?"

If this happened this morning, in real time... it's shorter than with Mototada?

It's quite something...

"If you keep doing this, you'll eventually kill your companions!"

Laftaria, who was extremely angry, said this and walked off to her room.

Ren, looking annoyed, glared at me.

"Your companion is selfish. Selfish people will eventually die."

It's like a losing dog's bark. He's spitting in the sky.

Complaining because someone doesn't follow his rules...

It's worse than I feared.

"Are you okay, Ren-sama?"

"Yeah, it's nothing."

Ren walked off with his own companion... or rather, a junior in his guild.

I feel like I want to hold my head.

There are people like that... who wave their own theories and make up rules.

They bring juniors to strong hunting grounds without coordination and end up killing their companions.

They go on field trips and challenge opponents they can barely beat or can't beat at all.

Then, they show off by being the only one to shine. The reason Ren's companion is so fanatical is probably because of this.

They're annoying in games but seem reliable in reality.

They monopolize rare items, saying things like, "You just watched, didn't you?"

MO type... They choose episodes like reading a story and defeat the final boss in a stage in online games, but in full MMOs, bosses spawn in the field and are often very strong.

I remember a guy who complained to me about being in a pinch and not having the right equipment.

He chose a class with a powerful special move and used his juniors to buy time for the move.

There were also times when he challenged the highest-level dungeons and caused a death fest. He usually plays solo and makes a fuss when he wants to do something. He can fight because his level is high, but his companions can't keep up.

A type of "hero" in online terms. There are other names for them too. They insult and report to the administrators anyone who doesn't follow their rules.

I remember this from when I ran a guild. These types end up being expelled in the end.

I thought he would be better at measuring abilities, but maybe I was wrong.

I didn't think there would be someone else who could make Laftalia angry besides Mototada.

This might cause some trouble with Shii too.